As always, it turns out the editor was right. Had I sent this off last night, we’d be missing the headlining news: the Ministry of Truth Disinformation Governance Board has been paused, citing a ‘extreme’ reaction to its existence in the first place.
(Sorry, I am not sure what is okay to leave off of a copy-and-paste url!)
Only under true Capitalism (the social system that puts the individual first in hierarchy), do we get to "vote" three ways: 1) for our political representatives, 2) for what we want more of (what we consume), and, most importantly, 3) how we store our capital (primarily through the greatest invention of all time, the "public" corporation).
"We counter disinformation that is peddled by international smuggling syndicates who are trying to induce people to pay them to bring them up to our southern border."
Is that what the mission is/was? Could have fooled me when you had Mary Poopins at the head of it, singing songs on Twitter about Putin and Russia.
And when the board was blown up, they claimed it was due to the very 'disinformation' campaigns that the board was designed to stop.
But any 'campaigns', as they were, came from (generally) right-wing politiical commentators. Is THAT who they were really trying to silence? (yes) And since the answer is yes, was it 'disinformation' to say so?
I've often watched this administration and wondered if they were really working for the Republicans. America has long been a caricature in many ways, with an inability to moderate our excess (for war, for wealth, for consumption, for religion, for anti-religion). But this administration takes the cake.
Ditto! (And I love your religion/anti-religion di-pole, although I don't consider it possible to have an excess of wealth/wealth-creation, properly defined.)
Is Biden (or, more accurately, his puppeteers) trying to destroy the Left (defined as those who want ever-more State) from within?
I should have said "for wealth disparity" or something along those lines. And, yes, sometimes you can only conclude that Biden is sabotaging the Left, mostly by giving them too much of what they want, but still.
It seems likely that old Joe's handlers are going to figure out what they're doing isn't working, and the upcoming midterms will further damage their prospects. So they're likely to start adjusting their tactics if they hope to salvage something.
Old Joe has looked less incompetent recently than he used to. It is possible to reverse dementia if it's not too advanced. I wonder if he's getting better medical care. If so, his political instincts should kick in. Either way, we should start seeing better news soon,
We’re all delighted about Scary Poppins but remember, federal government was already working to “combat” disinformation without little Nina. Now It will be more covert. I hated even the idea of DGB (cumm on, no more original term? kGB?) but at least the overt ridiculousness was easy to ridicule.
I agree completely with your assessment. I used to joke that Biden had “ Chauncey Gardner” potential…..I was wrong, Biden makes the Peter Sellers’s character look outright brilliant. This administration frightens me with their staggering incompetence and media enabled corruption. Did anyone consider that DGB sounds an awful lot like KGB ? Disinformation? Nah… That’s their lingo for propaganda and censorship.
So the game was in Pittsburgh, a Democrat stronghold in purple state, and they get to deny a (Reds, no less!) no-hitter to a team from a state in the process of returning to its red status!!!
Public Education may only be contrasted to Theological private education. I do not contrast it with secular private education. My wife taught in public, private and Parochial school for 20 years in SF and Marin. Shameful in each case.
She taught in Marin at San Rafael at the High School, Adult Ed., and Middle School. Taught at Mill Valley Middle School. Taught at Tam. Taught at Drake. Some charter schools. Willow Creek just prior to Pandemic.
We took public transit from San Francisco then last mile Lyft or Taxi.
It's a small world, as they say, and a smaller county! I am familiar with all those references, some of them intimately, and that's as publicly revealing as I will get in this forum, if you catch my drift.
Does substack have mechanism for private messaging?
I think not. Please reach out to my email cstegiel@gmail.com. Lived here in SF for 35 years. Hanging on in vacancy control building waiting for the mass deaths.
Good article. Resonates today with me because earlier I was musing on Corporate Personhood enshrined as law. Super Capitalism is a hybrid hundred handed creature. And law is made to favor it.
I would argue that these things show no one is really in control right now. At first I thought Biden was a propped up puppet, now I realize it is more Weekend at Bernie's. No one knows how to do any messaging or even that there is a problem. "Inflation, what inflation? I don't see any inflation. Oh THAT inflation." They screw up their "misinformation" authoritarian power grab by putting a Harry Potter wizard rocking stage performer who has a long history of putting out misinformation. Hell, they leave Kamala Harris in charge of ANYTHING. It looks to me like these people have no competent leadership and are self-destructing. Corn Pop, ugh I mean popcorn anyone?
The happy chair generation are terrible voters and great cheaters. They seek no one's approval but their own. We parents and grandparents are at fault, sad to say. Don't hate me please.
Who are you trying to dump under the bus? What did you do in the seventies eighties and nineties that formed this shit? My kid,( born in the 90's) is not a social media slave addicted to his phone. Speak for yourself.
The American voter is in my estimation DUMBER, far worse though is that they do not care. We can blame puppets. We choose to be on strings because we value bare life and nothing else. No future for the children of Century 20 and 21. Too few rise up, too many hang heads and obey.
And then there are those of us boomers who cared deeply; for decades. Wrote numerous letters, made hundreds of phone calls, spoke at rallies and meetings, and even campaigned for the "good guy/gal"... Only to realize that there isn't really a political solution to the state we find ourselves in. Politics can play a roll for sure, but until the people start realizing that it's impossible to "vote ourselves free" it's not going to matter how intelligent a voter is. Liberty is only gained and preserved when people act like they are free and take responsibility for themselves and practice their liberty in their daily lives. Over the last two+ years I didn't see a people with enough courage to be free. I saw people masking themselves in fear (literally and figuratively) and begging the very same people oppressing them to save them. Smart votes are important, but a burning desire for liberty regardless of who's in charge is what's needed first IMHO. And don't get me wrong, I totally get what you're saying. 🙂
The saying originated in the Greek songs of resistance for independence. It was adopted in 1814 by the Filiki Eteria, a secret organization formed specifically for the overthrow of Ottoman rule.
Political complacency is the natural result of the resounding success of Capitalism at creating private wealth. It's part and parcel of Ben Franklin's famous warning. And search Alexander Tytler.
Yes, the still-complacent (and the rest of us, come to think of it) are about to be mugged by the reality they have caused to exist. The economy is teetering, and Jamie Dimon's backers are NOT happy with his $50 million bonus. How high will the "racist" gas prices go? Parents (crt). Non-lactaters (formula). Military (Afghanistan). $40,000,000,000.00 for Ukraine? That's more than half Russia's military budget!!! I could easily go on...
Structurally the question remains whom does the Deep State favor. Then a power struggle in the Deep State is to become not first among equals but far more equal than all others and hence Autocrat. This is seen very well in the Anti-Federalist papers. Madison though in the 51st Federalist Paper clenched the "Real Politik." How many standing armies need to exist on this Continent to protect the laws of the new Confederacy? No Union, then each member of the Confederacy has status as a national state with a standing army. Instead of one Tyrant, several. A provision of the Constitution is the Federal government guarantees a "Republican" form of government such that Federal troops would subdue an elected Tyrant who had no standing army to call on.
A lot to unpack here. The Federalist and the Anti-Federalist were all about the proper structure of government and dispersal of political power for the very purpose of not allowing a so-called Deep State (i.e. one whose power, with its captured individuals and groups, remains hidden from the People) to even begin to exist.
We are way past that point, way too far away from the founder's excellent vision as honestly debated in their papers. And standing armies are not really part of the problem (except in-so-much as the military-industrial crony complex is concerned); The 50 states have ceded much power to the Feds, but no one today worries about 50 standing armies enforcing 50 tyrants.
But use of "security" forces (FBI, CIA, etc.) turning their evil searching eyes on its own citizens certainly is an issue.
Most importantly, the non-sentient State, "deep" (hidden) or not, does indeed ACT, and it favors one thing and one person only: the usurping of all power, and the Statist(s) who will make it happen.
Perhaps the concept of "standing army" needs to evolve. Your second-last paragraph lists part of it. The objection to the standing army was (is) the ability of same to subdue the populace in favour of the tyrant.
The Romans knew this- "Quist custodiet ipsos custodes?"
Accident? No. Bad luck, likely. The combination of mass affluence, public education for literacy, the communications revolution to include inexpensive printing and marketing arose in toxic soil
M. Sim, I hope you won't mind an off-topic share.
A long, and imo must, read:
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2022/05/17/its_conservative_david_vs_the_woke_corporate_green_giant_832255.html?utm_campaign=JW_Promo_Player&utm_medium=Direct_home%20with-ora%20politics&utm_source=0-0
(Sorry, I am not sure what is okay to leave off of a copy-and-paste url!)
Only under true Capitalism (the social system that puts the individual first in hierarchy), do we get to "vote" three ways: 1) for our political representatives, 2) for what we want more of (what we consume), and, most importantly, 3) how we store our capital (primarily through the greatest invention of all time, the "public" corporation).
We (Capitalists) are winning.
Never mind an off-topic share because I'm always interested in learning new stuff! :)
In general, you can axe everything after 'html', and that's the case here. But no biggie.
I added it to my stuff to read, which keeps growing for reasons I'll explain later today.
Please never let me burden you in any way, and no responses are ever necessary. Just keep up the great work you do.
In case you missed this, M. Sim, there is a Jay Inslee passing mention I thought might interest you.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/05/17/swiss_billionaires_mega-influence_on_us_politics__147610.html#2
Edit: Hmm...strange, this just showed up in my msn news feed. Am I being tracked? Or is someone targeting this Swiss "Soros"?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/pelosi-aligned-dark-money-nonprofit-received-3-million-from-group-fueled-by-swiss-billionaire/ar-AAXvVQa?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=26fb6d5bb55e426ca4bb07af84666259
"We counter disinformation that is peddled by international smuggling syndicates who are trying to induce people to pay them to bring them up to our southern border."
Is that what the mission is/was? Could have fooled me when you had Mary Poopins at the head of it, singing songs on Twitter about Putin and Russia.
And her history as purveyor of far-Left propaganda (read: the worst dis-info of all time).
(Pretty good voice, though, and she's pretty like Gretchen Whitmer, who I thought she was at first!)
And when the board was blown up, they claimed it was due to the very 'disinformation' campaigns that the board was designed to stop.
But any 'campaigns', as they were, came from (generally) right-wing politiical commentators. Is THAT who they were really trying to silence? (yes) And since the answer is yes, was it 'disinformation' to say so?
I've often watched this administration and wondered if they were really working for the Republicans. America has long been a caricature in many ways, with an inability to moderate our excess (for war, for wealth, for consumption, for religion, for anti-religion). But this administration takes the cake.
Ditto! (And I love your religion/anti-religion di-pole, although I don't consider it possible to have an excess of wealth/wealth-creation, properly defined.)
Is Biden (or, more accurately, his puppeteers) trying to destroy the Left (defined as those who want ever-more State) from within?
I should have said "for wealth disparity" or something along those lines. And, yes, sometimes you can only conclude that Biden is sabotaging the Left, mostly by giving them too much of what they want, but still.
"...mostly by giving them too much of what they want..."
Ha ha ha! Perfect!
It seems likely that old Joe's handlers are going to figure out what they're doing isn't working, and the upcoming midterms will further damage their prospects. So they're likely to start adjusting their tactics if they hope to salvage something.
Old Joe has looked less incompetent recently than he used to. It is possible to reverse dementia if it's not too advanced. I wonder if he's getting better medical care. If so, his political instincts should kick in. Either way, we should start seeing better news soon,
We’re all delighted about Scary Poppins but remember, federal government was already working to “combat” disinformation without little Nina. Now It will be more covert. I hated even the idea of DGB (cumm on, no more original term? kGB?) but at least the overt ridiculousness was easy to ridicule.
This is obviously a serious concern and perhaps the most likely outcome.
Plus she was soooo 🤮-worthy (have you ever puked and laughed at the same time, I mean really she inspired that awesome combo)
The fact they didn't even think they had to hire somebody semi-serious is worrying.
Commander I wondered WTF when I read that title. You made it work congratulations. A sad reflection on our times.
Ding dong the Wicz is dead!
"Back to her work in the public sector" probably being the liaison between the USG and Twitter :p
I agree completely with your assessment. I used to joke that Biden had “ Chauncey Gardner” potential…..I was wrong, Biden makes the Peter Sellers’s character look outright brilliant. This administration frightens me with their staggering incompetence and media enabled corruption. Did anyone consider that DGB sounds an awful lot like KGB ? Disinformation? Nah… That’s their lingo for propaganda and censorship.
They just couldn't think of an appropriate word that started with K.
(It was knowledge!)
"This has nothing to do with politics..."
Not so fast, there:
So the game was in Pittsburgh, a Democrat stronghold in purple state, and they get to deny a (Reds, no less!) no-hitter to a team from a state in the process of returning to its red status!!!
I cry foul!
Public Education may only be contrasted to Theological private education. I do not contrast it with secular private education. My wife taught in public, private and Parochial school for 20 years in SF and Marin. Shameful in each case.
Sounds about right for my Marin Co. I would throw out that outlier data point.
She taught in Marin at San Rafael at the High School, Adult Ed., and Middle School. Taught at Mill Valley Middle School. Taught at Tam. Taught at Drake. Some charter schools. Willow Creek just prior to Pandemic.
We took public transit from San Francisco then last mile Lyft or Taxi.
It's a small world, as they say, and a smaller county! I am familiar with all those references, some of them intimately, and that's as publicly revealing as I will get in this forum, if you catch my drift.
Does substack have mechanism for private messaging?
I think not. Please reach out to my email cstegiel@gmail.com. Lived here in SF for 35 years. Hanging on in vacancy control building waiting for the mass deaths.
It will take me awhile, M. Stegiel, but I will email you. I am old, slow, over-scheduled, and oh-so-distracted, so please have patience!
In the meantime, I share here what I consider a must read:
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2022/05/17/its_conservative_david_vs_the_woke_corporate_green_giant_832255.html?utm_campaign=JW_Promo_Player&utm_medium=Direct_home%20with-ora%20politics&utm_source=0-0
(Sorry, I don't know what is okay to leave out of a copy-and-pasted url!)
Good article. Resonates today with me because earlier I was musing on Corporate Personhood enshrined as law. Super Capitalism is a hybrid hundred handed creature. And law is made to favor it.
I would argue that these things show no one is really in control right now. At first I thought Biden was a propped up puppet, now I realize it is more Weekend at Bernie's. No one knows how to do any messaging or even that there is a problem. "Inflation, what inflation? I don't see any inflation. Oh THAT inflation." They screw up their "misinformation" authoritarian power grab by putting a Harry Potter wizard rocking stage performer who has a long history of putting out misinformation. Hell, they leave Kamala Harris in charge of ANYTHING. It looks to me like these people have no competent leadership and are self-destructing. Corn Pop, ugh I mean popcorn anyone?
My college team in my first year lost a no-hitter 3-0.
There's a lot of good pitching, weak hitting, and downright poor defense in college baseball.
The happy chair generation are terrible voters and great cheaters. They seek no one's approval but their own. We parents and grandparents are at fault, sad to say. Don't hate me please.
Who are you trying to dump under the bus? What did you do in the seventies eighties and nineties that formed this shit? My kid,( born in the 90's) is not a social media slave addicted to his phone. Speak for yourself.
Let's not be TOO hard on our old selves. The youngin's have some more growin' up to do, is all. I'm thinking the midterms will do some schoolin'.
So what I'm hearing you say is that the Cincinnati Reds are the Joe Biden of baseball?
The Reds DID do something right, though. :p
Everywhere but the plate.
Gotta score to win!
Ha!
Well, if you consider losing to the Pirates good! 😉
The American voter is in my estimation DUMBER, far worse though is that they do not care. We can blame puppets. We choose to be on strings because we value bare life and nothing else. No future for the children of Century 20 and 21. Too few rise up, too many hang heads and obey.
And then there are those of us boomers who cared deeply; for decades. Wrote numerous letters, made hundreds of phone calls, spoke at rallies and meetings, and even campaigned for the "good guy/gal"... Only to realize that there isn't really a political solution to the state we find ourselves in. Politics can play a roll for sure, but until the people start realizing that it's impossible to "vote ourselves free" it's not going to matter how intelligent a voter is. Liberty is only gained and preserved when people act like they are free and take responsibility for themselves and practice their liberty in their daily lives. Over the last two+ years I didn't see a people with enough courage to be free. I saw people masking themselves in fear (literally and figuratively) and begging the very same people oppressing them to save them. Smart votes are important, but a burning desire for liberty regardless of who's in charge is what's needed first IMHO. And don't get me wrong, I totally get what you're saying. 🙂
Eleftheria i thanatos - now motto of Greece.
The saying originated in the Greek songs of resistance for independence. It was adopted in 1814 by the Filiki Eteria, a secret organization formed specifically for the overthrow of Ottoman rule.
“Excuse me, sir, may I please have my 76th booster?” 🤔
Political complacency is the natural result of the resounding success of Capitalism at creating private wealth. It's part and parcel of Ben Franklin's famous warning. And search Alexander Tytler.
People are going to get a political lesson, maybe better labeled a crash course, in government planning very soon.
Yes, the still-complacent (and the rest of us, come to think of it) are about to be mugged by the reality they have caused to exist. The economy is teetering, and Jamie Dimon's backers are NOT happy with his $50 million bonus. How high will the "racist" gas prices go? Parents (crt). Non-lactaters (formula). Military (Afghanistan). $40,000,000,000.00 for Ukraine? That's more than half Russia's military budget!!! I could easily go on...
Can the Dems hire enough mules THIS time?
Structurally the question remains whom does the Deep State favor. Then a power struggle in the Deep State is to become not first among equals but far more equal than all others and hence Autocrat. This is seen very well in the Anti-Federalist papers. Madison though in the 51st Federalist Paper clenched the "Real Politik." How many standing armies need to exist on this Continent to protect the laws of the new Confederacy? No Union, then each member of the Confederacy has status as a national state with a standing army. Instead of one Tyrant, several. A provision of the Constitution is the Federal government guarantees a "Republican" form of government such that Federal troops would subdue an elected Tyrant who had no standing army to call on.
A lot to unpack here. The Federalist and the Anti-Federalist were all about the proper structure of government and dispersal of political power for the very purpose of not allowing a so-called Deep State (i.e. one whose power, with its captured individuals and groups, remains hidden from the People) to even begin to exist.
We are way past that point, way too far away from the founder's excellent vision as honestly debated in their papers. And standing armies are not really part of the problem (except in-so-much as the military-industrial crony complex is concerned); The 50 states have ceded much power to the Feds, but no one today worries about 50 standing armies enforcing 50 tyrants.
But use of "security" forces (FBI, CIA, etc.) turning their evil searching eyes on its own citizens certainly is an issue.
Most importantly, the non-sentient State, "deep" (hidden) or not, does indeed ACT, and it favors one thing and one person only: the usurping of all power, and the Statist(s) who will make it happen.
Perhaps the concept of "standing army" needs to evolve. Your second-last paragraph lists part of it. The objection to the standing army was (is) the ability of same to subdue the populace in favour of the tyrant.
The Romans knew this- "Quist custodiet ipsos custodes?"
Agreed that there is quite a bit to unpack.
And after the Pandemic life is as if under Occupation by my flag. July 4, 2022 has a dimension formerly quite Un-American.
But curiously not admitted to be totalitarian.
I would have to think that this time there are moles ready to be hired as mules. Story of the decade.
And if you think that's an accident, I have a bridge to sell you..........
Late in the Tytler cycle, the State grows so large that it takes over, and destroys the Capitalist source of wealth creation.
I refer to this as the fake economy of money printing and cronyism overtaking the real economy of voluntary trade of good`1
Edit: Such a good kitty.
That last should be "of goods and services."
Yes, but the public sector must gain enough power first before it can destroy the currency and start lording it over the private.
And your editor was just telling you how much he appreciates your services. They are very important to him, and he wants more.
Accident? No. Bad luck, likely. The combination of mass affluence, public education for literacy, the communications revolution to include inexpensive printing and marketing arose in toxic soil
I was specifically talking about public education (the DOE in particular), but your other points are good as well.