Thanks for this insightful article.
Too bad "Orwellian" is out of fashion.
It's still the best word to describe this collective brainwashing.

War is America's Identity and Business. Fantastic article. Worship of war, soldiers and the US military has been brainwashed into almost all segments of American society. In fact, here on Truthout you often see war lovers praising US soldiers, and defending US wars of hegemony all the way back to Vietnam, as if invading and killing are somehow heroic. Think of how many Americans are paid by the military-defense industries, all of which are financed by tax dollars. But until Americans renounce war, quit working for defense contractors, stop volunteering for the military, stop giving huge $$$ to veterans, and spend the money on peacemakers instead, war will continue to rule our country.

I love Jon Stewart, yet he is Jewish and his ilk thinks killing Muslims is okay, so he bashes Iran and ignores the endless wars.

Excellent observations and commentary. I noticed the exact same omissions while I watched the Stewart-Obamah hour conversation. I saw the same irresponsibility go on with his and Colbert's Washington Rally. Painful too that candidates ignored this war. Sweeping it under the rug as if not talking about it will make it disappear. Big applauds for Amy Goodman, as always making the connections.

Thanks for your work. Keep it up.

I agree that the wars are not on American's radar, but I hardly think that Jon Stewart is to blame. He's a comedian not a journalist or politician. Nowhere was that more evident than at the recent "Rally to Restore Sanity" which could have been a serious call for action but actually didn't get much further than it's name.

Stewart didn't rake Obama over the coals about the wars because that's not his job. Did anyone put a target on Johnny Carson's back for not asking Nixon the hard questions about Vietnam?

Instead of speculating on what kind of secret agreement the White House had with Comedy Central while offering no evidence of any kind, let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. If this nation wants change we are going to have to stop writing fluff about comedians and get serious about journalism.

Susan's right; ObamaCo may not have laid preconditions on Stewart; he might just be another self-censoring media tool.
I think if you really want to know what's important to the imperial authorities and the plutocracy, look at what's not being discussed in the corporate press, or discussed in very controlled, elided terms. 9/11, for one, is almost completely taboo (unless it's toeing the company line).

The one argument gainst the Iraq war is seldom mentioned:Namel, Why is it being fought?

I've spent the last few weeks writing comments wherever possible saying this. It is scandalous. The seeds of a solution to many of America's problems lie in getting out, but since the real President of the country is Petraeus we won't be out for a long time. We are Germany, 1930s style!

Excellent observations and information. Personally I've reached a point at 60 something years where the federal government and especially the defense (offense?) department seems almost totally out of touch with reality and not responsive to anything I think or my friends think.

I suspect many Americans feel the same way. Many are also so pressed with immediate financial concerns, as am I, that much of what government does is simply beyond our ability to do anything about it.

I've been hearing "demonstrate" or "vote" or take other action for decades, but we're still having wars, still trying to force others to do our bidding and still acting like a global cop, at the very least. Still the mainstream opinion is focused on how Americans are vulnerable to an "enemy" that has now shrunk from the USSR to small nations to tribes of terrorists. There is little recognition of the historic facts, specifically that government has learned nothing from Viet Nam or dozens of other corporate-military actions.

This is a tragedy and I feel it every day when I think of the soldiers or read a story about the wars. At the end of the day I've come to the view that the federal government is simply lost in a paradigm that doesn't work and never will because there is no right way to do a wrong thing.

I might add that I am now fearful of the federal government. I do not trust Congress or the presidency or the Supreme Court. I see the work government does in the fields I know, transportation and energy, and I usually see incompetence on a staggering scale, and most notably ignorance of what's going on in our own country.

I also think the wars generally have nothing to do with security and everything to do with continuing the flow of easy money to a bunch of companies who couldn't make it in the private sector because they make nothing of any use but the tools of fear.

In sum, I think the only rational action at this point in our history is local, at the city and county level. In time, hopefully, the changes made will be noticed by our government. Hopefully in the process many Americans will stop assuming that all power and all wisdom stems from Washington, and recognize the source of power and change is not in any institutions it is in them.

Well, I for one have been characterizing them as W's Whoppers since the Bush Wars' internationally criminal and anti-Constitutional illegal inception; and Obummer as their White House-slave, now escalating and widening their wars of aggression, as the Bush Shadow (BS) Buffalo Soldier-in-chief! (As well as attending every available anti-Bush War demonstration since Iran-Contra!)! What more legal opposition affords itself except the abjectly Obamical?!!

Stewart is politically aware and expresses his views often, even thought he is a comedian he still could use his popularity to spread awareness on the war, as many comedians do. However, he is bound by certain restrictions as well.

I think that the author of this piece wants to let us know that the war has been hidden from us and that we need to overcome the censoring of it, that as the people we have the responsibility to stand up and be heard. We have the responsibility of deciding whether our government still retains its mandate to rule.

still, the narrative of this article misses the target. how can we demand attention to the wars in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan if we are not examining the core issue, the corpus of lies that is Sept 11. Anyone who still reads articles criticizing Bush or Obama needs to get a foot loose of those sour names as they're just figureheads. People don't clamor for attention to the wars because they think their voices won't be heard due to corruption. If they only knew what kind of animal this gov't truly is they would know even further not to bother with that route. We need an insurrection of consciousness and this article is great, but still panders to the idea that "the masses" are to blame for not using the democratic system enough for their needs. IT'S NOT "our" fault that important issues are protected by govt and media silence. Once you accept that we live in a new kind of totalitarian government, you will see that the people's powerlessness comes from a lack of clarity about reality (ie TRUTH), NOT a malaise or apathy ... at this point EVERYONE should be speaking out clearly about what they know is true, including the writers of articles like this. At this point it is more important to damage the prestige of all false narratives, INCLUDING EVEN that shown by this very insightful piece. I believe that to end on this note------- "It is unconscionable that we, the citizens who vote and pay taxes to this government should remain mute ... as if the whole thing has been forgotten or, worse yet, simply accepted..." --------only perpetuates the myth that our apathy is to blame.

I couldn't agree more.

This monstrosity has devoured our tax resources, killed and maimed our young, killed millions world wide and reduced countries to chaos. It has disgraced us in the world and continually threatens to turn every American into a walking target.

The more we spend, the more we war, producing our enemies and hatred exponentially. The blowback from its violence created is the sole justification for their own national insecurity state.

While money matters little when death is the discussion, It is also the heart and soul of the deficit. But it will be programming for poor and the safety of the immigrant who will be sacrificed for this disaster, if we are not actively, determined and vigilant.

While will continue, forever, our wars.

17:30 Go look in a mirror... what you see looking back is a bigot! I know more than a few if "his ilk", I'm married to one and my children are Jewish as well and I can tell you before God, that not one of them wanted us to invade Iraq and a bunch of Muslims.

Well, by golly, that's how we did business in the 20th century too!

Jim Page Indian Country, Check wintersoldier 2008
youtube.

Schools have kids 'honor' the man in uniform. WHY?? Cause they put on a uniform and go out and kill innocent people, pillage and rape at will. What a thing to honor.
No one is thinking for themselves any longer. An agenda for education system is not to think but regurgitate insignificant information. Dumbed down science, bought science. Religion gone crazy. Politics with no truth spoken. If you don't think we aren't living '1984' you are out of touch and not looking at what is happening around you on all levels. The wealthy international corporations run and rule this world and America's military do their bidding. They own the media and the population will continue to live in ignorance. The two party system is in reality ONE system made to look like two. This way you think you have a choice. It doesn't matter who is in office as the agenda will continue to strip and break this country of it's wealth period. People were so fed up with Bush and his animals, now Obama is carrying it further. Change? Ha, the only change is in your pocket. This is no change and there won't be any. The agenda set by a few is set, and they have all the money.

continued

It's just a money making venture for an assortment of sick minded, wealthy people. It's obvious that, if you don't want another 9-11, you improve screening at the airport borders. Real screening, that is. Meaning, not Cat Stevens.

In the meantime, we are being sucked dry as a nation by these corporate entities who are buying off our Congress and President. Our apathy is also evident in the increased public school presence of military propaganda. As if this is par for the course, when it isn't.

The sweet drug of gradualism is what the American public is continually imbibing. More potent than any marijuana plant.

It's encouraging, however, to see all the aware comments following this article. They don't want us to know how strong we are in numbers.

The war cost is NOT $1.1 trillion. It is greater than $7 trillion. How pathetic---Jon Letman's, and Truthout's, swallowing the government's pablum. True factual details bear little notice in Truthout's publications.

How many people are writing the principals of America's high schools asking that they do not allow military recruiters? When are our educational leaders going to take a strong, outspoken position on behalf of American students?

Not so surprising, really. If you ask a fish to point out the elements in its environment, the last thing it would think to mention is water.

The debt as I predicted in 2006 would be by 2010, is $19.3 trillion, including the $5.9 trillion Clinton Surplus which Greenspan and O'Neil planned for Social Security, was blown by Bush, $2.3 trillion stolen from Americans by Big Oil which Obama ignores even to this day, the war at $11.1 trillion on the wars, of which debt Obama extended. What we need is a Social Revolution. Allow the South and Texas to secede, seal all the northwestern states into one large state, and the rest of America will show up for elections as Progressive. Allow all spending to be subject to referendum and here will be the result. The south will go broke engaging themselves in civil wars and overspending on defense. Let them opt out of Social Security and they will soon be Gone With The Wind, as will Neo-con Fascism.

PS Right now tax Outsourcing Corporations, LLC’s and Independent Outsourcing Contractors Union scale plus 15% for each job Outsourced. Cap CEO/executive Comp-Packs at 25 times average employee Comp Packs, and cap top wages at $2.5 Million.

Right on truth out! This must of been what it was like when the Calvary slaughtered this Nation's original Native Americans. This is what it must have been like when Hitler was waging wars and slaughtering anyone he disapproved of. Just like this happening while many people were oblivious,could care less or happily huddled in their own private hells fearful and grateful that it was somewhere else and not them.

In response to "Concerned Parent and Citizen":

We can thank George Bush for the military recruiters in our schools. Go ahead and Google it in connection with the "No Child Left Behind" Act.

"In 2002 the Bush administration passed the No Child Left Behind Act with a small, unpublicized provision: Section 9528, "Armed Forces Recruiter Access to Students and Student Recruiting Information:' requires high schools to give all student contact information to the military. Most students aren't aware they can opt out by filling out a form." And so, not only are high schools REQUIRED to give the information, but there are recruiters present every single day in the lunch room to spread the propaganda and encourage enlistment to any curious child or those who want to "get away from home", etc.

I am not surprised that neither of them spoke of the wars, which are not popular, very expensive and not a feather in president obama's cap, even though he did not start them, he just got stuck with them.

So considering that Stewart supports the Democrats, and he is a comedian, I am not upset that he did not try to make President Obama look bad. The Republicans, who started these two wars, and allowed 9/11 to happen are doing enough bashing. I for one think THE REST OF THE MEDIA WORLD should be bashed for their terrible job , FOR HELPING GET US INTO THIS WAR, AND FOR HELPING THE REPUBLICANS WIN BY REPEATING THEIR LIES.

The biggest omission of all is the fiction of 9/11. It was an elaborate conspiracy. It illustrates how our country is totally controlled by all the those who have power which includes all of us that collectively have the ultimate power.

Imagine that it is a fact now that Araabs conspired to attack us! That the impact of two jetliners could collapse two giant towers that were engineered to withstand such a collision! Yet we now all believe it.

So why is it such a mystery that our wars are invisible!

Welcome to Fascism!

"Thee Biggest Fiction of All"

I agree with this last poster.. something is wrong with the 9/11 event, I don't think you can be rational and set that aside. I know many on the left especially in the academic community seem to have accepted the official explanation such as it is, because it is so overwhelmingly complex and multilayer.
Also, to make a claim that something is an inside job takes serious corroboration first, and then the public exposure to that irrefutable or at least highly credible source... we've been given neither.
9/11 creates an obvious to some, false reality. You can't go forward with anything in terms of policy from that point without multiplying the damage to our country's psyche.

The Emperors new clothes analogy is spot-on, and the invisible war(s) are merely his armor.

I hate to admit this because I was and still would be against the draft, but Bush I made invisible wars possible by ending it.

While we are not mentioning things, let's definitely NOT mention the 9/11 incident that gave legs to the war and invasions of sovereign nations. Certainly DO NOT investigate the real facts of the "attacks" and DO NOT bring to justice the real perpetrators of this atrocity. If we did a real investigation and trial of the guilty, the whole warmongering game would fall apart and we can't have that now, can we?

I was in high school during the last years of the Vietnam War. The images of the war from television news are seared into my memory

Why do we not see the disturbing reality of the wars on TV? It's hard to ignore something so horrific if it's reported regularly.

It appears that our news is censored to keep the wars out of our thoughts.

When regular people of all political persuasions are sickened by constant exposure to this ignored news, I believe the wars will end. Why is it hidden?

Amy Goodman is the conscience of the nation now that Bill Moyers has moved on.

I wish that my sign at the rally on the Mall had said "Bring the troops home" rather than something about the rich bearing more of their share of the commons, in paying their fair share of taxes.

You are right that the rally blanked out the wars altogether, yet we had so many other valid grievances! And they needed to be heard.

Look at it this way, there was triage of issues, and even though war should have been number one (because it is the cause of so many of our problems today) there had to be a an expression of other very important issues affecting us all today, here in this country. Jon and Stephen gave us a forum for THOSE, so give them credit for THAT.

Yes, war is a waste!!!!!!!
Corporations love it!!!!!
Get us out of this losing so called war!!!
Invest in the USA.

WWI, WWII, Korea,Vietnam,Noriega in Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, a border war with Mexico, all have the effect of:
Absorbing the unemployed into factories and into the military, raising the value of commodities, raising prices for services as well, (inflation), creating useless and costly materials that must be constantly replaced,(war materiel), silencing 'unpatriotic' dissent, amassing new raw materials (commodities) without compensation from weaker citizens and weaker countries (theft). Terrific for business,but based on a belief in infinite resources which do not exist! 'Growth' is just an escalated use of irreplaeable natural resources like 'strange earth' in China, oil and gas anywhere it exists, useful water, ores, and, ultimately, human beings themselves...and war will get it for us wholesale...