GI Joe: Retaliation - Revelations of Geopolitical Reality? Coming soon . . .

“The American motion picture is the greatest unconscious carrier of propaganda in the world today. It is a great distributor for ideas and opinions. The motion picture can standardize the ideas and habits of a nation. Because pictures are made to meet market demands, they reflect, emphasize and even exaggerate broad popular tendencies, rather than stimulate new ideas and opinions. The motion picture avails itself only of ideas and facts which are in vogue. As the newspaper seeks to purvey news, it seeks to purvey entertainment.” – Edward Bernays, Propaganda

Tonight, I had the opportunity to see the new movie, GI Joe: Retaliation,  with my younger brother Jordan. We had a big, explosive, popcorn movie blast, from beginning to end. One of the reasons I love spending time with my siblings is that we share a lot of the same common interests and enjoy delving into the finer details and symbology in popular media. As soon as the credits rolled, immediately we began discussing some of the more obvious plot points and their correlations to the past, current, and developing geopolitical landscape. I don't have the time right at the moment to do a full analysis on each of the following plot points, but hopefully, this will give a little taste and preview for the full analysis I'll do at a later time.

1. The re-emerging, or rather, the dormant Cold War.
Several geopolitical analysts ,experts, and insider whistle blowers on cold war era politics, have shown very convincingly that detente was nothing more than feigned capitulation by the Communist powers in recognition of the fact that outright hostilities would never result in the ultimate victory sought. Anatoliy Golitsyn, the author of New Lies for Old, explicated this theory in great detail, showing that Perestroika was nothing but a political calculation by Communist Russia to regain their former strength, both economically, and militarily, specifically, as it relates to nuclear armament. The United States essentially bailed out the Russian government with the lend-lease agreements and allowed the basic corpus of the communist powers to stay in control from behind the scenes. In GI Joe: Retaliation, the re-merging issue of cold war power posturing is front and center, and revolves around the endgame scenario of the nuclear arms era. Anyone who has been watching the news lately, can see this posturing in the form of North Korea. Few are aware that North Korea's nuclear rods were provided by none other than . . . us!

“Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, sat on the board of a company which three years ago sold two light water nuclear reactors to North Korea – a country he now regards as part of the “axis of evil” and which has been targeted for regime change by Washington because of its efforts to build nuclear weapons.
Mr Rumsfeld was a non-executive director of ABB, a European engineering giant based in Zurich, when it won a $200m (£125m) contract to provide the design and key components for the reactors. The current defence secretary sat on the board from 1990 to 2001, earning $190,000 a year. He left to join the Bush administration.  The reactor deal was part of President Bill Clinton’s policy of persuading the North Korean regime to positively engage with the west.” - The Two Faces of Rumsfeld, The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/may/09/nuclear.northkorea

"During the early Clinton years, hard-liners and so-called conservative hawks advocated a pre-emptive strike to halt North Korea’s nuclear weapons development before it could field an atomic bomb. Instead of taking the hard-line, President Clinton elected to rely on former President Jimmy Carter and decided to appease the Marxist-Stalinist dictatorship.Carter met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang and returned to America waving a piece of paper and declaring peace in our time. Kim, according to Carter, had agreed to stop his nuclear weapons development.
The Clinton appeasement program for North Korea included hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, food, oil and even a nuclear reactor. However, the agreement was flawed and lacked even the most informal means of verification.
In return, Kim elected to starve his people while using the American aid to build uranium bombs. The lowest estimate is that Kim starved to death over 1 million of his own people, even with the U.S. aid program.” - North Korea Nukes Clinton Legacy, Newsmax.com. http://web.archive.org/web/20060221023706/http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/1/7/164846.shtml

 

2. Universal Nuclear Disarmament
One of the main plot points in GI Joe is the geopolitical machinations of Cobra (the veritable secret combination) to lead the other geopolitical nations into a new era of peace in the guise of universal nuclear disarmament. The analysts mentioned above, have shown again very persuasively, that the same machinations have been forefront in the minds and political actions of our modern day leaders. The same nations embroiled in nuclear posturing are all represented in GI Joe's version of the story. The Perestroika deception as planned by Russia (and more importantly Russia's financiers) is arguably to lead the other nations into talks and negotiations for universal nuclear disarmament, all the while stockpiling hidden weapons for its use at the right time. This is the feint of the evil international criminal terrorist group known as Cobra.

3. Historical Archetypal Symbolism
Some of the more prominent symbols denoting good and evil are present in abundance. The Cobra, the symbol of the snake, is front and center as the representation of the terrorist criminal organization. This organization infiltrates the power structure of the U.S. government and turns its powers against the people, mentioning explicitly that its agents want to burn the Constitution and all that it stands for. From an LDS perspective one of the purposes of secret combinations is to gain power (Helaman 2:8; Ether 8:23, 11:15) by usurping power and authority over the people (Helaman 7:4). They seek to gain sole power over the government and, in the Book of Mormon, were successful in doing so (Helaman 6:39). Avraham Gileadi in his book, Isaiah Decoded: Ascending the Ladder to Heaven, makes a very persuasive argument about the parallels between the Egypt of his time and modern day America, as the respective geopolitical powers of their time, toppled by internal political discord and espionage.

The snake has a very old archetypal personality, as a creature of deception, guile, false flattery, and destruction. Cobra Commander is GI Joe's embodiment of this archetypal personality and uses deception, guile, and flattery to destroy the Joe's and set the world on a course of total destruction. Most specifically, his agents infiltrate the government, usurp the power of the Presidency, present a plan of universal peace, that is cover for his ultimate plan of destruction.

“Satan has control now. No matter where you look, he is in control, even in our own land. He is guiding the governments as far as the Lord will permit him. That is why there is so much strife, turmoil, confusion all over the earth. One master mind is governing the nations. It is not the President of the United States…it is not the king or government of England or any other land; it is Satan himself.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 3, pp. 314-315)

Zeus, the preeminent god of the Greek pantheon is here, representing the weapon of mass destruction used by Cobra to destroy the world. This is interesting for reasons I can't yet articulate and will have to wait until my full analysis, as well as the Bald Eagle of the Joes.

General Colton's gift of General Patton's Pistol to Roadblock (the Rock)
General Patton was known for his desire to liberate all of Europe by removing the Communist powers of Russia. He felt that their ideology presented an inevitable clash with western democracy and foretold of a time when their power would exceed ours. Whatever his particular views, it is interesting that the movie used the symbolism of his weapon in the climax of the film, given the rather obvious cold war-esque themes running throughout the movie.

4. Black Ops
The average person, doesn't delve into the history of black operations, espionage, and covert organizations. This is arguably because not much has been written or recorded about these secretive issues, but enough has come to light over time that only the naive would disregard the profound effect that black operations have had and do arguably have on everyday geopolitical machinations. Particularly, the revelations about modern day black sites, extraordinary rendition, water boarding, Blackgate, and the Osama Bin Laden raid,  have shown a sliver of the nature and reality of black operations. In this sense, GI Joe, is a revelation of sorts of the nature of black operations, which are real and increasing as suggested by Wired magazine.

“These secrets are different. Their names are obscured by code words, or simply listed as “classified programs.” But with a little digging, we can get a (limited) sense of how much money is being spent on the U.S. government’s most secret military projects. In fact, you can take a look for yourself. We’ve put together this spreadsheet with the latest information. Feel free to add, subtract and edit it — kind of like a classified cash wiki.
This year, the military’s black budget appears to be a little over $51 billion, down from the $56 billion which held steady for the last two years, not including inflation. The reductions are also not really a surprise considering the cuts happening nearly everywhere else.” - See for Yourself: The Pentagon’s $51 Billion ‘Black’ Budget, Wired. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/02/pentagons-black-budget/

5. Ripped out of the News Headlines Geopolitics
North Korea's nuclear ambitions
Pakistan's tenuous relationship with India and its emerging nuclear capability.
The Nuclear Age representatives, the U.S.A, Russia, China, U.K., Israel, France, North Korea and Iran, who is interestingly absent.

6. Melding of the Eastern New Age Mysticism Religions and the Emerging Western Technocracy.
Ninjas, ninjas, and more ninjas!

A full analysis containing eschatological prophetic analysis will be forthcoming plus more in-depth analysis on each of the points above, and hopefully on other symbols and themes that I recall in the interim.

Eternal Verities, Semiotics, and Semantics

A few weeks ago I determined that I would begin blogging, primarily for the purpose of gathering, synthesizing, and coalescing my thoughts, interests, and impressions in one place. Like many others, I am sure, I have moments where certain thought processes lead to particular conclusions about the nature of reality in general and particular. There have been many times in that process that upon further reflection and futile attempts to recall the sum and substance of those thoughts that I catch myself wishing I had taken a moment to record. This blog represents my attempt at doing so. As for the title of this particular blog, it represents my attempt at creating profundity (likely where there is none). Regardless, one thing that I can say about myself, whether good or bad, is that I often attempt to find profundity in the minutiae of life, and am quick to point out that which I see. A couple of weeks ago I was speaking with my parents about life, its complexities, its certainties, uncertainties, and the experiences and moments we find ourselves in within the spectrum it creates. My parents, ever the "goodly parents" listened intently, with unfeigned concern, and empathy as I broke down the layers of analysis that underlies my personality, choices, and conclusions. While going through that process, as if to self-fufill my own prophecy, I caught myself engaging in meta-analysis about my analysis. I relayed that sentiment to my parents with an attempt at explanation. My explanation was that as a perpetually single guy, I am used to conducting a lot of self-introspection on the existential that might not otherwise occur. Additionally, I suggested that it is also product of my predisposition towards philosophical inquiry, which has only been stoked further by my chosen educational endeavors, namely, lawyering, philosophy, religious, political and psychological theory. This brings me back to the title of this particular blog entry and the general title of my blog.

Eternal Verities
One thing that all my educational training and analysis has taught me is that no matter how much one man or groups of men may purport to know and understand, there will always be a limit, a space where uncertainty will exist, an inability to totalize, harmonize, and organize the flux, chaos, and change in existence. However, like all general rules of applicability, there is always an exception. The exception would be stated thusly, "there is no way to totalize the flux, unless and until one first accepts the necessity that there must be eternal verities." Assumptions form the basis for all human reasoning and provide the foundation for further exploration. Much, if not all, of the "truths" we cling to depend on the assumptions that underlie and necessarily lead to corresponding and causal implications. In this sense, there are two narratives, one in which eternal verities exist prior to all human reasoning, and one in which there can be no eternal verities but relativistic happenstance. What one assumes, or more accurately, takes on the basis of faith leads in one direction or the other. Many thinkers my superior have also arrived at these same types of conclusions, echoing the sentiment that "he who knows he knows nothing, knows everything." I would argue that he who knows he knows nothing, knows that under everything must be an eternal verity.

Semiotics
Semiotics is by definition the study of signs, symbolism, likeness, parallels, analogy, metaphor, and typology. For those that are new to this area of study and inquiry, simply put, it is the analysis, recognition, significance, communicative message, and meaning in symbols, whether literary (poetry), literal (the cross), metaphorical (the sacrament), or across time and space (the gathering of the ten tribes). This type of analysis can be done in any form of communication that is laden with symbols, including popular media (movies, music, clothing), rituals (the superbowl, easter, etc.) or architecture (temple symbolism). The main purpose of this type of inquiry is related to the concept of eternal verities in that all things communicate a universal message whether good or bad demand our discernment. Depending on what one assumes about eternal verities, one will either see a web of causally connected themes, images, and ideas that point directly to the ultimate eternal verity, or a series of unconnected, and most likely, unfortunate events. In doing this type of analysis, the reality of eternal verities becomes apparent, and self-evident, such that the truth of things cannot remain hidden.

Semantics
Often in discussions on various topics, individuals, run into problems created by misunderstandings, miscommunication, and mistake of intent with each other. It may be said that all conflicts whether interpersonal or intrapersonal derive from the most basic problems inherent in the fallibility of human nature and reasoning represented by imperfect language. Language, arguably, is the basis for any human thought, BEFORE, communication of thoughts. It has been suggested and I would assert that language is the basis for human thought and thought is therefore subject to the imperfections we find in the definitions we use. Language itself is subject to changes in time and thought, but yet, generally retains enough substance to allow communication that fosters true understanding. However, to the extent that it does not, semantics, or what a word means, matters almost exclusively. Semantics matter because language is the only way we can convey what we mean, and should not be shrugged off as "just semantics." Regardless, returning to eternal verities, words often do not form the basis for true understanding, as they represent the meaning and intent and designs of the bearer. We have all experienced this type of communication, we all are semioticians in this regard, as we have all had "heart to hearts" with others in which the meanings and designs of the bearer are felt, rather than heard through sensory perception. However, to the extent that our semantics more accurately reflect the designs of our hearts and intents, the more convincing, powerful, and meaningful our communications will be.

I felt it fitting to talk about these three themes that tend to dominate my thinking, life, and concerns, and hereafter my blog entries. I am especially excited to take myself and those who are kind enough to follow through these types of exercises as it relates to religious theology, political science (historical and modern), psychological theory, legal theory, popular media (including comics, movies, music, etc.) and of course Superman! I hope that those who follow will be able to experience each of these three themes in a way never before, and if nothing more than to see how Mateo Johnson thinks . . . like a lawyer.