War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death

This move in my opinion is one of the most important movies of the year and for that matter the last 5 decades. The underling problem with the ideology of the leaders in this country is what this film hits right on the head. This film is not talking about victory or loss it's a move about brain washing an entire country for political and financial gain. Unfortunately as long as people take this sort of; Oh well that's just the way it is; kind of attitude and ;Oh were just oblivious and we let our government make decisions for us; the people who made this country are the ones truly being dismissed. "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. Thomas Jefferson"

Powerful, if slightly familiar examination of how the US government lies to get us into war, and how the media goes along. Interesting to see the how Bush, Johnson, Reagan, and even Clinton used such similar language and techniques to manipulate public opinion, and how the media still doesn't generally ask the hard questions. However, it does get a bit repetitive, and it's not like we didn't know much this on the big picture level already. In some ways the Daily Show does it better, if with less historical perspective. None the less, these kind of examinations of our recent history are always worthwhile and thought-provoking.

This is based on Normon Solomon's book of the same title, and he comments at length throughout, with archive footage of politicians, news readers, and reporters. The clips support his thesis that wars are shrewdly packaged and sold to the public with little accountability, with dissenting voices quickly stigmatized as "anti-American" and silenced.

This is the way it is presented in the film, and watching it you can't blame the filmmakers for it being "one-sided." That's precisely the point. After getting nothing BUT the other side on basically EVERY news network (not just the usual suspects), these filmmakers take Solomon's argument and run with it.

It is tough to argue with his position that we the people are often lied to when it comes to selling a war, MOST if not all the time. (Solomon notes, "If you say something enough times, it starts to sound true.")

If you don't agree, at least watch this documentary before you make up your mind. It's that compelling.

I am a very critical thinker and have prided myself on not being taken in the propaganda of our business (greed) interested media. After seeing this movie at an University of Oregon symposium I am shaking my head at how easy it is to manipulate the mass population, whether it is by the right or the left, and whether they are on guard. I never connected the dots before on how easy it is to sell war and just how gullible we all are.

This movie should be shown in every critical thinking class at both the high school and college level. It is a wake up call for all of us to protect ourselves from the subtle, effective media propaganda that influences us in just about all our decisions.

Although this movies is critical of our current president and his politics, it doesn't treat kindly those who preceded him in the office of the presidency. The way things stand today the choice between Democrat or Republican is simply what ever we have been told it is and doesn't equate to the reality of politics where money rules.

I probably have talked to most of my friends about this movie more than any other movie this year. I can guarantee you more than one epipthany.

Although I am a big supporter of Barack Obama and find him to be a great leader and inspirational person, as President he is continuing to war. He may have not started a war, and is winding down Iraq (troop pullout from Iraqi cities last month) -- but our involvement in Afghanistan was increased greatly, and we are bombing Pakistan (with drones, near the border).

I guess being President requires exercising military might -- but I hope that Pres. Obama can help wind down the war machine. Interestingly enough, he has stated that he wants to rid the world of nuclear weapons and is at work on reducing the amount of stockpiles in the U.S., Russia, and elsewhere.

Perhaps it is hard after a century of war, and only 7 years after 9/11, to not fight some battles. Change is not overnight...

Terrific doc here.