Opinion polls are a classic example. Polls from the establishment media usually reflect their agenda, not a true sampling of the public. For months Hillary's poll numbers have been propped up by sampling mostly Democrats -- she is not popular even in her own party these days and it's getting harder and harder to prop her up.

Opinion-making absolutely depends on poll results being broadcast widely. What about all the polls they take the results of which are NOT published?

Cancer therapy statistics are also grossly manipulated to justify their unconscionable fees. Most chemotherapy drugs work no better than a placebo, and when a person dies because the treatment was too poisonous, the cause is attributed to the cancer, not the chemotherapy.

He is not a liar, he is terminally inexact. ;-)

The battle for hearts and minds absolutely relies on the psychiatric profession, which can and does invent disorders that justify institutionalizing a person. All kinds of authority figures have the power to label someone a 'potential danger to themselves or others' which authorizes their arrest, imprisonment, and drugging. Each year the book gets bigger -- every human opinion can be treated as a disorder to be corrected. Social engineers are products of the psychiatric industry. Communism can trace its roots to the psychiatric industry. And they have entrenched themselves in the public education industry.

It seems to me that the real 'king' is unseen and is far from having only one eye. The trick is to keep people's servitude a secret in plain sight. So that whatever they look at, they will 'see' what the king wants them to see. "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is."

Hence, the 'battle for hearts and minds.'

I just had to chuckle at Waffler's "Yes men edit and mythologize for fun and profit." ;-) Too funny! Quintessential Waffler -- always managing to see deception and oppression as a glass half full, and to be grateful for it, even pay for it at the profit of the mythicist and the 'fun' to be had. That's reality for you...

Waffler, has managed to accidentally tell the truth, though:

"God spoke and the earth stood fast" is just a poetic way of describing the "big BANK theory"

You got that one right. ;-)

Jeez, Waffler, you have really drank the Kool-Aid, haven't you...

Mike, Federal Reserve Notes are debt-instruments that have terms associated with them. Using these notes, which are not real money but a form of commercial paper, carries obligations of all sorts. If you want to play the game of Monopoly, you have to abide by the bankers' rules. After all, it isn't really money, so if you want to play, you have to play by the rules of the game (which are 'fixed' in the banker's favor).

Why risk your money in a bank account earning 'interest' -- you are only helping to prop up the illusion, and making bankers rich. I do not know of a commercial bank anywhere in the Western world where you get a good rate of return -- the returns are set in the bank's favor.

It's tough, because the system is rigged to keep people in debt, not save capital -- all the savings vehicles are nothing but leaky vases or lock boxes where the tax man also has the key -- you can't take your money out without his key, either. ;-)

Election campaigns raise hundreds of millions of dollars -- most of which end up in the mainstream media's coffers! This is the business now -- a pure racket. How many false flag events have we had in the last 8 years? Are you paying attention to all these 'crisis actors' being interviewed at the scene of these mass shootings? Several Orlando 'witnesses' have (had) IMDB pages as actors. It is so blatant now and in our faces. The search for truth is mostly the exposure of lies. Investigative journalism is not to be found in broadcast media.

Antonio, I seriously doubt Waffler read the Fountainhead -- why would he subject himself to that? Ellsworth Toohey is the quintessential Waffler. ;-) The only thing debunked around here is Waffler's parroting of the party line.

I like "the first trace of unorthodox thought immediately reveals itself as a jarring dissonance." That's the purpose of propaganda -- not just to repeat the party line over and over, but to monopolize the megaphone altogether, leaving no space for opposing ideas to even be known. I find it interesting how quickly a conditioned person will knee-jerkingly call someone a 'racist' or 'conspiracy theorist' or worse when an opposing argument is made that threatens the party line. It is a fairly good gauge for determining the hypnotized.

But you know what, Waffler? Not everyone is taking the bait. Not everyone's 'programming' took -- it's not that good anyway, it only really works as long as you keep people from taking responsibility for the condition and quality of their lives -- i.e. to grow up. Because once they do, they do a much better job running their own lives than being the ward of another.

We start out as children dependent upon our parents. The school house is a place where children can learn to care for themselves and each other. They learn how to 'deal' with each other, to be mutually respectful to each other, and to understand the rights and responsibilities of being an adult. They also learn to read, to write, and to calculate. They then are able to learn from all the writers throughout history, to compare ideologies, to discern, to think.

But welcome to the world, little one, where others before you have set up all sorts of games to play, programs to follow, events to attend, causes to join. No sooner have I become able to participate in a group, that the group imposes its prejudices upon me as a requirement to be accepted.

Inundated with social causes to support, we are being 'sold' ideas about the world by pitchmen who will benefit from millions of common people believing and promoting them. It's the oldest trick in the book -- kings, priests, teachers of all stripes, authorities of all professions -- every good idea turned into a racket to gain and monopolize power.

I thought school was to help teach me how to move from dependence to self-sufficiency. It turns out, the 'programs' were primarily designed to condition me to either be regulated or regulate others. The public schools I attended mostly were to teach us how to be good followers. The private schools were more focused on teaching us 'leadership.'

Luckily I changed schools several times, and I was able to compare systems and methodologies objectively rather than being subjected to one sustained programming technique. I always preferred going to the library and choosing my own books and line of thinking. It's more natural, and I remember more because I am interested.

Is it any surprise that the simple truth is experienced as 'jarring dissonance'?

Patrick Henry, I had to look up 'Lysenkoism' -- you're right on the money!

Well said, Mike!

Does anyone here include themselves 'good people'? Paterson's point is that as 'good people' we have furthered evil ends in the name of goodness. The quote is not a condemnation of good people -- it is a wake up call! There would be no foreign wars if young men didn't join the military to fight in foreign lands -- are the reasons they joined the same reasons they fight? The liberal press believes they are doing good by 'opinion-making.' Churches believe they are doing good by gaining more members who share the same ideals -- Sharia Law is not only good, but 'law.' Oh, the Catholics did the same thing centuries before.

The quote could very well say,

"Most of the harm I have caused has not been by accident, lapse, or omission. It is the result of MY deliberate actions, long persevered in, which I hold to be motivated by high ideals toward virtuous ends."

Perhaps -- but I take responsibility for that! ;-)

"Never let a crisis go to waste" -- today's real world equivalent, a popular tactic for waging war; internationally for the neo-cons and domestically for the progressive-libs.

Right on, Mary!

An independent press serves as a check against itself. There isn't really an objective press -- a 'newspaper' is supposed to, at least, attempt to report daily events impartially, and there are a few writers who are good at delivering both sides of an argument. But newspapers are owned by people, run by people, written by people -- every newspaper reflects the bias of its owners and editors. That is to be expected, and as far as history goes, that is the way it has always been, free press or not.

What gives propaganda its weight comes from the mindset of the 'audience.' Condition people to 'believe' and to 'trust' and they will not question or condemn.

Does a 5% ownership of the Washington Post give any pull in what topics will be covered and editorialized? Foreign ownership of the American media is significant. With time and discernment, one can determine the political agendas of the various media companies -- the majority of which push globalist agendas, i.e. national socialism for the world under the UN.

The real war is for the American mind!

Not sure why I gave this a thumbs up -- perhaps for the accuracy of the comment. But thumbs down for Bernays' comment and the obvious standard that propaganda has become in the media. They know they are doing it, they are OK with it, and they even start to believe that it is their purpose in life to organize the opinions and habits of all those they can reach. The worst part is that so many people don't know it!! They don't call it television programming for nothing...

"Anyone who equates socialism with fascism should go back to school." Dick, the NAZI party originated as the German Worker's Party, later turning into the National Socialist German Workers' Party. While fascism differs from communism as do other varying degrees of socialism, the principle is the same: supremacy of the state over the individual. In totalitarian systems, the individual serves the state/church and must follow its dictates. Obviously, Libertarian systems are completely opposite -- state power is regulated by the citizens, not the other way around.

But I would not go back to school to get educated -- that knowledge is not being taught.

The left-right paradigm is not complete without the top-bottom paradigm. The current 'top' is the 'establishment' power-brokers, and the 'bottom' are the liberty-defenders. The bottom are the producers and the top are the collectors. Neo-cons are among the top, on both the right and the left. Libertarians are on the right and the left but anti-establishment, anti-statist.

From this perspective, the battle is between statists and libertarians. What good is a two party system if they are both statist? THAT is how to take-over a nation, by pitting the people against each other and then coming in to save them 'from themselves.' I believe the REAL war is about authoritarianism -- it does not matter the party. But collectivist power must be kept in check by law, not become a tool for theft by law...

Hmm, Robert, OK, I'll bite, if we should NOT leave "Life, Liberty, and Property up to Men" who should it be left to?

Going out of the way to hire minorities is not equality at all, it is preferential treatment by statute. If the players of a football team had to be selected by racial quotas rather than abilities, you can bet that team would not make the playoffs.

I worked for a guy in DC running a non-profit. He hired an American indian (she hated working there), several Blacks from the projects, women of all colors, one man with a stutter as communications director, and a few token males as long as they were gay. It was so obvious that he was hiring for 'equality' -- long story short, with all this staff, they could hardly put out their product. It was all about the liberal dream -- of course, this business could not survive without large donations from other associations and corporations. 'Progress' was slow there -- it was all just about having a job, not really caring what the organization did or not. A bust of Woodrow Wilson adorned the hallway...

Wow, I mean, this is about as clear as you can get. Waffler suffers from his Orwellian socialized education. Again, the only argument proffered is a character attack on others, not the content of Bastiat's message. SO shallow and obvious...

Mike makes a good point. I think we do have to face the nature of the world rather than fight against it. Humans are animals essentially -- predators at the top of the food chain. Like other predators, humans have teeth, and specifically, the ability to make tools and weapons. Men fight over turf, resources, power -- everything. 'Civilized' man has a sense of honor, and takes responsibility for his actions. 'Savage' man is a beast, with no honor, might being right. Because the savage man is still out there and that without honor the civilized man would become but a savage himself, people must be able to CONTINUE to protect themselves from men without honor or conscience. It is not a 'right' it is a responsibility!

When a person loses the fighting spirit, he/she is more easily conned out of their power (and responsibilities) for the 'promise' of security. Screw that! If I am going down, I am going down swinging! ;-)

That means defending the nation's borders and sovereignty more than waging wars in foreign lands.

It appears to be so, unfortunately. Jefferson said there ought to be a rebellion every 20 years as a check against centralized power. We could really use a crop of statesmen like the American founders, but the seats of power in the US government have been overrun by authoritarians of all stripes, while the stewards of liberty have been disempowered, weakened, and even ridiculed for their 'selfishness' and 'greed.' The tree of liberty is getting thirsty...