John Paul Tabakian, Ed.D.

Transcription

1 John Paul Tabakian, Ed.D. Western Political Thought Political Science 5 Course Pack #6 Spring 2018

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS The Case Against The Reds By: Mitchell Palmer...3 The Red Scare Is Un-American By: William Allen White...6 Enemies from Within : Senator Joseph R. McCarthy s Accusations of Disloyalty Speech...7 Declaration Of Conscience By: Margaret Chase Smith...10 Drawn From Transparency: American Power In The 21 st Century Information Flows Top Down...13 Messages And Manipulation...13 Mirror Myth...15 Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 2 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

3 A. Mitchell Palmer The Case Against the "Reds" A powerful reaction against "radicalism" in various forms swept the country immediately after the end of the war. One of the leading progenitors and sponsors of the "Red Scare" was the Attorney General of the United States, who summarizes his fears of Bolshevism and his methods of extirpating it. SOURCE. A Mitchell Palmer, "The Case Against the 'Reds,'" Forum (1920), 63: In this brief review of the work which the Department of Justice has undertaken, to tear out the radical seeds that have entangled American ideas in their poisonous theories, I desire not merely to explain what the real menace of communism is, but also to tell how we have been compelled to clean up the country almost unaided by any virile legislation. Though I have not been embarrassed by political opposition, I have been materially delayed because the present sweeping processes of arrests and deportation of seditious aliens should have been vigorously pushed by Congress last spring. The failure of this is a matter of record in the Congressional files. The anxiety of that period in our responsibility when Congress, ignoring the seriousness of these vast organizations that were plotting to overthrow the Government, failed to act, has passed. The time came when it was obviously hopeless to expect the hearty cooperation of Congress in the only way to stamp out these seditious societies in their open defiance of law by various forms of propaganda. Like a prairie-fire, the blaze of revolution was sweeping over every American institution of law and order a year ago. It was eating its way into the homes of the American workmen, its sharp tongues of revolutionary heat were licking the altars of the churches, leaping into the belfry of the school bell, crawling into the sacred corners of American homes, seeking to replace marriage vows with libertine laws, burning up the foundations of society. Robbery, not war, is the ideal of communism. This has been demonstrated in Russia, Germany, and in America. As a foe, the anarchist is fearless of his own life, for his creed is a fanaticism that admits no respect of any other creed. Obviously it is the creed of any criminal mind, which reasons always from motives impossible to clean thought. Crime is the degenerate factor in society. Upon these two basic certainties, first that the "Reds" were criminal aliens and secondly that the American Government must prevent crime, it was decided that there could be no nice distinctions drawn between the theoretical ideals of the radicals and their actual violations of our national laws. An assassin may have brilliant intellectuality, he may be able to excuse his murder or robbery with fine oratory, but any theory which excuses crime is not wanted in America. This is no place for the criminal to flourish, nor will he do so so long as the rights of common citizenship can be exerted to prevent him. OUR GOVERNMENT IN JEOPARDY It has always been plain to me that when American citizens unite upon any national issue they are generally right, but it is sometimes difficult to make the issue clear to them. If the Department of Justice could succeed in attracting the attention of our optimistic citizens to the issue of internal revolution in this country, we felt sure there would be no revolution. The Government was in jeopardy; our private information of what was being done by the organization known as the Communist Party of America, with headquarters in Chicago, of what was being done by the Communist Internationale under their manifesto planned at Moscow last March by Trotzky, Lenin and others addressed "To the Proletariats of All Countries," of what strides the Communist Labor Party was making, removed all doubt. In this conclusion we did not ignore the definite standards of personal liberty, of free speech, which is the Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 3 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

4 very temperament and heart of the people. The evidence was examined with the utmost care, with a personal leaning toward freedom of thought and word on all questions. The whole mass of evidence, accumulated from all parts of the country, was scrupulously scanned, not merely for the written or spoken differences of viewpoint as to the Government of the United States, but, in spite of these things, to see if the hostile declarations might not be sincere in their announced motive to improve our social order. There was no hope of such a thing. By stealing, murder and lies, Bolshevism has looted Russia not only of its material strength but of its moral force. A small clique of outcasts from the East Side of New York has attempted this, with what success we all know. Because a disreputable alien Leon Bronstein, the man who now calls himself Trotzky can inaugurate a reign of terror from his throne room in the Kremlin, because this lowest of all types known to New York can sleep in the Czar's bed, while hundreds of thousands in Russia are without food or shelter, should Americans be swayed by such doctrines? Such a question, it would seem, should receive but one answer from America. My information showed that communism in this country was an organization of thousands of aliens who were direct allies of Trotzky. Aliens of the same misshapen caste of mind and indecencies of character, and it showed that they were making the same glittering promises of lawlessness, of criminal autocracy to Americans, that they had made to the Russian peasants. How the Department of Justice discovered upwards of 60,000 of these organized agitators of the Trotzky doctrine in the United States is the confidential information upon which the Government is now sweeping the nation clean of such alien filth... WILL DEPORTATION CHECK BOLSHEVISM? Behind, and underneath, my own determination to drive from our midst the agents of Bolshevism with increasing vigor and with greater speed, until there are no more of them left among us, so long as I have the responsible duty of that task, I have discovered the hysterical methods of these revolutionary humans with increasing amazement and suspicion. In the confused information that sometimes reaches the people they are compelled to ask questions which involve the reasons for my acts against the "Reds." I have been asked, for instance, to what extent deportation will check radicalism in this country. Why not ask what will become of the United States Government if these alien radicals are permitted to carry out the principles of the Communist Party as embodied in its so-called laws, aims and regulations? There wouldn't be any such thing left. In place of the United States Government we should have the horror and terrorism of bolsheviki tyranny such as is destroying Russia now. Every scrap of radical literature demands the overthrow of our existing government. All of it demands obedience to the instincts of criminal minds, that is, to the lower appetites, material and moral. The whole purpose of communism appears to be a mass formation of the criminals of the world to overthrow the decencies of private life, to usurp property that they have not earned, to disrupt the present order of life regardless of health, sex or religious rights. By a literature that promises the wildest dreams of such low aspirations, that can occur to only the criminal minds,, communism distorts our social law... It has been inferred by the "Reds" that the United States Government, by arresting and deporting them, is returning to the autocracy of Czardom, adopting the system that created the severity of Siberian banishment. My reply to such charges is that in our determination to maintain our government we are treating our alien enemies with extreme consideration. To deny them the privilege of remaining in a country which they have openly deplored as an unenlightened community, unfit for those who prefer the privileges of Bolshevism, should be no hardship. It strikes me as an odd form of reasoning that these Russian Bolsheviks who extol the Bolshevik rule should be so unwilling Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 4 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

5 to return to Russia. The nationality of most of the alien "Reds" is Russian and German. There is almost no other nationality represented among them. It has been impossible in so short a space to review the entire menace of the internal revolution in this country as I know it, but this may serve to arouse the American citizen to its reality, its danger, and the great need of united effort to stamp it out, under our feet, if needs be. It is being done. The Department of Justice will pursue the attack of these "Reds" upon the Government of the United States with vigilance, and no alien, advocating the overthrow of existing law and order in this country, shall escape arrest and prompt deportation. It is my belief that while they have stirred discontent in our midst, while they have caused irritating strikes, and while they have infected our social ideas with the disease of their own minds and their unclean morals we can get rid of them! and not until we have done so shall we have removed the menace of Bolshevism for good. Source: A. Mitchell Palmer, " The Case Against the Reds," Part III Peacemaking, , Radicalism and the Red Scare, World War I At Home: Readings on American Life, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: New York, pp Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 5 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

6 The Red Scare is Un-American (1920), William Allen White The majority of Americans supported the actions of Attorney General Palmer and shared his fears of the Red menace. A few people, however, raised concerns about the arbitrary use of police powers to deal with aliens. William Allen White, the crusading editor of the Emporia Gazette in Kansas and a prominent Republican progressive, criticized Palmer's crusade. The Attorney General seems to be seeing red. He is rounding up every manner of radical in the country; every man who hopes for a better world is in danger of deportation by the Attorney General. The whole business is un- American. There are certain rules which should govern in the treason cases. First, it should be agreed that a man may believe what he chooses. Second, it should be agreed that when he preaches violence he is disturbing the peace and should be put in jail. Whether he preaches violence in politics, business, or religion, whether he advocates murder and arson and pillage for gain or for political ends, he is violating the common law and should be squelched jailed until he is willing to quit advocating force in a democracy. Third, he should be allowed to say what he pleases so long as he advocates legal constitutional methods of procedure. Just because a man does not believe this government is good is no reason why he should be deported. Abraham Lincoln did not believe this government was all right seventy-five years ago. He advocated changes, but he advocated constitutional means, and he had a war with those who advocated force to maintain the government as it was. Ten years ago Roosevelt1 advocated great changes in our American life in our Constitution, in our social and economic life. Most of the changes he advocated have been made, but they were made in the regular legal way. He preached no force. And if a man desires to preach any doctrine under the shining sun, and to advocate the realization of his vision by lawful, orderly, constitutional means let him alone. If he is Socialist, anarchist, or Mormon, and merely preaches his creed and does not preach violence, he can do no harm. For the folly of his doctrine will be its answer. The deportation business is going to make martyrs of a lot of idiots whose cause is not worth it. Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 6 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

7 Enemies from Within : Senator Joseph R. McCarthy s Accusations of Disloyalty - Speech Wisconsin Republican Joseph R. McCarthy first won election to the Senate in 1946 during a campaign marked by much anticommunist Red-baiting. Partially in response to Republican Party victories, President Harry S. Truman tried to demonstrate his own concern about the threat of Communism by setting up a loyalty program for federal employees. He also asked the Justice Department to compile an official list of 78 subversive organizations. As the midterm election year got underway, former State Department official Alger Hiss, suspected of espionage, was convicted of perjury. McCarthy, in a speech at Wheeling, West Virginia, mounted an attack on Truman s foreign policy agenda by charging that the State Department and its Secretary, Dean Acheson, harbored traitorous Communists. There is some dispute about the number of Communists McCarthy claimed to have known about. Though advance copies of this speech distributed to the press record the number as 205, McCarthy quickly revised this claim. Both in a letter he wrote to President Truman the next day and in an official transcript of the speech that McCarthy submitted to the Congressional Record ten days later he uses the number 57. Although McCarthy displayed this list of names both in Wheeling and then later on the Senate floor, he never made the list public. Speech of Joseph McCarthy, Wheeling, West Virginia, February 9, 1950 Ladies and gentlemen, tonight as we celebrate the one hundred forty-first birthday of one of the greatest men in American history, I would like to be able to talk about what a glorious day today is in the history of the world. As we celebrate the birth of this man who with his whole heart and soul hated war, I would like to be able to speak of peace in our time of war being outlawed and of world-wide disarmament. These would be truly appropriate things to be able to mention as we celebrate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Five years after a world war has been won, men s hearts should anticipate a long peace and men s minds should be free from the heavy weight that comes with war. But this is not such a period for this is not a period of peace. This is a time of the cold war. This is a time when all the world is split into two vast, increasingly hostile armed camps a time of a great armament race. Today we can almost physically hear the mutterings and rumblings of an invigorated god of war. You can see it, feel it, and hear it all the way from the Indochina hills, from the shores of Formosa, right over into the very heart of Europe itself. The one encouraging thing is that the mad moment has not yet arrived for the firing of the gun or the exploding of the bomb which will set civilization about the final task of destroying itself. There is still a hope for peace if we finally decide that no longer can we safely blind our eyes and close our ears to those facts which are shaping up more and more clearly... and that is that we are now engaged in a show-down fight... not the usual war between nations for land areas or other material gains, but a war between two diametrically opposed ideologies. The great difference between our western Christian world and the atheistic Communist world is not political, gentlemen, it is moral. For instance, the Marxian idea of confiscating the land and factories and running the entire economy as a single enterprise is momentous. Likewise, Lenin s invention of the one-party police state as a way to make Marx s idea work is hardly less momentous. Stalin s resolute putting across of these two ideas, of course, did much to divide the world. With only these differences, however, the east and the west could most certainly still live in peace. The real, basic difference, however, lies in the religion of immoralism... invented by Marx, preached feverishly by Lenin, and carried to unimaginable extremes by Stalin. This religion of immoralism, if the Red half of the world Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 7 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

8 triumphs and well it may, gentlemen this religion of immoralism will more deeply wound and damage mankind than any conceivable economic or political system. Karl Marx dismissed God as a hoax, and Lenin and Stalin have added in clear-cut, unmistakable language their resolve that no nation, no people who believe in a god, can exist side by side with their communistic state. Karl Marx, for example, expelled people from his Communist Party for mentioning such things as love, justice, humanity or morality. He called this soulful ravings and sloppy sentimentality.... Today we are engaged in a final, all-out battle between communistic atheism and Christianity. The modern champions of communism have selected this as the time, and ladies and gentlemen, the chips are down they are truly down. Lest there be any doubt that the time has been chosen, let us go directly to the leader of communism today Joseph Stalin. Here is what he said not back in 1928, not before the war, not during the war but 2 years after the last war was ended: To think that the Communist revolution can be carried out peacefully, within the framework of a Christian democracy, means one has either gone out of one s mind and lost all normal understanding, or has grossly and openly repudiated the Communist revolution.... Ladies and gentlemen, can there be anyone tonight who is so blind as to say that the war is not on? Can there by anyone who fails to realize that the Communist world has said the time is now?... that this is the time for the show-down between the democratic Christian world and the communistic atheistic world? Unless we face this fact, we shall pay the price that must be paid by those who wait too long. Six years ago,... there was within the Soviet orbit, 180,000,000 people. Lined up on the antitotalitarian side there were in the world at that time, roughly 1,625,000,000 people. Today, only six years later, there are 800,000,000 people under the absolute domination of Soviet Russia an increase of over 400 percent. On our side, the figure has shrunk to around 500,000,000. In other words, in less than six years, the odds have changed from 9 to 1 in our favor to 8 to 5 against us. This indicates the swiftness of the tempo of Communist victories and American defeats in the cold war. As one of our outstanding historical figures once said, When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be from enemies from without, but rather because of enemies from within.... The reason why we find ourselves in a position of impotency is not because our only powerful potential enemy has sent men to invade our shores... but rather because of the traitorous actions of those who have been treated so well by this Nation. It has not been the less fortunate, or members of minority groups who have been traitorous to this Nation, but rather those who have had all the benefits that the wealthiest Nation on earth has had to offer... the finest homes, the finest college education and the finest jobs in government we can give. This is glaringly true in the State Department. There the bright young men who are born with silver spoons in their mouths are the ones who have been most traitorous.... I have here in my hand a list of a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department.... Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 8 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

9 As you know, very recently the Secretary of State proclaimed his loyalty to a man guilty of what has always been considered as the most abominable of all crimes being a traitor to the people who gave him a position of great trust high treason.... He has lighted the spark which is resulting in a moral uprising and will end only when the whole sorry mess of twisted, warped thinkers are swept from the national scene so that we may have a new birth of honesty and decency in government. Joseph McCarthy to President Harry Truman, February 11, 1950 In the Lincoln Day speech at Wheeling Thursday night I stated that the State Department harbors a nest of Communists and Communist sympathizers who are helping to shape our foreign policy. I further stated that I have in my possession the names of 57 Communists who are in the State Department at present. A State Department spokesman promptly denied this, claiming that there is not a single Communist in the Department. You can convince yourself of the falsity of the State Department claim very easily. You will recall that you personally appointed a board to screen State Department employees for the purpose of weeding out fellow travelers men whom the board considered dangerous to the security of this Nation. Your board did a painstaking job, and named hundreds which had been listed as dangerous to the security of the Nation, because of communistic connections. While the records are not available to me, I know absolutely of one group of approximately 300 certified to the Secretary for discharge because of communism. He actually only discharged approximately 80. I understand that this was done after lengthy consultation with the now-convicted traitor, Alger Hiss. I would suggest, therefore, Mr. President, that you simply pick up your phone and ask Mr. Acheson how many of those whom your board had labeled as dangerous Communists he failed to discharge. The day the House Un-American Activities Committee exposed Alger Hiss as an important link in an international Communist spy ring you signed an order forbidding the State Department s giving any information in regard to the disloyalty or the communistic connections of anyone in that Department to the Congress. Despite this State Department black-out, we have been able to compile a list of 57 Communists in the State Department. This list is available to you but you can get a much longer list by ordering Secretary Acheson to give you a list of those whom your own board listed as being disloyal and who are still working in the State Department. I believe the following is the minimum which can be expected of you in this case. 1. That you demand that Acheson give you and the proper congressional committee the names and a complete report on all of those who were placed in the Department by Alger Hiss, and all of those still working in the State Department who were listed by your board as bad security risks because of their communistic connections. 2. That you promptly revoke the order in which you provided under no circumstances could a congressional committee obtain any information or help in exposing Communists. Failure on your part will label the Democratic Party of being the bedfellow of international communism. Certainly this label is not deserved by the hundreds of thousands of loyal American Democrats throughout the Nation, and by the sizable number of able loyal Democrats in both the Senate and the House. Source: U.S. Senate, State Department Loyalty Investigation Committee on Foreign Relations, 81st Congress; Joseph McCarthy to President Harry Truman February 11, 1950, Congressional Record, 81st Congress Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 9 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

10 Margaret Chase Smith's Declaration of Conscience June 1, 1950, Margaret Chase Smith of Maine spoke on the Senate floor on behalf of the Declaration of Conscience. The declaration opposed McCarthyism. Smith's speech is printed here. I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national condition. It is a national feeling of fear and frustration that could result in national suicide and the end of everything that we Americans hold dear. It is a condition that comes from the lack of effective leadership in either the Legislative Branch or the Executive Branch of our Government. That leadership is so lacking that serious and responsible proposals are being made that national advisory commissions be appointed to provide such critically needed leadership. I speak as briefly as possible because too much harm has already been done with irresponsible words of bitterness and selfish political opportunism. I speak as simply as possible because the issue is too great to be obscured by eloquence. I speak simply and briefly in the hope that my words will be taken to heart. I speak as a Republican. I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States Senator. I speak as an American. The United States Senate has long enjoyed worldwide respect as the greatest deliberative body in the world. But recently that deliberative character has too often been debased to the level of a forum of hate and character assassination sheltered by the shield of congressional immunity. It is ironical that we Senators can in debate in the Senate directly or indirectly, by any form of words, impute to any American who is not a Senator any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming an American---and without that non-senator American having any legal redress against us---yet if we say the same thing in the Senate about our colleagues we can be stopped on the grounds of being out of order. It is strange that we can verbally attack anyone else without restraint and with full protection and yet we hold ourselves above the same type of criticism here on the Senate Floor. Surely the United States Senate is big enough to take self-criticism and self-appraisal. Surely we should be able to take the same kind of character attacks that we "dish out" to outsiders. I think that it is high time for the United States Senate and its members to do some soul-searching---for us to weigh our consciences---on the manner in which we are performing our duty to the people of America- --on the manner in which we are using or abusing our individual powers and privileges. I think that it is high time that we remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I think that it is high time that we remembered that the Constitution, as amended, speaks not only of the freedom of speech but also of trial by jury instead of trial by accusation. Whether it be a criminal prosecution in court or a character prosecution in the Senate, there is little practical distinction when the life of a person has been ruined. Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism: The right to criticize; Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 10 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

11 The right to hold unpopular beliefs; The right to protest; The right of independent thought. The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us doesn't? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own. Otherwise thought control would have set in. The American people are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as "Communists" or "Fascists" by their opponents. Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others. The American people are sick and tired of seeing innocent people smeared and guilty people whitewashed. But there have been enough proved cases such as the Amerasia case, the Hiss case, the Coplon case, the Gold case, to cause nationwide distrust and suspicion that there may be something to the unproved, sensational accusations. As a Republican, I say to my colleagues on this side of the aisle that the Republican Party faces a challenge today that is not unlike the challenge that it faced back in Lincoln's day. The Republican Party so successfully met that challenge that it emerged from the Civil War as the champion of a united nation-- -in addition to being a Party that unrelentingly fought loose spending and loose programs. Today our country is being psychologically divided by the confusion and the suspicions that are bred in the United States Senate to spread like cancerous tentacles of "know nothing, suspect everything" attitudes. Today we have a Democratic Administration that has developed a mania for loose spending and loose programs. History is repeating itself---and the Republican Party again has the opportunity to emerge as the champion of unity and prudence. The record of the present Democratic Administration has provided us with sufficient campaign issues without the necessity to resorting to political smears. America is rapidly losing its position as leader of the world simply because the Democratic Administration has pitifully failed to provide effective leadership. The Democratic Administration has completely confused the American people by its daily contradictory grave warnings and optimistic assurances---that show the people that our Democratic Administration has no idea of where it is going. The Democratic Administration has greatly lost the confidence of the American people by it complacency to the threat of communism here at home and the leak of vital secrets to Russia through key officials of the Democratic Administration. There are enough proved cases to make this point without diluting our criticism with unproved charges. Surely these are sufficient reasons to make it clear to the American people that it is time for a change and that a Republican victory is necessary to the security of this country. Surely it is clear that this nation will continue to suffer as long as it is governed by the present ineffective Democratic Administration. Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 11 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

12 Yet to displace it with a Republican regime embracing a philosophy that lacks political integrity or intellectual honesty would prove equally disastrous to this nation. The nation sorely needs a Republican victory. But I don't want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny---Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear. I doubt if the Republican Party could---simply because I don't believe the American people will uphold any political party that puts political exploitation above national interest. Surely we Republicans aren't that desperate for victory. I don't want to see the Republican party win that way. While it might be a fleeting victory for the Republican Party, it would be a more lasting defeat for the American people. Surely it would ultimately be suicide for the Republican Party and the two-party system that has protected our American liberties from the dictatorship of a one-party system. As members of the Minority Party, we do not have the primary authority to formulate the policy of our Government. But we do have the responsibility of rendering constructive criticism, of clarifying issues, of allaying fears by acting as responsible citizens. As a woman, I wonder how the mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters feel about the way in which members of their families have been politically mangled in Senate debate---and I use the word "debate" advisedly. As a United States Senator, I am not proud of the way in which the Senate has been made a publicity platform for irresponsible sensationalism. I am not proud of the reckless abandon in which unproved charges have been hurled from this side of the aisle. I am not proud of the obviously staged, undignified countercharges that have been attempted in retaliation from the other side of the aisle. I don't like the way the Senate has been made a rendezvous for vilification, for selfish political gain at the sacrifice of individual reputations and national unity. I am not proud of the way we smear outsiders from the Floor of the Senate and hide behind the cloak of congressional immunity and still place ourselves beyond criticism on the Floor of the Senate. As an American, I am shocked at the way Republicans and Democrats alike are playing directly into the Communist design of "confuse, divide, and conquer." As an American, I don't want a Democratic Administration "whitewash" or "coverup" any more than I want a Republican smear or witch hunt. As an American, I condemn a Republican "Fascist" just as much as I condemn a Democrat "Communist." I condemn a Democrat "Fascist" just as much as I condemn a Republican "Communist." They are equally dangerous to you and me and to our country. As an American, I want to see our nation recapture the strength and unity it once had when we fought the enemy instead of ourselves. It is with these thoughts that I have drafted what I call a "Declaration of Conscience." I am gratified that Senator Tobey, Senator Aiken, Senator Morse, Senator Ives, Senator Thye, and Senator Hendrickson have concurred in that declaration and have authorized me to announce their concurrence. Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 12 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

13 INFORMATION FLOWS TOP DOWN Elite theory also argues that information flows from opinion elites down to opinion leaders who are looked to the public for information. News is first created by opinion elites and then sent to opinion leaders to help disseminate the information. Those at the very top of the elite network decide what information is deemed as necessary to offer society. These elites may be news makers themselves or in charge of large media corporations. Opinion leaders may be thought of as journalists, news anchors, expert pundits or even celebrities who possess legitimacy among those in society. i Elites communicate openly through interelite communication through various media that include print, television and radio. Open communication allows for a large amount of information that the majority of masses will not discover for it will take too long to gather what is pertinent. Opinion Leaders are charged with the responsibility of communicating the opinions of the News Makers (elites) with the masses. Elites communicate with the masses through mainstream organizations designated as legitimate sources of information. MESSAGES & MANIPULATION People are basically sheep who are constantly in search of a shepherd. It is sad really, but the majority of society continuously seeks for someone or something that purports to have the answers to everyday concerns, whether they are valid or not. The United States has spawned countless organizations that market self-help seminars promising attendees answers through enlightenment. Gullible persons are absolutely willing to part with their hard earned money, as well as any free time on their hands in order to partake of any promoted holy grail without regard as to the validity of the message. This does not mean that mentors do not play an important role in our society, for many individuals offer valuable advice, encouraging people to learn from their mistakes and adopt beneficial practices. Rational thought dictates that the actions of the individual are dictated according to self-interest. Marketing campaigns tailor their message in order to stir up emotions within customers that it is in their best interest to cast their lot with the product being pitched. These products and services also include candidates or public policy issues that are funded by special interests. Authoring campaign rhetoric to incite this basic emotion is not as easy as it seems. People are for the most part unable to separate their wants from their needs. That is why most people are heavily in debt whether being credit drawn on credit cards, mortgages (sometimes more than one) or through personal loans. Think about the basic argument that the absolute needs of an individual are food, water and shelter. One can argue that everything added to that are merely wants and not needs. In many cases, wants can become needs if society begins to depend on them, especially if the government has been satisfying them for multiple generations. MANIPULATION Elite theory argues that elite leaders will engage in policies that seek to maintain and/or enhance their positions of power. This applies to all policy pursuits, whether they are progressive in nature or not. Suffrage, civil rights and other emotional subjects are not pursued out of concern for mass interest. The underlying concern is not humanity, but whether these policy pursuits will either maintain and/or enhance elite positions of power. Readers are well aware that this text repeats power theory on a consistent basis. The author argues throughout the text that it is the pursuit of power that determines individual action all the way up to national action. Rational Choice Theory may argue that individuals base their decisions according to how one defines self-interest. People are not cold calculating machines determining all action according to logic. Even if one possessed perfect information, emotions still determine what path we may take. Let us now examine the fundamental basis of manipulation as a tool to influence societal norms of behavior. Everyone engages in manipulation in some way or another. The basic premise Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 13 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

14 of manipulation is that it tends to discard logic in favor of emotional statements and images relayed to a target audience. Let us examine a well known method of manipulation. There are many charities in the world that are focused on eliminating many ills that plague mankind. Almost everyone is approached on nearly a daily basis to donate their resources to causes that range from finding a cure for a terrible disease or feeding the poor. It is rational for one to believe that there are limits to helping every solicitor, whether they may be agents of a nonprofit agency or random individual seeking a handout. Facts are well known about the struggles many face in life. These hard facts are sometimes utilized to empirically justify the cause at hand, but it is emotional presentations that sell donors to part with their resources. To make a rational choice one needs to be in possession of perfect information while preventing emotions from interfering with their decision. One of the principles of manipulation is to influence another person s decision making so that the path they choose serves the interest of another. It does not matter how they justify their action. What is important is that their decision serves the interest of another. Manipulation is primarily engaged while utilizing tools of emotion. Think of a successful charity seeking donations. Will that organization use visuals showing their large corporate offices to secure contributions or visuals of a highly emotional nature? The answer is that these charities will use images that seek to pull the heart strings of society. Successful charities are operated as bona fide businesses that allocate a certain percent of funds raised to pay for operating expenses. A significant amount of money is needed to pay for the logistics involved with distributing assistance. It is not unusual for independent fundraisers who are contracted on behalf of charities to charge a significant percent of funds raised. The issue is to hide this business aspect, especially if potential contributors think that the charity exists solely to profit off human misery. Here is where manipulation comes into play. Below are three pictures of the author with the first of him smiling while a thumbs up. The second and third were taken in a restaurant. Notice the bowl of food in the second picture. Now examine the last picture of the food wiped away using a computer program used to manipulate reality. Which picture would elicit more pity? It certainly would not be the first as it shows a healthy person who is cheerful. The second and third pictures show a sickly man in need of assistance. Elites are prone to utilize manipulation to change individual as well as social behavior. Governmental elites find it necessary to manipulate the masses if doing so serves a vested interest. Here is a great example of how a safety video can serve as a tool for manipulating the masses from childhood. Who does turtle represent? Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 14 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6

15 MIRROR MYTH There remains an old wives tale that all journalists are concerned about the truth and that it is their sworn duty to uphold truth, justice and the American spirit of democracy by presenting news as it unfolds without personal bias. Conservative Republicans have complained for countless decades that all journalists, especially democratic journalists, are biased. Liberal Democrats make the same case against conservative bias while making the case that most reporters work for corporate news organizations that are beholden to promoting corporate issues. Until technology permits robots to gather and report factual news, without preprogrammed biases by their programmers, masses are faced with news bias. Journalists are people. Like all of us, they feel pain, pleasure, pain, empathy, etc. Journalists are not looking out may think they are looking out for the best interests of society. They are in most cases primarily interested with reflecting good stories that attract mass attention. Stories filled with sex and violence is favored as it draws in more advertising revenue. News media outlets possess a great power. They are able to decide what will be decided. Bias is exhibited throughout the mainstream press. This is also true for nontraditional news sources as everyone is biased in some way. Many in the news media stress that they are nonbiased since they only reflect reality. Even if the news is merely reflected or reported, it is their choice of subjects that proves their bias. All news is biased. Even the author of this text is biased as the selection of topics reflects this contention. Striving to be objective is what all instructors should pursue. Emotions as well as inherent biases still affect our research or reporting in some way. We define this reality among the news media outlets as the Mirror Myth. Claiming to only reflect reality demonstrates all members are truly biased being that they can decide what story to cover. As covered earlier in the text about influencing societal norms of behavior, elites have the ability to determine issues of importance. This in turn does have long-term affects on societal belief systems as what is covered in the news grants legitimacy to a subject. According to the sense of urgency accorded to a news story, masses will also assume the belief that what is being shown is important. Mainstream press coverage grants legitimacy to issues that prior to being covered were of no great concern. Hunger in third world nations, threats of nuclear proliferation, as well as other topics of concern are presented with a sense of urgency. These stories in turn direct public and foreign policy as the masses voice their opinions publicly or even in the voting booth. Special interests always benefit whether a situation is negative or positive. Warfare is profitable for defense contractors as famine is profitable for charity fundraisers. Think about this scenario. One news segment can focus on a cat trapped up a tree. The problem with this story is that there may be a dog trapped up a tree in another neighborhood. What leads a member of the press to mirror one story, but neglect the other? Perhaps the reporter is sympathetic to feline plights. Another possibility is that canines are repulsive to that particular news outlet. We may assume that elites control what news is being reported in order to manipulate public opinion. There are full magnitudes of reasons why some news stories are covered while others are neglected. Technology allows even the common individual access to broadcast outlets, mainly internet based that is available almost for free. Everyone possesses different philosophical beliefs along with topics of interest that in turn determines what information will be broadcast. Accusing only mainstream media outlets as being biased is unfair for everyone engages in the same action. Anyone who engages in news reporting or merely stating their opinions to the public is truly biased. We are all victims as well as perpetrators of manipulation. i Flanigan, William H. and Nancy Zingale, Political Behavior of the American Electorate. (DC: CQ Press, 2002): 152. Dr. John Paul Tabakian Page 15 of 15 Political Science 5 - Course Pack #6