PAID PATRIOTISM.
YOU MAY HAVE BEEN TO A FOOTBALL OR BASEBALL GAME WITH A
PAID TRIBUTE TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD, WELL, JOHN
MCCAIN AND ANOTHER SENATOR PUBLISHED A REPORT THAT
THAT MAY HAVE BEEN PAID FOR BY YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
THEY SAID, "AMERICANS DESERVE THE ABILITY TO ASSUME THAT
TRIBUTES FOR OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN MILITARY UNIFORM ARE
GENUINE DISPLAYS OF NATIONAL PRIDE, WHICH MANY ARE, RATHER
THAN TAXPAYER-FUNDED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MARKETING GIMMICKS."
THE PENTAGON HAS A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR PROGRAM TO PROMOTE
THE ARMED SERVICES AND BOOST RECRUITMENT THROUGH
PATRIOTIC EVENTS.
HOW MUCH ARE THEY SPENDING?
"53
MILLION IN SPENDING ON MARKETING AND ADVERTISING CONTRACTS WITH
SPORTS TEAMS BETWEEN 2012 AND 2015, 10 MILLION OF WHICH WENT
TO CLUBS IN THE NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL AND MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER."
SENATORS JOHN MCCAIN AND JEFF FLAKE SAY, "IT'S THE MOST
COMPELLING
MESSAGE ABOUT MILITARY SERVICE WE CAN DELIVER TO PROSPECTIVE
RECRUITS AND INFLUENCERS IS THE PROMISE OF GAME TICKETS,
GIFTS AND PLAYER APPEARANCES, WE NEED TO RETHINK OUR
APPROACH TO HOW WE ARE INSPIRING QUALIFIED MEN AND WOMEN TO
MILITARY SERVICE."
THE KINDS OF THINGS THEY WERE DOING WERE HONORING AIR
FORCE OFFICIALS BY THE GALAXY IN 2012.
THE NATIONAL GUARD GOT A LUXURY SUITE AND AUTOGRAPHED ITEMS,
BUT THEY HAD TO BUY A LUXURY SUITE.
THE MESSAGE IS THAT THEY WANT TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE MEN AND
WOMEN IN UNIFORM, BUT THEY CAN'T JUST DO IT THROUGH A
MARKETING GIMMICK WHERE THEY ARE BUYING STUFF.
THERE IS ALSO IN FILM AND TV, DAVID SIROTA HAS BEEN
WRITING ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS.
WE HAVE A LIST OF MOVIES: IRONMAN, AVENGERS, MAN OF
STEEL, TRANSFORMERS.
AND IN TELEVISION: AMERICAN IDOL,
HAWAII
50, CUPCAKE WARS, MASTER CHEF, X-MEN, VEEP, ICE ROAD
TRUCKERS, BIG KITCHENS.
>> THE REASON WE DO THAT IS THEY ARE SHOCKED THAT THERE IS
GAMBLING GOING ON IN THE ESTABLISHMENT.
THE DOD DOES PROPAGANDA ALL THE TIME.
THE PENTAGON DOES PROPAGANDA.
THAT IS WHY THEY PAY MOVIES ñ
THAT IS THE STUFF THAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES.
WHEN YOU ARE AT HOME WATCHING THE FOOTBALL GAME- LIKE IN THE
ATLANTA GEORGIA DOME THEY PUT THIS GIANT AMERICAN FLAG OVER
IT.
NO, THEY PAID $315,000 TO DO THAT.
DURING HALFTIME THEY DO LISTENING CEREMONIES WHERE THEY
GET PEOPLE SIGN UP TO GO FIGHT WARS.
THIS IS PART AND PARCEL WITH WHAT THE PENTAGON DOES,
PROPAGANDA.
NOW THEY ARE SHAMING THE NFL INTO DOING IT FOR FREE.
WHAT?
DO YOU WANT TO DO ENLISTMENT SIGN-UPS IN THE MIDDLE OF A
FOOTBALL GAME?
NO, OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO PAY ME JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.
>> I LIKE SOLDIERS.
I AM PRO-SOLDIERS.
I THINK WHEN WE ARE DOING THE SOLDIER THING, LET'S SAY
THOSE PEOPLE ARE GOOD.
I GET THE RECRUITMENT ANGLE, AND THERE ARE REPORTS ñ
A REPORT WAS FILED BY SOMEONE FROM THE PENTAGON THAT MET
WITH ACTIVISION AND THEY SAID, THEY EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT
THE SCENARIO BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE GAME INVOLVED
FUTURE WAR WITH CHINA.
GAME DEVELOPERS NOW ARE LOOKING AT OTHER POSSIBLE CONFLICTS
TO DESIGN THE GAME AROUND.
THEN THEY DO AN ASSESSMENT.
AND IT SUPPORTS ADAPTING OUR INSTITUTIONS AND
MAINTAINING OUR COMBAT EDGE.
THE OTHER ONE FOR VEEP, THEY SAID PRODUCERS INTERESTED IN THE
POSSIBILITY OF ADDING A MILITARY ADVISOR TO SUPPORT THE
CHARACTER.
OUR INTEREST IS A CHARACTER THAT CAN MIX WELL WITH AUDIENCES
AND SHOWS THE HUMAN DIMENSION OF MILITARY SERVICE.
YOU SEE ALL THE ACTION ITEMS
AND IT IS JUST SO FASCINATING
THE THESE MEETINGS.
>> YOU SAID THAT YOU FIND IT FASCINATING AND CRAZY, I
FIND IT VERY UNEASY.
I UNDERSTAND THAT PROPAGANDA HAS BEEN GOING ON FOREVER.
IT DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT IT.
I DON'T LIKE KNOWING THAT THIS STUFF IS SO ORCHESTRATED
BEHIND THE SCENES.
THINK OF ALL THE MOVIES THAT WE ARE BEING INDOCTRINATED
INTO THINKING A CERTAIN WAY.
I DON'T LIKE THAT.
AND I REALLY DON'T LIKE THE SPORTS TEAMS AT THE SAME
TIME CHARGING MONEY.
THIS WHOLE STORY TO ME IS ñ IT SMELLS FISHY.
>> THEY TITLED THIS PAID PATRIOTISM.
YOU KNOW THERE IS SOMETHING OFF.
>>
I AM A HUGE SPORTS FAN MYSELF, BUT THERE'S SOMETHING OFF.
MY DAD WAS IN THE NAVY, SO IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE I
KNOW HOW HE FEELS WHEN HE SEES THOSE THINGS AT SPORTS GAMES.
AND NOW TO FIND OUT THAT IT IS ALL A SHAM MAKES ME FEEL GROSS.
>> IT FEELS MORE NEFARIOUS BECAUSE IT'S SO OBVIOUSLY
DONE UNDER THE RADAR.
WHEN THEY DO THE CHEVY HIT OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW THEY ARE
DOING THAT FOR CHEVY.
WE GET IT, THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE MONEY.
OKAY, NO PROBLEM.
BUT WHEN THEY HAVE SOMEBODY DROPPED THE FIRST PUCK, OR
THROW THE FIRST PITCH, AND THE REAL PURPOSE OF THE
MILITARY DOING THAT IS THAT SO MORE KIDS AT THE STADIUM
WILL SIGN UP TO GO FIGHT WARS, THEN YEAH, THAT FEELS GROSS.