September 11, 1984

by Jan Baughman

"In his capacity as an administrator, it is often necessary for a member of the Inner Party to know that this or that item of war news is untruthful, and he may often be aware that the entire war is spurious and is either not happening or is being waged for purposes quite other than the declared ones; but such knowledge is easily neutralized by the technique of doublethink."
—George Orwell, 1984
September 11, Nineteen Eighty-Four

It can take time -- a year, sometimes five or more -- to get the package wrapped just right so that it conveys the proper sentiment and is welcomed by the intended recipient. Occasionally one has to unwrap and rewrap; change the color scheme, try a different ribbon, or put on a new label. Terrorists were initially referred to as Evildoers in the post-9/11 aftermath, but that didn't wear well with those outside the president's black and white world. Once the Iraq package was torn open and no WMDs were found inside, Saddamists served to form the missing link between the War on Iraq and the War on Terror. Now as we wish to offer our gift of democracy around the world, Islamic Fascists allows us to reach a much broader target audience in the Global War on Terror, or what Rumsfeld calls the "global struggle against violent extremism," which takes up too much sound-bite space.

Read the rest here:
http://www.swans.com/library/art12/jeb160.html