One more (little) notch in the bullshit belt

It's no secret that the Bush administration a) lies, b) twists and manipulates half-truths with pathological regularity, and c) is generally aided and abetted in this ignoble enterprise by the better part of the media. The folks at 1600 Pennsylvania exist almost entirely in the parallel universe of propaganda, in which up is down, war is peace, and conservatism can be compassionate. In a way, it makes it easy for an observer to determine facts, based on the opposite of what he or she hears. For example, one could do some research into Ariel Sharon's past as a general in the Israeli army, including his complicity in civilian massacres, and his foul treatment of the Palestinians during his tenure as Prime Minister, and conclude that he is a bellicose person. Or, one could skip all that pesky reading and attention to current events and reach the same conclusion upon hearing President Bush declare him a "man of peace." Same goes for the present attempt to gut the tremendously effective Clean Air Act with a piece of legislation benignly titled "Clear Skies." In what will this trojan horse likely result, dear student? Very good! Dirty skies, filthy skies, shit-brown skies - the exact opposite of clear skies. You don't even have to read all that painfully dry bureaucratese, just flip the lingo on its head.

All this is to say that the sentient citizen ought by now to be well aware of the administration's Orwellian m.o., including its biggest public whoppers. But perhaps more amusing are the subtle manipulations of less consequence, one of which I'd like to share with you. Here at the library where I'm employed, we've just received a copy of Public Papers of the Presidents, Book II for 2001, which is obviously Dubya's first year in office. This is a government document published by the Office of the Federal Register. On the title page, opposite a soft-focus smiling headshot of the fucker-in-chief, we are told that this book comprises the president's papers and speeches from July 1 to December 31, 2001. The first entries in July are from the 2nd, and include such rousing content as "Remarks Prior to a Meeting With New Jersey Gubernatorial Candidate Bret Schundler and an Exchange With Reporters" and "Letter to Congressional Leaders Transmitting a Report on the Extension of Normal Trade Relations Status With Belarus." While your heartrate slows to its normal tempo, allow me to point out that these are not the first entries in the volume. There are two that precede them, both dated June 30, 2001. "But wait," you protest, perhaps still winded from the excitement of the Schundler business. "Didn't you tell us that--" and yes, of course, I did. July 31 - December 31. Unambigous. But there they are, two of them, from June 30. Curiously, these stowaway entries touch on a subject of much greater concern, namely the terrorist-coddling theocrats who, at the time, were running the government of Afghanistan. "Letter to Congressional Leaders on Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Taliban" states that "[t]he Taliban continues to allow territory under its control in Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven and base of operations for Usama bin Laden and the al-Qaida organization who have committed, and threaten to continue to commit, acts of violence against the United States and its nationals. This situation continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to maintain these emergency authorities in force beyond July 4, 2001." Signed, George W. Bush. The second June 30 entry is on the same topic, titled "Letter to Congressional Leaders Transmitting a Report on the National Emergency With Respect to the Taliban."

So, basically, these entries were put at the front of the book, which was published in 2003, for show. After some additional (if egregiously un-methodological) research, which involved walking up a flight of stairs and glancing at three or four other Public Papers of the Presidents volumes, I can say that I didn't see any other case of a volume including text that fell clearly outside its delineated timeframe. I can also say that Book I of Bush's 2001 papers includes entries for June 30, but not the ones about the Taliban. Does this matter? No. Not at all. It is of absolutely no consequence which papers are included in which volume. It does show, however, if you buy my hypothesis, the pervasive nature of the Bushies' manipulative tendencies.