Unknown Unknowns

Reports that say something hasn't happened are always interesting to me,

because as we know, there are known knowns;
there are things we know we know.

We also know there are known unknowns;
that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know.

But there are also unknown unknowns,
the ones we don't know we don't know.

the long struggle

Our nation is engaged in what promises to be a long struggle in the global war on terror.

In this war the most critical battles may not be in the mountains of Afghanistan - or the streets of Iraq but in newsrooms in New York, London, Cairo and elsewhere.

Our enemies have skillfully adapted to fighting wars in today's media age (propaganda), but for the most part we - our government, the media or our society in general have not.

Our government is only beginning to adapt its operations for the 21st century.

For the most part, our government still functions as a five-and-dime store in an EBay world.

The growing number of media outlets in many parts of the world still have relatively immature standards and practices that too often serve to inflame and distort rather than to explain and inform.

al-Qa`ida and other extremist movements have utilized these forums for many years, successfully adding more poison to the Muslim public's view of the West, but we have barely even begun to compete in reaching their audiences.

Let there be no doubt that the longer it takes to put a strategic communications framework (propaganda) into place, the more we can be certain that the vacuum will be filled by the enemy and by hostile news sources who most assuredly will not paint an accurate picture of what is actually taking place.

We have become somewhat more adept in these areas, but progress is slow.

In Iraq, for example, the United States military command, working closely with the Iraqi government and the United States Embassy, has sought nontraditional means to provide accurate information to the Iraqi people in the face of an aggressive campaign of disinformation (propaganda).

Yet this has been portrayed as inappropriate: for example, the allegations of "buying news."

The resulting explosion of critical media stories then causes all activity, all initiative, to stop.

Improving our efforts will likely mean embraing new institutions to engage people around the world.

During the Cold War, institutions such as the United States Information Agency and Radio Free Europe proved to be valuable (propaganda) instruments for the United States.

We need to consider the possibility of new organizations and programs that can serve a similarly valuable role in the war on terror.

Although the enemy is increasingly skillful at manipulating the media and using the tools of communications to its advantage, it should be noted that we have an advantage as well. And that is, quite simply, that truth is on our side. Ultimately, the truth wins out.

I believe with every bone in my body that free people, exposed to sufficient information, will, over time, find their way to the right decisions.

We are fighting a battle in which the survival of our free way of life is at stake. (Monsters surround us!)

It is a test of wills (propaganda), and it will be won or lost with our public and the publics of free nations around the world.

We need to do all we can to correct the lies being told, shatter the appeal of the enemy and attract supporters to our noble and necessary efforts to defeat violent extremism around the globe. (With Smart Weapons!)

- Donald Henry Rumsfeld(BB /CFR)

"It's the respect for the individual to make the right decision which I believe is at the root of communications." - Chris Komisarjevsky, retired CEO of public relations giant Burson-Marsteller, previously held leadership position at Hill & Knowlton
(What is Chris Komisarjevsky, a communications expert, really saying? Is he saying that as long as an individual
makes a decision that is in line with what he considers to be correct communication has occurred?)

In 2006 Donald Rumsfeld helped his buddies in the oil business by using a Pentagon study to hold up construction of wind farms in the Midwest.

Donald Rumsfeld claimed that wind farms in the Midwest would make it impossible for military radar to work correctly.

"The end result is the wind industry is being crippled." - Kristen Henry, Sierra Club attorney

"I've worked with Donald Rumsfeld three times in my life. I've been to each of his houses, in Chicago, Taos, Santa Fe, Santo Domingo, and Las Vegas. I'm very, very fond of him, but I'm crushed by his performance. Donald Rumsfeld certainly fooled me."- Kenneth Adelman

Saddam Hussein meet Donald Rumsfeld!

Donald Henry Rumsfeld biography or how to get rich and famous too!

Rumsfeld authorized the mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, authorized the army to break the Geneva Conventions by not registering all prisoners and authorized civilian contractors to use techniques such as sleep deprivation during interrogation in memos and letters according to former United States Army Brigadier General Janis Karpinski .

"The methods consisted of making prisoners stand for long periods, sleep deprivation ... playing music at full volume, having to sit in uncomfortably ... Rumsfeld authorized these specific techniques. The handwritten signature was above Rumsfeld's printed name and in the same handwriting in the margin was written: "Make sure this is accomplished" - former United States Army Brigadier General Janis Karpinski

Former United States Army Brigadier General Janis Karpinski said in November 2006 she was ready to testify against Rumsfeld if a suit filed by civil rights groups in Germany over Abu Ghraib led to a full investigation.

In a memo titled "Illustrative New Courses of Action" issued November 6, 2006 Donald Henry Rumsfeld suggested that one way to solve the Iraq problem is by paying off key political and religious leaders so they would be more compliant with American occupying forces.

!!!12 billion dollars would make me more compliant!!!