Federally funded misinformation

Here are two programs that seem to get to the heart of the "values" of current America:

1. The military is using its press briefings to give out targeted misinformation (e.g., to see what the other side will do in response to a falsely announced attack).

   The Pentagon in 2002 was forced to shutter its controversial Office of Strategic Influence (OSI), which was opened shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, after reports that the office intended to plant false news stories in the international media. But officials say that much of OSI's mission — using information as a tool of war — has been assumed by other offices throughout the U.S. government.

   Of course, this PR-meets-Psy-ops activity undermines whatever credibility they (we?) may still have...
   (via Follow Me Here)
   
   
2. Abstinence-promotion programs frequently mislead teens about a variety of facts -- some are told that touching a person's genitals can cause pregnancy, many are given false statistics about condom effectiveness and STD prevalence.

   The report concluded that two of the curricula were accurate but the 11 others, used by 69 organizations in 25 states, contain unproved claims, subjective conclusions or outright falsehoods regarding reproductive health, gender traits and when life begins.

   And this all under the guise of "education." My grandmother was told that you could get pregnant if you "hugged a person too hard" -- can we really not do any better than that today? Even more heartening is the stealthy misogynist strain:

   Some course materials cited in Waxman's report present as scientific fact notions about a man's need for "admiration" and "sexual fulfillment" compared with a woman's need for "financial support." One book in the "Choosing Best" series tells the story of a knight who married a village maiden instead of the princess because the princess offered so many tips on slaying the local dragon. "Moral of the story," notes the popular text: "Occasional suggestions and assistance may be alright, but too much of it will lessen a man's confidence or even turn him away from his princess."

   This leaves me speechless.
   (via Atrios)