The Trump ascendancy is really the most significant and fascinating phenomenon of our time.
Once he scored the upset win, and after the Berkeley-Brooklyn-Brookline axis dried its tears and exited their safe spaces, they swore that all sorts of horrible terrible things were about to happen: the incipient fascism of corporate and government consolidation, the criminalization of dissent and Otherization of half the country, the destruction of all sorts of social precedents, an unleashed torrent of hatred, a totalitarian government and weaponized FBI out to punish dissidents etc etc.
And they were right! But it never crossed their minds that it could be them and their side that would be guilty of committing all these offenses.
There just seems to be something very ugly that happens to humans (most esp humans in groups) when they become convinced that they're opponents are so Evil that anything and everything is justified in defeating them.
It looks like Team Social Justice is delivering the same fate to America that the American military did to Vietnam: they are going to destroy the country in order to save it.
Great work , what is infuriating is that other journalist organizations should be attacking this at every angle forcing the censors into a corner so that all of the work wouldn’t be on a handful of journalists
A complete silence of corporate media illustrates that they are equally in or more penetrated by FBI and other state “security” agencies.
We should be eternally grateful to Elon Musk for slowing down US slide into brutal fascism. Internationally it has been bipartisan fascist for decades.
LOL we don't care what percentage of internal Twitter communications were requests from government to stifle the legal speech of Americans -- we only care that it happened. Nate is trying to "93% of the protests were peaceful!" this, and it looks just as bad as when they tried it back then.
The idea that this isn’t news simply blows my mind. Your “priors” should be squarely opposed to the idea that whoever Elon Musk may or may not be has anything to do with the perpetual erosion of American society that begun in earnest after 9-11. Mate Silver is my age, he should know better because he’s had longer to see how twisted the media landscape has been for most of our lives. I have been betting against mainstream news narratives since the mid 90’s and consistently seem to be beating the odds of knowing shit faster and better than my friends.
I find it difficult to believe this won’t eventually become a major political issue (same with FTX) but I can certainly understand why some organizations would do everything possible to prevent it from happening. What’s hard for me to believe is that there isn’t total skepticism across the board. Like, the instant you hear that ex-CIA/FBI/DHS officials are regular contributors and hosts to news programs, you reaction should be, ‘holy shit is that true?!’ Not, “so what.”
It seems that modern history will be written in two phases, before internet and after internet. It’s that deep. The breadth and depth of digital storage and surveillance is staggering. Bill Binney spoke of the density of digital data this way: “Ten years worth of emails and phone metadata could fit into a small hotel room. The NSA is building a facility in Utah of over one million square feet.” It’s not about email and metadata it’s about complete domination of the people. Complete control. But things have a way of backfiring and surveillance can be turned around.
Matt Taibbi, and others, are the fulcrum between the surveillance state and the people. I think nothing will prove more critical in today’s world than the work he’s doing. We need to do everything we can to grow the audience for this before the zombies at MSM can label it a ‘conspiracy theory’. What a gift we have. Let’s not keep it wrapped up.
Thanks, sounding more Camus than Orwell the more I hear about it. I bet you have a new appreciation for what Assange was doing to massage datasets into something useful for research. Can't tell you how much I appreciate your efforts and role in all this, glad you were able to get together with your family. All the best for the New Year.
"'We can give you everything we're seeing from the FBI and USIC agencies,' he wrote. 'CISA will know what is going on in each state.'"
Once again, ad nauseam; what the Actual FUCK are "USIC agencies" doing in conducting domestic surveillance and influence operations? Shit has been totally illegal at least since the Church Committee but we, the NYT/WaPo-reading public, are supposed to worry more about the alleged proposition that a national election which was visibly hinky to anybody with a 4th-grade reading level and ratiocination system, was not, in fact, hinky, and anybody who might ask questions about it is Bad, Wrong, and A Traitor?
The Trump ascendancy is really the most significant and fascinating phenomenon of our time.
Once he scored the upset win, and after the Berkeley-Brooklyn-Brookline axis dried its tears and exited their safe spaces, they swore that all sorts of horrible terrible things were about to happen: the incipient fascism of corporate and government consolidation, the criminalization of dissent and Otherization of half the country, the destruction of all sorts of social precedents, an unleashed torrent of hatred, a totalitarian government and weaponized FBI out to punish dissidents etc etc.
And they were right! But it never crossed their minds that it could be them and their side that would be guilty of committing all these offenses.
There just seems to be something very ugly that happens to humans (most esp humans in groups) when they become convinced that they're opponents are so Evil that anything and everything is justified in defeating them.
It looks like Team Social Justice is delivering the same fate to America that the American military did to Vietnam: they are going to destroy the country in order to save it.
Nate Silver seems to have a habit of reminding people he's no intellectual titan.
You’re a true American in the best sense of the word. Thank you for all your hard work exposing this unethical and unconstitutional corruption.
Great work , what is infuriating is that other journalist organizations should be attacking this at every angle forcing the censors into a corner so that all of the work wouldn’t be on a handful of journalists
A complete silence of corporate media illustrates that they are equally in or more penetrated by FBI and other state “security” agencies.
We should be eternally grateful to Elon Musk for slowing down US slide into brutal fascism. Internationally it has been bipartisan fascist for decades.
LOL we don't care what percentage of internal Twitter communications were requests from government to stifle the legal speech of Americans -- we only care that it happened. Nate is trying to "93% of the protests were peaceful!" this, and it looks just as bad as when they tried it back then.
The bottom line is the US govt (security state) found a way to exert influence on civic discourse….
That is a violation of their constitutional authority…
The govt exists only because we (the citizens) allowed it to exist…
But now, the govt demands that we serve its interests…
Keep telling the truth, keep telling the truth, god bless you.
Socialists nationalize the private sector, fascists co-opt the private sector.
walks like a duck, talks like a duck...
The idea that this isn’t news simply blows my mind. Your “priors” should be squarely opposed to the idea that whoever Elon Musk may or may not be has anything to do with the perpetual erosion of American society that begun in earnest after 9-11. Mate Silver is my age, he should know better because he’s had longer to see how twisted the media landscape has been for most of our lives. I have been betting against mainstream news narratives since the mid 90’s and consistently seem to be beating the odds of knowing shit faster and better than my friends.
I find it difficult to believe this won’t eventually become a major political issue (same with FTX) but I can certainly understand why some organizations would do everything possible to prevent it from happening. What’s hard for me to believe is that there isn’t total skepticism across the board. Like, the instant you hear that ex-CIA/FBI/DHS officials are regular contributors and hosts to news programs, you reaction should be, ‘holy shit is that true?!’ Not, “so what.”
How about subscriber suggestions? For giggles I’d like to know if gamergate was subject to suppression on twitter...
You are an awesome journalist! Thank you
It seems that modern history will be written in two phases, before internet and after internet. It’s that deep. The breadth and depth of digital storage and surveillance is staggering. Bill Binney spoke of the density of digital data this way: “Ten years worth of emails and phone metadata could fit into a small hotel room. The NSA is building a facility in Utah of over one million square feet.” It’s not about email and metadata it’s about complete domination of the people. Complete control. But things have a way of backfiring and surveillance can be turned around.
Matt Taibbi, and others, are the fulcrum between the surveillance state and the people. I think nothing will prove more critical in today’s world than the work he’s doing. We need to do everything we can to grow the audience for this before the zombies at MSM can label it a ‘conspiracy theory’. What a gift we have. Let’s not keep it wrapped up.
Thanks, sounding more Camus than Orwell the more I hear about it. I bet you have a new appreciation for what Assange was doing to massage datasets into something useful for research. Can't tell you how much I appreciate your efforts and role in all this, glad you were able to get together with your family. All the best for the New Year.
Having lived in SF for about 5 too many years, it’s a beautiful city as long as you don’t look down.
And really, twitter is turning out to be the ultimate disinfectant. The infection is not new, it’s just diagnosed now.
"'We can give you everything we're seeing from the FBI and USIC agencies,' he wrote. 'CISA will know what is going on in each state.'"
Once again, ad nauseam; what the Actual FUCK are "USIC agencies" doing in conducting domestic surveillance and influence operations? Shit has been totally illegal at least since the Church Committee but we, the NYT/WaPo-reading public, are supposed to worry more about the alleged proposition that a national election which was visibly hinky to anybody with a 4th-grade reading level and ratiocination system, was not, in fact, hinky, and anybody who might ask questions about it is Bad, Wrong, and A Traitor?