Another key element of this propaganda model is the creation of the official position on any EMR health issue by the electrical industry and the fanatical adherence to this official position by our health authorities. EMR research and its correct interpretation usually originates from a public relations firm representing manufacturers of, for instance, cellular phones. This position is then seized upon by Health Canada and then passed on to the Canadian Medical Association, on down to the Provincial Radiation Protection Branch, the Regional Medical Health Officer and finally even to the safety officer at my children's school. They rarely do any independent research and in true corporatist fashion each mindlessly parrots his superior while doing mental calisthenics to ignore the grave warnings of the brave scientists who dare to speak out. Ironically the less important the bureaucrat the more stoically they defend the mythology. John Ralston Saul explains this behavior superbly in his book, "The Unconscious Civilization."
Deceiving the public is nothing new for Health Canada. They have a long history of ignoring our health concerns. Health Canada refused for three decades to classify asbestos as carcinogenic, they shirked their responsibilities by not insisting that the Red Cross perform proper blood screening thus allowing thousands of Canadians to be infected by HIV; and Hepatitis C; contaminated blood. The nuclear weapons and power industry has lied about its safety for years and Health Canada has done nothing. (One should not forget that the electrical industry and the nuclear industry are almost one and the same). It took decades of death and suffering before they implemented regulations on tobacco use.
Health Canada refuses to acknowledge the gulf war syndrome as a disease even though 2,000 Canadians, 2,400 British, and 30,000 Americans have been afflicted with the disease since the Gulf War. Ironically, they may be the victims of electromagnetic biological weapons used by the US military. Silicone breast implants, thalidomide, DDT, and dioxins all have caused immeasurable suffering and the list keeps growing. The lack of regulations to protect the public from these substances are not mistakes. This is just part of Health Canada's long history of putting corporate profits ahead of protecting Canadians from harm. Not classifying EMR as a probable carcinogen adds to the list.
Health Canada is profoundly uncritical of the electrical industry's position on the health hazards of EMR. Although Health Canada does some of its own studies, the electrical industry is involved in creating almost all of the research upon which Health Canada relies to gauge the health threats of EMR. The Working Group on Electric and Magnetic fields played a major role in shaping our federal governments policy, or lack thereof, on the health effects of EMR. Almost all of the EMR "experts" in the group were electrical industry representatives. Close associations with the electrical industry call into question Health Canada's ability to truly act as a disinterested party when it comes to making regulations. I wonder if there would be any tobacco regulations if the tobacco industry was able to exercise this type of influence over Health Canada?
The electrical industry is the largest industry in the world and they generate almost all of the information on EMR. They are able to manipulate and tailor this information, relatively unchallenged, for the public through the corporate media. For example BC Hydro, just one tiny player, spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on public relations and advertising per year. This is a bit excessive given there is no competition. The corporate media do not want to lose these millions of dollars, and thus tend to report what their advertisers say without any meaningful criticism. Try to imagine the global yearly advertising and public relations budgets of all the electrical industry and then think about their ability to manipulate public opinion. This is not even taking into consideration their direct ownership of news- papers, radio, and television networks. (i.e.: Westinghouse owns NBC) Direct ownership of the mass media by the electrical industry is a even more serious threat to the public finding out the truth about the health effects of EMR and would require a book to explore.
In spite of the electrical industry's obvious bias, their scientists still have released study after study linking EMR and cancer. However, the industry has a remarkable ability to discredit their own research. Even though the best scientific methodology available is used public relations people have gone to work to cast doubt on the results. Their job is to baffle and confuse the public by pointing out all the supposed flaws in their own studies until the public does not know what to think. They know that as long as the public does not have clear and accurate information on the hazards of EMR, we will not be able to make knowledgeable decisions as to what is safe.
There is another level of understanding this strategy of publishing damning evidence and then discrediting the study. It creates confusion and a quiet desperation in the public, while maintaining the illusion that the electrical industry is doing something, and they care about our health. Meanwhile, they are injecting a key element into their information control strategy; fear of the unknown and specifically fear of cancer. Corporations spend millions of dollars studying human behavior and they know that fear is a powerful ingredient in controlling public behavior. When people are fearful, they tend to feel powerless and give up responsibility for their own health and safety to those in authority; in this case to the very people who are harming them.
Health Canada seems to like this arrangement. For instance, the press reported on a recent Ontario Hydro study which showed that their utility workers had leukemia rates 11 times greater than that of the general population ; an unusually high cancer risk. (In fact the study found that Ontario Hydro linesmen developed brain cancer at much higher rates, but that is another story). The Ontario Hydro spokeswoman said: "We would be irresponsible at this point to change anything or alarm anyone until the study is replicated". The media obediently reported the story without any investigation of the facts. In reality, this study had been replicated several times. When I pointed this out to the local Victoria newspaper, they did nothing to set the record straight, nor did Health Canada.
