THE EMAIL WE'VE BEEN DISSECTING in the last seven posts is finally coming to it's conclusion, and as I promised last time the final revelation is the worst.

The last two pieces of conflation we looked at were a "prayer for our troops" and a picture featuring prayer, children, and the American flag.

The purpose, in both cases, was conflation again—this time to tie the ideas of religion, right-wing patriotism, the military, and our love of adorable children together.

The effect was not only to tie these ideas together, but to do it in the context of a sort of nationalistic religion, where faith in God = faith in America, and God becomes a sort of national superman, fighting on our side.

The other side—whoever our leaders decide to attack for whatever reasons—is, by implication, in the service of Satan.

Subtle, but very effective, largely because it's so subtle.

But so far the email has only talked of prayer and God in general terms. So the question becomes, does it mean any God in particular?

This is where the email takes its nastiest turn.

Immedieately following the prayer and the picture, there's plea to forward the email, and the concluding words:

God will Love You for helping Spread His Word.
...I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.. Phil 4:13

At this point, as we've seen in other propaganda emails, the author is depending on the fact that the reader has been semi-hypnotized by the onslaught of conflation and suggestions in the subtext.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to think that we wouldn't see the incredible right turn the subject has taken.

An email which began with a series of sweet pictures (and they really were) of our troops interacting with Iraqi children, and which announced itself as questioning whether our troops were involved in torture, now quite suddenly makes the claim that spreading these pictures, and the accompanying political lies, is the same as spreading the word of God.

From a traditional Christian perspective, that is blasphemy.

Furthermore, it now announces which God. The nationalistic God of America is now identified with Jesus. It turns out that God = Jesus = America = Conservatives = Wars = Adorable Children = Denial of Torture.

Apparently, only Christians are allowed in the "good guy" club. And, of course, it's not only Christians, but right-wing, conservative Christians.

There is no room in America for Liberal Christians, or Jewish Americans (even conservative ones), or Islamic Americans, or Hindu Americans or Navaho Americans, or...

They all are on the "bad guy's" team.

So, we end up here:

Does that sound absurd?

Of course it does. If it were argued out in the open, no one would buy it for a second.

Which is why the propagandist hides it skillfully in the subtext, allowing a manufactured conflation to work its spell on the reader.

This is all too well orchestrated to be accidental, and it is utterly without principle.

In order to win reader's political support the propagandist is willing to use children, our troops, the flag, and religion—to disparage all religions but Christianity, to lie, in short to act in multiple ways that are exactly the opposite of those troops in the picture.

Next time you get one of these emails, force yourself to stop and ask, "What's the implication here? What is this really saying?"

And when you figure it out, say it out loud to see if you really believe it.

Then take the Truth in Forwarding Pledge.

It can't sound absurd if it's left in the subtext.

At least, that's what I think today.