MSM censorship aka "controlling the narrative"

• Introduction
• Controlling the narrative means control and deliberate selection of the issues which can be discussed
• More subtle nuances of controlling the narrative: the role of the scapegoat
• Chris Hedge book Empire of Illusion
• Gekaufte Journalisten by Udo Ulfkotte

Introduction

For purposes of this page, “censorship” includes:

• Any mechanism that effectively limits the discussion to certain themes. Prohibiting or suppressing all others. For example declaring the  a "conspiracy theory" 
• Denial of platform access and normal use thereof (e.g., lockouts, suspensions, bans)
• “Shadowbanning”
• Issuance of “verified” status based on any factor(s) unrelated to identity authentication
• “Throttling” accounts and/or content without disclosure
• Embargoing content (i.e., no “memory-holing” content without the consent of the creator)
• Manipulating “trending” algorithms without disclosure
• Demonetization
• Shunning and gas-lighting

In many respects, the media creates reality, so perhaps the most effective route toward changing reality runs through the media.  "Controlling the narrative" is the major form of neoliberal MSM war on reality. By providing "prepackaged" narrative for a particular world event and selectively suppressing alternative information channels that contraduct the official narrative, neoliberals control and channel emotions of people in the direction they want.  Often in the direction of yet another war for the expansion of the global neoliberal empire led from Washington, DC.

libezkova said in reply to Fred C. Dobbs...  January 29, 2017 at 08:31 AM  

Neoliberal MSM want to control the narrative. That's why "alternative facts" should be called an "alternative narrative". https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/09/controlling-the-narrative/?_r=0

Maybe this is the same kind of clinical detachment doctors have to cultivate, a way of distancing oneself from the subject, protecting yourself against a crippling empathy. I won’t say that writers or artists are more sensitive than other people, but it may be that they’re less able to handle their own emotions.

It may be that art, like drugs, is a way of dulling or controlling pain. Eloquently articulating a feeling is one way to avoid actually experiencing it.

Words are only symbols, noises or marks on paper, and turning the messy, ugly stuff of life into language renders it inert and manageable for the author, even as it intensifies it for the reader.

It’s a nerdy, sensitive kid’s way of turning suffering into something safely abstract, an object of contemplation.

I suspect most of the people who write all that furious invective on the Internet, professional polemicists and semiliterate commenters alike, are lashing out because they’ve been hurt — their sense of fairness or decency has been outraged, or they feel personally wounded or threatened.

It is hard to disagree with the notion which was put by several authors that American society is living  in a cocoon of illusion which conveniently isolates them from reality: entertainment and escapism infuse our society, economy, and political system with severe consequences. Among such authors are  Aldous Huxley. C. Wright Mills, Sheldon Wolin, Ralph Nader, Karl Polanyi, Jared Diamond, Paul Craig Roberts, Chris Hedge and several others. If we compare dystopias of Huxley and Orwell, and it clear that Huxley in his famous  New Brave World predicted the future much better:

"Huxley feared was that would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one... the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance."

The central idea here is that we now live as a society in which citizens become so distracted (and by extension detached) from reality that they lost any ability to influence their political or economic destiny. It is the same phenomenon that is described under the label of Inverted Totalitarism. 

This is one of the truly malevolent aspects of today's modern neoliberal world order and we need to confront it. It allows the old game of blaming the weak and the marginal, a staple of neo-fascist and despotic regimes; this illusion empower the dark undercurrents of sadism and violence in American society and deflect attention from the neoliberal financial vampires who have drained the blood of the country

"The tragedy is that we have become a screen culture, televisions, computers, phones, tablets, etc. Our electronic hallucinations have produced a society that has little time or patience for introspection or deep thinking. It reinforced my decision to maintain a television free life. For some, what Chris has to say may cut to close to the bone. But those with the courage to do so are usually the ones that care the most."

The biggest and most invisible elephant in the American psyche is this: our government has long since abandoned the goal of managing this nation as a nation. Instead, America as a nation is managed as a means to global empire.

For example the loss of the critical skills of literacy (seven million total illiterates, another 27 million unable to read well enough to complete a job application, and still another 50 million who read at a 4th-5th-grade level)  have led large part of the US population to become incapable of thinking for ourselves.

In fact they have become as malleable as children. 80% of U.S. families did not buy or read a single book in a year.  Despite technology and internet access we are becoming a society of functionally ignorant and illiterate people.

For example there is widespread illusion of inclusion. This is the illusion that we are or will be included among the fortunate few because misfortune happens only to those who deserve it. There are plenty of people who understand that the corporate model is one in which there are squeezers and those who are to be squeezed. So the illusion of inclusion provides what can be called "a plantation morality" that exalts the insiders and denigrates the outsiders. Those content with this arrangement obviously view themselves as insiders even when they work for companies that are actively shedding employees. Many of these people are happy to be making good money for digging graves for others, never stopping to wonder if maybe someday one of those graves might be their own.

One of the first recorded metaphors which explained this phenomenon of substitution of reality with  illusion was Plato's tale about cave dwellers, who thought the shadows on the wall were the actual reality. Illusion can also serve as a deliberate distraction, isolation layer that protects form unpleasant reality. The point is that now it is illusions that dominate American life; both for those that succumb to them, and for those that promote and sustains them. It is the use of illusions in the US  society that become  prevalent today, converting like into the cinema or theater, where primary goal is entertainment.

Modern MSM are driven by postmodernism which includes among other things substitution of reality with artificial reality, fragmentation of history and push for historical amnesia, decentering of subject and juxtaposition of opposites. But the key feature is controlling the narrative.

Controlling the narrative means control and deliberate selection of the issues which can be discussed

Controlling the narrative means control and deliberate selection of the issues which can be discussed (and by extension which are not)  in MSM. It represents real war on reality.  Non-stop, 24 by 7 character of modern media help with this greatly (The Unending Anxiety of an ICYMI World - NYTimes.com):

We used to receive media cyclically. Newspapers were published once (or sometimes twice) a day, magazines weekly or monthly. Nightly news was broadcast, well, each night. Television programs were broadcast on one of the major networks one night a week at a specific time, never to return until a rerun or syndication. Movies were shown first in theaters and on video much later (or, before the advent of VCRs, not until a revival). There were not many interstices, just discrete units — and a smaller number of them.

Now we’re in the midst of the streaming era, when the news industry distributes material on a 24-hour cycle, entire seasons of TV shows are dumped on viewers instantaneously, most movies are available at any time and the flow of the Internet and social media is ceaseless. We are nearly all interstitial space, with comparatively few singularities.

Media became out windows to the world and this window is broken. The notion of 'controlling the narrative' points to dirty games played by PR gurus and spin merchants with event coverage (especially foreign event coverage) to ensure the rule of elite.  A good part of the White House budget and resources is spent on controlling the narrative. Creation of the narrative and "talking points" for MSM is the task of State Department. With State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki, as a pretty telling "incarnation"  of the trend. 

And MSM are doing an exemplary job controlling the political narrative. This way they demonstrate their faithful service to the state and the ruling political class. Nowhere is more evident then in coverage of wars.

Only social media can smash the official version of events. And in some case that has happened. The USA MSM honchos are now scratching heads trying to understand  how to control their version of events despite Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.

On Ukraine, despite the most coordinated propaganda offensive of Western MSMs, the Western elite failed to fully control the narrative:  a sizable number of Europeans are still clinging to the notion that this story had two sides. You can see this trend from analysis of Guardian comments (The Guardian Presstitutes Slip Beyond the Reach of Embarrassment ). More importantly the EU political establishment has failed to maintain a central lie inside official narrative -- that the EU is benign and a force for good / peace / prosperity. EU elite has shown its ugly face supporting Ukrainian far right.

Another example were initially MSM totally controlled the narrative (the first two-three weeks) and then when the narrative start slipping away they need to silence the subject  Shooting down Malaysian flight MH17

The thing is, once you've lost control of the narrative, as happened with coverage MH17 tragedy, there's no way back. Once Western MSM lost it, no-one any longer believed  a word they said about the tragedy.

And little can be done to win back that credibility on the particular subject. Moreover, due to this Europeans are becoming more and more receptive of a drip of alternative media stories that completely destroy official EU narrative. They came from a multitude of little sources, including this site and they collectively  cements the loss of trust to the EU elite. 

More subtle nuances of controlling the narrative: the role of the scapegoat

 There also more subtle nuances of controlling the narrative. Actually controlling the narrative does not mean that you need to suppress all the negative news (like propagandists in the USSR often did -- leading to complete discreditation of official propaganda in minds of the USSR people -- it simply became the subject of jokes). As John V. Walsh noted:

There is a simple rule that is followed scrupulously by U.S. commentators of every stripe on world affairs and war – with a very few notable exceptions, Paul Craig Roberts and Pepe Escobar among them.

This rule allows strong criticism of the U.S. But major official adversaries of the U.S., Iran, Russia and China, must never, ever be presented as better than the US in any significant way. The US may be depicted as equally bad (or better) than these enemies, but never worse.

In other words, any strong criticism of the US presuppose scapegoating and vicious propaganda campaign against  major official adversaries of the US such as Russia. It  must never, ever be presented in a better light then the US in any significant way. In selected cases, the US may be depicted as equally bad, but never worse.

The most recent incarnation of this rule was during Hillary Clinton campaign for POTUS in 2016.

Chris Hedge book Empire of Illusion

Chis Hedge Empire of Illusion  is a penetrating analysis of this effort of "entertainment society" and converting everything including politics into entertainment. It was published in 2010. Hedges discuss  complex issues and a clear, succinct way. You might agree with him, you might disagree with him but you will enjoy his brilliant prose. 

Those who manipulate  from the shadows our lives are the agents, publicists, marketing departments, promoters, script writers, television and movie producers, advertisers, video technicians, photographers, bodyguards, wardrobe consultants, fitness trainers, pollsters, public announcers, and television news personalities who create the vast stage for the Empire of Illusion. They are the puppet masters. No one achieves celebrity status, without the approval of cultural enablers and intermediaries. The sole object is to hold attention and satisfy an audience. These techniques of theater leeched into politics, religion, education, literature, news, commerce, warfare, and even crime. It converts that society into wrestling ring mesh with the ongoing dramas on television, in movies, and in the news, where "real-life" stories, especially those involving celebrities, allow news reports to become mini-dramas complete with a star, a villain, a supporting cast, a good-looking host, and a neat, if often unexpected, conclusion (p. 15-16).

The first big achievement of Empire of Illusion was "glorification of war" after WWIII. As the veterans of WW II saw with great surprise their bitter, brutal wartime experience were skillfully transformed into an illusion, the mythic narrative of heroism and patriotic glory sold to the public by the Pentagon's public relations machine and Hollywood. The extreme brutality and meaninglessness of war could not compete against the power of the illusion, the fantasy of war as a ticket to glory, honor, and manhood. It was what the government and the military wanted to promote. It worked because it had the power to simulate experience for most viewers who were never at Iwo Jima or in a war. Few people understood that this illusion was a lie. p. 21-22.

Media evolved into branch of entertainment. He gives great insight on American society. Several chapters should be a required read for all sociology, film, journalism students, or government leaders. Much like Paul Craig Robert's How America Was Lost you might feel unplugged from the matrix after reading this book. This is the book that corporate America, as well as the neoliberal elite, do not want you to read. It's a scathing indictment against everything that's wrong with the system and those that continue to perpetuate the lie in the name of the almighty dollar. In a way the USA as the rest of the world are amusing itself into a post apocalyptic state, without an apocalypse. It is simply cannibalizing itself.

That books also contains succinct, and damning condemnation of globalization (and, specifically, the USA's role in it). You can compare it with Klein's 'Shock Doctrine', but it cuts a wider swath. 

The discussion the follows was by-and-large adapted from  D. Benor  Amazon review of the book

We consume countless lies daily, false promises that if we buy this brand or that product, if we vote for this candidate, we will be respected, envied, powerful, loved, and protected. The flamboyant lives of celebrities and the outrageous characters on television, movies,  and sensational talk shows are peddled to us, promising to fill up the emptiness in our own lives. Celebrity culture encourages everyone to think of themselves as potential celebrities, as possession unique if unacknowledged gifts. p. 26-7. Celebrity is the vehicle used by a corporate society to sell us these branded commodities, most of which we do not need. Celebrities humanize commercial commodities. They present the familiar and comforting face of the corporate state. p. 37.

Reporters, especially those on television, no longer ask whether the message is true but rather whether the pseudo-event worked or did not work as political theater for supporting particular (usually State Department in case of foreign events) talking points.  Pseudo-events are judged on how effectively we have been manipulated by illusion. Those events that appear real are relished and lauded. Those that fail to create a believable illusion are deemed failures. Truth is irrelevant. Those who succeed in politics, as in most of the culture, are those who create the most convincing fantasies. This is the real danger of pseudo-events and why pseudo-events are far more pernicious than stereotypes. They do not explain reality, as stereotypes attempt to, but replace reality. Pseudo-events redefines reality by the parameters set by their creators. These creators, who make massive profits selling illusions, have a vested interest in maintaining the power structures they control. p. 50-1.

A couple quotes: "When a nation becomes unmoored from reality, it retreats into a world of magic. Facts are accepted or discarded according to the dictates of a preordained cosmology. The search for truth becomes irrelevant." (p. 50) "The specialized dialect and narrow education of doctors, academics, economists, social scientists, military officers, investment bankers, and government bureaucrats keeps each sector locked in its narrow role. The overarching structure of the corporate state and the idea of the common good are irrelevant to specialists. They exist to make the system work, not to examine it." (p. 98) I could go on and on citing terrific passages.

The flight into illusion sweeps away the core values of the open society. It corrodes the ability to think for oneself, to draw independent conclusions, to express dissent when judgment and common sense tell you something is wrong, to be self-critical, to challenge authority, to grasp historical facts, to advocate for change, and to acknowledge that there are other views, different ways, and structures of being that are morally and socially acceptable. A populace deprived of the ability to separate lies from truth, that has become hostage to the fictional semblance of reality put forth by pseudo-events, is no longer capable of sustaining a free society.

Those who slip into this illusion ignore the signs of impending disaster. The physical degradation of the planet, the cruelty of global capitalism, the looming oil crisis, the collapse of financial markets, and the danger of overpopulation rarely impinge to prick the illusions that warp our consciousness. The words, images, stories, and phrases used to describe the world in pseudo-events have no relation to what is happening around us. The advances of technology and science, rather than obliterating the world of myth, have enhanced its power to deceive. We live in imaginary, virtual worlds created by corporations that profit from our deception. Products and experiences - indeed, experience as a product - offered up for sale, sanctified by celebrities, are mirages. They promise us a new personality. They promise us success and fame. They promise to mend our brokenness. p. 52-3.

We have all seen the growth of a culture of lies and deception in politics, banking, commerce and education. Hodges points out how this has been facilitated by our abandoning the teaching of values and analysis in our schools.

The flight from the humanities has become a flight from conscience. It has created an elite class of experts who seldom look beyond their tasks and disciplines to put what they do in a wider, social context. And by absenting themselves from the moral and social questions raised by the humanities, they have opted to serve a corporate structure that has destroyed the culture around them.

Our elites - the ones in Congress, the ones on Wall Street, and the ones being produced at prestigious universities and business schools - do not have the capacity to fix our financial mess. Indeed, they will make it worse. They have no concept, thanks to the educations they have received, of how to replace a failed system with a new one. They are petty, timid, and uncreative bureaucrats superbly trained to carry our systems management. They see only piecemeal solutions that will satisfy the corporate structure. Their entire focus is numbers, profits, and personal advancement. They lack a moral and intellectual core. They are as able to deny gravely ill people medical coverage to increase company profits as they are to use taxpayer dollars to peddle costly weapons systems to blood-soaked dictatorships. The human consequences never figure into their balance sheets. The democratic system, they believe, is a secondary product of the free market - which they slavishly serve. p. 111.

I quote Hodges at some length because of his cogent, clear summaries of the problems leading us to self-destruction and to ways we might someday restructure society to be supportive and healing to the individual - rather than exploiting people and viewing them only as valuable as they can be manipulated into being gullible consumers.

This is one of the clearest and best focused discussions I have seen on the problems of modern society that are leading us to societal suicide

Hedges points out how a cycle sustains itself between elite educational institutions (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.), the Government (think Congress in particular) and Corporations. Ivy league schools basically turn-out lackeys that do whatever is necessary to maintain their elite, self-absorbed status. The last chapter is entitled, "The Illusion of America," and this is where Hedges does a fantastic job of pulling together all the elements of this dysfunctional society. Other books touch the same themes, sometimes more forcefully but in this book most important elements of this picture put together.

Among the booksHedges cites:

• Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and StickYou with the Bill),
• The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power,
• The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism (American Empire Project),
• The Last Professors: The Corporate University and the Fate of the Humanities,
•  Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone?,
• Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
• Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism.

Gekaufte Journalisten by Udo Ulfkotte

The book Gekaufte Journalisten by Udo Ulfkotte was a revelation. Of cause, we suspected many things he  described, but nwo we know detailed methods and mechanisms of suppressing alterative opinion in German society, methods that are probably more effective that anything propagandists in the DDR adn the USSR ever attempted.  One of the central concept here is the concept of "Noble Lie".

Guardian became neoliberal as soon as Tony Blaire became Prime minister. As any neoliberal publication is subscribes to the notion of "noble lie". The latter actually came from neocons playbook.   No they knowingly try to dumb down their reader substituting important topic with celebrity gossip and hate speech. Even political issue now are "served" to the public as dishes under heavy sauce of personalities involved, which is a perfect way to obscure the subject and distract the readers.

geronimo -> MurkyFogsFutureLogs 14 Mar 2015 12:31
Indeed...

Under the retiring editor, all politics seems to have been reduced to 'identity' politics. Forget about class, war, class war and so on... If it can't be reduced to Hillary's gender or Putin's, er... transcendental evil... then it's barely worth a comment above the line.

As I've said before, for the Guardian 'the personal is the political' - or rather, for the Guardian as for Hillary, the political reduces to the personal.

A marriage made, not so much in heaven, but somewhere in political-fashionista North London.

In reality most prominent journalists are on tight leash of "'deep state". As Udo Ulfkotte book attests this is a rule, not an exception. While this was known since Operation Mockingbird  was revealed, nothing changed. As revealed by Senator Frank Church investigations (Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities) in 1975. In his Congress report published in 1976 the authors stated:

"The CIA currently maintains a network of several hundred foreign individuals around the world who provide intelligence for the CIA and at times attempt to influence opinion through the use of covert propaganda. These individuals provide the CIA with direct access to a large number of newspapers and periodicals, scores of press services and news agencies, radio and television stations, commercial book publishers, and other foreign media outlets."

According to the "Family Jewels" report, released by the National Security Archive on June 26, 2007, during the period from March 12, 1963, and June 15, 1963, the CIA installed telephone taps on two Washington-based news reporters. Church argued that misinforming the world cost American taxpayers an estimated $265 million a year.^[20]

In February 1976, George H. W. Bush, the recently appointed Director of the CIA, announced a new policy:

"Effective immediately, the CIA will not enter into any paid or contract relationship with any full-time or part-time news correspondent accredited by any U.S. news service, newspaper, periodical, radio or television network or station." He added that the CIA would continue to "welcome" the voluntary, unpaid cooperation of journalists.^[21]

But at this point only handlers and methods changed, not the policy. They are still all controlled by deep state. The most recent revelations of this fact were published by Udo Ulfkotte’s in his bestseller book  Bought Journalists. Here is one Amazon review of the book: 

Unicorns & Kittenson May 1, 2015

I've managed to read a bit of the German version ...
 
I've managed to read a bit of the German version and now I think I understand why this is still not available in English although it was supposed to be released in this and other languages seven months ago. I will be very surprised if this shocking and destabilizing book (which names names) is made available to Americans ... even though it's primarily about the abusive tactics of American intelligence agencies. Please keep asking why it isn't published - despite being a best-seller in Germany -- and how we can get it here on Kindle.

As one Amazon reviewer said "This book will change for ever the way you read and watch the mainstream media! " Here is some additional information from russia-insider:

... ... ...

Ironically, however, it’s likely that one of the biggest threats (especially in Europe) to Anglo-American media credibility about Ukraine and other issues is coming from a very old-fashioned medium – a book.

Udo Ulfkotte’s bestseller Bought Journalists has been a sensation in Germany since its publication last autumn. The journalist and former editor of one of Germany’s largest newspapers, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, revealed that he was for years secretly on the payroll of the CIA and was spinning the news to favour U.S. interests. Moreover he alleges that some major media are nothing more than propaganda outlets for international think-tanks, intelligence agencies, and corporate high-finance.

“We’re talking about puppets on a string,” he says, “journalists who write or say whatever their masters tell them to say or write. If you see how the mainstream media is reporting about the Ukraine conflict and if you know what’s really going on, you get the picture. The masters in the background are pushing for war with Russia and western journalists are putting on their helmets.” [8]

In another interview, Ulfkotte said:

“The German and American media tries to bring war to the people in Europe, to bring war to Russia. This is a point of no return, and I am going to stand up and say…it is not right what I have done in the past, to manipulate people, to make propaganda against Russia, and it is not right what my colleagues do, and have done in the past, because they are bribed to betray the people not only in Germany, all over Europe.” [9]

... ... ...

Apparently, Pomeranzev has forgotten that important October 2004 article by Ron Suskind published in the New York Times Magazine during the second war in Iraq (which, like the first, was based on a widely disseminated lie). Suskind quoted one of George W. Bush’s aides (probably Karl Rove): “The aide said that guys like me [journalists, writers, historians] were ‘in what we call the reality-based community,’ which he defined as people who ‘believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality…That’s not the way the world really works anymore,’ he continued. ‘We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality – judiciously, as you will – we’ll act again, creating other new realities which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do’.” [12]

It’s a rather succinct description of Orwellian spin and secrecy in a media-saturated Empire, where discerning the truth becomes ever more difficult.

That is why people believe someone like Udo Ulfkotte, who is physically ill, says he has only a few years left to live, and told an interviewer,

 “I am very fearful of a new war in Europe, and I don’t like to have this situation again, because war is never coming from itself, there is always people who push for war, and this is not only politicians, it is journalists too… We have betrayed our readers, just to push for war…I don’t want this anymore, I’m fed up with this propaganda. We live in a banana republic and not in a democratic country where we have press freedom…” [13]

Recently, as Mike Whitney has pointed out in CounterPunch (March 10), Germany’s newsmagazine Der Spiegel dared to challenge the fabrications of NATO’s top commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, for spreading “dangerous propaganda” that is misleading the public about Russian “troop advances” and making “flat-out inaccurate statements” about Russian aggression.

Whitney asks, “Why this sudden willingness to share the truth? It’s because they no longer support Washington’s policy, that’s why. No one in Europe wants the US to arm and train the Ukrainian army. No wants them to deploy 600 paratroopers to Kiev and increase U.S. logistical support. No one wants further escalation, because no wants a war with Russia. It’s that simple.” [14] Whitney argued that “the real purpose of the Spiegel piece is to warn Washington that EU leaders will not support a policy of military confrontation with Moscow.”

So now we know the reason for the timing of the April 15 U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, “Confronting Russia’s Weaponization of Information.” Literally while U.S. paratroopers were en route to Kiev, the hawks in Washington (and London) knew it was time to crank up the rhetoric. The three witnesses were most eager to oblige.

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• 20210214 : Hunt for the Great White Speech Criminal by Andrew Anglin ( Feb 14, 2021 , www.unz.com )
• 20210203 : Only You Can Beat Big Tech Censorship ( Feb 03, 2021 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20210129 : How To Survive -Cancel Culture- When You Have Unpopular Opinions - ZeroHedge ( Jan 29, 2021 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20210129 : Financioal oligarchy is shutting down and/or severely limiting free and open communications and transactions on the internet because they "threaten" TPTB's prerogatives to personally and totally control all of the real world's power and wealth ( Jan 29, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210124 : The Moronic Firing Of Will Wilkinson by Greenwald ( Jan 24, 2021 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20210124 : The 9/11 Commission Report completely mysteriously omitted the many unimpeachable accounts by eyewitnesses including rescue workers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and civilians of tremendous explosions on that day ( Jan 24, 2021 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20210124 : Greenwald- The Moronic Firing Of Will Wilkinson - ZeroHedge ( Jan 24, 2021 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20210122 : Nice beard though. ( Jan 22, 2021 , off-guardian.org )
• 20210120 : Wikipedia- The Overlooked Monopoly - ( Jan 20, 2021 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20210120 : Why Doesn't the Republican Establishment Understand the Meaning of Betrayal by Larry Johnson ( Jan 20, 2021 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20210117* A note about "reactionary Republicans" ( Jan 17, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20210117 : 'Let the purges begin' ( Jan 17, 2021 , www.rt.com )
• 20210117 : Democrats claim censorship necessary to stop 'fascism', but they still serve militarism and corporatism, by Glenn Greenwald ( Jan 17, 2021 , www.rt.com )
• 20210115 : Trump supporters are pushed into underground ( Jan 15, 2021 , www.rt.com )
• 20210115 : Replacement of the Bill of Rights, with the Bill of Don'ts ( Jan 15, 2021 , www.rt.com )
• 20210115 : Here is Jack Dorsey censorship argenda ( Jan 15, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210115 : What's pathetic about the Parler situation is that they had no back up plans. They fully depended on the "establishment" they bloviate so much against, even when they didn't have to. ( Jan 15, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210115 : Suppression by the state is expensive and it undercuts productivity ( Jan 15, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210114 : Anyone complaining about "whataboutism" is always, without exception, demanding that everyone ignores their hypocrisy. ( Jan 14, 2021 , twitter.com )
• 20210114 : Outside the USA, the first things that will be done is that everyone will have to have control over their own social media and internet. NO MORE trust in the USA Big Tech to play fair - that is gone! ( Jan 14, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210114 : The decision by US Internet platforms to block the accounts of the head of state can be likened to a nuclear explosion in cyberspace. The aftereffects are worse than destruction. ( Jan 14, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210114 : Trump as populist ( Jan 14, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210111 : Trump's blanket ban from social media proves the information war is over and neoliberals won by suppression of opposing side of election graud debate by Helen Buyniski ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.rt.com )
• 20210111 : Taibbi- We Need A New Media System ( Jan 11, 2021 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20210111 : Yes, like under Bolshevism, it's a question of loyalty. ( Jan 11, 2021 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20210111 : This will be my last post online. It is not safe to do this any longer. ( Jan 11, 2021 , thesaker.is )
• 20210110 : Rep. Devin Nunes Calls for Criminal Charges Against Big Tech Over Mass Censorship, Coordinated Shutdown of Competitors ( Jan 10, 2021 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20210110 : Entrusting Silicon Valley oligarchs to police speech on the social media platforms that dominate the exchange of information is gonna turn out great for the left for sure. No concerns here ( Jan 10, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210110 : The issue with Trump vs Twitter management is whether an elite, one of the ruling class, can be "censored." ( Jan 10, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210109 : The tech oligarchs that supported the censoring and the eventual de-platforming the President on social media showed who had political power under neoliberalism ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210109 : Denial of freedom of speech underway ( Jan 09, 2021 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20210109 : The Boot Is Coming Down Hard And Fast - ZeroHedge ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20210109 : Escape for tech oligarchs clutches ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210109 : By banning Trump and his supporters, Google and Twitter are turning the US into a facsimile of the regimes we once condemned by Scott Ritter ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.rt.com )
• 20210109 : Mozilla is now cowardly attacking free speech. Therefore, I just uninstalled Firefox from my computer. Using Brave instead ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210109 : The neoliberals at Big tech really proved his point, they are a enormous threat ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210109 : And Parler now is to be deplatformed from apple phones I hear. And the techs continue to align themselves with antifa ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.rt.com )
• 20210109 : Now I am reading that all sorts of social media tools and sites are banning Trump and supporters......night of the long knives sort of ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20210109 : With unilateral censorship of a sitting US president, Big Tech has proven it's more powerful than any government -- RT Op-ed ( Jan 09, 2021 , www.rt.com )
• 20210105 : 'Cancel culture is like a medieval mob'- Mr. Bean blasts the woke brigade and social media giants for increasing polarization ( Jan 05, 2021 , www.rt.com )
• 20210102 : To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which canceled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it ( Jan 02, 2021 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20201217* For Russiagate I have been waiting for the excuse makers to offer something like they did with "Saddam's own fault". That is, the Russians - Putin -, wanted the FBI, CIA, Hillary, MSM, etc to fall for Russiagate. ( Dec 17, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20201201 : The Digital 'Iron Curtain' Descends -- Strategic Culture ( Dec 01, 2020 , www.strategic-culture.org )
• 20201126 : The Ruling Elite's War on Truth by Chris Hedges ( Nov 23, 2020 , scheerpost.com )
• 20201125* A complete schism from reality by Caitlin Johnstone ( Nov 25, 2020 , caitlinjohnstone.com ) [Recommended]
• 20201125* New York Times job listing shows how Western propaganda operates by Caitlin Johnstone - ( Nov 21, 2020 , caitlinjohnstone.com ) [Recommended]
• 20201123 : Marsha Blackburn- Big Tech Censorship 'Choosing Winners And Losers' - Newsmax.com ( Nov 23, 2020 , www.newsmax.com )
• 20201120 : Why Facebook, Twitter, Google, Fox News, CNN, and more giant corporations keep screaming at us that there was no election fraud ( Nov 20, 2020 , www.nytimes.com )
• 20201119 : Tucker- Big Tech s coordinated suppression amounts to a censorship cartel ( Nov 19, 2020 , www.youtube.com )
• 20201116 : Chris Pratt is in the cancel culture crosshairs for imaginary crimes against woke dogma in the online Infinity War -- RT Op-ed ( Nov 16, 2020 , www.rt.com )
• 20201116 : Cancel culture stems from good-v-evil Disney populism I voiced doubt and now I'm the villain -- RT Op-ed ( Nov 16, 2020 , www.rt.com )
• 20201115* Trotskyite methods deployed by neoliberals: Trump Law Firm Quits Pennsylvania Case After Project Lincoln 'Cancel' Campaign ( Nov 15, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20201115 : Cancel culture during elections ( Nov 15, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20201114* It's important for people to realize that media NARRATIVES are created ahead of time to support some of these elections outcomes. They're as fake as the election totals ( Nov 14, 2020 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20201109 : Biden and cancel culture ( Nov 09, 2020 , newrepublic.com )
• 20201107 : Narratives control mass behavior ( Nov 07, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20201107 : When someone prefers a euphemism for "telling the truth", he is probably lying. ( Nov 07, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20201106 : Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey should be ARRESTED for censoring Trump's tweets, former White House strategist Steve Bannon says ( Nov 06, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20201104 : Chris Hedges and Matt Taibbi- Media as propaganda and censorship bureau- The Jewish angle by Kevin MacDonald ( Nov 04, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20201025 : Taibbi- Facebook and Twitter's response to Hunter Biden story sends 'politicized' message to conservatives - TheHill ( Oct 25, 2020 , thehill.com )
• 20201023 : By backing censorship of Hunter Biden story, mainstream media only hurt their own cause -- RT Op-ed ( Oct 23, 2020 , www.rt.com )
• 20201020 : I've been wearing a hand painted [by me] , in large bright red letters:" COVID -19 IS A SCAM" , black tee-shirt and matching hand-painted mask, on a more or less daily basis for the last 8 weeks. ( Oct 20, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20201018 : Does This Explain Why Facebook Was So Quick To Suppress Hunter Biden Revelations- - ( Oct 18, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20201010 : Woke crowd acts as the agent provocateur of the Deep State ( Oct 10, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20201003 : Do You Enjoy Beethoven- Then You Must Hate Women, Minorities, The Poor ( Oct 03, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200930 : The treatment of Mordechai Vanunu, the Jewish nuclear scientist who spilled the beans about Israel's nuclear bomb program. ( Sep 30, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20200928 : The great Orwellian hypocrisy of America's pants-wetting complaints that other countries are meddling in America's (fake) democracy is that the United States itself is guilty of regime changing, balkanizing, and colonizing scores of foreign nations dating back over a century to the USA's regime change and eventual colonization of the Hawaiian Kingdom. ( Sep 28, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200925* US standard "negotiating" techniques ( Sep 25, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20200925 : Neoliberal tech execs and controlling the narrative ( Sep 25, 2020 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20200923 : Costco CANCELS Palmetto Cheese after foodmaker's owner criticizes Black Lives Matter on Facebook, triggers woke brigade boycott ( Sep 23, 2020 , www.rt.com )
• 20200921 : Tucker Carlson criticizes Facebook for censoring interview with Chinese virologist ( Sep 21, 2020 , www.foxnews.com )
• 20200921 : Matt Taibbi on cancel culture hypocrites by Yasha Levine ( Sep 21, 2020 , yasha.substack.com )
• 20200920 : Democratic-Defense-Against-Disinformation-2.0.pdf by Alina Polyakova and Daniel Fried ( Sep 20, 2020 , www.brookings.edu )
• 20200919 : South Africa's Government Debunks Politico Fakenews Of Threats Against A U.S. Ambassador ( Sep 19, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200919 : A small yet blatant example of real-time censorship: ( Sep 19, 2020 , thenewkremlinstooge.wordpress.com )
• 20200915 : Much of today's intelligentsia cannot think by George F. Will ( Jun 26, 2020 , www.washingtonpost.com )
• 20200911 : Ignorance is strength: The 9-11 Official Story Retold in under 5 minutes ( Sep 11, 2013 , www.youtube.com )
• 20200909 : "Cancel Culture Won't Last" - The American Conservative ( Sep 09, 2020 , www.theamericanconservative.com )
• 20200830 : A Medieval mass neurosis by Janet Daly ( Aug 30, 2020 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20200829 : Cancelling Cancel Culture- Covington Catholic's Sandmann Speaks At RNC Convention ( Aug 29, 2020 , ronpaulinstitute.org )
• 20200826 : Columbia Journalism Review Explains How The Gates Foundation Manipulates The Media Narrative ( Aug 26, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200819 : Managing the Narrative by Philip Giraldi ( Aug 19, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20200812 : Our cub presstitute is grateful and indebted to both, now. When they approach her later requesting favors, she will gladly deliver, but at no point will she ever realize that she is in fact a CIA agent... an off-budget asset. ( Aug 12, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200807* John Cleese- Woke People Have -Zero Sense Of Humour-; They're Killing Comedy - ( Aug 07, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200807* Real Time with Bill Maher- John Cleese on Political Incorrectness (HBO) ( Aug 07, 2020 , www.youtube.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200807* John Cleese - Woke People Have -Zero Sense Of Humour ( Aug 07, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200805 : What is racist and what is not ( Aug 05, 2020 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20200804 : Americans are socialized into learning to keep their mouth shut ( Aug 04, 2020 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20200804 : This first person account by @SwipeWright of his academic cancelling is worth paying attention to. Reputational smears, job market sabotage, lies, etc. Brutal. Follow him for thoughtful insights and smart analysis of scientific subjects. ( Aug 04, 2020 , threadreaderapp.com )
• 20200804 : Cancel culture is the overall environment, the habitus, the totality of 2010+ media and communication. We all can get ostracized and isolated at any time ( Aug 04, 2020 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20200804 : Cancel culture and Maoism: cancel culture is the social media equivalent of the criticism/self-criticism sessions on campuses in the Cultural Revolution ( Aug 04, 2020 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20200803* Natalie Wynn also refers to Jo Freeman's 1976 piece on "Trashing," in which she describes her experience of being ostracized by fellow feminists for alleged ideological deviation. The dynamic of cancellation predates the internet. ( Aug 03, 2020 , crookedtimber.org ) [Recommended]
• 20200803* KEEPING YOUR MOUTH SHUT by James L. Gibson & Joseph L. Sutherland ( Aug 03, 2020 , poseidon01.ssrn.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200803 : Natalie Wynn link is an excellent discussion of the cancel culture that I see all the time. ( Aug 03, 2020 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20200802 : Purges is a mopping-up operation that is a product of media-activated mass psychosis that derives from the already existing witch hunts and purges that have going on for decades ( Aug 02, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20200802 : Cancel mob in the USA reenacts Stalin purges as a farce instead of tragegy ( Aug 02, 2020 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20200802 : Cancel culture my ass by Roy Edroson ( Aug 02, 2020 , edroso.substack.com )
• 20200802* "Racism quotient" and "exemplary cancellation" make me sound like taken directly from Orwell ( Aug 02, 2020 , crookedtimber.org ) [Recommended]
• 20200802* 'Cultural Marxism' isn't political Marxism. It is a method a tool if you wish used by the oligarchs who wield true power to 'divide and rule' (not least by deflecting attention from the yawning gulf that lies between their own excesses and monstrous wealth on the one hand, and the increasing indigence of the great mass of people on the other) ( Aug 02, 2020 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200801 : Great Purge - Wikipedia ( Aug 01, 2020 , en.wikipedia.org )
• 20200801* The ethnic and sex-based groups created and supported by neoliberal oligarchy are constructed so that they can never discover any common ground between themselves, and thus will fight among themselves for the scraps thrown from the oligarchs' table. ( Aug 01, 2020 , crookedtimber.org ) [Recommended]
• 20200801 : The US MSM is a giant propaganda machine used by the elites to control major narratives in the heads of the public ( Aug 01, 2020 , thenewkremlinstooge.wordpress.com )
• 20200731 : What's wrong with "cancel culture" ( Jul 31, 2020 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20200730 : Financial capitalism is bloodthirstily by definition as it needs new markets. It fuels wars. ( Jul 29, 2020 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20200729* America's Own Color Revolution by F. William Engdahl ( Jun 17, 2020 , www.globalresearch.ca ) [Recommended]
• 20200727 : The narratives are breaking down: The entire media class will now spend years leading the public on a wild goose chase for Russian collusion and then act like it's no big deal when the whole thing turned out to be completely baseless by Caitlin Johnstone ( Jul 27, 2020 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20200727 : Why it is so difficult to understand what's going on in the world ( Jul 27, 2020 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20200727 : Black Lives Matter Con Artist, Shaun King, Demands All Images of White Jesus Destroyed - The Last Refuge ( Jul 22, 2020 , theconservativetreehouse.com )
• 20200726 : Nearly a third of Americans said they are afraid that their political views may cost them their jobs or career opportunities ( Jul 23, 2020 , talk-politics.livejournal.com )
• 20200726 : Pretty symbolic ( Jul 26, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200724 : Tucker responds to intrusive reporting by New York Times - YouTube ( Jul 24, 2020 , www.youtube.com )
• 20200719 : The "cancel culture" proponents who actually do the most damage are the pro-Israel types ( Jul 19, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200719 : Most of those who signed Harper letter, especially neocons like Weiss and Frum are interested in free speech for themselves and those like them ( Jul 19, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200719 : Likudnik Weiss and cancel culture ( Jul 19, 2020 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20200719 : Real cancel culture is a psyop to cancel truth or make it unrecognizable from lie via coloring and half-truths such as Russiagate, White Helmets, Skripals, MH-17, Integrity Initiative, Russian Bounties ( Jul 19, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200719 : Meet Your New Elites- The Woke Cancel Mobs - ( Jul 19, 2020 , www.theamericanconservative.com )
• 20200719 : By making things personal and consequential in real life, cancel culture is fanning divisive flames that could one day turn into a real civil conflagration. ( Jul 19, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200719* American Maidan is social revolution that is pushed forward by radical children of the bourgeoisie. Their leaders have nothing to say about poverty or unemployment. Their demands are centered on utopian ideals: diversity and racial justice ideals pursued with the fervor of regious converts ( Jul 19, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20200718* Divide We Fall -- America Has Been Blacklisted and McCarthyism Refashioned for a New Age ( Jul 18, 2020 , www.mintpressnews.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200718 : Walter Williams Blasts The Despicable Behavior Of Today's Academicians - ( Jul 18, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200716 : Will Talmud be altered to eliminate hate speach? ( Jul 16, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20200716 : Ideological Purges and the Lord Voldemort Effect by Ron Unz ( Jul 14, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20200716 : Has Cancel Culture Infected Your Kids' School- A Parent Group May Have A Remedy by Mark Glennon ( Jul 16, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200716 : Cancel culture letter is about stifling free speech, not protecting it by JONATHAN COOK ( Jul 13, 2020 , mondoweiss.net )
• 20200716 : 'Cancel culture' prevents the truth about Israel-Palestine from being discussed -- including the rising risk of a war with Iran ( Jul 16, 2020 , mondoweiss.net )
• 20200716 : Cancel culture and the Israel lobby ( Jul 16, 2020 , mondoweiss.net )
• 20200715 : Ricky Gervais Exposes The -Two Catastrophic Problems With The Term 'Hate Speech' ( Jul 15, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200715 : 'Cancel Culture' Letter Really About Stifling Free Speech Consortiumnews ( Jul 15, 2020 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20200715 : Chris Hedges- Don t be Fooled by the Cancel Culture Wars by Chris Hedges ( Jul 14, 2020 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20200714 : Harper's -Bizarre- Letter The Woke Revolution - ( Jul 14, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200711* Free Speech Fantasies- the Harper's Letter and the Myth of American Liberalism by ANTHONY DIMAGGIO ( Jul 11, 2020 , www.counterpunch.org ) [Recommended]
• 20200711 : Basic arithmetic is now too offensive for the 'cancel culture' - Zero Hedge - ( Jul 11, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200711 : AOC says only entitled moaners think cancel culture exists ( Jul 11, 2020 , www.rt.com )
• 20200710 : The Illiberalism At The Heart Of Cancel Culture by John Lloyd ( Jul 10, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200710 : Mao Red Guards occupy the USA by Matt Taibbi ( Jul 10, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200709 : Fearing Cancelation, Public Figures Withdraw Support For Open Letter Decrying Cancel Culture by Paul Joseph Watson ( Jul 09, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200708 : Much of this narrative is usually contained in the headline for an article as most people don't read beyond that anyway. This narrative is false, or at least intentionally misleading, 100% of the time. ( Jul 08, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200703 : A secularised 'illusion' is metamorphosing back into woke religion by Alastair Crooke ( Jul 03, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200703 : Is math unjust and grounded in discrimination ? Sometimes I wonder if the world is some kind of sitcom for aliens ( Jul 03, 2020 , www.youtube.com )
• 20200703 : Kurt Vonnegut's Literary Prophecy Coming True by Larry C Johnson ( Jul 03, 2020 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20200703 : 01 July 2020 at 06:24 PM ( Jul 03, 2020 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20200702 : Black Voices also Matter by Gilad Atzmon ( Jul 02, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20200702 : Superman actor Dean Cain takes heat for arguing cancel culture would censor truth, justice, the American way motto today ( Jul 03, 2020 , www.rt.com )
• 20200702 : Some jobs matter: Harvard grad fired by Deloitte after threatening to stab anyone who thinks 'all lives matter' ( Jul 02, 2020 , www.rt.com )
• 20200620 : The symphony orchestra of Austin, Texas has fired their lead trombonist for politically incorrect Twit ( Jun 20, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20200620 : The Call from Inside the House Cancel Culture Hurts the Left by Hubert Collins ( Jun 18, 2020 , www.amren.com )
• 20200618* On virtual lynching of Lee Fang at the intercept for politically incorrect mentioning Black on Black crime problem ( Jun 16, 2020 , www.youtube.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200617* We're in a sinister new era of totalitarianism, where PC combat units use social media to destroy anyone who disagrees with them by Konstantin Bogomolov ( Jun 17, 2020 , www.rt.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200617 : Mark Steyn slams corporations abolishing culture after making millions on it - YouTube ( Jun 17, 2020 , www.youtube.com )
• 20200615* Full Special Investigation - Donald Trump vs The Deep State ( Jun 15, 2020 , www.youtube.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200614 : Censorship is now systemic ( Jun 14, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200614 : Taibbi The American Press Is Destroying Itself ( Jun 14, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200614 : Akela Lasi: "I am so fucking tired". We too. Of your racism and intolerance ;-) ( Jun 14, 2020 , twitter.com )
• 20200614* Anonymous Berkeley Professor Shreds BLM Injustice Narrative With Damning Facts And Logic ( Jun 12, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200613 : Society is Made of Narrative. Realizing this is Awakening from The Matrix. by Caitlin Johnstone ( Jun 13, 2020 , www.serendipity.li )
• 20200613 : Chicago Fed Economist Fired For Criticizing Defund The Police ( Jun 13, 2020 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20200603* Requiem to Russiagate: this was the largest and the most successful attempt to gaslight the whole US population ever attempted by CIA and Clinton wing of Dems by CJ Hopkins ( Apr 02, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200503 : The Inevitable Coronavirus Censorship Crisis is Here - Reporting by Matt Taibbi ( May 03, 2020 , taibbi.substack.com )
• 20200503 : Harmoniously Denied The Wider Implications of China's Censorship on COVID-19 ( May 03, 2020 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20200324 : Whenever these people decide on a narrative, they are loath to back down once they are proven wrong. They don't want to lose face. ( Mar 24, 2020 , www.unz.com )
• 20200319* I look to the narrative we get in North America, irrespective of the topic, and the pattern is the same ( Mar 19, 2020 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20200318 : 1984 the second edition ( Mar 18, 2020 , caucus99percent.com )
• 20200223 : An important difference ( Feb 23, 2020 , www.youtube.com )
• 20200215 : Trump administration s national counterintelligence strategy focuses on hacktivists, leaktivists and public disclosure organiz by Kevin Reed ( Feb 15, 2020 , www.wsws.org )
• 20200207* How They Sold the Iraq War by Jeffrey St. Clair ( Mar 20, 2018 , www.counterpunch.org ) [Recommended]
• 20200201 : Brexit means that Oceania is born! ( Feb 01, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200124 : Policing social platforms are still currently beyond the capabilities of tech companies. Content censorship is a main focus of AI right now ( Jan 24, 2020 , discussion.theguardian.com )
• 20200123 : Corruption Ukraine Censored! - YouTube ( Nov 21, 2019 , www.youtube.com )
• 20200122 : Wikipedia is nothing but a tool for the concealment of truth. ( Jan 22, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200121 : Phillip Cross, inhumanely active Wikipedia editor, is a nemesis of Craig Murray. ( Jan 21, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200119 : Facebook blocks documentary about Biden dealing in Ukraine from ukrainegate.info which sheds a new light on Ukrainegate ( Jan 19, 2020 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20200111* What About "Whataboutism." by Vladimir Golstein ( Jan 11, 2020 , off-guardian.org ) [Recommended]
• 20200111 : WATCH Sacha Baron Cohen is Wrong About Everything OffGuardian ( Jan 11, 2020 , off-guardian.org )
• 20200108 : I'm suspended from Twitter for saying that Americans are sick of dying in wars for Israel. ( Jan 08, 2020 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20200103 : #MeTooBots that will scan your personal emails for 'harassment' are an Orwellian misuse of AI by Dr Norman Lewis Dr Norman Lewis ( Jan 03, 2020 , www.rt.com )
• 20191220* The purpose of manufactured hysteria in the US is to obfuscate the issues important to the Deep State like destroying the first amendment, renewing the 'Patriot' act, extremely increasing the war/hegemony budget, etc ( Dec 20, 2019 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20191213 : Review of Michael Rectenwald's book "Google Archipelago" ( Dec 13, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20191209 : its all about narrative control. And that control belongs to the right, especially since the time the neoliberals hijacked the Democratic Party and turned it into GOP-lite. ( Dec 09, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20191209 : Max Blumenthal plans to do battle with the Evil Outlaw US Empire's federal government as lots of evidence was disappeared ( Dec 09, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20191204 : The Anti-Trust Election ( Oct 08, 2016 , economistsview.typepad.com )
• 20191124* Chris Hedges on Death of the Liberal Class - YouTube ( Jan 04, 2011 , www.youtube.com ) [Recommended]
• 20191106 : Manufacturing Fear and Loathing, Maximizing Corporate Profits! A Review of Matt Taibbi's Hate Inc. Why Today's Media Makes Us ( Nov 06, 2019 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20191106 : When did mankind start doing this massive brainwashing of its own populations ( Nov 06, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20191106 : The Ministry of Wiki-Truth by C.J. Hopkins ( Nov 06, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20191102* WATCH Udo Ulfkotte – Bought Journalists by Terje Maloy ( Oct 06, 2019 , off-guardian.org ) [Recommended]
• 20191025 : MSNBC Democrats = CIA Democrats ( https://caucus99percent.com/content/msnbc-democrats )
• 20191015 : Russiagate 2.0 (aka Ukrainegate) is the case, textbook example if you wish, of how the neoliberal elite manipulates the MSM and the narrative for purposes of misdirecting attention and perception of their true intentions and objectives -- distracting the electorate from real issues. ( Oct 15, 2019 , economistsview.typepad.com )
• 20191009* Ukrainegate as the textbook example of how the neoliberal elite manipulates the MSM and the narrative for purposes of misdirecting attention and perception of their true intentions and objectives -- distracting the electorate from real issues ( Oct 09, 2019 , economistsview.typepad.com ) [Recommended]
• 20190923* Apparently now that the notion Russia interfered in the US presidential election to tip the vote to Trump has become an article of faith that much of the world regards as established fact ( Sep 23, 2019 , thenewkremlinstooge.wordpress.com ) [Recommended]
• 20190920* Trump Whistleblower Drama Puts Biden In The Hot Seat Over Ukraine ( Sep 20, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20190918 : An Excellent Study Of The Manufactured Labour "Antisemitism Crisis" by Kenneth Surin ( Sep 18, 2019 , www.counterpunch.org )
• 20190906 : Paul Craig Roberts Will The Matrix Prevail ( Sep 06, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20190826 : CONFIRMED: YouTube Censors Anti-Protest Channels in Bid to Bolster New Color Revolution in Hong Kong, China ( Aug 26, 2019 , 21stcenturywire.com )
• 20190824 : The sin of omission is the greatest sin the media commits all day long ( Aug 24, 2019 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20190820* Propagandists Freak Out Over Gabbard s Destruction of Harris by Caitlin Johnstone ( Aug 02, 2019 , consortiumnews.com ) [Recommended]
• 20190817 : The Campaign Press: Members of the 10 Percent, Reporting for the One Percent ( Aug 17, 2019 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20190816 : On the superior quality of US propaganda ( Aug 16, 2019 , off-guardian.org )
• 20190816 : Former MSNBC Reporter Spills Details On Pro-Establishment Bias In Media ( Aug 16, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20190816* Ministry of truth materialized in XXI century in a neoliberal way by Kit Knightly ( Aug 16, 2019 , off-guardian.org ) [Recommended]
• 20190816* Lapdogs for the Government and intelligence agencies by Greg Maybury ( Aug 16, 2019 , off-guardian.org ) [Recommended]
• 20190812 : RAY McGOVERN Rich's Ghost Haunts the Courts Consortiumnews ( Aug 12, 2019 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20190806 : Antiwar.com vs. the Decline of American Journalism by Justin Raimondo ( Aug 06, 2019 , original.antiwar.com )
• 20190802 : Our masters need stable narratives. Those narratives don't have to be just, economically sound, or to make much sense at all. They just have to be stable. ( Aug 02, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20190728* Antisemitism prejudices projection on Russians ( Jul 28, 2019 , turcopolier.typepad.com ) [Recommended]
• 20190727 : Luongo Gabbard Going After Google Is Double Plus Good ( Jul 27, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20190705 : Dying Augustus did say: curtain is closing, I hope I did act well ( Jul 05, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20190630 : Aggressive US Lies and Misleads to Justify War on Iran by William Boardman ( Jun 26, 2019 , dissidentvoice.org )
• 20190626* Opinion - NY Times admits it sends stories to US government for approval before publication ( Jun 26, 2019 , www.informationclearinghouse.info ) [Recommended]
• 20190621 : Guilty or Not, Iran's Fate Is in Trump's Hands ( Jun 21, 2019 , www.strategic-culture.org )
• 20190618 : The power of imperial narrative ( Jun 18, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20190614 : Total control of narrative means total control of population ( Jun 14, 2019 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20190614 : The propaganda model postulates five general classes of "filters" that determine the type of news that is presented in news media. These five classes are: Ownership of the medium, medium's Funding sources, Sourcing, Flak, and Fear Ideology ( Jun 14, 2019 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20190613 : Control of narrative is the essence of social control in modern society by Caitlin Johnstone ( Jun 13, 2019 , caitlinjohnstone.com )
• 20190605 : Gaslighting as propaganda method ( May 28, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20190605* Taking a long view it was very astute and cleverly conceived plan to to present counter-revolution as revolution; progress as regress; the new order 1980- (i.e., neoliberalism) was cool, and the old order 1945-1975 (welfare-capitalism) was fuddy-duddy. ( Jun 05, 2019 , off-guardian.org ) [Recommended]
• 20190527 : Extremely wealthy invest in narrative control via MSM ownership, think tanks financing and the army of well-paid lobbysts ( May 27, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20190515 : CNN MSNBC Caught Meddling in US Democracy by Joe Giambrone ( May 15, 2019 , off-guardian.org )
• 20190514* The Propaganda Multiplier How Global News Agencies and Western Media Report on Geopolitics ( Jun 01, 2016 , www.globalresearch.ca ) [Recommended]
• 20190510 : The Three Purposes of Russiagate by Paul Craig Roberts ( Apr 01, 2023 , ahtribune.com )
• 20190507 : Field of Dreams Book banning Scene - YouTube ( May 07, 2019 , www.youtube.com )
• 20190503 : Prison for a Cartoon in the France of Voltaire by Jean Marois ( May 03, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20190428 : We seem to have reached the stage where we are being dictated what to think, let alone what to say. This is Wrong-Think in George Orwell's world of 1984. ( Apr 28, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20190427 : Free Speech, Safety and the Triumph of Neoliberalism naked capitalism ( Apr 27, 2019 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20190427 : Top German Journalist Admits Mainstream Media Is Completely Fake We All Lie For The CIA ( Apr 27, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20190421 : The remarkable susceptibility of the American people to propaganda has to do with the philosophical tradition of pragmatism: What is true is that what is useful in our lives ( Apr 20, 2019 , therealnews.com )
• 20190421* Psywar: Propaganda during Iraq war and beyond ( Apr 21, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20190421* John Brennan's Police State USA ( Oct 22, 2017 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20190416 : NYU Prof When Did The Memory Of 9-11 Become Sacred ( Apr 16, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20190414 : Assange rendition might backfire for Trump administration ( Apr 13, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20190406* The Magnitsky Act-Behind the Scenes ASEEES ( Apr 06, 2019 , www.aseees.org ) [Recommended]
• 20190402* 'Yats' Is No Longer the Guy by Robert Parry ( Apr 11, 2016 , consortiumnews.com ) [Recommended]
• 20190402 : Caitlin Johnstone provides a new direction regarding Narrative Control ( Apr 02, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20190402 : Shadowbanning ( Apr 02, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20190327 : Power Of The Paranoid Center by Rod Dreher ( Mar 27, 2019 , www.theamericanconservative.com )
• 20190326 : When Are We Going To Tackle The For-Profit Monopolies Which Censored RussiaGate Skeptics? by Charles Hugh Smith ( Mar 26, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20190325 : Crocodile tears: M>adCow crying for indictments after setting up public hostility to Russia for a decade or more. ( Mar 25, 2019 , www.rt.com )
• 20190325 : It Was All a Lie ( Mar 25, 2019 , theamericanconservative.com )
• 20190320 : What Republicans and Billionaires Really Mean When They Talk About 'Freedom' by Thom Hartman ( Mar 20, 2019 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20190320* In a remarkable report by British Channel 4, former CIA officials and a Reuters correspondent spoke candidly about the systematic dissemination of propaganda and misinformation in reporting on geopolitical conflicts ( Mar 07, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20190309 : Journalist Confronts CNN Over Smear Piece ( Mar 09, 2019 , www.youtube.com )
• 20190227 : More and more people in the USA seem aware of the elites control of MSM and are wise enough to be skeptical of any position they take on political, war and economic matters ( Feb 27, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20190226 : Most people in the USA seem aware of the elites control of MSM and are wise enough to be skeptical of any position they take on political, war and economic matters. ( Feb 26, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20190222* Neo-McCarthyism is used to defend the US imperial policies. Branding dissidents as Russian stooges is a loophole that allow to suppress dissident opinions ( Feb 21, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20190213* MoA - Russiagate Is Finished ( Feb 12, 2019 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20190213* Stephen Cohen on War with Russia and Soviet-style Censorship in the US by Russell Mokhiber ( Feb 12, 2019 , www.counterpunch.org ) [Recommended]
• 20190204 : Why the War on Conspiracy Theories is Bad Public Policy by Kevin Barrett ( Feb 04, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20190204 : Our overlords grew increasingly alarmed. They started telling us about Fake News, and the harmful effects of hearing Non-Approved opinions and "conspiracy theorists" who used dangerous facts and science to debunk Official Stories. ( Feb 04, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20190202 : How Russia-gate Rationalized Censorship ( Feb 02, 2019 , theduran.com )
• 20190122 : There is not a single newspaper in the US that supports the views of the US President ( Jan 22, 2019 , www.unz.com )
• 20190117 : I see Microsoft's latest mobile browser incorporates a tool called 'NewsGuard' to tell us which news sites are trustworthy or not ( Jan 17, 2019 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20190117 : We are disenfranchised by what the elites are saying because the elites control the narrative in a way that makes sure the power will always reside with them. ( Jan 17, 2019 , discussion.theguardian.com )
• 20190111* Facts does not matter in the current propoganda environment, the narrative is everything ( Jan 11, 2019 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20190102* Russian bots - How An Anti-Russian Lobby Creates Fake News ( Feb 20, 2018J , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20181216 : Writers Silenced by Surveillance Self-Censorship in the Age of Big Data by Nik Williams ( Dec 15, 2018 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20181205 : Manufacturing Official Narrative by C.J. Hopkins ( Dec 03, 2018 , www.unz.com )
• 20181204 : There is direct censorship and indirect censorship ( Dec 04, 2018 , www.unz.com )
• 20181201* Whataboutism charge is a change of a thought crime, a dirty US propaganda trick. In reality truth can be understood only in the historica context ( Aug 18, 2018 , consortiumnews.com ) [Recommended]
• 20181028 : Twitter Bans Conservative Neocon Critic Paul Craig Roberts in Dramatic Escalation of Censorship ( Oct 28, 2018 , russia-insider.com )
• 20181027 : The Legal Battle Behind the Trump Tower Meeting by Ken Dilanian ( Jul 24, 2017 , www.nbcnews.com )
• 20181027 : Facebook Censorship of Alternative Media 'Just the Beginning,' Warns Top Neocon Insider ( Oct 27, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20181022 : The ghastly Ghaddafi murder was intentionally kept on the down low. Hillary's snafu - We Came, We Saw, He Died. Uproarious laughter - was a PR fuck up. This Khashoggi murder is intentionally amplified. ( Oct 22, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20181005 : Recent Atlantic Council paper is calling for direct censorship of informed opinion across the internet. ( Oct 05, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20180917 : Freedom of Expression in the UK: Prominent British Scientist and Critic of the Skripal Poisoning Story Arrested ( Sep 17, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20180916 : On the censorship of Michael Hoffman's books by Amazon by The Saker ( Sep 16, 2018 , www.unz.com )
• 20180915 : In view of neoliberal MSM witch hunt, the book Journalists for Hire by Udo Ufkotte is now even more important that at the time of its publication ( Aug 24, 2018 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20180915 : More Facebook Censorship by snoopydawg ( Aug 14, 2018 , caucus99percent.com )
• 20180915 : The censorship escalated lately but it is of course following a long trend -- Facebook was shutting down pro-Palestine pages, and of course there was the PropOrNot fiasco and the tweaking of Google s algorithms to suppress alternative websites ( Aug 23, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20180914* European media writing pro-US stories under CIA pressure - German journo ( Oct 18, 2014 , www.youtube.com ) [Recommended]
• 20180914* English Translation of Udo Ulfkotte s Bought Journalists Suppressed ( Sep 14, 2018 , off-guardian.org ) [Recommended]
• 20180914 : Russian translation of the book ( Sep 14, 2018 , www.litmir.me )
• 20180914* The book Journalists for Hire How the CIA Buys the News Dr. Udo Ulfkotte was "privished" ( Sep 14, 2018 , www.amazon.com ) [Recommended]
• 20180903 : Inspired by the Atlantic Council and Ben Nimmo, Facebook deletes Craig Murray's posts since July 2017 - apparently cause he's a 'Russian bot' ( Sep 03, 2018 , craigmurray.org.uk )
• 20180902* Open letter to President Trump concerning the consequences of 11 September 2001 by Thierry Meyssan ( Aug 30, 2018 , www.voltairenet.org ) [Recommended]
• 20180830 : Neoliberal MSM and political parties being nothing but organizers of claques for the establishemnt policy ( Aug 30, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20180823 : Sic Semper Tyrannis - HARPER- ZUCKERBERG JOINS THE WAR PARTY CONTINUED..- ( Aug 23, 2018 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20180822 : Trump Caves To Enemy Of The People -- Time To Show Loyalty To Those Loyal To Him, by James Kirkpatrick - The Unz Review ( Aug 22, 2018 , www.unz.com )
• 20180822* Facebook Kills "Inauthentic" Foreign News Accounts - US Propaganda Stays Alive ( Aug 22, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20180819 : Murphy's Law Big Tech Must Serve as Censorship Subcontractors by Thomas Knapp ( Aug 17, 2018 , www.counterpunch.org )
• 20180819 : The Trump-Media Logrolling by Sam Husseini ( Aug 17, 2018 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20180818 : In A Corporatist System Of Government, Corporate Censorship Is State Censorship -- Consortiumnews ( Aug 18, 2018 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20180818 : Last November, the Russian government-sponsored news outlets, RT and Sputnik News, registered as foreign agents in the US at the orders of the Department of Justice ( Aug 18, 2018 , thenewkremlinstooge.wordpress.com )
• 20180818 : Twitter censorship is not surprising, but Trump usage of Twitter is ( Aug 18, 2018 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20180815 : Facebook Taps Militarist Think Tank Atlantic Council to Police its content ( Aug 15, 2018 , gravatar.com )
• 20180815 : The Crackdown Continues: Twitter Suspends Libertarian Accounts, Including Ron Paul Institute Director ( Aug 15, 2018 , thenewkremlinstooge.wordpress.com )
• 20180814 : Censorship Is What Happens When Powerful People Get Scared ( Aug 14, 2018 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20180808* Ten Bombshell Revelations From Seymour Hersh's New Autobiography ( Aug 08, 2018 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20180807 : Angry Bear " Sunday Political News Funnies ( Aug 07, 2018 , angrybearblog.com )
• 20180806 : Angry Bear " Sunday Political News Funnies ( Aug 06, 2018 , angrybearblog.com )
• 20180728 : Facebook Follows YouTube's Lead, Blocks Alex Jones' Pages ( Jul 28, 2018 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20180724 : Bad ideas hang on forever like untouchable tumors ( Jul 24, 2018 , crookedtimber.org )
• 20180718 : Parallel reality of the US MSM ( Jul 18, 2018 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20180716* Why the Media is Desperate to Reclaim its Gatekeeper Status for News Zero Hedge Zero Hedge ( Jul 16, 2018 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20180715 : Effect of the US TV on a parrot ( Jun 15, 2018 , www.unz.com )
• 20180706 : It used to be that the only things one could be certain of were "death taxes." Now of course we must add to that list the very dependable presence of CIA / State Dept lies parroted by MSM all over the West. ( Jul 06, 2018 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20180705* Britain's Most Censored Stories (Non-Military) ( Jul 01, 2018 , truepublica.org.uk ) [Recommended]
• 20180704 : US goverment legistlative afforts to control the narrative ( Jul 04, 2018 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20180617* Mattis Putin Is Trying To Undermine America s Moral Authority by Caitlin Johnstone ( Jun 17, 2018 , caitlinjohnstone.com ) [Recommended]
• 20180613* How False Flag Operations Are Carried Out Today by Philip M. GIRALDI ( Apr 26, 2018 , www.strategic-culture.org ) [Recommended]
• 20180612 : In The Western World Truth Is An Endangered Species by Paul Craig Roberts ( Jun 10, 2018 , www.unz.com )
• 20180520 : Is Wikipedia An Establishment Psyop Zero Hedge ( May 20, 2018 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20180520 : Real political power in this world is the ability to control the dominant narrative about what's going on ( May 20, 2018 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20180504* Media Use Disinformation To Accuse Russia Of Spreading Such ( May 04, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20180423* The Tony Blair Rule: The Truth Takes 15 Years to Come Out, Skripal Countdown Starts Now - Simonyan ( Apr 23, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20180420 : How neoliberal MSM twist facts ( Apr 20, 2018 , discussion.theguardian.com )
• 20180418 : The disinformation is so deep, thick and pervasive that there is no way to discern fact from fiction. This is the fruit of Operation Mockingbird and its continuation and addendums ( Apr 18, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20180417 : the unbalanced evolution of homo sapiens Ed Schultz I was fired from MSNBC because I supported Bernie Sanders ( Apr 17, 2018 , failedevolution.blogspot.gr )
• 20180323 : Megyn Kelly behaves like a rabid dog attacking Putin. Did not work well. ( Mar 16, 2018 , www.youtube.com )
• 20180321 : RT Chief, Margarita Simonyan: Why We Don't Respect the West Anymore ( Mar 20, 2018 , russia-insider.com )
• 20180321* Washington's Invasion of Iraq at Fifteen ( Mar 21, 2018 , www.counterpunch.org ) [Recommended]
• 20180321* Whataboutism Is A Nonsensical Propaganda Term Used To Defend The Failed Status Quo by Mike Krieger ( Mar 20, 2018 , www.zerohedge.com ) [Recommended]
• 20180320 : We read that Vladimir Putin's passport was found three days later at the Scripaal's poisoning scene. ( Mar 20, 2018 , www.unz.com )
• 20180320 : The fact that the MSM is so silent makes me think the MSM wants Votel's statements to die in silence under the MSM Cone of Silence ( Mar 20, 2018 , turcopolier.typepad.com )
• 20180226 : State Department Troll Farm Receives Huge Cash Infusion ( Feb 26, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20180210 : American Think Tanks Are Hired Purveyors of Fake News by Paul Craig Roberts ( Feb 10, 2018 , www.unz.com )
• 20180208 : Ex-British spy on leading a double life as a famous author ( Feb 08, 2018 , www.cbsnews.com )
• 20180208* Control of narrative means that creation of the simplistic picture in which the complexities of the world are elided in favor of 'good guys' vs. 'bad guys' dichotomy ( Feb 08, 2018 , turcopolier.typepad.com ) [Recommended]
• 20180128 : How Trump Trauma Is Crippling the News Media (Guest Column) ( Jan 28, 2018 , www.hollywoodreporter.com )
• 20180127* Mainstream Media and Imperial Power ( Jan 27, 2018 , consortiumnews.com ) [Recommended]
• 20180116 : Censorship on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube gets worse every day. ( Jan 16, 2018 , www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20180107 : Seymour Hirsh has been forced to get his stories published in Europe because the US and UK media have conspired to ban his exposes of their fake news ( Jun 27, 2017 , economistsview.typepad.com )
• 20180107 : Neoliberal MSM want to control the narrative ( Jan 30, 2017 , economistsview.typepad.com )
• 20180107 : America's Stolen Narrative ( Jan 07, 2018 , russia-insider.com )
• 20180106* Russia-gate Breeds Establishment McCarthyism by Robert Parry ( Oct 27, 2017 , ronpaulinstitute.org ) [Recommended]
• 20180102* What We Don t Talk about When We Talk about Russian Hacking by Jackson Lears ( Jan 04, 2018 , lrb.co.uk ) [Recommended]
• 20171231* Anti-Populism Ideology of the Ruling Class by James Petras ( Jul 07, 2017 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20171228* From Snowden To Russia-gate - The CIA And The Media ( Dec 28, 2017 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20171228* On your surmise that Putin prefers Trump to Hillary and would thus have incentive to influence the election, I beg to differ. Putin is one smart statesman; he knows very well it makes no difference which candidates gets elected in US elections. ( Dec 28, 2017 , www.moonofalabama.org ) [Recommended]
• 20171219 : The Great Twitter Purge -- Corporate Cultural Marxists Overplay Hand by James Kirkpatrick ( Dec 19, 2017 , www.unz.com )
• 20171216 : Any time you hear or read a Russian conspiracy theory in the MSM or elsewhere, substitute the words "Jews" for "Russians" and the words "International Jewry" for "Russia". Then re-read the sentence. ( Dec 16, 2017 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20171216 : The Real Crimes of Russiagate by Patrick J. Buchanan ( Jul 18, 2017 , www.unz.com )
• 20171212 : The Acceleration of Censorship in America by Joe Lauria ( Dec 11, 2017 , www.unz.com )
• 20171211* How Russia-gate Met the Magnitsky Myth by Robert Parry ( Jul 13, 2017 , consortiumnews.com ) [Recommended]
• 20171210* blamePutin continues to be the media s dominant hashtag. Vladimir Putin finally confesses his entire responsibility for everything bad that has ever happened since the beginning of time ( Dec 10, 2017 , off-guardian.org ) [Recommended]
• 20171209* Hyping the Russian Threat to Undermine Free Speech by Max Blumenthal ( Nov 13, 2017 , www.truthdig.com ) [Recommended]
• 20171108* Learning to Love McCarthyism by Robert Parry ( Nov 08, 2017 , consortiumnews.com ) [Recommended]
• 20171108 : Although most Americans today reject the official (lone gunman) account of the Kennedy assassination, they also have doubts about alternative versions involving CIA as the main culprit. This means the CIA program was successful, for its aim was not to sell the Warren Commission, but to sow uncertainty. Today, people are not only uncertain, they have given up ever learning the truth ( Sep 23, 2017 , www.unz.com )
• 20171104* Who's Afraid of Corporate COINTELPRO by C. J. Hopkins ( Nov 04, 2017 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20171031 : What Do Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Dick Cheney, Oprah Winfrey, Erin Brockovich, Stephen Hawking, Harrison Ford, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Jon Krakauer, Michelle Obama, Dan Rathers, Malcolm Gladwell, and Yours Truly Have in Common? Smeared by a Soros-Funded Think Tank for Appearing on RT ( Oct 31, 2017 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20171031 : Obama Quietly Signs The Countering Disinformation And Propaganda Act Into Law ( Oct 31, 2017 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20171025* Tomorrow Belongs to the Corporatocracy by C.J. Hopkins ( Oct 20, 2017 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20171024 : The Strange World of Russian Trolls by William Blum ( Oct 22, 2017 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20171022 : Clinton, Assange and the War on Truth by John Pilger ( Oct 22, 2017 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20171021 : John Brennan's Police State USA - The Unz Review ( Oct 21, 2017 , www.unz.com )
• 20171020 : Blaming Russia for the Internet 'Sewer' by Robert Parry ( Oct 18, 2017 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20171017* The Victory of Perception Management by Robert Parry ( Dec 28, 2014 , consortiumnews.com ) [Recommended]
• 20171016 : Intelligence Assessment of Russian Hacking or Collusion by Mike Whitney ( Oct 14, 2017 , www.unz.com )
• 20171015 : Could we reverse a hacked presidential election by Vinay Nayak and Samuel Breidbart ( Oct 15, 2017 , www.msn.com )
• 20171015 : The Mysterious World of Social Media Manipulation by Samuel Earle ( Oct 15, 2017 , www.msn.com )
• 20171004* Trump, Syriza Brexit prove voting is only small part of the battle by Neil Clark ( Oct 04, 2017 , www.rt.com ) [Recommended]
• 20170918* The NYT's Yellow Journalism on Russia by Rober Parry ( Sep 18, 2017 , consortiumnews.com ) [Recommended]
• 20170917* Empire Idiots by Linh Dinh ( Sep 09, 2017 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20170825* Some analogies of current events in the USA and Mao cultural revolution: In China when the Mao mythology was threatened the Red Guard raised holy hell and lives were ruined ( Aug 23, 2017 , www.unz.com ) [Recommended]
• 20170724 : Bill making it a federal crime to support BDS sends shockwaves through progressive community ( Jul 24, 2017 , www.unz.com )
• 20170707 : Deep State Begins Anti-Russia Media Blitz Ahead Of Trump-Putin Meeting ( Jul 07, 2017 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20170621 : An Assault on Language Extremism by Gregory Barrett ( Jun 19, 2017 , www.counterpunch.org )
• 20170617 : Clappers Unhinged Russia-Bashing by David Marks ( Jun 15, 2017 , consortiumnews.com )
• 20170617 : Power of alt media made obvious by backfire of corporate medias fake news war ( Dec 17, 2016 , www.sott.net )
• 20170617 : A Clinton Fan Manufactured Fake News That MSNBC Personalities Spread to Discredit WikiLeaks Docs by Glenn Greenwald ( Dec 11, 2016 , Information Clearing House )
• 20170617 : The higher the stakes for the elite, the more you can be certain the mainstream news lie about and reports fake news produced by the goverment fakers ( www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20170617 : The higher the stakes for the elite, the more you can be certain the mainstream news lie about and conversely, reports deemed fake by those same fakers should be duly considered on their merits. ( www.moonofalabama.org )
• 20170609 : Fake news became the only type of news people are fed ( Jun 09, 2017 , marknesop.wordpress.com )
• 20170604 : Taken In: Fake News Distracts Us From Fake Election ( May 31, 2017 , jackrabbit.blog )
• 20170529 : Loesch Americans Are Tired of Being Manipulated Lied to by Mainstream Media ( May 29, 2017 , insider.foxnews.com )
• 20170529 : You Are Fake News -- Trump Refuses to Let CNN Reporter Ask Question ( Jan 11, 2017 , insider.foxnews.com )
• 20170212 : Trump is now assigned to be as designated scapegoat for all blunders of three previous neoliberal administrations by three Deep State wholly-owned subsidiaries: Bloomberg, NYT and Wapo ( Feb 12, 2017 , economistsview.typepad.com )
• 20170108 : Once You Can Fake News, Youve Got It Made (A Walk Down Memory Lane) ( Jan 08, 2017 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20170104 : False Prophets and False News - The Unz Review ( Jan 04, 2017 , www.unz.com )
• 20170101 : Washington Post Caught Spreading More Fake News About Russian Hackers Zero Hedge ( Jan 01, 2017 , www.zerohedge.com )
• 20161207 : The Propaganda About Russian Propaganda ( Dec 01, 2016 , www.newyorker.com )
• 20161206 : Clinton: we are engaged in an information war . ( Dec 06, 2016 , www.nakedcapitalism.com )
• 20160306 : W>hy we should not trust Guarding reporting about 20020 Presidential elections ( www.theguardian.com )
• 20151221 : Journalists are really mouthpieces for political factions within their own government power structure but the best journalists choose faction that actually embraces reality ( marknesop.wordpress.com )
• 20150609 : The Attack on Truth by Lee McIntyre ( Jun 09, 2015 , The Chronicle of Higher Education )
• 20150517 : Andre Vltchek How to Fight Western Propaganda Information Clearing House - ICH by Andre Vltchek ( Andre Vltchek How to Fight Western Propaganda Information Clearing House - ICH, May 17, 2015 )
• 20150514 : War-Crazed Western Propaganda Machine Rages at Its Growing Insignificance ( War-Crazed Western Propaganda Machine Rages at Its Growing Insignificance, May 14, 2015 )
• 20150501 : Anatol Lieven reviews 'The New American Militarism' by Andrew Bacevich ( LRB 20 October 2005 )
• 20150414 : Freedom of speech as three card monte ( Freedom of speech as three card monte, Apr 14, 2015 )
• 20150315 : Empire of Illusion The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle by Chris Hedges ( Amazon.com Books )
• 20150315 : CHRIS HEDGES Empire of Illusion The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle ( CHRIS HEDGES Empire of Illusion The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle, Mar 15, 2015 )
• 20150130 : There Is No Reality Anymore... ( 01/29/2015 , Zero Hedge )
• 20150130 : Ukraine Through the Fog of the Presstitutes by PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS ( March 06, 2014 , CounterPunch )
• 20150129 : Americas Greatest Affliction The Presstitute Media ( June 2, 2013 , PaulCraigRoberts.org )
• 20150126 : Syriza Wins and the NYT and WSJ Coverage Competes for Mendacity by William K. Black ( January 25, 2015 , neweconomicperspectives.org )
• 20150120 : Charlie Hebdo and Fredou Whos awake, whos still in bed ( Asia Times )
• 20150107 : 4 in 10 Americans erroneously believe US found active WMDs in Iraq – survey ( Jan 07, 2015 , RT USA )
• 20141230 : The Victory of 'Perception Management' by Robert Parry ( Dec 30, 2014 , ronpaulinstitute.org )
• 20140821 : THE POWER OF WORDS CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE by Dana Casey. ( Conservative Teachers of America )
• 20140821 : The importance of controlling the narrative by Michael Wolff ( December 29, 2013 , usatoday.com )
• 20140821 : What Orwell Didnt Know Propaganda and the New Face of American Politics ( What Orwell Didn't Know Propaganda and the New Face of American Politics, )
• 20140821 : Marty Kaplan on the Weapons of Mass Distraction ( July 12, 2013 , BillMoyers.com )
• 20130615 : The Real War on Reality ( June 15, 2013 , NYTimes.com )

Old News ;-)

[Jul 21, 2021] Big Tech- -Our Terms Have Changed

Jul 21, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

BY TYLER DURDEN WEDNESDAY, JUL 21, 2021 - 11:09 AM

Authored (satirically) by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

So go ahead and say whatever you want around all your networked devices, but don't be surprised if bad things start happening.

I received another "Our Terms Have Changed" email from a Big Tech quasi-monopoly, and for a change I actually read this one. It was a revelation on multiple fronts. I'm reprinting it here for your reading pleasure:

We wanted to let you know that we recently updated our Conditions of Use.

What hasn't changed:

Your use constitutes your agreement to our Conditions of Use.

We own all the content you create on our platform, devices and networks, and are free to monetize it by any means we choose.

We own all the data we collect on you, your devices, purchases, social networks, views, associations, beliefs and illicit viewing, your location data, who you are in proximity to, and whatever data the networked devices in your home, vehicles and workplaces collect.

We have the unrestricted right to ban you and all your content, shadow-ban you and all your content, i.e., generate the illusion that your content is freely, publicly available, and erase your digital presence entirely such that you cease to exist except as a corporeal body.

What has changed:

If we detect you have positive views on anti-trust enforcement, we may report you as a "person of interest / potential domestic extremist" to the National Security Agency and other federal agencies.

Rather than respond to all disputes algorithmically, we have established a Star Chamber of our most biased, fanatical employees to adjudicate customer/user disputes in which the customer/user refuses to accept the algorithmic mediation.

If a customer/user attempts to contact any enforcement agency regarding our algorithmic mediation or Star Chamber adjudication, we reserve the unrestricted rights to:

a. Prepare voodoo dolls representing the user and stick pins into the doll while chanting curses.

b. Hack the targeted user's accounts and blame it on Russian or Ukrainian hackers.

c. Rendition the user to a corrupt kleptocracy in which we retain undue influence, i.e., the United States.

Left unsaid, of course, is the potential for "accidents" to happen to anyone publicly promoting anti-trust enforcement of Big Tech quasi-monopolies. Once totalitarianism has been privatized , there are no rules that can't be ignored or broken by those behind the curtain . So go ahead and say whatever you want around all your networked devices, but don't be surprised if bad things start happening.

Editor's note: this is satire. If I disappear, then you'll know who has no sense of irony or humor.

* * *

If you found value in this content, please join me in seeking solutions by becoming a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com .

* * *

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A Hacker's Teleology: Sharing the Wealth of Our Shrinking Planet (Kindle $8.95, print $20, audiobook $17.46) Read the first section for free (PDF) .

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Pathfinding our Destiny: Preventing the Final Fall of Our Democratic Republic ($5 (Kindle), $10 (print), ( audiobook ): Read the first section for free (PDF) .

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Money and Work Unchained $6.95 (Kindle), $15 (print) Read the first section for free (PDF).

[Jun 20, 2021] Bovard Blasts Biden's Buffoonish War On Extremism

Notable quotes:

"... ...the prerogative to define extremism includes the power to attempt to banish certain ideas from acceptable discourse. The report warns that "narratives of fraud in the recent general election"¦ will almost certainly spur some [Domestic Violent Extremists] to try to engage in violence this year." ..."

"... If accusations of 2020 electoral shenanigans are formally labeled as extremist threats, that could result in far more repression (aided by Facebook and Twitter) of dissenting voices. ..."

Jun 20, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

...the prerogative to define extremism includes the power to attempt to banish certain ideas from acceptable discourse. The report warns that "narratives of fraud in the recent general election"¦ will almost certainly spur some [Domestic Violent Extremists] to try to engage in violence this year."

If accusations of 2020 electoral shenanigans are formally labeled as extremist threats, that could result in far more repression (aided by Facebook and Twitter) of dissenting voices.

How will this work out any better than the concerted campaign by the media and Big Tech last fall to suppress all information about Hunter Biden's laptop before the election?

The Biden administration is revving up for a war against an enemy which the feds have chosen to never explicitly define . According to a March report by Biden's Office of the Director of National Intelligence, "domestic violent extremists" include individuals who "take overt steps to violently resist or facilitate the overthrow of the U.S. government in support of their belief that the U.S. government is purposely exceeding its Constitutional authority." But that was the same belief that many Biden voters had regarding the Trump administration. Does the definition of extremism depend solely on which party captured the White House?

The report notes that the "Department of Defense is reviewing and updating its definition of prohibited extremist activities among uniformed military personnel." Bishop Garrison, the chief of the Pentagon's new Countering Extremism Working Group, is Exhibit A for the follies of extremist crackdowns on extremism. In a series of 2019 tweets, Garrison, a former aide to Hillary Clinton, denounced all Trump supporters as "racists." Garrison's working group will "specifically define what constitutes extremist behavior" for American soldiers. If Garrison purges Trump supporters from the military, the Pentagon would be unable to conquer the island of Grenada. Biden policymakers also intend to create an "anti-radicalization" program for individuals departing the military service. This initiative will likely produce plenty of leaks and embarrassing disclosures in the coming months and years.

The Biden report is spooked by the existence of militia groups and flirts with the fantasy of outlawing them across the land. The report promises to explore "how to make better use of laws that already exist in all fifty states prohibiting certain private "˜militia' activity, including"¦state statutes prohibiting groups of people from organizing as private military units without the authorization of the state government, and state statutes that criminalize certain paramilitary activity." Most of the private militia groups are guilty of nothing more than bluster and braggadocio. Besides, many of them are already overstocked with government informants who are counting on Uncle Sam for regular paychecks.

As part of its anti-extremism arsenal, DHS is financing programs for "enhancing media literacy and critical thinking skills" and helping internet users avoid "vulnerability to"¦harmful content deliberately disseminated by malicious actors online." Do the feds have inside information about another Hunter Biden laptop turning up, or what? The Biden administration intends to bolster Americans' defenses against extremism by developing "interactive online resources such as skills-enhancing online games." If the games are as stupefying as this report, nobody will play them.

The Biden report stresses that federal law enforcement agencies "play a critical role in responding to reports of criminal and otherwise concerning activity." "Otherwise concerning activity"? This is the same standard that turned prior anti-terrorist efforts into laughingstocks.

Fusion Centers are not mentioned in the Biden report but they are a federal-state-local law enforcement partnership launched after 9/11 to vacuum up reports of suspicious activity. Seventy Fusion Centers rely on the same standard""" If you see something, say something """that a senior administration official invoked in a background call on Monday for the new Biden initiative. The Los Angeles Police Department encouraged citizens to snitch on "individuals who stay at bus or train stops for extended periods while buses and trains come and go," "individuals who carry on long conversations on pay or cellular telephones," and "joggers who stand and stretch for an inordinate amount of time." The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security recommended the reporting of "people avoiding eye contact," "people in places they don't belong," or homes or apartments that have numerous visitors "arriving and leaving at unusual hours," PBS's Frontline reported. Colorado's Fusion Center "produced a fear-mongering public service announcement asking the public to report innocuous behaviors such as photography, note-taking, drawing and collecting money for charity as "˜warning signs' of terrorism," the ACLU complained.

Various other Fusion Centers have attached warning labels to gun-rights activists, anti-immigration zealots, and individuals and groups "rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority." A 2012 Homeland Security report stated that being "reverent of individual liberty" is one of the traits of potential right-wing terrorists. The Constitution Project concluded in a 2012 report that DHS Fusion Centers "pose serious risks to civil liberties, including rights of free speech, free assembly, freedom of religion, racial and religious equality, privacy, and the right to be free from unnecessary government intrusion." Fusion Centers continue to be bankrolled by DHS despite their dismal record.

The Biden report promises that the FBI and DHS will soon be releasing "a new edition of the Federal Government's Mobilization Indicators booklet that will include for the first time potential indicators of domestic terrorism""related mobilization." Will this latest publication be as boneheaded as the similar 2014 report by the National Counterterrorism Center entitled "Countering Violent Extremism: A Guide for Practitioners and Analysts"?

As the Intercept summarized , that report "suggests that police, social workers and educators rate individuals on a scale of one to five in categories such as "˜Expressions of Hopelessness, Futility,' "¦ and "˜Connection to Group Identity (Race, Nationality, Religion, Ethnicity)' "¦ to alert government officials to individuals at risk of turning to radical violence, and to families or communities at risk of incubating extremist ideologies." The report recommended judging families by their level of "Parent-Child Bonding" and rating localities on the basis in part of the "presence of ideologues or recruiters." Former FBI agent Mike German commented, "The idea that the federal government would encourage local police, teachers, medical, and social-service employees to rate the communities, individuals, and families they serve for their potential to become terrorists is abhorrent on its face."

The Biden administration presumes that bloating the definition of extremists is the surest way to achieve domestic tranquility. In this area, as in so many others, Biden's team learned nothing from the follies of the Obama administration. No one in D.C. apparently recalls that President Obama perennially denounced extremism and summoned the United Nations in 2014 to join his "campaign against extremism." Under Obama, the National Security Agency presumed that "someone searching the Web for suspicious stuff" was a suspected extremist who forfeited all constitutional rights to privacy. Obama's Transportation Security Administration relied on ludicrous terrorist profiles that targeted American travelers who were yawning, hand wringing, gazing down, swallowing suspiciously, sweating, or making "excessive complaints about the [TSA] screening process."

Will the Biden crackdown on extremists end as ignominiously as Nixon's crackdown almost 50 years earlier? Nixon White House aide Tom Charles Huston explained that the FBI's COINTELPRO program continually stretched its target list "from the kid with a bomb to the kid with a picket sign, and from the kid with the picket sign to the kid with the bumper sticker of the opposing candidate. And you just keep going down the line." At some point, surveillance became more intent on spurring fear than on gathering information. FBI agents were encouraged to conduct interviews with anti-war protesters to "enhance the paranoia endemic in these circles and further serve to get the point across that there is an FBI agent behind every mailbox," as a 1970 FBI memo noted. Is the Biden castigation campaign an attempt to make its opponents fear that the feds are tracking their every email and website click?

Biden's new terrorism policy has evoked plenty of cheers from his Fourth Estate lapdogs. But a Washington Post article fretted that the administration's report did not endorse enacting "new legal authority to successfully hunt down, prosecute, and imprison homegrown extremists." Does the D.C. media elite want to see every anti-Biden scoffer in the land put behind bars? This is typical of the switcheroo that politicians and the media play with the terms "terrorists" and "extremists." Regardless of paranoia inside the Beltway, MAGA hats are not as dangerous as pipe bombs.

The Biden report concludes that "enhancing faith in American democracy" requires "finding ways to counter the influence and impact of dangerous conspiracy theories." Bu t permitting politicians to blacklist any ideas they disapprove won't "restore faith in democracy." Extremism has always been a flag of political convenience, and the Biden team, the FBI, and their media allies will fan fears to sanctify any and every government crackdown. But what if government is the most dangerous extremist of them all?

* * *

James Bovard is the author of Lost Rights , Attention Deficit Democracy , and Public Policy Hooligan . He is also a USA Today columnist. Follow him on Twitter @JimBovard .

[May 28, 2021] More Hacks, More Baseless Accusations Against Russia

May 17, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

librul , May 16 2021 13:24 utc | 1

Related:
- MI6 spy Christopher Steele 'produced second dossier on Donald Trump for FBI' - Telegraph
- Master List Of Official Russia Claims That Proved To Be Bogus - Matt Taibbi
- Secret Sharers: The Hidden Ties Between Private Spies and Journalists - NYT

> In a recent book, Luke Harding, an investigative reporter at The Guardian, described how Mr. Steele had dispatched his "collector"� to surreptitiously approach a real estate broker, Sergei Millian, who was a peripheral figure in the Trump/Russia saga. "Millian spoke at length and privately to this person, believing him or her to be trustworthy "" a kindred soul,"� Mr. Harding wrote.

But the trouble for Mr. Harding, who is close to both Mr. Steele and Mr. Simpson, was that he wrote those lines before the release of the F.B.I. interview of Mr. Danchenko.

In the interview, the collector said that he and Mr. Millian might have spoken briefly over the phone, but that the two had never met.

Mr. Harding did not respond to requests for comment. <

Here are Ten Things We Have Learned During the Covid Coup.

1. Our political system is hopelessly corrupt. Virtually all politicians are hopelessly corrupt. No political party can be trusted. They all can be, and have been, bought.

2. Democracy is a sham. It has been a sham for a very long time. There will never be any real democracy when money and power amount to the same thing.

3. The system will stop at nothing to hold on to its power and, if possible, increase its levels of control and exploitation. It has no scruples. No lie is too outrageous, no hypocrisy too nauseating, no human sacrifice too great.

4. So-called radical movements are usually nothing of the sort. From whatever direction they claim to attack the system, they are just pretending to do so, and serve to channel discontent in directions which are harmless to the power clique and even useful to its agendas.

5. Any "dissident"� voice you have ever heard of through corporate media is probably a fake. The system does not hand out free publicity to its actual enemies.

6. Most people in our society are cowards. They will jettison all the fine values and principles which they have been loudly boasting about all their lives merely to avoid the slightest chance of public criticism, inconvenience or even minor financial loss.

7. The mainstream media is nothing but a propaganda machine for the system... ...and those journalists who work for it have sold their sorry souls, placing their (often minimal) writing skills entirely at the disposition of Power.

8. Police are not servants of the public... ...but servants of a powerful and extremely wealthy minority which seeks to control and exploit the public for its own narrow and greedy interests.

9. Scientists cannot be trusted. They will use the hypnotic power of their white coats and authoritative status for the benefit of whoever funds their work and lifestyle. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

10. Progress is a misleading illusion. The "progress"� of increasing automation and industrialisation does not go hand in hand with a progress in the quality of human life, but in fact will "progressively"� reduce it to the point of complete extinction.

---

vk , May 16 2021 15:19 utc | 15

Corpses Disposed in India's Rivers, Causing Environmental Experts Grave Concern

Cannot fake that. The pandemic is real.

--//--

The West has created an imaginary, evil China for its people to hate and fear -- and it's working

Irrelevant how much the Western peoples hate China. China is not Iran, Afghanistan, Russia or some other random Third World country, it is above the pay grade of Western public opinion.

However, it is true China is not up to the level achieved by the Soviet Union. It still has a military disproportionately weak compared to its economic might. That problem will still take some three or more decades to solve, but it is being worked on.

--//--

After Years of Quiet, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Exploded. Why Now?

This headline by the NYT (in the upper right corner of the Home Page) reflects the West's frustration with Israel. In the first part, they try to tell the reader that the Israeli are waging a war of equals, and not genociding, the Palestinians (and that the USA has nothing to do with it). In the second part, it laments the bad timing by the Israelis, who interrupted their propaganda warfare operation against China on the "Uighur genocide" campaign.

It urges Israel to clean the mess as quick as possible in order for the anti-China propaganda campaign to resume.

--//--

America Is Failing Its Moral Test on Vaccine [NYT Editorial Board]

Can't lose what you never happened to begin with.

In the case of the COVID-19 vaccines, the above statement is literal, as the USA has, so far, exported zero - I repeat, zero (not rounding down) - vaccines so far.

Meanwhile, China has already exported 250 million doses and counting (last time I checked, a week ago) - more than the entire Indian production (India had just exported some 60 million doses).

--//--

Unemployment Pay May Again Require a Job Search. Is It Too Soon?

The inner contradictions of capitalism in plain sight.

On the one side, you have to give people money so they can keep themselves quarantined. On the other side, capitalism requires people to keep working or to keep searching for work in order to pull down wages, thus increasing the rate of surplus value. That's why conservatives are usually in favor of the Christian charity, that gives only food and shelter, but not cash, to the unemployed, but not of wage raises and unemployment benefits - the fact that you're paid in cash and not in kind makes all the difference in the world in the capitalist system.

Unemployment benefits only help capitalism is it is low enough just to keep one physically alive and in constant search for jobs. That way, he/she incorporates the industrial reserve army, which brings wages down. The problem with the USA is that wages were already so low before the pandemic that those USD 600.00 checks made 35% (!!) of its recently unemployed recipients richer than when they were employed. Logically, those 35% don't want to go back to work, as their lives are objectively better now than they were before the pandemic, and that's why the Republican congressmen and senators are pressuring Biden (as they pressured Trump) to outright extinguish those checks.

P.S.: the top rated commentary in the article ("Great generations of Americans came here 100 years ago...") by the time I typed this is hilarious, shows the delusion of the average American towards their own system almost perfectly. The other comments are also very funny. The narrative that "there are a lot of jobs available, but no one is skilled enough/wants it" is used by the capitalists every time there's an economic crisis, just search your favorite newspaper for the years of 1980-1982, 1975 etc. etc. and you'll see the same bullshit being preached over and over again.

--//--

Israel has chosen a two-tiered society. Violence is the inevitable result.

Talks about apartheid as the only possible synthesis between a Jewish theocratic state and a liberal bourgeois state, which I mentioned in the past two threads about the subject.

As I said before, the system is unstable and is doomed to fail. Either Israel abandons its Zionist project and gives up the idea of being an 100% Jewish state and thus becomes a liberal bourgeois state or it will continue to wither and degenerate until it falls to a civil war.

--//--

China Becomes Second Nation to Land on Mars

It would've been the first if not for a providential last grasp effort by NASA, who used the resources it had and didn't have to pull that off, by a few months.

The tendency, however is clear. NASA will soon cease to exist as we know it and essentially become the State façade of SpaceX. The USA's space program will then be entirely dependent on the genius of Elon Musk.

--//--

Cuban vaccines (Abdala and Soberana 02) continue advancing on their trials:

Va Abdala, como marca de vida en los brazos de Cuba (+Video)

Lemming , May 17 2021 4:03 utc | 99

If you had read and understood the Mars 3 link I provided you would have learned that it wasn't a rover either. Which the first rover was has already been told. End of story.

Posted by: Norwegian | May 16 2021 18:37 utc | 37

Yes, but no. Mars 3 actually had a rover on board, PROP-M. To quote Wikipedia:

"The Mars 3 lander, a so called Passability Estimating Vehicle for Mars, was designed and manufactured in Mobile Vehicle Engineering Institute by a team of approximately 150 engineers, led by Alexander Kemurdzhian. The vehicle had a small 'Mars rover' on board, which was planned to move across the surface on skis while connected to the lander with a 15-meter umbilical cable. Two small metal rods were used for autonomous obstacle avoidance, as radio signals from Earth would take too long to drive the rovers using remote control. The rover carried a dynamic penetrometer and a gamma ray densitometer."

... although it seems it never was deployed because of the communication failure, so it cannot count as the first rover to function on Mars.

[May 28, 2021] Emily Wilder, Chris Cuomo, and Power-Worshiping Journalism

Notable quotes:

"... On one occasion, she said Sheldon Adelson , a Jewish American billionaire who supports Republicans and right-wing Israeli politicians, looked like "a naked mole rat." For this, the right branded Wilder an anti-Semite, even though she is Jewish. Now she's out of a job. ..."

"... But it would be a mistake to reduce either Wilder's firing or the persistence of Cuomo to a story about cancel culture. The phenomenon is obviously one-sided; the outrage, bogus. This is really a story about journalism and an industry that has abdicated its most basic responsibilities. ..."

"... The rules matter. They exist to protect the integrity of a news outlet and to protect the public from corruption. Instead, news outlets are failing consumers and journalists alike. They serve power rather than challenge it. The result is a weak press in a nation desperate for the truth. That's no way to serve the public. ..."

"... AP prohibits employees from openly expressing their opinions on political matters and other public issues. ..."

"... I think Don Lemon is just an actor that plays a journalist on TV. Also, where is the diversity they preach on this network? Where are the Latinx, the Asian hosts, the women? So much for following what you preach. ..."

May 23, 2021 | nymag.com

Emily Wilder is a promising young journalist. After finishing a stint at the Arizona Republic , the recent Stanford graduate began a job with the Associated Press on May 3 as a news associate. Wilder could have built a career at the storied wire service or, with the experience she'd gained, leap to a major paper. Instead, the AP fired her two weeks in, days after the Stanford College Republicans pointed a right-wing mob in Wilder's direction. Wilder, it turns out, has political opinions: In college, she belonged to Students for Justice in Palestine and to Jewish Voice for Peace, two groups that oppose the occupation of Palestinian territory by Israeli forces. On one occasion, she said Sheldon Adelson , a Jewish American billionaire who supports Republicans and right-wing Israeli politicians, looked like "a naked mole rat." For this, the right branded Wilder an anti-Semite, even though she is Jewish. Now she's out of a job.

Contrast Wilder's circumstances with those of Chris Cuomo . The star CNN anchor will keep his job even though he has flouted basic ethical standards that typically apply to other, less prominent journalists. Though CNN once banned Cuomo from interviewing his governor brother, Andrew, it relaxed that when the pandemic hit "and the Cuomo Brothers show soared to popularity," Margaret Sullivan wrote at the Washington Post . That looked bad, CNN eventually conceded, and it reinstated the ban. Behind the scenes, though, Cuomo's ethical violations continued. On Thursday, the Post reported that he had advised his brother on how to handle sexual harassment allegations that threatened the elder Cuomo's popularity and career. Cuomo won't be punished, CNN said. Nothing can stop the Cuomo Brothers show.

The Cuomos possess something Emily Wilder lacks: power. Outrage derailed Wilder's career nearly as soon as it had begun. But real ethical violations can't kick Cuomo off the air. The Wilder and Cuomo stories both impart something vital about cancel culture. "There's no question I was just canceled," Wilder told SFGate. Cuomo, meanwhile, reportedly used the phrase to discuss his brother's sexual harassment problem. In practice, cancel culture cuts one way, against journalists like Wilder or Nikole Hannah-Jones , who was recently denied tenure under pressure from conservatives with links to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, NC Policy Watch has reported. Against a white, male network star or his brother the governor, cancel culture can apparently do little.

But it would be a mistake to reduce either Wilder's firing or the persistence of Cuomo to a story about cancel culture. The phenomenon is obviously one-sided; the outrage, bogus. This is really a story about journalism and an industry that has abdicated its most basic responsibilities. The Associated Press has claimed that Wilder violated its social-media policies, though she says her bosses were unable to tell her how. In the absence of a substantive reason to fire Wilder, another explanation presents itself: The AP capitulated to a bad-faith political campaign. In doing so, it betrayed its very reason to exist. Wilder's political opinions have no bearing on her ability to gather news. The AP showed it is not impartial after all; it can be persuaded, if only from the right.

There is no evidence that Wilder is anything but what she appears to be, a talented and committed young journalist. People don't always enter college knowing they want to be journalists. Indeed, perhaps they shouldn't. Any definition of objectivity that requires a journalist to pretend neutrality asks that person to lie. Journalists are not automatons. They have opinions, and if they are not male or white or rich or straight, those opinions make them vulnerable to the right-wing outrages that just cost Wilder her new job. The press has one purpose, and that is to report news in the public's interest. It is not entertainment. It is not propaganda. It is not public relations.

And that's why Chris Cuomo ought to be out of a job. CNN, too, has forgotten why it exists. Cuomo's infractions impede his ability to cover the news. By keeping him employed, CNN says the news does not matter and neither do the rules. CNN made a similar calculation in the past with plagiarism, which typically ends careers "" unless a journalist happens to be Fareed Zakaria. The current host of CNN's GPS , he is generally tasked with explaining various foreign-policy matters to a popular audience and once lifted sections of a Jill Lepore column for a column in Time . Though CNN briefly suspended Zakaria in 2012 for the offense, the site Our Bad Media uncovered further incidents in 2014. Yet Zakaria persists, with CNN's help. He still hosts his show and will likely continue to do so unless another, bigger scandal somehow takes him down. The network's motivations are not mysterious. It wants to keep its moneymakers and elite influencers. To do this, it'll ignore the ethical standards that apply to everyone else. At the same time, journalism's Emily Wilders will scrape for every bit of job security they can find.

The rules matter. They exist to protect the integrity of a news outlet and to protect the public from corruption. Instead, news outlets are failing consumers and journalists alike. They serve power rather than challenge it. The result is a weak press in a nation desperate for the truth. That's no way to serve the public.

JosephQua 11 HOURS AGO

"On one occasion, she said Sheldon Adelson, a Jewish American billionaire who supports Republicans and right-wing Israeli politicians, looked like "a naked mole rat." For this, the right branded Wilder an anti-Semite, even though she is Jewish. Now she's out of a job."

This is a lie.

Wilder wasn't fired for remarks she tweeted while a college student, she was fired for tweets made in the 17 days she was employed by AP openly expressing her personal opinions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, in one of which she openly attacked the idea of objectivity in journalism.

AP prohibits employees from openly expressing their opinions on political matters and other public issues.

Wilder knows exactly what tweets git her in trouble and when she made them.

In my opinion, both Chris Cuomo and Wilder should be terminated.

hivequeen+ 17 HOURS AGO

The problem isn't that Chris Cuomo talked to his brother. The problem is that Chris Cuomo talked to his brother AND his brother's advisors while they planned and developed a political strategy to defend his brother against claims of sexual harassment. And you know that.

tanquerochicago 1 DAY AGO

CNN has lost all credibility as a "news organization". I can't watch any of it with a straight face. They claim to believe in liberal views, preach the importance of diversity (rightfully so), and claim to be a serious network but they've allowed the Cuomo clown hour to continue.

I think Don Lemon is just an actor that plays a journalist on TV. Also, where is the diversity they preach on this network? Where are the Latinx, the Asian hosts, the women? So much for following what you preach.

And the Cuomos simply give Italians a bad name. They play into all of the awful stereotypes that everyone should be fighting...the machismo, sexism, bravado....gross! Just gross.

nibblybits 1 DAY AGO (Edited)

It's examples like Chris Cuomo not being even slapped on the wrist that gives oxygen to accusations of the right that CNN is fake news and no better than Fox. They lose the moral high ground against propaganda arms like Newsmax and OANN if Chris Cuomo is allowed to perpetuate defenses of his own brother from his perch as anchor. (And let's not peddle in the fiction that Chris is not reporting on his brother, when we know he has power in that organization to direct coverage.)

His colleagues are furious. Jim Acosta has been wading out into pro-Trump mobs for years trying to defend his job and his network, and Chris Cuomo just blew that up. Embarrassing.

Worse are the partisan hypocrites on here defending Cuomo.

[May 15, 2021] On The Hypocrites At Apple Who Fired 'Chaos Monkeys' Author by Matt Taibbi

At lease Garicia Martinez got a huge advertizemnt for his book Chaos Monkeys- Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley

As for Apple, let's start with the statement that most Apple product are overrated and overpriced. Despite price, they are more of a fashion statement then technology marvels. Owning Apple is a lot like using Chanel por Dolche and Gabbana perfume. This is a statement that you are special.

Now by adopting "woke bolshevism" Apple will inevitably slide deeper into mediocrity.

May 15, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

Authored by Matt Taibbi via TK News ,

I'm biased, because I know Antonio Garcia-Martinez and something like the same thing once happened to me, but the decision by Apple to bend to a posse of internal complainers and fire him over a passage in a five-year-old book is ridiculous hypocrisy. Hypocrisy by the complainers, and defamatory cowardice by the bosses -- about right for the Invasion of the Body Snatchers -style era of timorous conformity and duncecap monoculture the woke mobs at these places are trying to build as their new Jerusalem.

Anti-tax-avoidance protesters in France.

Garcia-Martinez is a brilliant, funny, multi-talented Cuban-American whose confessional memoir Chaos Monkeys is to big tech what Michael Lewis's Liar's Poker was to finance. A onetime high-level Facebook executive -- he ran Facebook Ads -- Antonio's book shows the House of Zuckerberg to be a cult full of on-the-spectrum zealots who talked like justice activists while possessing the business ethics of Vlad the Impaler:

Facebook is full of true believers who really, really, really are not doing it for the money, and really, really will not stop until every man, woman, and child on earth is staring into a blue-framed window with a Facebook logo.

When I read Chaos Monkeys the first time I was annoyed, because this was Antonio's third career at least -- he'd also worked at Goldman, Sachs -- and he tossed off a memorable bestseller like it was nothing. Nearly all autobiographies fail because the genre requires total honesty, and not only do few writers have the stomach for turning the razor on themselves, most still have one eye on future job offers or circles of friends, and so keep the bulk of their interesting thoughts sidelined -- you're usually reading a résumé, not a book .

Chaos Monkeys is not that. Garcia-Martinez is an immediately relatable narrator because in one breath he tells you exactly what he thinks of former colleagues ("A week before my last day, I had lunch with the only senior person at Goldman Sachs who was not an inveterate asshole") and in the next explains, but does not excuse, the psychic quirks that have him chasing rings in some of the world's most rapacious corporations. "Whenever membership in some exclusive club is up for grabs, I viciously fight to win it, even if only to reject membership when offered," he wrote. "After all, echoing the eminent philosopher G. Marx: How good can a club be if it's willing to have lowly me as a member?"

... ... ...

At one point, as a means of comparing the broad-shouldered British DIY expert favorably to other women he'd known, he wrote this:

Most women in the Bay Area are soft and weak, cosseted and naive despite their claims of worldliness, and generally full of shit. They have their self-regarding entitlement feminism, and ceaselessly vaunt their independence, but the reality is, come the epidemic plague or foreign invasion, they'd become precisely the sort of useless baggage you'd trade for a box of shotgun shells or a jerry can of diesel.

Out of context, you could, I guess, read this as bloviating from a would-be macho man beating his chest about how modern "entitlement feminism" would be unmasked as a chattering fraud in a Mad Max scenario. In context, he's obviously not much of a shotgun-wielder himself and is actually explaining why he fell for a strong woman, as the next passage reveals:

British Trader, on the other hand, was the sort of woman who would end up a useful ally in that postapocalypse, doing whatever work -- be it carpentry, animal husbandry, or a shotgun blast to someone's back -- required doing.

Again, this is not a passage about women working in tech. It's a throwaway line in a comedic recount of a romance that juxtaposes the woman he loves with the inadequate set of all others, a literary convention as old as writing itself. The only way to turn this into a commentary on the ability of women to work in Silicon Valley is if you do what Twitter naturally does and did, i.e. isolate the quote and surround it with mounds of James Damore references. More on this in a moment.

After trying the writer's life, Antonio went back to work for Apple. When he entered the change on his LinkedIn page, Business Insider did a short, uncontroversial writeup . Then a little site called 9to5Mac picked up on the story and did the kind of thing that passes for journalism these days, poring through someone's life in search of objectionable passages and calling for immediate disappearance of said person down a cultural salt mine. Writer Zac Hall quoted from Apple's Inclusion and Diversity page:

Across Apple, we've strengthened our long-standing commitment to making our company more inclusive and the world more just. Where every great idea can be heard. And everybody belongs.

Hall then added, plaintively, "This isn't just PR speak for Apple. The company releases annual updates on its efforts to hire diversely, and it puts its money where its mouth is with programs intended to give voice to women and people of color in technology. So why is Apple giving Garcia Martinez a great big pass?"

From there the usual press pile-on took place, with heroes at places like The Verge sticking to the playbook. "Silicon Valley has consistently had a white, male workforce," they wrote, apparently not bothered by Antonio's not-whiteness. "There are some in the Valley, such as notorious ex-Googler James Damore, who suggest this is because women and people of color lack the innate qualities needed to succeed in tech ."

Needless to say, Antonio never wrote anything like that, but the next step in the drama was similarly predictable: a group letter by Apple employees claiming, in seriousness, to fear for their safety. "Given Mr. García Martínez's history of publishing overtly racist and sexist remarks," the letter read, "we are concerned that his presence at Apple will contribute to an unsafe working environment for our colleagues who are at risk of public harassment and private bullying." All of this without even a hint that there's ever been anything like such a problem at any of his workplaces.

Within about a nanosecond, the same people at Apple who hired Antonio, clearly having read his book, now fired him, issuing the following statement:

At Apple, we have always strived to create an inclusive, welcoming workplace where everyone is respected and accepted. Behavior that demeans or discriminates against people for who they are has no place here.

The Verge triumphantly reported on Apple's move using the headline , "'Misogynistic' Apple hire is out hours after employees call for investigation." Other companies followed suit with the same formulation. CNN : "Apple parts ways with newly hired ex-Facebook employee after workers cite 'misogynistic' writing." CNET : "Apple reportedly cuts ties with employee amid uproar over misogynistic writing."

Apple by this point not only issued a statement declaring that Antonio's "behavior" was demeaning and discriminatory, but by essentially endorsing the complaints of their letter-writing employees, poured jet fuel on headline descriptions of him as a misogynist. It's cowardly, defamatory, and probably renders him unhirable in the industry, but this is far from the most absurd aspect of the story.

I'm a fan of Dr. Dre's music and have been since the N.W.A. days. It's not any of my business if he wants to make $3 billion selling Beats by Dre to Apple , earning himself a place on the board in the process. But if 2,000 Apple employees are going to insist that they feel literally unsafe working alongside a man who wrote a love letter to a woman who towers over him in heels, I'd like to hear their take on serving under, and massively profiting from, partnership with the author of such classics as "Bitches Ain't Shit" and "Lyrical Gangbang," who is also the subject of such articles as "Here's What's Missing from Straight Outta Compton: Me and the Other Women Dr. Dre Beat Up."

It's easy to get someone like Antonio Garcia Martinez fired. Going after a board member who's reportedly sitting on hundreds of millions in Apple stock is a different matter. A letter making such a demand is likely to be returned to sender, and the writer of it will likely spend every evaluation period looking over his or her shoulder. Why? Because going after Dre would mean forcing the company to denounce one of its more profitable investments -- Beats and Beats Music were big factors in helping Apple turn music streaming into a major profit center . The firm made $4.1 billion in that area last year alone.

Speaking of profits: selling iPhones is a pretty good business. It made Apple $47.9 billion last year, good for 53% of the company's total revenue. Part of what makes the iPhone such a delightfully profitable product is its low production cost, which reportedly comes from Apple's use of a smorgasbord of suppliers with a penchant for forced labor -- Uighurs said to be shipped in by the thousand to help make iPhone glass (Apple denies this), temporary "dispatch workers" sent in above legal limits , workers in "iPhone city" clocking excessive overtime to meet launch dates, etc. Apple also has a storied history of tax avoidance, offshoring over a hundred billion in revenues, using Ireland as a corporate address despite no physical presence there, and so on.

Maybe the signatories to the Apple letter can have a Chaos Monkeys book-burning outside the Chinese facility where iPhone glass is made -- keep those Uighur workers warm! Or they can have one in Dublin, to celebrate the €13bn tax bill a court recently ruled Apple didn't have to pay.

It's all a sham. The would-be progressives denouncing Garcia-Martinez don't seem to mind working for a company that a Democrat-led congressional committee ripped for using " monopoly power " to extract rents via a host of atrocious anti-competitive practices. Whacking an author is just a form of performative "activism" that doesn't hurt their bottom lines or their careers.

Meanwhile, the bosses who give in to their demands are all too happy to look like they're steeped in social concern, especially if they can con some virtue-signaling dink at a trade website into saying Apple's mechanically platitudinous "Shared Values" page "isn't just PR speak." You'd fire a couple of valuable employees to get that sort of P.R.

When I was caught up in my own cancelation episode, I was devastated, above all to see the effect it had on my family. Unlike Garcia-Martinez, I had past writings genuinely worth being embarrassed by, and I felt that it was important, morally and for my own mental health, to apologize in public. I didn't fight for my career and reputation, and threw myself on the mercy of the court of public opinion.

I now know this is a mistake. The people who launch campaigns like this don't believe in concepts like redemption or growth. An apology is just another thing they'd like to get, like the removal of competition for advancement. These people aren't idealists. They're just ordinary greedy Americans trying to get ahead, using the tactics available to them, and it's time to stop thinking of stories like this through any other lens.

---

nobaloney 4 hours ago

[neo]Liberal white women are the worst. The death of America.

Nicholi_Hel 2 hours ago remove link

The main thing that " is on it's way out" are all of your "smart" schizophrenic liberal hags. They are fleeing the big cities (especially CA) in droves because their psychopathic politics turned their states into crime ridden, dangerous ****holes with costs of living they can no longer afford.

Unfortunately they are flooding into red states like Texas bringing with them stale Marxism, tired feminism, couched slogans, sad cliches and of course their anti depressants and genital herpes.

gregga777 4 hours ago

Au contraire, mon ami! Look at how wondrously successful they've made US corporations like General Motors and The Boeing Company! /obviously sarcasm

SummerSausage PREMIUM 3 hours ago

Let's not forget the wonderous leadership of Carly Fiorina (HP), Elizabeth Holmes (Theranos) and Marissa Mayer (Yahoo)

McGantic 4 hours ago (Edited)

I completely disagree.

I find liberal women of certain other races to be far more offensive.

Nothing is worse than loud, uncouth jogger women with their in-your-face screaming and howling.

The definition of unsophisticated and to be avoided at all costs.

These liberal white women at least have some semblance of manners and intelligence.

espirit 3 hours ago

Just different tribes of howler monkeys...

rawhedgehog 4 hours ago

precisely the sort of useless baggage you'd trade for a box of shotgun shells

I think that covers about 90% of the surface population currently, not just Bay Area fems.

Agent Smith 3 hours ago

Not sure how many you'd get in exchange for an obese whining vaccine damaged genetic mutant. Maybe you could tout them as self propelled food?

Fool's Gold 3 hours ago

Made me laugh 😅

Notenoughtoys 4 hours ago

Matt Taibbi is brilliant - Wish all the ZH articles were as well written as this !

Seriously_confused 3 hours ago

Taibbi is half and half. He wants to tell the truth, but he wants to keep his woke friends so he often whimps and whiffs. He can write, but he has his head up his behind in much of his thinking. Every once in a while he comes up for air and writes something like this. The rest is wankerific

rawhedgehog 4 hours ago (Edited)

The company releases annual updates on its efforts to hire diversely

Yet where is their annual report on their use of slave labor in China and how that makes for a more inclusive and bright world. **** THIS CULTURE OF MORONS AND THOUGHT PUPPETS!

Matt, I enjoyed this article of yours but you need to make more noise exposing how slavery and the commoditization of human lives is the bedrock of modern tech.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/may/11/apple-continues-use-china-slave-labor-report-shows/

M.C. 1215 4 hours ago

"They're just ordinary greedy Americans trying to get ahead, using the tactics available to them, and it's time to stop thinking of stories like these through any other lens."

That about sums it up.

Calculus99 3 hours ago

What a miserable place Apple must be to work in, always having to watch yourself for fear of the mob (even if you're part of that mob).

The internal moral in these giant corps must be shot to pieces.

skippy dinner 2 hours ago

Lots of other corporations sell cool gear. There is no need to buy Apple stuff.

It's only because of conformist acquiescence to peer-group pressures that people buy it.

look-at-them-apples.jpg (1679×797) (wp.com)

mendigo 3 hours ago (Edited)

No, the problem is not the employees at Apple.

The problem is the ahoLes who buy sht from that fing company - AppleFaceBookGoogle.

It is so easy to dump thEm - it is literally no effort.

Problems is there are a lot of people who dont care - about anything.

Nicholi_Hel 3 hours ago

I have no sympathy for the peter puffers that worked or work for Goldman Sachs, Facebook and or Apple.

This pickle smoocher worked for all three, now we are supposed to break out the tissues and violins because a group of vicious, screeching Bolsheviks ankle bit one of their own.

Boo hoo.

[May 12, 2021] Roger Daltrey - The 'Woke' Generation is Creating a Miserable World

Actor and Grammy Award winning musician Donald Glover says that television shows and movies are becoming increasingly boring because "people are afraid of getting cancelled." ZeroHedge

May 12, 2021 | summit.news

The Who legend Roger Daltrey says the 'woke' generation is creating a miserable world that serves to stifle the kind of creative freedom he enjoyed in the 60s.

The iconic frontman made the comments during a recent appearance on Zane Lowe's Apple Music 1 podcast.

"I don't know, we might get somewhere because it's becoming so absurd now with AI, all the tricks it can do, and the woke generation," said Daltrey.

"It's terrifying, the miserable world they're going to create for themselves. I mean, anyone who's lived a life and you see what they're doing, you just know that it's a route to nowhere," he added.

The singer noted how he was lucky to have lived through an era where freedom of speech was encouraged, not silenced.

"Especially when you've lived through the periods of a life that we've had the privilege to. I mean, we've had the golden era. There's no doubt about that," he said.

[May 11, 2021] I Hope We All Survive It -- Dave Chappelle Warns About Cancel Culture

Highly recommended!

May 11, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

The phenomenon of "cancel culture" is a toxic one metastasizing into a woke revolution war empowered by Big Tech and Big Business. Those unfamiliar with being canceled involve publicly shaming others and boycotting celebrities and companies. However, the art of canceling has progressed well beyond canceling public figures and is now used to garget average folks. The result can be devastating for ordinary people who may face the consequences of losing their jobs, losing friends and family, or having their social media accounts terminated.

Comedian Dave Chappelle partook in a video interview with Joe Rogan on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast about cancel culture. He told Rogan that he recognizes the change people are attempting to bring through activism and accountability for prominent folks but denounced cancel culture:

"I'm very lucky to be able to see people who are great at things up close," Chappelle said. "Even on this podcast ... it's one of the joys of my life getting to know these people and knowing and seeing them be human."

Chappelle said, "I hope we all survive it," while referring to the cancel culture storm gripping society. "That's why that cancel culture shit bothers me. I'm not even opposed to the ideas behind some of these cancelations. I get it."

Rogan said, "the inclination, all of it, is to make the world a better place." He said social media and public shaming have "gotten abused and misused by the wrong people and bad actors, but at the end of the day, the thing they think they're trying to do is eliminate bad aspects of our culture."

Last year, Chappelle criticized cancel culture, saying audiences have become "too brittle," adding that "everything you say upsets somebody."

Chappelle hasn't been the only well-known person to speak out against cancel culture, Curtis Jackson, known as "50 Cent," recently said cancel culture is " unfair " and "targeting straight men" who "don't have any organizations to back them up."

Jackson said he wouldn't get canceled because "hip-hop culture loves things that are damaged. It loves people who are already broken from experience."

A study by a top education think tank, Civitas, found that free speech at the world's leading universities is being eroded at a rapid rate due to "cancel culture."

Cancel culture may have had good intentions to hold people accountable for things they did or say. Instead, it has backfired and produced a toxic environment that limits freedom of speech and alienates anyone with opposing views. Society can't move forward if liberals cancel anyone they don't like - there needs to be an open forum where all voices are heard.

[May 05, 2021] The people tearing down statues and being "woke" at every little thing seem to wander about and flop around in a state of perpetual confusion. They have no guiding principles or the hand of righteousness to steady them. They are hollow !

May 05, 2021 | www.unz.com

Marckus , says: May 5, 2021 at 1:38 pm GMT • 4.9 hours ago

The people tearing down statues and being "woke" at every little thing seem to wander about and flop around in a state of perpetual confusion. They have no guiding principles or the hand of righteousness to steady them. They are hollow ! Every waking hour of their lives is consumed with all this nonsense.

They want to smash everything without really knowing why. They are happiest when all is ruin and then look around in dismay at what they have done and what they will now have to live with. This fills their emptiness because there is nothing else to do so. Folks like this burn out either destroyed by others, frequently destroying themselves, first the soul, then the body. What kind of a jackass torches his own neighbourhood, in effect shits in his soup bowl ?

The woke and cancel culture do ! It must be fun for them but after the laughter comes those tears.

Zarathustra , says: May 5, 2021 at 4:58 pm GMT • 1.5 hours ago

Cancel culture? What is cancel culture?
Cancel culture is only another stupid new name for dictatorship.

[May 03, 2021] YouTube Censors Panel Of Medical Experts Over COVID-19 -Misinformation-... Other Absurdities - ZeroHedge

May 03, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis recently held a panel discussion to discuss recent research findings related to Covid-19.

The expert panel included four professors of medicine from Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford Universities, who are all PhDs and experts in a field of disease research. And that just scratches the surface of their credentials relevant to being considered Covid-19 experts.

The panel spoke against forcing children and vaccinated people to wear masks, and said there was no proof that lockdowns reduced the spread or death rates of Covid-19. They cited specific, peer reviewed scholarly research on which they based their opinions.

But YouTube decided that these experts were spreading misinformation , and took down the video, “because it included content that contradicts the consensus of local and global health authorities regarding the efficacy of masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.â€

This, of course, is an absurd statement, as the video itself proves there is no scientific consensus.

Earlier this week, Gov. DeSantis reconvened the panel to discuss not just Covid, but also the censorship of the scientific debate on Covid-19 best practices.

The panelists pointed out that the censorship of scientific debate is responsible for some percentage of Covid deaths over the past year, as well as deaths from suicide, and untreated medical issues.

That’s because the scientific community and public were not allowed to discuss best practices in a free and open environment, which according to the scientific method, leads closest to the truth.

You can watch the full original panel discussion here (on YouTube alternative Odysee).

And you can watch the follow up conference here (on YouTube alternative Rumble).

[May 03, 2021] The parody on Bolshevism is here: higher education now means subsidizing the political activists who have hijacked it by John Ellis

May 02, 2021 | www.wsj.com

An advanced society functions by creating a series of institutions, telling them what it wants them to do, and funding them to do it. Institutions like the police, fire departments, courts and schools do the jobs society creates them to do. But one American institution -- higher education -- has decided to repurpose itself. It has set aside the job given to it by society and substituted a different one.

Higher education had a cluster of related purposes in society. Everyone benefited from the new knowledge it developed and the well-informed, thoughtful citizenry it produced. Individual students benefited from the preparation they received for careers in a developed economy. Yet these days, academia has decided that its primary purpose is the promotion of a radical political ideology, to which it gives the sunny label "social justice."

That's an enormous detour from the institutional mission granted to higher education by society -- and a problem of grave consequence. For the purpose that academia has now given itself happens to be the only one that the founding documents of virtually all colleges and universities take care to forbid pre-emptively. The framers of those documents understood that using the campuses to promote political ideologies would destroy their institutions, because ideologies would always be rigid enough to prevent the exploration of new ideas and the free exercise of thought. They knew that the two purposes -- academic and political -- aren't simply different, but polar opposites. They can't coexist because the one erases the other.

The current political uniformity of college faculty illustrates the point. It meets the needs of the substitute purpose very well, but only by annihilating the authorized one. Analytical thinking requires exploring a range of alternatives, but political crusades require the opposite: exclusive belief and commitment. That's how far off course academia has gone in its capricious self-repurposing.

Though most Americans aren't happy about this, academia has no qualms. No matter how many times the lack of intellectual diversity on politicized, one-party campuses is decried as unhealthy and educationally ruinous, the campuses won't listen. There was once internal debate about higher education's direction between traditional academic scholars and radical political activists, but that debate is long over. The activists, now firmly in control, have no interest in what the dwindling ranks of scholars have to say.

... ... ...

[Apr 28, 2021] Biden Administration To Ban Menthol Cigarettes... Because They're 'Racist'- - ZeroHedge

Creepy Uncle Joe claims that regular flavored cigarettes don't kill as many black people as menthol cigarettes and will henceforth be canceled...

Apr 28, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

Menthol cigarettes are racist. Regular flavored cigarettes don't kill as many black people as menthol cigarettes and will henceforth be canceled. Because black people will ever only smoke menthol cigarettes and never smoke regular flavored cigarettes, right?

Washington Post:

On menthol, African American health groups and researchers say it is clear that Blacks have been disproportionately hurt by the cigarettes, which studies show are more addictive and harder to stop using than non-menthol cigarettes.

In the 1950s, only about 10 percent of Black smokers used menthol cigarettes. Today, that proportion is more than 85 percent, three times the rate for White smokers . African Americans die of tobacco-related illnesses, including cancer and heart disease, at higher rates than other groups, according to studies.

I smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day most of my adult life and I can tell you without hesitation or qualification that anyone who believes canceling one kind of cigarettes will get people to stop smoking should be fired for rank stupidity.

---

GodEmperor0fMankind 1 hour ago

He cant even get his son to stop smokin crack

ted41776 47 minutes ago

while naked in bed with underage relatives? allegedly

Hedgehog77 1 hour ago

But smoking meth and ****ting on the sidewalk is just fine.

onasip123 1 hour ago

When Menthol cigarettes are outlawed, only outlaws will have Menthol cigarettes.

dukeofthefoothills 1 hour ago

Biden: "If you smoke regular cigarettes, you're not Black, man."

Nature_Boy_Wooooo 1 hour ago

This is so awesome.

awake283 1 hour ago

When I smoked, I really only smoked menthols. Does that mean I was appropriating black culture?

-- ALIEN -- 1 hour ago

Reparations need to be made!

Gentleman Bastard 1 hour ago

Looks like a black market opportunity for menthol cigarettes just opened up.

HRH of Aquitaine 2.0 1 hour ago

Yep great minds think alike.

Lord Raglan 39 minutes ago (Edited)

Oregon legalized cocaine but they've outlawed straws.

Must be frustrating.

There's classic liberal logic for you.

holmes 1 hour ago

Blacks like menthol cigs better. So these cigs are racist. So does that make fried chicken racist also?

the6thBook PREMIUM 1 hour ago

Shouldn't blacks be upset that they are banning their cigarettes? Trying to make blacks smoke white cigarettes?

cowdiddly 37 minutes ago

Well, Obama did warn you that this Dotard was dumb as a rock.

I Believed him.

[Apr 27, 2021] The Ukraine Crisis Recedes - But A False Narrative Of It Leads To Bad Conclusions

Notable quotes:

"... The danger is that Gressel, and other 'political scientists' like him, may once take up government positions and use their learned illusions to handle the next crisis. Stuck in the idea that Russia will retreat if only 'deterred' enough they will lean to measures that are outright hostile to Russia and may have indeed very tragic consequences. ..."

Apr 27, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Stonebird , Apr 22 2021 18:02 utc | 2

Some two month ago we discussed how the U.S. focus on narratives will let it collide with reality . It is certainly not only the U.S. government that creates narratives, comes to believe in them, and then fails when it is confronted with reality. Carried by think tanks and media the narrative mold has grown throughout the wider 'western' world.

On the danger of this development the above piece quoted Alastair Crooke who wrote :

[B]eing so invested, so immersed, in one particular ‘reality’, others’ ‘truths’ then will not â€" cannot â€" be heard. They do not stand out proud above the endless flat plain of consensual discourse. They cannot penetrate the hardened shell of a prevailing narrative bubble, or claim the attention of élites so invested in managing their own version of reality .

The ‘Big Weakness’? The élites come to believe their own narratives â€" forgetting that the narrative was conceived as an illusion, one among others, created to capture the imagination within their society (not others’).

They lose the ability to stand apart, and see themselves â€" as others see them. They become so enraptured by the virtue of their version of the world, that they lose all ability to empathise or accept others’ truths. They cannot hear the signals. The point here, is that in that talking past (and not listening) to other states, the latters’ motives and intentions will be mis-construed â€" sometimes tragically so.

Over the last weeks we passed through a crisis that easily could have had a tragic ending.

Since February the Ukraine built up a force to retake the renegade Donbas region in east-Ukraine by military force. After waiting several week to see the situation more clearly Russia started to assemble a counterforce backed up by statements that were sufficiently strong to deter the Ukraine from continuing its plans. The danger of a Ukrainian assault has now receded.

Today the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu gave orders for the troops to return to their bases. Much of the equipment though will stay on training grounds near Ukraine until the regular fall maneuvers later this year take place. That minimizes transport costs and gives a little time advantage should someone in the Ukraine again have silly ideas.

Russia has clearly won this round.

But that is not how it looks when seen from the 'western' narrative. In that version the Ukrainian plans and its assembling of heavy weapons and troops near the Donbas border never happened. The narrative says that the whole incident started as a 'Russian aggression' when Russia very publicly showed its potential force.

Only a few analysts on the 'western' side have rejected that narrative and stuck to reality. Dmitri Trenin of Carnegie's Moscow Center is one who got it right :

In February, Zelensky ordered troops (as part of the rotation process) and heavy weapons (as a show of force) to go near to the conflict zone in Donbas. He did not venture out as far as Poroshenko, who dispatched small Ukrainian naval vessels through the Russian-controlled waters near the Kerch Strait in late 2018, but it was enough to get him noticed in Moscow.

The fact of the matter is that even if Ukraine cannot seriously hope to win the war in Donbas, it can successfully provoke Russia into action.

This, in turn, would produce a knee-jerk reaction from Ukraine’s Western supporters and further aggravate Moscow’s relations, particularly with Europe. One way or another, the fate of Nord Stream II will directly affect Ukraine’s interests. Being seen as a victim of Russian aggression and presenting itself as a frontline state checking Russia’s further advance toward Europe is a major asset of Kyiv’s foreign policy.

Russia intentionally over reacted to Kiev's opening move. It demonstrated its overkill capability and made it clear to Zelensky's western sponsors that any further provocations would have extremely harsh consequences. As Putin said yesterday :

Those behind provocations that threaten the core interests of our security will regret what they have done in a way they have not regretted anything for a long time.

Zelensky's plan did not work out. While he did get verbal statements of support from Biden and NATO everyone knew that those were empty promises. But for people who have fallen for the false narrative the situation looks different. Consider this reaction to Shoigu's return-to-barracks order today from a member of the European Council On Foreign Relations (a U.S. lobby shop in Europe):

Gustav C. Gressel @GresselGustav - 13:15 UTC · Apr 22, 2021

I have to congratulate (Flag of United States) @JoeBiden to deterence success and crisis management. The right warnings were sent to Moscow, the right intelligence to Ukraine. (Flag of Russia) could not extort concessions, could not provoke. Let's see w. these forces aren't just redeployed to (Flag of Belarus).

Indeed Biden's order last week to pull back two war ships that were supposed to go into the Black Sea to support Ukraine was really great deterrence. But that was not a warning to Moscow. It did not deter Russia from doing anything. But it did end Zelensky's illusions of U.S. support.

But for Gressel, who like others is stuck to the 'western' narrative, the sense is different. He really seems to believe that the U.S. deterred Russia from some nefarious plans which it never had. He ignores that Russia reacted to a Ukrainian provocation in a way that, in the end, has made NATO and the U.S. look weak.

The danger is that Gressel, and other 'political scientists' like him, may once take up government positions and use their learned illusions to handle the next crisis. Stuck in the idea that Russia will retreat if only 'deterred' enough they will lean to measures that are outright hostile to Russia and may have indeed very tragic consequences. To repeat Crooke's warning :

The point here, is that in that talking past (and not listening) to other states, the latters’ motives and intentions will be mis-construed â€" sometimes tragically so.

Posted by b on April 22, 2021 at 17:25 UTC | Permalink

The Russians have only partly gone. Heavy weapons will remain in place which can be reactivated easily. (Particularly in Crimea). However the Russian "Threat" to Zelnsky is still there. Logically he should now have more difficulty in stirring up the EU and US for cash and weapons as the "obvious and visble" threat is diminished. I don't think his troops can stay indefinitely where they are. How can he continue to pay for all his new mercenaries, new arms?

So how is the MSM going to react? They have a lot of "journalists" around there, waiting for something to happen.

One obvious factor is that the supply lines of both are within their own countries (Ukraine for Ukrainians, and Russia for the Russians). Those that have the longest supply lines are NATO, the UK and US.

An earlier ploy (Attempted violent assassination of Lukashenko and most of the Belarusian parliament), with Georgia and other close by countries getting involved too, is now unlikely. BUT the US is desperate to cut the Russian-Chinese access to Europe by any means. What's next? Plan ....F?

---

Someone_New , Apr 22 2021 18:18 utc | 3

The Western narrative was also very clearly visible in the latest printed "Der Spiegel" 16/2021 (News magazine in Germany). They had a 4 page article about Ukraine with the title "On the edge of war". They reported at length about russian troops near the border.

Explicitely they wrote about sabre rattling from russia and generally gave the impression that all action is solely on the russian side and must be seen negatively or with grave concerns.
But they failed completely to mention Ukrainian troop movements, bellicose rhetoric or even the Zelensky's decrete 117/2021 from march 23rd with the translated title "Strategy of de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol".

james , Apr 22 2021 18:19 utc | 4

b... thanks.. yes - narrative and controlling the narrative is what so much of this is about.... people in the west are not told of ukraines role in any of this or how they are encouraged by the west... instead what they are told is how russia is building up along the ukraine border.... in other words only one side of the story is told, and not both..nor is the timing of all of it shared either... people are literally given a script or narrative tailor made for brainwashing.. and indeed it works on most...

for an example of this today - i was listening to cbc radio - national news show ''the currenct''.. the host matt galloway discusses the situation with Mark MacKinnon, senior international correspondent for the Globe and Mail; Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at the New School in New York; and Michael Bociurkiw, global affairs analyst, formerly with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

listen from 22:48" for a good example of script writing and narrative control here... CBC The Current for April 22, 2021

Nev , Apr 22 2021 18:35 utc | 5

I am not so sure that this is over. The Belarus coup was intended to be around May 9. Zelensky has called up the reserves who ever they might be. He just floated the idea of banning Russia from the SWIFT so that it is on everyone's mind when Ukraine claims they were attacked. The NS2 will likely be initially complete in May. The USS Cook and Roosevelt are waiting for the British boats and will likely enter together. They have not yet given notice that I have seen. Two frigates are transiting the Suez to join their fellow yanks. I see a perfect storm yet coming. Shoigu is bright and knows that it looks good to announce the return to barracks, but he has access to my data plus a ton more. He knows that the situation is still fluid and volatile.

Hoarsewhisperer , Apr 22 2021 18:52 utc | 6

...
But for Gressel, who like others is stuck to the 'western' narrative, the sense is different. He really seems to believe that the U.S. deterred Russia from some nefarious plans which it never had. He ignores that Russia reacted to a Ukrainian provocation in a way that, in the end, has made NATO and the U.S. look weak.

This delusion reminded me of a retort, from an astute observer, to a dopey remark made by Bush II soon after the start if the Iraq Fake War. Bush said "We're gonna turn EyeRack into fly-paper for ter'rists! To which the observer responded...
"If Iraq was fly-paper then the only bug that got stuck to it was Bush."

vk , Apr 22 2021 19:14 utc | 7

I'm one of the most ardent proponents of the "imbecilization of the West" hypothesis, but this is clearly a diplomatic style face-saving plausible deniability exit by the West.

The West knows time is not on its side in the Ukrainian issue, and its puppet president threw a Hail Mary. Russia correctly didn't swallow the bait, and the West fell back as it knew it would have to, since this was a long shot.

NS-2 is now getting finished, and the Ukraine will consolidate itself more than ever as a black hole of American resources. The West, however, has one last ace in the hole: the German Green Party, which is well positioned to form the next government after the December national elections. The NS-2 certainly won't be finished by then, if the American diplomacy is to do its job properly, and the Greens will have all the tools at hand to implode the project, thus giving the Ukraine some more years to ride on American finance by its gas leverage (over which all its sovereign T-bonds rest at this point).

The key to Ukrainian success is in Germany, not in Russia.

Piotr Berman , Apr 22 2021 19:20 utc | 9

One advantage that Ukraine has in military terms is the number of people who willingly and enthusiastically want to join the army for the sake of de-occupation (interesting why they invented a replacement of "liberation" that has at least two equivalents with Slavic roots, perhaps they do not like their current occupations). The best proof is that through their democratically elected representatives they voted for a huge increase of punishments for avoiding conscription.

The other proof is that, temporarily at least, Ukrainians abolished the system of rotation in which units were staying on the fortified lines literally dying of boredom and related risk (alcohol poisoning, explosions of stills making moonshine, drug overdoses, suicide, stepping over their own mines, to mention a few), instead the troops to be rotated stayed in place and the other units joined them nearby.

However, Russian conscripts without the advantage of Ukrainian enthusiasm have better weapons. Modernizing Ukrainian military is a tall order. The budget barely supports the troops without modernization, the domestic industry in its better years relied to selling parts to Russia and buying other parts, remnants of industrial integration of Soviet times. Supplying them with NATO weapons would require huge gifts that (a) could be unpopular in the West (b) raise risk of getting the best toys of NATO to Russian in exchange for non-toxic alcohol, fresh Afghan heroin etc. Did I mention mind-killing military service? And with not so best toys, like missile boats that are about to be de-commissioned, say, in Canada, they do not really change the strategic balance.

Thus Zelensky had to be saved from his own rhetoric and gestures -- the aforementioned change in "rotation". Kiev authorities have a good practice in "never mind". For example, they utilize fascist radicals to intimidate opposition, but they are what I call "pet cobras", biting the hand that feeds them is what is programmed into their reptilian minds that do not have circuits for "friends" and "gratitude". And because of some grievances they trashed the Presidential place of work, insulting graffiti, broken windows, a broken and burned door, so three ringleaders got arrested, Parliament spent a few hours being appalled (after thinking for a week what to say), and now one ringleader was let free, with the remainder probably joining him soon (one at the time, I think). See folks: nothing happened.

It is possible that Napoleonic rhetoric and gestures were planned to get a "street cred" with those hoodlums, or that they were discreetly encouraged by an embassy (some people think that UK is the leader here, USA having mental problems and distractions). Or some combination.

Bernard F. , Apr 22 2021 19:25 utc | 12

Too much narrative, kills the narrative

Https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-orders-troop-pullback-keeps-weapons-near-ukraine

Even Fox don't buy it

vetinLA , Apr 22 2021 19:27 utc | 13

Our problem here in the U$A is still the same as always. Mr. Z's announcement on 3/24 about his nation's intentions to take back the Crimea, were NEVER mentioned on our MSM. It's always Russian aggression, or China's aggression. It's NEVER our fault.

Somehow, someway, that scenario MUST change.

jared , Apr 22 2021 20:23 utc | 17

Being seen as a victim of Russian aggression and presenting itself as a frontline state checking Russia’s further advance toward Europe is a major asset of Kyiv’s foreign policy.

Wait...what?

I think B takes the "administration" too literally -
We know they are lying, they know they are lying, everyone knows they are lying but they are creating a virtual world in which their behavior is rational and justified. I am not sure why exactly such an artificial construct is seen as helpful. I suppose you could blame it on the voting public in the democratic west but we all realize by this point that the west is in no way democratic in a literal, functional sense - they less than do not give a damn what the little people think in fact they could well do with a lot fewer of them and really without the need of actual vote counting.

Possibly to their dog at night under the covers and after many martinis to help them forget what they are, they admit something like their best attempt at the truth.

And anyway, what did really happen to Seth Rich?

oldhippie , Apr 22 2021 21:29 utc | 19

The militias with their supposed morale â€" These are the grandkids and great grandkids of WWII collaborators. Middle class and hipsters. In a country where there basically is no middle class. Ukraine’s economy is at African level. Only source of funds for anything is the US embassy. There is no agenda but the agenda of 1945. Any from the 2014 crop who had anything on the ball whatsoever is now my neighbor. What is left in Uke is the dregs. Hipsters do not hang around in failed states.

Entire political landscape is now centered on US Embassy. Oligarchs might have some input still, their wealth is out of country and so are they most of time.

Pure political vacuum. Nature abhors a vacuum. CIA and their hired actors will fill the stage, journalists will report their antics. They are playing to an empty house. Ukraine could exist in same zone as Libya or Iraq for a long time. In end nothing fills the vacuum but Russian Federation.

JohninMK , Apr 22 2021 21:33 utc | 20

Piotr Berman 9

The Russian military's policy is not to use conscripts on the front lines, that role is far too important to trust to what are partially trained soldiers, they are used in support functions. The frontline is manned by professional soldiers.

Zelenski has got $300M of 'stuff' out of Congress this week so that was a result for him.

Russia might be pulling back but the Ukrainians haven't got the message. My understanding is there are 50,000 Ukrainian army and 20,000 Ukrainian security forces normally in the Donbass on the frontlines against 30,000 or so NAF. This crisis came when another 30,000 troops plus heavy weapons were moved into the area. Two days ago OSCE reported that two artillery battalions of self propelled 122mm and 152 guns have been moved up to the front. Then apparently earlier this week, two battalions of the Azov were moved up from Mariupol (their normal area) to the front lines facing Donetsk City. Most of these 20,000 security forces would be your Nazi wannabe's with the Azov unit being the largest. For those of you not watching in 2014/5 Azov are the evil bastards that make the Red Army in WW2 Germany look like angels.

So Kiev is still building an overpowering strike force with a probable objective of a thrust through the center to the Russian border, splitting the two 'rebel' states. Both US and UK and no doubt other advisors are on site. The Global Hawk is sucking up data overhead most days. There is NATO pride on the line here planning and directing. We await a false flag.

I think b is being a bit too optimistic. Somehow they have to stop NS2, in many ways their futures depend on transit gas and, as before, they won't care how many have to die to save their skins and wallets.

Tom , Apr 22 2021 22:25 utc | 22

This tweet by circle jerker extraordinaire Anders Aslund, sums up todays essay by b.

"I tend to socialise with the elite in Kyiv (sic)" (not with the deplorables)

https://twitter.com/27khv/status/1385162324705783812

PokeTheTruth , Apr 23 2021 0:45 utc | 33

President Putin consulted with Minster of Defense Shoigu and asks if the troops can be scaled back from the lines of contact without significantly reducing tactical capability. Shoigu runs the numbers and delivers the answer that Putin was looking for.

Putin is offering an olive branch to Zelensky knowing full well his military can roll over the eastern and southern borders of Ukraine with impunity.

Does Zelensky do the same? No, instead he calls up reserve boys to make himself look tough.

A Russian proverb that is most appropriate in this case is this: Ð"урнаÌÑ Ð³Ð¾Ð"Ð¾Ð²Ð°Ì Ð½Ð¾Ð³Ð°Ìм покоÌÑ Ð½Ðµ даÑ'Ñ‚. Translation: The stupid head doesn't leave feet in rest or in other words, no rest for the wicked.

[Apr 27, 2021] Flashpoint Ukraine- Don't Poke the Bear by Mike Whitney and Israel Shamir

Notable quotes:

"... Bioâ€" Israel Shamir is a writer on international affairs, a radical political thinker, and a Biblical and Judaic scholar. His comments on current affairs are published on The Unz Review , and on his own sites www.israelshamir.net and www.israelshamir.com . His books Galilee Flowers , Cabbala of Power , Masters of Discourse are available on the Amazon… Shamir was a dissident in the USSR and in Israel where he called for full rights for the Palestinians. He is also a global dissident who calls for the dismantling the New World Order and the American Empire ..."

"... Churchill’s observation about the USA cannot be more apt, “The US will do the right thing, after it has done all others.†Hopefully, that is before nuclear Armageddon is unleashed upon us. ..."

Apr 27, 2021 | www.unz.com

Question 1â€" For the last 4 years, Democrat leaders have blamed Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 elections. Now the Democratsâ€" who control all three branches of government â€" have the power to reset US foreign policy and take a more hostile approach to Moscow. But will they?

At present, there are roughly 40,000 US-NATO troops massed along the Russian border conducting military exercises while scores of Russian tanks, artillery and an estimated 85,000 Russian troops are now located about 25 miles from Ukraine’s eastern border. Both armies are on hair-trigger alert and prepared for any sudden provocation. If the Ukrainian Army invades the Russian-speaking region of Ukraine (Donbas), Moscow will likely respond.

So, will there be a conflagration in the Ukraine this spring and, if so, how will Putin respond? Will he limit the scope of his campaign to the Donbas or push onward to Kiev?

Israel Shamirâ€" If the Russian army crosses the Ukrainian border, it won’t stop in the Donbas. The war will be brief and the Ukraine will be split into pieces. But will it happen?

Russia’s totem animal, the Bear, is a strong and peaceful animal that is not easily aroused, but once provoked, it is unstoppable. Russian rulers have typically fit this image. They weren’t adventurous, but level-headed and prudent. Putin, who is the quintessential Russian ruler, is risk-averse. He won’t start a war he never wanted to begin with, but he will act decisively if he needs to do so. Consider 2014, after the Ukrainian coup: the lawful Ukrainian president Mr Yanukovich ran to Russia and asked Putin to help him regain power. At that time, the Ukrainian army was weak and Russia could have easily retaken the country without facing any significant resistance. But, surprisingly, Putin did not give the order to take Kiev.

Putin is unpredictable. He ordered the seizure of Crimea despite the counsel of his advisors. It was an unexpected move, and it worked like a charm. He also pummeled Georgia in 2008 after Saakashvili invaded South Ossetia. This was another surprise move that succeeded better than anyone could have imagined. If the Ukrainians try to retake Donbas, the Russian army will beat them badly and continue on to Kiev. The presence of NATO’s troops will not deter Putin.

As for the Democrats, they can push Kiev to attack, but they will end up losing the Ukraine in the process. If the point is to poison relations between Russia and Europe, they can try to do so, but if they think the Russo-Ukrainian war is going to drag on, they’re mistaken. And if they think Putin won’t defend the Donbas, they’ve made a serious miscalculation.

Biden’s recent phone call to Putin suggests that the administration has decided not to launch a war after all. The unconfirmed report of two US ships turning away from the Black Sea fits this assessment. However, we cannot be sure about this since the Kremlin refused to agree to Biden’s offer for a meeting. The Kremlin’s response was a frosty “We shall study the proposalâ€. Russians feel that the summit proposal might be a trick aimed at buying time to strengthen their position. Bottom line: We cannot know certain how things will play out in the future.

Question 2â€" I have a hard time understanding what the Biden administration hopes to gain by provoking a war in the Ukraine. Seizing the Donbas will force the government to impose a costly, long-term military occupation that will be ferociously resisted by Russian-speaking people who live in the area. How does that benefit Washington?

I don’t think it does. I think the real objective is to provoke Putin into overreacting, thus, proving that Russia poses a threat to all of Europe. The only way Washington can persuade its EU allies that they should not engage in critical business transactions (like Nordstream) with Moscow, is if they can prove that Russia is an “external threat†to their collective security.

Do you agree with this or do you think Washington has something to gain by launching a war in the Ukraine?

Israel Shamirâ€" What do you mean by ‘overreacting’? Putin is not threatening to nuke Washington or take over Brussels or storm Warsaw? But to solve the problem of Ukraine on such occasion would be entirely reasonable .

When the regime in Kiev began to prepare for war a few months ago, they thought it would be a repeat of 2015, where they attack Donbas, the Donbas suffers losses, and then the Russian army steps in to prevent their defeat. They saw it as a limited war with a good chance of regaining Donbas. But Moscow has indicated that they will respond to any unprovoked aggression using their full strength, thereby crushing the Ukrainian state. In other words, the Russian army won’t stop at the Donbas but will proceed to the western borders of the Ukraine until the entire country is liberated.

Is that ‘overreacting’?

Definitely not. The people of Ukraine would be saved from the nationalist, anti-Russian regime, and the people of Russia would be saved from a NATO base on their western flank. Hopefully the EU will understand this. As for the US, the Russians have already made up their minds; the United States is an enemy. There has been a tectonic shift in Russia, and that shift is the result of Russia’s weariness with the United States’ proxy assaults.

The US would like to see the Donbas reintegrated into the Ukrainian state because then they’d be praised as a ‘mighty defender of an East European country against Russia’. But then Russia would have permanent low-level war on its border. Either way, Russia’s relations with Europe would be poisoned and the EU would probably end up buying expensive liquefied gas from the US rather than instead the much cheaper Russian gas.

Russia’s decision to launch a full-blown attack on the Ukraine has made the whole plan irrelevant. Putin will not allow it to happen.

The Ukrainians are flexible folks. At present, they submit to anti-Russian nationalist narrative, but if the Russian army were to come, the Ukrainians would quickly remember that they were co-founders of the USSR, brothers to Russians, and they would shake off the nightmarish nationalist rule. The Ukrainians are wonderful people, but they easily adapt to new rulers, be they the German Wehrmacht, the Polish landlords, the Petlyura Nationalists, or the Communists. They would adapt to a partnership with Russia, too. Similarly, the Russians would embrace the Ukrainians as they did in 1920 and in 1945.

Question 3â€" The Russian army would have little problem capturing the Capitol, but holding on to Kiev might be a different matter altogether. Let’s say, Russian troops are deployed to Kiev to maintain the peace while a provisional government is established in the run-up to free elections. What would the US response be? What would NATO’s response be? How would this maneuver be portrayed in the western media? Would it be portrayed as a “liberation†or an “occupation by a ruthless imperial powerâ€? Would this help or hurt Moscow’s relations with its partners around the world and particularly Germany where Nordstream is still under construction?

And wouldn’t this scenario prompt the US Intel agencies to arm, train and fund disparate groups of far-right extremists who would carry out a protracted insurgency against Russian troops in Kiev? How is that in Russia’s interest? Why would Putin put himself in the same situation the US put itself in Afghanistan, where a poorly-armed, ragtag militia has made governance impossible forcing the US to pack-up and leave 20 years later. Is that what Putin wants?

Israel Shamirâ€" The comparison with Afghanistan is absurd. The Ukraine is a part of Russia that became independent the moment the Soviet Union collapsed. Ukrainians are Russians of a sort. They have the same religion, the same language, the same culture, and the same history. Yes, the CIA did try to arm the Ukrainian insurgency after WWII, but with little success. You could compare a takeover of Kiev with a takeover of Atlanta by Sherman.

Ukrainian independence and separation probably cannot be reversed right away, but instead of one big unwieldy state, Ukraine can be transformed into a few coherent independent units. Western Ukraine is likely to join Poland as an independent or semi-independent state. East and South Ukraine could become semi-independent under Russian umbrella, or join Russian Federation. And historical Ukraine around Poltava could try and go its own way. I think the Ukrainians would be happy to reunite with their mother state, or at least to become friendly with Moscow. There will be no need to deploy Russian troops in Kiev or elsewhere. There are enough Ukrainians to govern and control the situation and to deal with remaining extreme nationalists.

What would the US and NATO response be? How would this maneuver be portrayed in the western media? Probably the same as their response to Crimea takeover. They will be angry, unhappy, furious. The problem is they already are. They’ve already imposed sanctions on Russia and reinstalled the Iron Curtain. They’ve already done everything short of a military confrontation. Russia is so annoyed by it all, that she is beyond caring about another bout of sanctions.

I am certain that Russia won’t start a war in the Ukraine, but if Kiev does, the Russian army will topple the regime just like the US toppled regimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and many other states. And, any attempt to establish US or NATO military bases in Ukraine will undoubtedly be seen as casus belli.

Russians think that a big war is unavoidable, so it’s probably better to have the Ukraine under Moscow’s control before that war breaks out. The US is an enemy; that is the feeling in Russia. If the US wants to change that perception, it should act fast .

Question 4â€" Is Washington genuinely interested in the Ukraine or is it just a staging-ground for its war on Russia??

Israel Shamirâ€" Washington would like to initiate a low-intensity war between Ukraine and Russia, a long-lasting war that would drain Russian resources and kill Russian troops; a war that would divert Russia’s attention from other hotspots, like in Syria or Libya . This is the way in which the US is laying the groundwork for an even bigger confrontation with Russia in the future.

Putin has accepted the breakup of the USSR. He’s not trying to reconstruct the Soviet empire nor is he particularly interested in the Ukraine. Twice he allowed Russia’s enemies to carry Ukraine away: in 2004 and in 2014. He has showed that he’d prefer to have as little to do with Ukraine as possible. Being a lawyer by education, Putin has a legal mind. He thought that Minsk Treaties were good enough a solution for all concerned. (The Minsk Treaty would “federalize†the Ukraine) He didn’t expect that Kiev would just ignore the treaties, but that’s what happened. Now he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. He’s not keen on annexing any part of Ukraine, but he might be forced to do so sooner or later.

In the last few weeks, US-Russian relations have deteriorated significantly. Russia is deeply offended by recent developments and will not go back to “business as usualâ€. We have entered uncharted waters and there is no way to predict what will happen next.

Question 5â€" No one in the United States benefits from a conflict with Russia, in fact, a military confrontation with Moscow poses a serious and, perhaps, existential threat to Russians and Americans alike. Still, the rush to war continues apace, mainly because the US military â€"with all of its millions of troops and high-tech weaponryâ€" is in the hands of a foreign policy establishment that is determined to control the vast resources and growth-potential of Central Asia despite the casualties and destruction that strategy will undoubtedly cause.

The biggest obstacle to this plan is Russia, which is why â€"since the collapse of the Soviet Unionâ€" the US and NATO have made every effort to encircle Russia, deploy missile sites to its borders, conduct hostile military exercises on its perimeter, and arm and train Islamic extremists to fight in its provinces. (Chechnya) Now that Joe Biden has been elected president, I would expect the hostilities towards Russia will rapidly intensify in both Ukraine and Syria. Biden has already shown that he will do whatever he is told to do by the foreign policy “Borgâ€, which means that war with Russia might be unavoidable.

Do you agree or disagree with this analysis?

Israel Shamirâ€" There are forces that want to control and direct mankind. These forces use the US as their enforcer. The Trump-related part of the US elites want the US to be the main beneficiary of the process. The Biden-related part of the US elites is more globally-oriented. Russia is ready to adjust to some of their demands (vaccination, climate) in order to avoid a final showdown. On the other hand, we don’t completely know what these global elites really want. And why the sense of urgency? Why the lack of concern for the American people or the Russians or the Europeans? Perhaps Davos is the new center of power and they are simply upset by Putin’s disobedience?

What we can say for certain is that imperialists always seek world hegemony. Independent Russia presents a challenge to that plan. Perhaps, western elites think they can bring Russia into full compliance by brinkmanship and threatening war? Perhaps, what we’re seeing in the Ukraine is an attempt to browbeat Russia into obedience? The danger is that they will push things too far and start a war they can neither manage or contain.

Putin remembers the fate of Saddam and Gadhafi. He’s not going to throw in the towel and back down. He’s not going to give up or give in.

To my American readers I’d say that the US is very strong and the people of the US can have a wonderful life even without world hegemony, in fact, hegemony is not in their interests at all. What they should seek is a strong nationalist policy that cares for the American people and avoids wasteful foreign wars.

Bioâ€" Israel Shamir is a writer on international affairs, a radical political thinker, and a Biblical and Judaic scholar. His comments on current affairs are published on The Unz Review , and on his own sites www.israelshamir.net and www.israelshamir.com . His books Galilee Flowers , Cabbala of Power , Masters of Discourse are available on the Amazon… Shamir was a dissident in the USSR and in Israel where he called for full rights for the Palestinians. He is also a global dissident who calls for the dismantling the New World Order and the American Empire

---

Carlton Meyer , says: • Website April 19, 2021 at 4:32 am GMT • 3.9 days ago

NATO forces near Ukraine are there for a showy training exercise. They don’t have the ammunition or other supplies to fight for more than 48 hours. Moreover, the troops have no interest in an idiotic and suicidal war with Russia. Most Ukrainian soldiers feel the same way. Ukraine is not part of NATO, and NATO Generals will do nothing without approval from their own nation, which will not come. There is no Ukraine crisis, this is just another game to boost military budgets.

Majority of One , says: April 19, 2021 at 5:01 am GMT • 3.9 days ago

Of all the forest folks, the one most zealous in protection of her cubs is Mama Bear. If there are any adults pulling the strings in the Di$trict of Corruption; they should understand that elementary bit of geopolitical logic.

Shamir could be correct in assuming that the Kamala’s Foote/Biden regime, a selected rather than elected governmental administration, being comprised mostly of poker players, did realize that Putin called their bluff when his foreign affairs and military people let Washington know, and not in traditional diplomatic language, that those two American destroyers dispatched to the Black Sea would be sailing in dangerous waters. They promptly turned tail and headed back westwards. Almost literally, the Russian move was a traditional shot across the bow.

Nevertheless, Putin’s Russia stands in the way of not only the world’s greatest potential resource grab, but perhaps also they block “The Great Resetâ€, signifiying the entire globalist New World Order agenda as ordered by the West’s ruling Bank$ter crime clans. With Russia now having developed the world’s most advanced military technology, training and tactics and with a nonpareil civil defense organization and with China fast becoming the planet’s most potent economic engine; the Cabal may feel their horizon to seize full world control is rapidly narrowing. The next several months to maybe three or four years could be make or break time for their overarching agenda of total control.

So the wheel’s still in spin, as the 20th Century’s great Jewish prophet, Bob Dylan sang it out some number of years ago. One of the more positive aspects of Judaism is that they do produce some amazing prophets, rebels questioning authority, the lot of them over multiples of centuries.

We are said by some meta-historical observers, to have entered the opening years of the Age of Aquarius, a 2,600 year era of change, as of December 31, 2012. Perhaps that is another reason why the Cabal seems to be going for broke in their encroachments on Russia, China, Iran, Syria and even little Lebanon. The Age of Pisces, with its stolen version of “Christianityâ€, is fast fading into a past created by Imperial Rome. Younger people all across the globe are deserting organized religion and its many dogmas.

Geopoliticallyâ€"militarilyâ€"astute observers tend to agree that should the puppet regime in Kiev opt to march eastwards, they will get whupped upside the head by an enraged (but not stupidly so) Mama Bear.

Personally, my own take is that should push come to shove, it is not likely that Russian forces would attempt to take Kiev or the region around Poltava. Nor would they countenance the certain headache of advancing on Uniate/Catholic/fascist-dominated Galicia. Their stopline might actuate, say a hundred kilometers east of the Ukrainian capital. However, their units might well envelop Odessa and the entire Black Sea coast all the way to the Transnistria/Moldavia border.

Ukraine would be reduced to rump-state status but would be guaranteed independence and protection by a Russia-Belorus consortium. The long Polish and then Austro-Hungarian dominated Galicia would likely seek some form of federation status with Poland and Lithuania. Chances are that the Kremlin would be happy with that outcome.

The Evil Empire and NATO will huff and puff. Diplomats will get shuffled around. Wiser heads would consider the speed of the Russian advance and their combat efficiency and decide to recoup their losses and do what they can to keep Europe in thrall. Time to work on Plan B.

Miro23 , says: April 19, 2021 at 5:42 am GMT • 3.9 days ago

To my American readers I’d say that the US is very strong and the people of the US can have a wonderful life even without world hegemony, in fact, hegemony is not in their interests at all. What they should seek is a strong nationalist policy that cares for the American people and avoids wasteful foreign wars.

The problem here, is that the American people are crushed and powerless, and in the grip of something morphing into a Neo-Bolshevik style dictatorship. Similarly to the mid 1930’s this dictatorship wants world power â€" and from this perspective Ukraine looks more like Spain 1936 (the first act of a much bigger show).

Biden’s recent phone call to Putin suggests that the administration has decided not to launch a war after all. The unconfirmed report of two US ships turning away from the Black Sea fits this assessment. However, we cannot be sure about this since the Kremlin refused to agree to Biden’s offer for a meeting. The Kremlin’s response was a frosty “We shall study the proposalâ€. Russians feel that the summit proposal might be a trick aimed at buying time to strengthen their position.

Except that the US ordered two British warships to go there instead.

TASS, April 18. Two British warships will sail for the Black Sea in May. According to The Sunday Times, a source in the Royal Navy indicated that this gesture is intended to show solidarity with Ukraine and NATO in the region against the background of the situation at the Russian-Ukrainian border.

According to the newspaper, one Type 45 destroyer armed with anti-aircraft missiles and an anti-submarine Type 23 frigate will peel off from the Royal Navy’s carrier task group in the Mediterranean and sail through the Bosphorus into the Black Sea.

It is reported that the decision was made in order to support Ukraine after the US cancelled its plans of sending two destroyers to the Black Sea in order to avoid further escalation in the region and tensions with Russia. It is noted that in case of a threat on the part of Russia, the UK is ready to send other military equipment to the region.

https://tass.com/world/1279483

I would guess that the US Trotskyites plan to push the Ukrainians into a war and then launch a massive international media barrage, “heroic Ukrainian patriotsâ€, “Russian atrocitiesâ€, “killer Putin†etc. sufficient to finish with Nord Stream 2 and scare France and Germany back into the US fold.

If this is right, then they’re not expecting Russia to retake the whole of the Ukraine, and they’re not planning to start WW3.

However, Russia’s lowest risk strategy would probably still be to only defend their existing positions making it difficult to claim a “Russian invasionâ€. They’ve probably already lost Nord Stream (which is really a German loss â€" and the Germans know what the ZioGlob are doing here). This buys time, and given that the US is already on a fast downward slope, lets them keep sliding.

Marshall Lentini , says: April 19, 2021 at 6:30 am GMT • 3.8 days ago

The Ukrainians are flexible folks. At present, they submit to anti-Russian nationalist narrative, but if the Russian army were to come, the Ukrainians would quickly remember that they were co-founders of the USSR, brothers to Russians, and they would shake off the nightmarish nationalist rule. The Ukrainians are wonderful people, but they easily adapt to new rulers, be they the German Wehrmacht, the Polish landlords, the Petlyura Nationalists, or the Communists. They would adapt to a partnership with Russia, too. Similarly, the Russians would embrace the Ukrainians as they did in 1920 and in 1945.

Pure idealism.

Do not underestimate the extent to which the experience of independence, the anti-Russian narrative, billions in remittances from migrant workers in Poland, the massive and entrenched bribery system involving American politicians, and especially the “annexation†of Crimea, have stoked nationalist sentiment in every segment of Ukrainian society, short of those explicitly identifying as Russian.

I have seen Ukrainians from all over that country go as red in the face, and as fast, over Crimea as Americans about “trans rightsâ€. It is fever-pitch over there. We tend to look down on their small-nation complex, but at least it’s about lebensraum and not some degenerate ideology. I assume Moscow keeps that well in mind.

They may roll over in the end, but it will not be an embrace.

Alfred , says: April 19, 2021 at 6:30 am GMT • 3.8 days ago

Things have changed a lot over the past 20 years. Governments and media have total control over populations. For proof, just look at how stupid the population of countries like the UK and Australia have become. They actually still believe that masks and lockdowns are a good thing. They believe that they are personally threatened by a virus that hardly kills any healthy person under the age of 70.

If the Russians get control of the centre of Kiev â€" with its mobile telephony, TV, radio and websites â€" the game is up. It suffices to send an SMS to all inhabitants of Kiev to say that they will be shot if they venture outdoors and that will be the end of the matter. Gradually, shops, transport and businesses can reopen. The police will have new orders and that will be it. There is no need for Russian troops to patrol. There will be no ambushes by Nazis. The elite Jews who currently control the place will panic.

There will be no repeat of Maidan. No one will be able to come by coach from Lvov to create havoc. Most Nazis will try to pretend that they never had anything to do with it.

The personal links between all individuals is to be found in their mobile phone usage. Anyone who spoke to Zelensky, Poroshenko etc in the last 12 months could be detained and investigated. The same is true for their emails. Everyone uses Russian in Kiev. It would be a cinch for the Russians to go through all the emails electronically.

Freeze all bank accounts and only allow a small withdrawal each week. Pull in all the international transfers. Find out who has been siphoning money from the state and sending it abroad. Arrest them.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Almost nothing we do these days is not permanently recorded in different computer systems.

Arrest and put on trial all those involved in the atrocities in the Donbass over the past 7 years. 13,000 plus people died â€" most of them civilians. Justice must be pursued. Hold a genuine investigation of the shootings at Maidan and the massacre in Odessa. Those who tortured the police chief of Mariupol must be exposed and punished.

GMC , says: April 19, 2021 at 7:14 am GMT • 3.8 days ago

Good article- Thanks â€" Crimea didn’t need much pushing , in order to Vote to go back to Russia â€" they are an Autonomous Republic that tried to go back in the 90s, but was foiled by Kyiv. Kiev made sure the Crimean Gov. was always stacked with mafia leaders, and the monies for routine infrastructure, school, hospital , gov. buildings, etc were pocketed.

Only the areas from Sevastopol to Yalta were kept up by Moscow itself. All the people saw this â€" we are the size of Vermont.

Elephant in the room ? The Globalists â€" Monsanto/Bayer, Cargill, DuPont, Eli Lili, and others that own a whole lot of Ukraine, esp. the breadbasket. Even the US Navy guards the port near Odecca, where they export their grain etc. So, what this past skirmish did was to move the security armies funding, from the Globalists to the US and EU taxpayer â€" so to speak. Mr. Shamir touches on this when he speaks about the †Borgâ€. Globalist 5 Ukraine 0 .

The US is run by the children , grandchildren of the Bolshevik Revolution, the Russian looters, the Babylonian Talmud Rabbi pet students, globalist stooges, and thousands of bought off Americans that work for them. Call them what you wish â€" they are Illuminati, Freemasons, Zionists, Bankers, Lawyers, Globalists, demented old men, opportunists â€" many different classes. To most of us tho, they are the defined Enemy and should be treated this way â€" mentally and physically.

Russians are totally different from todays Americans and that is what will keep Russia alive. Putin’s personality, patience, and drive is a great example of this . Shamir is spot on in his opinion of how laid back the Ukies are vs, the straight laced , serious Russians .

vox4non , says: April 19, 2021 at 7:50 am GMT • 3.8 days ago

Churchill’s observation about the USA cannot be more apt, “The US will do the right thing, after it has done all others.†Hopefully, that is before nuclear Armageddon is unleashed upon us.

Hapalong Cassidy , says: April 19, 2021 at 9:55 am GMT • 3.7 days ago

@Featherless

The MIC would like nothing better than for the Russians to show they mean business. Whatever it takes to justify even more outrageous military budgets in the future. The American people will be required to sacrifice more and more because of the “Russian threatâ€.

Ilya G Poimandres , says: April 19, 2021 at 9:58 am GMT • 3.7 days ago

@Anonymous

D America doesn’t care for Ukraine, but a little blood sacrifice could work to bubble up anger in their allies, and keep the NATO cult strong.

Marshall Lentini , says: April 19, 2021 at 11:18 am GMT • 3.6 days ago

@Alfred utin takes with neighboring peoples, even those Russia has just defeated, annexed, or supported against some other nation, is characterized by conciliation. This isn’t the 90’s; Ukraine, even the Donbas, is not Chechnya.

I don’t believe Ukrainians could be pacified, in the event. Their mentality has reached a level of blind hatred rivaled only by Jews for any whisper of dissent from their worldview.

On the other hand, Washington is very much out for blood, as we all know. Whose blood exactly is unclear, but the cost of retaining their Soros-funded Ukrainian honeypot, obtaining Central Asian wealth and shoring up the dollar, or whatever the fuck they truly want, would probably never be too high for others to pay.

Ross23 , says: April 19, 2021 at 11:39 am GMT • 3.6 days ago

There won’t be a war in Ukraine.

Russia has 200,000 troops and heavy equipment on the border. The moment the first shot is fired Ukie soldiers will be walking into a wall of lead and death. They know it so will the Ukie gov.

In fact if they ever were crazy enough to launch such an attack they, the Ukie leadership will almost certainly be signing their death warrants by triggering a military coup. There’s not many humiliating military losses that don’t end up in one for the instigators.

The US knows this so is trying a different type of escalation via Navalney hunger strike and this absurd accusation on the Czech arms dump explosion 7 years ago

MarkU , says: April 19, 2021 at 12:19 pm GMT • 3.6 days ago

@Anonymous finger and shriek about ‘Russian aggression’ in order to pressure the Germans into cancelling Nordstream 2 and any other Russian supplied energy.

Of course if the Europeans weren’t run by (((banker))) stooges and if they had any balls between them they would force the US to call the whole thing off and pressure the Ukrainian fascists to honour the Minsk 2 agreement. Sadly we are just going to have to prepare for the worst and hope it doesn’t go nuclear.

I see my own government (I am from the UK) has decided to send some sacrificial ships to the Black sea (the US apparently doesn’t want to risk theirs) What else can we expect when 2/3 of our parliament are in ‘Friends of Israel’ groups?

MLK , says: April 19, 2021 at 1:12 pm GMT • 3.5 days ago

Think of it like a game of geopolitical poker. About 30 years ago the US found itself with most of the chips. Russia’s stack had dwindled to a dangerously low level. China was husbanding its position. Now those other serious players have figured out how to play to US weaknesses, goading him into high risk, low reward positions.

Like I’ve been saying, China won the post-Cold War quarter century, hands down. It’s such a Sad Story, it’s been evident for years there is no price too high to pay in terms of our national interest to cover up the establishment’s malefactions.

In geopolitics, there’s a nasty tendency for strengths to morph into weaknesses. That explains these two sober, informed observers â€" interviewer and interviewee alike â€" struggling to delineate the method to the madness in US strategy and tactics.

It’s a helluva thing to be the principal moving party in a play that leaves the only question how big the gains will be for Russia and China, and in what ratio. Make no mistake, it isn’t coincidental that China is very publicly pressuring the US in the South China Sea at the moment. The land template has water implications.

It’s impossible to overstate the deleterious effects of the “Unipolar Moment†nonsense. Among the less consequential, unless you want to understand geopolitical events, was that we didn’t have to think to much about the geo-strategy of other powers. There’s been an excuse made for all of them, so-called enemies and allies alike. Russia was down and out. China just wanted to make a lot of washing machines. . . .

My essential point being â€" and we can file it as my suggesting you get ahead of the curve â€" is that you cease ignoring the objectives of all of these powers. They are not simply playing defense and, if you’re tempted to think that they still are, then ask yourself whether that’s what you would do if you sat in one of those big chairs with the US in such a piss poor condition?

Having succeeded with operation Get Rid Of Trump, as I predicted the payoffs have come fast and furious. Though not fast enough for the most proactive foreign powers. I knew there wasn’t much point in trying to figure out what the bargains were since they would become obvious after they installed “Biden.†Beyond, that is, Nord Stream 2, the contours of which were visible in the Navalny set-piece.

SteveK9 , says: April 19, 2021 at 2:09 pm GMT • 3.5 days ago

‘To my American readers I’d say that the US is very strong and the people of the US can have a wonderful life even without world hegemony, in fact, hegemony is not in their interests at all. What they should seek is a strong nationalist policy that cares for the American people and avoids wasteful foreign wars.’

Many Americans have recognized just that … we don’t seem to be able to defeat our ‘Deep State’. Trump was elected in large part because his goal was exactly that. He was defeated by the ‘Establishment’, ‘Deep State’, whatever you want to call it.

I’ve often pointed out that the US does not need an Empire, and in fact it is only of benefit to our oligarchs. The US does not even need trade. The US is a continent, it has everything it needs. If anyone wants to talk about oil/energy I would point out the existence of uranium. By the way, the same is true of Russia. It could exist perfectly well if it were the only country in the World.

But, we cannot change human nature … there are always the greedy and power-mad, and they are numerous … any doubts should have been removed by one word … lockdown.

Fiendly Neighbourhood Terrorist , says: • Website April 19, 2021 at 3:07 pm GMT • 3.5 days ago

“He (Putin) didn’t expect that Kiev would just ignore the treaties, but that’s what happened.â€

I do not think Putin is an idiot, but anyone who believed that the Ukranazis wouldn’t ignore the Minsk accords, which they signed only as a desperate attempt to stave off total defeat in 2015 (after being routed at the Battles of Donetsk Airport and Debaltsevo) is an idiot. This is the first time I have ever heard anyone suggesting that Putin (or anyone else) expected the Minsk Accord to succeed.

“Consider 2014, after the Ukrainian coup: the lawful Ukrainian president Mr Yanukovich ran to Russia and asked Putin to help him regain power. At that time, the Ukrainian army was weak and Russia could have easily retaken the country without facing any significant resistance.â€

And by not doing so Putin faces a much more difficult job now than in 2014.

In 2014 the Ukranazi military was disintegrating, which is why Russia did not find any resistance in liberating Crimea. The Ukrainian army basically ceased to exist. Many if not most of the troops defected to Russia in Crimea. Supporters of Yanukovych’s Party of the Unions would have openly welcomed a Russian intervention against the Nazi coup regime. That is why the Ukranazi coup regime picked the Nazis of Azov, Svoboda and Pravii Sektor to attack the at that time almost defenceless Novorossiyan people (who remember had to loot weapons from museums, including still working WWII tanks). Even later by the end of the year the Ukrainian army had to rely on Nazi “cyborgs†to fight for it. A Russian intervention would still have been a cakewalk.

Even during the period 2015 to 2019 while Ukranazistan was falling apart socioeconomically, the military grew relatively cohesive, in the sense that it incorporated Azov (thus making itself the Ukranazi army) and was no longer self destructing, but it had still no modern anti tank weapons, no modern drones, and very importantly no NATOstani forces in the country arming and training it openly (in reality acting as human shields). Now none of those things are true. They have the Ottoman Bayraktars, the world’s only combat proven drone, Javelin anti tank missiles, open arming and training and most importantly open propaganda support from the NATOstanis to an extent not seen since 2014. It is obvious that Russia does not believe that the Donbass armies can possibly hold off the Ukranazis even long enough for Russia to transfer forces from further away in the Russian interior. And from this point on the Ukranazis can only get militarily more powerful. Even if we believed the oft repeated but as far as I can see unsupported assertion that 50% or more of their army is comprised of conscripts too demoralised to fight, the Ukranazis are now renting jihadi headchoppers from Sultan Erdoğan, not the cannon fodder in Azerbaijan, but Chechens, Daghestanis and Tatars who speak Russian, know the country, and are a bit tougher than the average child beheading al Qaeda junior partner from Idlibistan. And don’t forget that they will have the full benefit of NATOstani satellite intelligence and propaganda and diplomatic support, apart from the NATOstani “trainers†and “advisors†who Putin will, if recent history is any guide, go to almost any length to avoid harming, even if they kill Russians.

There is absolutely no reason to believe that Russia would have had to take on the economic burden of Ukranazistan in 2014. All Russia would have to do is invade, crush the Ukranazi coup regime (more likely than not with the enthusiastic support of most of East Ukraine people), reinstate Yanukovych, and withdraw immediately with a statement that if there were any more Maidans Russia would be back and this time to stay. No occupation, no economic burden, just a souped up equivalent of the 2008 Georgia punitive expedition. Instead Putin’s “restraint†meant:

1. Russia got none of the benefits it would have had by invading: crushing Ukranazism, massively deterring NATO, avoiding “friends†like India peeling away, the running expenses of having to maintain troops at the border, to say nothing of building the Kerch bridge and subsidising the Donbass.

2. It got all the negative effects of invading: sanctions (which turned out a blessing in disguise, yes, but which should not have been necessary to make Russia’s economy self reliant anyway), massively increased enmity from its opponents.

3. It got all the negatives of doing nothing: NATOstani planes in Ukranazi airspace, NATO openly arming and training the Ukranazis, the Ukrainian population becoming more homogeneously anti Russian.

And now if Russia invades it will have to take over the ruins because there is simply nobody else. It’s far too late to reinstate Yanukovych and leave.

Meanwhile Putin is apparently planning to address the nation on the 21st. Speculation includes declaration of hostilities against Ukranazistan and merger of Russia with Belarus. I’ll wait and see.

[Apr 24, 2021] Cultural Deafness Defines the West by Alastair Crooke

Highly recommended!

Notable quotes:

"... The élites come to believe their narrative – forgetting that it was conceived as an illusion created to capture the imagination within their society. ..."

"... Harvard Business School ..."

"... "Over the last two decades, I've observed the consequences of our surprising metamorphosis into surveillance empires powered by global architectures of behavioural monitoring, analysis, targeting and prediction – that I have called surveillance capitalism. On the strength of their surveillance capabilities and for the sake of their surveillance profits, the new empires engineered a fundamentally anti-democratic epistemic coup, marked by unprecedented concentrations of knowledge about us and the unaccountable power that accrues to such knowledge." ..."

"... "This is the essence of the epistemic coup. They claim the authority to decide who knows [and] which now vies with democracy over the fundamental rights and principles that will define our social order in this century. Will the growing recognition of this other coup finally force us to reckon with the inconvenient truth that has loomed over the last two decades? We may have democracy, or we may have surveillance society, but we cannot have both. " (Emphasis added). ..."

Feb 15, 2021 | www.strategic-culture.org

The élites come to believe their narrative – forgetting that it was conceived as an illusion created to capture the imagination within their society.

Pat Buchanan is absolutely right – that when it comes to insurrections, history depends on who writes the narrative. Usually that falls to the oligarchic class; (should they ultimately prevail.) Yet, I recall quite a few 'terrorists' who subsequently to were become widely-courted 'statesmen'. So the wheel of passing time turns – and turns about, again.

Of course, fixing a narrative – an unchallengeable reality, that is perceived to be too secure, too highly invested to fail – does not mean it will not go unchallenged. There is an old British expression that well describes its' colonial experience of (silent) challenge to its then dominant 'narrative' (both in Ireland and India inter alia ). It was known as 'dumb insolence'. That is, when the performance of individual acts of rebellion are both too costly personally and pointless, that the silent, sourly expression of dumb contempt for their 'overlords' says it all. It infuriated the British commanding class by its daily reminder of their legitimacy deficit. Gandhi took it to the heights. And it his narrative ultimately, that is the one better remembered in history.

With global Big Tech's control of narrative, however, we have entered into an entirely different order of things, to those early British efforts at keeping down dissidence – as Harvard Business School Professor Shoshana Zuboff succinctly notes :

"Over the last two decades, I've observed the consequences of our surprising metamorphosis into surveillance empires powered by global architectures of behavioural monitoring, analysis, targeting and prediction – that I have called surveillance capitalism. On the strength of their surveillance capabilities and for the sake of their surveillance profits, the new empires engineered a fundamentally anti-democratic epistemic coup, marked by unprecedented concentrations of knowledge about us and the unaccountable power that accrues to such knowledge."

Narrative control has now jumped the shark:

"This is the essence of the epistemic coup. They claim the authority to decide who knows [and] which now vies with democracy over the fundamental rights and principles that will define our social order in this century. Will the growing recognition of this other coup finally force us to reckon with the inconvenient truth that has loomed over the last two decades? We may have democracy, or we may have surveillance society, but we cannot have both. " (Emphasis added).

This clearly represents a quite different magnitude of 'control' – and when allied with the West's counter-insurgency techniques of 'terrorist' narrative disruption, honed during the 'Great War on Terrorism' – is a formidable tool for curbing dissent domestically, as well as externally.

Yet it has a fundamental weakness.

Quite simply, that being so invested, so immersed, in one particular 'reality', others' 'truths' then will not – cannot – be heard. They do not stand out proud above the endless flat plain of consensual discourse. They cannot penetrate the hardened shell of a prevailing narrative bubble, or claim the attention of élites so invested in managing their own version of reality .

The 'Big Weakness'? The élites come to believe their own narratives – forgetting that the narrative was conceived as an illusion, one among others, created to capture the imagination within their society (not others').

They lose the ability to stand apart, and see themselves – as others see them. They become so enraptured by the virtue of their version of the world, that they lose all ability to empathise or accept others' truths. They cannot hear the signals. The point here, is that in that talking past (and not listening) to other states, the latters' motives and intentions will be mis-construed – sometimes tragically so.

Examples are legion, but the Biden Administration's perception that time was frozen – from the moment of Obama's departure from office – and somehow defrosted on 20 January, just in time for Biden to pick up on that earlier era (as if time was uninterrupted), marks one example of a belief in one's own meme. Whilst the EU's unfeigned amazement – and anger – at being described 'as an unreliable partner' by FM Lavrov in Moscow, is just another example of how élites have become remote from the real world and captive to their own self-perception.

"America is back" to lead, and 'to set the rules of the road' for the rest of the world, may be intended to radiate U.S. strength, but rather, it suggests a tenuous grasp of the realities facing the U.S.: America's relations with Europe and Asia were growing increasingly distant well before Biden entered the White House – and, therefore, from before Trump's (purposefully disruptive) term, too.

Why then is the U.S. so consistently in denial about this?

On the one hand, after seven decades of global primacy, there is inevitably a certain inertia that would hinder any dominant power from registering and assimilating the significant changes of the recent past. However, for the U.S., another factor helps explain its' 'tin ear': It is the wider Establishment's fixation on preventing the 2020 presidential election from validating the previous one's results. That really overrode all else. Nothing else mattered. The focus was so all-consuming it obscured notice of the world changing – right there – outside of their windows.

This is not unique to America. It is easy to understand why the EU was so blind-sided by FM Lavrov's labelling of the EU as 'unreliable partner' (which it patently has been). As former Greek FM, Yanis Varoufakis has written from his own experience of trying to get the EU to listen to his detailed summaries and proposals in respect to his country's financial crisis: 'They (the Euro Group) just sat grim-faced, taking not one jot of notice: I might as well have sung the Swedish national anthem, for all the attention they gave to my contributions', Varoufakis later related. His experience was standard EU modus operandi. The EU does not do 'negotiation'. Supplicants, whether Greece or Britain, must accept EU values – and its 'club house-rules'.

The High Representative Borrell, arrived with his long list of complaints, culled from 27 states (some of which have a historical list of complaints against Russia). He read the demands, and no doubt, expected Lavrov, like Varoufakis, to sit quietly, as he accepted the reprimands – and the 'club rules' appropriate to any aspirant contemplating some sort of working relationship with the worlds' 'biggest consumer market'. This is the EU culture.

And then, the following infamous press conference at which the EU was called 'unreliable'. Anyone who has attended a EU decision-making making body, knows the protocol – but let a former EU high official describe it: The Council handles Chefsachen – the stuff of high politics, not low regulation – in closed sessions. At these, van Middelaar can report, all 28 heads of government (pre-Brexit) call each other by their first names, and may find themselves agreeing to decisions they had never even imagined beforehand – before emerging together for a beaming 'family photograph' in front of the cameras of the one thousand reporters assembled to hear their tidings, whose presence makes 'failure impossible', since every summit (with just one upsetting exception) ends with a message of common hope and resolve.

Lavrov, like some 'rough-diamond' distant family relative, didn't know to behave in polite EU society; you don't call the EU names. Oh no!

Varoufakis explains : "Unlike nation states that emerge as stabilisers of conflicts between social classes and groups, the EU was created as a cartel with a remit to stabilise the profit margins of the large, central European corporations. (It began life as the European Coal and Steel Community). "Seen through this prism, the EU's stubborn faithfulness to failed practices begins to make sense. Cartels are reasonably good at distributing monopoly profits between oligarchs, but terrible at distributing losses". We also know that, unlike proper states, cartels will resist any democratisation or outside input into their tight circle of decision-making.

This incident in Moscow might all be faintly amusing, except for the fact that it underlines how Brussels' navel-gazing (in a separate way to that of Team Biden), produces a similar result: It becomes out of touch with the world beyond. It 'listens', but does not hear. The West's hostile strategy to Russia, as Pepe Escobar has observed in his strategic analysis of Russia's position, is conditioned on the notion that Russia has nowhere else to go – and therefore must feel pleased and honoured by the notion of the EU condescending to push-out an 'octopus tentacle' towards Eurasia. Whereas, now, with the centre of geo-economic gravity shifting to China and East Asia, it is realistically more a question of whether the Greater Eurasian heartland, with its 2.2 billion population, feels it worthwhile to extend its tentacle out towards the rule-bound EU.

This is no small matter: The EU having a hissy-fit over Lavrov's put-down of the EU in Moscow is one thing. The potential however, for the U.S. to listen, but not hear, on Russia and China, is quite another. Mis-hearing, mis-conceiving these two states, touches on matters of war and peace.

[Apr 22, 2021] Pastors as black Bolsheviks: some black churches try to hold Home Depot hostage

"History Does Not Repeat Itself, But It Rhymes" -- Mark Twain (attributed). This is a naked fight for political power using very questionable means.

Marxist ideology revolving around class and special role of "proletariat" as the oppressed class which strives for liberation and overthow "oppressors" in order to build more a just society, is more or less replaced by race. In woke movement, blacks are the new proletariat.

Apr 22, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

Corporations, especially those headquartered in Georgia, have come out against the legislation signed by Governor Kemp. Republicans describe the bill as one that addresses election integrity while Democrats call it a voter suppression law – "Jim Crow 2.0". Coca-Cola and Delta were among the first to make a point to virtue-signal after the governor signed the bill, only to be exposed as taking part in the process and giving input into the legislation. Both were fine with the law until the governor signed it and grievance activists did their thing. Coke soon discovered that not all of its consumers think that companies should be making policy – that 's the job of lawmakers- and now it is trying to clean up the mess it made for itself.

Churches have increasingly played a part in American politics and this is an escalation of that trend. Evangelical churches have shown support for conservative and Republican candidates while black churches get out the vote for Democrats. This threat of bringing a large-scale boycott over state legislation is a hostile action against the corporation. It's political theatre. Groups like Black Voters Matter, the New Georgia Project Action Fund (Stacey Abrams), and the Georgia NAACP are pressuring companies to publicly voice their opposition and the religious leaders are doing the bidding of these politically active groups.

When SB 241 and HB 531 were working through the legislative process, the groups put pressure on Republican lawmakers and the governor to abandon the voting reform legislation. They also demanded that donations to any lawmakers supporting the legislation be stopped. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce tried to remain bipartisan while still voicing support for voting rights but then caved and expressed "concern and opposition" to some provisions . At the time, several large Georgia companies were targeted by activists, including Aflac, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Home Depot, Southern Company and UPS.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce previously reiterated the importance of voting rights without voicing opposition against any specific legislation. In a new statement to CNBC, the Georgia Chamber said it has "expressed concern and opposition to provisions found in both HB 531 and SB 241 that restrict or diminish voter access" and "continues to engage in a bipartisan manner with leaders of the General Assembly on bills that would impact voting rights in our state."

Office Depot came out at the time and supported the Chamber's statement. The Election Integrity Act of 2021, originally known as Georgia Senate Bill 202, is a Georgia law overhauling elections in the state that was signed into effect by the governor and we know what happened. Office Depot has not delivered for the activists as they demand so now the company faces boycott drama. The religious leaders are taking up where the activist groups left off.

African Methodist Episcopal Bishop Reginald Jackson said the company has remained "silent and indifferent" to his efforts to rally opposition to the new state law pushed by Republicans, as well as to similar efforts elsewhere.

" We just don't think we ought to let their indifference stand ," Jackson said.

The leader of all his denomination's churches in Georgia, Jackson had a meeting last week with other Georgia-based executives to urge them to oppose the voting law, but said he's had no contact with Home Depot, despite repeated efforts to reach the company.

Faith leaders at first were hesitant to jump into the boycott game. Now the political atmosphere has changed and they are being vocal. Jackson focused on pressuring Coca-Cola first. After that company went along to get along, before it realized its error, Jackson moved his focus onto other companies.

"We believe that corporations have a corporate responsibility to their customers, who are Black, white and brown, on the issue of voting ," Jackson said. "It doesn't make any sense at all to keep giving dollars and buying products from people that do not support you."

He said faith leaders may call for boycotts of other companies in the future.

So, here we are with Home Depot in the spotlight. There are four specific demands leveled at Home Depot in order to avoid further action from the activists.

Rev. Lee May, the lead pastor of Transforming Faith Church, said the coalition is "fluid in this boycott" but has four specifics requests of Home Depot: To speak out publicly and specifically against SB 202; to speak out against any other restrictive voting provisions under consideration in other states; to support federal legislation that expands voter access and "also restricts the ability to suppress the vote;" and to support any efforts, including investing in litigation, to stop SB 202 and other bills like it.

" Home Depot, we're calling on you. I'm speaking to you right now. We're ready to have a conversation with you. You haven't been ready up to now, but our arms are wide open. We are people of faith. People of grace, and we're ready to have this conversation, but we're very clear those four things that we want to see accomplished ," May said.

The Rev. Timothy McDonald III, senior pastor of the First Iconium Baptist Church, warned this was just the beginning.

"It's up to you whether or not, Home Depot, this boycott escalates to phase two, phase three, phase four," McDonald said. "We're not on your property -- today. We're not blocking your driveways -- today. We're not inside your store protesting -- today. This is just phase one."

That sounds a lot like incitement, doesn't it? Governor Kemp is speaking out, he has had enough. He held a press conference to deliver his comments.

"First, the left came for baseball, and now they are coming for Georgia jobs," Kemp said, referring to MLB's decision to move this year's All-Star Game from Atlanta over the new laws. "This boycott of Home Depot – one of Georgia's largest employers – puts partisan politics ahead of people's paychecks."

"The Georgians hardest hit by this destructive decision are the hourly workers just trying to make ends meet during a global pandemic. I stand with Home Depot, and I stand with nearly 30,000 Georgians who work at the 90 Home Depot stores and 15 distribution centers across the Peach State. I will not apologize for supporting both Georgia jobs and election integrity," he added.

"This insanity needs to stop. The people that are pushing this, that are profiting off of it, like Stacey Abrams and others, are now trying to have it both ways," Kemp said. "There is a political agenda here, and it all leads back to Washington, D.C."

The governor is right. The activists are in it to federalize elections, not to look out for Georgians, who will lose jobs over these partisan actions. The law signed by Kemp increases voting rights, it doesn't limit them .

[Apr 04, 2021] Modern day journalists are actually lobbyists: A lobbyists who try influence public opinion through mainstream media in favor of special interest groups by Udo Ulfkotte

Highly recommended!

Notable quotes:

"... Back then, I didn't know how contemptuously intelligence agencies spoke about journalists. "You can get a journalist for less than a good whore, for a few hundred dollars a month." These are the words of a CIA agent, as quoted by the Washington Post editor Philip Graham. The agent was referring to the willingness and the price journalists would accept to spread CIA propaganda reports in their articles. ..."

"... I inevitably found out during my decades abroad, almost every foreign reporter with an American or British newspaper was also active for their national intelligence services. That's just something to keep in mind whenever you think you've got "neutral" reporting by the media in front of you. I remember when I got involved with the Federal Academy for Security Politics, with their close ties to intelligence agencies. This was encouraged by my employer. ..."

Apr 04, 2021 | www.amazon.com

Looking back, I was a lobbyist. A lobbyist tries to, for example, influence public opinion through mainstream media in favor of special interest groups. I did that.

Like for the German Foreign Intelligence Service. The FAZ expressly encouraged me to strengthen my contact with the Western intelligence services and was delighted when I signed my name to the pre-formulated reports, at least in outline, that I sometimes received from them.

Like many of the reports I was fed by intelligence services, one of many examples I can remember well was the expose, "European Companies Help Libya Build a Second Poison Gas Factory" from March 16, 1993. Needless to say, the report caused a stir around the world.

However, I watched as two employees of the German Federal Intelligence Service (the German CIA, the Bundesnachrichtendienst or BND), drafted it in a meeting room of the FAZ offices at Hellerhofstrasse 2 in Frankfurt. In other words: They basically told me what to write, paragraph for paragraph, right there in the FAZ editorial offices and then the article was published. One of the duties of these two BND employees was writing reports for large-circulation German newspapers. According to employee accounts, the BND fed reports to many German newspapers at the time - with the knowledge of their publishing houses.

The Federal Intelligence Service even had a little front company with an office directly above a shop on the Mainzer Landstrasse in Frankfurt, only two blocks away from the FAZ's main office. In any case, they had classified materials there that came from the BND.

Once you became a "player" on the team that drafted such articles, this was followed by the next level of "cooperation": You would be given stacks of secret documents that you could evaluate at your leisure. I remember we brought in a steel filing cabinet just for all the secret reports at the FAZ. (When I was visiting colleagues at a magazine in Hamburg, I saw that they'd done the same thing in their editorial offices).

Back then, I didn't know how contemptuously intelligence agencies spoke about journalists. "You can get a journalist for less than a good whore, for a few hundred dollars a month." These are the words of a CIA agent, as quoted by the Washington Post editor Philip Graham. The agent was referring to the willingness and the price journalists would accept to spread CIA propaganda reports in their articles. Of course, this was also with the approval of their employers, who knew about and encouraged all of this.

In Germany, the Federal Intelligence Service was the extended arm of the CIA, basically a subsidiary. I was never offered money by the Federal Intelligence Service, but they never even had to. I, like many of my German colleagues, found it thrilling to be a freelance writer for an intelligence agency or to be allowed to work for them in any capacity at all.40

... ... ...

During the summer of 2005 when I was the "chief correspondent" of the glossy magazine Park Avenue, I had a phone call with the Director of the CIA James Woolsey, which lasted more than an hour. His wife is active in the transatlantic propaganda organization German Marshall Fund (but we'll touch on this later). Sitting in my Hamburg office at Griiner + Jalir publishing, I was amazed that I didn't lose the connection, because at the beginning of our conversation Woolsey was sitting in his office in Virginia, then he was in a limousine and after that in a helicopter. The connection was so good, it was as if he was sitting right next to me. We spoke about industrial espionage. Woolsey wanted me to publish a report through Griiner + Jahr that would give the impression that the USA doesn't carry out any industrial espionage in Germany through their intelligence services. For me, the absurd thing about this conversation wasn't its content, which was fortunately never printed. What I really found absurd was that after the conversation, Griiner + Jahr sent the CIA henchman Woolsey's secretary in Virginia a bouquet of flowers after the call, because someone at Griiner + Jahr wanted to keep the line to the CIA open.

Moreover, don t forget that in addition to 6,000 salaried employees, the Federal Intelligence Service has around 17,000 more "informal" employees. They have completely ordinary day jobs, and would never openly admit that they also work for the Federal Intelligence Service. It is the same all over the world. As I inevitably found out during my decades abroad, almost every foreign reporter with an American or British newspaper was also active for their national intelligence services. That's just something to keep in mind whenever you think you've got "neutral" reporting by the media in front of you. I remember when I got involved with the Federal Academy for Security Politics, with their close ties to intelligence agencies. This was encouraged by my employer.

I also remember that in the late summer of 1993 I was given time off to accept a six-week invitation from the transatlantic lobbying organization, the German Marshall Fund of the United States. All of this surely affected my reporting. The German Marshall Fund sent me to New York, and I did a night shift with police officers in the Bronx. I wrote an article for the FAZ about this titled: "The toughest policemen in the world go through these doors." It was one of many positive articles I wrote about the USA - discreetly organized by the German Marshall Fund.

It may be hard to believe, but I was actually given a loaded firearm in New York. There's even a photo of the New York City Police Department handing it to me. The reader didn't learn anything about what was going on behind the scenes, behind this favorable reporting in the FAZ. They also didn't find out about the discreet contacts I made during my stay in the US. These included a

[Apr 04, 2021] John-Paul Leonard foreword to Dr. Udo Ulfkotte famous book

Highly recommended!

Notable quotes:

"... his original title Bought Journalists (Gekaufte Journalisten) was kinder and more modest than my more sensational Presstitutes -- but as he had a pithy sense of humor, ..."

"... There is no free speech protection for setting fire to a crowded theater! In my book ISIS IS U.S., in fury at the fakery of these warmongers, I castigate the mainstream media, the MSM, as the МММ: the Mass Murdering Media, as well as the Military-Monetary- Media complex. Notice how the media only point the finger at the military and industry, but mum's the word about the money masters and the media manipulators, they who control the nerve system of the zombie nation, military-industrial complex and all? ..."

"... Sharmine Narwani is right. These are media combatants, these are war criminals, the lowest circle of hell in the ranks of crimes. ..."

Apr 04, 2021 | www.amazon.com

What Is Freedom of the Press? Can censorship be freedom of the press? Legal minds favoring the interests of capital may be quick to claim that newspaper owners and editors have a freedom-of-speech right to print what they think is fit to print. They affirm a right of censorship or advocacy, above the duty to hew the line of objective reporting. Business, but not government, they say, may restrict press freedom.

However, this attitude confuses two very distinct classes of law, the Bill of Rights and civil contract law. The First Amendment merely forbids the government from infringing on freedom of expression. Thus if communist and nationalist parties each wish to publish their own books or newspapers, congenial to their respective viewpoints, the state should not intervene. Most newspapers, however, claim to be independent, objective or non- partisan. Thus there is an implied contract to provide an information service to readers. Advertising in the paper should be clearly labeled as such. Truly independent media are a public service entrusted with a fiduciary duty, similar to civil servants. The power and influence of their office is under their care, it is not theirs personally. Thus arises the temptation of corruption, of selling favors. For a large corporation, the financial value of a decision by an official or a newspaperman may easily dwarf the salary of the poor fellow, who may sell himself for pennies on the dollar.

A paper that claims to be independent when it actually serves hidden interests is guilty of fraud. That of course comes under another branch of law, the criminal code.

We hear much more about political corruption, but media corruption may actually be worse. Media reporters are our eyes and ears. What if our senses didn't reflect what is happening around us, but instead some kind of fantasy, or even remote programming? (Which sounds a lot like TV;-) If our eyes fooled us like that, we would be asleep and dreaming with eyes open, or disabled, hospitalized for hallucinations. We could never be masters of our own affairs, without a reliable sensorium. So the media must serve the nation just as our senses must faithfully serve each one of us. But they serve themselves. With the media we have, we are a zombie nation. Of course, it's hard to be objective on topics like politics which are matters of opinion. That's what the op-ed page is for. The problem is systematic bias, when money talks in the news pages.

As a freshman in college, I once volunteered to be a stringer on the college paper, and was sent out to interview some subjects on a campus controversy. I didn't seem to be cut out for a hard hitting journalist either! The episode always reminds me of a Mulla Nasrudin story.

Mulla was serving as judge in the village, holding court in his garden. The plaintiff came and pleaded his case so convincingly, that the Mulla blurted out. By Allah, I think you are right! His assistant demurred, But Mullah, you haven't heard the other side yet! So now the defendant entered his plea, with even greater vigor and eloquence. Once again, the Mulla was so impressed, he cried out, By Jove, I believe you are right! And once again his clerk protested: But Mulla, they can't both be right! Oh my God, exclaimed the Mulla, I guess you are right, too!

My junior high school journalism teacher never tired of telling us. Journalism is a business. In theory it's a public trust, but money makes the world go round. We all have to please the boss to keep our job. We are all bought one way or another. As Ulfkotte points out, there are thousands of journalists looking for a job, not the other way about. So his original title Bought Journalists (Gekaufte Journalisten) was kinder and more modest than my more sensational Presstitutes -- but as he had a pithy sense of humor, I think he would have liked it anyway. The "privished" edition title Journalists for Hire seems to downplay the matter a shade though. It's perfectly normal to be hired as a journalist, isn't it?

Perhaps we have to escalate the term to investigative journalist, because a journo is just somebody who writes things down.

In an interview ( https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/10/14/journalists-are-prostitutes ), Ulfkotte tells about his first assignment, during the Iran-Iraq war. The international press corps set out from Baghdad into the desert with extra jerry cans of gasoline -- to set alight some long-destroyed tanks for a film shoot. Innocent sensationalism perhaps? But a million people have died in Iraq, Libya and Syria because the press didn't just report the news, didn't just lie about the news, but they invented and sold the events that served as pretexts for wars. That is way out of line.

There is no free speech protection for setting fire to a crowded theater! In my book ISIS IS U.S., in fury at the fakery of these warmongers, I castigate the mainstream media, the MSM, as the МММ: the Mass Murdering Media, as well as the Military-Monetary- Media complex. Notice how the media only point the finger at the military and industry, but mum's the word about the money masters and the media manipulators, they who control the nerve system of the zombie nation, military-industrial complex and all?

Political candidates who tackle the media do so at their peril. Sharmine Narwani is right. These are media combatants, these are war criminals, the lowest circle of hell in the ranks of crimes.

We have million-dollar penalties for accidental product liability, but the salesmen of genocide get off scot-free!? 3,000 died on the spot on 9/11, followed by two decades of wars. The key suspect: Netanyahu crony Larry Silverstcin. His reward: a S3 billion insurance payout - pure profit, as he was only leasing the Towers.

The MSM cover it up, and revile you as a "conspiracy theorist" if you protest. "Presstitutes" is too light-hearted a word for them. The tragedy is that many social media agitators for the destruction of Syria were fools, who thought they were being oh so cool.

Remember the Milgram experiment? 1 like my book covers to be a depiction of the title, an allegory, which led to the most salacious cover art on "Presstitutes" I've ever dealt with. "Bought Journalists" could have been a covey of journos in a shopping cart, picking up their perks. Light satire blending to comedy, but this isn't really a funny story. Too many people, including the author, have given their lives.

One nice thing about this book is you get to know a real nice guy. I like Udo. Decent, intelligent, good sense of humor, conscientious, level-headed. He tells how he fell into this because he was just out of college and needing a job. We all have our compromises and our confessions to make. Ulfkotte relates the moment when it became too corrupt for him, when politicians offered him €5000 to use his cover as a journalist to spy and dig up dirt on the private life of their rival. That was too low down and dirty, too criminal for him, although it seemed to be expected and natural to them. Ulfkotte was the rarest of courageous whistleblowers.

... ... ...

English translation never moved forward." Another curiosity: during the nearly three years Journalists for Hire was "on sale" but unavailable on Amazon, it garnered only five-star reviews, 24 of them, from customers who wanted to read the book. Then the day this edition became available, that edition got a 1 -star troll review, virulently attacking the author as a "yellow journalist" - which happens to mean "warmonger." Weird.

Of course, there could be some mundane explanations for the failure of the first, or rather zero edition. Business failure. Language barrier. Death of the author -- for a small publisher, a proactive author promoting the book is a necessity. It was spooky, too, that the only book Tayen Lane seemed to have published before was a non-starter about suicide...

And what if the author's death was a key part of the pattern of suppression? There we go full conspiracy. It's not that incredible, though. Ulfkotte's last page here is a declaration of war: "This book is the first volume of an explosive three-part series." It's been alleged that the CIA has a weapon that works by triggering a heart attack. And like the Mafia, their code of silence calls tor punishing ex-colleagues who took the oath of secrecy and then turned against them, more than mere bystanders like Joe Blogger or Johnny Publisher.

So I hope I'm lucky to publish this book. Hopefully it will get reviews in the alternative media, or interviews with our translator or myself. This is the second time I've published a German bestseller. The first was Mathias Broeckers' Conspiracy Theories and Secrets of 9/11. It didn't turn a profit, but was a very interesting treatment. In the first part of the book he shows that conspiracy - in the broadest sense, grouping together against outsiders - is one of three basic principles of life and evolution. Darwinians normally only talk about competition, but the second one is cooperation, and the hybrid of the two is conspiracy. Our body consists of a collective of cells cooperating and conspiring together against competing organisms! Conspiracy is as common as the air we breathe. Even the official story of 9/11 is a theory about a conspiracy of 19 hijackers, who weren't even on the passenger lists... Then there is the conspiracy theory about conspiracy theories, that the CIA purposely turned the term into an epithet to cover up the JFK assassination.

Of course not everything is a conspiracy. You have to remain skeptical, keep your balance and common sense. We need the flexibility to add new perspectives, and not try to reduce everything to one perspective. Our brains are perfectly capable of this, we just have to use them. Don't believe what they tell you, if it doesn't stand to reason. On 9/11, three towers fell at free- fall speed, but only two were hit by airplanes - which were 5,000 times lighter than the steel buildings anyway. Anyone can do the math. The perps didn't even bother to make it plausible, having the media to cover it up.

When a huge revelation like 9/11 hits, like it did some of us back in 2002, when I published the first "truther" book in English, it's a big shock. This can make people either deny the new information, or go overboard with it. Sometimes the shock of losing the mainstream world view is so great that people switch to the reverse explanation for everything. Yet most of life is still banal or benign. Major criminal political conspiracies like 9/11 require a lot of effort, and are used strategically.

Although 9/11 showed that these people arc capable of almost anything, that doesn't mean they can or will do everything. For instance, I don't believe in chemtrails, because it doesn't make sense, and the contrails persist mostly on days when there are natural cirrus clouds in the upper atmosphere. Manipulation is even more common than conspiracy. We all do it to get other people to do things. Ulfkotte shows that mass media manipulation is business as usual. It is so prevalent that it starts to get into the realm of a matrix, a wall-to-wall pseudo-reality. The spider army spins its web 24/7. Their thread is a mix of outrages and banalities, bread and circuses. The formula is clear to see in the major German tabloid Bild. Its readers go for simplified and emotional narratives, like a cheap novel with themes of love and hate: "The reader's attention is steered away from what's objective- ly important and diverted to what's trivial." Yes, there IS a sucker bom every minute. We are still just creatures that go too much on impressions and emotions rather than logic, and the media play on that with sensationalism and simplified images. Sure, our brain has amazing powers, but it can only focus on one thing at a time. (Luckily, that's at least one more than machines, that have no awareness of anything.)

Simplification, love and hate, enemy images. Our bane as a nation is our bent for political correctness and demonization. We are the heirs of the Puritans, who had a nasty habit of picking on little old ladies, demonizing them and then burning them at the stake. Who were the real demons there? Or in the tragedies of Libya and Syria?? When a huge revelation like 9/11 hits, like it did some of us back in 2002, when I published the first "truther" book in English, it's a big shock. This can make people either deny the new information, or go overboard with it. Sometimes the shock of losing the mainstream world view is so great that people switch to the reverse explanation for everything. Yet most of life is still banal or benign. Major criminal political conspiracies like 9/11 require a lot of effort, and are used strategically.

Although 9/11 showed that these people arc capable of almost anything, that doesn't mean they can or will do everything. For instance, I don't believe in chemtrails, because it doesn't make sense, and the contrails persist mostly on days when there are natural cirrus clouds in the upper atmosphere. Manipulation is even more common than conspiracy. We all do it to get other people to do things. Ulfkotte shows that mass media manipulation is business as usual. It is so prevalent that it starts to get into the realm of a matrix, a wall-to-wall pseudo-reality. The spider army spins its web 24/7. Their thread is a mix of outrages and banalities, bread and circuses. The formula is clear to see in the major German tabloid Bild. Its readers go for simplified and emotional narratives, like a cheap novel with themes of love and hate: "The reader's attention is steered away from what's objective- ly important and diverted to what's trivial." Yes, there IS a sucker bom every minute. We are still just creatures that go too much on impressions and emotions rather than logic, and the media play on that with sensationalism and simplified images. Sure, our brain has amazing powers, but it can only focus on one thing at a time. (Luckily, that's at least one more than machines, that have no awareness of anything.)

Simplification, love and hate, enemy images. Our bane as a nation is our bent for political correctness and demonization. We are the heirs of the Puritans, who had a nasty habit of picking on little old ladies, demonizing them and then burning them at the stake. Who were the real demons there? Or in the tragedies of Libya and Syria?? We never learn. Hitler with us is as immortal as Satan, constantly recycled as the evil icon dictator of the day, sometimes complete with moustache. This is how they demonize populism. Ulfkotte asks, why should populism be unpopular? Lincoln expounded populism when he spoke of a government by and for and of the people. Each time you spend a $5 greenback with his icon on it, you distribute a piece of populist propaganda! Trump is right to use the term "witch hunt" against the puritanical attack dogs of impeachment. He wouldn't have needed to ask favors of foreign potentates if the MSM, the mainstream media, were doing their job and investigating the Bidens. The pot calling the kettle black, because it sees itself on the politically correct moral high ground. More important, without die color revolution launched by the MSM and the Obama regime, Ukraine wouldn't have sunk into this cesspool of corruption. Even Trump won't say what die Bidens were really up to: stirring up war in East Ukraine so they could get their hands on the oil shale fields of the Donbass, or that they are investors in the illegal occupation of oil fields in the Golan Heights. Can't remember anyone ever fishing in more troubled waters. What about the suspicions that the Clintons have murdered people, such as Seth Rich, those are just conspiracy theories and not to be investigated either. Did the DNC kill this whistleblower and blame Putin instead for losing the election? The Mueller report won't say. But people do get killed. Like JFK, RFK, MLK.

These are not minor matters they are getting away with behind the protective mask of the media which "covers" the news. Surveys do reflect declining public faith in die mainstream media - except among Democrats. Tell people what they want to hear: a basic marketing principle. You may have heard of Operation Mockingbird and how the CLA plays our domestic media like a Wurlitzer. Ulfkotte explains how in Germany, CIA media operations started with the postwar occupation. It's part of the declared intention (most infamously but not only by Winston Churchill) to destroy the German people, the German identity. Control of the global media is the firm foundation of the Anglo-American-Zionist empire.

In his parting shot, "What should we do," Ulfkotte sees one simple ray of hope. "Everyone reading this book has the ultimate power over the journalism I have described here. All we have to do is stop giving our money and our attention to these 'leading media.' When enough of us stop buying the products offered by these media houses, when we no longer click on their Internet articles and we switch off their television or radio programs - at some point, these journalists will have to start producing something of value for their fellow citizens, or they're going to be out of a job. It's that simple." Instead, we can patronize sources like https://eluxemagazine.com/magazine/honest-news-sites .

They note that, according to Business Insider, 90% of US media are owned by just six corporations, a similar problem of lockstep media as in Germany. They recommend these "Honest News Sites Way Better Than Mainstream Media."

• The Corbett Report
• Moon of Alabama
• The Anti-Media
• Global Research
• We Are Change
• ProgressivePress.com,
• Consortium News
• StormCloudsGathering
• Truth In Media
• Media Roots
• 21st Century Wire

And The OffOuardian, which incidentally was one of the strongest voices for publishing this suppressed book.

- John-Paul Leonard,

October 2019

[Mar 26, 2021] There's too many options available to make ignorance enjoyable

If you are using Fakebook you are part of the problem. I am pretty tired of people who use these antisocial media platforms complaining when these platforms do what they do by their very nature.

Notable quotes:

"... The "reality police" have infiltrated down to the lowest levels now to look for "new normal" violators anywhere. ..."

"... I am pretty tired of people who use these antisocial media platforms complaining when these platforms do what they do by their very nature. ..."

"... Remember when Eric Schmidt got his panties in a twist because some enterprising soul had done some digital digging into his private life? ..."

"... All social media Big Tech platforms are SARPA surveillance programs that added some cool logo, a young captured jew type as Boss and some marketing to morons and lemmings. ..."

"... The sheer narcissism and desperation on these platforms is disgusting and disturbing. Big data and pedophiles love Facebook. ..."

Mar 22, 2021 | www.unz.com

---

L8917 , says: March 22, 2021 at 2:53 pm GMT • 2.5 days ago

Last week I did a web search for a quote by Goebbels concerning truth and found one regarding TheState and TheBigLie on TheJewishVirtualLibrary. After posting it to Fakebook, I was notified that the quote violated "community standards" and wouldn't be seen by anyone else (except the FBI, or local LEOs perhaps).

Being who I am, I posted the same quote with a link to where I found it [TheJewishVirtualLibrary] and was notified no one would see any of my posts for a week.

Again, being who I am, I posted a video from TheBabylonBee that illustrated the danger of likening everything to Nazis, and was notified of a month-long ban.

I then downloaded my data in two formats and deleted the account.

Living life stupid might be inclusive and entertaining, but there's too many options available to make ignorance enjoyable.

Jake , says: March 22, 2021 at 5:55 pm GMT • 2.4 days ago

...It is partially Brave New World with a dash of 1984 and a healthy helping of Mordor, all of which is brightened and made more alluring and addicting with Sexual Revolution.

Hockeyguy , says: March 22, 2021 at 6:35 pm GMT • 2.4 days ago

The "reality police" have infiltrated down to the lowest levels now to look for "new normal" violators anywhere. If CJ thinks he's a nobody, then I am a sub-sub-sub-nobody, yet I have had my user account suspended twice now at an obscure news aggregation website, Fark.com , for making comments that apparently constitute "Covid misinformation."

Once was when I commented on a story that stated that there is a need to vaccinate even those that have recovered from actually having Covid. I said something like, "Why would you need to vaccinate someone whose immune system is functioning properly and already did the job naturally?" Apparently, even mentioning that humans have an immune system is now verboten, and thus my comment was deleted and my account was suspended for 24 hours. The next time I was suspended was just over this past weekend when I commented on a story about someone ignoring covid rules.

I stated something to the effect that we should ALL be ignoring the public health "experts" who are petty tyrants. Well, they have now suspended my account for 72 hours again for "covid misinformation."

Despite being amused that my opinions are somehow "misinformation," it's certainly enraging that speaking plain common truth is becoming more and more difficult.

This will not end well.

bj0311 , says: March 23, 2021 at 1:47 am GMT • 2.1 days ago

I am pretty tired of people who use these antisocial media platforms complaining when these platforms do what they do by their very nature. They weren't set up to help us they were set up to enslave us. Get a clue, Farcebook and Twatter et al are not your friends!

Simon Tugmutton , says: March 23, 2021 at 7:26 am GMT • 1.8 days ago

@El Dato

...Remember when Eric Schmidt got his panties in a twist because some enterprising soul had done some digital digging into his private life?

steinbergfeldwitzcohen , says: March 23, 2021 at 7:34 am GMT • 1.8 days ago

All social media Big Tech platforms are SARPA surveillance programs that added some cool logo, a young captured jew type as Boss and some marketing to morons and lemmings. Absolute joke. The sheer narcissism and desperation on these platforms is disgusting and disturbing. Big data and pedophiles love Facebook.

[Mar 26, 2021] Blinken exercise in controlling the narrative backfired spectacular

Mar 26, 2021 | www.unz.com

d dan , says: March 24, 2021 at 5:02 pm GMT • 9.4 hours ago

@anonymous ay. A play to gain advantage, to publicly make the Chins look weak, subject them to a media diplomatic humiliation, and as usual control the narrative."

It is talked about in Chinese Internet that before Chinese diplomats attending the meeting, they went through 20 (or so) different scenarios of what the other side would say or do, and practiced the responses accordingly. So it is not a surprise they could handle this rather obvious case easily.

You think US would do such preparation? Probably not. They probably didn't even bother to look up basic things like Yang and Wang's backgrounds.

Like what Sun Tzu says, know yourself and know your enemy

[Mar 26, 2021] The New Normal "Reality" Police by C.J. Hopkins

Mar 22, 2021 | www.unz.com

Credit: Kate Sheets/Flickr CC-BY-2.0

So, according to Facebook and the Atlantic Council , I am now a "dangerous individual," you know, like a "terrorist," or a "serial murderer," or "human trafficker," or some other kind of "criminal." Or I've been praising "dangerous individuals," or disseminating their symbols, or otherwise attempting to "sow dissension" and cause "offline harm."

Actually, I'm not really clear what I'm guilty of, but I'm definitely some sort of horrible person you want absolutely nothing to do with, whose columns you do not want to read, whose books you do not want to purchase, and the sharing of whose Facebook posts might get your account immediately suspended. Or, at the very least, you'll be issued this warning:

Now, hold on, don't click away just yet. You're already on whatever website you're reading this "dangerous," "terrorist" column on (or you're reading it in an email, probably on your phone), which means you are already on the official "Readers of Mass-Murdering Content" watch-list. So you might as well take the whole ride at this point.

Also, don't worry, I'm not going to just whine about how Facebook was mean to me for 2,000 words well, all right, I'm going to do that a little, but mostly I wanted to demonstrate how "reality" is manufactured and policed by global corporations like Facebook, Twitter, Google, the corporate media, of course, crowdfunding platforms like Patreon and PayPal, and "think tanks" like the Atlantic Council and its Digital Forensic Research Lab ("DFRLab").

First, though, let me tell you my Facebook story.

What happened was, I made a Facebook post, and a lot of people tried to share it, so Facebook and the DFRLab suspended or disabled their accounts, or just prevented them from sharing it, and sent them the above warning. Facebook didn't suspend my account, or censor the post on my account, or contact me to let me know that they have officially deemed me a "dangerous individual." Instead, they punished anyone who tried to "boost" my "dangerous" post, a tactic anyone who has been through boot camp or in prison (or has watched this classic scene from Full Metal Jacket ) will be familiar with.

Here's the "dangerous" post in question. (If you're particularly sensitive to "terrorist" content, you may want to put on your "anti-terrorism" glasses, or take some other type of prophylactic measures to protect yourself from "offline harm," before you venture any further.)

The photo, which I stole from Gunnar Kaiser , is of an art exhibit in Düsseldorf, Germany . My commentary is self-explanatory. As you can see, it is extremely "dangerous." It literally radiates "offline harm."

OK, before you write to inform me how this was just the work of a dumb Facebook algorithm, think about what I described above. If an algorithm was preventing sharing and suspending people's accounts based on keyword spotting, it would have censored my original post, and presumably suspended my account. Or, if Facebook has an algorithm that recognizes certain "dangerous" phrases, and then censors or suspends the accounts of people who share a post including those phrases, but doesn't censor the original post or suspend the account of the author of the post well, that's kind of strange, isn't it?

In any event, shortly after I posted it, I started seeing reports like this on Facebook:

Those are just a few examples, but I think you get the general idea.

The point is, apparently, the Corporatocracy feel sufficiently threatened by random people on Facebook that they are conducting these COINTELPRO-type ops. Seriously, think about that for a minute. I am not Stephen King or Margaret Atwood. I'm not even Glenn Greenwald or Matt Taibbi. I'm a midlist-level author of unusual literature , and a political satirist, and a blogger, basically, and yet Facebook, and their partners at the Atlantic Council, and AstraZeneca, and Pfizer, and Moderna, and who knows which other global corporations and transnational, non-governmental entities like the WEF and WHO, consider someone of my lowly status enough of a threat to their "New Normal" narrative to warrant the attention of the Reality Police.

Now, let me be clear about who I'm talking about when I'm talking about the "Reality Police." Facebook's partnership with the Atlantic Council is only one example, but it is a rather good one. Here's a quick profile of the Atlantic Council

"The Atlantic Council of the United States was founded in 1961 as a think tank and anticommunist public relations organization to prop up support within the US for NATO in the post-World War II era [its] current, honorary and lifetime directors list reads like a bipartisan rogues gallery of American war-criminals, including Henry Kissinger, George P. Shultz, Frank Carlucci, James A. Baker, R. James Woolsey, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Robert Gates and Leon Panetta. Among the former Atlantic Council chairman have been Obama administration officials James L. Jones, (national security advisor) and Chuck Hagel (secretary of defense). The chairman of the council is Brent Scowcroft, the retired US Air Force officer who held national security and intelligence positions in the Nixon, Bush I and Bush II administrations. [It] is funded by substantial government and corporate interests from the financial, defense and petroleum industries. Its 2017 annual report documents substantial contributions from HSBC, Chevron, The Blackstone Group, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Ford Motor Company, among many others. Also listed is Google Inc. in the $100,000 to $250,000 donor category. Among the largest council contributors are the US State Department, The Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the UK, and the United Arab Emirates. Other contributors include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Boeing, BP, Exxon and the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines." -- Kevin Reed, World Socialist Website

These are the folks that are policing "reality" (the "reality" they have manufactured, and are manufacturing moment by moment), deciding what officially happened , and didn't happen , and what it means, and who qualifies as an "authoritative news source," and "fact-checking" everything we see on the Internet. It's not a bunch of pimply-faced IT nerds writing sloppy code in Menlo Park. It's GloboCap and the Military-Industrial Complex.

If you're one of my "New Normal" ex-friends and colleagues (or one of my Facebook or Twitter trolls) who, for some unknown reason, is still reading this column, perhaps on your way to get experimentally "vaccinated" or report one of your neighbors for not wearing a mask or being outdoors without a valid reason, this is who has manufactured your "reality" and the so-called "science" you claim I am "denying," even as reality stares you in the face

This did not begin with the "New Normal," of course. Every system of power manufactures its own "reality" (totalitarian systems more fanatically than others). No, I've been writing about the manufacturing of "normality," and the War on Dissent and Populism that GloboCap has been relentlessly waging on anyone and everyone opposing its hegemony or refusing to conform to its ideology, since back when I was still writing heretical columns like this for CounterPunch before the editors saw which way the wind was blowing and ideologically purged its roster to get back into the good graces of GloboCap (following which ideological purge, Google restored it to the ranks of "real news").

And that is how reality-policing works. It's a bullying operation, basically. The entire "cancel culture" phenomenon is. "Cancel culture" is a silly name for it. We are talking about a global empire imposing total ideological conformity (or, in simpler terms, its version of "reality") on the entire planet through fear and force. The Nazis referred to this process as Gleichschaltung .

Global capitalism has reached the stage where it no longer needs to tolerate dissent (any kind of dissent, from any quarter) to maintain the illusion of "freedom and democracy," because there is no alternative to global capitalism. It is everywhere. There is nowhere to run or hide. When the Reality Police find you, and threaten to "cancel" you, you have two choices obey or be vaporized.

If you're a Palestinian, a Syrian, a Yemeni, the president of an uncooperative African country, or some other type of non-Western person, you might very well be physically vaporized. For Westerners, vaporization is less dramatic and final. You will simply be disappeared from the Internet, fired from your job, socially ostracized, deemed a "dangerous individual," a "racist," an "anti-Semite," a "conspiracy theorist," a "white supremacist," a "domestic terrorist," an "anti-vaxxer," a "Covid denier."

If you're a member of the independent media, or a prominent activist, or a lawyer, or doctor, or just someone with a big social media platform, and have not seen the "New Normal" light, you will be demonized, demonetized, deplatformed, censored, and subjected to the type of creepy COINTELPRO-type tactics I described above. If you don't believe me, just ask Robert F. Kennedy , Rainer Fuellmich , Vanessa Beeley , Whitney Webb , James Corbett , Ken Jebsen , Cory Morningstar , The Last American Vagabond , Geopolitics & Empire , The Centre for Research on Globalization , OffGuardian , and countless other people and outlets that have challenged the official "New Normal" narrative.

Or have a look at this "warning" you get on Twitter if you attempt to read anything published by OffGuardian

I could go on and on with this, and I'm sure I will in future columns. It's kind of the only story at the moment, the changeover from simulated democracy to pathologized-totalitarianism as the governing structure of global capitalism. For now, I'll just leave you with one more image in this already overly pictorial column. Don't worry, it's been thoroughly "fact-checked," so there's no need to read or question the fine print (even though I have a feeling you will)

Do watch out for those "unrelated coincidences." Some of them, I hear, can be rather nasty.

C. J. Hopkins is an award-winning American playwright, novelist and political satirist based in Berlin. His plays are published by Bloomsbury Publishing and Broadway Play Publishing, Inc. His dystopian novel, Zone 23 , is published by Snoggsworthy, Swaine & Cormorant. Volumes I and II of his Consent Factory Essays are published by Consent Factory Publishing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amalgamated Content, Inc. He can be reached at cjhopkins.com or consentfactory.org .

---

The Alarmist , says: March 22, 2021 at 12:48 pm GMT • 2.6 days ago

That Tweet would make a nice Plakat to start pasting around Berlin and other cities maybe CJ can find a printer who 1) is still open; and 2) will take the business.

anonymous [400] Disclaimer , says: March 22, 2021 at 1:16 pm GMT • 2.6 days ago

Article pretty much says it all. There's no longer any need to engineer consent, they can just use outright coercion along with financial reward to jerk the masses of peasants around. It's clear that the billionaire and corporate classes march in lockstep and control the US government as well as media, educational system, etc. The rage against Russia seems to be that they are a barrier to total world domination by GloboCap which, as part of its intrinsic structure, needs to constantly expand. What's more, a certain part of the population are wannabe commissars, wannabe Pavel Morozovs, wannabe willing executioners for the dictatorship. The billionaires should go and fight their own next wars but no, there'll be enough unemployed types willing to take a chance for a paycheck. The little people think the US is a country; the people actually running it consider it to be an economic empire, their empire that is.

ruralguy , says: March 22, 2021 at 2:21 pm GMT • 2.6 days ago

These rich and millennial Facebook woke employees are like the young Khmer Rouge or Red Guard monsters, full of woke rage and gleeful that they have the power to destroy everyone.

[Mar 22, 2021] It seems that the next natural step should be to ban unsanctioned publishing on the internal networks and erect a border-firewall. To prevent all this malicious meddling and disinformation, y'know.

Mar 22, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Mao Cheng Ji , Mar 21 2021 15:16 utc | 9

Thanks for the Taibbi link.

• Meet the (Unsuccessfully) Censored: Jesse Singal and Katie Herzog - Matt Taibbi

It's interesting to observe how liberal fascism develops and operates in the modern environment.

It seems that the next natural step should be to ban unsanctioned publishing on the internal networks and erect a border-firewall. To prevent all this malicious meddling and disinformation, y'know. To slay, like St George the dragon, all the racists, misogynists, homophobes, disunity-fomenters, and other enemies.

And then, if necessary, censoring of the private communications. This could get tricky, though. So, only monitoring, perhaps.

[Mar 19, 2021] I notice a lot of accusations that Washington is "stupid" but that's not true. Ig nsttstibr id contolled neocons have a complete freedom of actions in foreign policy

Notable quotes:

"... Since the CIA controls much of the European media and their ruling class it would take quite a lot for Europeans to drop their status as vassal states ..."

Mar 19, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Chris Cosmos , Mar 18 2021 21:43 utc | 29

I notice a lot of accusations that Washington is "stupid" but that's not true. You have to understand how Washington works before you make such statements. The Deep State knows that it can control the minds of most Americans by inventing "truths" without any need to prove anything. Since Washington is now in conflict with a goodly part of the public it sees that creating foreign policy crises and enemies as an excellent course of action to shore up support. Americans are always ready to react against enemies no matter how slender the proof of the wrongdoing ascribed to the enemy. There is never a penalty to pay for lying in the US if you are in the mainstream media or in the political arena.

Since the CIA controls much of the European media and their ruling class it would take quite a lot for Europeans to drop their status as vassal states . Remember, Washington can throw endless amounts of money around and fund everything from terrorism, crime waves, sexual indiscretions a la Epstein (the CIA had it's own whorehouse which my father pointed out to me decades ago--it was in Roslyn Virginia and it used underage girls and boys to improve its soft-power). So far, no one has paid a penalty for lying or corrupt practices in Washington if they were "made" men or women (Trump never got that far).

As long as Europe, Japan and some other countries continue to be vassal states the US can and will get away with anything. Nordstream 2 is the issue that may change all that. Once Germany rebels the rest may follow.

[Mar 12, 2021] The summary of RAND report is quite a stew of management-speak and Owellian prose.

Mar 12, 2021 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

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Andrew Watts , March 10, 2021 at 1:01 pm

The PropOrNot stuff has been floating around think tanks over the years. A report on Russian social media influence by RAND Corp in 2018 briefly mentions Naked Capitalism. The reason why this humble blog is on that blacklist is because it's in Zero Hedge's referral network according to RAND.

Link to the report: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2237.html

Carolinian , March 10, 2021 at 1:10 pm

An NC post was reprinted there just the other day and they also reprint Taibbi and Greenwald, not just wackadoo right wing and financial sites.

Maybe we should have a report on who Rand is really working for.

Baldanders , March 10, 2021 at 5:48 pm

Just downloaded the report. Steeling myself for more prose like "-Better tell the US, NATO, and EU story." Arrrrrrgh. With bonus pseudo-sophistication points for unnecessarily using full names AND abbreviations for the latter two organizations in the original. But no full name for the US. Do these think-tank folks get paid by the word?

The summary is quite a stew of management-speak and Owellian prose.

Why is "block" in quotes in the bit on blocking RT? Is it a euphemism for discrediting them? Perhaps the full report will illuminate me.

[Mar 06, 2021] Groups need uniting myths which are now called narratives

Mar 06, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Piotr Berman , Mar 6 2021 14:01 utc | 101

...Additionally, groups need uniting myths which are now called narratives -- perhaps someone can foresee the next word for myths to by used when narratives will became as discredited as myths. Yesterday I read about "ideogems", that was used in Ukrainian, prosecutors accusing someone of state treason committed by popularizing "ideogems that are convenient for the Russian Federation". with a phrase "false ideogem". Perhaps "ideogem" is a component of a "narrative".

[Feb 28, 2021] I am amazed that some subjects that previously had hundreds of thousands of entries on internet searches now have only a few links, and they are links to elite so called 'mainstream' sites

Feb 28, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Paul , Feb 28 2021 20:47 utc | 33

...I am amazed that some subjects that previously had hundreds of thousands of entries on internet searches now have only a few links, and they are links to elite so called 'mainstream' sites. IMO the internet has been sanitised and therefore neutered.

It is easy to spot a hasbarist type paid stooge, They never criticise the bandit state or its obsequious captive nations, only the shortcomings of Russia, China, Iran and Venezuela are
targets.

---

schmoe , Mar 1 2021 3:29 utc | 58

Paul @33

"I am amazed that some subjects that previously had hundreds of thousands of entries on internet searches now have only a few links, and they are links to elite so called 'mainstream' sites. IMO the internet has been sanitised and therefore neutered. "
- DuckDuckGo gives much wider perspectives on searches related to historical events. I set them as my default last week.

uncle tungsten , Mar 1 2021 3:41 utc | 60

schmoe #58

Yes, in this theatre of deception the house lights are being dimmed and we could soon lose sight of each other. Stay well and in peace.

[Feb 27, 2021] Cancel Culture is a Dress Rehearsal for Mass Murder

Feb 27, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Dogon Priest , Feb 26 2021 16:50 utc | 12

Interesting

Cancel Culture is a Dress Rehearsal for Mass Murder | Stefan Molyneux
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9L0dPKpfHRA

Jackrabbit , Feb 26 2021 21:26 utc | 20

Dogon Priest @Feb26 16:50 #12

Cancel Culture is a Dress Rehearsal for Mass Murder

I simply coined it the new book-burning.

!!

[Feb 25, 2021] This is not a joke. Twitter has deleted dozens of account for the crime of 'undermining faith in the NATO alliance

Feb 25, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

ak74 , Feb 25 2021 4:32 utc | 65

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Everyone got that now?

Alan MacLeod actually tweeted about this:

"This is not a joke. Twitter has deleted dozens of account for the crime of 'undermining faith in the NATO alliance.'"

https://twitter.com/AlanRMacLeod/status/1364548110521876480

Undermining faith in the North American Terrorist Organization (NATO) is a Thought Crime of the highest order!

The punishment for this crime is being forced to watch a conga line of Anglo-American media mouthpieces blather about whatever is their Moral Outrage of the Month--Clockwork Orange style.

Welcome to the United States of Oceania.

---

ak74 , Feb 25 2021 4:53 utc | 66

More from Alan MacLeod about Twitter's censorship:

Twitter Deletes Dozens of Russian Accounts for "Undermining Faith in NATO"
https://www.mintpressnews.com/twitter-deletes-accounts-for-undermining-faith-in-nato/275641/

Piero Colombo , Feb 25 2021 6:19 utc | 68

Instead of crying over unfair behavior and spilt milk and sympathizing with each other, we (at least those of us who were foolish enough to open a "social" account) should immediately take the first step by closing all "social" accounts subject to US censorship and furiously write to anyone we have an address for to try to convince them to boycott the dang things. RIght away. That's the only way.

[Feb 25, 2021] Twitter centorship of Russia viewpoints and Streisand effect. Is Samisdat pulishing needed in the USA for politically incorrect topics

Feb 25, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Et Tu , Feb 24 2021 15:26 utc | 2

Yesterday the censorship department at Twitter went bonkers.

Twitter Safety blogged:

Disclosing networks of state-linked information operations

Today we are disclosing four networks of accounts to our archive of state-linked information operations; the only archive of its kind in the industry. The networks we are disclosing relate to independent, state-affiliated information operations that we have attributed to Armenia, Russia and a previously disclosed network from Iran.
...
Russia

Today we're disclosing two separate networks that have Russian ties.

1. Our first investigation found and removed a network of 69 fake accounts that can be reliably tied to Russian state actors. A number of these accounts amplified narratives that were aligned with the Russian government , while another subset of the network focused on undermining faith in the NATO alliance and its stability .
...

Be a good citizen!

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Do not amplify narratives that are aligned with the Russian government.

Do not undermine faith in the NATO alliance and its stability.

Everyone got that now?

Also this:

Aaron Maté @aaronjmate - 18:53 UTC · Feb 23, 2021

Twitter adds a warning to @MaxBlumenthal's report in @TheGrayzoneNews on leaked UK gov't files ( https://thegrayzone.com/2021/02/20/reuters.. ) exposing a major propaganda campaign targeting Russia: "These materials may have been obtained through hacking."

Is this warning applied equally? I doubt it.

Haha love a good Streisand effect backfiring on the Fascist Regime!

---

Edward , Feb 24 2021 16:13 utc | 4

The PropOrNot list was a dry run.

Mar man , Feb 24 2021 16:53 utc | 7

So, only the official party narrative is allowed in the news.

Only government approved documents can be discussed and only documents explicitly declassified can be seen.
Therefore, the only government malfeasance the media can cover is malfeasance officially admitted and any other non-governmental approved narrative is censored.

In that case, there is nothing to discuss as the US government never admits malfeasance or any wrongdoing at all.

Strangely, a large fraction of US citizens will be perfectly fine with this since it protects everyone from "fake news" and "Russian meddling".

Any country that allows this behavior deserves the dictatorship they live under.

Norwegian , Feb 24 2021 17:26 utc | 11

Thanks, it is in fact refreshing to see you have realized the censorship has gone completely bonkers, because it is just a symptom of a totally insane world at the moment. Or, as John Lennon said more than 50 years ago but it is more relevant than ever

"The World Is Run By Insane People, For Insane Objectives"

Reflect On:Today, Lennon's message has become quite obvious, and there are many examples to choose from. The only difference is, more people seem to know about it, and the collective consciousness is shifting with regards to how we view our world.

[Feb 16, 2021] U.S. Focus On Narratives Will Let It Collide With Reality

Notable quotes:

"... Change won't come to the US via the convenience of the ballot box. Elected officials are immediately corrupted by careerism, corporate money, and who knows what other forces behind the curtain. Ordinary people will achieve nothing without general strikes and civil disobedience, and more are realizing this. No doubt why this domestic "terror" bill is being pushed through. ..."

"... The completion of NS-2 is good for European liberalism: it ties up Russia to its economy as a commodity exporters (the German dream of making Russia its own Brazil). Why is the USA trying to stop this win for liberalism? ..."

"... Fascism is not necessarily Republican, the new Democratic party has a considerable fascist faction. and it aint the old people in the Dem party, a lot of youngsters are quite the brownshirt when you look carefully. ..."

"... "..One of the most significant of these falsehoods (from journalists) was the tale -- endorsed over and over without any caveats by the media for more than a month -- that Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick was murdered by the pro-Trump mob when they beat him to death with a fire extinguisher. That claim was first published by The New York Times on January 8 in an article headlined "Capitol Police Officer Dies From Injuries in Pro-Trump Rampage." It cited "two [anonymous] law enforcement officials" to claim that Sicknick died "with the mob rampaging through the halls of Congress" and after he "was struck with a fire extinguisher." ..."

"... "Despite this alleged brutal murder taking place in one of the most surveilled buildings on the planet, filled that day with hundreds of cellphones taping the events, nobody saw video of it. No photographs depicted it. To this day, no autopsy report has been released. No details from any official source have been provided. ..."

"... The events of January 6 would not have been noticed in the Kiev insurrection that Obama et al produced- in which US trained snipers from Georgia shot into the crowds, indiscriminately killing both police and protestors, in order to be in a position to denounce peace accords reached between the parties. ..."

Feb 16, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

U.S. Focus On Narratives Will Let It Collide With Reality

The impeachment narrative circus is leaving the town and the real world work can now begin :

With the distraction of the impeachment trial of his predecessor now over, President Biden will quickly press for passage of his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan before moving on to an even bigger agenda in Congress that includes infrastructure, immigration, criminal justice reform, climate change and health care.

Without the spectacle of a constitutional clash, the new president "takes center stage now in a way that the first few weeks didn't allow," said Jennifer Palmieri, who served as communications director for former President Barack Obama. She said the end of the trial means that "2021 can finally start."

"Wait!" screams the narrative industry. That does not fit our business model. The 'left' side of the media is set up to beat up Trump every damned minute and the 'right' side is there to constantly condemn the 'left' for beating up Trump. Over the last five years that system produced record ratings for everyone.

Wolf Blitzer @wolfblitzer - 16:11 UTC · Feb 15, 2021

The Trump trial is over but local, state & federal investigations continue. There might be a 9/11-type commission. News organizations continue to investigate. And @realBobWoodward is working on a book on Trump's final days in office. Bottom line: we are going to learn a lot more.

"I hear you," responds Nancy Pelosi. And what better way to hide that Biden will pursue the same policies as Trump (but sprinkled with some LBGTQWERTY quackery) than to extend the narrative circus :

Congress will move to establish an independent commission to investigate the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, including facts "relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power," Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California announced on Monday.
...
Calls have grown for a bipartisan, independent investigation into the law enforcement and administrative failures that led to the first breach of the Capitol complex in two centuries, particularly after the Senate acquitted former President Donald J. Trump in his impeachment trial on a charge of inciting the rioters. For some lawmakers, such a commission offers the last major opportunity to hold Mr. Trump accountable.

Yes Nancy, lets investigate this and other such question: Why was Capitol police chief's request for National Guard denied ahead of riot? Republicans ask Nancy Pelosi .

Keeping the eyes on Trump is of course the best way to guarantee that Republicans will continue to stick to his narrative and that he will come back :

Though the 2024 primary is still far off -- who knows what will happen with Trump three months from now, let alone in three years? -- he currently swamps any potential rival. Fifty-three percent of Republicans said they would vote for Trump if the primary were held today.

All the other Republican hopefuls are polling in the low single digits, besides Mike Pence, who received 12 percent. Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Mitt Romney, Kristi Noem, Larry Hogan, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Tim Scott and Rick Scott all polled below 5%. Only Donald Trump Jr. and Nikki Haley punched through at 6%.

Further investigating the Mardi Gras invasion of the Capitol will also help to push for new 'domestic terrorism' laws. Where those will be pointed at is already evident:

Thomas B. Harvey @tbh4justice 17:56 UTC · Feb 15, 2021

FBI arrests BLM protester, claiming his social media posts show he is "on a path to radicalization". A judge determined he is dangerous bc of these posts and held him with no bond. This is where we're headed if we accept this domestic terrorism frame:

The FBI warned about far-right attacks. Agents arrested a leftist ex-soldier.

Welcome to the age of surveillance capitalism where every rant you ever posted that does not fit the official narrative can (and will) be used against you :

This clearly represents a quite different magnitude of 'control' – and when allied with the West's counter-insurgency techniques of 'terrorist' narrative disruption, honed during the 'Great War on Terrorism' – is a formidable tool for curbing dissent domestically, as well as externally.

Yet it has a fundamental weakness.

Quite simply, that being so invested, so immersed, in one particular 'reality', others' 'truths' then will not – cannot – be heard. They do not stand out proud above the endless flat plain of consensual discourse. They cannot penetrate the hardened shell of a prevailing narrative bubble, or claim the attention of élites so invested in managing their own version of reality .

The 'Big Weakness'? The élites come to believe their own narratives – forgetting that the narrative was conceived as an illusion , one among others, created to capture the imagination within their society (not others').
...
Examples are legion, but the Biden Administration's perception that time was frozen – from the moment of Obama's departure from office – and somehow defrosted on 20 January, just in time for Biden to pick up on that earlier era (as if time was uninterrupted), marks one example of a belief in one's own meme. Whilst the EU's unfeigned amazement – and anger – at being described 'as an unreliable partner' by FM Lavrov in Moscow, is just another example of how élites have become remote from the real world and captive to their own self-perception.

"America is back" to lead, and 'to set the rules of the road' for the rest of the world, may be intended to radiate U.S. strength, but rather, it suggests a tenuous grasp of the realities facing the U.S. : America's relations with Europe and Asia were growing increasingly distant well before Biden entered the White House – and, therefore, from before Trump's (purposefully disruptive) term, too.

Why then is the U.S. so consistently in denial about this?

The U.S. - or at least its 'élites' - need a wake-up call that pulls them out of their narrative world and brings them back into reality.

The alternative is a violent collision with the realities that others -domestic as well as foreign- perceive.

Posted by b on February 16, 2021 at 19:08 UTC | Permalink

---

Tannenhouser , Feb 16 2021 19:15 utc | 1

Ahh yes the domestic terrorist boogeyman. I wondered what they would do without Trump. LOL now we know eh? Thanks b. Say hello to the new boss same as the old boss.

Dave , Feb 16 2021 19:38 utc | 2

Change won't come to the US via the convenience of the ballot box. Elected officials are immediately corrupted by careerism, corporate money, and who knows what other forces behind the curtain. Ordinary people will achieve nothing without general strikes and civil disobedience, and more are realizing this. No doubt why this domestic "terror" bill is being pushed through.

Down South , Feb 16 2021 19:42 utc | 3

Welcome to the age of surveillance capitalism where every rant you ever posted that does not fit the official narrative can (and will) be used against you:

This reminded me of an article I read on Zerohedge. The IMF is recommending including your online history and behaviour when assessing your "creditworthiness"

The most transformative information innovation is the increase in use of new types of data coming from the digital footprint of customers' various online activities -- mainly for creditworthiness analysis.

Credit scoring using so-called hard information (income, employment time, assets, and debts) is nothing new. Typically, the more data is available, the more accurate is the assessment. But this method has two problems. First, hard information tends to be "procyclical": it boosts credit expansion in good times but exacerbates contraction during downturns.

The second and most complex problem is that certain kinds of people, like new entrepreneurs, innovators, and many informal workers, might not have enough hard data available. Even a well-paid expatriate moving to the United States can be caught in the conundrum of not getting a credit card for lack of credit record, and not having a credit record for lack of credit cards.

Fintech resolves the dilemma by tapping various nonfinancial data: the type of browser and hardware used to access the internet, the history of online searches, and purchases.

IMF Wants To Use "Digital Footprint Of Customers' Online Activities" To Assess Creditworthiness

gottlieb , Feb 16 2021 19:53 utc | 4

Golly what happens to the Circus part of bread and circuses after all the elephants die? Burn down the tent. We certainly know the Bread part of bread and circuses is an unleavened mess caught in the sausage machine of 'let them eat cake' legislation to parse crumbs to the starving masses one empty stomach of critical mass short of general rebellion.

What does one expect the 'elites' to do but go hardcore Orwellian to protect the 1% from the righteous indignation of the 99%?

The Enemy of the People is the People who must be whittled away to dumbed-down compliance at all costs. Masks are the canary in the coal mine.

vk , Feb 16 2021 19:59 utc | 5

Why then is the U.S. so consistently in denial about this?

Because they're losing the Second Cold War to the USSR's successor, the Popular Republic of China. That's the simplest explanation. But the interesting movement I want to highlight here is geopolitical: White House Drawing Up List of Firms Working on Nord Stream 2 for Possible Sanctions, Report Says

The completion of NS-2 is good for European liberalism: it ties up Russia to its economy as a commodity exporters (the German dream of making Russia its own Brazil). Why is the USA trying to stop this win for liberalism?

Seeing the movements in Myanmar and elsewhere (i.e. hurting South Korea and Japan with the trade war against China; hurting European economies with the trade war against Russia; hurting the Brazilian economy with the trade negotiations with China; throwing Australia and Taiwan as a battering ram against China etc. etc.) I can come with only one conclusion: the American Empire is collapsing, but collapsing a la Rome, that is, from the periphery. It is sacrificing its provinces (European Peninsula, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Brazil and even India) in order to try to stabilize its center (USA proper and Canada).

The USA has become Cronos, the titan of the harvests, desperately devouring its children to survive.

Lex , Feb 16 2021 20:04 utc | 7

There's nothing left but the fall of the empire. Exactly how and when that fall happens might be mildly controllable, at least so far as it influences what happens after the fall. But that's it. The decline and fall is not generally, and certainly not now, avoidable. Our problem is the same as any declining empire: the elites are the last to feel the full effects and so have the most reason to jealously cling to whatever is left. The personality in nominal power doesn't matter because they'll all be old, white elites or a minority striving for acceptance by old, white elites. Trump is every bit as much a symbol of America's failing as Joe Biden.

Mao Cheng Ji , Feb 16 2021 20:24 utc | 8

"The alternative is a violent collision with the realities that others -domestic as well as foreign- perceive."

Eventually, yes. But it could keep staggering towards that collision for years. Or decades.

Norwegian , Feb 16 2021 20:57 utc | 11

@Mao Cheng Ji | Feb 16 2021 20:24 utc | 8

A country who's name starts with 'U' will collide with reality first. Will it be Ukraine or USA?

Jagger , Feb 16 2021 21:15 utc | 12

So who burned, pillaged, murdered and terrorized for the last 9 months? Have we forgotten BLM and Antifa? Real insurgents and terrorists. Nothing but crickets when it comes to the Left's foot soldiers.

JB , Feb 16 2021 22:04 utc | 16

This is reality: https://thebulletin.org/2021/02/why-is-america-getting-a-new-100-billion-nuclear-weapon/

karlof1 , Feb 16 2021 22:11 utc | 17

Fortunately, numerous counter-narratives already exist, mostly from the Cold war, that can easily be flipped on their head. Another that could be devastating--Wall Street stole your American Dream from you. Now it's time to steal it back: Level Wall Street!!

I'm sure as a collective we could come up with a plethora. However IMO, it's vital the ultimate message aims at the building of a Human Commonwealth that's not based on exploitation which is the basis for global Neoliberalism. Putin and Xi's policy is to promote all citizens equally--even the US Constitution agrees with that national aim. And here's one we need to start now: The Stasi demanded family and neighbors spy on each other and that was deemed Unamerican then; so to ask Americans to spy on their family and neighbors now must be equally Unamerican, insidious and incompatible with Freedom, Justice, and the American Way!

Smith , Feb 16 2021 23:06 utc | 19

They are focusing on Trumpmania, meanwhile the stimulus is not yet out. These shows are the circus, but if the bread is not coming, people will riot anyway.

dan of steele , Feb 16 2021 23:22 utc | 20

I hear Trumpists and others from the Republican party use the old "they do it too" refrain far too often. White supremacists are less evil than black people complaining about getting killed by cops.

If it were actually possible, I would like to ask them to tell me why Republicans are in favor of police brutality, why they are all for the absolute power and impunity of police officers? Why do they think black people deserve to be treated as lesser beings merely for the color of their skin?

Antifa stands for anti fascist. if you are against antifa does that mean you believe fascism is a wonderful thing? Has anyone who identifies as a Republican ever heard of agent provocateurs and or false flag operations? I suspect not.

steven t johnson laid out a pretty good narrative that I personally cannot fault, yet the only comment he got was someone trying to deny that the electoral college gave more votes to Biden than to Trump. The fact that Biden got some 7 million more votes than Trump is not important, nor is it worthy of consideration that Hillary Clinton got more popular votes than Trump but nevertheless lost the electoral college to Trump in 2016.

I was always told you should never discuss politics or religion. I am beginning to understand the wisdom in that. With religion you have to be willing to suspend disbelief, there is no logical explanation for so many of the things believers take for fact. It appears to me that is the exact same thing with attempting to talk to Republicans.

now, to add some balance. Black people need to get their shit together. Bad things happen to many of them because they are doing stupid stuff. The gangsta culture is not at all helpful.

Fascism is not necessarily Republican, the new Democratic party has a considerable fascist faction. and it aint the old people in the Dem party, a lot of youngsters are quite the brownshirt when you look carefully.

Jackrabbit , Feb 16 2021 23:49 utc | 22

"Wait!" screams the narrative industry.... [which has] system produced record ratings for everyone....

IMO the narratives are driven by Deep State Empire managers that want to keep us divided so that they have a free hand. As a result, few can see the Empire forest for the trees of Deep State political operatives.

IMO the "record ratings" for the political circuses on offer are not the driving force. The hidden motive is EMPIRE. The new love that dare not speak its name is the love of EMPIRE. No politician or media pundit is allowed to question the need for NATO, EMPIRE propaganda, Israel's behavior, the huge amount wasted on military expenditures, etc.

... The U.S. - or at least its 'élites' - need a wake-up call

These elites know exactly what they are doing. It's the people that need a wake-up call. They are much too gullible. And all-too-willing to follow whatever establishment stooge is presented as their hero.

<> <> <> <> <>

A few hours ago, I wrote this comment on the preceding thread (replying to ventinLA):

vetinLA @Feb16 6:32 #60

Those beliefs led us to DJT..

Obama, Bernie and DJT have led their flocks to nowhere. What led us to them is the establishment's desire to derail populist Movements.

One clue (among many): Each of these so-called populists is pro-Empire.

• Obama conducted covert wars and regime changes. He declined to prosecute any CIA people for rendition & torture and dismissed privacy concerns about NSA spying. He also lied to us: 1) about a 'public option' in his healthcare plan and 2) never making the Bush tax cuts permanent (Obama participated in the 'fiscal cliff' farce that made most Bush tax cuts permanent while cutting social programs);
• Bernie, aka "Senator F35" is a closet Zionist that supports the Empire. He was Hillary's sheepdog in 2016. He then founded "Our Revolution", a nonprofit that accepted money from large donors. Bernie folded like a tent in 2020 to support establishment candidate Biden. Bernie put forth a bogus bill to end US involvement in the Saudi war on Yemen that would not actually end that involvement due to an exception. And he has criticized Venezuela's Maduro as USA has been trying to overthrow him.
• Trump - a billionaire conman, Clinton insider, and friend of Epstein - got in front of the Tea Party parade with slogans like "America First". His actions show that he is a fraud who is actual "Empire First". Trump dramatically increased spending on the military, terminated multiple peace agreements, renegged on his peace deal with North Korea, gave Israel everything on its wish list (including killing Iranian Gen. Soleimani), militarized space, and continued the War on Whistle-blowers with prosecution of Assange. Along the way he lied to the American people about the severity of the looming pandemic and excused MbS's killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Nothing will change as long as we keep falling for compromised leaders that are promoted by a compromised media.

And it's not just the US: Cameron, BoJo, Macron, Trudeau, and other quislings are funded and promoted in the same way. It's not "just politics" or "media narratives", it's a deliberate corruption of democracy itself so that those in charge serve TPTB and their Empire priorities.

George Orwell warned of a boot on the neck of humanity forever. Although that image horrifies, today too many people willingly offer their neck for booting by their preferred establishment-controlled, media-driven tribal cult. We need more cynics and fewer lemmings. Is anyone surprised that the greatest cynics in history were from the era of Roman Empire?

!!

Debssdead , Feb 17 2021 0:46 utc | 26

So finally people of the empire will have to acknowledge something which types like many who coagulate around sites such as MoA have known for a long time, that the empire suffers from a condition which gamers know and loathe only too well, Ludonarrative Dissonance .

In gaming Ludonarrative Dissonance is a condition which occurs too often, especially in games which have 'benefited' from the game developers studio being bought out (often in an underhanded manner eg investing a small amount but stitching the impecunious development studio in a contract which includes draconian financial penalties for failing to meet subjectively definable 'milestones'. Publishers with expensive lawyers coming out their arseholes sue the studio over these milestones and almost always wins complete ownership of the nerds - modern day slavery however not the current issue) by uninterested money men who quickly push a gang of marketeers on the game studio.

The marketeers promote some story-line into the game which is frequently little more than a collection of what they believe are 'hot button issues'. LGBTQ & feminist issues are always popular. The trouble begins when actual gameplay which is determined by the games existing physics eg fighting physics - what is a game without fighting, runs at odds with the silly superficial narrative which the marketing pop-up has foisted on the game.

Hence ludonarrative dissonance a frequently quoted example being 'Uncharted' a hugely successful playstation game which Goomba Stomp analyses thusly:

"In Uncharted, main character Nathan Drake is presented as the lovable everyman treasure hunter, who also kills everyone in his way without hesitation. The Nathan Drake seen during cutscenes isn't the same one experienced during gameplay, creating a sense of ludonarrative dissonance."

In gameplay or shall we say reality, the lead character gets around killing anyone everyone who he believes stands between him and the treasure, this conflicts with the character presented in cutscenes (they are like a film clip or sound bite - the player cannot input or affect them in any way), the cutscenes feature a very different Nathan Drake full of peace love and woodstock all pro LGBTQ, anti-racist etc, despite the fact that many of the people Nathan has murdered during the game are typical Hollywood caricature baddies, that is to say dark hued, latino, russian or african american accented types.
That doesn't sound at all like what we observe out here in the real world does it? /snark.

BidenCorp are going to ensure everyone keeps talking about orangutan in that way assisting their media backers by keeping ratings high while also distracting the masses from far more pressing issues eg what they call the stimulus which normal humans see as eating and having shelter or the fact that resources much needed domestically are getting sluiced down the toilet of never ending war against the very types BidenCorp claims to most care about. Ludonarrative dissonance.

karlof1 , Feb 17 2021 0:47 utc | 27

Rabbit @22--

And it's vastly important that the Cynic School of Thought originated in Greece, from whom the Romans borrowed most everything including the idea of massive latifundia, usury, private finance, and the need to wage Total War on anyone promoting the Jubilee Year idea or championing the plebes. And which two "classic" nations did the British and their American scions model themselves after--The Greeks and Romans. But then, you know all that. And I do believe that you know there was never to be any genuine democracy at the USA's national level as there was a Coup in 1787 that negated the form of government in place that actually held out some promise of that.

IMO, there're well over 100 Million US Citizens ready to embrace Grassroots Populism, not the Top->Down Trump variety, but the variety that champions All The People and steals its motto from the Constitution: For a More Better Union, or People's Union Party if you will, or something like that. On the other hand, the EU presents a different problem for those under its boot that's more complex than what we face. IMO, the EU in its current form is unreformable as it's essentially a dictatorship run by the ECB, which forms a Junta with Wall Street, The City, NATO, and the CIA. And that latter criminal organization will need to be overcome for us to have any hopes of democracy at the Federal level and a nationwide public financial system to get us out of the chasm we're in and provide some hope for future generations.

vetinLA , Feb 17 2021 0:55 utc | 28

Jrabbit @ 22 said:"IMO the narratives are driven by Deep State Empire managers that want to keep us divided so that they have a free hand. As a result, few can see the Empire forest for the trees of Deep State political operatives."

"Obama, Bernie and DJT have led their flocks to nowhere. What led us to them is the establishment's desire to derail populist Movements."

"One clue (among many): Each of these so-called populists is pro-Empire."

Absolutely true rabbit, good post.

And, IMO, the "deep state" are the malignant billionaires who have bought the afore mentioned "populists", and who own 99% of the MSM....

vetinLA , Feb 17 2021 1:00 utc | 29

P.S. Even IF the people could find a genuine "populist", the rulers of American empire wouldn't permit it. He/she would be done away with.

vetinLA , Feb 17 2021 1:07 utc | 30

Debs @ 26; said;"BidenCorp are going to ensure everyone keeps talking about orangeutan in that way assisting their media backers by keeping ratings high while also distracting the masses from far more pressing issues eg what they call the stimulus which normal humans see as eating and having shelter or the fact that resources much needed domestically are getting sluiced down the toilet of never ending war against the very types BidenCorp claims to most care about. Ludonarrative dissonance."

More bottom line truth....

And the distraction drones on......

bevin , Feb 17 2021 1:16 utc | 31

An excellent piece from Glenn Greenwald about the events on Capitol Hill on January 6.

"..One of the most significant of these falsehoods (from journalists) was the tale -- endorsed over and over without any caveats by the media for more than a month -- that Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick was murdered by the pro-Trump mob when they beat him to death with a fire extinguisher. That claim was first published by The New York Times on January 8 in an article headlined "Capitol Police Officer Dies From Injuries in Pro-Trump Rampage." It cited "two [anonymous] law enforcement officials" to claim that Sicknick died "with the mob rampaging through the halls of Congress" and after he "was struck with a fire extinguisher."

"A second New York Times article from later that day -- bearing the more dramatic headline: "He Dreamed of Being a Police Officer, Then Was Killed by a Pro-Trump Mob" -- elaborated on that story:...

"....The problem with this story is that it is false in all respects. From the start, there was almost no evidence to substantiate it. The only basis were the two original New York Times articles asserting that this happened based on the claim of anonymous law enforcement officials.

"Despite this alleged brutal murder taking place in one of the most surveilled buildings on the planet, filled that day with hundreds of cellphones taping the events, nobody saw video of it. No photographs depicted it. To this day, no autopsy report has been released. No details from any official source have been provided.

"Not only was there no reason to believe this happened from the start, the little that was known should have caused doubt. On the same day the Times published its two articles with the "fire extinguisher" story, ProPublica published one that should have raised serious doubts about it.

"The outlet interviewed Sicknick's brother, who said that "Sicknick had texted [the family] Wednesday night to say that while he had been pepper-sprayed, he was in good spirits." That obviously conflicted with the Times' story that the mob "overpowered Sicknick" and "struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher," after which, "with a bloody gash in his head, Mr. Sicknick was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support."

The over reaction in the US to this minor riot, in which the only other casualties were among the rioters would be a good joke were it not that the Congress people now telling us that they escaped with their lives are personally and collectively responsible for the most atrocious attacks on innocent civilians at the hands of Congressionally employed agents or proxies every day.

The events of January 6 would not have been noticed in the Kiev insurrection that Obama et al produced- in which US trained snipers from Georgia shot into the crowds, indiscriminately killing both police and protestors, in order to be in a position to denounce peace accords reached between the parties.

They would have been an unnoticed sideshow in Hong Kong last year when the US sponsored anti-communists were beating up local police and setting subway stations on fire.

They would have gone unreported in Minsk a few months ago. As to Cochabamba in Bolivia, where the Parliamentary building was invaded by US Embassy organised fascists little more than a year ago and several bystanders were killed. Or Colombia any day of every week since the socialist candidate was assassinated in the Presidential election-in 1948- a day like January 6 would be a welcome relief from the death squads and murders.
The big question the world is asking is whether the USA will grow up before it dies. The odds would seem to be against it doing so.

[Feb 14, 2021] Hunt for the Great White Speech Criminal by Andrew Anglin

Feb 14, 2021 | www.unz.com

... ... ...

From the piece, entitled " The Journalistic Tattletale and Censorship Industry Suffers Several Well-Deserved Blows ":

A new and rapidly growing journalistic "beat" has arisen over the last several years that can best be described as an unholy mix of junior high hall-monitor tattling and Stasi-like citizen surveillance. It is half adolescent and half malevolent. Its primary objectives are control, censorship, and the destruction of reputations for fun and power. Though its epicenter is the largest corporate media outlets, it is the very antithesis of journalism.

I've written before about one particularly toxic strain of this authoritarian "reporting." Teams of journalists at three of the most influential corporate media outlets -- CNN's "media reporters" (Brian Stelter and Oliver Darcy), NBC's "disinformation space unit" (Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny), and the tech reporters of The New York Times (Mike Isaac, Kevin Roose, Sheera Frenkel) -- devote the bulk of their "journalism" to searching for online spaces where they believe speech and conduct rules are being violated, flagging them, and then pleading that punitive action be taken (banning, censorship, content regulation, after-school detention). These hall-monitor reporters are a major factor explaining why tech monopolies, which (for reasons of self-interest and ideology) never wanted the responsibility to censor, now do so with abandon and seemingly arbitrary blunt force: they are shamed by the world's loudest media companies when they do not.

Just as the NSA is obsessed with ensuring there be no place on earth where humans can communicate free of their spying eyes and ears, these journalistic hall monitors cannot abide the idea that there can be any place on the internet where people are free to speak in ways they do not approve. Like some creepy informant for a state security apparatus, they spend their days trolling the depths of chat rooms and 4Chan bulletin boards and sub-Reddit threads and private communications apps to find anyone -- influential or obscure -- who is saying something they believe should be forbidden, and then use the corporate megaphones they did not build and could not have built but have been handed in order to silence and destroy anyone who dissents from the orthodoxies of their corporate managers or challenges their information hegemony.

Oliver Darcy has built his CNN career by sitting around with Brian Stelter petulantly pointing to people breaking the rules on social media and demanding tech executives make the rule-breakers disappear. The little crew of tattletale millennials assembled by NBC -- who refer to their twerpy work with the self-glorifying title of "working in the disinformation space": as intrepid and hazardous as exposing corruption by repressive regimes or reporting from war zones -- spend their dreary days scrolling through 4Chan boards to expose the offensive memes and bad words used by transgressive adolescents; they then pat themselves on the back for confronting dangerous power centers, even when it is nothing more trivial and bullying than doxxing the identities of powerless, obscure citizens .

But the worst of this triumvirate is the NYT's tech reporters, due to influence and reach if no other reason. When Silicon Valley monopolies, publicly pressured by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other lawmakers, united to remove Parler from the internet , the Times' tech team quickly donned their hall-monitor goggles and Stasi notebooks to warn that the Bad People had migrated to Signal and Telegram . This week they asked: "Are Private Messaging Apps the Next Misinformation Hot Spot?" One reporter "confess[ed] that I am worried about Telegram. Other than private messaging, people love to use Telegram for group chats -- up to 200,000 people can meet inside a Telegram chat room. That seems problematic."

These examples of journalism being abused to demand censorship of spaces they cannot control are too numerous to comprehensively chronicle. And they are not confined to those three outlets. That far more robust censorship is urgently needed is now a virtual consensus in mainstream corporate journalism: it's an animating cause for them.

Go read the rest .

The single issue I take with this is that he misspells "doxing."

Because I know some of you won't go read it, I need to pull a couple more quotes:

... ... ...

Carlton Meyer , says: Website February 14, 2021 at 5:18 am GMT • 11.0 hours ago

he is doing God's work

I agree 100%. Greenwald is great. Here is 10-minutes of him on Jimmy Dore's show blasting censorship and criticizing Israel.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/l1DktydhIAs?feature=oembed

geokat62 , says: February 14, 2021 at 5:20 am GMT • 10.9 hours ago

The single issue I take with this is that he misspells "doxing."

Excerpt from Doxing and doxxing :

Doxing is the act of publishing private information and identifying information about an individual online with intent to harm. Doxing is done in order to shame someone, encourage other online users to intimidate someone, or put the person being doxed in actual danger. Doxing may be spelled with two "x's", as in doxxing.

https://grammarist.com/new-words/doxing-and-doxxing/

[Feb 03, 2021] Only You Can Beat Big Tech Censorship

Feb 03, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

Authored by Tom Luongo via Gold, Goats, 'n Guns blog,

When Facebook censors Ron Paul, or Twitter bans President Trump, is that censorship?

Or because these are private companies, does that automatically make it NOT censorship?

Amazon banned Parler, but is it their right as a private company to choose their customers?

That's the crux of the issue I need to address with you in today's post-Trump world of social media.

Because make no mistake "Big Tech" repression is a foundational problem facing any society that considers itself even somewhat free. In the wake of the allowed 'assault on the Capitol' and the confirmation of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the U.S., the big tech firms which control access to speech went ballistic.

Conservatives along with President Trump himself were wiped from the public square. Any mention of the election being stolen or open support on Twitter of Trump himself was flushed down the memory hole.

This is censorship of the highest order by these firms to put parameters around political speech in the U.S. where such a right is enshrined in the Constitution. None of it is constitutional.

But the problem is far deeper than that. The deplatforming of Parler, one alternative social media platform to Twitter, via corporate collusion by Apple, Google and Amazon was something far more sinister than Twitter silencing the sitting president of the U.S.

This was a blatant hit job by companies stifling competition in the public square for hosting material which is constitutionally protected as 'free speech.'

But these firms, especially Amazon, who terminated Parler's server hosting agreement with 24 hours' notice, lazily applied their vague and ever-changing 'Terms of Service" to single out Parler and hide behind their status as a private company.

The worst part about this is that libertarians see this as a rational and defensible free market action . And for years adolescent libertarian arguments about corporations being private actors preferable to governments have now been turned around by authoritarians who hang us with our own words.

And we wonder why conservatives look at us like we have four-heads when we make such arguments?

When this attack on free speech began, during the 2016 presidential campaign with the first deplatforming of alt-right provocateurs like Richard Spencer and Andrew Anglin of the Daily Stormer website, it was obvious then that these were dry runs for the mass action we're seeing today, in the name of creating an information-free literal one-party police state.

It was this that prompted former Silicon Valley programmer Andrew Torba to start Gab. Crazed liberals then said, "If you don't like Twitter, leave and build your own."

So, he did. And after the attack on the Pittsburgh Synagogue in 2018, Gab was given the even worse treatment than Parler got last week.

They survived that.

All the while myself and people like Torba were screaming about the duopoly controlling the on-ramp to the mobile web, and no one cared. But we could see this day coming.

And now it's here.

But this is most certainly not a private property issue as much as it is a contract law issue allowed to fester because of government interference into the marketplace for communications.

Government interference altered the landscape these companies operate in. The grew to the size they are now because of government largesse and federal and state tax revenue into the networks and systems they depend on.

It doesn't matter that the duopoly is Google and Apple. It could have been Palm and Microsoft. Or Blackberry and IBM. What matters is that the environment wasn't a level playing field between the companies and the people using the services.

They were paying not only for access but at the same time subsidizing the revenue streams by accepting costs these companies outsourced to government.

It is a cozy arrangement.

The companies outsource their fixed costs and the government outsources their censorship desires that pesky First Amendment forbids them from doing directly.

No wonder the response to the allowed assault on the Capitol was so swift and coordinated.

Think it through folks.

Amazon's AWS doesn't become a dominant player without those vaunted contracts with the CIA. Parler, at a minimum should have an expectation of service per any legal contractual arrangement, and as such is due damages from Amazon for unilaterally breaching that basic trust.

Facebook doesn't grow to become the monster it is without strategic investments by quasi-governmental companies like Goldman-Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Google doesn't become the ad revenue generating machine if it had had to properly pay its bandwidth costs for the content they forced on us.

Trump nixing 'Net Neutrality' put some of that onus back on them, giving ISP's some latitude to price usage according to their needs rather than Google's.

All of the above companies, including Microsoft, have been chosen by our government to succeed in this tilted marketplace.

Apple doesn't dominate the mobile internet in the U.S. without all those user fees and taxes tacked onto the cost of your monthly cellphone bill.

If these companies were operating on their own private satellite and wire networks then they would absolutely be in the right, via the application of private property rights, to set whatever terms of service they wanted.

I, as a libertarian, fully support that.

And also, as a libertarian, understand that public property always creates a tragedy of the commons scenario.

But when you operate in the public sphere, when you move your goods and services on the digital equivalent of the public road system (not a digression I want to get into today) and your corporate charter exists within the framework of U.S. and state contract law it is clear that these companies are neither wholly private entities with respect to their customers nor neutral actors trying to enforce public decency standards.

They are acting in their best interest to stifle competition – Gab, Parler, Minds, etc. – while setting precedents to allow for even further restrictions of speech through lawfare thanks to a complicit and fully cowed legal system.

And herein lies the smart path to reining them in, if it is at all possible at this point, since it's clear the Biden Administration is ready to reframe all speech critical of the U.S. government as 'domestic terrorism' giving all of these companies the legal justification into the future to unperson all dissent.

Removing their Section 230 immunity under the Communications Decency Act is paramount. It will not happen now. The government is in on the grift, folks, so looking ahead to the 2022 election cycle isn't an option.

They just proved to you your vote doesn't count, so it means hitting them in the only place they truly care about, their bottom lines.

So, the first thing to do is sue them into the ground. It will be up to the people themselves to hound these companies through both contract law violations and shareholder revolts because they have done irreparable damage to their brands and their future revenue streams.

That is what has to happen right now. Parler's suit against Amazon is a good start. A class-action lawsuit by every small business in America now wondering about Amazon's policies should end this nonsense quickly.

A good judge in a sympathetic jurisdiction should side with anyone making a strong case that modern tech company Terms of Service are 'contracts of adhesion,' defined as contracts entered into where one party is so much stronger than the other the weaker party is, in effect, coerced into signing it.

The second thing to do is to simply jack-out. Put the screen down. Stop using it as a substitution for real communications and pull back from the brink.

De-google your life, as I have. Close your Facebook account permanently. You will feel better immediately, trust me. I did this two years ago, to the detriment of the marketing efforts of my business, and I have never looked back.

If you need a social network, use Twitter for keeping tabs on things but save your thoughts and your content for Gab or some other, smaller private community you are a part of.

Being a global citizen is a canard they sold us as some true net positive. But it was something designed wholly to drive us mad and deracinate us to the point of having no home, no culture and no real friends.

It's no wonder they are trying so hard to shut off the escape routes and only allow certain platforms to exist forcing us to interact with people we don't like while locked in our homes over a wholly contrived public health emergency.

It was always part of the globalist plan.

Ending this starts with the very libertarian idea of simply opting-out. We don't need to be plugged into their reality-generating nightmares every moment of every day.

But the thing about the web is that it is built on protocols which are themselves censorship resistant. So, the tyrants of today will be the footnotes of tomorrow. We've seen early attempts at censorship-proof blockchain platforms like Steemit . It's still running even though its growing pains nearly killed it.

The next great service is just around the corner because necessity is the mother of innovation. But the first step is accepting the fact that they've won this round and it is now time to change the rules of the game.

P.S.: If you want to see what this looks like, just look at what the guys at Wall Street Bets are doing to the capital markets today. Brokerage outages, trading suspended, newly-minted millionaires.

All because a bunch of hedgies got over-confident of their one-way skimming and thinking no one would press their luck to the breaking point.

They have and it is glorious.

You beat them by turning their supposed advantages and bought-and-paid-for rules of the game back on them.

* * *

Join My Patreon if you like watching the bad guys take it on the chin play_arrow

---

William Dorritt 4 hours ago

disguss in an oligarch trap, owned by Oligarchs

Disquss sell all comments and IP addresses to every group and intelligence agency in the world to profile commenters and identify them

I will never comment on Disgus it's an evidence collection device

1CSR2SQN 2 hours ago (Edited)

Well you'd wonder why they ban people who are giving the best evidence. If I was in the intelligence business, those would be my targets of peak interest.

hongdo 1 hour ago

The spooks are starting to complain. Probably they thought if farcebook , twatter, et al kicked them off they would go to dedicated sites and be easier to monitor. But I guess they did not expect that the alternate sites would also be banned.

Always a fight between ops trying to disrupt enemy communications, and intel trying to keep it intact to monitor. Lots of times intel will not tell ops what they hear because they think it will endanger their sources.

son of sam 12 hours ago (Edited) remove link

we will be back to newspapers and landlines

That would be a step n the right direction!

Poor Tom. Like the kids who got into the special van each day at school, to go to an undisclosed location, ever so slowly, the light bulb comes on in his special genius noggin -

at the very same time he insists on continuing to laud himself for " myself and people like Torba were screaming about the duopoly controlling the on-ramp to the mobile web"

like he was seeing something before the rest of us. The fuzzy logic continues, as he sees through the 'libertarian' sham ideology here briefly, and then goes on to state "I as a libertarian, fully support that" !!!

Tom lives or dies on his patreon account, web pages, access to mobile communication channels owned and operated by da MAN. He's a product of his times, unable to see the forest for the trees. Trees which would be better cut down and made into newsprint and 'writing paper' - so that EFFECTIVE communication might be once again possible, like in the C19th -

instead of being burned down to the ground by CON-ED and the BLM retards.

Screw 'the web.' And the flies it catches.

Bdubs 9 hours ago remove link

Amazon is NOT a private entity!

They are heavily invested in by the US Government, especially the "defense" department and "intelligence" agencies.

The USG created the operating and tax environment that allowed Amazon to grow to its size and power witnessed today. I wish Obama had been more clear when he said "you didn't built that" and I wish the right wing media hadn't gone into overdrive to discredit that patsy.

Absolutely, 100%, the Amazon we see today is not the Amazon Bezos built in his garage.

DesertEagle 10 hours ago

There has been an incestuous relationship between these tech giants and U.S. intel since their inception. They are quasi governmental entities. They have monopolized private communication and have now rolled out an Iron Curtain of censorship across the Internet. Congress will do nothing and it will get much worse under the Xiden regime. The goal is to make us just like Communist China.

atomic balm 9 hours ago

fascism is a blending of free enterprise with communism

numb 1 5 hours ago remove link

It has been a great week watching the very forces that stole the election and have been stealing money for years from honest Americans take it in the shorts. Great ideas about going after the Bezos cartel. I would like to add another to the pot and in a way beat them at their own game. Encourage Bezos employes to union up. I know that unions are often corrupt like the teachers union but if unions are good at one thing it is destroying the companies that they are attached to. Planting unions throughout Bezos Cartel would be glorious payback for what bezos has done to small retail stores throughout the nation.

William Dorritt 3 hours ago (Edited)

Sympathy strikes by truckers and longshoreman

Amazon idea is great, keep posting it

Amazon is the leading edge of Skynet

Warehouse and Driver employees will be the first to go

When starving former Amazon Employees Molotov Self driving delivery trucks, the police will prioritize the incident after kids stealing baseball cards at the 7-11 store, Jurors not guilty every time. Amazon drivers today, police tomorrow forget about pensions and start worrying about food for your children

Let it Go 3 hours ago

Now that stores are closing all across America and jobs are being lost much of the myth of Amazon being a positive force has vanished. Also debatable is the claim Amazon is not harmful to the environment, not only does it's delivery system and cloud use a great deal of energy but it has been documented that a huge percentage of products sold online get returned and end up in landfills. Going into the holidays a slew of "feel-good ads" from Amazon hit the airways. They were aimed at masking the miserable truth about this company. Amazon's pathetic effort to distance itself from its sins with a PR campaign does not erase them. The article below looks into how Amazon again price gouged Americans during recent lock-downs.

https://Amazon's Deceitful "Feel Good Ads" Mislead Consumers.html

Yamaoka Tesshu 2 hours ago remove link

Amazon generates a mountain of cardboard. Envision the "Idiocracy" landscape/fill.

1CSR2SQN 2 hours ago

The enemy of my enemy is my friend... I'm no friend of the union but a friend of an Amazon union. Especially a miliant one. Smoke em' if you got em', whose got a match?

PT 7 hours ago

I knew Google would become a problem the instant it came into existence - Why can't I just write my own search engine?
Likewise FaceBook - why on earth do I need to share pics or photos via Fbook?

The scum rises to the top. Roughly speaking, WHY IS there a top?

Fireman 7 hours ago

Stop the $tockholm $yndrome BS about YouTube ( Ewe Tueb)... that electronic gulag "safe space" slaughterhouse for sheeple too dumb to think. **** twatter, amazon, goggle, apple micro**** etc etc etc. GET A REAL LIFE ALREADY beyond that "smart" phone jabbing prosthetic brain gizmo tracking device existence with fellow morons that passes for contact and communication for today's lectric mutant zombie pussies.

Use the alternative platforms or get fleeced and butchered by the oligarchy.

https://travag.blog/2021/01/14/alternatives-for-facebook-twitter-youtube-google-search-and-e-mail/

https://www.brandnewtube.com/

https://www.designdare.com/emol-movies/

https://d.tube/

https://www.bitchute.com/

https://www.peepstv.org/

https://banned.video/

https://vk.com/

https://www.rokfin.com/

https://dlive.tv/

https://superfanz.co/

https://www.liveleak.com/

https://odysee.com/$/enlightenment

https://www.altcensored.com/watch?v=12DENYCyrBIhttps://www.brighteon.com/

https://www.joshwhotv.com/

https://lbry.tv/

https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/

https://flote.app/

https://153news.net/

https://www.tubeoffline.com/

https://newtube.app/media/popular/1?media=all&category=overview&within=24hour

https://dlive.tv/

Faecesbook is for the toilet

https://www.minds.com/

https://mewe.com/

https://memo.cash/

https://threema.ch/en/

https://vk.com/?lang=en

https://telegram.org/

https://rutube.ru/

https://mewe.com/

https://somee.social/auth

https://pocketnet.app/index

https://www.thinkspot.com/users/sign_in#moveup

https://parler.com/auth/access

https://humansarefree.com/2018/03/youtube-censorship-list-of-banned.html

https://archive.org/details/movies

Free movies HD

https://soap2day.to/

[Jan 29, 2021] How To Survive -Cancel Culture- When You Have Unpopular Opinions - ZeroHedge

Jan 29, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

How To Survive "Cancel Culture" When You Have Unpopular Opinions BY TYLER DURDEN THURSDAY, JAN 28, 2021 - 19:30

Authored by Terry Trahan via TheOrganicPrepper.com,

Well, hello there. I don't know if you've noticed, but we live in a vastly different worl d than the last time I posted here . The social landscape, political, and, it seems, everyday life is trending vastly different since 2020, Covid, and the national elections.

Daisy recently sent out an email explaining the shift away from discussing politics in light of cancel culture and the like. I want to expand on those thoughts, but from an underground, guerrilla angle.

A huge part of survival, prepping, and Nomad Strategies is getting done what needs to be done with minimal interference or notice from those around us . The more eyes on your project, the more people that can foul up our plans, throw a wrench in the works, or, nowadays, ruin your life.

Have a secret identity.

So, we turn to lesson number one from the great bastion of literature: comic books.

What does almost every comic character have? A secret identity. And why? So they are not having to fight, protect their family, and hide from the public all the time. That is a mighty wise course of action. Life is not a movie. There are rarely times to take a bold, public stand that will put you or your people in danger.

It is a blessing to live in the time and place we do that enables us to engage in such vociferous debate levels with no real consequences. That is not the norm throughout history, and, as we can see, it is changing in front of our eyes. All one needs to do is look at the world outside of the U.S. for current or very recent historical examples. Take a look at where Selco comes from or Belfast just a couple of decades ago. Look at many areas of the Middle East, Syria , or Asia for current displays of enforcement.

You don't have to share your opinions with everyone.

Keeping a low profile as long as possible is a crucial OpSec practice .

Note: I am not saying you are not allowed to have opinions. But, I am a firm believer in only discussing them with known associates in private. It is also easier to keep seeing the other party as still human if you do it in person. *Othering is a nasty thing to do and nastier to be on the receiving end of. Remembering that the other side is not the devil incarnate helps to identify actual enemies easier. Instead of jumping at every boogyman brought to your attention, save your energy for real, in your face threats.

*The term Othering describes the reductive action of labeling and defining a person as a subaltern native, as someone who belongs to the socially subordinate category of the Other.

Choose your battles wisely, or don't battle at all

Another reason for concentrating on the mission: it's a waste of your time. Leave the arguing and name-calling to others. Arguing lessens your productivity and may alienate potential allies that could assist you. (Except for those pesky Facebook posts you made, calling their kind evil and stupid.) Choosing not to participate in arguments and debates shows that you have mental toughness, compassion, discernment, and, most importantly, self-control.

In case you aren't aware, those and your integrity are essential things to keep intact. Both for our own well being and for cultivating good, successful relationships. Keep your ego intact, and if you can exercise the self-control required to not argue points with others that don't matter in the day-to-day.

You will be more peaceful.

Fewer distractions = more time to work on numero uno

As Toby Cowern's recent article asks: Are You Maintaining the Most Vital Resources in Your Preppertoire? And what is that resource? YOU. Are you making sure that self-care is the most important part of your prepping plans?

We want to give ourselves as much time as possible to work on various aspects of ourselves that need the work.

Distractions from this can be costly. It can be costly in terms of time wasted on a needless post, and at its worst, it can literally cost you everything you have worked for and built up.

Stop throwing chum to the internet sharks.

An important but often overlooked aspect of any successful underground work is the ability to escape notice. Therefore escaping issues that will negatively impact your ability to move forward will help you complete whatever the mission at hand is.

Rather than willingly compromising your future, stop engaging with the sharks. Instead of spending time engaged in activities that are not beneficial, use your time wisely. Allocate the majority of your time to doing the work. Use your downtime to recharge, find the good, relax, and keep your eyes on the prize.

There may be a time in the near future where we must elevate to a more offensive posture. But now is not that time. What we do now is an important step in keeping us more even-keeled and ready. Don't volunteer yourself for the enemies list. There are already plenty of people that will gladly put some of us there.

1 hour ago (Edited) remove link

"Political correctness is fascism pretending to be manners."

-- George Carlin play_arrow

---

Patmos 17 minutes ago

Ahhhh... George Carlin.... Back when liberals were liberals, and not "woke" regressive morons.

Banker415 PRO 1 hour ago (Edited) remove link

1. Get off Facebook

2. Delete your Instagram

3. Stop using douche apps like Snap and TikTok

4. Don't use WhatsApp--switch to Signal and Wickr

5. Migrate off of Google apps and Apple-related apps

6. Kill your Twitter

knopperz 1 hour ago remove link

Jack Dorsey is in cahoots with Signal.
He celebrated on Twitter when it went #1 after the Parler Ban.

Rather use Telegram.

Banker415 PRO 1 hour ago

I agree with you on Signal... but it's a short-term solution until better apps are available. Telegram is ok but its subject to the same MITM attacks as the others.

Foe Jaws 1 hour ago

I have been using DuckDuckGo for a few years it is a fine replacement for Google.

AnonymousCitizen 58 minutes ago

You might want to look into the management team of DuckDuckGo. It may not be the search engine you're looking for.

Onthebeach6 1 hour ago remove link

Sounds like the author is preparing to be a very quiet mouse and accept the coup d'etat and the new illegitimate regime.

The new regime will consolidate quickly to eliminate any chance of organized resistance - they may also try to make it impossible for states to secede.

Ted K. 6 minutes ago (Edited) remove link

So, is this where we're at? Now that we know 'political correctness' has grown up into 'cancel culture' with this takeover of the USA and Western society (because that's what it is), we're simply reduced to understanding 'how to survive' in it?

For real? Really? REALLY?!?!

No fight at all? We're all just gonna lie down and show our bellies and accept this?

No way. Die on your feet.

[Jan 29, 2021] Financioal oligarchy is shutting down and/or severely limiting free and open communications and transactions on the internet because they "threaten" TPTB's prerogatives to personally and totally control all of the real world's power and wealth

Jan 29, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

time2wakeupnow , Jan 28 2021 18:56 utc | 9

Shutting down and/or severely limiting free and open communications and transactions on the internet because they "threaten" TPTB's prerogatives to personally and totally control all of the real world's power and wealth is not ever going to hold in the mid-to-long run, no matter how repressive they become.

As we have all seen very clearly in this past pandemic year, the majority of the populations has essentially be put on notice that they are fundamentally superfluous - and becoming more so by the day.

Wall street, Oligarchs and Corporate Government flourishes while the rest of us flounder...

So, Game..Stop Indeed!

---

Rutherford82 , Jan 28 2021 19:27 utc | 11

@9 time2wakeupnow

"Shutting down and/or severely limiting free and open communications and transactions on the internet because they "threaten" TPTB's prerogatives to personally and totally control all of the real world's power and wealth is not ever going to hold in the mid-to-long run, no matter how repressive they become."

I appreciate your optimism, but we are in deep crisis as a society and we are not currently on a trajectory to have very much free information and communication. These recent events are revealing just how much crisis we are in and the controllers of wealth and information have a lot of tricks up their sleeve to continue to prop it all up.

Julian Assange's imprisonment is what accelerated this crisis, or at least truly revealed the level of the crisis. As long as Assange remains imprisoned, people with the ability to silence others will do so with relative impunity as long as they have influence.

And, if what you say is true and power and control will not hold up in the long run, what kind of picture will it be when people break this control?

Better to work on addressing the issues now so we can all prevent it from reaching a breaking point.

james , Jan 28 2021 19:28 utc | 12

thanks b... greenwald has it exactly right - To review:
"- Politics is to be manipulated only by K Street.
- The stock market is to be manipulated only by Wall St.
- Dissemination of information is to be manipulated only by corporate media outlets.
Those are the rules."

i find it encouraging that this has come up.. more people will realize what a controlled ponzi scheme wall st is... it supports all of the posters here at moa in acknowledging what a corrupt financial system we have going... as @ karlof1 points out - the real estate ponzi scheme is making it impossible for the younger generation to keep up.. they can't afford to get into the market... real estate prices go up in a very disproportionate way to peoples wages - unless you work on wall st of course... the deck is stacked and it is a rigged game.. this is complete proof on it.. i hope it draws more peoples attention to what a rigged game it is.. i am waiting for the next bubble burst and bail out.. that is how the game is played.... it will be harder when the us$ bubble bursts...

[Jan 24, 2021] The Moronic Firing Of Will Wilkinson by Greenwald

Notable quotes:

"... The perception that this is some sort of exclusively left-wing tactic is untrue. Recall in 2003, in the lead-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, when the lead singer for the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, uttered this utterly benign political comment at a concert in London: "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence. And we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." In response, millions joined a boycott of their music, radio stations refused to play their songs, Bush supporters burned their albums , and country star Toby Keith performed in front of a gigantic image of Maines standing next to Saddam Hussein, as though her opposition to the war meant she admired the Iraqi dictator. ..."

"... Social media is one of the most powerful generators of group-think ever invented in human history, enabling a small number of people to make decision-makers feel besieged with scorn and threatened with ostracization if they do not obey mob demands. The other is that the liberal-left has gained cultural hegemony in the most significant institutions -- from academia and journalism to entertainment, sports, music and art -- and this weapon, which they most certainly did not invent, is now vested squarely in their hands. ..."

Jan 24, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

On Wednesday, the night of Joe Biden's inauguration, Wilkinson posted this now-deleted tweet in which he was obviously not calling for violence. He was instead sardonically noting that anti-Pence animus became a prevailing sentiment among some MAGA followers over the last month, including reports that at least a few of those who breached the Capitol were calling for Pence's hanging on treason grounds, thus ironically enabling liberals and MAGA followers to "unite" over that desire:

The next morning, a right-wing hedge fund manager and large-money GOP donor , Gabe Hoffman, flagged this tweet and claimed to believe that Wilkinson "call[ed] for former Vice President Mike Pence to be lynched." Hoffman also tweeted at Wilkinson's New York Times bosses to ask if they have "any comment on your 'contributing opinion writer' calling for violence against a public official?," and then tweeted at Wilkinson's other bosses at the think tank to demand the same.

It is unclear whether Hoffman really believed what he was saying or was just trying to make a point that liberals should be forced to live under these bad faith, repressive "cancel culture" standards he likely blames them for creating and imposing on others. This is how he responded when I posed that question:

I was not attempting anything. Numerous major news outlets reported on Wilkinson's tweet, including Fox News. I simply documented the events on my Twitter feed yesterday. Clearly, many liberal journalists were outraged at his firing, noticed my documentation, and decided to inexplicably blame me for his firing. It's ridiculous that many liberal journalists apparently had nothing better to do on Twitter, than blame a guy with less than 10,000 followers documenting events, for getting Wilkinson fired, considering many major news outlets reported on Wilkinson's tweet.

When I pressed further on whether he really believed that Wilkinson's tweet was an earnest call for assassination or whether he was just demanding that perceived "cancel culture" standards be applied equally, he responded: "I did not take a position either way on the matter. Wilkinson is perfectly capable of explaining the tweet and his intended meaning, since he wrote it. Clearly, given the content, the least one can expect is that he should give that explanation."

Either way, intentional or not, Hoffman's distorted interpretation of Wilkinson's tweet produced instant results. That afternoon, Wilkinson posted a long and profuse apology to Twitter in which he made clear that he did not intend to advocate violence, but still said: "Last night I made an error of judgment and tweeted this. It was sharp sarcasm, but looked like a call for violence. That's always wrong, even as a joke. It was especially wrong at a moment when unity and peace are so critical. I'm deeply sorry and vow not to repeat the mistake. . . . [T]here was no excuse for putting the point the way I did. It was wrong, period."

At least for now, that apology fell on deaf ears. The president and co-founder of the Niskanen Center, Jerry Taylor, quickly posted a statement ( now deleted without comment ) announcing Wilkinson's immediate firing, a statement promptly noted by Hoffman :

Statement of Niskanen Center, posted to Twitter the evening of Jan. 21 and now deleted without comment, by President Jerry Taylor

Wilkinson's job with The New York Times is also clearly endangered. A spokesperson for the paper told Fox News : "Advocating violence of any form, even in jest, is unacceptable and against the standards of The New York Times. We're reassessing our relationship with Will Wilkinson."

So a completely ordinary and unassuming liberal commentator is in jeopardy of having his career destroyed because of a tweet that no person in good faith could possibly believe was actually advocating violence and which, at worst, could be said to be irresponsibly worded. And this is happening even though everyone knows it is all based on a totally fictitious understanding of what he said. Why?

---

It is important to emphasize that Wilkinson's specific plight is the least interesting and important aspect of this story. Unlike most people subjected to these sorts of bad faith reputation-wrecking attacks, he has many influential media friends and allies who are already defending him -- including New York Times columnists Ezra Klein and Ross Douthat -- and I would be unsurprised if this causes the paper to keep him and the Niskanen Center to reverse its termination of him.

All of this is especially ironic given that the president of this colorless, sleepy think tank -- last seen hiring the colorless, sleepy Matt Yglesias -- himself has a history of earnestly and non-ironically advocating actual violence against people. As Aaron Sibarium documented , Taylor took to Twitter over the summer to say that he wishes BLM and Antifa marchers had "rushed" the St. Louis couple which famously displayed guns outside their homes and "beat their brains in," adding: "excuse me if I root for antifa to punch these idiots out." So that's the profound, pious believer in non-violence so deeply offended by Wilkinson's tweet that he quickly fired him from his think tank.

Whatever else might be true of them, the Niskanen Center's president and The New York Times editors are not dumb enough to believe that Wilkinson was actually advocating that Mike Pence be lynched. It takes only a few functional brain cells to recognize what his actual intent with that tweet was, as poorly expressed or ill-advised as it might have been given the context-free world of Twitter and the tensions of the moment. So why would they indulge all this by firing a perfectly inoffensive career technocrat, all to appease the blatant bad faith and probably-not-even-serious demands of the mob?

Because this is the framework that we all now live with. It does not matter whether the anger directed at the think tank executives or New York Times editors is in good faith or not. It is utterly irrelevant whether there is any validity to the complaints against Wilkinson and the demands that he be fired. The merit of these kinds of grievance campaigns is not a factor.

All that matters to these decision-makers is societal scorn and ostracization. That is why the only thing that can save Wilkinson is that he has enough powerful friends to defend him, enabling them to reverse the cost-benefit calculus: make it so that there is more social scorn from firing Wilkinson than keeping him. Without the powerful media friends he has assembled over the years, he would have no chance to salvage his reputation and career no matter how obvious it was that the complaints against him are baseless.

Humans are social and political animals. We do fundamentally crave and need privacy . But we also crave and need social integration and approval. That it is why prolonged solitary confinement in prison is a form of torture that is almost certain to drive humans insane. It is why John McCain said far worse than the physical abuse he endured in a North Vietnamese prison was the long-term isolation to which he was subjected. It is why modern society's penchant for removing what had been our sense of community -- churches, mosques, and synagogues; union halls and bowling leagues; small-town life -- has coincided with a significant increase in mental health pathologies, and it is why the lockdowns and isolation of the COVID pandemic have made all of those, predictably, so much worse .

Those who have crafted a society in which mob anger, no matter how invalid, results in ostracization and reputation-destruction have exploited these impulses. If you are a think tank executive in Washington or a New York Times editor, why would you want to endure the attacks on you for "sanctioning violence" or "inciting assassinations" just to save Will Wilkinson? The prevailing culture vests so much weight in these sorts of outrage mobs that it is almost always easier to appease them than resist them.

The recent extraordinary removal of the social media platform Parler from the internet was clearly driven by these dynamics. It is inconceivable that Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos and Google executives believe that Parler is some neo-Nazi site that played anywhere near the role in planning and advocating for the Capitol riot as Facebook and YouTube did. But they know that significant chunks of liberal elite culture believe this (or at least claim to), and they thus calculate -- not irrationally, even if cowardly -- that they will have to endure a large social and reputational hit for refusing mob demands to destroy Parler. Like the Niskanen and Times bosses with Wilkinson, they had to decide how much pain they were willing to accept to defend Parler, and -- as is usually the case -- it turned out the answer was not much. Thus was Parler destroyed, with nowhere near the number of important liberal friends that Wilkinson has.

The perception that this is some sort of exclusively left-wing tactic is untrue. Recall in 2003, in the lead-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, when the lead singer for the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, uttered this utterly benign political comment at a concert in London: "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence. And we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." In response, millions joined a boycott of their music, radio stations refused to play their songs, Bush supporters burned their albums , and country star Toby Keith performed in front of a gigantic image of Maines standing next to Saddam Hussein, as though her opposition to the war meant she admired the Iraqi dictator.

But two recent trends have greatly intensified this mania. Social media is one of the most powerful generators of group-think ever invented in human history, enabling a small number of people to make decision-makers feel besieged with scorn and threatened with ostracization if they do not obey mob demands. The other is that the liberal-left has gained cultural hegemony in the most significant institutions -- from academia and journalism to entertainment, sports, music and art -- and this weapon, which they most certainly did not invent, is now vested squarely in their hands.

But all weapons, once unleashed onto the world, will be copied and wielded by opposing tribes. Gabe Hoffman has likely seen powerless workers fired in the wake of the George Floyd killing for acts as trivial as a Latino truck driver innocently flashing an "OK" sign at a traffic light or a researcher fired for posting data about the political effects of violent v. non-violent protests and realized that he could use, or at least trifle with, this power against liberals instead of watching it be used by them. So he did it.

It's exactly the same dynamic that led liberals to swoon over Donald Trump's banning from social media and the mass-banning of his followers only to watch yesterday as numerous Antifa accounts were banned for the crime of organizing an anti-Biden march and how, before that, Palestinian journalists and activists have been banned en masse whenever Israel claims their rhetoric constitutes "incitement."

---

Delusion Spotter 14 hours ago (Edited)

If Trump and Conservatives are going to be silenced and kicked off of Social Media, the Left Wing, like this Clown, should definitely be kicked off Social Media for foolish posts as well.

Not sure what Glenn's point is or why I should care. Glenn could have focused his article on the social media censorship of Donald Trump and skipped the irrelevant and unmissed Will Wilkinson and Dixie Chunks altogether.

Quia Possum 14 hours ago

Maybe Greenwald thinks this will get him in Wilkinson's pants.

spam filter 3 hours ago

Lol, your comment got you an invitation!

cankles' server 13 hours ago

As a leftist, Glenn is trying to explain to leftists what they've unleashed with cancel culture.

He could have just mentioned Robespierre but socialists can never apply history to themselves because for them "it's different this time".

[Jan 24, 2021] The 9/11 Commission Report completely mysteriously omitted the many unimpeachable accounts by eyewitnesses including rescue workers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and civilians of tremendous explosions on that day

Jan 24, 2021 | consortiumnews.com

Jerry Alatalo , January 23, 2021 at 09:04

Why would anyone in a position of power inside the United States government – Democrat or Republican or Independent – risk the major-league blowback that comes with holding up the so-called 9/11 Commission as a "shining Gold Standard example" for people to emulate when seeking hard, harder, and the hardest of truth?

Surely those who offer up unearned praise to that assembled group of "investigators" are fully aware of the group's conscious omission of crucial evidence related to the world-changing events of September 11, 2001, of which the following are deserving of more weighty emphasis than the other near equally disturbing omissions:

-- The 9/11 Commission Report completely & mysteriously omitted the many unimpeachable accounts by eyewitnesses – including rescue workers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and civilians – of tremendous explosions on that day.

-- The 9/11 Commission Report completely & mysteriously omitted mention of World Trade Center Complex Building 7 and the 47-story skyscraper's inexplicable collapse on the afternoon of September 11th.

Readers of Consortium News and many millions of others Earth-wide aware of these profoundly disturbing facts choosing to remain silent can only be described as contributive accessories to these most severe crimes of omission, not to mention the absolutely horrific harming of innocent human beings subsequent – of which the omissions are to a very great extent the actionable basis.

Peace.

[Jan 24, 2021] Greenwald- The Moronic Firing Of Will Wilkinson - ZeroHedge

Jan 24, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

On Wednesday, the night of Joe Biden's inauguration, Wilkinson posted this now-deleted tweet in which he was obviously not calling for violence. He was instead sardonically noting that anti-Pence animus became a prevailing sentiment among some MAGA followers over the last month, including reports that at least a few of those who breached the Capitol were calling for Pence's hanging on treason grounds, thus ironically enabling liberals and MAGA followers to "unite" over that desire:

The next morning, a right-wing hedge fund manager and large-money GOP donor , Gabe Hoffman, flagged this tweet and claimed to believe that Wilkinson "call[ed] for former Vice President Mike Pence to be lynched." Hoffman also tweeted at Wilkinson's New York Times bosses to ask if they have "any comment on your 'contributing opinion writer' calling for violence against a public official?," and then tweeted at Wilkinson's other bosses at the think tank to demand the same.

It is unclear whether Hoffman really believed what he was saying or was just trying to make a point that liberals should be forced to live under these bad faith, repressive "cancel culture" standards he likely blames them for creating and imposing on others. This is how he responded when I posed that question:

I was not attempting anything. Numerous major news outlets reported on Wilkinson's tweet, including Fox News. I simply documented the events on my Twitter feed yesterday. Clearly, many liberal journalists were outraged at his firing, noticed my documentation, and decided to inexplicably blame me for his firing. It's ridiculous that many liberal journalists apparently had nothing better to do on Twitter, than blame a guy with less than 10,000 followers documenting events, for getting Wilkinson fired, considering many major news outlets reported on Wilkinson's tweet.

about:blank

about:blank

me title=

When I pressed further on whether he really believed that Wilkinson's tweet was an earnest call for assassination or whether he was just demanding that perceived "cancel culture" standards be applied equally, he responded: "I did not take a position either way on the matter. Wilkinson is perfectly capable of explaining the tweet and his intended meaning, since he wrote it. Clearly, given the content, the least one can expect is that he should give that explanation."

Either way, intentional or not, Hoffman's distorted interpretation of Wilkinson's tweet produced instant results. That afternoon, Wilkinson posted a long and profuse apology to Twitter in which he made clear that he did not intend to advocate violence, but still said: "Last night I made an error of judgment and tweeted this. It was sharp sarcasm, but looked like a call for violence. That's always wrong, even as a joke. It was especially wrong at a moment when unity and peace are so critical. I'm deeply sorry and vow not to repeat the mistake. . . . [T]here was no excuse for putting the point the way I did. It was wrong, period."

At least for now, that apology fell on deaf ears. The president and co-founder of the Niskanen Center, Jerry Taylor, quickly posted a statement ( now deleted without comment ) announcing Wilkinson's immediate firing, a statement promptly noted by Hoffman :

Statement of Niskanen Center, posted to Twitter the evening of Jan. 21 and now deleted without comment, by President Jerry Taylor

Wilkinson's job with The New York Times is also clearly endangered. A spokesperson for the paper told Fox News : "Advocating violence of any form, even in jest, is unacceptable and against the standards of The New York Times. We're reassessing our relationship with Will Wilkinson."

So a completely ordinary and unassuming liberal commentator is in jeopardy of having his career destroyed because of a tweet that no person in good faith could possibly believe was actually advocating violence and which, at worst, could be said to be irresponsibly worded. And this is happening even though everyone knows it is all based on a totally fictitious understanding of what he said. Why?

---

It is important to emphasize that Wilkinson's specific plight is the least interesting and important aspect of this story. Unlike most people subjected to these sorts of bad faith reputation-wrecking attacks, he has many influential media friends and allies who are already defending him -- including New York Times columnists Ezra Klein and Ross Douthat -- and I would be unsurprised if this causes the paper to keep him and the Niskanen Center to reverse its termination of him.

All of this is especially ironic given that the president of this colorless, sleepy think tank -- last seen hiring the colorless, sleepy Matt Yglesias -- himself has a history of earnestly and non-ironically advocating actual violence against people. As Aaron Sibarium documented , Taylor took to Twitter over the summer to say that he wishes BLM and Antifa marchers had "rushed" the St. Louis couple which famously displayed guns outside their homes and "beat their brains in," adding: "excuse me if I root for antifa to punch these idiots out." So that's the profound, pious believer in non-violence so deeply offended by Wilkinson's tweet that he quickly fired him from his think tank.

Whatever else might be true of them, the Niskanen Center's president and The New York Times editors are not dumb enough to believe that Wilkinson was actually advocating that Mike Pence be lynched. It takes only a few functional brain cells to recognize what his actual intent with that tweet was, as poorly expressed or ill-advised as it might have been given the context-free world of Twitter and the tensions of the moment. So why would they indulge all this by firing a perfectly inoffensive career technocrat, all to appease the blatant bad faith and probably-not-even-serious demands of the mob?

Because this is the framework that we all now live with. It does not matter whether the anger directed at the think tank executives or New York Times editors is in good faith or not. It is utterly irrelevant whether there is any validity to the complaints against Wilkinson and the demands that he be fired. The merit of these kinds of grievance campaigns is not a factor.

All that matters to these decision-makers is societal scorn and ostracization. That is why the only thing that can save Wilkinson is that he has enough powerful friends to defend him, enabling them to reverse the cost-benefit calculus: make it so that there is more social scorn from firing Wilkinson than keeping him. Without the powerful media friends he has assembled over the years, he would have no chance to salvage his reputation and career no matter how obvious it was that the complaints against him are baseless.

Humans are social and political animals. We do fundamentally crave and need privacy . But we also crave and need social integration and approval. That it is why prolonged solitary confinement in prison is a form of torture that is almost certain to drive humans insane. It is why John McCain said far worse than the physical abuse he endured in a North Vietnamese prison was the long-term isolation to which he was subjected. It is why modern society's penchant for removing what had been our sense of community -- churches, mosques, and synagogues; union halls and bowling leagues; small-town life -- has coincided with a significant increase in mental health pathologies, and it is why the lockdowns and isolation of the COVID pandemic have made all of those, predictably, so much worse .

Those who have crafted a society in which mob anger, no matter how invalid, results in ostracization and reputation-destruction have exploited these impulses. If you are a think tank executive in Washington or a New York Times editor, why would you want to endure the attacks on you for "sanctioning violence" or "inciting assassinations" just to save Will Wilkinson? The prevailing culture vests so much weight in these sorts of outrage mobs that it is almost always easier to appease them than resist them.

The recent extraordinary removal of the social media platform Parler from the internet was clearly driven by these dynamics. It is inconceivable that Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos and Google executives believe that Parler is some neo-Nazi site that played anywhere near the role in planning and advocating for the Capitol riot as Facebook and YouTube did. But they know that significant chunks of liberal elite culture believe this (or at least claim to), and they thus calculate -- not irrationally, even if cowardly -- that they will have to endure a large social and reputational hit for refusing mob demands to destroy Parler. Like the Niskanen and Times bosses with Wilkinson, they had to decide how much pain they were willing to accept to defend Parler, and -- as is usually the case -- it turned out the answer was not much. Thus was Parler destroyed, with nowhere near the number of important liberal friends that Wilkinson has.

The perception that this is some sort of exclusively left-wing tactic is untrue. Recall in 2003, in the lead-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, when the lead singer for the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, uttered this utterly benign political comment at a concert in London: "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence. And we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." In response, millions joined a boycott of their music, radio stations refused to play their songs, Bush supporters burned their albums , and country star Toby Keith performed in front of a gigantic image of Maines standing next to Saddam Hussein, as though her opposition to the war meant she admired the Iraqi dictator.

But two recent trends have greatly intensified this mania. Social media is one of the most powerful generators of group-think ever invented in human history, enabling a small number of people to make decision-makers feel besieged with scorn and threatened with ostracization if they do not obey mob demands. The other is that the liberal-left has gained cultural hegemony in the most significant institutions -- from academia and journalism to entertainment, sports, music and art -- and this weapon, which they most certainly did not invent, is now vested squarely in their hands.

But all weapons, once unleashed onto the world, will be copied and wielded by opposing tribes. Gabe Hoffman has likely seen powerless workers fired in the wake of the George Floyd killing for acts as trivial as a Latino truck driver innocently flashing an "OK" sign at a traffic light or a researcher fired for posting data about the political effects of violent v. non-violent protests and realized that he could use, or at least trifle with, this power against liberals instead of watching it be used by them. So he did it.

It's exactly the same dynamic that led liberals to swoon over Donald Trump's banning from social media and the mass-banning of his followers only to watch yesterday as numerous Antifa accounts were banned for the crime of organizing an anti-Biden march and how, before that, Palestinian journalists and activists have been banned en masse whenever Israel claims their rhetoric constitutes "incitement."

---

Delusion Spotter 14 hours ago (Edited)

If Trump and Conservatives are going to be silenced and kicked off of Social Media, the Left Wing, like this Clown, should definitely be kicked off Social Media for foolish posts as well.

Not sure what Glenn's point is or why I should care. Glenn could have focused his article on the social media censorship of Donald Trump and skipped the irrelevant and unmissed Will Wilkinson and Dixie Chunks altogether.

Quia Possum 14 hours ago

Maybe Greenwald thinks this will get him in Wilkinson's pants.

spam filter 3 hours ago

Lol, your comment got you an invitation!

cankles' server 13 hours ago

As a leftist, Glenn is trying to explain to leftists what they've unleashed with cancel culture.

He could have just mentioned Robespierre but socialists can never apply history to themselves because for them "it's different this time".

[Jan 22, 2021] Nice beard though.

Jan 22, 2021 | off-guardian.org

Moneycircus , Jan 15, 2021 2:18 PM

Twitter's Jack Dorsey is a Sociopath -- analyzed by Mr Obvious

https://www.youtube.com/embed/YjwFRVNMi5A?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

captain spam , Jan 15, 2021 6:41 PM Reply to Moneycircus

Nice beard though..

[Jan 20, 2021] Wikipedia- The Overlooked Monopoly -

Jan 20, 2021 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

Wikipedia Is a Monopoly

And it's not a harmless one, either. Editor ranks are filled with people just like Tim1965. They're unpaid basement dwellers who have some motive to spend enormous amounts of time "editing," a process that invariably often includes the mass deletion of useful and accurate information. Look – maybe Tim et. al. would fine if the attribution of my edits were to other primary sources but, of course, that would cut out other secondary sources. This happens to be exactly what monopolists do. Google at least still links to underlying websites even if, as illustrated above, they push them below a barrage of pictures.

But Wikipedia is a non-profit with volunteers, huh? Nonsense. Wikipedia's no-pay policy is a bug, not a feature. Facebook, Google, and Amazon are also monopolists but at least they allow some people to buy food, shelter, and diapers; Wikipedia doesn't. Wikipedia is not only a monopoly; it is the very worst monopoly, one that saps wealth, erodes knowledge, spreads false or misleading information, allows anonymous edits, and returns nothing to the economy. It props up Google's ability to circumvent eyeballs strengthening their own monopoly (again, as illustrated in the screenshot above). Why does anybody think this is a good thing?

Almost nobody recognizes the problem or calls out Wikipedia as a monopoly despite that it obviously is. There is some unspoken rule that Wikipedia is good and mustn't be challenged. That tie-in with the high Google ranking? Sure – Wikipedia deserves it, goes the thought. Why? Because they don't pay people and don't accept advertising so there are no conflicts of interest, right? Wrong.

Only the very naive believe somebody would bother with 50,000 edits for no gain. A quick search for Wikipedia experts returns countless people who can help " manage " one's Wikipedia presence to see how plenty of these "editors" are paid. It's the same model as Google or Facebook but a whole lot less honest. That doesn't mean many people don't volunteer their time: I write plenty for free. But there's a big difference between releasing a newsletter/blog post once or twice and week and 50,000 edits. There are other ways to profit from an edit count with none of them adequately disclosed.

Sure, Wikipedia has a code of ethics . Even that's a joke. I'm an American living in France so often surf the web using a VPN to get English-language pages. I have to turn the VPN off to make Wikipedia edits. They block VPN edits better than any other VPN blocker I've ever seen. I can watch Netflix as if I'm in the US but can't even login to Wikipedia with the VPN on. This is a minor inconvenience to me but literally deadly to, say, dissidents of many countries.

Just how common are people like Tim on Wikipedia? Plenty common and plenty of a problem. The way most of them get to those high number of edits is by reckless deletions -- digital vandalism -- as I've illustrated above. Wikipedia even has a term for them, deletionists. They used to have their own Wikipedia page when I first came across the term but deletionists deleted it. Instead, in a self-righteous bit of false equivalency, they merged it in with a page of so-called "inclusionists" who are people that want to actually expand knowledge.

Deletionists define adding information they may not like -- I suppose including links to other well-documented articles in other places -- as "vandalism" and edit for "appropriateness of content," a vague-standard that sounds like something from the North Korean Ministry of Truth. Borrowing from Richard Stallman , knowledge should be free as in speech, not free as in beer for those who can afford it. Wikipedia has it exactly backward.

Monopoly Busting

There's finally some momentum to police "Big Tech" monopolists from both the left and the right. We're used to seeing Bezos, Zuck, Pichai, and Cook uncomfortably suited up and testifying on Capitol Hill. Lately, the people asking the questions even seem to be more tuned-in to issues that matter.

Ignoring Wikipedia, which is every bit as much a monopoly and a monopolist as the rest, is a dire mistake. There is nothing positive about sucking away users from high-quality content published by individuals, small blogs, or focused wikis. They're not providing some type of public service by providing free content for Google to monetize without worries about being sued for copyright violations (and, surprise, Google funds Wikipedia ). Wikipedia went dark to prove the point they're vital and immediately missed. However, by doing that, they simultaneously proved another point: they're a monopoly .

Next time tech execs are called up to testify, Jimmy Wales should join the gang. Until then, Google and the rest should work to promote some diversity of information by pushing Wikipedia's rank down or even throwing the site off search results entirely; if people want to search Wikipedia they can go there directly. In its current state, all Wikipedia does is concentrate, corral, and offer up eyeballs to their for-profit monopolist cousins while purposefully harming lesser-known sites.

Still not convinced and think Wikipedia is a cute and cuddly non-profit? Let's keep going. Wikimedia Foundation, the parent of Wikipedia, brought in $113 million on their last tax return, filed 2017. They don't pay writers but do pay a lobbyist. Executive Director Katherine Maher earned $356,641. The CFO and Treasurer (of the non-profit volunteer website) earned $260,519. The lowest-paid executives are Chief of Community Engagement Angela Reid ($154,707) and Director of Engineering Trevor Parscal ($127,547). Yes, you read that right: the two people in charge of the community that creates the content and keeping the site lit up -- the only two things the vast majority of us care about -- are, by far, the lowest-paid.

There's something poetic about a seemingly insignificant edit on the Archie McCardell page reframing the core brand of Wikipedia as the monopolist that it is. If any executive could screw up something from the grave, a dozen years after his death, it's Archie. Still, he also has a history of leaving interesting ideas in his wake of destruction. One of those ideas is that it's long past time to recognize the value of researchers and writers, to label Wikipedia the monopolist that it is, and to reorient public perception towards the site to recognize its economically destructive nature on individual independent researchers and journalists.

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=yvessmith&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=796227866237210624&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedcapitalism.com%2F2021%2F01%2Fwikipedia-the-overlooked-monopoly.html&siteScreenName=yvessmith&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

I agree wholeheartedly with this pinned tweet by Katherine Maher but disagree entirely that Wikipedia does this. Enabling creepy anonymous unpaid editors and providing free content for search engines to bypass independent writers achieves the opposite of this goal.

[Jan 20, 2021] Why Doesn't the Republican Establishment Understand the Meaning of Betrayal by Larry Johnson

Jan 20, 2021 | turcopolier.typepad.com

The plan now, on the part of the Swamp, is to declare every Trump supporter a terrorist and an insurrectionist.

But we did not tear down statues of American heroes.

Antifa and BLM did that. We did not attack the police and call for them to be defunded or fried like bacon. Antifa and BLM did that.

We did not burn and loot the business centers of dozens of America's major cities. Antifa and BLM did that.

And what have Republican leaders done? They condemn you, anyone who dares to continue to express support for Donald Trump, as a domestic terrorist. And when there was ample cause to call out the real terrorists–Antifa and BLM–many of the Republican leaders cowered and kept silent.

[Jan 17, 2021] A note about "reactionary Republicans"

Highly recommended!

Notable quotes:

"... Since you like Hitler analogies so much, dear Steven, why don't you contemplate the 'reactionary' aspect of those Germans who resisted, in the 1930s, the 'progress' of the National-Socialist movement. ..."

"... 'Reactionary' simply means 'opposing the change', and the changes instituted by global finance, aided by their faithful servants, your liberal comrades, -- those changes should be opposed by all decent citizens. ..."

Jan 17, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Mao Cheng Ji , Jan 17 2021 19:03 utc | 23

@steven t johnson: "reactionary Republicans"

Since you like Hitler analogies so much, dear Steven, why don't you contemplate the 'reactionary' aspect of those Germans who resisted, in the 1930s, the 'progress' of the National-Socialist movement.

'Reactionary' simply means 'opposing the change', and the changes instituted by global finance, aided by their faithful servants, your liberal comrades, -- those changes should be opposed by all decent citizens.

And they are opposed by all decent citizens, and especially by the American working class, which is why your liberal comrades have to resort to fascist methods: goebbelsian propaganda, censorship, blacklisting, police repression.

[Jan 17, 2021] 'Let the purges begin'

Jan 17, 2021 | www.rt.com

Twitter has banned the sitting president from its platform indefinitely. Facebook and Instagram have banished Trump until at least after Joe Biden's inauguration. After Twitter began cancelling Trump followers, Amazon Web Services, Apple Store, and Google Play cancelled an entire corporation, Twitter competitor Parler . Other social media platforms could face a similar fate at the hands of the leftist authoritarian Big Tech cartel.

Tens of thousands, if not millions, of Trump supporters have either been purged from mainstream social media platforms or have fled in protest. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has recently promised more censorship and purges . Even the libertarian leader of an earlier populist movement, Ron Paul, has faced a Facebook ban (although this was subsequently claimed to be "an error" ). Guilt by association seems to the rule, no matter how distant or strained the association.

The purges extend well beyond social media. Trump has been cancelled by former business associates, including by one of his former financiers, Deutsche Bank . Blacklists of Trump supporters are being compiled. Congress members have called for the resignation of senators and House members who questioned the election results. If they refuse to resign, say the totalitarian wannabes about to seize complete control, they should be removed from office. ABC News contributor Rick Klein called for the " cleansing " of Trump supporters from the political landscape in a now-deleted tweet.

Khanlenin 1 day ago 15 Jan, 2021 11:34 PM

Always been 99.99% vs 0.01%. The 0.01% determine what wars the military will start, the minimum wage, security of employment, how affordable to make health care, the tax system etc even the school curriculum. The freest country with the most controls.

Ronj14848 ceshawn 1 day ago 15 Jan, 2021 07:36 PM

True...the media support the military industrial complex. Their friends own the miltary industrial complex . See who they support politically and avoid them like the plague.

[Jan 17, 2021] Democrats claim censorship necessary to stop 'fascism', but they still serve militarism and corporatism, by Glenn Greenwald

Jan 17, 2021 | www.rt.com

Democrats are cheering for censorship as a means to root out "fascism," even as they serve corporate interests that continue to exacerbate the social and economic issues that gave rise to Donald Trump, Glenn Greenwald told RT.

The acclaimed American journalist issued a scathing critique of the American Left during a conversation with Chris Hedges, host of RT's On Contact. The interview will air in full on Sunday.

Pointing to Donald Trump's indefinite Twitter suspension, Greenwald accused Democrats of appealing to Big Tech to police speech that could undermine their hold on power, using the pretext of fighting far-right extremism to quash dissent.

They're on their knees pleading with billionaires and oligarchs and monopolists and Silicon Valley to censor in a way that they believe is politically advantageous.

He added that the crackdown on free speech was particularly egregious because it was being carried out by a "tiny number of Silicon Valley oligarchs" who operate outside of the realm of democratic accountability.

Greenwald argued that the profoundly illiberal cheerleading for corporate speech-policing should come as no surprise to anyone, noting that the Democratic Party is funded by and "believes in" corporate power, despite whatever claims it makes to the contrary.

The Democrats are very good at creating a brand that is radically different from their reality. But essentially the Democratic Party serves militarism, imperialism, and corporatism.

There should also be no illusions about whether the incoming Biden administration will be able to mend the deep political divide in the country, the American journalist warned. He agreed with Hedges' premise that Trump won the White House in 2016 by capitalizing on widespread frustration over Barack Obama, and his VP Joe Biden's, ineffectual eight years in office.

//www.youtube.com/embed/_svxTAbVU1w

Greenwald said Americans should expect more of the same under Biden, meaning more outsourcing and other devastating economic policies that will continue to destroy the middle class. He predicted that the despair created by the new administration would set the stage for a "smarter, more stable version" of Trump.

ALSO ON RT.COM 79% of Americans think the US is falling apart. That's no surprise when one half of the country wants to crush the other

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[Jan 15, 2021] Trump supporters are pushed into underground

I am strongly against balkanization of the country. The example of the USSR shows where it leads -- misery of common pople and dramatic drop of the standard of living, while new gand of ruthless oligarchs emerge from the ruins.

Jan 15, 2021 | www.rt.com

Pushing the Trump-inspired populist movement underground may only cause it to resort to more drastic measures. As the leftist libertarian reporter Glenn Greenwald observes ,

"these people know they are scorned and looked down upon... and the more you humiliate and make them feel powerless, the more you take away their ability to organize and express that rage, it's gonna find an outlet in more destructive ways."

As a former professor at a top-ranking university, I favored a Trump re-election, not because I support Trump so much as abhor what the opposition represents and is proving itself to be. In response to the social media threat to expression, I have inaugurated a new group on Telegram called 'Thought Criminals'. There, fellow 'thought deviationists' like me are able to express views that are effectively proscribed on mainstream social media platforms. No one among us advocates violence or the overthrow of the government. None of us is 'racist'. We advocate only the rights enshrined in the US Constitution.

But some groups, no doubt, are intent on violence. Yet the violent extremists consist mostly of Antifa and related 'activists', who will unfortunately trick Trump supporters into another error during the inauguration, like some appeared to do when involved in the Capitol siege. It's not as if violent extremists among the Trump base were always there, ready to pounce on any opportunity to express their "racist," "white nationalist" views.

Rather, as the rising party has already demonstrated, these people stand to lose the most under a Biden-Harris regime, whose Big Tech and mainstream media allies act as governmental enforcement apparatuses.

Trump supporters have been hated and demonized simply for wanting to live without being reprimanded and punished for their whiteness, their middle-Americanness, or their values. They face an anti-white, anti-native, anti-middle-America extremism that is set to silence and crush them into submission.

These and others will form a new underground under the prevailing ideological and political hegemony. This banishment of millions, and not Trump, is why the nation will fall apart, if indeed it does.

---

JJ_Rousseau 5 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 02:58 PM

The best thing that could happen is for USA to "balkanize". For the rest of the world, and for Americans too. The founding fathers intentionally put restraints on the federal government's power to prevent the situation we now face. Both parties (actually the duopoly) are guilty of breaching the constitution, on so many levels we have lost count

Ronj14848 JJ_Rousseau 1 hour ago 15 Jan, 2021 07:23 PM

The USA have more American in uniform outside America than civilian Americans inside America. You bleed yourself dry trying to be the boss of the world.

chert JJ_Rousseau 3 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 04:52 PM

Right, states should have more power than the federal government. Case in point: North Dakota is trying to pass a law to sue Facebook and Twitter for those who have been censored on those platforms. But federal law under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act will supersede because federal law wins.

apothqowejh 4 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 04:17 PM

As an American, I can't say a reckoning hasn't been overdue. The myopia in this country, and the tolerance for evil, was bound to rebound. From a refusal to honestly look at 9/11, a refusal to accept responsibility for Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and a host of other insanely brutal blunders, to an acceptance of such horrors as the USAPatriot Act and the COVID scam, everyday Americans have obliviously sleepwalked into a totalitarian dystopia. Tyranny abroad inevitably leads to tyranny at home, and we have well-earned it by refusing to vote for peace and non-interventionism; for limited government, for responsible spending. Now our votes no longer matter, and we are caught helpless in the whirlwind of our own destruction.

newagerage apothqowejh 4 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 04:33 PM

The CIA, NSA, Pentagon... all these corporations lead to disaster as the employees have to keep causing trouble to justify their jobs and spend, spend like crazy, the Army and intelligence agencies spending the hard worked money from Silicon Valley and other sectors. The country just doesn't make sense, first outsource jobs to China and then when they see that Chinese people are smarter than them outsource those to India? are Indians idiots? I don't think so... both countries will rule the World by the end of the century. And the most important of all... where is your public education system? you can live without a proper health system, China does, but without a decent public education system? most Americans don't know where Portugal or Belgium is placed, no matter black or white...

ceshawn 6 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 02:31 PM

Trump didn't do this. The irrational reaction to Trump did this. It started with the now-fully mythological Russia-gate nonsense (that started with an almost ridiculously made up FISA warrant application). Continued through constant over-the-top challenges by Democrats of Trump following Obama-era laws (separation of children and adults for illegal border crossings) and the clear obstruction used by opponents during his entire Presidency. Trump was a disaster, Biden will be a nightmare (or a complete liar), but the left shouldn't be complaining when the reaction to their candidate is equally as disturbing as their reaction to the right (and yes, the circus that was the "raid" at the Capitol is just as bad as the intel community doing shady things against a sitting President).

Ronj14848 ceshawn 1 hour ago 15 Jan, 2021 07:27 PM

Trump didnt start new wars......but he has created a situation that foriegn wars will spring from his actions. He has created hate for a country that during the second world war was a much loved country.

billy brown ceshawn 4 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 03:36 PM

What could the 'rioters' do? We aren't going to let them poison us anymore. This election will not be stolen and the new patriot act isn't going to get passed quietly. They are going to have to crush us or allow a partition of the country

ceshawn 5 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 02:36 PM

If I were Russia or China, I would be watching carefully. Biden almost HAS to go after Russia over the Crimean disaster of Obama and China will be his easy-out enemy if things are complicated otherwise. North Korea will somehow become a big deal again as well. Let those missiles fly, because the incoming administration has a proven track record of blowing up innocent women and children for "funsies" (drone strikes on "suspected" terrorists...oh and their families) without any form of due process or care for the safety of collateral damage.

Ronj14848 ceshawn 58 minutes ago 15 Jan, 2021 07:36 PM

True...the media support the military industrial complex. Their friends own the miltary industrial complex . See who they support politically and avoid them like the plague.

Ronnie Spelbos ceshawn 2 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 06:04 PM

if I was Russia or an Eastern European nation I would offer asylum to white heterosexual men and their families who want to leave the US. Take advantage of the brain capital and work ethic of this group. The US is no country for white men.

Ohhho 6 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 01:41 PM

The Evil empire felt vulnerable so it lashed out with vengeance! None if it helps to fix the issues behind the problem so I expect to see more of it in the near future!

TheFishh Ohhho 5 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 03:32 PM

There are literally just a few things the US can do to rebound as a decent country, but the establishment doesn't want to make those moves. They rather see everything collapse than see their wealth and power decreased by any amount.

OneHorseGuy 6 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 02:17 PM

"79% of Americans think the US is falling apart" those not accounted for are possibly homeless or illiterate and don't have the opportunity of putting their view forward.

Ronnie Spelbos OneHorseGuy 2 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 06:02 PM

102% think the US is falling apart - cites Dominion.

newswithoutbord OneHorseGuy 6 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 02:31 PM

Spot on, mate!

RTaccount 6 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 02:22 PM

There will be no peace, no unity, and no prosperity. And there shouldn't be.

TheFishh RTaccount 4 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 03:38 PM

The US regimes past and present have worn out their bag of tricks. A magician is a con-man. And the only way they can entertain and spellbind the crowd with their routines is if everyone just ignores the sleight of hand. But people are starting to call the US out for the tricks it is pulling, and that's where the magician's career ends.

omyomy RTaccount 5 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 02:54 PM

We the sane people know who is picking a fight. No matter what the propaganda outlets decree.

Tor Gjesdal 6 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 02:18 PM

79%,sure? OK. Very soon 85% of Westerners will understand their Countries are heading for failures. They have been deceived for way too long.

Twenty Tor Gjesdal 5 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 03:23 PM

The alternative to western governments is dictators, one party rule. Yes, most western governmental concepts are idealistic, but we wouldn't trade for anything else because we know better.

JIMI JAMES Tor Gjesdal 6 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 02:31 PM

0 covid cases,i dont think so.

soumalinna1 4 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 03:36 PM

Correct. America will never be the same again. Democrats and CNN destroyed a once great nation.

Ronnie Spelbos soumalinna1 2 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 06:06 PM

The 1965 Immigration Act destroyed the US. A country too diverse with little in common was always bound the fall apart.

Drayk soumalinna1 3 hours ago 15 Jan, 2021 04:42 PM

How did they do that?

[Jan 15, 2021] Replacement of the Bill of Rights, with the Bill of Don'ts

Jan 15, 2021 | www.rt.com

In their efforts to expunge the Trump movement from memory let alone existence, these neo-Stalinists are hellbent on nullifying constitutionally guaranteed rights – freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to bear arms are under assault.

In place of the Bill of Rights, they would impose a Bill of Don'ts:

Don't say what we don't want to hear.

Don't gather where we don't allow, especially if you are a 'deplorable'.

Don't bother petitioning for grievances, because we don't care. Don't own weapons and don't defend yourself when you or your property are attacked, even as the police are defunded.

Don't tell us about your right to privacy because our right to surveil you supersedes it.

Don't tell us you have the right to confront the witnesses aligned against you, or see the evidence alleged against you, or to present evidence and witnesses in your own defense. That's your white privilege speaking, and we will not tolerate hate speech.

Don't expect us to be bound by due process or the rule of law. Feelings and desired outcomes trump facts and rules, both of which are tools of oppression, relics of the fascist patriarchy.

Don't object, or we will cancel you entirely from these Disunited States of Woketopia.

And first and foremost, don't dare have the temerity to question election results that have handed us uncontested power.

Only authoritarians sanction this state of affairs. The harm they will do, as they neglect and inflict further pain on the Republic, will be immeasurable. The nation is failing, not merely because it is divided, but because a contingent has rejected its foundational principles. That contingent is now in control.

[Jan 15, 2021] Here is Jack Dorsey censorship argenda

Jan 15, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Tom , Jan 15 2021 20:57 utc | 121

BLM instigator and overall shit disturber John Sullivan has been arrested by FBI for participating in the "riot" on the 6th. Shocked I am, just Shocked. All those posers saying BLM, ANTIFA are good little boys and girls, check your pants cause they are on fire.

Here is Jack laying out the big picture for the censorship role he plans for the punters.

https://breaking911.com/breaking-twitter-insider-secretly-records-ceo-jack-dorsey-detailing-censorship-agenda/

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Fazila Sheriff Uddin All these neocons the elite 1 % dumbing us down.Agenda 2021 destroy human life . Like · Reply · 4 · 1d Randy Stevens This is government censorship because Twitter is doing the bidding of the U.S. government. And it's not just QANON they are deleting accounts from leftists, socialists, communists, animal activists, anti-war activists and anyone else who dares to speak ugly truths about U.S. empire and industry.
Soph Lotus Twitter is a private company. Just like the Bakery that refused to sell a cake to a gay couple. Republicans made sure that if you didn't want to do business with anyone you don't have to. So there's that.... and really he has a whole Press Room if he has something to say. He's not being censored at all. He violated TOS. PERIOD. Like · Reply · 1 · 23h · Edited Chris Young Explain how he violated terms of service. Like · Reply · 23h

Fazila Sheriff Uddin All these neocons the elite 1 % dumbing us down.Agenda 2021 destroy human life . Like · Reply · 4 · 1d Randy Stevens This is government censorship because Twitter is doing the bidding of the U.S. government. And it's not just QANON they are deleting accounts from leftists, socialists, communists, animal activists, anti-war activists and anyone else who dares to speak ugly truths about U.S. empire and industry.
Soph Lotus Twitter is a private company. Just like the Bakery that refused to sell a cake to a gay couple. Republicans made sure that if you didn't want to do business with anyone you don't have to. So there's that.... and really he has a whole Press Room if he has something to say. He's not being censored at all. He violated TOS. PERIOD. Like · Reply · 1 · 23h · Edited Chris Young Explain how he violated terms of service. Like · Reply · 23h Joe Maga Twitter is a monopoly. The baker down the street is anything but. You fuckin Liberal snowflake /div

[Jan 15, 2021] What's pathetic about the Parler situation is that they had no back up plans. They fully depended on the "establishment" they bloviate so much against, even when they didn't have to.

Jan 15, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

fnord , Jan 15 2021 16:45 utc | 106

@ gm 104

Greenwald was making a claim with no factual basis, talking out of his ass. Posts scraped from Parler show not only that planning for the protests was occurring on Parler (as well as Facebook and Twitter), but that Parler users were posting videos to the platform of themselves at the Capitol.

But Greenwald also misses the point: Facebook and Twitter have content moderation policies. Parler, because of their fanatical devotion to their interpretation of the first amendment, didn't even have one for illegal content (one of the head honchos at the company told kirtaner as much). They were on the path to making their platform liveleak with a far right-wing bent, and any sane tech company would refuse to do business with them (for the same reason most advertisers avoid advertising on pornographic websites).

What's pathetic about the Parler situation is that they had no back up plans. They fully depended on the "establishment" they bloviate so much against, even when they didn't have to. Sometimes your passion exceeds your expertise. This was really obvious with Parler.

[Jan 15, 2021] Suppression by the state is expensive and it undercuts productivity

Jan 15, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

William Gruff , Jan 15 2021 13:20 utc | 98

Suppression by the state is expensive and it undercuts productivity. Cyril @59 is correct that state suppression cannot be maintained long term without significant external support; say being backed up by a global hegemon with drones and nukes and control over global finance. No state, no matter how suppressive or oppressive, can exist without the economic wherewithal to support itself. The more suppression the state employs the more personnel it needs to buy off to do the suppressing. The people doing the suppressing must be more generously compensated than the people they are suppressing (usually the working class) to buy their loyalty. Practically all value in capitalist society is created by the working class, but the working class is also the labor pool that the elites have to recruit their enforcers/suppressors from. More suppression personnel means more expense while also meaning less actual productivity.

It is better for big business if you can train the population to suppress themselves. Religion has historically worked pretty good for this with its admonitions to "Give unto Caesar..." and "The meek shall inherit the dirt, probably from some boss's boot grinding their face into it" , but in modern societies religion is losing its effectiveness. That's where Identity Politics is intended to take over. The question is can the establishment force that into the heads of 80+ million people?

Well, not if those 80+ million people see themselves as members of a huge demographic. If they see themselves as isolated individuals on the fringes of society, then they can be bullied and gaslit into shouldering the modern equivalent of original sin and learn to identify with their personalized victim status and rely upon "Identity Politics" for solace.

Will this work for the elites? I am thinking probably not. To enforce the isolation necessary social media must be very tightly controlled to eliminate all disagreement with "Identity Politics" and establishment narratives. This will be more difficult than the elites imagine as it is cheap and easy to set up alternatives to Twitter and Facebook. In fact, Mexico is currently making moves towards setting up a national alternative to Facebook/Twitter . Such national infrastructure would be impossible for the business elites to take over or shut down like TikTok or Parler.

"What happens if Twitter says tomorrow that AMLO is publishing things that it doesn't like? What happens if the president of Twitter censors the democratically elected president of Mexico? As we've relinquished our technological sovereignty and left our communication tools, even our information systems, in the hands of multinationals with private interests, we've relinquished our [right to] freedom of speech," Sánchez said.

If Mexico goes forward with this then there will be no technological reason why Americans couldn't also use such a social platform.

Ultimately I think the elites will lose this war they are waging, but they will likely win some battles in the near term. Spicy times ahead!

karlof1 , Jan 15 2021 17:50 utc | 110

William Gruff @98--

VK is a Russian version of FB and welcomes one and all and lacks the personal invasion FB pursues, which is one of the main reasons why I joined. I have no second thoughts of being censored there unlike with FB. It seems WeChat is also a worthy platform, but I haven't done any real investigation. Wife uses FB to connect with her family back East, which I use mainly to stay abreast with Pepe Escobar and comment at his site. IMO, it's clear the lessons from previous attempts at suppression within the Outlaw US Empire weren't learned by those seeking control, and they've already blown up in their face and have shown more of their Fascistic nature than Trump could ever do, which in turn will hamper anything Biden tries.

[Jan 14, 2021] Anyone complaining about "whataboutism" is always, without exception, demanding that everyone ignores their hypocrisy.

Jan 14, 2021 | twitter.com

Dmitry Rubanovich @drubanov 7h

Anyone complaining about "whataboutery" is always, without exception, demanding that everyone ignores their hypocrisy.

[Jan 14, 2021] Outside the USA, the first things that will be done is that everyone will have to have control over their own social media and internet. NO MORE trust in the USA Big Tech to play fair - that is gone!

Jan 14, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

James , Jan 14 2021 18:28 utc | 4

...More importantly the rest of the world clearly sees the hypocrisy of what the US says and does. Take note that it is just not US voters that will turn away, it will be other countries.

Twitter hypocrisy?
Pelosi's 2017 tweet where she claimed "Our election was hijacked. There is no question" resurfaces
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/56183.htm

Outside the USA, the first things that will be done is that everyone will have to have control over their own social media and internet. NO MORE trust in the USA Big Tech to play fair - that is gone!

Fragmentation will gather speed and ultimately lead to greater chaos as no one can trust what anyone says anymore and voting is just about who counts the vote - not the votes themselves.

Russia was correct in saying the USA is "agreement incapable". Agreements will be meaningless and we will have to go back to the system of "Exchanging Hostages or Family Members" to ensure agreements are kept.

In the USA it is probable that the Republicans will split, with most joining the Dems to form a one party state. This will last for some time until a revolutionary leader comes along to challenge the Emperors of the repressive one party state.

In the interlude there will certainly be individual and isolated acts of rebellion, which will just create new edicts, greater cooperation with big tech to identify suspects and ever more repression.

Vengeance does not make peace, and Nancy & Hillary will have their vengeance!

Mao Cheng Ji , Jan 14 2021 18:35 utc | 6

"Do they really believe that can suppress 74 million Trump voters?"

And why not? While the 'educated' classes love to make a stink and know how to do it, the proles typically aren't all that active in politics.

Some addition to various militias, maybe. But they're all probably well under control, since the 90s.

And anyhow, as drug dealers are going free, some people will have to take their place in all those for-profit prisons...

[Jan 14, 2021] The decision by US Internet platforms to block the accounts of the head of state can be likened to a nuclear explosion in cyberspace. The aftereffects are worse than destruction.

Jan 14, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

karlof1 , Jan 14 2021 21:49 utc | 38

Finally an official opinion from Russia :

"Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her Facebook page:

"The decision by US Internet platforms to block the accounts of the head of state can be likened to a nuclear explosion in cyberspace. The aftereffects are worse than destruction. A blow has been dealt to the democratic values professed by Western society. Both darknet apologists and the advocates of harsh censorship have instantly gained a substantial argument. The media market has begun to be reshaped and a massive digital migration is afoot."

That's a very fair observation of the facts that avoids politics and skillfully stated by Ms. Zakharova.

james , Jan 14 2021 22:15 utc | 42

i liked the giraldi article ... here is a quote -

"Free speech in America will become as dead at the Dodo and the United States would become effectively two nations with the increasingly impoverished helot "deplorables" under the heel of the empowered social justice warriors.

It won't be pretty, and it won't be stable."

like you say @ 27... you can see it happening even here on the moa channel....

@ william gruff...

i would like to 2nd your recommendation - "You should probably turn off your TV." i wonder if these people are not bright enough to consider that??

[Jan 14, 2021] Trump as populist

Is there anything more pathetic than competition between two political mafias hiding as some sort of disagreement over principle?

Notable quotes:

"... Absolutely his instinct to rebalance the economic relationship with China was correct. But he's too stupid to do it in a way that actually benefits or improves the US long term. Every once in a while with him there was hint of a good instinct but he never followed through because his base instincts always win out. ..."

"... The cries of censorship are asinine. Real censorship of diverging opinions was accomplished decades ago. Banning Donald trump from twitter isn't censorship. They didn't ban the POTUS account (they did delete tweets when he tried to use it), they banned his personal account because he's an asshole who broke the rules. Republicans have been telling me about the sanctity of property my whole life. Now they change their minds? ..."

Jan 14, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Lex , Jan 13 2021 23:25 utc | 55

It's all just farts in a jar. The trajectory was set decades ago and the political oligarchy and gerontocracy aren't going to let go of that trajectory. Trump was only a "populist" insofar as it was a means for him to be popular. In reality, he's a dishonest, craven asshole. If he was a populist he would have responded to Covid way differently. What he is, however, is a nationalist. Those are dangerous because they don't think clearly.

Absolutely his instinct to rebalance the economic relationship with China was correct. But he's too stupid to do it in a way that actually benefits or improves the US long term. Every once in a while with him there was hint of a good instinct but he never followed through because his base instincts always win out.

The cries of censorship are asinine. Real censorship of diverging opinions was accomplished decades ago. Banning Donald trump from twitter isn't censorship. They didn't ban the POTUS account (they did delete tweets when he tried to use it), they banned his personal account because he's an asshole who broke the rules. Republicans have been telling me about the sanctity of property my whole life. Now they change their minds?

The empire is in terminal decline. Trump doesn't change it. Biden doesn't change it. Who controls Congress doesn't change it. Because all of them are beholden to the declining empire and/or they believe in America's myths (they are nationalists). A failed color revolution run by people who don't want to accept an election result just says real loud that the empire is falling.

[Jan 11, 2021] Trump's blanket ban from social media proves the information war is over and neoliberals won by suppression of opposing side of election graud debate by Helen Buyniski

Like is several previous similar cases the just swiped the dirt under the rug

Jan 09, 2021 | www.rt.com

US President Donald Trump has been banned from most social media platforms, supposedly for inciting riots at the Capitol. But with no one capable of holding the tech behemoths to account, even fervent Trump-haters should worry.

Twitter permanently banned the president from its platform on Friday, following in the footsteps of Facebook, Snapchat, Twitch, and other platforms that used Wednesday's riot at the Capitol as an excuse to do what much of Silicon Valley has wanted to do for years.

But it wasn't Trump's on-platform conduct that was the problem, according to Twitter – it was "how [his tweets] are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter," a post on the company's blog declared on Friday. The platform then interpreted two seemingly innocuous tweets – regarding not attending Democrat President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration and giving his fans a "GIANT VOICE long into the future" – as a call to arms directed at his supporters, far out-crazying the so-called "conspiracy theorists" Twitter has also sought to deplatform.

ALSO ON RT.COM By banning Trump and his supporters, Google and Twitter are turning the US into a facsimile of the regimes we once condemned

Logically speaking, it's impossible for anyone – especially a public figure like Trump – to control how his words are being interpreted, or even who's reading them to begin with. For Twitter to translate the president's praise of his supporters and promise not to attend his successor's inauguration into a call for violence requires a full-on break with reality.

But platforms like Twitter, and especially Facebook, have been declaring all-out war on reality for years now, merely ramping up hostilities in the wake of the Capitol riot. On Facebook, even just sharing footage of Wednesday's riot was off-limits, as was posting Trump's speech to his supporters. Any call for further protests, no matter how peaceful, was also targeted for removal.

These platforms' notorious echo chambers have no room for dissenting narratives, whether it concerns the Capitol protests or the growing contingent of Covid-19 dissenters crying foul as lockdowns drag on (and cases go up) with no end in sight. And while a Trump-scale individual may be able to create their own means of addressing the people, thousands of others have been wiped out over the past year for political or public-health wrongthink.

The narrative managers are unlikely to stop at wiping their ideological nemeses off the internet, either.

ALSO ON RT.COM After Capitol Hill riots, children rat out their right-wing parents to the media

Perhaps emboldened by social media's iron-fisted approach to building its own alternate reality, New Jersey assemblyman Paul Moriarty has been lobbying cable TV providers to stop carrying conservative channels like Newsmax, OANN, and Fox News.

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley (R) had a book deal revoked for challenging the results of November's elections.

Social media, once sold as a tool for promoting democracy and giving ordinary people a voice they previously lacked, revealed its true identity over the course of 2020. Whether attempting to delete records of an entire event, as Facebook has done with the Capitol protests, or memory-holing inconvenient facts about the Covid-19 pandemic, the 'new and improved' reality crafted by the media establishment provides the ideal foundation for the police state being constructed around the human mind.

The average person might go through life unaware this invisible thought-barrier is even there – but anyone who steps out of line is quickly zapped back into obedience. And if they refuse to cooperate even then? Deplatforming, in an age where face-to-face contact has gone the way of the dodo, is the modern equivalent of 'disappearing' dissidents in broad daylight.

READ MORE Big Tech giants want to prove they are 'American gods'. Anyone watching the watchers?

Indeed, these platforms have merged with government in too many ways to count here. Those who express political 'wrongthink' online aren't just disappeared from the digital public square – they can be barred from supposedly apolitical apps like AirBnB, or even denied the use of their bank accounts.

The US constitution does not permit the government to punish individuals who aren't even suspected of committing a crime. Nor does it permit the suppression of lawful speech or allow authorities to paw through private citizens' lives in the hope of turning up something incriminating. But private corporations – as the neoliberal center never tires of reminding us – can do what they like, including depriving Americans of their First and Fourth Amendment rights. Such capabilities explain why Washington has looked the other way for so many years while Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Amazon became preposterously huge, insanely profitable monopolies.

But the joke's on the government, in this case. With hundreds of billions of dollars at their disposal, and a user-base trained to embrace their mental slavery with a positively Pavlovian response, Big Tech seems to have realized it no longer has to pretend to play nice with Big Government.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

[Jan 11, 2021] Taibbi- We Need A New Media System

Jan 11, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

Authored by Matt Taibbi via TK News,

The moment a group of people stormed the Capitol building last Wednesday, news companies began the process of sorting and commoditizing information that long ago became standard in American media.

Media firms work backward. They first ask, "How does our target demographic want to understand what's just unfolded?" Then they pick both the words and the facts they want to emphasize.

It's why Fox News uses the term, " Pro-Trump protesters ," while New York and The Atlantic use "Insurrectionists." It's why conservative media today is stressing how Apple, Google, and Amazon shut down the "Free Speech" platform Parler over the weekend, while mainstream outlets are emphasizing a new round of potentially armed protests reportedly planned for January 19th or 20th .

What happened last Wednesday was the apotheosis of the Hate Inc . era, when this audience-first model became the primary means of communicating facts to the population. For a hundred reasons dating back to the mid-eighties, from the advent of the Internet to the development of the 24-hour news cycle to the end of the Fairness Doctrine and the Fox -led discovery that news can be sold as character-driven, episodic TV in the manner of soap operas, the concept of a "Just the facts" newscast designed to be consumed by everyone died out.

News companies now clean world events like whalers, using every part of the animal, funneling different facts to different consumers based upon calculations about what will bring back the biggest engagement kick. The Migrant Caravan? Fox slices off comments from a Homeland Security official describing most of the border-crossers as single adults coming for " economic reasons. " The New York Times counters by running a story about how the caravan was deployed as a political issue by a Trump White House staring at poor results in midterm elections.

Repeat this info-sifting process a few billion times and this is how we became, as none other than Mitch McConnell put it last week , a country:

Drifting apart into two separate tribes, with a separate set of facts and separate realities, with nothing in common except our hostility towards each other and mistrust for the few national institutions that we all still share.

The flaw in the system is that even the biggest news companies now operate under the assumption that at least half their potential audience isn't listening. This leads to all sorts of problems, and the fact that the easiest way to keep your own demographic is to feed it negative stories about others is only the most obvious. On all sides, we now lean into inflammatory caricatures, because the financial incentives encourage it.

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Everyone monetized Trump. The Fox wing surrendered to the Trump phenomenon from the start, abandoning its supposed fealty to "family values" from the Megyn Kelly incident on. Without a thought, Rupert Murdoch sacrificed the paper-thin veneer of pseudo-respectability Fox had always maintained up to a point (that point being the moment advertisers started to bail in horror, as they did with Glenn Beck ). He reinvented Fox as a platform for Trump's conspiratorial brand of cartoon populism, rather than let some more-Fox-than-Fox imitator like OAN sell the ads to Trump's voters for four years.

In between its titillating quasi-porn headlines (" Lesbian Prison Gangs Waiting To Get Hands on Lindsay Lohan, Inmate Says " is one from years ago that stuck in my mind), Fox 's business model has long been based on scaring the crap out of aging Silent Majority viewers with a parade of anything-but-the-truth explanations for America's decline. It villainized immigrants, Muslims, the new Black Panthers, environmentalists -- anyone but ADM, Wal-Mart, Countrywide, JP Morgan Chase, and other sponsors of Fortress America. Donald Trump was one of the people who got hooked on Fox's narrative.

The rival media ecosystem chose cash over truth also. It could have responded to the last election by looking harder at the tensions they didn't see coming in Trump's America, which might have meant a more intense examination of the problems that gave Trump his opening: the jobs that never came back after bankers and retailers decided to move them to unfree labor zones in places like China, the severe debt and addiction crises, the ridiculous contradiction of an expanding international military garrison manned by a population fast losing belief in the mission, etc., etc.

Instead, outlets like CNN and MSNBC took a Fox-like approach, downplaying issues in favor of shoving Trump's agitating personality in the faces of audiences over and over, to the point where many people could no longer think about anything else. To juice ratings, the Trump story -- which didn't need the slightest exaggeration to be fantastic -- was more or less constantly distorted.

Trump began to be described as a cause of America's problems, rather than a symptom, and his followers, every last one, were demonized right along with him, in caricatures that tickled the urbane audiences of channels like CNN but made conservatives want to reach for something sharp. This technique was borrowed from Fox , which learned in the Bush years that you could boost ratings by selling audiences on the idea that their liberal neighbors were terrorist traitors. Such messaging worked better by far than bashing al-Qaeda, because this enemy was closer, making the hate more real.

I came into the news business convinced that the traditional "objective" style of reporting was boring, deceptive, and deserving of mockery. I used to laugh at the parade of "above the fray" columnists and stone-dull house editorials that took no position on anything and always ended, "Only one thing's for sure: time will tell." As a teenager I was struck by a passage in Tim Crouse's book about the 1972 presidential campaign, The Boys in the Bus, describing the work of Hunter Thompson:

Thompson had the freedom to describe the campaign as he actually experienced it: the crummy hotels, the tedium of the press bus, the calculated lies of the press secretaries, the agony of writing about the campaign when it seemed dull and meaningless, the hopeless fatigue. When other reporters went home, their wives asked them, "What was it really like?" Thompson's wife knew from reading his pieces.

What Rolling Stone did in giving a political reporter the freedom to write about the banalities of the system was revolutionary at the time. They also allowed their writer to be a sides-taker and a rooter, which seemed natural and appropriate because biases end up in media anyway. They were just hidden in the traditional dull "objective" format.

The problem is that the pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction of politicized hot-taking that reporters now lack freedom in the opposite direction, i.e. the freedom to mitigate.

If you work in conservative media, you probably felt tremendous pressure all November to stay away from information suggesting Trump lost the election. If you work in the other ecosystem, you probably feel right now that even suggesting what happened last Wednesday was not a coup in the literal sense of the word (e.g. an attempt at seizing power with an actual chance of success) not only wouldn't clear an editor, but might make you suspect in the eyes of co-workers, a potentially job-imperiling problem in this environment.

We need a new media channel, the press version of a third party, where those financial pressures to maintain audience are absent. Ideally, it would:

• not be aligned with either Democrats or Republicans;

• employ a Fairness Doctrine-inspired approach that discourages groupthink and requires at least occasional explorations of alternative points of view;

• embrace a utilitarian mission stressing credibility over ratings, including by;

• operating on a distribution model that as much as possible doesn't depend upon the indulgence of Apple, Google, and Amazon.

Innovations like Substack are great for opinionated individual voices like me, but what's desperately needed is an institutional reporting mechanism that has credibility with the whole population. That means a channel that sees its mission as something separate from politics, or at least as separate from politics as possible.

The media used to derive its institutional power from this perception of separateness. Politicians feared investigation by the news media precisely because they knew audiences perceived them as neutral arbiters.

Now there are no major commercial outlets not firmly associated with one or the other political party. Criticism of Republicans is as baked into New York Times coverage as the lambasting of Democrats is at Fox, and politicians don't fear them as much because they know their constituents do not consider rival media sources credible. Probably, they don't even read them. Echo chambers have limited utility in changing minds.

Media companies need to get out of the audience-stroking business, and by extension the politics business. They'd then be more likely to be believed when making pronouncements about elections or masks or anything else, for that matter. Creating that kind of outlet also has a much better shot of restoring sanity to the country than the current strategy, which seems based on stamping out access to "wrong" information.

What we've been watching for four years, and what we saw explode last week, is a paradox: a political and informational system that profits from division and conflict, and uses a factory-style process to stimulate it, but professes shock and horror when real conflict happens. It's time to admit this is a failed system. You can't sell hatred and seriously expect it to end.

[Jan 11, 2021] Yes, like under Bolshevism, it's a question of loyalty.

Jan 11, 2021 | turcopolier.typepad.com

Small random selection of those arrested in Portland at BLM-antifa riots and violent protests in 2020. More than 90 percent of the 1,000 plus cases have been dropped by the prosecutor . Do you remember how many protesters from the Trump inaguration in 2016 were brought to trial?

Meanwhile the head of the flight attendants union says 'rioters' should not be allowed to fly . Rumours are that some are already on the No Fly List. I wonder if any are Muslim?

On other great news, Mozilla, maker of FireFox, says: This week we saw the culmination of a four-year disinformation campaign orchestrated by the President. Four whole years? I wonder why no one told us. I'm looking @ you NYT. If only Congress had known. No worries for the future, Mozilla is getting ready to launch operation "little red book" to reeducate the masses. To quote them:

" By all means the question of when to deplatform a head of state is a critical one, among many that must be addressed. When should platforms make these decisions? Is that decision-making power theirs alone?"

I wonder what other heads of state are thinking regarding their ability to communicate with their own citizens and if that ability should be in the hands of an American company listed on the NYSE/NASDAQ; one that employs thousands of H1B visa holders whose loyalty is unquestioned by corporate management. No word on how loyal they are to the USA, or any other country; or if any of that is going to affect shareholder valuations either.

" Changing these dangerous dynamics requires more than just the temporary silencing or permanent removal of bad actors from social media platforms. Additional precise and specific actions must also be taken: Reveal who is paying for advertisements, how much they are paying and who is being targeted."

Find your own way over to their blog, no need for me to help them.

Yes, it's a question of loyalty. Like when multiple news organizations and social media companies suppressed news about Hunter's Ukraine income and his family's China connections. None of those who suppressed that news have been deplatformed.

Breaking news:

Parler has not only been deplatformed from the App store, it was deplatformed by Google (AWS), and their email provider, and their lawyers. " Additional precise and specific actions must also be taken:Reveal who is paying for advertisements, how....." said Mozilla, and it looks like a number of people followed instructions .

That'll keep them in line. Notice the narrative of the media that kept us informed of the mostly peaceful blah, blah, blah all summer long?

[Jan 11, 2021] This will be my last post online. It is not safe to do this any longer.

Jan 11, 2021 | thesaker.is

Bob on January 07, 2021 , · at 9:35 pm EST/EDT

There is reason for some optimism for the future of White Americans, if not for the USA. Yesterday was the proudest day of my entire life! When I saw those patriots, a great many of them middle aged people just like myself, march on the capitol and demand entry, I saw that the survival instinct of my fellow Americans may have been dormant, but it is not dead. It is now awakened and nothing will put it back to sleep now.

We embark now upon an epic struggle against powerful dark forces but at least now we will play on a field where our numbers can be brought to bear. We are the many, they the few. We will win this war, though I fear the cost is going to be greater than any struggle this nation has ever had to grapple with.

This will be my last post online. It is not safe to do this any longer. But please, continue with your work so long as you can do so in safety Dr. Roberts. It is more important now than ever. Thank you and Goodbye.

[Jan 10, 2021] Rep. Devin Nunes Calls for Criminal Charges Against Big Tech Over Mass Censorship, Coordinated Shutdown of Competitors

Jan 10, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

6 play_arrow 1

littlewing 3 hours ago

Rep. Devin Nunes Calls for Criminal Charges Against Big Tech Over Mass Censorship, Coordinated Shutdown of Competitors

[Jan 10, 2021] Entrusting Silicon Valley oligarchs to police speech on the social media platforms that dominate the exchange of information is gonna turn out great for the left for sure. No concerns here

Jan 10, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Piotr Berman , Jan 10 2021 15:06 utc | 5

Rania Khalek @RaniaKhalek - 10:33 UTC · Jan 10, 2021
Entrusting Silicon Valley oligarchs to police speech on the social media platforms that dominate the exchange of information is gonna turn out great for the left for sure. No concerns here

-----

There are several types of dangerous fanatics. The mob visited upon Capitol was potentially dangerous, matches that can lit a serious fire in the hands of a child with no knowledge (or will?) to use them "properly". But fanatical centrists, while lacking deeper wisdom, are quite dangerous, Silicon oligarchs (and other oligarchs) have a mutual relationship.

[Jan 10, 2021] The issue with Trump vs Twitter management is whether an elite, one of the ruling class, can be "censored."

Jan 10, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

steven t johnson , Jan 10 2021 16:20 utc | 10

The left is always being censored, directly or indirectly, online, including Twitter.
The issue with Trump is whether an elite, one of the ruling class, can be "censored." Given that Trump can get a press conference televised whenever he wants, he is not being censored at all, not in the usual sense of the word. Trump has no right to a medium where he can't be questioned, which is what this hysteria is about. Hysteria about the privileges of the wealthy and powerful is servile, not shrewd.

[Jan 09, 2021] The tech oligarchs that supported the censoring and the eventual de-platforming the President on social media showed who had political power under neoliberalism

As the people who supported the censoring and the eventual de-platforming the President on social media are about to find out , if you can censor the President you can censor anyone or any group.

It's all been allowed to happen for an obvious agenda of compliance and control. From 'riots' of BLM/Antifa to the 'insurrection' of Trumpeteers, the point is to narrow accepted thought - to manufacture consent, which is much easier with an un or misinformed populace. A social credit system is coming to the west - call it the Karen Revolution. There will be some kind of unexpected blowback, as many "deplorable" are technically savy

Notable quotes:

"... Definitely staged event, whether the protestors knew or didn't. Going forward, I'm switching to Signal from WhatsApp and viber, have to rethink my use of Gmail as well. Don't use faceborg or Jill Dorsey's twat. Enough is enough! ..."

Jan 09, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Down South , Jan 9 2021 19:17 utc | 15

As the people who supported the censoring and the eventual de-platforming the President on social media are about to find out , if you can censor the President you can censor anyone or any group.

But they were so caught up in the hysteria of the #OrangeManBad that they didn't take the actions of Big Tech , that they were supporting, and to its logical conclusion:

---

Humbert Humbert , Jan 9 2021 18:48 utc | 2

Definitely staged event, whether the protestors knew or didn't. Going forward, I'm switching to Signal from WhatsApp and viber, have to rethink my use of Gmail as well. Don't use faceborg or Jill Dorsey's twat. Enough is enough!

Digital Spartacus , Jan 9 2021 19:31 utc | 22

@18 James

Apropos to what you're saying? I'm certain that you have seen this before.

CIA and Google

[Jan 09, 2021] Denial of freedom of speech underway

Jan 09, 2021 | turcopolier.typepad.com

---

james , 08 January 2021 at 08:56 PM

true... that is what happens in a corporatocracy... eventually the plain truth of who is controlling what becomes very visible...

EEngineer , 08 January 2021 at 09:07 PM

I deleted my FB account years ago. Good riddance. There was no other alternative because they had "first mover advantage". Perhaps the purge will disgust enough people to provide a critical mass now.

blue peacock , 08 January 2021 at 09:21 PM

Now we'll see what this generation of Americans are made of.

longarch , 08 January 2021 at 10:04 PM

Sir:

For the moment, various user-friendly technologies will ease the transition. Many traditional Americans are using

parler.com

which requires personal info to sign up, and

ruqqus.com

which does not require personal info.

In the medium term,

8kun.top

serves a specialized purpose of guaranteeing freedom of speech to people like Lin Wood. 8kun is certainly not suitable for most users. Similarly, tor is probably not suitable for most users, but it is a proven technology and is available at

https://www.torproject.org/

In the long term, research projects such as

http://geti2p.net/en/

and

https://ipfs.io/

will eventually become user-friendly, highly resilient platforms for American speech.

In Chinese-speaking antiCommunist countries such as Taiwan, the current solutions are not yet user-friendly enough. Some Taiwanese people and some Japanese people will rely on American free speech platforms. Although such nonAmerican antiCommunists mostly have no personal loyalty to President Trump, they understand that the swamp must be drained.

Deap , 08 January 2021 at 10:07 PM

How will we know where to find you? If this goes down.

Fred , 08 January 2021 at 10:16 PM

The Digital Iron Curtain descends.

Andrei Martyanov , 08 January 2021 at 10:19 PM

As strange as it may sound coming from me--but these are all private platforms and their policies, however screwed up, are their policies. The United States has Antitrust Laws and DJT had full four years to deal with this issue of social platforms' monopolies. He didn't do a thing, as he didn't in many other fields--he was too busy twitting and being a door mat for Israel. Now, he suddenly, woke up? The guy is a NYC real estate hustler and media personality, I abandoned any hope to see anything done from him after he appointed John Bolton. Everything became very clear then.

Quaesiveris , 08 January 2021 at 10:25 PM

"When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say."

― George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

akaPatience , 08 January 2021 at 10:43 PM

I suppose when Chinese communists are openly permitted to buy their way into our media, educational system, economy, political class, etc., censorship of the scale and breadth we're witnessing is inevitable sooner or later. When I was a little girl, in spite of the legacy of the 1950s Red Scare, the idea of Russian communists openly buying influence and stakes in our economy was nevertheless unheard of. No doubt it happened on the sly, but stealthily because of the sense that it was wrong and counter to our country's principles. Not so today. The Chinese throw a lot of money around, and there seems to be no shortage of Americans eager to take what they can get of it.

Thank you colonel for providing this venue during such a sad time for America.

JerseyJeffersonian , 08 January 2021 at 10:56 PM

Colonel,

Might I suggest that you get in touch with the folks at Conservative Tree House? They recently faced a sudden, ginned-up suspension of hosting, purportedly because of violations of the ever flexible "Terms of Service". They got to gittin', and with the help of some technical experts sympathetic to the cause of freedom of speech, they got re-hosted, moving years of posts_AND_comments before the drop dead date to a new and independent hosting. Advice, and maybe even a helping hand might be available. Can't hurt.

BTW, I have had in storage an IBM AS400 computer (long story) for some time. Only had initial "burn in", but was never used beyond that. I offer it to you if this could be in any way helpful if any tech folks think that it might be an ace in the hole for you.

Tidewater , 08 January 2021 at 11:52 PM

There's a new Twitter account in the name of "John Barron." @Barronjohn1946.

It seems to be getting a lot of interest.

drb , 09 January 2021 at 12:11 AM

Colonel, parler is gone.

https://www.rt.com/usa/511988-parler-banned-apple-google/

walrus , 09 January 2021 at 07:12 AM

Go toan offshore provider .

zm , 09 January 2021 at 07:37 AM

The Cancel culture is becoming the Preempt culture. Pre-crime cannot be too far away.

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2021/01/08/we-need-more-than-deplatforming/

turcopolier , 09 January 2021 at 08:39 AM

walrus

Yes. I have done some research and have decided where to go, but was distracted by the roll-out of my book (not yet ended). Now I will have to get busy.

LondonBob , 09 January 2021 at 09:48 AM

Coup leaders of minority regime seek to silence opposition.

Best bet is action at the state level, unlikely unless they continue to overplay their hand though.

J , 09 January 2021 at 10:10 AM

@Andrei Martyanov.

While many of them call themselves private platforms, a good portion were created by U.S. Government 'seed money'. Which means that it was the U.S. Taxpayer who helped them get started and funded their platforms, which makes U.S. Taxpayers their true 'owners'.

It's true, he had four years to straighten out that mess and didn't.

One now has to wonder when will the Israelis wake up and realize that the expanding Censor GODS of Silicon Valley hate them just as much as they hate Americans who dare speak out, and will eventually come after them just like they're doing to the American citizen.

J , 09 January 2021 at 10:11 AM

@zm,

It's already here.

Patrick Armstrong , 09 January 2021 at 10:38 AM

Move to Russia and VK (vKontakt). Never heard of anyone being censored on it.
It's a complete reversal
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/08/29/what-we-threw-away/

JerseyJeffersonian , 09 January 2021 at 10:47 AM

It is a pre-planned assault.

Vide:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/01/gab-ceo-blames-cia-mockingbird-media-latest-psyop-campaign-slew-new-accounts-popping-nowhere-making-threats-violence/

Here, a fedposter assault.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/01/trump-campaign-banned-emailing-supporters-suspended-mail-service-provider/

Here, interference in email communication with supporters.

To all of you hyperlibertarians, well, a few audacious operators put the lie to your belief system. Mr. Martyanov is correct in his critique. But in Trump's defense, when you are ass deep in a swamp full of snapping alligators, all of whom would in unison resist a law making these offenders considered to be obligated to act as common carriers, realistically what could be done?

They are moving quickly, and our liberties are under direct threat.

Fred , 09 January 2021 at 11:09 AM

Andrei,

"...but these are all private platforms "

Does this 'private property' right extend only to political speach or does that now mean bakeries don't have to bake cakes for gays getting married and businesses can keep people the owner thinks are the wrong color out again?

Valissa , 09 January 2021 at 11:15 AM

Parler is till going strong, despite some hiccups from increased users and traffic. Parler can be accessed via webpage, you do not have to have the app. I have read that you can download the app directly from their website and don't need to go thru the stores.

Deap , 09 January 2021 at 11:41 AM

Rasmussen Poll finds small uptick in Trump approval, after the Jan 6 event:
Media miscalls it again about Trump.

Deap , 09 January 2021 at 11:46 AM

Reading Twitters justification was pretty chilling if you are worried about thought crimes now deemed to be criminal. The two offending posts were pretty neutral, including Trump's announcement he would not attend the Inauguration.

But Twitter decided what Trump really meant and Twitter decided based upon their own unilateral judgement how people would react to what Twitter alone claimed Trump in fact meant.

So yes, thought crimes are now punished. If you can call getting banned by Twitter punishment. I would call it an escape for more wasted time and shallow thinking.

Basically OrangeManBad ...... regardless. Because we say so.

Deap , 09 January 2021 at 11:50 AM

Reminder- there is a handy "Donate" button at the top of this page- right hand side - PayPal too to show appreciation for any time and effort necessary the host may need to expend that keep this forum going, free and uncensored.

Or to pay for the bird seed to get the flock through the dark days of the Biden winter to come. Whatever. Angrybirds are hungry in my neck of the woods.

[Jan 09, 2021] The Boot Is Coming Down Hard And Fast - ZeroHedge

Jan 09, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

The Boot Is Coming Down Hard And Fast BY TYLER DURDEN SATURDAY, JAN 09, 2021 - 11:10

Authored by Caitlin Johnstone via Medium.com,

A lot's been happening really fast. It's a white noise saturation day and it's impossible to keep track of everything going on, so I'm just going to post my thoughts on a few of the things that have happened.

Biden has announced plans to roll out new domestic terrorism laws in the wake of the Capitol Hill riot.

"Mr. Biden has said he plans to make a priority of passing a law against domestic terrorism, and he has been urged to create a White House post overseeing the fight against ideologically inspired violent extremists and increasing funding to combat them," Wall Street Journal reports.

Did you know that Biden has often boasted about being the original author of the US Patriot Act?

The first draft of the civil rights-eroding USA PATRIOT Act was magically introduced one week after the 9/11 attacks . Legislators later admitted that they hadn't even had time to read through the hundreds of pages of the history-shaping bill before passing it the next month, yet somehow its authors were able to gather all the necessary information and write the whole entire thing in a week.

This was because most of the work had already been done. CNET reported the following back in 2008:

"Months before the Oklahoma City bombing took place, [then-Senator Joe] Biden introduced another bill called the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995 . It previewed the 2001 Patriot Act by allowing secret evidence to be used in prosecutions, expanding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and wiretap laws, creating a new federal crime of 'terrorism' that could be invoked based on political beliefs, permitting the U.S. military to be used in civilian law enforcement, and allowing permanent detention of non-U.S. citizens without judicial review. The Center for National Security Studies said the bill would erode 'constitutional and statutory due process protections' and would 'authorize the Justice Department to pick and choose crimes to investigate and prosecute based on political beliefs and associations.'

Biden's bill was never put to a vote , but after 9/11 then-Attorney General John Ashcroft reportedly credited his bill with the foundations of the USA PATRIOT Act.

https://lockerdome.com/lad/13084989113709670?pubid=ld-dfp-ad-13084989113709670-0&pubo=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com&rid=www.zerohedge.com&width=830

"Civil libertarians were opposed to it," Biden said in 2002 of his bill.

"Right after 1994, and you can ask the attorney general this, because I got a call when he introduced the Patriot Act. He said, 'Joe, I'm introducing the act basically as you wrote it in 1994.'"

A recent Morning Joe appearance by CIA analyst-turned House Representative Elissa Slotkin eagerly informed us that the real battle against terrorism is now inside America's borders.

"The post 9/11 era is over," Slotkin tweeted while sharing a clip of her appearance.

"The single greatest national security threat right now is our internal division. The threat of domestic terrorism. The polarization that threatens our democracy. If we don't reconnect our two Americas, the threats will not have to come from the outside."

"Before Congress, Elissa worked for the CIA and the Pentagon and helped destabilize the Middle East during the Bush and Obama admins," tweeted journalist Whitney Webb in response.

"What she says here is essentially an open announcement that the US has moved from the 'War on [foreign] terror' to the 'War on domestic terror'."

* * *

In response to pressures from all directions including its own staff , Twitter has followed Facebook's lead and removed Donald Trump's account.

And it wasn't just Trump. Accounts are vanishing quickly, including some popular Trump supporter accounts . I myself have lost hundreds of followers on Twitter in the last few hours, and I've seen people saying they lost a lot more.

It also wasn't just Trump supporters; leftist accounts are getting suspended too . The online left is hopefully learning that cheering for Twitter "banning fascists" irrationally assumes that (A) their purges are only banning fascists and (B) they are limiting their bans to your personal definition of fascists. There is no basis whatsoever for either of these assumptions.

Google has ratcheted things up even further by removing Parler from its app store, and Apple will likely soon follow . This push to marginalize even the already fringey social media sites is making the libertarian/shitlib argument of "If you don't like censorship just go to another platform" look pretty ridiculous.

This is all happening just in time for the Biden administration, about which critics had already been voicing grave concerns regarding the future of internet censorship.

The censorship of a political faction at the hands of a few liberal Silicon Valley billionaires will do the exact opposite of eliminating right-wing paranoia and conspiracy theories, and everyone knows it. You're not trying to make things better, you're trying to make them worse. You're not trying to restore peace and order, you're trying to force a confrontation so your political enemies can be crushed. You're accelerationist.

A Venn diagram of people who support the latest social media purges and people who secretly hope Trumpers freak out and attempt a violent uprising would look like the Japanese flag.

The correct response to a huge section of the citizenry doubting an electoral system we've known for years is garbage would have been more transparency, not shoving the process through and silencing people who voice doubts and making that entire faction more paranoid and crazy.

* * *

Supporting the censorship of online speech is to support the authority of monopolistic tech oligarchs to exert more and more global control over human communication. Regardless of your attitude toward whoever happens to be getting deplatformed today, supporting this is suicidal.

* * *

Thanks for reading! The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for at my website or on Substack , which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. My work is entirely reader-supported , so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking me on Facebook , following my antics on Twitter , throwing some money into my tip jar on Patreon or Paypal , purchasing some of my sweet merchandise , buying my new book Poems For Rebels or my old book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers . For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what I'm trying to do with this platform, click here . Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish, use or translate any part of this work (or anything else I've written) in any way they like free of charge.

Bitcoin donations:1Ac7PCQXoQoLA9Sh8fhAgiU3PHA2EX5Zm2

[Jan 09, 2021] Escape for tech oligarchs clutches

Many people stopped using Google search after Prism was revealed. If did not make a dent on Google profits, though. Now probably many will stop using Twitter.

Jan 09, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Humbert Humbert , Jan 9 2021 18:48 utc | 2

Definitely staged event, whether the protestors knew or didn't. Going forward, I'm switching to Signal from WhatsApp and viber, have to rethink my use of Gmail as well. Don't use faceborg or Jill Dorsey's twat. Enough is enough!

---

Digital Spartacus , Jan 9 2021 19:18 utc | 16

@2 Humbert

And Gibiru for search

Digital Spartacus , Jan 9 2021 19:08 utc | 13

@2 Humbert

Protonmail

Grieved , Jan 9 2021 19:24 utc | 19

Pepe Escobar just opened a Parler account, fyi:
Pepeasia - Geopolitical analyst, author, global nomad

He already joined VK recently, so the alternatives are in place. And if these fall there will be others. As juliania reminded us, we have samizdat . And as NemesisCalling reminds us above, we have our mouths. They are indeed sowing the wind, and when things get bad enough to invoke the whirlwind, the people will know what they know, even without Facebook etc.

Good riddance to Facebook. Good riddance to Twitter. They themselves will force us to the next platforms, the better things, for a time. And then the next better things after those. One day maybe, a Huawei platform with quantum encryption, which is already being trialed in China.

How did these social media platforms become so filled with political content anyway? Oh, because people are interested in political content. They're not just sheep. They're vitally interested in the society they live in.

And the powers that want to be everything have finally noticed and, acting as always to close the barn door after the horses have fled, they want to throttle down these platforms.

Talk about trying to contain water by closing your fist around it. Evil is always the most stupid choice in this entire universe of possibilities. It is the mark of stupid. And it can be known by its stupidity. And it will act in stupid ways. And it will fail for stupid reasons, pushing down against what is rising up.

The intelligence of every living being is something that always seeks to rise, to ascend. Stupidity goes the other way.

And my money's on intelligence.

Clueless Joe , Jan 9 2021 19:28 utc | 20

Trump is still president for a few days. It's about time he does something useful and goes straight against Twitter and Facebook, with all available means. A president probably has a degree of special powers he can use. I don't know, maybe ship Zuckerberg to Gitmo because he's been way too slow to root out jihadis from his network and is de facto an accomplice.

[Jan 09, 2021] By banning Trump and his supporters, Google and Twitter are turning the US into a facsimile of the regimes we once condemned by Scott Ritter

When neoliberal ideology is crumbling and the US neoliberal empire is in trouble, more tight censorship is logical step for neoliberal elite, who does not care and never believed in democracy for prols in any case. They are Trotskyites and their ideology is neoliberalism aka "Trotskyism for the rich". Which like was the case with Bolshevism in the USSR means that it is neo-feudalism for everybody else.

I never heard that feudal were concerned about freedom of speech for "deplorable". Only for their own narrow circle.

Also the stability of the society is often more important then individual freedoms. That's why in time of war, the press is forced to publish only official propaganda. So it is naive to expect that in crisis, and the US society is currently in crisis, freedom of speech would be respected. It will not. And Trump ban while cynical and illogical makes perfect sence for neoliberal oligarchy.

The problem is that the US elite has not plan other the kicking the neoliberal can down the road. And they intentionally polarized the society by promoting identity politics as a way to preserve thier power and split masses into warring ethic or other groups.

Jan 09, 2021 | www.rt.com

Tech companies were once the primary tools of US "soft power" used to overthrow authoritarian regimes by exporting 'digital democracy'. Now they employ the same tactics of suppression as those regimes to silence dissent at home.

The permanent suspension of President Trump's Twitter account, carried out unilaterally and devoid of any pretense of due process or appreciation of the First Amendment rights of Donald Trump, represents a low moment in American history. Trump's ban was followed by a decision by Google to de-platform Parler.com, a social media alternative to Twitter favored by many of Trump's supporters. Apple also gave Parler a "24 hour warning" asking it to provide a detailed moderation plan. Twitter, Google, Facebook (who also banned Trump) and the political supporters of President-elect Joe Biden cite concerns that the content of the president's Twitter account, along with exchanges among pro-Trump users of Parler, constituted an "incitement of violence" risk that justified the actions taken.

In the aftermath of the storming of the Capitol by protesters seemingly motivated by the words of President Trump, there is legitimate justification for concern over the link between political violence and social media. But if history has taught us anything, the cure can be worse than the disease, especially when it comes to the issue of constitutionally protected freedom of speech.

This danger is illustrated by the actions of the former First Lady Michelle Obama who has publicly called for tech companies like Twitter and Facebook to permanently ban Trump from their platforms and enact policies designed "to prevent their technology from being used by the nation's leaders to fuel insurrection." The irony of the wife of the last American President Barack Obama, who weaponized so-called digital democracy to export "Western democratic values" in the struggle against authoritarian regimes, to turn to Twitter to release her message of internet suppression, is striking. The fact that neither Michelle Obama nor those who extoll her message see this irony is disturbing.

The Obama administration first sought to use 'digital democracy', the name given to policies which aim to use web-based social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter as vehicles to enhance the organization and activism of young people in repressive regimes to achieve American policy objectives of regime change, during the 2009 Iranian presidential election. US 'digital democracy' efforts anchored a carefully orchestrated campaign to promote the candidacy of Mir Hossein Mousavi. These efforts included a phone call from a US State Department official, Jared Cohen, to executives at Twitter to forgo a scheduled maintenance period and keep the lines in and out of Iran open, under the premise that it was essential to make sure that digital messages sent by Iranian dissidents got out to an international audience. Digital democracy became privatized when its primary architect, Jared Cohen, left the State Department in September 2010 to take a new position with internet giant Google as the head of 'Google Ideas' now known as 'Jigsaw'. Jigsaw is a global initiative 'think tank' intended to "spearhead initiatives to apply technology solutions to problems faced by the developing world." This was the same job Cohen was doing while at the State Department.

Cohen promoted the notion of a "digital democracy contagion" based upon his belief that the "young people in the Middle East are just a mouse click away, they're just a Facebook connection away, they're just an instant message away, they're just a text message away" from sufficiently organizing to effect regime change. Cohen and Google were heavily involved the January 2011 demonstrations in Egypt, using social networking sites to call for demonstrations and political reform; the "Egyptian contagion" version of 'digital democracy' phenomena was fueled by social networking internet sites run by Egyptian youth groups which took a very public stance opposing the Mubarak regime and calling for political reform.

The Iranian and Egyptian experiences in digital democracy-inspired regime change represent the nexus of the weaponization of social media by tech giants such as Twitter and Google, and the US government, which at the time was under the stewardship of Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden. The fact that both the Iranian and Egyptian efforts failed only underscores the nefarious nature of this relationship. The very tools and methodologies used by Iranian and Egyptian authorities to counter US-sponsored "digital democracy" – suppression through de-platforming – have now been taken up by Twitter, Google, and the political allies of Joe Biden to silence Donald Trump and his supporters from protesting an election they believe was every bit as "stolen" as the 2009 Iranian presidential election that gave birth to 'digital democracy' in the first place.

In a recently published report addressing the issue of internet freedom, Freedom House, a US government-funded non-profit, non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights, observed that internet connectivity "is not a convenience, but a necessity." Virtually all human activities, including political socialization, have moved online. This new 'digital world', the report noted, "presents distinct challenges for human rights and democratic governance" with "State and nonstate actors shape online narratives, censor critical speech, and build new technological systems of social control."

Freedom House was one of the supporters of 'digital democracy' in Iran and has been highly critical of the actions by Iranian authorities to shut down and otherwise control internet connectivity inside Iran. It noted that such tactics are indicative of a system that is "fearful of their own people and worr[ies] that they cannot control the information space." In its report, Freedom House wrote that "when civic organizing and political dissent overflow from the realm of social media onto the streets dictators shut down networks to choke off any calls for greater democracy and human rights."

In July 2019, the US 2nd District Court of Appeals ruling on Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump determined that President Trump's Twitter account "bear[s] all the trappings of an official, state-run account," meaning that the First Amendment governed the conduct of the account. As such, "the First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilizes a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees."

By banning Trump from their platform, the unelected employees of Twitter have done to the president of the United States what he was accused of doing in Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump. If it was a violation of First Amendment-protected free speech for Trump to exclude persons from an otherwise open online dialogue, then the converse is obviously also true.

The notion that Trump's tweets somehow represented a "clear and present danger" that required suppression is not supported by the law. In 1919 Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. wrote the majority opinion in Schenck v. United States , a case which examined the limits of free speech protections under the First Amendment, and famously observed that "The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic [t]he question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent."

Holmes' opinion in Schenck was later limited by the Supreme Court in its 1969 decision in Brandenburg v. Ohio , which replaced the "clear and present danger" standard with what is known as "imminent lawless action," which holds that speech is not protected if it is likely to cause violation of the law "more quickly than an officer of the law reasonably can be summoned." By suppressing the social media expressions of Donald Trump and his supporters, Twitter, Facebook, and Google – egged on by the political supporters of Joe Biden – appear to have unilaterally adopted the "clear and present danger" standard which deviates from the constitutionally-mandated norms, as established by Supreme Court precedent, that govern the protection of speech in America.

Political speech is not just a human right – in America, it is an essential constitutionally guaranteed freedom. When the political supporters of Joe Biden, along with the unelected heads of media giants such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google, actively collaborate to silence the ability of Donald Trump and the tens of millions of Americans who support him to express themselves on social media, they become no better than the authoritarian regimes they once sought to remove from power.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

Scott Ritter is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and author of ' SCORPION KING : America's Suicidal Embrace of Nuclear Weapons from FDR to Trump.' He served in the Soviet Union as an inspector implementing the INF Treaty, in General Schwarzkopf's staff during the Gulf War, and from 1991-1998 as a UN weapons inspector. Follow him on Twitter @RealScottRitter

See also

With unilateral censorship of a sitting US president, Big Tech has proven it's more powerful than any government Big Tech giants want to prove they are 'American gods'. Anyone watching the watchers? Tech oligarchs at Apple & Google are 'major obstacles' for Trump-friendly platform to arise – liberal studies scholar to RT Parting is such tweet sorrow... A fond farewell to Donald Trump's Twitter feed

[Jan 09, 2021] Mozilla is now cowardly attacking free speech. Therefore, I just uninstalled Firefox from my computer. Using Brave instead

Jan 09, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Norwegian , Jan 9 2021 11:53 utc | 243

Mozilla is now cowardly attacking free speech. Therefore, I just uninstalled Firefox from my computer. Using Brave instead https://brave.com/

[Jan 09, 2021] The neoliberals at Big tech really proved his point, they are a enormous threat

Interestingly enough n eoliberals proved to be the people that promote tribalism in the USA under the disguise of identity politics.

Jan 09, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

Zanon , Jan 9 2021 9:16 utc | 212

Trump was right on the big tech, he tried to warn about their power for many years, now big-tech crack down on him and his supporters.
The leftwingers at Big tech really proved his point, they are a enormous threat.

Liberals and leftwingers cheer today, they are people that pick tribalism before freedom of speeech, so disgusting.

[Jan 09, 2021] And Parler now is to be deplatformed from apple phones I hear. And the techs continue to align themselves with antifa

Jan 09, 2021 | www.rt.com

---

Freedom4185 5 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 04:55 PM

This was a good article, nice job. Yes, the powers-that-be run with the "democracy" rhetoric while in reality we are facing full on fascism; the danger zone.

skizex Freedom4185 2 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 08:00 PM

And Parler now is to be deplatformed from apple phones I hear. Full on fascism is unfolding before our eyes. And the techs continue to align themselves with antifa. Why anyone continues to support FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc when they are scrubbing any opposing discourse is beyond me.

Eviscerate 5 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 05:19 PM

This makes me so happy I have stayed completely away from social media. I understood early on what they really were.

Katnip302 Eviscerate 40 minutes ago 8 Jan, 2021 10:11 PM

Yes, and to say they are more powerful than any government, means nothing. All they do is sit there and push a button, boom credibility and trust gone. Cannot be undo the damage. Big tech is effectively dead. People will move on to other platforms.

Gerald Newton 7 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 03:31 PM

Today I find better independent news at rt than at most US sites. Journalism in the USA has gone to heck. News mangers run stories for profit in the US. It is all about ratings, professionalism be darned.

butterfly123 8 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 02:44 PM

Big Tec is indeed part of the Deep...

RonThePatriot 3 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 07:27 PM

Parler is being threatened with a shutdown and Twitter actually banned our President from using their app. Facebook is worse. We are in a police state set up by Dorsey and Zuckerberg at the request of the democratic party. They are FRIGHTENED of the organization that we have built that is called the Patriot Party. They are trying to impeach Trump at this late stage because if he is impeached, he cannot run again. He is not the only person the PATRIOTS favor so they are foolish. The american people were hoping that our soldiers would come home, but now you will see an escalation in fighting due to the warmongers and war profiteers in Washington on both sides of the aisle who are reaping rewards from war. Biden will be perfect for this. Our children are sent to fight...not their children. So now we depend on RT, since I do not believe that big tech and our govt can silence you. Fingers crossed. Thank you.

AMstone 4 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 06:30 PM

The 🇺🇸 has always been an ultra-immoral country. Hence, they are addicted to fabricating ultra-demoralizing social constructs. All efforts toward morality and decency are anathema and to be ridiculed and crushed with extreme prejudice. Big tech is only the latest iteration of this abstract practice.

athineos 2 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 08:49 PM

The big tech is already a branch of the "Shadow Government/Deep state" that has complete control of Congress overall. The big tech social media have been infiltrated by the CIA just like the major corporate news have been for some time now. Read the book "Press-titutes Embedded in the Pay of the CIA"(2019), by Udo Ulfkoette. Stay away from Facebook, Twitter and such. I have never used them. Find other alternatives. We cannot allow freedom to perish.

Yarskiy 8 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 03:01 PM

A conglomerate of ultra-wealthy capitalist have more power then the State that they corrupt. Why is RT acting like this is some kind of unknown revelation

Babb123 6 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 04:48 PM

And this will not last! Facebook, Twitter, Google and others are acting as publishers. Nobody elected these people! The chickens will come home to roost! Bank on it!

steve1135117 47 minutes ago 8 Jan, 2021 10:14 PM

Nonsense, Trump has only 13 days left in his term and he is terribly isolated. Far weaker than a "normal" president. This is more the behavior of a pack of predators who hunt very large prey, like lions on water buffalo. Once the victim is weakened and wounded, all the predators feel safe in moving in more closely for the final attack. Of course, Trump is most definitely NOT deserving of any sympathy. He does nothing but betray and abandon everyone who first helps him. Find someone else to go weep over, please.

leman_russ 3 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 07:40 PM

Why do Americans have this wierd block in their world view. Facebook and Twitter are PRIVATE COMPANIES as long as they follow the law they can do whatever the hell they want. Yes they are huge companies but they have the same rights and obligations as every other company. Among those rights.."championed by the Republicans doing the whining" is the right to choose their customers. Remember how you celebrated the bakery that was found to be legally allowed to discriminate...this is the flip side. Not much fun when you are on the recieving end is it?

PolitcsInc leman_russ 3 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 07:57 PM

None of these companies are private, they were created by DARPA and are staffed by DARPA. They are government owned and run entities masquerading as private to fool the people into believing that the government has co control over them.

JIMI JAMES 3 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 07:26 PM

You could look at it this way,cia tech to trump 1-0 next!

Gaius_Marius JIMI JAMES 1 hour ago 8 Jan, 2021 09:29 PM

Try 1% oligarchy are succeeding in decimating the rest.

JollyGoodShow JIMI JAMES 1 hour ago 8 Jan, 2021 09:26 PM

You could look at it this way: If Trumps' concern for truth and transparency was that important why not pardon the emmisaries of truth and transparency, Snowden & Assange? (just sayin......from a friend)

[Jan 09, 2021] Now I am reading that all sorts of social media tools and sites are banning Trump and supporters......night of the long knives sort of

Jan 09, 2021 | www.moonofalabama.org

psychohistorian , Jan 9 2021 3:08 utc | 174

Now I am reading that all sorts of social media tools and sites are banning Trump and supporters......night of the long knives sort of BS.

What a hoot! The death, deservedly so, of for profit social media is beginning.

Everybody loses but the bankers.

[Jan 09, 2021] With unilateral censorship of a sitting US president, Big Tech has proven it's more powerful than any government -- RT Op-ed

Jan 09, 2021 | www.rt.com

With unilateral censorship of a sitting US president, Big Tech has proven it's more powerful than any government Helen Buyniski

is an American journalist and political commentator at RT. Follow her on Twitter @velocirapture23 8 Jan, 2021 17:53 Get short URL © Reuters / Leah Millis 390 1 Follow RT on Big Tech's moves to muscle President Donald Trump off social media have been heralded by some as victory. But a corporate-run state with politicians serving as mere figureheads amounts to the very fascism they claim to oppose.

The smug, palpable air of 'mission accomplished' emanating from Facebook, Twitter and Google in the weeks after the media called November's election for Democrat Joe Biden has been hard to ignore. Thanks to an iron grip on the political narrative and the heavy-handed suppression of any influential dissenting voices, these insanely wealthy companies and their partners in the media establishment have managed to successfully upend what was left of the US' democratic process.

In short, they have reason to celebrate, having pulled off the first successful national-level coup-by-media in US history. And better yet -- for them at least -- having helped the 'right' guy win, they won't have to answer to any bogus charges of Russian collusion this time around. Indeed, no less than the Department of Homeland Security came forward to declare the vote the most secure in US history -- a baffling claim at best, given the same officials have spent months insisting foreign infiltration supposedly had democracy hanging by a thread.

ALSO ON RT.COM Woman shot during US Capitol siege dies as Virginia governor declares emergency & curfew kicks in

The epic pearl-clutching that followed Wednesday's march on the Capitol is almost guaranteed to result in further restrictions on online speech -- and as many observers noted , that's just how Big Tech and Big Brother want it. No explanations have been forthcoming as to why the Capitol was largely unguarded during the protests, even though Trump had for weeks been calling on his followers to stage " wild " demonstrations on that day. Nor was it clear why Mayor Muriel Bowser waited so long before sending in police and the military to rein in the chaos.

The stage seemed to have been deliberately set for disaster, just the sort of spectacle a clever Big Business-Big Tech axis needs to terrify the masses into believing a full-on insurrection is afoot. The only real surprise in Wednesday's events is that more people weren't killed -- but that's where the media came in, wielding luridly detailed descriptions and photographing the most bizarrely-attired figures in the group.

By distracting the public, attributing the violence that claimed five lives to the ubiquitous Radicalized Domestic Extremists™ and banning an ever-growing number of discussion topics, Facebook, Twitter, and Google can dodge a total repeal of Section 230 liability protections and live to blanket the nation in propaganda another day. Never mind the absence of visible 'white supremacists,' Nazis, and other undesirables supposedly leading the pro-Trump contingent -- it's always possible to Photoshop in a Nazi insignia or 12 in post.

voila, instant atrocity! © New Line Cinema

Ultimately, the narrative diverges from reality just enough to make its point, fingering social media as the culprit, and duping the average American into supporting further incursions on their First Amendment freedoms. The moral of the story becomes " Stop thinking, before someone gets hurt. "

And should the relationship sour, and politicians want their power back? Big Tech can easily scuttle any legislative attempts to break up its monopoly merely by threatening to expose the secrets of the dozens of government agencies that have their data stored in the cloud. Companies like Facebook and Twitter, Amazon and Google have what's left of American 'democracy' by the proverbial balls, and should some crusading politician attempt to disrupt their cozy relationship, they'd almost certainly live to regret it.

ALSO ON RT.COM Just the beginning? Corporate speech-policing fears grow as US senator loses book deal over election objections

it would take just one inconvenient 'leak' to turn the public against any Luddite savior attempting to pry Big Tech's boot off American necks. These firms' control of the media is so airtight that a manufactured 'scandal' could be cooked up and launched into cyberspace in a matter of hours. Such retaliation would serve the dual purpose of destroying the political crusader's career and reminding other would-be do-gooders not to do anything foolish -- like fighting to defend one's own country against the megacorporations holding it hostage.

By blocking Trump from even posting on Facebook and live-streaming platform Twitch - and only recently allowed back into his Twitter account with a " final warning " after a 12-hour lockout - Big Tech has made it clear they're no longer satisfied with a mere monopoly over one of the few profitable industries left in the US. They won't stop accumulating power until they run politics, from the presidency to the smallest local election. With Wednesday's riots, the carefully-choreographed dance between tech execs and the politicians who do their bidding has been given the green light to ascend to the next level. Deplatforming Trump is only the beginning of a megalomaniacal crusade against all those who would question a government by the algorithms, of the algorithms, and for the algorithms.

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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

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TWOFilms 5 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 05:11 PM

We were banned from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in 2012 because of a documentary we produced. At first it was devastating, we had been unilaterally silenced just as this documentary was becoming very popular. We tried to get new accounts but soon we're banned again. So, we started hosting ourselves and then PayPal banned us and Stripe too. Needless to say, it took about 12 months or pain and disappointment until we realised something uncanny. We were free. We had more time. People still found our documentaries and Bitcoin works a treat. The upshot is this. You don't need these platforms. They need you and want to manipulate and fine tune the information they want you to see. You don't need social media to be sociable. Try it, delete your accounts. You won't regret it.

thespearofdestiny 5 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 05:36 PM

Big Tech, (along with all other multinationals) are now entangled with government to such a degree that they are an extension of it.

GottaBeMe 8 hours ago 8 Jan, 2021 02:17 PM

Anyone who doesn't see the danger in allowing Facebook, Twitter, and Google to decide what people get to see and what must be censored is living in a fantasy world. With this power, they can -- and have -- influenced the outcomes of elections, changed people's perspectives on matters of importance, and further divided the population.

[Jan 05, 2021] 'Cancel culture is like a medieval mob'- Mr. Bean blasts the woke brigade and social media giants for increasing polarization

Jan 05, 2021 | www.rt.com

British comedy icon Rowan Atkinson has said online mob justice makes him "fear for the future" and lashed out at the algorithmically generated outrage perpetuated by social media platforms.

In a recent interview with the Radio Times magazine, Atkinson, 65, described online cancel culture as the "digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn," while detailing what he perceives as the increasing polarization of the world and how it's exacerbated by online discourse.

Atkinson previously fell foul of the 'woke crowd' when he manned the battlements in the culture war to champion the cause of free speech, and the right to offend and to criticise even the most sacred cultural institutions.

ALSO ON RT.COM Rowan Atkinson invokes wrath of cancel culture for raising concerns about controversial 'hate crime' bill

"The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society," Atkinson said, adding that it's important to be exposed to a "wide spectrum of opinion" in the modern world.

"It becomes a case of either you're with us or against us, and if you're against us, you deserve to be 'canceled,'" he opined.

Atkinson's latest comments received plenty of support online, including from Australian MP Tim Wilson, who described the remarks as a "hole in one!"

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=RT_com&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1346391204129341440&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fnews%2F511557-rowan-atkinson-social-media-polarization%2F&siteScreenName=RT_com&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=RT_com&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=true&id=1346407938265554944&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fnews%2F511557-rowan-atkinson-social-media-polarization%2F&siteScreenName=RT_com&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

Others felt Atkinson's self-imposed exile from online life might preclude him from commenting on it.

"I love Mr. Bean, but I feel he might've missed a few things. Or, more than a few," wrote one Twitter user.

The Mr. Bean and Johnny English actor described online life as "a sideshow in my world," while also discussing in the interview his lengthy career in British comedy, including playing his most widely acclaimed character.

Atkinson said he finds playing Mr. Bean "stressful and exhausting," given he alone must generate the majority of laughs from the audience using a character who rarely speaks.

He also alluded to a possible return in the role of the only character he created that he enjoyed playing: the iconic Blackadder. Atkinson wrote the show with Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, and it featured such British comedy luminaries as Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.

However, possibly in reference to his views on contemporary culture, he added that it would be hard to recreate "the creative energy we all had in the 80s."

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Slezzkolen 7 hours ago 5 Jan, 2021 07:42 AM

Imagine Mel Brooks creating his brilliant films in today's snowf1ake world.

TheFishh Slezzkolen 3 hours ago 5 Jan, 2021 11:17 AM

If Brooks tried to make movies today, we would never hear of him at all, ever. He'd be shut down by the woke police squad before he even started.

Ice_Man Slezzkolen 6 hours ago 5 Jan, 2021 08:03 AM

imagine the torrents of offended people . lol think i want to watch blazing saddles now. mongo like candy!

Dostoyevsky 4 hours ago 5 Jan, 2021 10:08 AM

How about we cancel "cancel culture"?

[Jan 02, 2021] To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which canceled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it

Jan 02, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

lay_arrow

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Im4truth4all 4 minutes ago

You are talking about the democrat/marxists manifesto and its philosophy which was so perfectly described by George Orwell and is as follows:

"To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which canceled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it ( ) To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality" - George Orwell

chunga 31 minutes ago

I suspect the primaries are also completely rigged. It's bugging me now that it's really setting in. The US is a failed state, bankrupt in every imaginable way.

Im4truth4all 24 minutes ago

"Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals believe them." - George Orwell

"Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana

"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." - George Orwell

"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except the endless present in which the party is always right." - George Orwell

"The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth." - George Orwell

[Dec 17, 2020] For Russiagate I have been waiting for the excuse makers to offer something like they did with "Saddam's own fault". That is, the Russians - Putin -, wanted the FBI, CIA, Hillary, MSM, etc to fall for Russiagate.

Highly recommended!

Notable quotes:

"... No doubt that is on its way, but I think it would have been too difficult to pull off without full control over the government's top figurehead. Once Harris is enthroned then they will move on that, I am sure of it. ..."

Dec 17, 2020 | www.moonofalabama.org

librul , Dec 16 2020 18:23 utc | 140

But somehow the Satan candidate won. "Impossible!! It must be the Russians!"

@Posted by: William Gruff | Dec 16 2020 17:51 utc | 136

There is one Russiagate shoe that I am still waiting to hear drop (maybe it already did and I missed it).

In 2003 when the CIA succeeded in misleading this country into an invasion over non-existent WMD
the finger pointing began, to explain away the lies as simply a pack of errors.

One excuse that gained some traction was that it was Saddam's own fault, he had pretended to have WMD.

For Russiagate I have been waiting for the excuse makers to offer something like they did with "Saddam's own fault".
That is, the Russians - Putin -, wanted the FBI, CIA, Hillary, MSM, etc to fall for Russiagate.
Thus John Brennan did not attempt a coup (nor Comey, nor the FBI, CIA and the rest of the "17 intelligence agencies" the MSM
and the Democrats) by knowingly creating a false narrative about the Russians, it was the dastardly Russians (Putin)
themselves that are to blame. No attempted coup, simply a pack of errors seeded by the Russians themselves.

As the Durham investigation appears to be heading for the historical footnotes there will be no need for the
traitors to create excuses. And I do not expect to ever hear that shoe drop.

William Gruff , Dec 16 2020 18:49 utc | 143

librul @139: "I have been waiting for the excuse makers to offer something like they did with "Saddam's own fault". That is, the Russians - Putin -, wanted the FBI, CIA, Hillary, MSM, etc to fall for Russiagate."

No doubt that is on its way, but I think it would have been too difficult to pull off without full control over the government's top figurehead. Once Harris is enthroned then they will move on that, I am sure of it.

[Dec 01, 2020] The Digital 'Iron Curtain' Descends -- Strategic Culture

Dec 01, 2020 | www.strategic-culture.org

© Photo: REUTERS/POOL New

What is a 'digital Iron Curtain'? It is when Big Digital, as Professor Michael Rectenwald terms these western Tech Goliaths, become 'governmentalities', using a word originally coined by Michel Foucault to refer to the means by which the 'governed' (i.e. 'we the people') assimilate, and reflect outwardly, a mental attitude desired by the élites: "One might point to masking and social distancing as instances of what Foucault meant by his notion of governmentality", Rectenwald suggests .

And what is that desired 'mentality'? It is to embrace the transfiguration of American and European identity and way-of-life. The presumptive U.S. President Elect, the European élites, and top 'woke' élites moreover, are publicly committed to such "transformation": "Now we take Georgia, then we change the world," (Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, declared , celebrating Joe Biden's 'victory'); "Trump's defeat can be the beginning of the end of the triumph of far-right populisms also in Europe", claimed Donald Tusk, former president of the European Council.

In short, the 'Iron Curtain' descends when supposedly private enterprises (Big Digital) mutually inter-penetrate with – and then claim – the State: No longer the non-believer facing this coming metamorphosis is to be persuaded – he can be compelled . Regressive values held on identity, race and gender quickly slipped into a 'heresy' labelling. And as the BLM activists endlessly repeat: "Silence is no option: Silence is complicity ".

With the advent of Silicon Valley ideology's ubiquitous 'reach', the diktat can be achieved through weaponising 'Truth' via AI, to achieve a 'machine learning fairness ' that reflects only the values of the coming revolution – and through AI 'learning' mounting that version of binary 'truth', up and against an adversarial 'non-truth' (its polar opposite). How this inter-penetration came about is through a mix of early CIA start-up funding; connections and contracts with state agencies, particularly relating to defence; and in support for propaganda campaigns in service to 'governmentalist' narratives.

These U.S. Tech platforms have, for some time, become effectively fused into the 'Blue State' – particularly in the realms of intelligence and defence – to the extent that these CEOs no longer see themselves as state 'partners' or contractors, but rather, as some higher élite leadership, precisely shaping and directing the future of the U.S. Their objective however, is to advance beyond the American 'sphere', to a notion that such an élite oligarchy eventually would be directing a future 'planetary governance'. One, in which their tech tools of AI, analytics, robotics and machine-learning, would become the mathematical and digital scaffold around whose structure, the globe in all its dimensions is administered. There would be no polity – only analytics.

The blatant attempt by Big Tech platforms and MSM to write the narrative of the 2020 Facebook and Twitter U.S. Election – coupled with their campaign to insist that dissent is either the intrusion of enemy disinformation, 'lies' coming from the U.S. President, or plain bullsh*t – is but the first step to re-defining 'dissenters' as security risks and enemies of the good.

The mention of 'heresy and disinformation' additionally plays the role of pushing attention away from the gulf of inequality between smug élites and skeptical swathes of ordinary citizenry. Party élites might be notoriously well-known for unfairly enriching themselves, but as fearless knights leading the faithful to battle, élites can become again objects of public and media veneration – heroes who can call believers ' once more unto the breach! '.

The next step is already being prepared – as Whitney Webb notes :

A new cyber offensive was launched on Monday by the UK's signal intelligence agency, GCHQ, which seeks to target websites that publish content deemed to be "propaganda", [and that] raise concerns regarding state-sponsored Covid-19 vaccine development – and the multi-national pharmaceutical corporations involved.

Similar efforts are underway in the U.S., with the military recently funding a CIA-backed firm to develop an AI algorithm aimed specifically at new websites promoting "suspected" disinformation related to the Covid-19 crisis, and the U.S. military–led Covid-19 vaccination effort known as Operation Warp Speed

The Times reported that GCHQ "has begun an offensive cyber-operation to disrupt anti-vaccine propaganda being spread by hostile states" and "is using a toolkit developed to tackle disinformation and recruitment material peddled by Islamic State" to do so The GCHQ cyber war will not only take down "anti-vaccine propaganda", but will also seek to "disrupt the operations of the cyberactors responsible for it, including encrypting their data so they cannot access it and blocking their communications with each other."

The Times stated that "the government regards tackling false information about inoculation as a rising priority as the prospect of a reliable vaccine against the coronavirus draws closer," suggesting that efforts will continue to ramp up as a vaccine candidate gets closer to approval.

This larger pivot toward treating alleged "anti-vaxxers" as "national security threats" has been ongoing for much of this year, spearheaded in part by Imran Ahmed, the CEO of the UK-based Center for Countering Digital Hate , a member of the UK government's Steering Committee on Countering Extremism Pilot Task Force, which is part of the UK government's Commission for Countering Extremism.

Ahmed told the UK newspaper The Independent in July that "I would go beyond calling anti-vaxxers conspiracy theorists to say they are an extremist group that pose a national security risk." He then stated that "once someone has been exposed to one type of conspiracy it's easy to lead them down a path where they embrace more radical world views that can lead to violent extremism Similarly, a think tank tied to U.S. intelligence argued in a research paper published just months before the onset of the Covid-19 crisis that "the U.S. 'anti-vaxxer' movement would pose a threat to national security in the event of a 'pandemic with a novel organism.'"

Just to be clear, it is not just the 'Five Eyes' Intelligence Community at work – YouTube, the dominant video platform owned by Google, decided this week to remove a Ludwig von Mises Institute video, with more than 1.5 million views, for challenging aspects of U.S. policy on the Coronavirus.

What on earth is going on? The Mises Institute as 'extremist', or purveyor of enemy disinformation? (Of course, there are countless other examples.)

Well, in a word, it is 'China'. Maybe it is about fears that China will surpass the U.S. economically and in Tech quite shortly. It is no secret that the U.S., the UK and Europe, more generally, have botched their handling of Covid, and may stand at the brink of recession and financial crisis.

China, and Asia more generally, has Covid under much better control. Indeed, China may prove to be the one state likely to grow economically over the year ahead.

Here's the rub: The pandemic persists. Western governments largely have eschewed full lockdowns, whilst hoping to toggle between partial social-distancing, and keeping the economy open – oscillating between turning the dials up or down on both. But they are achieving neither the one (pandemic under control), nor the other (saving themselves from looming economic breakdown). The only exit from this conundrum that the élites can see is to vaccinate everyone as soon as possible, so that they can go full-steam on the economy – and thus stop China stealing a march on the West.

But 40%-50% of Americans say they would refuse vaccination . They are concerned about the long term safety for humans of the new mRNA technique – concerns, it seems, that are destined to be rigorously de-platformed to make way for the "required" saturation of pro-vaccine messaging across the English-speaking media landscape.

There is no evidence , yet, that either the Moderna or the Pfizer experimental vaccine prevented any hospitalizations or any deaths. If there were, the public has not been told. There is no information about how long any protective benefit from the vaccine would persist. There is no information about safety. Not surprisingly there is public caution, which GCHQ and Big Digital intend to squash .

The digital Iron Curtain is not just about America. U.S. algorithms, and social media, saturate Europe too. And Europe has its 'populists' and state 'deplorables' (currently Hungary and Poland), on which Brussels would like to see the digital 'Curtain' of denigration and political ostracism descend.

This month, Hungary and Poland vetoed the EU bloc's €1.8 trillion budget and recovery package in retaliation for Brussel's plan effectively to fine them for violating the EU's 'rule of law' principles. As the Telegraph notes , "Many European businesses are depending on the cash and, given the 'second wave' of coronavirus hitting the continent, Brussels fears that the Visegrád Group allies" could hold a recovery hostage to their objections to the EU 'rule-of-law' 'fines').

What's this all about? Well, Orbán's justice minister has introduced a series of constitutional changes. Each of them triggering 'rule-of-law' disputes with the EU. The most contentious amendment is an anti-LGBT one, stating explicitly that the mother is a woman, the father is a man . It will add further restrictions for singles and gay couples adopting children, and it will confine gender transition to adults.

Orbán's veto is yet more evidence of a new Iron Curtain descending down the spine of – this time – Europe. The 'Curtain' again is cultural, and has nothing to do with 'law'. Brussels makes no secret of its displeasure that many Central and Eastern European member-states will not sign up to 'progressive' (i.e. woke) values. At its root lies the tension that "whilst Western Europe is de-Christianising , Europe's central and eastern states are re-Christianising – the faith having been earlier a rallying point against communism", and now serving as the well-spring to these states' post-Cold War emerging identity. (It is not so dissimilar to some 'Red' American conservative constituencies that also are reaching back to their Christian roots, in the face of America's political polarisation.)

These combined events point to a key point of inflection occurring in the western polity: A constellation of state and state-extended apparatuses has openly declared war on dissent ('untruths'), foreign 'disinformation' and opinion unsupported by their own 'fact-checking'.

It takes concrete form through Big Digital's quiet sanctioning and punitive policing of online platforms, under the guise of tackling abuse; through nation-wide mandatory re-education and training programmes in anti-racism and critical social theory in schools and places of work; by embedding passive obedience and acquiescence amongst the public through casting anti-vaxxers as extremists, or as security risks; and finally, by mounting a series of public spectacles and theatre by 'calling out' and shaming sovereigntists and cultural 'regressives', who merit being 'cancelled'.

In turn, it advances an entire canon of progressivism rooted in critical social theory, anti-racism and gender studies. It has too its own revisionist history (narratives such as the 1619 Project) and progressive jurisprudence for translation into concrete law.

But what if half of America rejects the next President? What if Brussels persists with imposing its separate progressive cannon? Then the Iron Curtain will descend with the ring of metal falling onto stone. Why? Precisely because those adhering to their transformative mission see 'calling out' transgressors as their path to power – a state in which dissent and cultural heresy can be met with enforcement (euphemistically called the 'rule of law' in Brussels). Its' intent is to permanently keep dissenters passive, and on the defensive, fearing being labelled 'extremist', and through panicking fence-sitters into acquiescence.

Maintaining a unified western polity may no longer be possible under such conditions. Should the losers in this struggle (whomsoever that may be), come to fear being culturally overwhelmed by forces that see their way-of-being as a heresy which must be purged, we may witness a powerful turn towards political self-determination.

When political differences become irreconcilable, the only (non-violent) alternative might come to be seen to lie with the fissuring of political union.

[Nov 26, 2020] The Ruling Elite's War on Truth by Chris Hedges

Notable quotes:

"... Trump and Giuliani are vulgar and buffoonish, but they play the same slimy game as their Democratic opponents. The Republicans scapegoat the deep state, communists and now, bizarrely, Venezuela; the Democrats scapegoat Russia. The widening disconnect from reality by the ruling elite is intended to mask their complicity in the seizure of power by predatory global corporations and billionaires. ..."

"... Silicon Valley billionaires, including Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz and ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, donated more than $100 million to a Democratic super PAC that created a torrent of anti-Trump TV ads in the final weeks of the campaign to elect Biden. The heavy infusion of corporate money to support Biden wasn't done to protect democracy. It was done because these corporations and billionaires know a Biden administration will serve their interests. ..."

"... Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN during this campaign that Russian disinformation efforts are "more problematic" than in 2016. He warned that "this time around, the Russians have decided to cultivate U.S. citizens as assets. They are attempting to try to spread their propaganda in the mainstream media." ..."

"... This will be the official mantra of the Democratic Party, a vicious redbaiting campaign without actual reds, especially as the country spirals out of control. The reason I have a show on Russia-funded RT America ..."

"... Voice of America ..."

"... World Socialist Web Site, ..."

"... We let these companies get this monopolistic share of the distribution system. Now they're exercising that power. ..."

"... In the Soviet Union the truth was passed, often hand to hand, in underground samizdat documents, clandestine copies of news and literature banned by the state. The truth will endure. It will be heard by those who seek it out. It will expose the mendacity of the powerful, however hard it will be to obtain. Despotisms fear the truth. They know it is a mortal threat. If we remain determined to live in truth, no matter the cost, we have a chance. ..."

"... The New York Times, ..."

"... The Dallas Morning News ..."

"... The Christian Science Monitor ..."

Nov 23, 2020 | scheerpost.com

40 Comments on Chris Hedges: The Ruling Elite's War on Truth American political leaders display a widening disconnect from reality intended to mask their complicity in the seizure of power by global corporations and billionaires. By Chris Hedges / Original to ScheerPost

Joe Biden's victory instantly obliterated the Democratic Party's longstanding charge that Russia was hijacking and compromising US elections. The Biden victory, the Democratic Party leaders and their courtiers in the media now insist, is evidence that the democratic process is strong and untainted, that the system works. The elections ratified the will of the people.

But imagine if Donald Trump had been reelected. Would the Democrats and pundits at The New York Time s , CNN and MSNBC pay homage to a fair electoral process? Or, having spent four years trying to impugn the integrity of the 2016 presidential race, would they once again haul out the blunt instrument of Russian interference to paint Trump as Vladimir Putin's Manchurian candidate?

Trump and Giuliani are vulgar and buffoonish, but they play the same slimy game as their Democratic opponents. The Republicans scapegoat the deep state, communists and now, bizarrely, Venezuela; the Democrats scapegoat Russia. The widening disconnect from reality by the ruling elite is intended to mask their complicity in the seizure of power by predatory global corporations and billionaires.

... ... ...

The two warring factions within the ruling elite, which fight primarily over the spoils of power while abjectly serving corporate interests, peddle alternative realities. If the deep state and Venezuelan socialists or Russia intelligence operatives are pulling the strings no one in power is accountable for the rage and alienation caused by the social inequality, the unassailability of corporate power, the legalized bribery that defines our political process, the endless wars, austerity and de-industrialization. The social breakdown is, instead, the fault of shadowy phantom enemies manipulating groups such as Black Lives Matters or the Green Party.

"The people who run this country have run out of workable myths with which to distract the public, and in a moment of extreme crisis have chosen to stoke civil war and defame the rest of us – black and white – rather than admit to a generation of corruption, betrayal, and mismanagement," Matt Taibbi writes.

These fictional narratives are dangerous. They erode the credibility of democratic institutions and electoral politics. They posit that news and facts are no longer true or false. Information is accepted or discarded based on whether it hurts or promotes one faction over another. While outlets such as Fox News have always existed as an arm of the Republican Party, this partisanship has now infected nearly all news organizations, including publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post , along with the major tech platforms that disseminate information and news. A fragmented public with no common narrative believes whatever it wants to believe.

... ... ...

The flagrant partisanship and discrediting of truth across the political spectrum are swiftly fueling the rise of an authoritarian state. The credibility of democratic institutions and electoral politics, already deeply corrupted by PACs, the electoral college, lobbyists, the disenfranchisement of third-party candidates, gerrymandering and voter suppression, is being eviscerated.

Silicon Valley billionaires, including Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz and ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, donated more than $100 million to a Democratic super PAC that created a torrent of anti-Trump TV ads in the final weeks of the campaign to elect Biden. The heavy infusion of corporate money to support Biden wasn't done to protect democracy. It was done because these corporations and billionaires know a Biden administration will serve their interests.

The press, meanwhile, has largely given up on journalism. It has retreated into competing echo chambers that only speak to true believers. This catering exclusively to one demographic, which it sets against another demographic, is commercially profitable. But it also guarantees the balkanization of the United States and edges us closer and closer to fratricide.

When Trump leaves the White House millions of his enraged supports, hermetically sealed inside hyperventilating media platforms that feed back to them their rage and hate, will see the vote as fraudulent, the political system as rigged, and the establishment press as propaganda. They will target, I fear, through violence, the Democratic Party politicians, mainstream media outlets and those they demonize as conspiratorial members of the deep state, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci. The Democratic Party is as much to blame for this disintegration as Trump and the Republican Party.

The election of Biden is also very bad news for journalists such as Matt Taibbi, Glen Ford, Margaret Kimberley, Glenn Greenwald, Jeffrey St. Clair or Robert Scheer who refuse to be courtiers to the ruling elites. Journalists that do not spew the approved narrative of the right-wing, or, alternatively, the approved narrative of the Democratic Party, have a credibility the ruling elite fears.

The worse things get – and they will get worse as the pandemic leaves hundreds of thousands dead and thrusts millions of Americans into severe economic distress –the more those who seek to hold the ruling elites, and in particular the Democratic Party, accountable will be targeted and censored in ways familiar to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, now in a London prison and facing possible extradition to the United States and life imprisonment.

Barack Obama's assault on civil liberties, which included the repeated misuse of the Espionage Act to prosecute whistleblowers, the passage of Section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to permit the military to act as a domestic police force and the ordering of the assassination of U.S. citizens deemed to be terrorists in Yemen, was far worse than those of George W. Bush. Biden's assault on civil liberties, I suspect, will surpass those of the Obama administration.

The censorship was heavy handed during the campaign. Digital media platforms, including Google, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, along with the establishment press worked shamelessly as propaganda arms for the Biden campaign. They were determined not to make the "mistake" they made in 2016 when they reported on the damaging emails, released by WikiLeaks, from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta. Although the emails were genuine, papers such as The New York Times routinely refer to the Podesta emails as "disinformation." This, no doubt, pleases its readership, 91 percent of whom identify as Democrats according to the Pew Research Center. But it is another example of journalistic malfeasance.

Following the election of Trump, the media outlets that cater to a Democratic Party readership made amends. The New York Times was one of the principal platforms that amplified Russiagate conspiracies, most of which turned out to be false. At the same time, the paper largely ignored the plight of the disposed working class that supported Trump. When the Russiagate story collapsed, the paper pivoted to focus on race, embodied in the 1619 Project. The root cause of social disintegration -- the neoliberal order, austerity and deindustrialization -- was ignored since naming it would alienate the paper's corporate advertisers and the elites on whom the paper depends for access.

Once the 2020 election started, The New York Times and other mainstream outlets censored and discredited information that could hurt Biden, including a tape of Joe Biden speaking with former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, which appears to be authentic. They gave credibility to any rumor, however spurious, which was unfavorable to Trump. Twitter and Facebook blocked access to a New York Post story about the emails allegedly found on Hunter Biden's discarded laptop.

Twitter locked the New York Post out of its own account for over a week. Glenn Greenwald, whose article on Hunter Biden was censored by his editors at The Intercept, which he helped found, resigned. He released the email exchanges with his editors over his article. Ignoring the textual evidence of censorship, editors and writers at The Intercept engaged in a public campaign of character assassination against Greenwald. This sordid behavior by self-identified progressive journalists is a page out of the Trump playbook and a sad commentary on the collapse of journalistic integrity.

The censorship and manipulation of information was honed and perfected against WikiLeaks. When WikiLeaks tries to release information, it is hit with botnets or distributed denial of service attacks. Malware attacks WikiLeaks' domain and website. The WikiLeaks site is routinely shut down or unable to serve its content to its readers. Attempts by WikiLeaks to hold press conferences see the audio distorted and the visual images corrupted. Links to WikiLeaks events are delayed or cut. Algorithms block the dissemination of WikiLeaks content. Hosting services, including Amazon, removed WikiLeaks from its servers. Julian Assange, after releasing the Iraqi war logs, saw his bank accounts and credit cards frozen. WikiLeaks' PayPal accounts were disabled to cut off donations. The Freedom of the Press Foundation in December 2017 closed down the anonymous funding channel to WikiLeaks which was set up to protect the anonymity of donors. A well-orchestrated smear campaign against Assange was amplified and given credibility by the mass media and filmmakers such as Alex Gibney. Assange and WikiLeaks were first. We are next.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN during this campaign that Russian disinformation efforts are "more problematic" than in 2016. He warned that "this time around, the Russians have decided to cultivate U.S. citizens as assets. They are attempting to try to spread their propaganda in the mainstream media."

This will be the official mantra of the Democratic Party, a vicious redbaiting campaign without actual reds, especially as the country spirals out of control. The reason I have a show on Russia-funded RT America is the same reason Vaclav Havel could only be heard on the US-funded Voice of America during the communist control of Czechoslovakia. I did not choose to leave the mainstream media. I was pushed out. And once anyone is pushed out, the ruling elite is relentless about discrediting the few platforms left willing to give them, and the issues they raise, a hearing.

"If the problem is 'American citizens' being cultivated as 'assets' trying to put 'interference' in the mainstream media, the logical next step is to start asking Internet platforms to shut down accounts belonging to any American journalist with the temerity to report material leaked by foreigners (the wrong foreigners, of course – it will continue to be okay to report things like the 'black ledger')," writes Taibbi , who has done some of the best reporting on the emerging censorship. "From Fox or the Daily Caller on the right , to left-leaning outlets like Consortium or the World Socialist Web Site, to writers like me even – we're all now clearly in range of new speech restrictions, even if we stick to long-ago-established factual standards."

Taibbi argues that the precedent for overt censorship took place when the major digital platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Google, Spotify, YouTube – in a coordinated move blacklisted the right-wing talk show host Alex Jones.

"Liberal America cheered," Taibbi told me when I interviewed him for my show, " On Contact ":

They said 'Well this is a noxious figure. This is a great thing. Finally, someone's taking action.' What they didn't realize is that we were trading an old system of speech regulation for a new one without any public discussion. You and I were raised in a system where you got punished for speech if you committed libel or slander or if there was imminent incitement to lawless action, right? That was the standard that the Supreme Court set, but that was done through litigation. There was an open process where you had a chance to rebut charges. That is all gone now.

Now, basically there's a handful of these tech distribution platforms that control how people get their media.

They've been pressured by the Senate, which has called all of their CEOs in, and basically ordered them, 'We need you to come up with a plan to prevent the sowing of discord and spreading of misinformation.' This has finally come into fruition. You see a major reputable news organization like the New York Post -- with a 200-year history -- locked out of its own Twitter account.

The story [Hunter Biden's emails] has not been disproven. It's not disinformation or misinformation. It's been suppressed as it would be suppressed in a Third World country. It's a remarkable historic moment. The danger is that we end up with a one-party informational system. There's going to be approved dialogue and unapproved dialogue that you can only get through certain fringe avenues. That's the problem. We let these companies get this monopolistic share of the distribution system. Now they're exercising that power.

In the Soviet Union the truth was passed, often hand to hand, in underground samizdat documents, clandestine copies of news and literature banned by the state. The truth will endure. It will be heard by those who seek it out. It will expose the mendacity of the powerful, however hard it will be to obtain. Despotisms fear the truth. They know it is a mortal threat. If we remain determined to live in truth, no matter the cost, we have a chance.

---

[Chris Hedges writes a regular original column for ScheerPost every two weeks. Click here to sign up for email alerts.]

Chris Hedges Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who was a foreign correspondent for fifteen years for The New York Times, where he served as the Middle East Bureau Chief and Balkan Bureau Chief for the paper. He previously worked overseas for The Dallas Morning News , The Christian Science Monitor , and NPR. He is the host of the Emmy Award-nominated RT America show On Contact. paul easton NOVEMBER 23, 2020 AT 10:28 AM

It seems like the masters are just as deluded as the slaves. But the situation is unsustainable. When many millions of slaves become homeless and hungry that reality will become unavoidable. Who will they blame? Will they attack one another or will they revolt against the system? Soon we will see. Carolyn L Zaremba NOVEMBER 24, 2020 AT 10:30 AM

I share only alternative media since I don't trust "mainstream" media one iota. I post articles from the World Socialist Web Site, Consortium News, the Grayzone, Caitlin Johnstone and others all the time. I am a socialist. I was only banned from posting on FB once, for criticizing Israel. No surprise there. But I suspect FB of shadow banning, i.e., making it look like you've posted an article but making it invisible to others in their news feeds. I first learned of this practice from Craig Murray, another whose articles I post regularly. paul easton NOVEMBER 25, 2020 AT 1:35 AM

That is a chilling thought. I was shadow banned by medium.com a few years ago. It appeared to me that my posts and comments went in, but no one else could see them. At least with them I could tell something was wrong because I had regular conversations with some people. With FB I don't know if you could ever be sure. R Zwarich NOVEMBER 25, 2020 AT 5:37 AM

Mr. Easton is indeed correct. It is VERY chilling, especially if people would imagine what THEY would do, if they had our Enemy's morally depraved motivations, and if they had the control our Enemy has over ALL our communications switches.

There are three basic types of mass communications. One to many. Many to one. And many to many.

The Enemy has complete access to 'one to many' communications, and complete control over anyone's else's access to same. Many to one communications are ineffective for intrinsic reasons. Many to many communications offer myriad methods of cunningly creative control.

If we send out group emails, for example, in simple old-fashioned list-serves, they who control the switches could easily 'filter', to determine who among addressees gets any message, and who doesn't.

I used to write comments in the Boston Globe, the wholly owned plaything of a VERY weird old Billionaire and his proud and beautiful young trophy wife. (Less than half his age, of course). At first I thought the Globe NEVER censored. I could write anything, and it would post. Ahh but then I learned that the Globe is a HEAVY handed censor, but was clever enough to put a 'cookie' in your browser folder to tell their server to let you see your own comments, so you would not even know that no one else could see them. It was 'stealth censorship'.

We should try to remember that these people are morally depraved, in their constant paroxysms of raw Greed and raw Lust. No force exists any longer in our nation to restrain them. Anything we can 'see' that they CAN do, we can pretty much figure they already DO do, or else sooner or later will. Carol Shapiro NOVEMBER 23, 2020 AT 1:44 PM

While I don't agree with you, Chris Hedges, all the time, I believe you are our one. true. journalist. Thankful for your honesty. Insight. Huge intellect. Global experience. I am an "unenrolled" voter -- an extremely disillusioned former Bernie Sanders supporter. Truly, I feel like he would have been our closest attempt to achieving a real "citizen government". What a laughable term that is these days. Bernie never would have had a chance running as a Democrat – absurd. He should have walked out of that convention four years ago and taken his supporters with him. Oh wait- you said that. Never NOVEMBER 23, 2020 AT 2:59 PM

Don't forget that the selective coverage by the NY Times in this campaign didn't start when Biden became the nominee. Up to that time, the Times ran one or two articles on Sanders it seems. Whatever the number, it was miniscule. They almost completely ignored one of the most significant campaigns in modern history, thus helping to ensure it died on the vine. And when they did cover it one or two times, it was always negative.

Thank you, Chris, for your tireless work in defense of our stolen democracy. yuri NOVEMBER 23, 2020 AT 4:37 PM

US liberals more fascist than conservatives–long observed by historians/social philosophers
"amerikans do not converse as Tocqueville wrote, amerikans entertain each other. amerikans do not exchange ideas, they exchange images. the problem w amerikans is not Orwellian–it is huxleyan: amerikans love their oppression: Neil Postman Stephen Morrell NOVEMBER 24, 2020 AT 1:18 AM

Glenn Greenwald's points need stressing: (i) some of the most vociferous proponents of online censorship are mainstream and 'alternative' 'journalists' who on repeated occasions have egged on the carriers to shut sites, pages, accounts or postings; (ii) these 'journalists' aren't just serving the narrowest band of oligarchic media empires in history, but also are ivy-league bourgeois brats with no interest at all in exposing the injustices or malfeasance of bourgeois society, unlike many journalists of the past; and (iii) that it's not in the immediate material interests of the carriers to conduct the censorship, especially in the longterm, since it consumes resources and lowers traffic and profits. They'd much rather the government do it and for them to be compensated at taxpayer expense.

To avoid future potential government antitrust measures or nationalisation (heaven forbid!), Zuckerberg and his ilk have been censoring in heavyhanded and hamfisted ways that aren't so 'autonomous' but for the moment at least can be traced along the usual Democrat-controlled thinktank and CIA/FBI lines, which of course also are beyond public scrutiny. Despite the prospects for freedom of reach (and reach is what it's really about) apparently growing dimmer with each senate committee appearance by the carrier oligarchs, ways and means will be found to circumvent their draconian measures. While alternative non-censoring platforms have yet to gain significant traction, it likely won't take much for one to catch on, perhaps sparked by an outrageous event of suppression, that turns Facebook, Twitter, etc, into museum pieces. One might imagine, for instance, Wikileaks-style YouTube, Facebook, Twitter equivalents that act as true carriers, purely machine-based and devoid of human interference, that precludes them becoming the 'moral guardians' that Twitter, Facebook etc, are quickly metamorphising into.

As increasing swathes of the population appear not to be aligning within the bourgeoisie's preset ideological 'tribal' boundaries, there's a certain schadenfreude in seeing the rulers in dread of the truth getting out and spreading uncontrollably. Their tailored counter-narratives simply are too enfeebled and slight to square with the hard reality that's hitting everyone, from the most educated and brainwashed to the least. That ivy-league stenographers are being pressed into the service of censorship gives some indication of the desperation of the rulers. We all know, as do they but can never admit it publicly, that censorship and repression are frank admissions that they've lost all 'arguments' for their very existence.

To an extent, Trump has been responsible for letting the genie out of the bottle, as the first president probably since before Andrew Jackson to have failed, repeatedly, to put lipstick on the racist, capitalist imperial pig. The efforts by the ruling class at censorship and naked suppression of freedom of reach and of access to sources of truthful information will only increase in desperation as their myth-making narratives become ever more unable to rationalise a crisis that's they're beginning to see as intractable and endangering their rule.

[Nov 25, 2020] A complete schism from reality by Caitlin Johnstone

Highly recommended!

Notable quotes:

"... Because people are a lot more likely to click, read and share information which validates their pre-existing opinions and follow people who do the same, social media is notorious for the way it creates tightly insulated echo chambers which masturbate our confirmation bias and hide any information which might cause us cognitive dissonance by contradicting it. Whole media careers were built on this phenomenon during the years of Russiagate hysteria, and we see it play out in spheres from imperialism to Covid-19 commentary to economic policy. ..."

"... Someone benefits from this dynamic, and it isn't you. As we've discussed previously, we know from WikiLeaks documents that powerful people actively seek to build ideological echo chambers for the purpose of propaganda and indoctrination, and there is surely a lot more study going into the subject than we've seen been shown. Splitting the public up into two oppositional factions who barely interact and can't even communicate with each other because they don't share a common reality keeps the populace impotent, ignorant, and powerless to stop the unfolding of the agendas of the powerful. ..."

"... It's just people manipulating you away from your natural, healthy inclination toward peace. Get out of your echo chamber, look at the raw information instead of the narratives, and stop letting the sociopaths manipulate you. ..."

"... Hate is the only thing that holds the American Empire together. Without its Two Minutes of Hate, America will break up apart into a million pieces. ..."

Nov 25, 2020 | caitlinjohnstone.com

This Is Your Brain On Echo Chambers -- Right Calls Biden A Xi Puppet As He Packs His Cabinet With China Hawks – by Caitlin Johnston

... ... ...

This complete schism from reality, where you've got an incoming administration stacked with Beltway insiders who want to attack Chinese interests running alongside an alternate imaginary universe in which Biden is a subservient CCP lackey, is only made possible with the existence of media echo chambers. It's the same exact dynamic that made it possible for liberals to spend four years shrieking conspiracy theories about the executive branch of the US government being run by a literal Russian agent even as Trump advanced mountains of world-threatening cold war escalations against Moscow in the real world.

You see this dynamic at work in conventional media, where plutocrat-controlled outlets like Breitbart are still frantically pushing the Russiagate sequel narrative that Hunter Biden's activities in China mean that his father is a CCP asset. You also see it in social media, where, as explained by journalist Jonathan Cook in an article about the documentary The Social Dilemma , "as we get herded into our echo chambers of self-reinforcing information, we lose more and more sense of the real world and of each other."

"We live in different information universes, chosen for us by algorithms whose only criterion is how to maximise our attention for advertisers' products to generate greater profits for the internet giants," writes Cook.

Because people are a lot more likely to click, read and share information which validates their pre-existing opinions and follow people who do the same, social media is notorious for the way it creates tightly insulated echo chambers which masturbate our confirmation bias and hide any information which might cause us cognitive dissonance by contradicting it. Whole media careers were built on this phenomenon during the years of Russiagate hysteria, and we see it play out in spheres from imperialism to Covid-19 commentary to economic policy.

Someone benefits from this dynamic, and it isn't you. As we've discussed previously, we know from WikiLeaks documents that powerful people actively seek to build ideological echo chambers for the purpose of propaganda and indoctrination, and there is surely a lot more study going into the subject than we've seen been shown. Splitting the public up into two oppositional factions who barely interact and can't even communicate with each other because they don't share a common reality keeps the populace impotent, ignorant, and powerless to stop the unfolding of the agendas of the powerful.

You should not be afraid of your government being too nice to China. What you should worry about is the US-centralized power alliance advancing a multifront new cold war conducted simultaneously against two nuclear-armed nations for the first time ever in human history. There are far, far too many small moving parts in such a cold war for things to happen in a safely predictable manner, which means there are far, far too many chances for something to go very, very wrong.

Whenever someone tells you that a US president is going to be "soft" on a nation the US government has marked as an enemy, you are being played. Always, always, always, always. It's just people manipulating you away from your natural, healthy inclination toward peace. Get out of your echo chamber, look at the raw information instead of the narratives, and stop letting the sociopaths manipulate you.

By Caitlin Johnstone , an independent journalist based in Melbourne, Australia. Her website is here and you can follow her on Twitter @caitoz

---

USA-MA BIN LADEN / NOVEMBER 25, 2020

America desperately needs its Two Minutes of Hate against other countries like a meth addict needs his next hit.

• For Democrats and their ilk, Hate Russia was their unifying and mobilizing ideology.
• For Republicans and their ilk, Hate China is their unifying and mobilizing ideology.

Hate is the only thing that holds the American Empire together. Without its Two Minutes of Hate, America will break up apart into a million pieces.

Deep down, Americans know that – and that is why they so readily engage in these spittle-flecked campaigns.

Welcome to the Orwellian world of America where the same American Empire that bombs, invades, sanctions, regime changes, encircles, or colonizes multiple nations around the world whines like a triggered little snowflake that poor innocent war criminal America is being "threatened"!

Truly pathetic.

CHRISTIAN J. CHUBA / NOVEMBER 24, 2020

There are many good websites (in addition to this one of course). I'd always tell someone, just look to see what speaks to you my list some are 'out there' I'll summarize.

1. https://www.antiwar.com/ – Kind of like a drudgereport for decent people on world events. They go through the effort of summarizing AP and other official news outlet stories rather than mindlessly link to them. Just hearing the same stories minus the slavish propaganda will deprogram many people.
2. https://responsiblestatecraft.org/author/ppillar/ – Ron Pillar, I'm a groupie. Does investigative journalism, along the lines of Cailtlin.
3. https://thegrayzone.com/ – Max Blumenthal contributes here, U.S. imperialism in South America.
4. https://www.mintpressnews.com/ – M.E., Yemen, if your friend is very sensitive to anything that insinuates that Israel is not the celestial city he might be offended.
5. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/daniel-larison/ – If your friend has a conservative bent, foreign policy restraint. This Larison is passionately against our atrocities in Yemen but polite about it.
6. https://southfront.org/ – Ah .. on our State Dept list of Russian disinfo. Discuss military conflicts, sympathetic to the countries at the receiving end of our attention.
7. http://thesaker.is/ – Saker was an intel guy from the 'other side' during the Cold War, values decency, Orthodox Christian, only site that regularly publishes speeches from Nasrallah, does military analysis, arrogant but I always feel like I learned something.
8. http://www.moonofalabama.org – anonymous analyst, German Intel guy, writes very well. I put him last because he has been on a pro-Trump binge lately. I think they are secret lovers. Given what he normally writes about I have no idea what he sees in him.

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE (AUTHOR) / NOVEMBER 25, 2020

"I listen to the entire political spectrum, from Republican warmongering corporatists all the way to Democratic warmongering corporatists!"

[Nov 25, 2020] New York Times job listing shows how Western propaganda operates by Caitlin Johnstone -

Highly recommended!

Notable quotes:

"... Once you've learned a bit more you realize it's not quite happening that way. Most mainstream news reporters are not really witting propagandists – those are to be found more in plutocrat-funded think tanks and other narrative management firms, and in the opaque government agencies which feed news media outlets information designed to advance their interests. The predominant reason mainstream news reporters say things that aren't true is because in order to be hired by mainstream news outlets, you need to jack your mind into a power-serving worldview that is not based in truth. ..."

"... Mainstream establishment orthodoxy is essentially a religion, as fake and power-serving as any other, and if you want to work in mainstream politics or media you need to demonstrate that you are a member of that religion. ..."

"... That's all you're ever seeing when you notice blue-checkmarked reporters tweeting in promotion of imperialist interests and status quo politics. They are not laboring under the delusion that they are saying anything new or insightful that a hundred other people aren't saying at the exact same time; they are signaling. ..."

Nov 21, 2020 | caitlinjohnstone.com

By Caitlin Johnstone , an independent journalist based in Melbourne, Australia. Her website is here and you can follow her on Twitter @caitoz

People who are only just beginning to research what's wrong with the world often hold an assumption that mainstream news reporters are just knowingly propagandizing people all the time.

That they sit around scheming up ways to deceive their audiences into supporting war, oligarchy and oppression for the benefit of their plutocratic masters.

Once you've learned a bit more you realize it's not quite happening that way. Most mainstream news reporters are not really witting propagandists – those are to be found more in plutocrat-funded think tanks and other narrative management firms, and in the opaque government agencies which feed news media outlets information designed to advance their interests. The predominant reason mainstream news reporters say things that aren't true is because in order to be hired by mainstream news outlets, you need to jack your mind into a power-serving worldview that is not based in truth.

A recent job listing for a New York Times Russia Correspondent which was flagged by Russia-based journalist Bryan MacDonald illustrates this dynamic perfectly. The listing reads as follows:

"Vladimir Putin's Russia remains one of the biggest stories in the world.

It sends out hit squads armed with nerve agents against its enemies, most recently the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. It has its cyber agents sow chaos and disharmony in the West to tarnish its democratic systems, while promoting its faux version of democracy. It has deployed private military contractors around the globe to secretly spread its influence. At home, its hospitals are filling up fast with Covid patients as its president hides out in his villa.

If that sounds like a place you want to cover, then we have good news: We will have an opening for a new correspondent as Andy Higgins takes over as our next Eastern Europe Bureau Chief early next year."

Does this sound like the sort of job someone with a less than hostile attitude toward the Russian government would apply to? Is it a job listing that indicates it might welcome someone who sees mainstream Russia hysteria as cartoonish hyperbole designed to advance the longstanding geostrategic interests of Western power structures against a government which has long resisted bowing to the dictates of those power structures? Someone who voices skepticism about the plot hole - riddled establishment narratives of Russian election meddling and Novichok assassinations ? Someone who, as Moon of Alabama notes , might point out that Putin is in fact at work in the Kremlin right now and not "hiding out" in a "villa" ?

Of course not. In order to get a job at the New York Times, you need to demonstrate that you subscribe to the mainstream oligarchic imperialist worldview which forms the entirety of Western mass media output. You need to demonstrate that you have been properly indoctrinated, and that you can be guided into toeing the imperial line with simple attaboys and tisk-tisks from your superiors rather than being explicitly told to knowingly lie.

Because if they did tell you to knowingly lie to the public to advance the interests of the powerful, that would be propaganda. And propaganda is what happens in evil backwards countries like Russia.

Mainstream establishment orthodoxy is essentially a religion, as fake and power-serving as any other, and if you want to work in mainstream politics or media you need to demonstrate that you are a member of that religion.

That's all you're ever seeing when you notice blue-checkmarked reporters tweeting in promotion of imperialist interests and status quo politics. They are not laboring under the delusion that they are saying anything new or insightful that a hundred other people aren't saying at the exact same time; they are signaling. They are letting current and prospective peers and employers know, "I am a believer. I am a member of the faith." This way they are ensured the continued advancement of their careers in mainstream news media.

This is why you have labels for anyone expressing skepticism of establishment narratives like "conspiracy theorist," "useful idiot," "Russian asset" or "Assadist" ; the powerful people who understand that whoever controls the narrative controls the world need labels to separate the faithful from the heathens. It means the same thing as "heretic . "

The fast and easy way to get rich and famous has always been to promote the interests of the powerful. This is as true in every other sector as it is in media. For this reason, those who pour their energy into criticizing existing power structures and shining a bright light on their dynamics aren't likely to be living in fancy mansions or going to ritzy parties any time soon, while those who do the opposite actually will. And yet when someone sets up a Substack or a Patreon account to make criticizing the powerful their life's work, it is they who will get called money-grubbing grifters by the propagandized.

www.youtube.com/embed/Y2EPgix5_5w

The faces you see thrust onto screens by the plutocratic media are not spouting falsehoods while being aware of their deception, any more than any preacher is knowingly lying when they say you'll burn for eternity if you don't accept the gospel. Most of them believe everything they are saying , because they have been propagandized into becoming good acolytes and proselytizers of the faith.

The most propagandized people on earth are those who are responsible for promulgating propaganda.

---

Naughtylus 15 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 04:08 AM

Spot on article. Journalists in MSM media constantly brag about their independence, impartiality, truthfulness, etc. and I always wanted to ask them how long they think they would keep their job if they simply questioned the established narrative of their company. People hired in the media these days are not hired for the job of informing or being journalists, but to act as a mere transmission for opinion manipulation campaigns, devised by those in real power circles.

KennethKeen 15 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 04:18 AM

Excellent explanation. I would add an additional method of climbing the career ladder. If you do something criminal, that others in the system are aware of, then you can soar up the ranks, as they are guaranteed the possibility of blackmailing you. That is how the house of cards is held in place.

1justssayn 12 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 07:26 AM

Absolutely spot on. It applies to a lot of other occupations as well.

shadow1369 15 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 04:27 AM

The strange thing is that while not a single statement in the NYT summary was true of Russia, they cvould all be applied to the us. I guess that is the point, applicants must be prepared to simply substitute the Russia for the US whenever thery describe crimes against humanity. So zero intelligence is required, but more importantly zero integrity either.

Fenianfromcork 12 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 07:47 AM

Sounds more like an add for joining the CIA.

Insulyn Fenianfromcork 9 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 10:11 AM

I wonder just how many who are hired either work for the CIA already or start working for the CIA soon after? The add was possibly written with CIA direction. Embedded propagandists. The ad just shows how journalism simply doesn't matter to the MSM, it's all narrative and spin.

Geo Graphy 12 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 07:50 AM

The fourth estate has let their ego override their common sense. They are not an elected representation of any portion of the American or any other country's public. They are employees of organizations that operate for profit. They do not have a public mandate to provide their opinion as news. They are incapable of reporting news without slanting the view they present. Since it is slanted, it is not news, it is garbage. What the media presents to the public is pure propaganda made up by the staff and management of the so called news organizations. If the fourth estate will not return to reporting the news, then they rightfully belong on the trash heap of history.

PhillisStein 8 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 12:04 PM

'The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.' - Edward Bernays In other words, democracy is a 'majority rules' model and, since, in our current consciousness, you can fool most of the people most of the time, then democracy is able to be easily manipulated, and thus is not true democracy. We cannot have anything approaching civil society until we are able to exercise our free will with informed consent, which requires objective information. Sadly, everything is based upon the 'victim' model, which treats us as children - 'don't worry, we'll just do all your thinking for you and just tell you what to think.'

bos000 11 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 08:23 AM

Propaganda for americans: "US army "heroes" are around the world to protect america,s freedom and democracy", by killing innocents in other countries, when no one ever attack US.

Smythe_Mogg 7 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 12:38 PM

Perhaps journalists are not responsible for the content of propaganda but they are complicit in its transmission. Journalism for the most part, if ever it was, is not a profession with respect to practitioners upholding standards they refuse to deviate from. 'Hacks' working for the popular press are commonly derided. These days it is those employed by 'broadsheet' papers (and equivalent digital media) who truly merit opprobrium. The days when the Times fielded gentlemen are long gone. Few independent thinkers are to be found among prominent journalists. 'Broadsheet' decline has far more serious consequences than the worst the popular press can do. The popular press always has catered for 'low brow' and 'middle brow' readers; its lower reaches being little more than scandal sheets with titillating pictures. These readers are not movers and shakers: they are followers. The educated class, nowadays sadly depleted, relies on news outlets to be under editorial control capable of picking wheat from amidst chaff of no consequence and seeking accurate reporting thereof. A concomitant is choosing informed individuals to offer opinion pieces; top of this pile is the editorial which at one time could shake government. Lack of a properly informed upper tier of the population capable of challenging the self-styled political elite (and their owners) betokens descent into oligarchy and thereby kakistocracy.

OneGenericUser Gatineau25deA 15 hours ago 22 Nov, 2020 04:50 AM

I have a somewhat cliche' opinion. I don't care Americans want their country to rule the world, I want the world to have a choice on wether they want America as a leader, and I bet the majority of countries don't. If you're impose your "leadership" then you're not a leader, you're a dictator.

[Nov 23, 2020] Marsha Blackburn- Big Tech Censorship 'Choosing Winners And Losers' - Newsmax.com

Nov 23, 2020 | www.newsmax.com

Latest: Ken Timmerman Reveals Vote Fraud, More Here Home | Politics Tags: blackburn | censorship | section230 Marsha Blackburn: Big Tech Censorship 'Choosing Winners And Losers' Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., walks to the Senate subway in the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 3, 2020 in Washington, United States.(Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

By Cathy Burke | Sunday, 22 November 2020 09:16 AM

Short URL | Email Article | Comment | Contact | Print | A A

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., says Big Tech is "choosing winners and losers" for their targets of "censoring" -- including President Donald Trump.

In an interview Wednesday with Sinclair Broadcasting's "America This Week," Blackburn said Congress is working toward reigning in social media giants who are using Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act to justify their censorship of conservative voices.

https://d8ed4ff8d5829396e6af55ab9dde42bd.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

"What they have done is to start choosing winners and losers and being very subjective in how they go about censoring," Blackburn said of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

According to Blackburn, Section 230 was meant to help the then-new platforms, but has gotten out of hand.

Section 230 "puts this protection for social media companies that were just coming in online," she said, aiming "to give these platforms protection to stand up" and to provide a "safe harbor" from lawsuits and "let them get their sea legs," she said.

"Now these companies have grown so big they're beginning to act like publishers you cannot censor without telling people why," she declared.

Related Stories:

• Twitter, Facebook Defend Election Rules at Heated Senate Hearing
• Sen. Hawley Grills Zuckerberg on Allegation of Facebook Censorship Coordination

[Nov 20, 2020] Why Facebook, Twitter, Google, Fox News, CNN, and more giant corporations keep screaming at us that there was no election fraud

Because they are part of it ;-)

Pretty damning condemnation of fake news at 51:50

Nov 20, 2020 | www.nytimes.com

DNC PoliticalPrisoner 31 minutes ago Many wouldn't have believed there was election fraud except the media and Big Tech keep insisting that there wasn't. Facebook, Twitter, Google, Fox News, CNN, and more giant corporations keep screaming at us via notifications, messages, and broadcasts that there was no election fraud. Now, we're starting to think maybe there is something fishy going on.

[Nov 19, 2020] Tucker- Big Tech s coordinated suppression amounts to a censorship cartel

Nov 19, 2020 | www.youtube.com

Tucker Carlson exposes American corporations for teaming up to censor political opponents.

Clare Breanna , 8 hours ago

Seems like they want to isolate everyone. Makes us all vulnerable.

jim hall , 8 hours ago

Electing buying is like having a Trojan horse coming into this White House

Kirk Patrick , 5 hours ago

Republican Senators to Big Tech: "Why are you censoring Americans?" Democrat Senators to Big Tech: "Why don't you censor Americans more?"

[Nov 16, 2020] Chris Pratt is in the cancel culture crosshairs for imaginary crimes against woke dogma in the online Infinity War -- RT Op-ed

Nov 16, 2020 | www.rt.com

Chris Pratt is in the cancel culture crosshairs for imaginary crimes against woke dogma in the online Infinity War Michael McCaffrey

Michael McCaffrey is a writer and cultural critic who lives in Los Angeles. His work can be read at RT, Counterpunch and at his website mpmacting.com/blog . He is also the host of the popular cinema podcast Looking California and Feeling Minnesota. Follow him on Twitter @MPMActingCo 20 Oct, 2020 12:11 / Updated 27 days ago Get short URL 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014) Dir: James Gunn © Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 42 Follow RT on The movie star has kept silent about his political beliefs, but the two-bit thought police Thanoses of Twitter think they can read his mind and believe he is an evil Trump supporter.

Chris Pratt made a name for himself getting chased by dinosaurs in the Jurassic World franchise films, but the woke are now out to get him for allegedly having what they deem to be the political and cultural beliefs of a caveman.

Pratt originally shot to fame as the lovable lug Andy Dwyer on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation , and went on to movie stardom as the leading man in the Jurassic World , Guardians of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie franchises. Unfortunately, he is now squarely in the cancel culture crosshairs of the woke Twitter mob for potentially being a secret, homophobic, Trump supporter.

This Pratt incident began when TV writer Amy Berg posted pictures of the four famous Chrises – Chris Evans, Chris Pine, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Pratt, on Twitter and said " one has to go ."

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=RT_com&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1317624244382085121&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fop-ed%2F504005-woke-pratt-cancel-culture%2F&siteScreenName=RT_com&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

In response, the Guardian readers of the Galaxy attacked Pratt – claiming the star's Instagram bio ' radiated homophobic White Christian supremacist energy '.

Pratt's bio that sparked that comment reads, " I Love Jesus, My wife and family! Seahawks fanatic, MMA junky! " The horror. The horror.

This Pratt episode is amusing because while he is known for dinosaur movies, it is the woke who are acting out of their lizard brains, as the evidence of Pratt being homophobic and a white Christian supremacist is well entirely non-existent.

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=RT_com&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1318191232820989954&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fop-ed%2F504005-woke-pratt-cancel-culture%2F&siteScreenName=RT_com&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

Last year, after actress Ellen Page attacked Pratt on Twitter for being a member of an " infamously " anti-LGBTQ church, Pratt responded , " It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which 'hates a certain group of people' and is 'infamously anti –LGBTQ.' Nothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone ."

Of course, just because an emotionalist buffoon like Page says something doesn't make it so, as she famously once gave a hysterical speech on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert decrying the homophobia and racism in America that led to the " attack " on Jussie Smollett. A claim that has not held up particularly well .

The lack of evidence regarding Pratt's homophobia hasn't deterred the Twitter mob from marking Pratt for termination though, which is ironic since Pratt's father-in-law is former Republican Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger .

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=RT_com&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=true&id=1318049622665953280&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fop-ed%2F504005-woke-pratt-cancel-culture%2F&siteScreenName=RT_com&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

The other thing that seems to have galled the tiny Torquemadases of Twitter are Pratt's ambiguous political beliefs.

Even though Pratt has never declared his support for Trump, the maniacal mob assumes he does because he also hasn't said if he supports Biden. Although Pratt's wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, has publicly stated she will be voting for Biden.

The cancel culture clan point to Pratt's not attending an upcoming Avengers fundraiser for Biden, and that he was also once photographed by a paparazzo wearing a Gadsden Flag t-shirt that said 'Don't Tread on Me', as iron-clad proof of the star's evil political intentions, but this seems like a short cut to thinking.

He was also blasted by woke activists for joking about voting, with humorless morons branding him insensitive and tone deaf. All Pratt had done was make a light-hearted quip about voting for his kids' movie Onward at the People's Choice Awards. According to the fun police on Twitter, this election is "too important" for such frivolity.

ALSO ON RT.COM Guardians of the Galaxy defeated by the most fearsome super-villain of all political correctness

Pratt's lone, unambiguous statement on politics, besides his contribution of $1,000 to Obama's campaign in 2012, was in 2017 in Men's Journal where he said , " I really feel there's common ground out there that's missed because we focus on the things that separate us I don't feel represented by either side. " What a monster!

The biggest issue with all of this nonsense is that people are furious not because of anything Pratt has said or done, but because he hasn't said or done anything. Pratt isn't going to a Biden fundraiser or a Trump fundraiser or a Groot fundraiser or a Thanos fundraiser he isn't going to any fundraisers at all!

The idea that the mental midget McCarthy-ites on woke Twitter want to cancel Pratt because he said and did nothing is absurd to the point of madness.

Chris Pratt has graciously kept his politics private, unlike a host of other approval-addicted actors who flaunt their " fashionable " beliefs for 15 more minutes of fame. Pratt shouldn't be excoriated for imagined beliefs that people project onto him, he should only be judged by what he does and what he says in life.

READ MORE Monty Python's classic 'The Life of Brian' relentlessly mocked Christianity. Now we must do the same thing to the Church of Woke

For example, judge Pratt on his further response to Ellen Page's baseless anti-LGBTQ claim,

" My faith is important to me but no church defines me or my life, and I am not a spokesman for any church or group of people. My values define who I am. We need less hate in this world, not more. I am a man who believes that everyone is entitled to love who they want free from the judgement of their fellow man ."

He then wrote, " Jesus said, 'I give you a new command, love one another.' This is what guides me in my life. He is a God of Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness. Hate has no place in my or this world. "

That statement speaks glorious volumes about the quality and worth of Chris Pratt as a human being.

The recent unwarranted vilification of Pratt speaks volumes too, not about him, but about the vapid, vacuous and venal villains partaking in it.

I've never been much of a fan of Pratt's acting but this whole Twitter Pratt attack has left me admiring the man for his groundedness and humility.

The bottom line is Chris Pratt seems like a genuine and decent guy and his detractors seem like vile and repugnant Twitter tyrants.

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Peter Chamberlin 21 October, 2020 21 Oct, 2020 11:29 AM

Trump was brought to power in the last election to disrupt the politically correct culture, advocated by the Democrats as "Democracy", when it is in actuality, a hidden form of authoritarianism, where the people are subjected and controlled through applied peer pressure on a national level. Neoliberal mainstream media has been at war with American culture since the birth of the monster called "political correctness." The rage reaction against Trump has been orchestrated from his first day in office, building in intensity until today, when we are all called to be witness to the "crescendo" of the culture war. Democracy used to be when everybody was entitled to their own opinions, as long as they did not force others to change theirs. The arrival of so much partisan violence on both sides testifies to the abnormality of our current situation and to the dangerous position we have allowed ourselves to be maneuvered into. Whoever wins in two weeks, wins. Accept it and move forward.

Trump has tried to make peace - Biden is a war monger Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Libya, etc. He is a self-centered old man - why anyone thinks he would make a good president is beyond me. It is time for the minor US parties, such as the Libertarians and Greens, to break the 2 party domination of US politics

These woke keyboard warriors , should be held to account for slander or incitement to violence/ harassment. The fact they believe they can attack from the shadows and never be held to account, is the problem .

Why hedge with 'seems'? His attackers don't use 'seems'. Say it. Chris Pratt is decent guy and his detractors are vile and repugnant Twitter tyrants.

[Nov 16, 2020] Cancel culture stems from good-v-evil Disney populism I voiced doubt and now I'm the villain -- RT Op-ed

Nov 16, 2020 | www.rt.com

Cancel culture stems from good-v-evil Disney populism – I voiced doubt and now I'm the villain 16 Nov, 2020 15:30 Get short URL Anti-Trump demonstrators march to Black Lives Matter plaza while joining a counter protest against "Million MAGA March" in Washington, DC © Getty Images / Probal Rashid/LightRocket 27 Follow RT on

Jenny Morrill writes the UK nostalgia blog World of Crap . Follow her here @ theworldofcrap Win or lose, the woke outrage mob are still on the warpath. Everyone, everywhere, is in danger of being canceled for the injustice of the week. In my opinion, the media are to blame for their childish good-versus-evil narrative.

Last week, I committed the ultimate unforgivable sin – I expressed mild support for Donald Trump on Twitter. This was in the context of suggesting that the election, which even the US Congress has admitted contains " the presence of extensive voter fraud , " might have had some voting irregularities. This, obviously, translated into me being a 'Nazi' and a 'far-right Trump enabler', whatever that's even supposed to mean.

It's a story we've heard many times before – someone fails to toe the far left's ideological line, and they are immediately 'canceled'. It's happened to people far more important than me, and as a result most 'normal' people just keep their mouths shut and stay out of it. We're used to seeing the pitchforks coming after celebrities for their imagined crimes (often the same celebrities who not five minutes ago were doing the exact same thing), but be under no illusion that they save their venom for the rich and famous. I'm a nobody, and still they were outraged enough to come after me.

READ MORE In the left's victim culture, Eva Longoria's accused of 'anti-blackness' for calling Latinas the 'real heroines' in beating Trump

For what it's worth, I don't consider myself right wing or left wing. For the most part, I support things that benefit the average voter. Making sure elections aren't rigged is pretty high on my list of 'things that benefit the average voter'.

Unfortunately, the generation who were rewarded with fake internet points for tweeting about avocados and gender studies have decided that they are the new 'voice of the people', and the rest of us can go to hell for not already agreeing with their deeply held beliefs they've had since Tuesday. These people cry over the plight of the 'working class', but as soon as one of them has an opinion they don't like, they are told to shut up and know their place. And god forbid one of them should ever meet a working-class person in the wild – they will wrinkle their nose and tell them off for 'liking football and sausage rolls'. These are the people who refuse to acknowledge that most voters are not in favor of banning speech and defunding the police, because they are stupid ideas.

You can spot these people immediately if you know the signs. Their Twitter username includes a barked virtue signal, all in caps (John 'WEAR A MASK!' Jackson). They are the men who wear T-shirts that say " The future is female ," and make sure the world sees them wearing it. They have an open-mouthed selfie of themselves holding a Funko. It's always Funkos.

The problem with these people is that they get the moral prism through which they view the world from Harry Potter, the Marvel movies, and other franchises aimed at children, rather than the nuances of real life. They are infantilized by the corporate blanketing of the 'good v evil, and by the way we're the good guys, buy our stuff' narrative. Being surrounded on all sides by this simplistic world view inevitably reduces a person's ability to think critically, especially when the punishment for doing so is being ostracized by your peers. It must be difficult being a revolutionary when you're surrounded by every corporation on the planet patting you on the back and charging you for the privilege.

READ MORE Chris Pratt is in the cancel culture crosshairs for imaginary crimes against woke dogma in the online Infinity War

And yet I can't really blame these people. The finger should be pointed at the media for encouraging this one-sided view of the world to the point where all opposing views are banned, no matter how harmless. The people who over-consume this media have lost whatever ability they had to fairly judge a situation which might include various shades of grey. That's why they react so furiously to someone disagreeing with them, to the point that they will make personal threats.

Which brings me back to my deplorable crime of suggesting Trump might not be literally evil incarnate. I don't mind losing some Twitter followers for what I said, but I do mind people threatening to 'find out where I live and pay me a visit', people trying to get my (completely unrelated) blog shut down, and generally trying to make my life a misery in all my online spaces. Perhaps most shockingly, they threatened to get my Redbubble page shut down. I hope they don't do that, because I'd lose a whole 30p a month.

I fully expect to get canceled even further after writing this. But quite frankly I'm past caring. I just wanted to write about old TV. I just wanted to laugh at kids' shows from the '80s, and talk about nostalgia. But the woke mob has a way of dragging you into its demented world. Well, I don't want to be part of that world, and at some point they're going to have to grow up and stop trying to be king of the playground. It's time to take social media back from these oversized children.

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Franc shadow1369 2 hours ago 16 Nov, 2020 12:25 PM

It's even worse than intolerance and bigotry, it's intolerance and bigotry under the guise of acceptance and goodwill. They've been indoctrinated, and if they were more organized we could call them a legit religious cult.

volch 1 hour ago 16 Nov, 2020 01:49 PM

One of the best op-eds written. In my view people need to pay more attention to the social biologists. Humans will accept their own irationality delusion and hysteria if they feel their social standing is nevertheless enhanced . It's a fundamental problem that will plague society forever. The woke mobs won't begin to question themselves while their dopamine levels are elevated.

Sapphire1 1 hour ago 16 Nov, 2020 01:50 PM

My son lives in the States and he said that Woke culture has taken over. People were afraid to say that they voted for Trump. The media has been taken over by the left and will not report anything that goes against leftist propoganda. It is the end of free speech.

Lacus_Magnus DoubleKnot 2 hours ago 16 Nov, 2020 12:42 PM

(((They))) control what we hear, see and now (((they))) try to manage what we may say. Remember the Koni experiment about 15 years ago? Within a week of social media campaigning they had the kids up in arms over some obscure warlord in Africa. That was an excercise in mob creation and manipulation.

benalls 58 minutes ago 16 Nov, 2020 02:04 PM

All living things are skeptical of that which is different from yourself. Government forced tolerance, and mandatory race ratios has made the parents of this generation,angry, bitter, and feeling unable to change things. This generation has by a majority been raised by a single parent, at the border of poverty. The families wondering if there is enough left on the maxed visa card to get enough gas to go to work and back today. They also find that after they graduate high-school the choices are limited, lowering the bar to prevent accusations of racism, their 4th grade reading and comprehension level disqualifies them for most of the few jobs available

allan Kaplan 2 hours ago 16 Nov, 2020 12:47 PM

"Emperor's has new clothes" is so befitting to the real peeled off layer of an onion Democrats and the fraudulent liberals that there's no more pretense, charades, and pretexts left to dwell upon in their long run of fakeries of democracy, equal rights, and the rest of the garbage! Kamala Harris is the living devil in disguise with all the subtle nuances, and an unashamed sanctimonious holier-than-thou devil who would surpass any female leader of any country in the past in her devilish turpitudes and depravity that the world has seen!

Radomir Stojković natrep 2 hours ago 16 Nov, 2020 12:57 PM

They will go away alfter they have served their purpose!

[Nov 15, 2020] Trotskyite methods deployed by neoliberals: Trump Law Firm Quits Pennsylvania Case After Project Lincoln 'Cancel' Campaign

Highly recommended!

This is the really scary part. There used to be an unspoken rule that defense attorneys were not supposed to be judged for their clients, even if they represent a despicable person. Serial killers, terrorists, pederasts, etc. should not be cut off from the ability to have representation in court.

A good law firm would be suing the Lincoln Project for harassment and defamation instead of rolling over and showing their bellies to a bully. So it would seem that the loss of Porter Wright as a member of the Trump team is probably for the best.

Is not this intimidation criminal?

Nov 15, 2020 | www.zerohedge.com

A law firm representing the Trump campaign's efforts to challenge the Pennsylvania election results gave notice late Thursday that they are withdrawing from one of the cases.

While no reason was given for the decision by Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, Bloomberg notes that it was one of two law firms targeted by the Lincoln Project - a group of 'never-Trump' Republicans devoted to removing Trump from office.

On Tuesday, the group encouraged people to join LinkedIn and target individual employees of Porter Wright and another law firm, Jones Day, and "Ask them how they can work for an organization trying to overturn the will of the American people."

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1326213514495741958&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Ftrump-law-firm-quits-pennsylvania-case-after-project-lincoln-cancel-campaign&siteScreenName=zerohedge&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

People responded with screenshots of the law firm employees they harassed :

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=true&id=1326214623008337920&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Ftrump-law-firm-quits-pennsylvania-case-after-project-lincoln-cancel-campaign&siteScreenName=zerohedge&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1326220555356434436&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Ftrump-law-firm-quits-pennsylvania-case-after-project-lincoln-cancel-campaign&siteScreenName=zerohedge&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

A Trump campaign spokesman blamed "cancel culture" for the firm's exit.

https://lockerdome.com/lad/13084989113709670?pubid=ld-dfp-ad-13084989113709670-0&pubo=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com&rid=www.zerohedge.com&width=890

" Leftist mobs descended upon some of the lawyers representing the President's campaign and they buckled ," said campaign communications director, Tim Murtaugh. "If the target were anyone but Donald Trump, the media would be screaming about injustice and the fundamental right to legal representation. The President's team is undeterred and will move forward with rock-solid attorneys to ensure free and fair elections for all Americans."

Here's another 'cancel' crusader bragging about the left's latest scalp:

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1327278520607891461&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Ftrump-law-firm-quits-pennsylvania-case-after-project-lincoln-cancel-campaign&siteScreenName=zerohedge&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

Another attorney who is not affiliated with Porter Wright will remain on the case in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. A hearing on the state's motion to dismiss the suit in federal court is scheduled for Tuesday.

The suit claims the state's election results are suspect because the campaign wasn't given adequate access to observe the vote-counting in Democratic-leaning counties. A hearing in that case has been scheduled for Nov. 17.

Porter Wright has also been representing the campaign in a case heading to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court similarly challenging vote tallies based on poll observers' access to the counting process. It additionally filed several county-level challenges seeking to disqualify ballots it claimed were defective. It's unclear if Porter Wright also intends to withdraw from those representations. - Bloomberg

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The firm's work for the Trump campaign was led by Pittsburgh office partner Ronald Hicks, co-chair of their election law practice.

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takeaction , 1 day ago

This is Soros/Clinton money and strong arming that is doing this.

We are in a full MAFIA exposure.

This is going to get real interesting.

I have said it before, this is the FIGHT OF THE REPUBLIC....if Trump ends up losing, all hopes of exposure are gone.

Obama spying on Trump, No big deal...

Hunter corruption buried...

Clinton crime family, off the hook...

Seal Team 6...forgotten...

Biden family enrichment, no repercussions...

SETH RICH, a hero, wiped from memory...

There is a lot more at play here than just the "Election" and our taxes going up.

NAV , 1 day ago

Good riddance to Jones Day: this is just an excuse to further delay and hurt Trump's case. Already that firm has leaked private case information to the New York Times. Both these firms have sabotaged President Trump.

Jones Day, the most prominent firm representing President Trump and the Republican Party in its legal battle challenging the results of the election, earlier backstabbed Trump in the back by leaking case information to the New York Times.

The activist rag, the Times, says those inside the firm are concerned about the propriety and wisdom of working for Trump.

Trump needed to fire these unethical lawyers and one wonders why he didn't. Maybe he's being sabatoged on so many fronts he doesn't know where to start. And just maybe information is being kept from him by his "advisers."

The Times says these Jones Day subversives fear "Mr. Trump and his allies undermine the integrity of American elections, according to interviews with nine partners and associates, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their jobs."

(Notice that Trump always is Mr.Trump, not President Trump, while Biden is President-elect Biden.)

"At another large firm, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, based in Columbus, Ohio, lawyers have held internal meetings to voice similar concerns about their firm's election-related work for Mr. Trump and the Republican Party, according to people at the firm . At least one lawyer quit in protest."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/business/jones-day-trump-election-lawsuits.html

lazarusturtle , 1 day ago

Trump has had 4 years to take action. I used to think like you but gave up about ... hmmm... 4 years ago. He is just as zionist as ziohedge and the dems. Elections are irrelevant. The CHAOS was always the plan.

https://www.corbettreport.com/the-chaos-is-the-plan/

The Golden God , 1 day ago

takeaction is absolutely right in both comments. Great info in the first comment and a great point in the second. We have one life, if you're not enjoying it, what's the point?

TheReplacement's Replacement , 1 day ago

Ah, a fundamental point of propaganda from the progressives that has successfully been anchored in the psyche of the west. You need to have fun...

Life is a struggle that everyone will eventually lose. How rewarding the struggle is depends of the effort you expend.

There are protests all across the country today. You can put down your childish things for a few hours and go out to physically show support for Trump and the rule of law. You can meet like minded people, network with them, and perhaps even begin preparing for struggles ahead.

Or

Just keep doing what you have been doing. It has worked out sofa king great that the communists are in their final push to take over not just this country but the entire world.

It's up to you. No big deal. Have fun....

U_Wish_U_Were_This_Cool , 1 day ago

I suppose you have one?

Mine was to pass a constitutional amendment to forbid members of Congress from having any income producing assets or source of income other that salary of office. Simply owning one would by law immediately end their current term and disqualify them from any public office from that point forward. No more corporate grift or self serving representatives in office.

Of course it is difficult to convince a troll to support anything other than being a troll.

Soylent Green tastes the same no matter which side of the fence you are on.

konputa , 1 day ago

If I may add an item to your excellent proposal:

Immediately ban anyone from public office that holds a foreign citizenship. I know this will "unfairly" impact a number of people with dual citizenship in a certain ME country but I feel it's for the better and allows us to focus on more pressing domestic issues.

kharrast , 1 day ago

The Troskyists are supported by the banking cartel. You can't get rid of the tyrants while still using their monetary system.

wizteknet , 1 day ago

The committee was announced on December 17, 2019, in a New York Times op-ed by George Conway, Steve Schmidt, John Weaver, and Rick Wilson.[5] Other co-founders include Jennifer Horn, Ron Steslow, Reed Galen, and Mike Madrid.[6]. Sounds like a bunch McStains from what I read.

MoreFreedom , 1 day ago

Big Democrat and RINO money is going up against Trump, and threatening the law firm they'll lose their business with the traitors who bring in lots of revenue. That's what's happening, and you are right; they are strong arming threats of force as well. It shows how bad their case is they have to resort to thuggery and economic boycotts.

Cognitive Dissonance , 1 day ago

The Deep State/CIA's color revolution/coup proceeding as planned.

Hey Assholes , 1 day ago

Methinks that the obviousness of the fraud was intentional. Media crowns bidet, Trump calling out the fraud. Whoever wins, the country is split and irreconcilable .

If Trump prevals, riots ensue and marshal law follows. We lose. If bidet steal succeeds, 70+ million become ungovernable, and civil war ensues.

I am a Tump supporter, but I am also an individualist and despise tyranny. The controllers are trying to overturn the chess board and the setup is heads they win, tails we lose.

skizex , 1 day ago

Chairman of the Federal Election Commission says 'I Do Believe There Is
Voter Fraud Taking Place'...'Making This An Illegitimate Election' https://rense.com/general96/voter-fraud.mp4

Tirion , 1 day ago

All sorts of criminality has been obvious since the last election, but what has been done about it? Nothing! So what makes you think they will lose? The rule of law is a pretense only.

palmereldritch , 1 day ago

The CIA, at the highest level, is a Bankster infiltration and enforcement agency.

Goldblatz' Monster , 1 day ago

The bigger question is who in Hell wants more Trump (Kushner and Bibi)? Doesn't matter. Bibi and Gates won. Harris stands before AIPAC spreading her love to Israel. The goy ain't never gonna get it.

skizex , 1 day ago

Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight has come out in support of Donald Trump's claim that Joe Biden is falsely declaring victory in last week's presidential election.

"My fellow Americans, I stand here with all the feel as I do disgusted with this lie that Biden has been chosen." Voight began. "As if we all don't know the truth. And when one tries to deceive we know that one can't get away with it, there will be a price to pay."

Voight warned Americans that they are now facing their "greatest fight since the civil war" as the left are Satanists:

The ones who are jumping for joy now are jumping towards the horror they will be in for. Because I know that the promises being made from the left to the American people will never come to be. My friends of all colors, races, and religions, this is now our greatest fight since the Civil War. The battle of righteousness versus Satan. Yes, Satan. Because these leftists are evil, corrupt, and they want to tear down this nation.

Donate Moar , 1 day ago

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jon-voight-slams-leftists-corrupt-evil-pro-trump-video

OR

https://twitter.com/jonvoight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1326323889417322497%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fentertainment%2Fjon-voight-slams-leftists-corrupt-evil-pro-trump-video

Quia Possum , 1 day ago

This is the really scary part. There used to be an unspoken rule that defense attorneys were not supposed to be judged for their clients, even if they represent a despicable person. Serial killers, terrorists, pederasts, etc. should not be cut off from the ability to have representation in court.

But in this new Lord of the Flies zeitgeist, if you get designated as an enemy of the state, they can bring you up on whatever charges they want and no defense attorney will risk being associated with you. So you'll stand alone against the full weight of the government.

StuffyourVAXX , 1 day ago

So wait, this was done on Twitter and LinkedIn?

Organizing coordinated harassment and threats aren't against their TOS? Huh.

Zorch , 1 day ago

Not against TOS because these are patriotic Americans fighting a fascist dictator.

/sarc

InTheLandOfTheBlind , 1 day ago

Conservatives, most Republicans, and most importantly, Christians, are considered subhuman by Twitter. They have no rights

TechnoCaveman , 1 day ago

I feel for the law firm and its employees.
This happened for two reasons - lack of morals from those who harassed the firm and a lack of push back from US
Not only should the police get involved, but can we know the names and companies of who did the harassing so we can abandon them?
No violence - do not stoop to their level. Instead tell them they are on the wrong side of justice and the wrong side of history.
Seek the truth.
Stand with Trump
Stand with Trump supporters.
Stand against evil.

rlouis , 1 day ago

A lot of the people on the Lincoln Project have links to John McCain...

Silentwistle , 1 day ago

Everyone is missing the big tell here. You don't send your mob out to harass if there is nothing to hide. All they are doing is circling their wagons around this corruption

Quia Possum , 1 day ago

And it looks like they're succeeding in that effort. From the old John Harrington verse:

Treason doth never prosper; what's the reason?

For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.

Quia Possum , 1 day ago

https://www.linkedin.com/legal/professional-community-policies

Do not harass or bully: We don't allow bullying or harassment. This includes abusive language, revealing others' personal or sensitive information (aka "doxing"), or inciting or engaging others to do any of the same.

So everyone involved in the Lincoln Project should be banned from LinkedIn.

I'm sure Microsoft will get right on that.

Original_Intent , 1 day ago

and they call us Fascists - straight out of Saul Alinsky's book...

tunEphsh , 1 day ago

If the election had been run honestly, the Democrats and their Lincoln Project "friends" would not be pushing so hard to end an investigation. Honest people would say "Go ahead and investigate all you want to, you are not going to find anything."

Whoa Dammit , 1 day ago

A good law firm would be suing the Lincoln Project for harassment and defamation instead of rolling over and showing their bellies to a bully. So it would seem that the loss of Porter Wright as a member of the Trump team is probably for the best.

Totally_Disillusioned , 1 day ago

Unfortunately the corporatists have a tremendous amount of power.

Whoa Dammit , 1 day ago

Only if the power is given to them by not standing up for one's self and for the law. The British had a lot of power here 244 years ago.

el_buffer , 1 day ago

Using intimidation and violence to foment political change is terrorism by definition.

The Feds should get involved.

[Nov 15, 2020] Cancel culture during elections

Nov 15, 2020 | www.zerohedge.com

1 play_arrow

Dead Indiana Sky , 1 day ago

I know you guys hate Facebook, so feel free to let your freak flag fly on that note. Anyway, I commented on a Sun Times article on FB stating that the only qualifications for Kamala were ticking the boxes of gender and race. She won zero delegates in the primaries, and I don't know anyone who can even stand to hear her voice, let alone the words she is forming with it. So a guy took a screenshot of my comment, proceeded to visit my personal page, and messaged my employer saying that I am a racist, have no business representing the company, and need to be fired immediately. As the page administrator I laughed at how pathetic the guy was and deleted it. These people are out there in full force.

Countrybunkererd , 1 day ago

Every action you do will be under the cover of darkness and secrecy. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. Every word carefully weighed as to ensure you don't say anything with emotion or conviction. You don't speak to anyone about your thoughts or feelings because they may use you to get out of some trouble where they were simply misunderstood by the given power hungry individual for the current day. You never know what day you will be in trouble for some misunderstood statement or worse.

You will give to the government everything they want and keep what they deem is enough to sustain your meager lifestyle.

You can't afford to make a SINGLE mistake. Ever. So you cease talking with others except for a very very select few.

EVERY SINGLE DAY. The lockdowns were a walk on the beach if and when we go this path.

Enjoy the Bolshevism, If you don't stand now on constitutional law, you deserve it. You leftists have been played and are soon going to be deemed a useful idiot and executed by your masters. It happens every single time, don't you read?

[Nov 14, 2020] It's important for people to realize that media NARRATIVES are created ahead of time to support some of these elections outcomes. They're as fake as the election totals

Highly recommended!

Nov 14, 2020 | www.unz.com

The Real World , says: November 13, 2020 at 6:42 pm GMT • 22.3 hours ago

@TheTrumanShow 0 votes and that fake story was given as the reason why.

They went for a softer approach in KY in 2019. The first-term Repub Gov had a Yankee's forthrightness so they just latched onto comments he made regarding the underfunded teachers pension program and amped-it to high heaven getting teachers all in a frightful frenzy.

In that solidly Red state, with all other prominent offices on the ballot (AG, SoS, etc.) going overwhelmingly Repub , somehow the Repub Gov loses to the Dem by around 5000 votes. The "teachers pension" narrative was rolled-out as the reason. (Btw, it seems that Dominion, or another type, software was used to switch the votes in that race. I've seen video about it.)

[Nov 09, 2020] Biden and cancel culture

Notable quotes:

"... "There's no denying," Columbia professor Mark Lilla wrote in 2017's The Once and Future Liberal, "that the movement's decision to use this mistreatment to build a general indictment of American society and its law-enforcement institutions and to use Mau Mau tactics to put down dissent and demand a confession of sins and public penitence played into the hands of the Republican right." ..."

Nov 09, 2020 | newrepublic.com

Early in the Trump years, moderate columnists and strategists held that the mechanisms for accomplishing what Biden evidently has would be an aggressive critique of progressive identity politics. It was agreed specifically that Black Lives Matter and progressive activism on policing and criminal justice could be crippling.

"There's no denying," Columbia professor Mark Lilla wrote in 2017's The Once and Future Liberal, "that the movement's decision to use this mistreatment to build a general indictment of American society and its law-enforcement institutions and to use Mau Mau tactics to put down dissent and demand a confession of sins and public penitence played into the hands of the Republican right."

Despite Democratic victories in 2018's midterms, the argument lived on long enough to worry moderates who criticized Biden this year in the wake of the demonstrations and riots over the killing of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake. "In the crude terms of a presidential campaign, voters know that the Democrat means it when he denounces police brutality, but less so when he denounces riots," The Atlantic 's George Packer wrote in a piece about the unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"To reach the public and convince it otherwise, Biden has to go beyond boilerplate and make it personal, memorable."

A little over two months later, it's actually quite difficult to remember what exactly Biden said that week. And he never delivered grand denunciations of cancel culture, White Fragility, the 1619 Project, or any of the other culture war material moderates and conservatives suggested he needed to address to make large gains among whites and white men in particular. Those gains were clearly made anyway.

[Nov 07, 2020] Narratives control mass behavior

Nov 07, 2020 | www.moonofalabama.org

Chevrus , Nov 7 2020 15:42 utc | 72

Lots of talk about narrative, and with good reason. Narratives control mass behavior in that they pave the way for Directed History. Predicitive programming is essentially brainwashing on a mass scale. As Giuliani not so famously said: "We live in a post truth world". As we have seen policy both domestic and foreign can be predicated on outright lies with little to no consequences. There is an art to it really. When faced with solid evidence that the destruction of Iraq was implemented for specific reasons (other than the official ones) using outright lies as justification, the response from the slighly informed public is something like 'Oh well'. The oft repeated narrative is what most people base their flimsy Reality Tunnel on. Any information that challenges this is discarded. The mechanics for this have been fine tuned over the past few decades. With the help of media domination, meme control and false gatekeepers, any voice that steps out of line is tarred and feathered as a whack-0, regardless of the information that is presented. As demonstrated in this election, near total censorship is a go. It borders on witch hunting.

Regardless of the RedBlue UniParty antics being foisted on the USAn population, The Great Reset appears to have been sprung. Creative Destruction, Controlled Chaos, Draconian Plutocracy are the watch-words. It is no longer convenient or even possible to keep up the appearance of faux-democracy and the brick wall behind the curtain is exposed. Any nation that tries to haveit's own currency, culture or trade outside the structure being forced on the globe will be destroyed. Wesley Clark's '7 coutries in 5 years' interview comes to mind. I dont think the billionaire class can afford a full blown world war this time to get to the next level of control. For one, materials technology has made a few crucial leaps which means they could be targetted. It also allows the little guy to resist more fiercely. It also would not do to have whats left of the infrastructure razed to the ground, thus the virus terror.

As far as the next fed-gov configuration in the USA, speculation abounds. Apparently if Biden can last 2 years then the following 2 years occupied by Harris doesnt count as a full term and she can run two times more. Perhaps Hillary will be selected as VP? No matter because the forces backing these people will likely do much more destruction on the international front than OrangeManBad. With a population that just had their livelihood ripped from them, that's alot of dog-soldiers. Drum up enough hate-blame for Russia, China, and everything Muslim and you might just get a flood of enlistees. PMC's can fill in the gaps at great expense. The rest of the world has been backing away slowly for a couple of decades and arming up. The run-up to Agenda 2030 could be explosive.

[Nov 07, 2020] When someone prefers a euphemism for "telling the truth", he is probably lying.

Nov 07, 2020 | www.moonofalabama.org

Norwegian , Nov 7 2020 14:26 utc | 41

@librul | Nov 7 2020 14:19 utc | 35

When someone serves a narrative they are not necessarily lying it might just
serve the narrative to tell the truth. When someone is lying then they are lying, period.

When someone prefers a euphemism for "telling the truth", he is probably lying.

librul , Nov 7 2020 14:35 utc | 44

@Posted by: Norwegian | Nov 7 2020 14:26 utc | 41

"When someone prefers a euphemism for "telling the truth", he is probably lying."

When someone says "probably" then they are hedging.

When someone prefers a hedge, to say that person is probably lying, is a stretch.

[Nov 06, 2020] Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey should be ARRESTED for censoring Trump's tweets, former White House strategist Steve Bannon says

Nov 06, 2020 | www.moonofalabama.org

Zanon , Nov 5 2020 20:52 utc | 150

Social media's public support for the democrats and their supporters is clear election meddling, its time republicans - that get more and more censored by social media giants fight back against this bias.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey should be ARRESTED for censoring Trump's tweets, former White House strategist Steve Bannon says
https://www.rt.com/usa/505774-steve-bannon-trump-jack-dorsey/

Trump will still be president until end of january, perhaps he will deal with this propaganda outlets by the repeal of 230

Section 230: What the law is and why Trump wants to repeal it
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/section-230-what-the-law-is-and-why-trump-wants-to-repeal-it

[Nov 04, 2020] Chris Hedges and Matt Taibbi- Media as propaganda and censorship bureau- The Jewish angle by Kevin MacDonald

Nov 04, 2020 | www.unz.com

KEVIN MACDONALD NOVEMBER 1, 2020 2,200 WORDS 20 COMMENTS REPLY

The podcast, which you can view at the bottom of this article, is interesting for several reasons. Chris Hedges and Matt Taibbi are both what would, until very recently, be considered mainstream journalists. Now they see themselves on the outside of a monolithic system where information has been completely politicized to the point of it being, in Taibbi's words, "a one-party media environment." I rather doubt that either of them are Trump supporters, but they realize that if Trump loses, things will get even worse. Self-censorship, which is undoubtedly already high, will increase as lines that cannot be crossed without ending one's career touch on ever more subjects. They compare the situation to the Soviet Union where everyone knew that the official media could not be trusted, but underground Samizdat documents were treasured. I can't help thinking we are already there in the sense that people like me are forced to turn to podcasts and websites that are well outside the mainstream, in a situation of constant deplatforming by financial companies and media companies like YouTube.

Taibbi notes that there was a sea change after the 2016 election where basically organizations like the NYTimes had a "come to Jesus" moment" when they asked themselves how could we let this happen and decided to become overtly political, throwing a sop to conservatives by hiring someone like neocon Bret Stephens to appease conservatives while at the same time promoting the Trump-Russia collusion hoax and ginning up the White guilt narrative with the 1619 Project, while completely suppressing the Hunter Biden-Joe Biden scandal, the evidence for which, in my opinion, is overwhelming. At the same time they ignored the real reasons why Trump won -- Taibbi mentions neoliberal economics (implying replacement-level immigration and outsourcing American jobs) and economically struggling and poor Americans. But left unmentioned is the feeling of unease by a broad swathe of White Americans that their country is being taken away from them and that it's increasingly unrecognizable from the country they grew up in. Unmentioned also is that a great many Whites are feeling racially dispossessed by the replacement-level immigration that has occurred, and they are increasingly aware that they are hated by our liberal-left hostile elite.

As they note, the problem is that when you suppress what is really going on and the reasons for it, you are left with increasingly unconvincing narratives -- as happened in the USSR. And in the US, where there is still a large segment of the White population that has not trusted the liberal media for decades, mainly because of mainstream conservative media figures like Rush Limbaugh, what is happening before our eyes is radical polarization. The possibility of civil war is discussed -- a possibility mentioned several times on this site . Civil war seems reasonably likely if Trump wins. One can imagine antifa-BLM violence far beyond anything seen thus far breaking out in all major urban areas, and it would inevitably require a major military force to bring it under control. And if he loses, there will deep anger among Trump supporters. Unlike the left, the right has not shown much of an appetite for violence lately, but that could change. We have already seen armed White men standing up against antifa-BLM protesters who were bussed in to their communities. For many such White men, free speech may not be their #1 priority, but having guns is very important and would loom large in the context of a far left government influenced by the likes of Kamala Harris (who has already said she would issue an executive order on gun ownership if Congress fails to act). It seems likely that Biden would be similarly prone to such actions.

Undiscussed by Hedges and Taibbi is the very prominent role of Jews in all this. Throughout the 2016 campaign and beyond there have been intense denunciation s in the Jewish media and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself) comparing Trump to Hitler, promoting impeachment, etc. The apocalyptic response to Trump's election went far beyond the New York Times . And, while acknowledging that a minority of Jews supported Trump and still do, Jewish power in terms of media ownership and production is also a critical aspect. Journalism is like the academic world in that it is a top-down system where the elite media play an outsized role. In academia, Harvard professors train graduate students who get positions at UC-Berkeley, who then get graduate students who staff lower-level state colleges, who then train K-12 teachers. In the media, the New York Times , Jewish-owned for over a century, is the Harvard of the media food chain, and other outlets, from WaPo, the LATimes and NPR to CNN and MSNBC -- all with large Jewish ownership and/or staffing, take the Times' lead. In effect this media behemoth ends up speaking with one voice. And in the internet age, this one voice has been amplified considerably by the dominant social media companies -- again with large Jewish ownership and staffing, and all of which have slanted searches or censored posts that they view as contrary to their liberal-left political agenda. The suppression of the New York Post story by Twitter is Exhibit A. And again, we on the dissident right have been dealing with this for years. It's obvious that another Trump victory would be seen in apocalyptic terms by the liberal-left media.

Also unmentioned is the role of the ADL in pressuring media companies to censor speech they don't like. This has been going on for decades but quite obviously is reaching fruition now. I wrote this in 2002 ( Preface to the paperback edition of Culture of Critique, lvii:

In CofC (Ch. 8) I wrote, 'one may expect that as ethnic conflict continues to escalate in the United States, increasingly desperate attempts will be made to prop up the ideology of multiculturalism with the erection of police state controls on nonconforming thought and behavior.' As noted above, there has been a shift from 'the culture of critique' to what one might term 'the culture of the Holocaust' as Jews have moved from outsiders to the consummate insiders in American life. Coinciding with their status as an established elite, Jewish organizations are now in the forefront of movements to censor thought crimes. ⁴⁰

The Internet is a major gap in control of the major media, but Jewish organizations have taken the lead in attempting to censor the Internet. The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) distributes a compact disc titled ' Digital Hate 2001 ' that lists over 3000 'hate sites on the Internet.' Both the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the ADL have attempted to pressure Internet service providers (ISP's) like AOL and popular websites like Yahoo into restricting subscriber access to disapproved websites. Recently Yahoo removed 39 Internet clubs originally identified as 'hate sites' by the SWC. ⁴¹ Internet auction sites have been subjected to protests for selling Nazi memorabilia. ⁴² Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com have come under fire for selling Hitler's Mein Kampf . The ADL also published a report, Poisoning the Web: Hatred Online , and has urged the U.S. Congress to initiate a 'comprehensive study of the magnitude and impact of hate on the Internet.' ⁴³

Online services in the U.S. are also under pressure from foreign governments, including France, Germany, Austria, and Canada, where there are no constitutional guarantees of free speech. For example, a judge in France ruled that Yahoo was violating French law by delivering Nazi memorabilia to people in France via the company's online auctions, even though the service is based in the United States. Yahoo was acting illegally, the judge said, even though the company has created a separate French site that, unlike the broader Yahoo service, follows French law. The company was ordered to use filtering technology to block politically sensitive material from appearing on computers in France or face fines equivalent to $13,000 a day. In Germany, a court found that German law applies even to foreigners who post content on the Web in other countries -- so long as that content can be accessed by people inside Germany. In this case, the court ruled that an Australian citizen who posted Holocaust revisionist material on his Australian website could be jailed in Germany. Theoretically it would be possible for Germany to demand that this person be extradited from Australia so that he could stand trial for his crime.

Jewish organizations have been strong advocates of laws in European countries that criminalize the distribution of anti-Jewish material. For example, the ADL pressured the German government to arrest a U.S. citizen who distributed anti-Jewish materials. Gary Lauck was arrested in Denmark and extradited to Germany on the warrant of a Hamburg prosecutor. He was sentenced to four years in jail, served his sentence, and was deported.

This sort of government-imposed censorship is effective in countries like France and Germany, but is not likely to succeed in the United States with its strong tradition of constitutionally protected free speech. As a result, the major focus of the Jewish effort to censor the Internet in the United States has been to pressure private companies like AOL and Yahoo to use software that blocks access to sites that are disapproved by Jewish organizations. The ADL developed voluntary filter software ( ADL HateFilter ) that allows users to screen out certain websites. However, while AOL -- the largest ISP by far -- has proved to be compliant in setting standards in line with ADL guidelines, the ADL notes that other ISP's, such as Earthlink, have not cooperated with the ADL, and independent web hosting sites have sprung up to serve websites rejected by AOL.

The ADL and the SWC have an uphill road because the Internet has long been touted as a haven for free speech by the high-tech community. One senses a certain frustration in the conclusion of a recent ADL report on the Internet:

Combating online extremism presents enormous technological and legal difficulties . Even if it were electronically feasible to keep sites off the Internet, the international nature of the medium makes legal regulation virtually impossible. And in the United States, the First Amendment guarantees the right of freedom of speech regardless of what form that speech takes. As a result, governments, corporations and people of goodwill continue to look for alternative ways to address the problem.

Clearly Jewish organizations are making every effort to censor anti-Jewish writing on the Internet. They are far from reaching their goal of removing anti-Jewish material from the Internet, but in the long run the very high political stakes involved ensure that great effort will be expended. I suspect that in the U.S., if pressuring existing ISP's by organizations like the ADL and the SWC fails, these companies may become targets of buyouts by Jewish-owned media companies who will then quietly remove access to anti-Jewish websites. AOL has just recently merged with Time Warner, a Jewish-controlled media company, and it had already merged with Compuserve, a large, nationwide ISP. As indicated above, AOL-Time Warner has complied with pressures exerted by Jewish activist organizations to restrict expressions of political opinion on the Internet.

I suppose that the only option for prohibited websites will be to develop their own Internet service providers. These providers -- perhaps subsidized or relatively expensive -- would then fill the niche of serving people who are already committed to ethnic activism among non-Jewish Europeans and other forms of politically incorrect expression. The situation would be similar to the current situation in the broadcast and print media. All of the mainstream media are effectively censored, but small publications that essentially preach to the converted can exist if not flourish.

But such publications reach a miniscule percentage of the population. They are basically ignored by the mainstream media, and they mainly preach to the choir. The same will likely happen to the Internet: The sites will still be there [Update: or maybe not if the left gets rid of the First Amendment], but they will be out of sight and out of mind for the vast majority of Internet users. The effective censorship of the Internet by large corporations does not violate the First Amendment because the government is not involved and any policy can be justified as a business decision not to offend existing or potential customers.

This was updated and expanded in 2009 , and I note there that free speech was never a value of traditional Jewish communities. This then ties in with the discussion of Hedges and Taibbi on the parallels between the current situation in the U.S (and the rest of the West) with communism which definitely does not support free speech. Until communism in the USSR conflicted with Jewish interests (i.e., after World War II and especially in the 1970s due to Soviet support for Arab countries as well as discrimination against Jews in employment), Jews were quite comfortable with communism and indeed, were the backbone of communism in the United States through the 1960s. For example, Jews were the primary targets of Joe McCarthy simply because so many communists were Jews. (McCarthy did all he could to deflect charges of anti-Semitism by, e.g., hiring Roy Cohn.) The result was that Jewish organizations reluctantly and with substantial pushback ridded the mainstream Jewish community of communist-affiliated organizations.

Enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/KONeb8mRPYI?feature=oembed

---

Verymuchalive , says: November 2, 2020 at 12:19 pm GMT • 1.9 days ago

Another prescient piece from Dr MacDonald. Excellent.
But the question I've always wanted to ask concerns this.

Undiscussed by Hedges and Taibbi is the very prominent role of Jews in all this. Throughout the 2016 campaign and beyond there have been intense denunciation s in the Jewish media and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself) comparing Trump to Hitler, promoting impeachment, etc.

Trump's paternal grandfather and grandmother were German immigrants. Considering the number of"Trump is literally Hitler " attacks by the MSM, why have there been no attempts ( correct me if I'm wrong ) to start digging into the German half of his ancestry? So far, no mention of relatives, no matter how remote, who were gauleiters, SS members, prison camp guards etc. Surely, if you are involved in a reductio ad Hitlerum operation, this would be your logical next step.
Does Trump have a completely "clean bill of health" ? Or is there some other reason ?

Big Daddy , says: November 2, 2020 at 12:38 pm GMT • 1.9 days ago

If Trump wins hit 'em where it hurts. Obviously if Trump is real he cancels ALL government contracts with social media and Big TV that he can and promotes Alt media. Let's see if he is real.

This is in concert with arrest and trial for treason of the Bidens, Fauci, Brennan, various FBI and CIA bums, and others.

Mark Matis , says: November 2, 2020 at 1:04 pm GMT • 1.9 days ago

The tribe yearns for the "good old days" of their Messiahs – Lenin and Stalin – who they helped murder FIFTY MILLION across Russia and Eastern Europe. But those do not count, since they were mostly only Goyim!!!!!!!

What else would anyone expect from that filthy lying sewage?????????????????????

paranoid goy , says: Website November 2, 2020 at 1:27 pm GMT • 1.8 days ago

@Verymuchalive

Trump, pronounced like "Troombp" is apparently a proud old Jewish family, my German connections tell me. I ain't no gaeneologist, don't really care, but I felt your very succinct point deserves at least a guess.

SteveK9 , says: November 2, 2020 at 2:36 pm GMT • 1.8 days ago

Matt and Chris are both on the left side of the political spectrum. They are not lunatics of course. It would be more interesting to hear either one of them talk to someone on the right side of the spectrum, who is also not a lunatic, instead of talking to each other. I notice not once did they mention that this monolith of the tech media, is on the left that was 'left' unsaid. And, I think it is because of the moderate level of bias they have. Have Matt be interviewed by Mike Cernovich or someone like that and I think it would be a lot more interesting, for both sides.

RoatanBill , says: November 2, 2020 at 2:36 pm GMT • 1.8 days ago

@Big Daddy

I believe the test should be to bankrupt the major media networks via trials for treasonous behavior. Every current news network needs to be gotten rid of. Their stock should go to $0 and hurt the people that have been profiting from their one sided reporting.

The social media organizations like Facebook and Twitter are gov't intel operations IMO. They should be destroyed along with the intel agencies that are just fronts for their version of organized crime (drug running, assassinations, weapons trafficking, blackmail, human trafficking, etc).

No , says: November 2, 2020 at 3:22 pm GMT • 1.8 days ago

@Verymuchalive

The Hitler canard is only useful if it remains shrouded in disinformation and fake history. Bringing attention to the historical particulars might lead to an understanding of the Weimar.

Wyatt , says: November 2, 2020 at 5:47 pm GMT • 1.7 days ago

@No

Considering how the antifascists are killing people and destroying livelihoods at a record pace in the name of fighting fascism, it behooves one to ask more about the actual fascists and what they did or did not do.

I imagine there will be many long-noses in both the present and the past.

David Bauer , says: November 2, 2020 at 7:15 pm GMT • 1.6 days ago

Another excellent essay by Professor MacDonald. It strikes me as ironic that Hedges and Taibbi now find themselves in this predicament. My sympathy is limited, not only because both of them (as Prof. Macdonald notes) are unwilling to discuss the role of Jewish power in the accelerating censorship, but also because both are long-time 9/11 truth deniers and both are obviously intelligent enough to know better. Taibbi in particular has for years gone out of his way to demean, insult, and marginalize 9/11 truth advocates, including Dr. David Ray Griffin. I have always suspected that Hedges and Taibbi publicly accepted the official story of 9/11 only in order to retain some mainstream credibility and remain "players" in the public area. If so, it was entirely in vain, as they themselves have now been exiled.

Tom Verso , says: November 2, 2020 at 8:13 pm GMT • 1.6 days ago

DEEP MEDIA

the real power of media to inculcate the masses with an ideology and in turn control the behavior of the masses.

The phase and concept "Deep State" has become rather commonplace in political discussion of late; i.e. a hidden government within the legitimately elected government which holds and executes the real power of government .

What MacDonald alludes to is what might be called "Deep Media".

This is to say: a hidden media power within the establishment media organization, that holds and executes the real power of media to inculcate the masses with an ideology and in turn controls the behavior of the masses.

This DEEP MEDIA is never discussed by analysts of, and commenters about, THE MEDIA.

For example, recently I noted, in the comment section of a media discussion between Steve Sailor and James Kirkpatrick, that they commit the anthropomorphic fallacy (i.e. "attribute human emotions and characteristics to inanimate objects " ).

Specifically, they discuss the inanimate object MEDIA in the THIRD PERSON, as in "THE MEDIA does this and THE MEDIA does that". As though THE MEDIA is an animated independent thinking and acting object.

Similar, Chris Hedges and Matt Taibbi follow suit.

Like Sailor and Kirkpatrick, they talk about THE MEDIA as though it is living thinking independently acting entity . At best the only human beings that they mention are 'clock-punching' reporters or editors doing the job for which that they are hired and paid.

Completely absent from the Taibbi et al "analysis" is any discussion of the mega billionaire owners of THE MEDIA and how they dictate what will be printed and broadcasted.

Taibbi et al never mention the fact:
All that THE MEDIA prints and broadcasts is what servers the IDEOLOGICAL interest of the mega billionaire owners of THE MEDIA.

Emphasis on IDEOLOGICAL !

The richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post with his walk around pocket money. Its annual gross income is to small to show up as a separate entity on his income statements; filed under Miscellaneous.

In short, Bezos et al do not buy THE MEDIA for profits. They buy THE MEDIA for ideological domination.

Accordingly, the very small clique of billionaire owners of the media are
the DEEP MEDIA that ultimate determines what the 'great unwashed', as it were, masses read, hear and see.

Thereby controlling the behavior of the masses having been indoctrinated into the billionaire ideological belief system.

Ideology determines behavior.
Media determines ideology
He who controls the media controls the ideology
He who controls the ideology controls the society.

Thus the most important sociological question one can ask:
Who, what person(s), controls THE MEDIA?

Kevin MacDonald cogently points out:

" media outlets , from WaPo, the LATimes and NPR to CNN and MSNBC -- a ll with large Jewish ownership and/or staffing,"

As a result the media, ergo ideological domination, is largely controlled by Jews.
The thought of criticizing Jews is so profoundly negative in our society that Taibbi et al would, never think of, let alone put into words, any criticism of Jews.

Accordingly, they ramble on anthropomorphically about THE MEDIA. With nary a thought or word about the DEEP MEDIA owners of THE MEDIA.

[Note: Taibbi cohosts a podcast with a lady who I heard refer to her holocaust heritage. The same lady has her own independent podcast. How can he possible make any negative reference to Jewish domination of THE MEDIA.]

conatus , says: November 2, 2020 at 9:10 pm GMT • 1.5 days ago

Jewish 'Political Influence' might also include the large percent of funds they contribute to our political class, who, as a result are very attentive to Jewish political concerns such as Israel or say, defeating an anti immigration Representative for reelection. Two percent of the population but 60% of the funding seems like quite a lot of influence.
Steve Sailer has made the point that Jews buy politicians while wealthy billionaire Goyim buy football and basketball stadiums.
There is a reason that 2% of the country wields such over large influence.

Wikipedia . Israel lobby(from a few years ago)
"In 2006, 60% of the Democratic Party's fundraising and 25% of that for the Republican Party's fundraising came from Jewish-funded Political Action Committees. Democratic presidential candidates depend on Jewish sources for 60% of money from private sources.[49]"Also Mearsheimer and Walt, Israel Lobby, p.163
"Despite their small numbers in the population(less than 3 per cent), American Jews make large campaign donations to candidates from both parties"
footnote 55 "
Indeed the Washington Post once estimated that Democratic presidential candidates"depend on Jewish supporters to supply as much as 60 percent of the money raised from private sources" footnote 56

Maria , says: November 2, 2020 at 11:21 pm GMT • 1.4 days ago

Very interesting discussion.

Matt, you have another angle to pursue. I cannot believe how young you look. You look eternally 30 years old.

Maybe write a book on how you manage to look 30 instead of 50 years old

At least you would be super busy and make money.

Your e-book would go viral. You have an unlimited market.

Richard B , says: November 3, 2020 at 2:34 am GMT • 1.3 days ago

@Tom Verso bia, xenophobia, White Privilege, White Supremacy, etc.

In short, we can ask them, What are you talking about? But, of course, we can't. And why can't we? Because if we did we would expose their intellectual corruption and reduce their entire explanatory system to rubble.

And that's no small thing. Since explanations are used to control behavior. So, without their explanations they'd be naked, two-forked animals lost in a chaos of their own making. That's why the only meas of survival is force, verbal or non-verbal.

We simply have to determine whether or not we are going to continue to allow their explanations to control our behavior. In the end, that's what it all boils down to. Because that's all there is.

Verymuchalive , says: November 2, 2020 at 12:19 pm GMT • 1.9 days ago

Another prescient piece from Dr MacDonald. Excellent.
But the question I've always wanted to ask concerns this.

Undiscussed by Hedges and Taibbi is the very prominent role of Jews in all this. Throughout the 2016 campaign and beyond there have been intense denunciation s in the Jewish media and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself) comparing Trump to Hitler, promoting impeachment, etc.

Trump's paternal grandfather and grandmother were German immigrants. Considering the number of"Trump is literally Hitler " attacks by the MSM, why have there been no attempts ( correct me if I'm wrong ) to start digging into the German half of his ancestry? So far, no mention of relatives, no matter how remote, who were gauleiters, SS members, prison camp guards etc. Surely, if you are involved in a reductio ad Hitlerum operation, this would be your logical next step.
Does Trump have a completely "clean bill of health" ? Or is there some other reason ?

Big Daddy , says: November 2, 2020 at 12:38 pm GMT • 1.9 days ago

If Trump wins hit 'em where it hurts. Obviously if Trump is real he cancels ALL government contracts with social media and Big TV that he can and promotes Alt media. Let's see if he is real.

This is in concert with arrest and trial for treason of the Bidens, Fauci, Brennan, various FBI and CIA bums, and others.

Mark Matis , says: November 2, 2020 at 1:04 pm GMT • 1.9 days ago

The tribe yearns for the "good old days" of their Messiahs – Lenin and Stalin – who they helped murder FIFTY MILLION across Russia and Eastern Europe. But those do not count, since they were mostly only Goyim!!!!!!!

What else would anyone expect from that filthy lying sewage?????????????????????

paranoid goy , says: Website November 2, 2020 at 1:27 pm GMT • 1.8 days ago

@Verymuchalive

Trump, pronounced like "Troombp" is apparently a proud old Jewish family, my German connections tell me. I ain't no gaeneologist, don't really care, but I felt your very succinct point deserves at least a guess.

SteveK9 , says: November 2, 2020 at 2:36 pm GMT • 1.8 days ago

Matt and Chris are both on the left side of the political spectrum. They are not lunatics of course. It would be more interesting to hear either one of them talk to someone on the right side of the spectrum, who is also not a lunatic, instead of talking to each other. I notice not once did they mention that this monolith of the tech media, is on the left that was 'left' unsaid. And, I think it is because of the moderate level of bias they have. Have Matt be interviewed by Mike Cernovich or someone like that and I think it would be a lot more interesting, for both sides.

RoatanBill , says: November 2, 2020 at 2:36 pm GMT • 1.8 days ago

@Big Daddy

I believe the test should be to bankrupt the major media networks via trials for treasonous behavior. Every current news network needs to be gotten rid of. Their stock should go to $0 and hurt the people that have been profiting from their one sided reporting.

The social media organizations like Facebook and Twitter are gov't intel operations IMO. They should be destroyed along with the intel agencies that are just fronts for their version of organized crime (drug running, assassinations, weapons trafficking, blackmail, human trafficking, etc).

No , says: November 2, 2020 at 3:22 pm GMT • 1.8 days ago

@Verymuchalive

The Hitler canard is only useful if it remains shrouded in disinformation and fake history. Bringing attention to the historical particulars might lead to an understanding of the Weimar.

Wyatt , says: November 2, 2020 at 5:47 pm GMT • 1.7 days ago

@No

Considering how the antifascists are killing people and destroying livelihoods at a record pace in the name of fighting fascism, it behooves one to ask more about the actual fascists and what they did or did not do.

I imagine there will be many long-noses in both the present and the past.

David Bauer , says: November 2, 2020 at 7:15 pm GMT • 1.6 days ago

Another excellent essay by Professor MacDonald. It strikes me as ironic that Hedges and Taibbi now find themselves in this predicament. My sympathy is limited, not only because both of them (as Prof. Macdonald notes) are unwilling to discuss the role of Jewish power in the accelerating censorship, but also because both are long-time 9/11 truth deniers and both are obviously intelligent enough to know better. Taibbi in particular has for years gone out of his way to demean, insult, and marginalize 9/11 truth advocates, including Dr. David Ray Griffin. I have always suspected that Hedges and Taibbi publicly accepted the official story of 9/11 only in order to retain some mainstream credibility and remain "players" in the public area. If so, it was entirely in vain, as they themselves have now been exiled.

Tom Verso , says: November 2, 2020 at 8:13 pm GMT • 1.6 days ago

DEEP MEDIA

the real power of media to inculcate the masses with an ideology and in turn control the behavior of the masses.

The phase and concept "Deep State" has become rather commonplace in political discussion of late; i.e. a hidden government within the legitimately elected government which holds and executes the real power of government .

What MacDonald alludes to is what might be called "Deep Media".

This is to say: a hidden media power within the establishment media organization, that holds and executes the real power of media to inculcate the masses with an ideology and in turn controls the behavior of the masses.

This DEEP MEDIA is never discussed by analysts of, and commenters about, THE MEDIA.

For example, recently I noted, in the comment section of a media discussion between Steve Sailor and James Kirkpatrick, that they commit the anthropomorphic fallacy (i.e. "attribute human emotions and characteristics to inanimate objects " ).

Specifically, they discuss the inanimate object MEDIA in the THIRD PERSON, as in "THE MEDIA does this and THE MEDIA does that". As though THE MEDIA is an animated independent thinking and acting object.

Similar, Chris Hedges and Matt Taibbi follow suit.

Like Sailor and Kirkpatrick, they talk about THE MEDIA as though it is living thinking independently acting entity . At best the only human beings that they mention are 'clock-punching' reporters or editors doing the job for which that they are hired and paid.

Completely absent from the Taibbi et al "analysis" is any discussion of the mega billionaire owners of THE MEDIA and how they dictate what will be printed and broadcasted.

Taibbi et al never mention the fact:
All that THE MEDIA prints and broadcasts is what servers the IDEOLOGICAL interest of the mega billionaire owners of THE MEDIA.

Emphasis on IDEOLOGICAL !

The richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post with his walk around pocket money. Its annual gross income is to small to show up as a separate entity on his income statements; filed under Miscellaneous.

In short, Bezos et al do not buy THE MEDIA for profits. They buy THE MEDIA for ideological domination.

Accordingly, the very small clique of billionaire owners of the media are
the DEEP MEDIA that ultimate determines what the 'great unwashed', as it were, masses read, hear and see.

Thereby controlling the behavior of the masses having been indoctrinated into the billionaire ideological belief system.

Ideology determines behavior.
Media determines ideology
He who controls the media controls the ideology
He who controls the ideology controls the society.

Thus the most important sociological question one can ask:
Who, what person(s), controls THE MEDIA?

Kevin MacDonald cogently points out:

" media outlets , from WaPo, the LATimes and NPR to CNN and MSNBC -- a ll with large Jewish ownership and/or staffing,"

As a result the media, ergo ideological domination, is largely controlled by Jews.
The thought of criticizing Jews is so profoundly negative in our society that Taibbi et al would, never think of, let alone put into words, any criticism of Jews.

Accordingly, they ramble on anthropomorphically about THE MEDIA. With nary a thought or word about the DEEP MEDIA owners of THE MEDIA.

[Note: Taibbi cohosts a podcast with a lady who I heard refer to her holocaust heritage. The same lady has her own independent podcast. How can he possible make any negative reference to Jewish domination of THE MEDIA.]

conatus , says: November 2, 2020 at 9:10 pm GMT • 1.5 days ago

Jewish 'Political Influence' might also include the large percent of funds they contribute to our political class, who, as a result are very attentive to Jewish political concerns such as Israel or say, defeating an anti immigration Representative for reelection. Two percent of the population but 60% of the funding seems like quite a lot of influence.
Steve Sailer has made the point that Jews buy politicians while wealthy billionaire Goyim buy football and basketball stadiums.
There is a reason that 2% of the country wields such over large influence.

Wikipedia . Israel lobby(from a few years ago)
"In 2006, 60% of the Democratic Party's fundraising and 25% of that for the Republican Party's fundraising came from Jewish-funded Political Action Committees. Democratic presidential candidates depend on Jewish sources for 60% of money from private sources.[49]"Also Mearsheimer and Walt, Israel Lobby, p.163
"Despite their small numbers in the population(less than 3 per cent), American Jews make large campaign donations to candidates from both parties"
footnote 55 "
Indeed the Washington Post once estimated that Democratic presidential candidates"depend on Jewish supporters to supply as much as 60 percent of the money raised from private sources" footnote 56

Maria , says: November 2, 2020 at 11:21 pm GMT • 1.4 days ago

Very interesting discussion.

Matt, you have another angle to pursue. I cannot believe how young you look. You look eternally 30 years old.

Maybe write a book on how you manage to look 30 instead of 50 years old

At least you would be super busy and make money.

Your e-book would go viral. You have an unlimited market.

Richard B , says: November 3, 2020 at 2:34 am GMT • 1.3 days ago

@Tom Verso bia, xenophobia, White Privilege, White Supremacy, etc.

In short, we can ask them, What are you talking about? But, of course, we can't. And why can't we? Because if we did we would expose their intellectual corruption and reduce their entire explanatory system to rubble.

And that's no small thing. Since explanations are used to control behavior. So, without their explanations they'd be naked, two-forked animals lost in a chaos of their own making. That's why the only meas of survival is force, verbal or non-verbal.

We simply have to determine whether or not we are going to continue to allow their explanations to control our behavior. In the end, that's what it all boils down to. Because that's all there is.

Priss Factor , says: Website November 3, 2020 at 5:06 am GMT • 1.2 days ago

No mention of Jewish monopoly of media and platforms.

Anonymous [115] Disclaimer , says: November 3, 2020 at 7:04 am GMT • 1.1 days ago

Chris Hedges is a leftist moron at heart and always misses the big points in every beef he has with the U.S.

Verymuchalive , says: November 3, 2020 at 9:48 am GMT • 23.9 hours ago

@David Bauer

I'm in total agreement with you on this one. Left-leaning commentators are now finding out what's been happening to conservative and right-wing commentators for decades. Jared Taylor and his AR website do not mention Jewish power: they're still exiled from main street.
Pretending not to "notice" this and other issues will not save you from cancellation.

Tom Verso , says: November 3, 2020 at 11:06 am GMT • 22.6 hours ago

@Richard B r a thoughtful response.

I disagree with what you say.
But, it's the type of healthy mental disagreements that use to go on in my philosophy courses.

The essence of my disagreement is just what you say:

"We simply have to determine whether or not we are going to continue to allow their explanations to control our behavior. "

Explanations are IDEAS; ergo ideas (ideology) control our behavior .

My philosophical position:
Ideas (ideology) govern social/political behavior : religions ideas, economic ideas, ethnic ideas, etc.

But, I'm sure Socrates would have something to say about that.

No , says: November 3, 2020 at 4:28 pm GMT • 17.2 hours ago

Chris Hedges is an open socialist and open zionest. Just check his other YT videos if you doubt. I can't watch even listen to the sound of his voice after having heard some of the things he has said in the past. Very off-putting.

Richard B , says: November 3, 2020 at 7:14 pm GMT • 14.4 hours ago

@Tom Verso etail than might be appropriate here. So, let's just say for now that the two words serve different semantic functions.

Also, to say "ideas (ideology) control our behavior" is to repeat the same fallacy of misplaced correctnes as the previous comment. To hypostatize is to place the word in the realm of the fictitious. But, to regard it as a direction-giving word puts the focus where it belongs, ie; our response to the word.

Ideas (ideology) govern social/political behavior: religions ideas, economic ideas, ethnic ideas, etc.

I agree that they are used to govern behavior. But it's humans who use those words to do the governing. Not the words.

Thanks again for your response.