The corporate lobbying for government has become an old tune for the independent thinker. This lobbying is part of a machine which has stolen governments around the world. Brave thinkers have stood up against this machine even with criticism from their peers; however, a new threat looms over the horizon which threatens all people; the lobbying of the mass media.
The independent thinker is immune to such tactics as long as the internet remains their sanctuary, but anyone who still trusts the mass media are at risk. Sabastian Jones, a writer for The Nation has already written brilliant work on this topic, and I encourage anyone to read this article [1], but this blog will focus on U.S. retired generals. The most recent issue is retired general McCaffrey who has been a returning correspondent on the mass media outlets. This last week the general held a meeting with CBS corporation executives. He made outlandish claims such as [2]:
“We should not view the Iranian rhetoric as empty threats. They are likely to further escalate. There is great opportunity for miscalculation on their part. . . . They will not under any circumstances actually be deterred from going nuclear. They will achieve initial nuclear capability within 60 months.”
“Israel would welcome such a confrontation. They have an existential threat to their survival looming in their very near future.”
“ The Israelis lack any credible conventional military power to counter Iranian threat. their forced option would be a pre-emptive nuclear strike”
“high risk situation--with a significant probability of Iranian escalation in the coming 90 days”
This meeting with CBS executives is only the tip of the iceberg, and general McCaffrey has been saying similar rhetoric to the American people since 2009. Well, the reader may be thinking; he is a former military general of the United States; it is not possible he would mislead the American people. Well, I will give you some facts the mass media neglected to divulge before his “neutral analyst” opinion.
The good general is on the board of directors for an international corporation DynCorp International, and he is not the only retired military official on the board [3]:
General Barry R. McCaffrey, U.S. Army Retired
Admiral Joseph W. Prueher, U.S. Navy Retired
General Peter J. Schoomaker, U.S. Army Retired
Admiral Leighton W. Smith, Jr., U.S. Navy Retired
What does DynCorp do?
DynCorp is a United States based private military contractor, and 96% of their yearly revenues comes from U.S. military contracts [4]. Obviously, if America is not at war, their revenues take a landslide, and these poor retired military officials suffer the slump. It begs the question if general McCaffrey has personal interest embedded into his professional opinions; however, the groovy train does not end with DynCorp. In 2010, The equity investment group Cerberus Capital Management acquired DynCorp International [5]. This investment group has a history of buying assets, and they will build these assets with the intention of selling for a large profit margin. Now, If America is not at war, how can Cerberus Capital Management build DynCorp International?
This investment group has a history with CBS Corporation. A deal was made in 2007 for the acquisition of local media stations from CBS [6]. The group built capital with these stations, and they sold these stations for a profit margin. I find my self asking this question. What connections did Cerberus Capital Management make with CBS, so general McCaffery could hold a meeting with CBS executives? What other possible connections have they gained in the media?
I encourage the reader to keep an eye on the defense industry because DynCorp International is only one player. If Cerberus Capital group has connections with the mass media, it can only be assumed other members of the industry have similar connections.
No comments:
Post a Comment