Tag: Media

Daily Check-In 11/05/2018

Monday, November 5th, and the weekend.

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

 

RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM

 

KHASHOGGI & SAUDI ARABIA

 

COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS

 

SCOTUS & #METOO

 

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET

 

TRAITOR TOTS

 

FIGHTING BACK

One justification the press should use in covering what Trump does and says a lot less is that he doesn’t actually spend much time Presidenting.

Why cover a crazy old man’s Fox-watching habit? Would you do it if he were your senile dad?

But if you’re going to cover Mr. Trump’s carnival barkering, it should be clearly labeled as such: “While Trump was neglecting Puerto Rico after Maria, he spent 3 hours on Twitter creating this faux scandal and watched 4 straight hours of Fox and Friends”

Then talk about what the people who are doing the job of the President are doing. “While Mr. Trump watched his third hour of Fox, John Bolton was dismantling the global legal order based on his own authority, and Stephen Miller was kidnapping brown children.”

Enough indictments to field a football team?  According to my running list on The Indicted, there 42 people and companies that have been indicted so far.  5 of them have not been indicted by Mueller’s team, and 3 of them are companies.  Even still, that gives us 34 people that have been charged with crimes by the Special Counselor’s Office.  That’s more than an average High School Varsity Football team in a decent sized school district.  Considering that 11 players are on the field at a time, we could realistically meet that statement with 17 or 18 indictments.  But 34-42 puts us in a small college team, almost at an NFL sized active roster.  An NFL team dresses 46 players for a game, with 7 more listed at inactive.  We’re only 4 indictments away from determining who’s riding the pine.  That means sitting on the bench.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

COLD WAR 2.0

 

#NEVERAGAIN

 

FIXING THE INTERNET

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

 

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

 

ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE

 

ELECTION 2018

 

IN OTHER NEWS…

 

RUMOR MILL

 

That’s it for the last few days.  And tomorrow’s the big day.  Whatever happens, it’ll resonate for a long time.  Either we’ll see the most corrupt politician in American history get a free pass from his party to trash this country, or the people send a message that this is a nation of laws.

Right now, it feels like things are paused as everyone holds their breath, waiting to see what happens.  There are lots of rumors from both sides that things will get crazy starting Wednesday, but I’m not so certain about that.

Here’s why.  The House and Senate aren’t in session every day until next year, working weekends and burning the candle at both ends.  They’re scheduled for 19 more working days this session.  19.  They work 4 days next week, the last week of November, and the first two weeks of December.  A lot of that time is going to be spent organizing for the next session, selecting the new leadership bodies, and passing some last minute resolutions and appointments.  This type of session is called a Lame Duck Session.  Traditionally, nothing gets done.  Imagine the mentality of a workplace where 1/3rd of the staff has either put in their notice or will be fired at the end of the month.  Now, combine that don’t-give-a-fuck attitude with the replacements coming in, acting like they’ll make a difference, and you’ve got nothing getting done.

This is why I’m hesitant to buy in to the rumors surrounding Jeff Sessions or Rod Rosenstein getting fired or resigning.  If one or both of them get fired, who’s going to replace them?  Even if they were fired on Wednesday and a replacement nominated the same day, there is no guarantee that the Senate would be able to clear their calendar to make room for this appointment.  Unless the Republicans hold on to the Senate, firing is a dangerous option as there’s once again no guarantee that they’d be able to get anything other than a known quantity through the Senate in a hurry.

As far as Mueller dropping some bombshells this week, that once again depends on timing and the election results.  I’ve never gotten the sense that partisan politics plays into this, but if Mueller releases dangerous information against Trump and Pence that implicates them directly in crimes against the United States, I can see the craziest scenario taking place where, in an effort to keep the White House under Republican control until 2020, they fast track an Impeachment against Trump and Pence, get Pence to resign, vote in the Senate to remove Trump from office, and following the chain of succession, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan gets sworn in as President to finish out the term.  The odd of that happening are pretty damn low.  More likely would be Pence resigns, Trump appoints a safe choice as VP like Marco Rubio or John Kasich, then gets voted out in the next session.  Still highly unlikely, but I like to spitball these things.

Things will get crazy later this week.  Wednesday morning will be spent doing a Postmortem by one party and a celebration by the other.  But we’ve got at least a day before that happens.

Go out and Vote.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

 

 

Daily Check-In 11/02/2018

Friday, November 2, 2018

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

 

COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS

 

RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM

 

KHASHOGGI & SAUDI ARABIA

 

SCOTUS 

 

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET

 

TRAITOR TOTS

 

FIGHTING BACK

It is not written in stone that the United States of America must always exist. It is not guaranteed that the country that goes by that name will always be a democracy. You cannot assume the greatness or strength or stature we have grown accustomed to will always endure.

Throughout our history we have been reminded of the fragility of the American idea and of the country it inspired. We got off to a fitful start with an ill-conceived system. We have seen civil war and foreign despots committed to wiping us off the map.

We have been compromised to the point of negating the good that has gone into our heritage by slavery, genocide, corruption, suppression of the basic rights of women, racism and greed that has literally divided the country into one in which the 99% largely work to enrich the 1%.

At each of those junctures, we have reached deep into the character of the nation and found the fortitude and judgment to correct our course or repulse our enemies. But that should not provide too much comfort. We only have to fail to do so once for the entire experiment to end.

We are at another such juncture where the risk to the idea of America so many of us grew up with is so great that we can see if vanishing before our eyes. I’m not talking about some impossible idea of some flawless nation.

Realistic Americans understand that there are always flaws that must be attended to, that our greatness is not rooted in perfection but in our ability to work, to struggle to perfect ourselves, to correct our errors, to get better. That’s what great countries do.

Their greatness is both in their resilience and in their willingness to reassess and to struggle to get ever greater. But now, we find ourselves at a moment when there are those in high positions of power who would defeat our best impulses and serve ideas that will destroy us.

Donald Trump, as evidenced by his appalling behavior in the final weeks of this campaign, his lies, his fear-mongering, his racism, his narcissism, his defense of murderous foreign despots, his minimizing of acts of domestic terror, his doubling down on his own worst acts…

has presented himself with each passing day as not just a failing president or a profoundly damaged person, but as a threat to the very idea of the country he was elected by a minority to run. He was compromised from the start. Not just by his ties to foreign enemies…

…but by his record as a con-artist and a champion of bad ideas. But he was empowered and joined in his endeavor by a Republican Party that accepted his defects as their own, that would do literally anything to achieve a narrow agenda benefiting a few special interests.

There was not one square inch of the foundations of this country that they would not rent out or sell off or tear apart if it might serve the richest Americans or big companies or the NRA or a handful of evangelicals and their misogynistic agenda.

And so we come to one of those turning points as we did during the civil war or the World Wars or the McCarthy era or the era of Jim Crow or the Cold War when we are being tested. What is at stake is not just how we are perceived as a country, or who we are…

…but whether America as we know it can continue to exist. Don’t take everything you have grown used to for granted. Don’t take democracy in this country for granted. Don’t take progress for granted. Don’t assume our institutions will work to serve us.

All of that is open to question because of this depraved and dangerous president and the craven cabal around him. Who can save us? Only we can. How? Only at the voting booth. The time has come to make a stand against these bastards, this enemy army within.

Vote next Tuesday. Make sure your friends vote. Make sure your family votes. Help the elderly to vote. Canvas your neighbors. Drive people to the polls. This is the greatest test America has faced since the end of the Cold War.

Vote. Vote. Vote like the very idea of America depended upon it.

 

 

 

IMMIGRATION

 

COLD WAR 2.0

 

#NEVERAGAIN

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

 

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

 

PRIESTS & RELIGION

 

ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE

 

ELECTION 2018

Early voting numbers compared to 4 years ago.

IMG_7682

Early turnout is much higher than previous years.  But how did the turnouts look in those states in 2014?  Let’s find out.

According to this site by Elections Project, here’s the voter turnout for 2014.  All but Texas are the total number of ballots submitted.  Texas didn’t have that number available, so I had to use the number of ballots cast for the highest office in the state.

  • Arizona – 1,537,671
  • Florida – 6,026,802
  • Georgia – 2,596,947
  • Indiana – 1,387,622
  • Montana – 373,831
  • Nevada – 552,546
  • Tennessee – 1,430,117
  • Texas – 4,727,208

Wow.  So far, more people have voted early this year in Texas this year than in all of 2014.  Nevada and Tennessee have almost surpassed those numbers.  Arizona is over 80 percent of the way there.  The only state listed from that list that hasn’t eclipsed the halfway point of the 2014 total turnout is Indiana, and they’ve tripled their early turnout from 4 years ago.

I don’t like to make predictions on results or turnout, but this is promising.

 

IN OTHER NEWS…

You know something that pisses me off…

The same mother fuckers that scream “fuck your feelings” or call me a snowflake for asking them to not be racist, sexist shitheads freak the fuck out because there isn’t enough of their religion on a coffee cup.  They’ll lose their shit because how dare they have to acknowledge that people with other beliefs exist.

To the people who don’t think there’s enough Jesus on their coffee cups, I’d like to sincerely wish them “Happy Holidays.”

 

RUMOR MILL

*Dispatches from Operation Faithful Patriot* [Day 1] “Dearest mother, I have arrived at the border. Solitude and dirt surround us. The men are in high spirits. We have been told our deployment will be short. I dug a trench today. I saw a lizard. Will write again soon.”

[Day 9] “Dearest mother, It’s been over a week. We haven’t seen a single migrant. We set up C-wire. I dug a second trench behind the first trench in case we get overrun. It’s lonely here. My battle buddy keeping singing ‘All my exes live in Texas’ over and over. I miss home.”

[Day 16] “Dearest mother, I think it’s been two weeks. It’s hard to tell. Time has no meaning here on the border. I’ve dug three more trenches. I’ve started pooping in the first one bc I forgot where the porta John is. I killed a gopher. My first kill. Felt good. Send smokes.”

[Day 31] “Dearest mother, Haven’t seen the caravan yet. We expect it any day now. The officers say they’re almost upon us. I’ve dug 14 trenches. The first three have poop in them. The fourth one is filled with Burger King wrappers. I hope this ends soon. The men are restless.”

[Day 50] “Mom, I can’t take this much longer. We’ve dug so many trenches they’ve come up to the Wal-Mart parking lot. I’m sorry I missed Thanksgiving, but you know how important this mission is. Can you buy me new pants? I’ve gained 20 pounds from eating so much BK.”

[Day 63] “Ma, We had our first deserter a few days ago. Doug ran off last week. We found him in the garden section of Wal-Mart the next day. He was eating the perennial bulbs. I won’t lie to you, morale is low. On the bright side, we filled in 5 trenches and re-dug them.”

[Day 89] “Mommy, I wanna come home. It’s hell out here. The Wi-Fi shut off. The Burger King ran out of chicken fries and I can no longer fit in my uniform. I’m wearing a bathrobe I bought at the Bed Bath & Beyond down the street. I don’t know why we’re here anymore.”

[Day 125] “Mem, I kant due this no mor. I stare @ dirt all day wating fur a dangerus cavaran to appoch. My e tool broke and I kant dig mor trenchs. I pooped in my helmet today. Are they saying we’ll be comin home soon? Nobode tells me anething. I hate Texes.”

[Day 199] “…poop. poop. poopie. doop. doop. doopie. i ate a cactus.”

[Day 365] “🦐🥔🎳🖼🔬“

 

 

That’s it for today.  Yes, I said today.  I finally got an article posted on the day it’s supposed to be due.

This weekend I’m writing an article about voting, and saying how I think people should vote.  I’ve never been comfortable with telling people what to think, but with how to think.  Those are two vastly different ideas.

Telling someone what to think is not the same as telling them or teaching them HOW to think.  Telling someone what to think takes away their ability to make decisions in the future.  Sure, it’s easy to let someone else make the decisions, but that’s a violation of the basic tenets of critical thinking and logic.  It’s also how we ended up in this mess in the first place.

Teaching someone how to think is far more important.  Giving a person the tools and abilities to spot bullshit, to avoid bullshit, and to fight against bullshit has a far greater payoff.  That’s part of what I do here.  I’d like to think that I’m not telling people what to think, but giving them the information and tools to reach their own conclusions.  I don’t make a claim unless I have evidence to back it up, and even those claims I hedge.

Yes, even when I call Trump a traitor to the United States, I’m pulling my punches, and only making claims that I can back up with evidence.

But this piece this weekend will be a little different.  I’m due for something a little different.  And a glass or 3 of wine.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Daily Check-In 11/01/2018

Thursday, November 1, 2018

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

Hindsight is 20/20 – Let’s “Keep it in the Family”/THREAD THEY KNEW – EXACTLY HOW BAD THIS WOULD BECOME.

June 15, 2016 Ryan: He [visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladi­mir Groysman] has this really interesting riff about… people have said that they have Ukraine fatigue, and it’s really Russian fatigue because what Russia is doing to us, financing our populists… 1/

Ryan cont’d: …financing people in our governments to undo our governments, you know, messing with our oil and gas energy, all things Russia does to basically blow up our country, they’re just going to roll right through us and go to the Baltics and everyone else. 2/

Rodgers: Yes! Ryan: So we should not have Ukraine fatigue, we should have Russian fatigue. Rodgers: Yes! The propaganda…my big takeaway from that trip was just how sophisticated the propaganda… Ryan: It’s very sophisticated. Rodgers: Coming out of Russia and Putin. 3/

Ryan: Very sophisticated. Rodgers: Not just in Ukraine. They were once funding the NGOs in Europe. They attacked fracking. Ryan: Correct. Rodgers: Russia TV. I was not… you know..I hadn’t tuned into Russia TV until that trip. It’s FRIGHTENING. 4/

Ryan: This is, this isn’t just about Ukraine. Rodgers: So, yeah, it is a, um… a way…it’s really a messaging…you know…they are..it’s a PROPAGANDA WAR. 5/

Ryan: Russia is trying to turn Ukraine against itself. Rodgers: Yes. And that’s…it’s sophisticated and it’s, uh… Ryan: Maniacal. Rodgers: Yes. 6/

Ryan: And guess…guess who’s the only one taking a strong stand up against it? We are. Rodgers: We’re not…we’re not, but we’re not… 7/

McCarthy: [unintelligible]…I’ll GUARANTEE you that’s what it is. The Russians hacked the DNC and got the opp research that they had on Trump. McCarthy: laughs 8/

McCarthy: There’s… there’s two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump [laughter] Swear to God. 9/

Ryan: This is an off the record… …[laughter]…NO LEAKS… …[laughter]…Alright?! [Laughter] 10/

Ryan: This is how we know we’re a real family here. Scalise: That’s how you know that we’re tight. [Laughter] Ryan: What’s said in the family stays in the family. 11/

Ryan: The Russians hacked the DNC… McHenry: …to get oppo… Ryan: …on Trump and like delivered it to… to WHO? 12/

Here’s the link to the transcripts of this conversation that Ryan and his GOP House cronies had the DAY AFTER it was reported that the Russians had hacked the DNC.

House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump

My second favorite part. THIS had already happened ⬇️:

Ryan announced on June 2, 2016 – a little over a week before this conversation took place – that he would vote for Trump to help “unite the party so we can win in the fall” but continued to clash with the candidate, including over Putin.

Thank you & for the great reporting and cool timeline graphic ⬇️. Now just drop the audio tape. PLEASE. /The End

CODA: Republicans Say Secret Talk About Putin Paying Trump Was Just a Joke Meanwhile, 18 previously undisclosed contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia have been uncovered.

REPUBLICANS SAY SECRET TALK ABOUT PUTIN PAYING TRUMP WAS JUST A JOKE Meanwhile, 18 previously undisclosed contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia have been

 

RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM

 

KHASHOGGI & SAUDI ARABIA

 

#METOO

 

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET

 

FIGHTING BACK

 

IMMIGRATION

 

COLD WAR 2.0

 

#NEVERAGAIN

 

FIXING THE INTERNET

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

 

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

 

ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE

 

ELECTION 2018

 

RUMOR MILL

 

That’s it for Thursday.  It’s a little light today on the non-election news, and it’ll be that way until next Wednesday.  Pretty much everything from here on out should be about the election.

That being said, don’t be surprised if some crazy shit comes out about Russian shit, or some other cray cray.

Remember, go out there and vote.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Daily Check-In 10/31/2018

Wednesday, October 31, 2018.  Halloween.

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

From the Politco article:

The evidence lies in obscure docket entries at the clerk’s office for the D.C. Circuit. Thanks to Politico’s Josh Gerstein and Darren Samuelsohn, we know that on August 16 (the day after Giuliani said he was almost finished with his memorandum, remember), a sealed grand jury case was initiated in the D.C. federal district court before Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell. We know that on September 19, Howell issued a ruling and five days later one of the parties appealed to the D.C. Circuit. And, thanks to Politico’s reporting, we know that the special counsel’s office is involved (because the reporter overheard a conversation in the clerk’s office). We can further deduce that the special counsel prevailed in the district court and that the presumptive grand jury witness has frantically appealed that order and sought special treatment from the judges of the D.C. Circuit—often referred to as the “second-most important court in the land.”

Nothing about the docket sheets, however, discloses the identity of the witness. Politico asked many of the known attorneys for Mueller witnesses—including Jay Sekulow, another Trump lawyer—and each one denied knowledge of the identity of the witness. (What, of course, would we expect a lawyer to say when asked about a proceeding the court has ordered sealed?)

But for those of us who have been appellate lawyers, the brief docket entries tell a story. Here’s what we can glean:

  • The parties and the judges have moved with unusual alacrity. Parties normally have 30 days to appeal a lower court action. The witness here appealed just five days after losing in the district court—and three days later filed a motion before the appellate court to stay the district court’s order. That’s fast.
  • The appeals court itself responded with remarkable speed, too. One day after getting the witness’ motion, the court gave the special counsel just three days to respond—blindingly short as appellate proceedings go. The special counsel’s papers were filed October 1.
  • At this point an unspecified procedural flaw seems to have emerged, and on October 3, the appeals court dismissed the appeal. Just two days later, the lower court judge cured the flaw, the witness re-appealed, and by October 10 the witness was once again before appellate court. Thanks to very quick action of all the judges, less than one week was lost due to a flaw that, in other cases, could have taken weeks or months to resolve.
  • Back before the D.C. Circuit, this case’s very special handling continued. On October 10, the day the case returned to the court, the parties filed a motion for expedited handling, and within two days, the judges had granted their motion and set an accelerated briefing schedule. The witness was given just 11 days to file briefs; the special counsel (presumably) just two weeks to respond; and reply papers one week later, on November 14 (for those paying attention, that’s eight days after the midterm elections). Oral arguments are set for December 14.

At every level, this matter has commanded the immediate and close attention of the judges involved—suggesting that no ordinary witness and no ordinary issue is involved. But is it the president? The docket sheets give one final—but compelling—clue. When the witness lost the first time in the circuit court (before the quick round trip to the district court), he petitioned, unusually, for rehearing en banc—meaning the witness thought the case was so important that it merited the very unusual action of convening all 10 of the D.C. Circuit judges to review the order. That is itself telling (this witness believes the case demands very special handling), but the order disposing of the petition is even more telling: Trump’s sole appointee to that court, Gregory Katsas, recused himself.

There’s a good deal of speculation going on here, and Emptywheel debunks some of this, but something getting lost in this is that the Special Counselor’s Office is chugging along like a train.  Their actions are quiet and deliberate.  We won’t hear what they’re doing until an indictment drops, but they’re scaring the shit out of a lot of people.

Court documents unsealed after nearly 45 years show that a federal grand jury in February 1974 was prepared to indict former GOP President Richard Nixon on four criminal counts for his role in the 1970s Watergate scandal that led to his resignation.

The charges, including bribery, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and obstruction of a criminal investigation, would have been for Nixon and his administration’s attempt to cover up the break-in and wiretapping of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at The Watergate Hotel in D.C.

Five men were arrested on June 17, 1972, for their involvement in the matter. The men attempted to photograph DNC documents and wiretap DNC officials’ phones, potentially sabotaging the Democrats’ chances at unseating Nixon in the upcoming 1972 presidential election.

The draft of the indictment from a Washington grand jury stated that “from on or about March 21, 1973…Richard M. Nixon unlawfully, willfully and knowingly did combine, conspire, confederate and agree together and with co-conspirators…to commit bribery…obstruct justice…and obstruct a criminal investigation.”

It further added that Nixon met with John Dean, Nixon’s White House counsel, and Harry Haldeman, Nixon’s chief of staff, on or about March 21, 1973, in the White House and “instructed” them to pay approximately $120,000 to E. Howard Hunt Jr., a former CIA agent and organizer of the Watergate break-in. Hunt Jr. had made the initial demand for $120,000 for his role in the break-in of the DNC headquarters, according to the draft indictment.

That same day, March 21, 1973, Hunt Jr. received approximately $75,000 in cash from Nixon messengers to influence his testimony to criminal investigators, according to the draft indictment. The following day, Nixon aides told the president that Hunt Jr.’s “money problem had been taken care of.”

Despite the ongoing investigation and a bombshell report from Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Berstein that said the FBI believed Nixon aides were responsible for the Watergate break-in, Nixon won re-election in 1972 against Democratic Senator George McGovern of South Dakota.

Facing three articles of impeachment in the House, Nixon announced his resignation during a live TV and radio broadcast from the Oval Office on the evening of August 8, 1974.

Interesting.  A grand jury had all but indicted Nixon six months before he resigned.  Even more interesting that this is being unsealed now.

 

RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM

 

KHASHOGGI & SAUDI ARABIA

 

#METOO

 

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET

 

TRAITOR TOTS

 

FIGHTING BACK

 

IMMIGRATION

In other words, it’s a lie he’s making up.

 

#NEVERAGAIN

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

 

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

 

PRIESTS & RELIGION

 

ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE

 

ELECTION 2018

 

IN OTHER NEWS…

 

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

 

RUMOR MILL

Going to THREAD on this. Next item is a screen grab from the transcript. There is a way out of the dysfunctional cycle between Trump and the press, that not only restores the core mission of the 4th Estate, but saves our democracy in the process. Let’s lay it out… /1

1:50
President Trump has been able to appeal to journalists’ “own narcissism” by attacking them, says Jon Stewart. “They take it personally, and now he’s changed the conversation to, not that his policies are silly or not…

2/ Here’s the transcript. Read ‘s last line. Everyone can understand it. And democracy desperately needs journalists to rise above it. Here’s how: STEP 1. Read up on Russian propaganda tactics & techniques. Understand that you are dealing w/a President…

3/…who is well-versed & possibly trained in them. STEP 2. Realize that he is intentionally TROLLING & TRIGGERING you. You are taking bait. Not just to change a larger narrative, but bait that is specifically designed to DISMANTLE YOU. You are the target. (cont)

4/ Once you realize that, it’s easier to see it and adjust. STEP 3. Take note when you feel the physical effects of a trigger. You can FEEL the emotions triggered rise in the moment you’re being psychologically triggered. Take a deep breath. Dismiss all thoughts about self…

5/ Then… STEP 4. Use that trigger as a blinking red light for what he’s trying to distract you away from. It is only one thing: Corruption. FOLLOW THE MONEY. When he is actively triggering you, it means you are over the target. You are right on top of a story…

6/…that he is extremely threatened by. Reinterpret the threats & hits from him about the “fake news – enemy of the people” as indicators that you are right on top of a story that presents a dire threat to him. You are right on top of the whole enchilada. In this context…

7/… He is NOT trying to use you to appeal to his base. STOP telling yourselves that. He has an entire far right media machine for that. He is trying to get you OFF YOUR JOB. He is psychologically terrorizing YOU. Specifically. So… What he’s actually doing is telling you…

8/… (by terrorizing you), that you are ON THE TARGET. See it that way. And when he is triggering you to get you away from his corruption… STEP 5. Do not drop your line of inquiry to enter some fight over his lies. His lies are propaganda. Meant to distract. (cont)

9/ Do not use his semantics, like “caravan” or “nationalist”. Those are pieces of propaganda, deployed at perilous moments TO HIM, in order to distract & hijack a narrative (see Step 1 above. this is why I’m asking you study up on it). THERE IS A REASON HE IS DOING THIS. So…

10/ STEP 6. Look at the most dangerous story to him personally at the moment when a new, or old, propaganda semantic is deployed – and PRESS HARDER on that story. Dollars to doughnuts there is corrupt money-dealing underneath it. I’ll end this with a simple illustration…

11/ When was the last time you asked him a question about MbS? – end –

 

 

That’s it for Wednesday.  I don’t have much here because of Halloween and trick-or-treating.  As a parent, it’s one of the best parts of the job.  The level of excitement that a kid has when going door to door, getting candy from neighbors, is amazing.  It’s the one day of the year where we tell them it’s okay to accept weird gifts from strangers.

Dad’s job during trick-or-treating is to play pack mule and plan the route.  It’s important to find the most efficient route, so that they’re not doubling back on themselves, or walking down streets they’ve already hit.

Things should be back to normal on Thursday.  And by normal, I mean a complete and total clusterfuck.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur