One sentence in Timothy Snyder's can't miss essay in Friday's NY Times (The War on History...) still resonates with me.
"Democracy requires individual responsibility, which is impossible without critical history. It thrives in a spirit of self-awareness and self-correction. Authoritarianism, on the other hand, is infantilizing: We should not have to feel any negative emotions; difficult subjects should be kept from us."
Somewhere after producing insightful legal writing for Salon and co-founding the Intercept, Glenn Greenwald apparently lost his mind. Greenwald cannot distinguish Edward Snowden's righteous indignation from Julian Assange's spiteful, self-aggrandizing operation of WikiLeaks. For Greenwald to mock reporters who were caught up in the Trump mob, and say they haven't experienced the "real" hazard of working in a dictatorship or a revolution is astounding. And now he is milking the rightwing media cash cow by professing his disdain for Democrats. Oh, Glenn...you used to be smart, but now you're just a whore.
This gaslighting is right out of the authoritarian playbook and if the media doesn't wise up and report truth over headline grabbing fluff, they will aid and abet the inevitable path to fascism. If you ever wondered but didn't research how the people of Germany allowed a ruthless dictator to rise to power, this is how. You are seeing it in real time. You see the insurrection with your own eyes yet they say you didn't. Sadly almost half of the people in this country are okay with others thinking for them. This is not how a democracy thrives.
Some press people were at the Capitol on 1/6 and experienced the reality and terror of that day and have written/talked about what they witnessed and felt. The amazing and comprehensive NYT video would normally put the nail in the coffin to the lies being told. And a bipartisan commission would NORMALLY want to get at the truth for the sake of the country (I’m hoping the Times video is used at the 1/6 commission hearings). But the Rs, Fox et.al. have sold their souls to the devil and will never be able to see nor admit the truth. None so blind as those who will not see. The Rs are the deplorables Hillary so aptly named. Horrifying. Eric’s outrage is palpable in this piece. I echo that outrage.
How anyone can look at the video[s] of 01/06/21 and still call this a "peaceful protest" and not what it actually is-- a violent insurrection-- just shows how powerful delusion and unregulated TV news is.
The gaslighting and lies are so obvious -- that to a casual observer it seems there would be nothing the pundits and purveyors of the "big lie" could say that wouldn't make them sound like idiots and liars -- but that is not the case, sadly.
We will have to make sure that these lying Republicans (as many as possible) who will not commit to the truth are removed by another secure election in 2022. VOTE BLUE!
We must have another very high voter turnout (& an even bigger blue tsunami) or we will lose our government to the fascists and the (nearly completed) oligarchy-run dictatorship that Trump and the radical right extremists aspire to.
Headline; "Trump Says....." ( insert lie), has been a given for as long as the press has covered his antics. "Pro" wrestling is popular too and just as fake. There's money it this stuff. But yes, we must keep calling out the lies, and particularly the liars. Jan. 6 began with a list of liars under a tent in the Elipse that includes US Reps Brooks, Cawthorn, the Texas AG, Rudy, some lawyers, the spoiled and whining trumpkins and their girlfriends, and climaxed with One Hundred Forty Seven House toadies voting to decertify the results of the election. Meanwhile there was that attempted coup that the Loser whipped up but chickened out after saying he'd lead the way. Those facts are real. Fox, the limbaugh imitators and the right wing haters are complicit in the lies, and trying to change the minds of the lemmings who worship there is a waste of time. The rest of the legit media better step up, and soon. We can't allow history to be re-written, and then taught in schools to the next generation.
The same people that declared that BLM protests were actually riots and show pictures of vandals and agents provocateur causing mayhem and make mocking memes of "mostly peaceful protests", are now actively declaring that January 6 was a peaceful protest and not a riot? Color me shocked!
They set up a gallows to hang Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi. THIS is the point that needs to be emphasized by the press every single time one of these ass hats tries to downplay the insurrection. No debate. No both sides. No excuses or explanations. No attempt whatsoever to give them a platform to gaslight us. Just this one sentence in rebuttal:
THEY SET UP A GALLOWS TO HANG MIKE PENCE AND NANCY PELOSI.
I’m reminded of the old saying, “just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t watching you.” So I’m going to indulge in a bit of paranoia—is anyone else worried about August 13th?
The Republican Party and the right wing media complex have abandoned any connection with reality where it conflicts with their agenda - and their agenda is to seize and hold power until it's pried from their cold, dead hands. (Their anti-vax stand is making that easier at least.) Facts, the law, reason, science - those are all disposable on the Right these days. They're not just post-policy, they've gone post-reality.
The function of the right wing and their media is not to inform their audience - it's to indoctrinate them with the latest 'outrage' and the talking points to go with it. As with other cults and authoritarian movements, it's all about reinforcing shared delusions and permissible 'facts' while proclaiming the enemies of the day.
The July 11, 2021 comic strip Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller features Obvious Man holding fourth from the Book of Revelations for the Clueless:
"Just because it's a bird doesn't mean it can fly.
A river flowing north doesn't mean the water is going uphill.
You are not going to live forever.
Just because an insurrection didn't succeed doesn't mean it wasn't an insurrection.
...And it wasn't a sight-seeing tour, Senator." [who replies} "To-MAY-to, To-MAH-to."
Yes, you got it right (responding to your Twitter comment on Greenwald). I don't know if you have read Julia Ioffe's latest newsletter (Tomorrow Will Be Worse) but she has it spot on about the DC press corps. I see the byline Matt Viser (WaPo) and I don't even click...boring boring boring.
That there is no "Fairness Doctrine” is proof (as if any more were needed), that the US is a savage country, sickening to death as we watch, and hold our noses. The vile mess that the US is in didn't need Donald Trump to make it the mess it is: all the governments that allowed there to be no Fairness Doctrine (as there is in every civilized country), set this horrifying mess in motion.
"The fairness doctrine of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), introduced in 1949, was a policy that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was honest, equitable, and balanced. The FCC eliminated the policy in 1987 and removed the rule that implemented the policy from the Federal Register in August 2011."
"The fairness doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows, or editorials. The doctrine did not require equal time for opposing views but required that contrasting viewpoints be presented. The demise of this FCC rule has been considered by some to be a contributing factor for the rising level of party polarization in the United States."
"The National NewsMedia Council is a voluntary, self-regulatory ethics body for the news media industry in CANADA. It was established in 2015 with two main aims: to serve as a forum for complaints against its members and to promote ethical practices within the news media industry." (It works. I used it.)
Even in INDIA "media bias or misleading information is restricted under certain constitutional amendments as described by the country's constitution."
In terms of Glen Greenwald, and I have extensive links I could of other anecdotal history, but something that I think is always 'most' important to remember about him, and this is all COMPLETELY true, and I have no idea 'why' it has always/never followed him or somehow just 'fell off' the face of the earth when it comes to him. He 'reinvented himself' in/after 2005 with the Snowden documentary, and suddenly everyone forgot how to 'google' about someone before then. I take Glen's history VERY personally, because his history is tied to my community, and he tormented us, GLEEFULY, and I mean that word specifically and accurately. Glen Doesn't just 'believe in free speech,' or find himself in proximity to white nationalists, he is white nationalist aligned. Anyone who doesn't know the history of his multi-year long defense of the LITERAL mass murdering Neo-nazi Matthew Hale, in my community, knows nothing about 'who' Glen is. Glen (back to the 'gleeful') tormented the murder victims families, and he took joy in it, he thought it was funny, he got a 'kick out of it.' Put a pin in the fact that he is so twisted he actually mentions this case (casually) on his wikipedia page in broad strokes. Again, this is all true (but Glen's version is different of course). Glen illegally recorded victims families (Illinois is a two party consent state)...wait there's more. Glen went on to pass jailhouse notes! For ACTUAL nazis!!! and got caught! The Bar association was going to "Relieve him of his license," (that is my kind word choice), Glen said "He got bored with lawyering and decided to stop." What did Glen end up doing before they could take his license? ......Hello Brazil! There IS more! Glen and Tucker,and that white nationalist 'alignment' of Glen's I mentioned. It was always laughable when people would think Glen was going to 'confront Tucker or were surprised he went on his show often, he is right at home there. If anyone did an 'advanced search' of how many times Tucker has targeted "Evanston, IL" bizarrely, for issues related to race each time, attacking school boards, doxing members, beaches and confederate flags, there's more, those two are just the last 6 months off the top of my head while I type. Want to know what else happened in Evanston, IL? the Nazi Matthew Hale went on a murder spree and Glen defended him and harrassed families for years....then he pops up on Tucker with opinions or tweets about it.....it is a deeply twisted transactional, sadistic relationship. Never forget who this guy REALLY is.
One sentence in Timothy Snyder's can't miss essay in Friday's NY Times (The War on History...) still resonates with me.
"Democracy requires individual responsibility, which is impossible without critical history. It thrives in a spirit of self-awareness and self-correction. Authoritarianism, on the other hand, is infantilizing: We should not have to feel any negative emotions; difficult subjects should be kept from us."
True that.
Somewhere after producing insightful legal writing for Salon and co-founding the Intercept, Glenn Greenwald apparently lost his mind. Greenwald cannot distinguish Edward Snowden's righteous indignation from Julian Assange's spiteful, self-aggrandizing operation of WikiLeaks. For Greenwald to mock reporters who were caught up in the Trump mob, and say they haven't experienced the "real" hazard of working in a dictatorship or a revolution is astounding. And now he is milking the rightwing media cash cow by professing his disdain for Democrats. Oh, Glenn...you used to be smart, but now you're just a whore.
This gaslighting is right out of the authoritarian playbook and if the media doesn't wise up and report truth over headline grabbing fluff, they will aid and abet the inevitable path to fascism. If you ever wondered but didn't research how the people of Germany allowed a ruthless dictator to rise to power, this is how. You are seeing it in real time. You see the insurrection with your own eyes yet they say you didn't. Sadly almost half of the people in this country are okay with others thinking for them. This is not how a democracy thrives.
Some press people were at the Capitol on 1/6 and experienced the reality and terror of that day and have written/talked about what they witnessed and felt. The amazing and comprehensive NYT video would normally put the nail in the coffin to the lies being told. And a bipartisan commission would NORMALLY want to get at the truth for the sake of the country (I’m hoping the Times video is used at the 1/6 commission hearings). But the Rs, Fox et.al. have sold their souls to the devil and will never be able to see nor admit the truth. None so blind as those who will not see. The Rs are the deplorables Hillary so aptly named. Horrifying. Eric’s outrage is palpable in this piece. I echo that outrage.
The new Republican Kool Aid:
±Covid vaccinations ARE bad
±the Insurrection did NOT happen
±the election Was stolen
...and “The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.”
The world of 1984 is here.
How anyone can look at the video[s] of 01/06/21 and still call this a "peaceful protest" and not what it actually is-- a violent insurrection-- just shows how powerful delusion and unregulated TV news is.
The gaslighting and lies are so obvious -- that to a casual observer it seems there would be nothing the pundits and purveyors of the "big lie" could say that wouldn't make them sound like idiots and liars -- but that is not the case, sadly.
We will have to make sure that these lying Republicans (as many as possible) who will not commit to the truth are removed by another secure election in 2022. VOTE BLUE!
We must have another very high voter turnout (& an even bigger blue tsunami) or we will lose our government to the fascists and the (nearly completed) oligarchy-run dictatorship that Trump and the radical right extremists aspire to.
The question is how successful RW Media will be in whitewashing the riot. It was on Live TV. Film still exists & is still shown.
The 1/6 Committee will hold hearings. Again heavily covered.
Convincing Trumpistas is not the issue. They’ll believe literally anything. How far will the “establishment media” go along?
I'm frightened.
Headline; "Trump Says....." ( insert lie), has been a given for as long as the press has covered his antics. "Pro" wrestling is popular too and just as fake. There's money it this stuff. But yes, we must keep calling out the lies, and particularly the liars. Jan. 6 began with a list of liars under a tent in the Elipse that includes US Reps Brooks, Cawthorn, the Texas AG, Rudy, some lawyers, the spoiled and whining trumpkins and their girlfriends, and climaxed with One Hundred Forty Seven House toadies voting to decertify the results of the election. Meanwhile there was that attempted coup that the Loser whipped up but chickened out after saying he'd lead the way. Those facts are real. Fox, the limbaugh imitators and the right wing haters are complicit in the lies, and trying to change the minds of the lemmings who worship there is a waste of time. The rest of the legit media better step up, and soon. We can't allow history to be re-written, and then taught in schools to the next generation.
The same people that declared that BLM protests were actually riots and show pictures of vandals and agents provocateur causing mayhem and make mocking memes of "mostly peaceful protests", are now actively declaring that January 6 was a peaceful protest and not a riot? Color me shocked!
They set up a gallows to hang Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi. THIS is the point that needs to be emphasized by the press every single time one of these ass hats tries to downplay the insurrection. No debate. No both sides. No excuses or explanations. No attempt whatsoever to give them a platform to gaslight us. Just this one sentence in rebuttal:
THEY SET UP A GALLOWS TO HANG MIKE PENCE AND NANCY PELOSI.
I’m reminded of the old saying, “just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t watching you.” So I’m going to indulge in a bit of paranoia—is anyone else worried about August 13th?
The Republican Party and the right wing media complex have abandoned any connection with reality where it conflicts with their agenda - and their agenda is to seize and hold power until it's pried from their cold, dead hands. (Their anti-vax stand is making that easier at least.) Facts, the law, reason, science - those are all disposable on the Right these days. They're not just post-policy, they've gone post-reality.
The function of the right wing and their media is not to inform their audience - it's to indoctrinate them with the latest 'outrage' and the talking points to go with it. As with other cults and authoritarian movements, it's all about reinforcing shared delusions and permissible 'facts' while proclaiming the enemies of the day.
The July 11, 2021 comic strip Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller features Obvious Man holding fourth from the Book of Revelations for the Clueless:
"Just because it's a bird doesn't mean it can fly.
A river flowing north doesn't mean the water is going uphill.
You are not going to live forever.
Just because an insurrection didn't succeed doesn't mean it wasn't an insurrection.
...And it wasn't a sight-seeing tour, Senator." [who replies} "To-MAY-to, To-MAH-to."
https://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2021/07/11
Yes, you got it right (responding to your Twitter comment on Greenwald). I don't know if you have read Julia Ioffe's latest newsletter (Tomorrow Will Be Worse) but she has it spot on about the DC press corps. I see the byline Matt Viser (WaPo) and I don't even click...boring boring boring.
That there is no "Fairness Doctrine” is proof (as if any more were needed), that the US is a savage country, sickening to death as we watch, and hold our noses. The vile mess that the US is in didn't need Donald Trump to make it the mess it is: all the governments that allowed there to be no Fairness Doctrine (as there is in every civilized country), set this horrifying mess in motion.
"The fairness doctrine of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), introduced in 1949, was a policy that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was honest, equitable, and balanced. The FCC eliminated the policy in 1987 and removed the rule that implemented the policy from the Federal Register in August 2011."
"The fairness doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows, or editorials. The doctrine did not require equal time for opposing views but required that contrasting viewpoints be presented. The demise of this FCC rule has been considered by some to be a contributing factor for the rising level of party polarization in the United States."
"The National NewsMedia Council is a voluntary, self-regulatory ethics body for the news media industry in CANADA. It was established in 2015 with two main aims: to serve as a forum for complaints against its members and to promote ethical practices within the news media industry." (It works. I used it.)
Even in INDIA "media bias or misleading information is restricted under certain constitutional amendments as described by the country's constitution."
In terms of Glen Greenwald, and I have extensive links I could of other anecdotal history, but something that I think is always 'most' important to remember about him, and this is all COMPLETELY true, and I have no idea 'why' it has always/never followed him or somehow just 'fell off' the face of the earth when it comes to him. He 'reinvented himself' in/after 2005 with the Snowden documentary, and suddenly everyone forgot how to 'google' about someone before then. I take Glen's history VERY personally, because his history is tied to my community, and he tormented us, GLEEFULY, and I mean that word specifically and accurately. Glen Doesn't just 'believe in free speech,' or find himself in proximity to white nationalists, he is white nationalist aligned. Anyone who doesn't know the history of his multi-year long defense of the LITERAL mass murdering Neo-nazi Matthew Hale, in my community, knows nothing about 'who' Glen is. Glen (back to the 'gleeful') tormented the murder victims families, and he took joy in it, he thought it was funny, he got a 'kick out of it.' Put a pin in the fact that he is so twisted he actually mentions this case (casually) on his wikipedia page in broad strokes. Again, this is all true (but Glen's version is different of course). Glen illegally recorded victims families (Illinois is a two party consent state)...wait there's more. Glen went on to pass jailhouse notes! For ACTUAL nazis!!! and got caught! The Bar association was going to "Relieve him of his license," (that is my kind word choice), Glen said "He got bored with lawyering and decided to stop." What did Glen end up doing before they could take his license? ......Hello Brazil! There IS more! Glen and Tucker,and that white nationalist 'alignment' of Glen's I mentioned. It was always laughable when people would think Glen was going to 'confront Tucker or were surprised he went on his show often, he is right at home there. If anyone did an 'advanced search' of how many times Tucker has targeted "Evanston, IL" bizarrely, for issues related to race each time, attacking school boards, doxing members, beaches and confederate flags, there's more, those two are just the last 6 months off the top of my head while I type. Want to know what else happened in Evanston, IL? the Nazi Matthew Hale went on a murder spree and Glen defended him and harrassed families for years....then he pops up on Tucker with opinions or tweets about it.....it is a deeply twisted transactional, sadistic relationship. Never forget who this guy REALLY is.