The DGB Has Ruled This Post Malinformation

(True but inconvenient)

Well, it’s been a couple weeks since the airline mask mandate was struck down. It’s time to check the prediction made at the time that the unmasking would not lead to a massive explosion of covid around the country.

Shockingly, seasonality continues to trump anything humans do (or don’t do). Actually shockingly, the northeast is experiencing an out-of-season mini-surge. The Bad Cat has a lot more to say about this subject. (Spoiler: It might be the vaccines)

The people claiming to be defending democracy seem really, really scared of it.

In related news, Alito cancels a public appearance after the SCOTUS leak. Everybody and their mothers have been talking about this lately so I really have nothing to add, other than the leak itself shows how willing some people are to completely disregard the norms of our Republic in order to advance their political agendas.

DHS head Alejandro Mayorkas went on TV over the weekend to complain about the Ministry of Truth Disinformation Governance Board’s lukewarm reception.

“Our work does not infringe on free speech, infringe on civil rights or civil liberties,” he continued. “An individual has the free speech right to spew anti-semitic rhetoric. What they don’t have the right to do is take hostages in a synagogue.”

Mayorkas said Sunday that the mission of the board could have been presented clearer.

“There are people in the department who have a diverse range of views, and they’re incredibly dedicated to the mission,” he said. “We’re not the opinion police.”

First of all, it’s obviously already illegal to take hostages in a synagogue no matter what you’ve said or didn’t say beforehand. Secondly, it’s ALSO obvious that this dude is lying out of his fucking ass. The entire premise of the board is to give an ‘official’ okay to approved bullshit and/or and official ‘thumbs down’ to unapproved bullshit.

“We have just established a mis- and disinformation governance board in the Department of Homeland Security to more effectively combat this threat, not only to election security but to our homeland security,” Mayorkas said before Congress on April 27.

• The board will collate and distribute “best practices” for countering disinformation purveyed by the United States’ enemies.

That sounds pretty good! Yet in practice it will look exactly how ‘best practices’ for covid looked: Do the approved protocol or else. Get the shot or else. That’s ultimately because the only tool in government’s bag is force.

You’ve had too much to think, so we’re going to poke around your social media

I’ve been encouraged to see the DGB roundly criticized by people across the political spectrum, but I’m discouraged because I don’t think the ‘leaders’ care in the first place. If you’re already at a place where you’re starting the Ministry of Truth, you’ve got to be desperate.