George Orwell warned us: "Who controls the past, controls the future"
- Freedom
250 is a corporate-sponsored initiative by the Trump administration to
celebrate America’s 250th birthday, heavily influenced by Hillsdale
College’s narrative.
- Interior
Secretary Doug Burgum has directed employees to promote Freedom 250,
despite the existence of a nonpartisan organization, America250.
- The
initiative serves as an advertising scheme, allowing corporations to
sponsor the celebration for large donations, while taxpayer money funds
these events.
- Critics
argue that the Freedom 250 logo and its related propaganda undermine
government neutrality and erase historical accuracy.
- Concerns
have been raised about potential foreign donations, despite claims by
Freedom 250 spokespeople that they do not accept such funds.
What do you get when you combine a view of American history
reminiscent of the novel 1984 with corporate sponsors? Freedom 250 is the
result, or as its website proclaims, the Trump administration’s “national,
non-partisan organization leading the celebration of our Nation’s 250th
birthday.”
The administration touts Freedom 250 as “creating a movement…to honor our Nation’s proud history.” They use videos made by Hillsdale, a Christian nationalist university, to tell their story of America. In the first video, The Story of America: An Introduction, Larry P. Arnn, President of Hillsdale, proclaims that Trump’s desire to make America great again “places him somewhere near the politics of Abraham Lincoln.”
Arnn also declares that the Declaration of Independence
stated the rights “for us all,” yet at that time, the rights applied only to
white, male property owners, who were a fraction of the population. State
legislatures tended to restrict voting to that same subset for decades after the
ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Until the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
southern states used poll taxes and literacy tests to restrict the voting
rights of African-Americans. Women did not obtain the right to vote until 1920.
Interior Secretary Forces Employees To Promote Freedom
250
The Interior Secretary, Doug
Burgum, sent guidance to its staff, obtained by Politico’s E&E
News, instructing them to use the Freedom 250 logo, colors, and tagline for any
promotional materials related to the 250th commemoration. However, Freedom 250
is not the only commemoration around. America250 is the nonpartisan organization appointed
by Congress to “engage every American in celebrating and commemorating the
250th anniversary of our country.” It is a multi-year effort that began in
“The Freedom 250 logo, and all of the corruption that it
represents, should not be in government email signatures or plastered across
the visitor centers that are supposed to serve all Americans, regardless of
their faith or politics.” Center for Western Priorities, Deputy Director Aaron Weiss
Meanwhile, the Interior Department has offered nearly all of
its full-time employees a deferred resignation package. There’s no better way
to fund propaganda than firing hard-working federal employees.
Trump announced Freedom 250 on a social
media post, as he often does with his administration’s initiatives,
describing the 250th commemoration events as “the most spectacular birthday
party the world has ever seen.” That birthday party costs taxpayers $10 million. Hence, the need to fire
federal employees.
The Advertisement Scheme
Freedom 250 is a big advertisement scheme for corporations.
For six-figure donations, companies can buy “bespoke packages” that include
being listed on Freedom 250’s website, social media platforms, and logos at
events. The sponsorship packages range from $500,000 to $10
million.
The celebrations we’re paying for include Freedom
Trucks, which are rolling museums. An op-ed piece for The Hill describes them as
“18-wheelers retrofitted with engaging and interactive exhibits on America’s
unparalleled founding story.” The real purpose is to reinforce in the minds of
Americans gullible enough to buy what Trump sells that the nation’s early years
were only benevolent for everyone in the land. Can you guess which university
the administration collaborated with to design the trucks? 100 points if you
guessed Hillsdale.
Some of the funds for the commemoration program may be from
foreign countries and companies. During Davos,
Keith Krach, Freedom250 CEO, said that there are “toolkits for countries,
states, companies, all of that, it’s all about partnership and what could be
funner than marketing America, or really marketing freedom.” However, Freedom
250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez stated that the organization is not accepting
any foreign donations. Perhaps she should consult her CEO.
Gina-Marie
Cheeseman http://www.justmeans.com/users/gina-marie-cheeseman
