Page 63 - Lunacy and the Age of Deception

Present in all effectual propaganda campaigns is a strong appeal to the emotions and biases present
within humanity. One of the strongest of these biases is pride in one’s fatherland. I grew up in the
America of the 1960s and 1970s, having been born in the year 1961. I attended public school. Every
day without fail we began the day by standing to our feet, turning to face the American flag, and with
our right hand over our heart we were led in a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

It was instilled in children from an early age that America was the greatest nation on Earth. It had
freedom, wealth, opportunity, a good public education system, a car in every driveway, abundant
food, and the mightiest military on the planet. Everyone likes to be part of a winning team.
Consequently, criticism of America was viewed as an assault on the pride of the group. To state that
Americans were primed to believe the reports provided by the government leaders about another
stunning national accomplishment is a simple statement of fact. Society had an enormous
predilection to believe reports that increased national honor.

With consummate skill, the architects of the space program chose patriotic themes to tap into this
bias of the group mind. America’s national symbol is the eagle, and the first lunar module reported
to have landed men on the Moon was named the Eagle. Similarly, the command module for the
Apollo 11 mission was named Columbia, the female personification of the United States. The
highlight of the Apollo 11 Moon landing was planting the American flag on the Moon. There could
hardly be a greater appeal to American patriotism.

Buzz Aldrin - Eagle Lander, and American Flag