I really appreciate the dedicated reporting of Police State USA.

When we recall that police are essentially investigators and enforcers who though first commissioned to serve and protect "the people", now are only in the service of politicians and their cronies, who don't seem to care one whit about "the people" - well, then it is not too surprising I guess, that social scientists would extend government's public relations efforts to include "Branding" - especially for the agents most threatening to the general public.

Our corporations and politicians have taken "speak softly and carry a big stick" to a whole new and profoundly disgusting, disturbed and depraved level.

Government works to make federal agencies appear as protagonists on TV

'Branding' the agencies is important to keep the public complacently accepting police state behavior

Police State USA August 18, 2013

(Source: Lifetime’s ‘Baby Sellers’)

The federal government actively works to get its agencies to appear on television and portrayed as the protagonists. They say that “branding” is important to their image and boosts the morale of the agents. What they don’t mention is that it also acclimates the citizenry to living in a police state.
Many agencies, including U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), actually staff an “entertainment and multimedia liaison” in order to coordinate the agencies starring roles.
Brandon A. Montgomery is such a liaison for ICE. In a news release from his agency, he is described as “actively working to generate an agency presence in film and TV.”
“It’s important to get (ICE) on TV because it ensures we are on the top of the mind to the American public and our stakeholders,” Montgomery said, noting that it was 10 times as effective as putting an agency in a news blurb.
When the public is used to seeing federal agents on television every day, it desensitizes them to the Federal government’s agenda of expanding its centralized authority, broadening it jurisdiction, and federalizing crime and law enforcement across the country.
Not only that, but it embeds a caricature image of what government is into viewer’s subconscious. The repeated portrayal of government agents as the heroes and saviors of serves to reinforce the existence of agencies and laws that shouldn’t exist in the first place.
Montgomery touts his influence at acquiring ICE features in TV shows such as “To Catch a Smuggler,” “Border Wars,” “Chicago Fire,” “Hawaii 5-0,” “Burn Notice” and “Bones.”
It is unclear how much of the police promotion we see on mainstream television is inspired by agency liaisons, but it is evident that the airwaves are absolutely full of pro-government propaganda disguised as entertainment.

A federal agent tears apart a vehicle at a checkpoint (Source: National Geographic’s ‘Border Wars’)

National Geographic’s Border Wars regularly promotes checkpoints and prohibition laws. The viewership is conditioned to seeing travelers stopped by federal agents, often followed by intensive searches. Agents strive to tear apart vehicles to locate prohibited plants and substances, fighting a Drug War that terrorizes the public in more ways than I care to list.
“It’s not just for the public,” Montgomery said, “it boosts morale for special agents and the agency too.”
A morale boost may be in order for agents who develop a cognitive dissonance when struggling to rationalize their employment duties with the oaths they took. In the back of their mind it must be uncomfortable throwing non-violent people in cages, and hearing Americans decrying the violation of their rights at internal domestic checkpoints.

Written by: PSUSA on August 18, 2013.

8/18/13

'Branding' Eases Resistance For Corporate Thugs

Government works to make federal agencies appear as protagonists on TV

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