Once again the propaganda machine is at work. On cue from the White House and the State Department our media are ready to oblige. Counting on ignorance they themselves propagate; with their uninformed, uncritical and deceptive reporting, they are once again doing the ground work necessary for yet another “adventure,” this time in Iran.

As you hear the beat of the war drums, compare the notes with the following recommendations by Hermann Goering:

“Naturally the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”

If it is difficult to convince them that they are being attacked, our leaders in Washington have found yet another way to “drag the people along:” Start the war anyway, and (at least initially) the public will fall in line. The question is: with the powerful media working hard to keep the public ignorant, how does one create the informed citizenry, a la Thomas Jefferson, to prove Goering wrong?