Hell, it's too secret for the larger portion of our *elected representatives* to know. You know, the members of the sovereign body that makes our laws. "Hmm, that doesn't sound quite right..." Ya think?
As Sen. Chuck Schumer admitted: "Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you." Chilling.
Yes that's exactly why I'm worried that Trump isn't going to save us from anything. He just sets us up for more chaos. Having said that I think he's our only hope unless RFK get some more traction. RFK is so beholden to the Zionists I doubt he would make much of a difference either.
He just wants to be liked and admired. He’s not an evil-hearted bastard like some of the DC-elite, but he’s not gonna get shit done.
Honestly, too far gone. We’re full steam ahead until international monetary system changes - because we WILL lose our privileged status as reserve currency. It’s already happening, but the fatal blow has yet to be dealt.
Actually his main value is on getting elected the iuniparty will lose its shit and cross the line in a way that will require people to respond in a meaningful way
Maybe, but once I saw him standing by Operation Warp Speed and getting EUA authorization for the clot-shot - which required state-sanctioned mis/dis/mal-information regarding effective treatments already on the market..
We’ve had years to reach this conclusion and the initial panic/fog of war that COVID brought is no longer an excuse…
Also he wanted Powell to keep rates low at The Fed to keep the good times rolling…
Our nation is governed by short-sighted morons. Eager to record their 15 second sound bite to appeal to the lowest hanging fruit, the least informed voters…
We’re just so totally fucked and it breaks my heart.
Far be it to defend a man I have loathed all of my adult life but the circumstances look a bit different in hind sight. That being said Trumps biggest weakness is the inability to admit a mistake and he made lots of them including listening to Fauci and the other bureaucrats playing doctor. Warp Speed made sense to me at the time. The problem is that by the time it was introduced I realized I did not need it, and I was 58 at the time. But they had the power then as he was gone. (Which again negates the Trump as dictator motif. He delegated powers tot he state who promptly used them to sabotage him.)
At the time I honestly thought that he was doing the right thing to open up the country. The vax at least accomplished that much, even if it turned out to be both ineffective and dangerous. Maybe someday history will prove Trump was correct.
And which currency is going to replace the dollar? The Yuan? Please! The Euro? LOL. The Fed knows that all we have to do is stay ahead of the other idiots.
We’ve only been on a paper money standard for 53 years of human existence. During which time wealth inequality has absolutely exploded.
If I had to guess, It will return to a commodity-backed money (monetary units measured in a weight of gold or silver).
Governments obviously don’t want this, because it prevents them from being Santa Clause, but as US debt goes exponential the world’s hand may be forced to bring some form of stability and fiscal restraint back to the system.
If I knew what would replace our failed experiment in fiat-money I’d probably be retired already. No one KNOWS, it’s all speculation at this point. All I KNOW is our path is unsustainable.
OR the current trend continues - dedollarization abroad - nations settling more trade in their own currencies - leaving no one but The Fed to purchase treasuries and nowhere for our inflation to be exported. Inflationary monetary policies will be felt much quicker at home.
"Chaos" is the operative word. Why no empowering, morally centered, human, solutions oriented, truth/fact based American national conversation, to replace this behind closed doors, manufactured crisis to crisis, flavor of the week political hysteria, no solutions forthcoming, free citizen bad, grift?
Because "Tech", which offered the free peoples of the world limitless possibility for a healthy expanded social consciousness, connection and progress, also made the criminal political/financial grift transparent to reality worldwide. So the grifters captured and subverted it. Now, still unable to conceal their avarice, they are beginning the general criminalization of free peoples everywhere. Hannah Arendt, who lived through and literally escaped and survived the holocaust spoke clearly concerning free speech. At the first moment free speech is forbidden, you have entered a tyranny.
American tax treasure continues its journey out the back door and into numbered accounts across the world. It funds billionaire controlled NGO's. Now add domestic political operatives disguised as non-profit social service organizations and research groups. It also pays for million dollar a year classrooms that teach eight year olds how to give blowjobs but can't teach them to read or write. Likewise, the Gordon Gekko style looting of American manufacturing, lives, labor and pension funds, continues unscathed. (Gretchen Morgenson THESE ARE THE PLUNDERERS:HOW PRIVATE EQUITY RUNS AND WRECKS AMERICA) ---Stop the bleeding and we might begin a recovery.
Saying America is a shattered mirror is a gross understatement. Entire sections of "we the people" are breaking completely away. Education denied. Future stolen (think Black fratricide). Downstream from and fostered by faux Marxist sycophants, in the minds of many young men and women across America there is no Republic. Only the remnants of a colonizing and heinous capitalist machine that needs to die. Now, as in Europe, force feed the Republic with millions of undocumented military aged men and stir in the new White people are demons racism. The DNC conflation of crime with revolution cocked the gun. The DNC/CCP/WEF/EU Davos crowd intends to pull the trigger. D.Trump and J.Biden aren't the problem.
"..some people don't have a lot of food on their table....but they've got a lot of forks and knives..and they've gotta cut something.." B.Dylan
I think it depends on who he picks for Secretary of State and Defense, DNI, and Chief of Staff. I want Pompeo in one of them. A straighter arrow you will not find. He is not a glory boy.
I think he sees, and values, US service men and women as something more than cannon fodder. So no I do not think he is a neocon. Additionally he served in the military. Haley did not. Cheney II (Liz) did not. Dick Cheney dodged the draft.
He had disputes with the Ecuadoran government. That led to his asylum being revoked and the Ecuadoran embassy allowing his arrest as the US has indicted him for crimes related to unlawful assess to computers. He is imprisoned in the UK because he is using the UK legal system to fight extradition to the US.
Mike Pompeo may not be a glory boy, but he is no straight shooter. He is the former Director of the CIA. By definition, "straight shooter" and "CIA" are mutually exclusive terms.
That might be true of the rank and file as it is an intelligence gathering agency after all. And that takes a certain type of person. But I think that makes it extremely important that the Director be above board.
Assange exposed U.S. war crimes, Pompeo made plans to have him killed for it. I don't think NBC reporting on his purported mental health issues is the most important part of this overarching narrative. Assange is not a US citizen he should not be charged with espionage for gaining access to our computers or our secrets. He should be protected for exposing Hillary and all of her satanic friends. What are you doing on Matt's site promoting all of this pro war agenda? wouldn't you be happier following Liz Cheney? Would you jail the man who exposed the Pentagon papers and our devastating involvemeny in Vietnam?
And John Bolton is "largely responsible" for blowing up Trump's reunification of the Korean peninsula. I loathe Trump, but I'd literally have nominated him for the Nobel prize. I know, Nobel is bullshit, but Trump's ego would deserve it for solving a 70 year schism.
He and Dennis Rodman almost pulled that off. I wish it happened and they shared a Nobel. Imagine the wealth of South Korea combined with the desperate, hungry, but well-educated labor of North Korea (with the unified country no longer as militarized!). It would be an economic powerhouse.
Wow, I hadn't even thought of the socio-economic benefits. After 20+ years of non-stop war, I can't really think beyond the goal of stopping the fighting and saber rattling. You are 100% right. It'd be like the reunification of Germany.
I do not know all of the details about Assange but I am not sure he should be pardoned. I appreciate government misdeeds being brought to light. I think there had to be a reckoning for the intelligence gathering business. But is the solution a free pass for leaders and hackers? He has been indicted for violation of US law. He is entitled to his day in court. Plus he sounds like a pretty despicable person. He was in the Ecuadoran embassy over rape charges in Sweden. According to the Ecuadorans he was horrific while there. But it is easy to pass as a martyr these days.
1) none of us know the Assange details; I was just honest enough to acknowledge it. 2) I have a pretty good grasp of not only the history of free speech but also the current state of the law and if you define the Assange matter as epitomizing all of "free speech" you do not. Respectfully. Plus all of you touting him as a free speech martyr fail to realize that a real martyr would welcome days in a court of record. There is no better way to get the word out. Respectfully.
Wow for such strong opinions your facts are pretty far from the truth. Maybe get an informed source like former UN Rapporteur for Torture who did a formal investigation into the case of Julian Assange.
Pompeo will be Secretary of State. He was already CIA director so he knows where the bodies are already buried. The more he gives Mike to do the better this term will go. I read his book and I’d run through a wall for Pompeo. It also gives him the foreign affairs knowledge he will need to make a run in ‘28. If he chooses to do that and I think he would at least consider it. Real patriot.
Pompeo was Secretary of State for nearly 3 years in Trump's administration, after being CIA Director for a little over one year. He has lots of foreign affairs knowledge. For instance, he knows that there are a lot of countries out there that we haven't bombed yet, so what the hell are we waiting for?
None that I know of. Pompeo wasn't President. He got to kill whoever he wanted as head of the CIA, but needed Trump to give him a war. He's in the exact same league as Cheney, Hillary, Nikki Haley, Biden, John Bolton. That's my point. He should be kept as far away from power as possible.
Thanks Carily. I can't believe there are people defending Mike Pompeo as a paragon of virtue, on a Matt Taibbi Substack chat no less!! Have you people lost your minds? Pompeo is as pure a distillation of the swamps essence as John Bolton. Here is your boy bragging and laughing about lying and cheating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPt-zXn05ac
I am unfamiliar with that. But if true, how very refreshing. The US government has engaged in regime change. 2014 in Ukraine for example. And I hope Trump is a threat to the CIA or more accurately to the career bureaucrats managing the CIA and the other executive branch alphabet agencies including the FBI and DoJ.
I do not sure unequivovally trust any of them. So it is a question of who is the most trustworthy. And he is less DC insider than most. He served 6 years in Congress and 4 years under Trump. He started from and returned to Kansas and appears to be a man of modest mean. Certainly by DC insider standards. He was replaced by Blinken as Secretary of State. Pretty stark contrast I think.
Generally, I agree with you about ad hominem attacks, Lynne. But Pompeo is so far beyond the pale of soulless ghoulhood, I broke my rule and attacked you. Do 3 minutes research on Pompeo and you'll see he's one of the worst. People like Pompeo, Bolton & any Cheney are a threat to civilization itself.
I disagree about Pompeo. I don't need to research him further to do so. You should stick to your rules. Breaking them when someone expresses an opposing POV means it wasn't much a rule to begin with.
RFK is pal with Aaron Rogers. I’m a die hard Packer fan, wii love him for every exciting game he played, but Rogers has taken his psych shroom retreats too seriously Heard RFK talking him for VP. WTF has happened to this country? No, Trump is not a good alternative to anyone. He’s a serial liar, braggart, boaster, sore loser, narcissist who is disgustingly offensive to veterans and the people who serve and seems to have a penchant for global dictators.
Rodgers has made clear he doesn't believe that, but Jimmy Kimmel types want to believe keep repeating it to try to attack his credibility. I'm no Packers fan, But I do think Rodgers is the best to ever play the position. Additionally, he thinks more than any athlete since Kareen Abdul-Jabbar.
Thank you! I stand corrected and am happy about Aaron. I agree he’s one of the greats, but being a Packer fan I was glad to see him move on. He was developing a very sour attitude and it was Loves time. BTW I never watch Kimmel, read about Rogers on a sob stack comment . Lesson learned…double check sources. Thanks again!
have you read the Real Anthony Fauci. He documents nightmare after nightmare. He knows what's wrong with this country, but overtaking the deep state is going to be impossible especially with so many people uniformed and brain-washed.
There currently isnt any real evidence Rogers said that about Sandy Hook. its one persons heresay and one anonymous source that just happened to decided to share this info when he is a potential VP candidate. RFK is subject to a smear campaign and any VP pick he has will also be subject to one. Whether you like him or not, its pretty clear the corporate media is trying to snuff out his credibility so he doesn't peel votes away in the general. Just be careful how quickly to believe the worst about someone just because we don't align with them politically.
I stand corrected on the Rogers s Sandy Hook deal. I can’t see RFK as a serious candidate, no matter the corporate media. And having watched and followed Rogers for many years, I can’t see him in politics.
Did anyone see the Macron interview yesterday? He told a TV audience that "He was informed" that Trump would not be elected in 2024. Who told him that?
I don’t think they really get it…or most of them. Matt, maybe read todays Persuasion and try to reach the more of an audience by appealing to a broader audience.
Just made my way here from America this Week comments - where I learned that Matt and Walter are freaking out over blanket censorship powers because they're too scared to discuss other issues. Really. Hard to believe, I know, but that's the view (apparently) of some commenters.
They kinda have to move quickly. It's a small window between the feigned outrage to collect support and the discovery of their deceptive intentions. Congress, as an illusionist, makes David Blain look amateurish.
Yuri, you’re displaying an interestingly rare skill, you see nuance and are not blindly sorting the world into black and white Boolean bins. High five from me.
I meant 'increasingly' and not 'interestingly' but it still kinda works so I'll keep it. Thank you spell check! I suppose it could've been much much worse.
Just informed my "yes" voting Congress-critter that they would not be getting my vote this November. Small gesture, and in my district, quite futile, but better than simmering in silence.
Yup. A recently released intel assessment says the Netanyahu government is about to collapse, Shumer calls for his ouster, and all of a sudden Congress, which couldn't get anything passed on TikTok suddenly can come together and give the government even more control over social media. Gee, I wonder why? Sounds like a panicked and monumental effort to ensure Biden's re-election.
That’s why they hate trump so much. Because he broke through and represented the will of the people. That’s not supposed to happen. So now they’re turning him into a cautionary tale.
Maybe, or else it's just part of a even bigger charade. That would be Whitney Webb's take. Trump is going to be installed as the hero to the right that is here to save the day but then once he's in office he won't. The same old playbook over and over again, left against right but there's really no difference.
I still may vote RFK despite some substantial policy disagreements. I love JFK and I feel I’m the Bobby to my older brother - so there’s some mirroring of how my role in life has shaped out.
Who was the comedian back in the day who did the bit about how when a new President is elected, the Deep Staters bring them into a room and show them footage of the Kennedy assassination from a new and previously unknown vantage, showing the person who actually fired the fatal shot. Then they turn the lights back on and ask if there are any questions. Hicks? Kinison?
I was unaware that his signature achievement, a massive tax cut for the rich, was representative of the will of the people. Thanks for the clarification.
The will of the people was that they elected someone who wasn’t handpicked by our handlers: the national parties, the media and the mega donors. Try to focus, chief.
I'm afraid that damned tax cut takes too much my attention. The idea it wasn't a gift to the 1%, which is where the national parties, etc. come from and who they represent, has me perplexed. Hard to focus when it seems clear to be a shell game.
And of course let's not forget that the despicable Ms Clinton did in fact get more votes than St Donald, so strictly speaking it wasn't the "will of the people".
Dude, my comment was about the people in control, not my adoration for Donald Trump. I have no interest in arguing with a low information, tribalist hack. Have a good evening.
The proposed law is a huge assault on free speech. As they say, "the devil is in the details". When Elon purchased X, Taibbi discovered that almost every alphabet government agency was trying to control speech on the internet and social media platforms. This proposed law will make their efforts legal. At least or until the supreme court rules otherwise. That last resort is becoming the norm, unfortunately.
As a US citizen living in Mexico City I feel like a German living in Paris in the thirties watching his native country transform rapidly into a fascist state because that, friends, is what's happening in America and the west generally.
I wish I could see things differently but that, to me, is the clear drift of events. And I don't think there's much we can do but start handing out samizdat material on the street.
The handful of us that are paying attention are disgusted and powerless. Better to just prepare personally for what comes next, kick back and watch the shit-show
I understand what you mean about Matt sometimes presenting these topics as merely absurd, rather than outrageous and alarming. (Though I would say less so recently). I have come to the conclusion however, that the information he is sharing will reach more people with his affable style. In the same way comedians are uniquely positioned to hold a mirror up to society in a way people (with a sense of humor) can accept.
I have to agree. It’s an all hands on deck situation for sure. I welcome anyone who will call attention to it, in whatever manner is effective, to first educate and then motivate the masses.
I agree and, again, I like Taibbi. He writes about things that other journalists ignore.
My concern is that his occasionally humorous approach is based on his expectation that the system will somehow right itself and all these horrible things will disappear.
So... what is the answer? Do we just let the Chinese Communist Party continue to use TikTok to further corrupt the minds of Americans dumb enough to actually use TikTok? It's bad enough that US based social media is (as evidenced by the Twitter Files and such) so corrupt, do we really think Chinese communists aren't 1000x worse? Do we sit back and let Darwinism take its toll and clean up the mess?
Do you have any instances of Chinese corrupting American youth via this app? Or are you just talking out your ass? I thought so. I have no interest in using this app, but it’s 99% dumb tweeners and the like posting inoculous narcissistic shit. I can guarantee you that western intelligence has a much bigger influence on any social media you can name than China and Russia combined. Don’t throw the free speech baby out with the bath water.
I'd argue that when certain speech is promoted (by algorithm or curation) while other speech is suppressed the speech is not "free". So lets not throw our culture and civilization out with the illusion of free speech. I'm not promoting this bill - Matt makes excellent points why it is a bad piece of legislation, but we shouldn't ignore or minimize the problem as you are.
We have greater worries than the CCP in regards to warping American minds. American Universities are the ones leading the charge of stupifying the US populace.
Correct, but the solution to censorship is not more censorship. The government should not be in the business of suppressing any speech - foreign or otherwise
How about if that’s your intention have a bill that simply states” Tik Tok will be herby banned from all US tech platforms” since we all know that’s not the bills intention. It’s a power grab allowing speech those in power don’t like banned. Tech platforms they don’t like banned.
I agree its a power grab and a crap bill. That's why I asked questions about what we should actually do - because the CCP controlling a significant social media app is a problem that shouldn't be ignored. Banning TikTok directly and specifically probably won't pass constitutional muster though...
OK, I can tell this has you a little frustrated. Why are you so worried about brainwashing? Should China also no longer be able to make our iPhones? After all, who knows what kind of shit they could put in there?
The Security State already controls the domestic social media (except for X, now that it's privately held by Musk, et. al.). And they're pissed they can't control the Chinese social media.
What should we do? Let freedom ring, that's what we should do.
I’d say if you were gonna do anything it would be to put real age constraints on all social media apps. Giving our commissars power over speech would never be my choice, ever. I’d rather risk being brainwashed by Chinese bots all day every day.
~ open the Algorithm as it pertains to children. Let's see the source code of what is put in front of them or kept from them. It would be interesting to see what emphasis was put on gender bending, for instance. FCC regulated Saturday morning ads between cartoons to keep sugar & toys away. Or legislate that 12 & younger are forbidden, & 13-17 require parents permission. make it for all social media sites. Adults are on their own. ~
The Chinese government is a.. competent and b.. making life better for the people. Same with Russia, Singapore and others. Europe is commiting suicide and US is BS country.
BTW, the US tech sector is more than capable of screwing up it's own kid's. In this along with almost everything, China is better and you can't compete in your own country!
Good point, but watch out. Leftovers from Reagan or Bush might start saying shit like, "Oh yeah?!? If China and Russia are so great, why don't you move there?"
Perhaps Justice Louis Brandeis answers your question?
‘If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence. Only an emergency can justify repression.’
‘we have nothing to fear from the demoralizing reasonings of some, if others are left to demonstrate their errors and especially when the law stands ready to punish the first criminal act produced by the false reasonings; these are safer corrections than the conscience of the judge.’
These words were spoken by Justice Mr. Brandeis during a trial in 1927 by the U.S. Supreme Court (Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center, 274 U.S. 357, 1927 (Whitney v. California)).
But, in deference to your fears, Brandeis stated that if, and only if there is a reasonable ground to fear serious evil as a result of freedom of speech, restriction is justified.
That said, without a thinking citizenry democracy devolves into a farce. Perhaps that’s where we are?
Humans are herd creatures. It doesn’t require a majority to rule. Consider, only 50% of eligible voters exercise their franchise. This means a little over 25% of eligible voters decide.
I have no monopoly on wisdom but giving politicians the power to decide what we read and watch scares me more than dumbasses on TikTok.
Referring to the nation’s founders Brandeis wrote:
‘They believed that freedom to think as you will and to speak as you think are means indispensable to the discovery and spread of political thruth: that, without free speech and assembly, discussion would be futile; that, with them, discussion affords ordinarily adequate protection against the dissemination of noxious doctrine; that the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people. Believing in the power of reason as applied through public discussion, they eschewed silence coerced by law – the argument of force in its worst form.’
Supposedly they are worried that the Chinese are collecting private information about us, and that's bad.
1. No one below the age of 35 gives a shit about privacy, so what's the biggie?
2. The private information is readily available for sale at Google and Facebook.
3. It's true that 40 consecutive videos about some dipshit trying to nail his new skateboard trick will corrupt minds, but you can't blame that one on the Chinese--it's your neighbor's kid, Justin.
This is just Russiagate 2.0 - Chinagate, the sequel... right before another presidential election. So, when anyone other than Biden wins, they can blame it on China this time. Everyone knows (okay, maybe not everyone) their so-called "concern" over China's supposed "influence-peddling" is yet another guise under which they can remove more of our rights and freedoms in the name of "national security". IOW, it's all bullsh!t.
I'd suggest that ALL social media in the US (foreign or domestic based) must run 100% open-source software so we can see if ANY speech is amplified or suppressed.
Well, Mike, truth be told, I don't have any clear sense what a digital Bill of Rights might entail, only that it is much needed. But I like your suggestion re: open source software. for starters. Also, I would imagine that, like the original Bill of Rights, a digital Bill of Rights would be comprised of several "amendments" to address the multiple dimensions of the problem.
The death-rattle of Western "civilization" is overdue.
After the collapse of Rome (which traded, long-distance, with China) Europe fell into ignorance and barbarism.
Europe had a Renaissance because the Pax Mongolica opened up the trade routes to advances societies in East and West Asia, and these influences spread east -- especially to Venice but also to other European areas.
The Arabs had saved Greek/Roman literature, so the European intellectuals got an education in advanced philosophy and other arts and sciences.
So east and west Asia helped revitalize Europe.
The European then developed industrial technology and weapons --before they had become really re-civilized.
Their Christianity told them they owned the earth, and for for hundreds of years, they ravaged the planet, creating disorder and robbing great civilizations.Rape, murder, slavery, exploitation, robbery of great societies of their wealth and resources. See: Opium War.
A Global Nakba, much more damaging than the Mongol conquests.
Now, it's payback time.
In many ways, America is the last gasp of western barbarism and adolescent arrogance. Europe exhausted itself, Africans have started expelling the last of the French.
American children are drilled how to protect themselves from mass shooters.
This is a barbaric society coming apart.
There will be a major struggle, but the east will regain its natural role as center of the world continent.
The death-rattle of Western "civilization" is overdue.
After the collapse of Rome (which traded, long-distance, with China) Europe fell into ignorance and barbarism.
Europe had a Renaissance because the Pax Mongolica opened up the trade routes to advances societies in East and West Asia, and these influences spread east -- especially to Venice but also to other European areas.
The Arabs had saved Greek/Roman literature, so the European intellectuals got an education in advanced philosophy and other arts and sciences.
So east and west Asia helped revitalize Europe.
The European then developed industrial technology and weapons --before they had become really re-civilized.
Their Christianity told them they owned the earth, and for for hundreds of years, they ravaged the planet, creating disorder and robbing great civilizations.Rape, murder, slavery, exploitation, robbery of great societies of their wealth and resources. See: Opium War.
A Global Nakba, much more damaging than the Mongol conquests.
Now, it's payback time.
In many ways, America is the last gasp of western barbarism and adolescent arrogance. Europe exhausted itself, Africans have started expelling the last of the French.
American children are drilled how to protect themselves from mass shooters.
This is a barbaric society coming apart.
There will be a major struggle, but the east will regain its natural role as center of the world continent.
IMO Tik Tok isn't any more corrupting than Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat or Parlor. If it can happen to TikTok and Parlor it can happen to any of them. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile.
Despite the mainstream media fear-porn, there's no legitimate reason to fear China. The only threat it poses to the U.S. is economic. Our (mis)leaders just cannot stand the fact that another country may be more economically powerful than us. They need to set their overly-inflated egos aside and get over it. Empires rise and fall. The U.S. is no exception.
Almost certainly. I'm not supporting this bill in any way, shape or form. But Americans should also not ignore this problem. Hence the questions in my OP. I'm 60 y/o with adult children who are smart enough to see the pitfalls of all social media so I really don't have a dog in this fight. I just hate to see so many people ignore the slow motion train wreck happening in front of us.
To me this is just the digital USA PATRIOT Act, I agree. (And I always love it when I'm on the same page as Matt.) This is what I wrote about it yesterday:
as we slip-slide into world war III, most of the world too busy with more interesting or pressing matters to pay any attention, I note for the historical record, if there is one, that "foreign adversary" is correctly translated as "foreign rival, competitor OR foe in any field of endeavor." This is why the US is so frightened of being knocked off its self-erected pedestal, there's a mob gathered at the base asking us to jump.
Yes, the word “adversary “ makes my skin crawl. Its only use is for propaganda and anyone who uses it is engaging in propaganda. I’m not sure what the intention of labeling other countries as “adversaries” would be other than to prep the citizens for WW3.
"I’m not sure what the intention of labeling other countries as “adversaries” would be other than to prep the citizens for WW3." Or else, just to emphasise, that competition is all well and good, just as long as WE always win, and if it looks like we won't, we'll change the rules, move the goal posts, and flip over the table.
yes. but the western "great minds' who thought adopting a Marxist concept that once WE had control, history would obediently stop forever, was a good sound idea now find they are -- oops -- wrong. we don't do competition, sweeties of the world, you saps. we do conquest by bombs. it's all we do. conquest by coercion.
The phrase “the end of history” was not, in fact, coined by Fukuyama. It bears a history, and philosophical currency tracing back to the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) (who coined the term) and his modern interpreters Karl Marx (1818-1883) and the Russian-born French philosopher and statesman Alexandre Kojève (1902-1968) (source https://theconversation.com/the-end-of-history-francis-fukuyamas-controversial-idea-explained) It was part and parcel of Marxist propaganda, "communism is the end of history" I guess being meant to tell the poor victims of that system that there was nothing better to hope for so get used to it.
A commenter on The Free Press called me a Jew-hater the other day because I asked when the Gaza civilian body count would be high enough for Isra. I suppose he would term me an "adversary."
I used to subscribe to The Free Press. After 10/7, their mask came off, revealing the true zionist hideousness underneath. I was both super disappointed and even disgusted by the level of hatred for Arabs, Muslims and of course Palestinians harbored by most of the writers (Weiss, Bowles, Wiseman, Block, Lee, etc.) and most of their sycophant readers/commenters. Obviously, I canceled my subscription.
I agree there is a problem with this bill. When politicians start flip-flopping over night, and billionaires say out loud, 'this is great, I can make a lot of money', and FB and X carry on, you know we have a problem.
Follow the money, Matt. Always follow the money. Everything is for sale.
This is probably off topic, but then again, it's not because the stunning claims of this brave whistleblower were censored by the mainstream (non-watchdog) press.
Readers might be interested in my in-depth feature story on Richard Hirschman, the famous/infamous embalmer who first showed the world images of the “horrifying” clots he was seeing in up to 50 percent of the bodies he embalmed.
If you read or skim the story, please note the link I added about a medical professional who recently became a whistleblower and reported that doctors and nurses (in one hospital in America) are removing these worm-like substances from patients “three to 10 times every week.” They are NOT forming only “post-mortem.”
This, IMO, could and should be the revelation that shuts down the mRNA vaccine industry. But, again, the MSM will not report this or follow-up with any independent investigations.
Yes, I remember a documentary, I think it was titled 'Died Suddenly', which revealed that. Then I remember, as they did with any information that contradicted the prevailing narrative, both our "public health" establishment and their lapdog media howling "mis/dis-information!"
Another tool in the "turnkey totalitarianism" playbook. With every law, imagine what your worst political enemy could do with it. This law is as Orwellian as it gets
I am far from convinced that Trump isn't part of the overall plan. Having said that I would vote for him over Biden since we know we're biden's taking us. There's at least a hope that Trump has some bit of integrity that the Democrats have clearly shown that they don't have
In effect it is sanctioning investors that co-invest in Chinese ventures. China no longer needs Western tech and capital partners while the West needs access to China's labor and consumer markets. So you do the math.
We should stop talking about right and left and only center and periphery. We are all the periphery. They are the center. Have you read “The Great Taking” by David Rogers Webb. We don’t own what we think we own. Just like depositors in 1932.
Thanks for the link. It makes some very interesting points. One can have different interpretations, but if, or when, the $hit hits the fan, the depositors/securities-holders are without doubt the ones who will receive the spatter whilst losing the value of what they thought they owned.
Not only are they using TikTok as a propaganda tool, but they are also buying up farmland near military installations, funding universities that do sensitive research, and sending fentanyl over the border, not to mention their complicity in developing and releasing COVID.
The way TikTok activated its users to influence Congress shows just how dangerous it could be. And look at all these spineless Republicans that flip flopped. Why? Lobbying by Jeff Yass, not a sudden concern for civil liberties.
I'm sure some of your subscribers may feel differently, but I still fear the Chinese government (and the Russian government, for that matter) more than my own. It's the difference between cancer and a bad flu.
The response is transparency. China treats the algorithms TikTok uses as state secrets and collects vast personal data on U.S. citizens with complete impunity. This is why they oppose a sale, an option that explicitly avoids censorship (i.e. an outright ban).
You do realize Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Google (YouTube, gmail, Chrome), Apple, Amazon, etc. sell your personal data to multinational corporations... as in foreign countries.
And that’s how propaganda works, erasing history, creating enemies, and loyal partisans blinded to the failures of their own side as they’re led to slaughter. Our own constitution warned of this.
"I still fear the Chinese government (and the Russian government, for that matter) more than my own."
Then you have not been paying attention for the last 22 years.
How many American citizens have been arrested, imprisoned, prosecuted in Russia and China for participating in political speech?
How many American citizens have been entrapped by Chinese and Russian secret police, duped into participating in fake "terrorist plots" to kill governors, or blow up airliners, etc, etc?
Lots of American rotting in jails and prisons, in America, for these and other political crimes.
How many Chinese bases encircle the USA? How many Russian bases encircle the USA? Has the leader of Russia or China in the past 3 years demanded that the USA be destroyed and split up into separate countries? Has Russia or China, in the last 3 years, funded, trained, supplied, and secretly participated in wars against the USA?
The US Deep State has done all that, and more, against Russia and China, in the last 3 years.
Try this instead: No social media app that operates within the United States may provide user data to any government, domestic or foreign, for any reason with one exception: A criminal investigation in which you must obtain a warrant that shall be public record and identify the specific users being investigated.
Then apply the same to third parties that purchase or obtain such data. That, at least, addresses the problem of governments being able to influence social media platforms.
Or, if you prefer, give more control to users about data that is shared and transparency with algorithms -- but if you do, you still better have language that restrains governments from having the ability to seize control of any type.
I want to reiterate my view that the massive land buying kills two birds with one stone. Massive PR value as your MegaCorporations build the "GE City of the Future" on top and a massive, massive bunker beneath to accommodate all one's friends and families. Alas there are only about a hundred of this (not counting government bunkers) and not all of us have a berth on that sunken ship.
why do you need to "limit" anybody's influence? In my day, that was done by making your own views more convincing than theirs. Today we do it by silencing voices of dissent. It is oppressive, it is dictatorial, it is the very foundation of tyranny, and if you support it, don't complain when you get hauled off for voicing the wrong opinion or reading the wrong stuff. It happened for many decades across Europe and is back in full swing in the Western Garden, where only the One Narrative is allowed.
Ain't it funny how Team R and Team D come together to agree (and so quickly!) on matters that The National Security State wants them to agree on?
And right before the election. Surely just a coincidence. Just like how oddsmakers today give Biden even odds, now that he has the censorship power.
and precisely on the things "too secret" for us to know.
Grave DANGERS!!!
OK, like what?
You aren't allowed to know, but you can trust us - very, very dangerous!
Hell, it's too secret for the larger portion of our *elected representatives* to know. You know, the members of the sovereign body that makes our laws. "Hmm, that doesn't sound quite right..." Ya think?
This after Christopher Wray reports “ highest level of terror threats “ in congress the other day.
As Sen. Chuck Schumer admitted: "Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you." Chilling.
This generation's Patriot Act. We probably need to figure out the cycle, starting with the Espionage Act, but it does seem to run every 20-25 years.
Yes that's exactly why I'm worried that Trump isn't going to save us from anything. He just sets us up for more chaos. Having said that I think he's our only hope unless RFK get some more traction. RFK is so beholden to the Zionists I doubt he would make much of a difference either.
Trump also competes for Zionist praise, as well as being weak, stupid and easily manipulated.
He just wants to be liked and admired. He’s not an evil-hearted bastard like some of the DC-elite, but he’s not gonna get shit done.
Honestly, too far gone. We’re full steam ahead until international monetary system changes - because we WILL lose our privileged status as reserve currency. It’s already happening, but the fatal blow has yet to be dealt.
Perhaps that's the point of Trump Redux. I've always felt (feared, to be more honest) that Trump was installed for a reason.
Actually his main value is on getting elected the iuniparty will lose its shit and cross the line in a way that will require people to respond in a meaningful way
Maybe, but once I saw him standing by Operation Warp Speed and getting EUA authorization for the clot-shot - which required state-sanctioned mis/dis/mal-information regarding effective treatments already on the market..
We’ve had years to reach this conclusion and the initial panic/fog of war that COVID brought is no longer an excuse…
Also he wanted Powell to keep rates low at The Fed to keep the good times rolling…
Our nation is governed by short-sighted morons. Eager to record their 15 second sound bite to appeal to the lowest hanging fruit, the least informed voters…
We’re just so totally fucked and it breaks my heart.
Far be it to defend a man I have loathed all of my adult life but the circumstances look a bit different in hind sight. That being said Trumps biggest weakness is the inability to admit a mistake and he made lots of them including listening to Fauci and the other bureaucrats playing doctor. Warp Speed made sense to me at the time. The problem is that by the time it was introduced I realized I did not need it, and I was 58 at the time. But they had the power then as he was gone. (Which again negates the Trump as dictator motif. He delegated powers tot he state who promptly used them to sabotage him.)
At the time I honestly thought that he was doing the right thing to open up the country. The vax at least accomplished that much, even if it turned out to be both ineffective and dangerous. Maybe someday history will prove Trump was correct.
And which currency is going to replace the dollar? The Yuan? Please! The Euro? LOL. The Fed knows that all we have to do is stay ahead of the other idiots.
We’ve only been on a paper money standard for 53 years of human existence. During which time wealth inequality has absolutely exploded.
If I had to guess, It will return to a commodity-backed money (monetary units measured in a weight of gold or silver).
Governments obviously don’t want this, because it prevents them from being Santa Clause, but as US debt goes exponential the world’s hand may be forced to bring some form of stability and fiscal restraint back to the system.
If I knew what would replace our failed experiment in fiat-money I’d probably be retired already. No one KNOWS, it’s all speculation at this point. All I KNOW is our path is unsustainable.
OR the current trend continues - dedollarization abroad - nations settling more trade in their own currencies - leaving no one but The Fed to purchase treasuries and nowhere for our inflation to be exported. Inflationary monetary policies will be felt much quicker at home.
"Chaos" is the operative word. Why no empowering, morally centered, human, solutions oriented, truth/fact based American national conversation, to replace this behind closed doors, manufactured crisis to crisis, flavor of the week political hysteria, no solutions forthcoming, free citizen bad, grift?
Because "Tech", which offered the free peoples of the world limitless possibility for a healthy expanded social consciousness, connection and progress, also made the criminal political/financial grift transparent to reality worldwide. So the grifters captured and subverted it. Now, still unable to conceal their avarice, they are beginning the general criminalization of free peoples everywhere. Hannah Arendt, who lived through and literally escaped and survived the holocaust spoke clearly concerning free speech. At the first moment free speech is forbidden, you have entered a tyranny.
American tax treasure continues its journey out the back door and into numbered accounts across the world. It funds billionaire controlled NGO's. Now add domestic political operatives disguised as non-profit social service organizations and research groups. It also pays for million dollar a year classrooms that teach eight year olds how to give blowjobs but can't teach them to read or write. Likewise, the Gordon Gekko style looting of American manufacturing, lives, labor and pension funds, continues unscathed. (Gretchen Morgenson THESE ARE THE PLUNDERERS:HOW PRIVATE EQUITY RUNS AND WRECKS AMERICA) ---Stop the bleeding and we might begin a recovery.
Saying America is a shattered mirror is a gross understatement. Entire sections of "we the people" are breaking completely away. Education denied. Future stolen (think Black fratricide). Downstream from and fostered by faux Marxist sycophants, in the minds of many young men and women across America there is no Republic. Only the remnants of a colonizing and heinous capitalist machine that needs to die. Now, as in Europe, force feed the Republic with millions of undocumented military aged men and stir in the new White people are demons racism. The DNC conflation of crime with revolution cocked the gun. The DNC/CCP/WEF/EU Davos crowd intends to pull the trigger. D.Trump and J.Biden aren't the problem.
"..some people don't have a lot of food on their table....but they've got a lot of forks and knives..and they've gotta cut something.." B.Dylan
"Steal a little and they through you in jail, steal a lot and they make you King"...BD
Pls post this on your own substack so we can quote you on social media
It's blowin' in the wind.
That comment read like literature. Respect.
one man isnt going to save us and never was. this will take millions of us working from the bottom up.
W H E N ?
W I L L
I T
H A P P E N ?
I think it depends on who he picks for Secretary of State and Defense, DNI, and Chief of Staff. I want Pompeo in one of them. A straighter arrow you will not find. He is not a glory boy.
Isn't Pompeo as neocon as Haley and Cheney? Straightforward, sure, but his honesty is about how much he loves war.
I think he sees, and values, US service men and women as something more than cannon fodder. So no I do not think he is a neocon. Additionally he served in the military. Haley did not. Cheney II (Liz) did not. Dick Cheney dodged the draft.
He had Julian Assange dragged from the Ecuadorian embassy in London to Belmarsh prison. Fuck him!
Good point!
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna993711#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17105547768093&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com
He had disputes with the Ecuadoran government. That led to his asylum being revoked and the Ecuadoran embassy allowing his arrest as the US has indicted him for crimes related to unlawful assess to computers. He is imprisoned in the UK because he is using the UK legal system to fight extradition to the US.
Pompei was on record eating to assassinate Assange. He’s one of the worst, corrupt, ruthless and war mongering in many peoples opinion.
Now it's clear you're joking. Nobody could be as much of a simp for empire as you appear to be.
I am not only opposed to empire building. That is the goal of globalist. I do not so identify. See my earlier comment about ad hominem
Mike Pompeo may not be a glory boy, but he is no straight shooter. He is the former Director of the CIA. By definition, "straight shooter" and "CIA" are mutually exclusive terms.
That might be true of the rank and file as it is an intelligence gathering agency after all. And that takes a certain type of person. But I think that makes it extremely important that the Director be above board.
Assange exposed U.S. war crimes, Pompeo made plans to have him killed for it. I don't think NBC reporting on his purported mental health issues is the most important part of this overarching narrative. Assange is not a US citizen he should not be charged with espionage for gaining access to our computers or our secrets. He should be protected for exposing Hillary and all of her satanic friends. What are you doing on Matt's site promoting all of this pro war agenda? wouldn't you be happier following Liz Cheney? Would you jail the man who exposed the Pentagon papers and our devastating involvemeny in Vietnam?
Well said
Dang Karl. Stellar comment.
Pompeo is a pos as far as I can tell.
We all have opinions. You're entitled to yours.
After reading more of yours in this thread I hope “your chains rest lightly upon you.”
But at least he's a relatively honest pos.
According to Glenn Greenwald, he is largely responsible for Trump's failure to pardon Assange.
And John Bolton is "largely responsible" for blowing up Trump's reunification of the Korean peninsula. I loathe Trump, but I'd literally have nominated him for the Nobel prize. I know, Nobel is bullshit, but Trump's ego would deserve it for solving a 70 year schism.
He and Dennis Rodman almost pulled that off. I wish it happened and they shared a Nobel. Imagine the wealth of South Korea combined with the desperate, hungry, but well-educated labor of North Korea (with the unified country no longer as militarized!). It would be an economic powerhouse.
Wow, I hadn't even thought of the socio-economic benefits. After 20+ years of non-stop war, I can't really think beyond the goal of stopping the fighting and saber rattling. You are 100% right. It'd be like the reunification of Germany.
I do not know all of the details about Assange but I am not sure he should be pardoned. I appreciate government misdeeds being brought to light. I think there had to be a reckoning for the intelligence gathering business. But is the solution a free pass for leaders and hackers? He has been indicted for violation of US law. He is entitled to his day in court. Plus he sounds like a pretty despicable person. He was in the Ecuadoran embassy over rape charges in Sweden. According to the Ecuadorans he was horrific while there. But it is easy to pass as a martyr these days.
If you don't know the details about Assange, then respectfully, what business have you commenting on any topic having to do with free speech?
1) none of us know the Assange details; I was just honest enough to acknowledge it. 2) I have a pretty good grasp of not only the history of free speech but also the current state of the law and if you define the Assange matter as epitomizing all of "free speech" you do not. Respectfully. Plus all of you touting him as a free speech martyr fail to realize that a real martyr would welcome days in a court of record. There is no better way to get the word out. Respectfully.
Wow for such strong opinions your facts are pretty far from the truth. Maybe get an informed source like former UN Rapporteur for Torture who did a formal investigation into the case of Julian Assange.
https://www.republik.ch/2020/01/31/nils-melzer-about-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange
Wars are 60% for money, laundering back to the politicians, 30% to stabilize enemies of Israel, 10% ego
Pompeo will be Secretary of State. He was already CIA director so he knows where the bodies are already buried. The more he gives Mike to do the better this term will go. I read his book and I’d run through a wall for Pompeo. It also gives him the foreign affairs knowledge he will need to make a run in ‘28. If he chooses to do that and I think he would at least consider it. Real patriot.
Pompeo was Secretary of State for nearly 3 years in Trump's administration, after being CIA Director for a little over one year. He has lots of foreign affairs knowledge. For instance, he knows that there are a lot of countries out there that we haven't bombed yet, so what the hell are we waiting for?
It ain’t even about oil or the petrodollar! Just gotta bomb em to show them how gay they are!
Remind me, what wars did Trump start?
None that I know of. Pompeo wasn't President. He got to kill whoever he wanted as head of the CIA, but needed Trump to give him a war. He's in the exact same league as Cheney, Hillary, Nikki Haley, Biden, John Bolton. That's my point. He should be kept as far away from power as possible.
You mean the guy who admitted the CIA lies, cheats, and steals to "change" govts, the guy who said Trump is a "threat" to the CIA. That Mike Pompao?
Thanks Carily. I can't believe there are people defending Mike Pompeo as a paragon of virtue, on a Matt Taibbi Substack chat no less!! Have you people lost your minds? Pompeo is as pure a distillation of the swamps essence as John Bolton. Here is your boy bragging and laughing about lying and cheating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPt-zXn05ac
I am unfamiliar with that. But if true, how very refreshing. The US government has engaged in regime change. 2014 in Ukraine for example. And I hope Trump is a threat to the CIA or more accurately to the career bureaucrats managing the CIA and the other executive branch alphabet agencies including the FBI and DoJ.
Could you share those quotes?
Here you go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPt-zXn05ac
I don't trust him. But, that said, he's one of the better DC insiders.
I do not sure unequivovally trust any of them. So it is a question of who is the most trustworthy. And he is less DC insider than most. He served 6 years in Congress and 4 years under Trump. He started from and returned to Kansas and appears to be a man of modest mean. Certainly by DC insider standards. He was replaced by Blinken as Secretary of State. Pretty stark contrast I think.
Are you smoking crack rocks? Seriously, I'm aksking. Pompeo is as neocon as they come and utterly devoid of humanity.
Do you have two firing neurons? Because in my experience people who have no stronger argument than ad hominem do not.
Generally, I agree with you about ad hominem attacks, Lynne. But Pompeo is so far beyond the pale of soulless ghoulhood, I broke my rule and attacked you. Do 3 minutes research on Pompeo and you'll see he's one of the worst. People like Pompeo, Bolton & any Cheney are a threat to civilization itself.
I disagree about Pompeo. I don't need to research him further to do so. You should stick to your rules. Breaking them when someone expresses an opposing POV means it wasn't much a rule to begin with.
RFK is pal with Aaron Rogers. I’m a die hard Packer fan, wii love him for every exciting game he played, but Rogers has taken his psych shroom retreats too seriously Heard RFK talking him for VP. WTF has happened to this country? No, Trump is not a good alternative to anyone. He’s a serial liar, braggart, boaster, sore loser, narcissist who is disgustingly offensive to veterans and the people who serve and seems to have a penchant for global dictators.
Rogers publicly denied believing Sandy Hook an inside job, AGAIN. Someone in power wants Aaron silenced and/or marginalized.
Rodgers has made clear he doesn't believe that, but Jimmy Kimmel types want to believe keep repeating it to try to attack his credibility. I'm no Packers fan, But I do think Rodgers is the best to ever play the position. Additionally, he thinks more than any athlete since Kareen Abdul-Jabbar.
Thank you! I stand corrected and am happy about Aaron. I agree he’s one of the greats, but being a Packer fan I was glad to see him move on. He was developing a very sour attitude and it was Loves time. BTW I never watch Kimmel, read about Rogers on a sob stack comment . Lesson learned…double check sources. Thanks again!
Still think RFK is half nuts.
have you read the Real Anthony Fauci. He documents nightmare after nightmare. He knows what's wrong with this country, but overtaking the deep state is going to be impossible especially with so many people uniformed and brain-washed.
And Trump is dangerous
There currently isnt any real evidence Rogers said that about Sandy Hook. its one persons heresay and one anonymous source that just happened to decided to share this info when he is a potential VP candidate. RFK is subject to a smear campaign and any VP pick he has will also be subject to one. Whether you like him or not, its pretty clear the corporate media is trying to snuff out his credibility so he doesn't peel votes away in the general. Just be careful how quickly to believe the worst about someone just because we don't align with them politically.
I stand corrected on the Rogers s Sandy Hook deal. I can’t see RFK as a serious candidate, no matter the corporate media. And having watched and followed Rogers for many years, I can’t see him in politics.
Did anyone see the Macron interview yesterday? He told a TV audience that "He was informed" that Trump would not be elected in 2024. Who told him that?
RFK is silent on Zionists
I'd like to see Trump win and appoint RFK, Jr. Attorney General.
Same, I’m hoping the Dems hate him so bad, and he’s so incompetent that he fucks up and collapses the nascent autocracy Biden is building.
Can you imagine the dirt the national security apparatus has on them?
https://www.tiktok.com/@4biddentruth369/video/7345964541445950763?_r=1&_t=8kkJ83Hm4QU
I don’t think they really get it…or most of them. Matt, maybe read todays Persuasion and try to reach the more of an audience by appealing to a broader audience.
Who is "they"?
Which "they," their they or our they? I never know which one they are referencing.
The Blob’s gonna blob.
Just made my way here from America this Week comments - where I learned that Matt and Walter are freaking out over blanket censorship powers because they're too scared to discuss other issues. Really. Hard to believe, I know, but that's the view (apparently) of some commenters.
Broke the code: It's because the Israel lobby wants TikTok Tok stopped
here
TikTok faces calls for ban amid claims of anti-Israel ‘indoctrination’
US lawmakers renew calls to restrict app amid anxiety about growing pro-Palestinian views among young people.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/10/tiktok-faces-renewed-calls-for-a-ban-amid-pro-hamas-anti-israel-claims
The Israel Lobby has power the NRA only dreamed about.
This fact needs to be publicized immediately and widely and anger and actions focused on the real core problem.
You're losing TikTock because Israel says so. And their shills jumped, like trained seals.
TikTok is subversive, but anything bipartisan is going to be bad.
The word bipartisan usually means some larger-than-usual deception is being carried out.”
— George Carlin
Bi-partisan compromise - taking the worst out of each sides proposals and mashing them together.
Yes!
Crazy how they can only move quickly when it's something terrible for Americans.
Lmao. So true.
Completely incapable of doing anything at all for years and years.
But something dystopian and horrible is proposed and it gets fast tracked.
Thanks bros.
they're not my bros.
Maybe we could finally get Universal Healthcare passed if we all agree to sign up for that Mark of Beast tattoo?
The latter part will be no problem, but once everybody has their tattoo, there won't be any Universal Healthcare at all. Oops!
ACA 2: Electric Boogaloo
Dude, thanks for the Electric Boogaloo suffix! I do that on everything needing a little bit of snark. Or a lot, as is the case here. Bravo!
I really enjoyed Breakin’ 2 - Ice-T was a badass in that movie. 😎
And usually behind closed doors, like Obamacare which was rushed through after socialized medicine champion Ted Kennedy died.
Lightning in the middle of the night is akin to 'blitzkrieg'. So true.
They kinda have to move quickly. It's a small window between the feigned outrage to collect support and the discovery of their deceptive intentions. Congress, as an illusionist, makes David Blain look amateurish.
go, Uniparty. rah. rah. rah.
And as the idea of the bills popularity plummeted amongst the pleebs, the uniparty decides that now is the time to get it passed…
Strike while the iron is...hold on, is it cooling? Let's hurry up and fast track it!
And when fast-tracked, even worse.
Yuri, you’re displaying an interestingly rare skill, you see nuance and are not blindly sorting the world into black and white Boolean bins. High five from me.
I meant 'increasingly' and not 'interestingly' but it still kinda works so I'll keep it. Thank you spell check! I suppose it could've been much much worse.
Many thugs can be “subversive”; details plz
... is SUBVERSIVE!!!! Had no idea you were so silly.
The speed with which this legislation is moving through the congress is reason enough alone to oppose it. This smells like "Patriot Act: The Sequel."
And right before the election.
Just informed my "yes" voting Congress-critter that they would not be getting my vote this November. Small gesture, and in my district, quite futile, but better than simmering in silence.
Yup. A recently released intel assessment says the Netanyahu government is about to collapse, Shumer calls for his ouster, and all of a sudden Congress, which couldn't get anything passed on TikTok suddenly can come together and give the government even more control over social media. Gee, I wonder why? Sounds like a panicked and monumental effort to ensure Biden's re-election.
I'm afraid it is too late they don't care what we think at all.
That’s why they hate trump so much. Because he broke through and represented the will of the people. That’s not supposed to happen. So now they’re turning him into a cautionary tale.
Maybe, or else it's just part of a even bigger charade. That would be Whitney Webb's take. Trump is going to be installed as the hero to the right that is here to save the day but then once he's in office he won't. The same old playbook over and over again, left against right but there's really no difference.
JFK was supposed to be a cautionary tale. Admittedly, we're long overdue.
I still may vote RFK despite some substantial policy disagreements. I love JFK and I feel I’m the Bobby to my older brother - so there’s some mirroring of how my role in life has shaped out.
Who was the comedian back in the day who did the bit about how when a new President is elected, the Deep Staters bring them into a room and show them footage of the Kennedy assassination from a new and previously unknown vantage, showing the person who actually fired the fatal shot. Then they turn the lights back on and ask if there are any questions. Hicks? Kinison?
I miss Kinison.
Hicks
I was unaware that his signature achievement, a massive tax cut for the rich, was representative of the will of the people. Thanks for the clarification.
The will of the people was that they elected someone who wasn’t handpicked by our handlers: the national parties, the media and the mega donors. Try to focus, chief.
I'm afraid that damned tax cut takes too much my attention. The idea it wasn't a gift to the 1%, which is where the national parties, etc. come from and who they represent, has me perplexed. Hard to focus when it seems clear to be a shell game.
And of course let's not forget that the despicable Ms Clinton did in fact get more votes than St Donald, so strictly speaking it wasn't the "will of the people".
Dude, my comment was about the people in control, not my adoration for Donald Trump. I have no interest in arguing with a low information, tribalist hack. Have a good evening.
No cause for alarm - just business as usual.
The proposed law is a huge assault on free speech. As they say, "the devil is in the details". When Elon purchased X, Taibbi discovered that almost every alphabet government agency was trying to control speech on the internet and social media platforms. This proposed law will make their efforts legal. At least or until the supreme court rules otherwise. That last resort is becoming the norm, unfortunately.
Good thing Elon got U.S. citizenship, or they'd have him over a barrel, too.
Is there a more sure-fire way to foment distrust in government than to control and suppress what the public can see and hear?
It is beyond comprehension how the left can go along with this knowing the Orange Menace may soon have and be able to exercise such power.
How much of X is owned by the Saudis?
Less than they own in Congress.
They would have Elon on the other side of it, the barrel that is.
As a US citizen living in Mexico City I feel like a German living in Paris in the thirties watching his native country transform rapidly into a fascist state because that, friends, is what's happening in America and the west generally.
I wish I could see things differently but that, to me, is the clear drift of events. And I don't think there's much we can do but start handing out samizdat material on the street.
You seem to be one of the few commentors that understand how serious this has gotten. Is anybody really paying attention?
The handful of us that are paying attention are disgusted and powerless. Better to just prepare personally for what comes next, kick back and watch the shit-show
Hard to tell.
I like Taibbi but sometimes I think he laughs at things that aren't funny.
The hour is late, maybe too late.
I understand what you mean about Matt sometimes presenting these topics as merely absurd, rather than outrageous and alarming. (Though I would say less so recently). I have come to the conclusion however, that the information he is sharing will reach more people with his affable style. In the same way comedians are uniquely positioned to hold a mirror up to society in a way people (with a sense of humor) can accept.
Maybe except that Taibbi presents himself as a journalist not a comedian per se.
My concern, again, is that western societies are becoming more totalitarian by the day.
That's grim but undeniable in my view.
I have to agree. It’s an all hands on deck situation for sure. I welcome anyone who will call attention to it, in whatever manner is effective, to first educate and then motivate the masses.
I agree and, again, I like Taibbi. He writes about things that other journalists ignore.
My concern is that his occasionally humorous approach is based on his expectation that the system will somehow right itself and all these horrible things will disappear.
I don't see that happening. There is no hope.
So... what is the answer? Do we just let the Chinese Communist Party continue to use TikTok to further corrupt the minds of Americans dumb enough to actually use TikTok? It's bad enough that US based social media is (as evidenced by the Twitter Files and such) so corrupt, do we really think Chinese communists aren't 1000x worse? Do we sit back and let Darwinism take its toll and clean up the mess?
Western civilization is screwed.
Do you have any instances of Chinese corrupting American youth via this app? Or are you just talking out your ass? I thought so. I have no interest in using this app, but it’s 99% dumb tweeners and the like posting inoculous narcissistic shit. I can guarantee you that western intelligence has a much bigger influence on any social media you can name than China and Russia combined. Don’t throw the free speech baby out with the bath water.
It's like "we should ban email because some people might get scammed by Nigerian princes"
Ha! I’m still waiting for my $10 million…
Did you check your Spam folder??
With 10 mil I could stock up on enough spam to make it thru nuclear winter…
Wait, that's a scam?! Should I ask the prince for my credit card number back?
"Or you might say something that would hurt my feelings!!! " Me, and Taylor Lorenz.
I'd argue that when certain speech is promoted (by algorithm or curation) while other speech is suppressed the speech is not "free". So lets not throw our culture and civilization out with the illusion of free speech. I'm not promoting this bill - Matt makes excellent points why it is a bad piece of legislation, but we shouldn't ignore or minimize the problem as you are.
But it's a make-believe problem. And probably as true as Russiagate.
Literally using cell phones fucks kids up.
and BOOM goes the dynamite of truth! I had lost sight of this logic until you mentioned it Rick. Gracias.
We have greater worries than the CCP in regards to warping American minds. American Universities are the ones leading the charge of stupifying the US populace.
I agree that US universities are a significant problem. No reason we can't try to solve 2 problems at once though... right?
Censorship is never the answer
So when TikTok (or Facebook or Twitter or YouTube) promotes certain speech and suppresses others isn't that censorship?
Correct, but the solution to censorship is not more censorship. The government should not be in the business of suppressing any speech - foreign or otherwise
Hence my questions.
How about if that’s your intention have a bill that simply states” Tik Tok will be herby banned from all US tech platforms” since we all know that’s not the bills intention. It’s a power grab allowing speech those in power don’t like banned. Tech platforms they don’t like banned.
I agree its a power grab and a crap bill. That's why I asked questions about what we should actually do - because the CCP controlling a significant social media app is a problem that shouldn't be ignored. Banning TikTok directly and specifically probably won't pass constitutional muster though...
OK, I can tell this has you a little frustrated. Why are you so worried about brainwashing? Should China also no longer be able to make our iPhones? After all, who knows what kind of shit they could put in there?
The Security State already controls the domestic social media (except for X, now that it's privately held by Musk, et. al.). And they're pissed they can't control the Chinese social media.
What should we do? Let freedom ring, that's what we should do.
I’d say if you were gonna do anything it would be to put real age constraints on all social media apps. Giving our commissars power over speech would never be my choice, ever. I’d rather risk being brainwashed by Chinese bots all day every day.
~ open the Algorithm as it pertains to children. Let's see the source code of what is put in front of them or kept from them. It would be interesting to see what emphasis was put on gender bending, for instance. FCC regulated Saturday morning ads between cartoons to keep sugar & toys away. Or legislate that 12 & younger are forbidden, & 13-17 require parents permission. make it for all social media sites. Adults are on their own. ~
The Chinese government is a.. competent and b.. making life better for the people. Same with Russia, Singapore and others. Europe is commiting suicide and US is BS country.
BTW, the US tech sector is more than capable of screwing up it's own kid's. In this along with almost everything, China is better and you can't compete in your own country!
Good point, but watch out. Leftovers from Reagan or Bush might start saying shit like, "Oh yeah?!? If China and Russia are so great, why don't you move there?"
Spot on.
Perhaps when American politicians visit China, a chorus should sing"Anything You can Do, We Can Do Better"
Perhaps Justice Louis Brandeis answers your question?
‘If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence. Only an emergency can justify repression.’
‘we have nothing to fear from the demoralizing reasonings of some, if others are left to demonstrate their errors and especially when the law stands ready to punish the first criminal act produced by the false reasonings; these are safer corrections than the conscience of the judge.’
These words were spoken by Justice Mr. Brandeis during a trial in 1927 by the U.S. Supreme Court (Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center, 274 U.S. 357, 1927 (Whitney v. California)).
But, in deference to your fears, Brandeis stated that if, and only if there is a reasonable ground to fear serious evil as a result of freedom of speech, restriction is justified.
That said, without a thinking citizenry democracy devolves into a farce. Perhaps that’s where we are?
Humans are herd creatures. It doesn’t require a majority to rule. Consider, only 50% of eligible voters exercise their franchise. This means a little over 25% of eligible voters decide.
I have no monopoly on wisdom but giving politicians the power to decide what we read and watch scares me more than dumbasses on TikTok.
Referring to the nation’s founders Brandeis wrote:
‘They believed that freedom to think as you will and to speak as you think are means indispensable to the discovery and spread of political thruth: that, without free speech and assembly, discussion would be futile; that, with them, discussion affords ordinarily adequate protection against the dissemination of noxious doctrine; that the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people. Believing in the power of reason as applied through public discussion, they eschewed silence coerced by law – the argument of force in its worst form.’
Supposedly they are worried that the Chinese are collecting private information about us, and that's bad.
1. No one below the age of 35 gives a shit about privacy, so what's the biggie?
2. The private information is readily available for sale at Google and Facebook.
3. It's true that 40 consecutive videos about some dipshit trying to nail his new skateboard trick will corrupt minds, but you can't blame that one on the Chinese--it's your neighbor's kid, Justin.
This is just Russiagate 2.0 - Chinagate, the sequel... right before another presidential election. So, when anyone other than Biden wins, they can blame it on China this time. Everyone knows (okay, maybe not everyone) their so-called "concern" over China's supposed "influence-peddling" is yet another guise under which they can remove more of our rights and freedoms in the name of "national security". IOW, it's all bullsh!t.
The Chinese do not even own Tik Tok. Listen to Rand Paul and Ron Paul on what is going on here.
A Chinese based company with direct ties to the CCP controls the algorithms that promote / suppress certain content.
Every Chinese company has direct ties to the CCP.
Good point.
How about we move in the direction of an Online Bill of Rights, designed to define and defend our digital rights?
Sure - what do you have in mind?
I'd suggest that ALL social media in the US (foreign or domestic based) must run 100% open-source software so we can see if ANY speech is amplified or suppressed.
Well, Mike, truth be told, I don't have any clear sense what a digital Bill of Rights might entail, only that it is much needed. But I like your suggestion re: open source software. for starters. Also, I would imagine that, like the original Bill of Rights, a digital Bill of Rights would be comprised of several "amendments" to address the multiple dimensions of the problem.
The death-rattle of Western "civilization" is overdue.
After the collapse of Rome (which traded, long-distance, with China) Europe fell into ignorance and barbarism.
Europe had a Renaissance because the Pax Mongolica opened up the trade routes to advances societies in East and West Asia, and these influences spread east -- especially to Venice but also to other European areas.
The Arabs had saved Greek/Roman literature, so the European intellectuals got an education in advanced philosophy and other arts and sciences.
So east and west Asia helped revitalize Europe.
The European then developed industrial technology and weapons --before they had become really re-civilized.
Their Christianity told them they owned the earth, and for for hundreds of years, they ravaged the planet, creating disorder and robbing great civilizations.Rape, murder, slavery, exploitation, robbery of great societies of their wealth and resources. See: Opium War.
A Global Nakba, much more damaging than the Mongol conquests.
Now, it's payback time.
In many ways, America is the last gasp of western barbarism and adolescent arrogance. Europe exhausted itself, Africans have started expelling the last of the French.
American children are drilled how to protect themselves from mass shooters.
This is a barbaric society coming apart.
There will be a major struggle, but the east will regain its natural role as center of the world continent.
I'm sorry--what was that?
The death-rattle of Western "civilization" is overdue.
After the collapse of Rome (which traded, long-distance, with China) Europe fell into ignorance and barbarism.
Europe had a Renaissance because the Pax Mongolica opened up the trade routes to advances societies in East and West Asia, and these influences spread east -- especially to Venice but also to other European areas.
The Arabs had saved Greek/Roman literature, so the European intellectuals got an education in advanced philosophy and other arts and sciences.
So east and west Asia helped revitalize Europe.
The European then developed industrial technology and weapons --before they had become really re-civilized.
Their Christianity told them they owned the earth, and for for hundreds of years, they ravaged the planet, creating disorder and robbing great civilizations.Rape, murder, slavery, exploitation, robbery of great societies of their wealth and resources. See: Opium War.
A Global Nakba, much more damaging than the Mongol conquests.
Now, it's payback time.
In many ways, America is the last gasp of western barbarism and adolescent arrogance. Europe exhausted itself, Africans have started expelling the last of the French.
American children are drilled how to protect themselves from mass shooters.
This is a barbaric society coming apart.
There will be a major struggle, but the east will regain its natural role as center of the world continent.
IMO Tik Tok isn't any more corrupting than Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat or Parlor. If it can happen to TikTok and Parlor it can happen to any of them. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile.
How about limiting the effect to TikTok and not giving the president broad power to censor foreign news he doesn't like?
Great question Mike....anyone have a good answer?
Is letting American companies corrupt the minds of Americans that much better?
Despite the mainstream media fear-porn, there's no legitimate reason to fear China. The only threat it poses to the U.S. is economic. Our (mis)leaders just cannot stand the fact that another country may be more economically powerful than us. They need to set their overly-inflated egos aside and get over it. Empires rise and fall. The U.S. is no exception.
Agreed
Almost certainly. I'm not supporting this bill in any way, shape or form. But Americans should also not ignore this problem. Hence the questions in my OP. I'm 60 y/o with adult children who are smart enough to see the pitfalls of all social media so I really don't have a dog in this fight. I just hate to see so many people ignore the slow motion train wreck happening in front of us.
To me this is just the digital USA PATRIOT Act, I agree. (And I always love it when I'm on the same page as Matt.) This is what I wrote about it yesterday:
TikTok Ban Bill Only Tangentially About TikTok
As usual, "bipartisan" means "bad"
https://simulationcommander.substack.com/p/tiktok-ban-bill-only-tangentially
as we slip-slide into world war III, most of the world too busy with more interesting or pressing matters to pay any attention, I note for the historical record, if there is one, that "foreign adversary" is correctly translated as "foreign rival, competitor OR foe in any field of endeavor." This is why the US is so frightened of being knocked off its self-erected pedestal, there's a mob gathered at the base asking us to jump.
Yes, the word “adversary “ makes my skin crawl. Its only use is for propaganda and anyone who uses it is engaging in propaganda. I’m not sure what the intention of labeling other countries as “adversaries” would be other than to prep the citizens for WW3.
"I’m not sure what the intention of labeling other countries as “adversaries” would be other than to prep the citizens for WW3." Or else, just to emphasise, that competition is all well and good, just as long as WE always win, and if it looks like we won't, we'll change the rules, move the goal posts, and flip over the table.
yes. but the western "great minds' who thought adopting a Marxist concept that once WE had control, history would obediently stop forever, was a good sound idea now find they are -- oops -- wrong. we don't do competition, sweeties of the world, you saps. we do conquest by bombs. it's all we do. conquest by coercion.
I have read quite a bit of Marx, but not recently. Please remind me just where he said that. I'll have to refresh.
The phrase “the end of history” was not, in fact, coined by Fukuyama. It bears a history, and philosophical currency tracing back to the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) (who coined the term) and his modern interpreters Karl Marx (1818-1883) and the Russian-born French philosopher and statesman Alexandre Kojève (1902-1968) (source https://theconversation.com/the-end-of-history-francis-fukuyamas-controversial-idea-explained) It was part and parcel of Marxist propaganda, "communism is the end of history" I guess being meant to tell the poor victims of that system that there was nothing better to hope for so get used to it.
Ah, "Marxist" propaganda, got it. Those who wrote such, may in fact have had nothing to do with what Marx, himself, actually said.
bravo. I love independent thought. I don't care what it is. Just keep thinking freely.
A commenter on The Free Press called me a Jew-hater the other day because I asked when the Gaza civilian body count would be high enough for Isra. I suppose he would term me an "adversary."
Worse, he didn't even answer my question!
I used to subscribe to The Free Press. After 10/7, their mask came off, revealing the true zionist hideousness underneath. I was both super disappointed and even disgusted by the level of hatred for Arabs, Muslims and of course Palestinians harbored by most of the writers (Weiss, Bowles, Wiseman, Block, Lee, etc.) and most of their sycophant readers/commenters. Obviously, I canceled my subscription.
they never do! ask me about UK DefMin Rivkind at Davos on Russian membership in NATO. what a hoot. madder than a wet hen.
I once thought the year 1984 was getting farther away. The destruction of personal freedoms and speech are at the cliff’s edge.
Ahhhhh... the fine print.
I agree there is a problem with this bill. When politicians start flip-flopping over night, and billionaires say out loud, 'this is great, I can make a lot of money', and FB and X carry on, you know we have a problem.
Follow the money, Matt. Always follow the money. Everything is for sale.
Mnuchin is hoping to make enough to buy a vowel.
Substack needs a ROFL button
This is probably off topic, but then again, it's not because the stunning claims of this brave whistleblower were censored by the mainstream (non-watchdog) press.
Readers might be interested in my in-depth feature story on Richard Hirschman, the famous/infamous embalmer who first showed the world images of the “horrifying” clots he was seeing in up to 50 percent of the bodies he embalmed.
If you read or skim the story, please note the link I added about a medical professional who recently became a whistleblower and reported that doctors and nurses (in one hospital in America) are removing these worm-like substances from patients “three to 10 times every week.” They are NOT forming only “post-mortem.”
This, IMO, could and should be the revelation that shuts down the mRNA vaccine industry. But, again, the MSM will not report this or follow-up with any independent investigations.
https://billricejr.substack.com/p/my-visit-with-historys-most-important?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Yes, I remember a documentary, I think it was titled 'Died Suddenly', which revealed that. Then I remember, as they did with any information that contradicted the prevailing narrative, both our "public health" establishment and their lapdog media howling "mis/dis-information!"
Another tool in the "turnkey totalitarianism" playbook. With every law, imagine what your worst political enemy could do with it. This law is as Orwellian as it gets
I am far from convinced that Trump isn't part of the overall plan. Having said that I would vote for him over Biden since we know we're biden's taking us. There's at least a hope that Trump has some bit of integrity that the Democrats have clearly shown that they don't have
In effect it is sanctioning investors that co-invest in Chinese ventures. China no longer needs Western tech and capital partners while the West needs access to China's labor and consumer markets. So you do the math.
we LIVE off theft and sanctions, the sanctions enabling the theft enabled by a "slight revision of law."
We should stop talking about right and left and only center and periphery. We are all the periphery. They are the center. Have you read “The Great Taking” by David Rogers Webb. We don’t own what we think we own. Just like depositors in 1932.
Or perhaps read "TechnoFeudalism," by Yani Varoufakis. It is a very thoughtful description of where we are.
I hadn't heard of that book. I found it here: https://ia601304.us.archive.org/18/items/the-great-taking-by-david-rogers-webb/The%20Great%20Taking%20by%20David%20Rogers%20Webb.pdf
Thanks for the link. It makes some very interesting points. One can have different interpretations, but if, or when, the $hit hits the fan, the depositors/securities-holders are without doubt the ones who will receive the spatter whilst losing the value of what they thought they owned.
Ok, so how do we limit the influence of the CCP?
Not only are they using TikTok as a propaganda tool, but they are also buying up farmland near military installations, funding universities that do sensitive research, and sending fentanyl over the border, not to mention their complicity in developing and releasing COVID.
The way TikTok activated its users to influence Congress shows just how dangerous it could be. And look at all these spineless Republicans that flip flopped. Why? Lobbying by Jeff Yass, not a sudden concern for civil liberties.
I'm sure some of your subscribers may feel differently, but I still fear the Chinese government (and the Russian government, for that matter) more than my own. It's the difference between cancer and a bad flu.
How do we limit the influence of US bases all over the Pacific?
Then don't complain if the Chinese do the same to you....how about in Mexico.
If we agree that we're all playing the influence game, why wouldn't I want our country to be more successful at it?
Silly question...............understand that many countries in the world would love to be without the US!
The response to misinformation is information, not censorship.
The response is transparency. China treats the algorithms TikTok uses as state secrets and collects vast personal data on U.S. citizens with complete impunity. This is why they oppose a sale, an option that explicitly avoids censorship (i.e. an outright ban).
So are FBs algos and CIA/FBI/NSA involvement totally transparent?
No, unfortunately. But let's start somewhere.
So transparency, but only for them.
Frankly, the CIA, FBI and NSA scare me more than all the Chinese Communist Party put together.
You do realize Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Google (YouTube, gmail, Chrome), Apple, Amazon, etc. sell your personal data to multinational corporations... as in foreign countries.
And that’s how propaganda works, erasing history, creating enemies, and loyal partisans blinded to the failures of their own side as they’re led to slaughter. Our own constitution warned of this.
"I still fear the Chinese government (and the Russian government, for that matter) more than my own."
Then you have not been paying attention for the last 22 years.
How many American citizens have been arrested, imprisoned, prosecuted in Russia and China for participating in political speech?
How many American citizens have been entrapped by Chinese and Russian secret police, duped into participating in fake "terrorist plots" to kill governors, or blow up airliners, etc, etc?
Lots of American rotting in jails and prisons, in America, for these and other political crimes.
How many Chinese bases encircle the USA? How many Russian bases encircle the USA? Has the leader of Russia or China in the past 3 years demanded that the USA be destroyed and split up into separate countries? Has Russia or China, in the last 3 years, funded, trained, supplied, and secretly participated in wars against the USA?
The US Deep State has done all that, and more, against Russia and China, in the last 3 years.
Might want to reconsider who you fear.
MUCH longer than the last 3 years.
Try this instead: No social media app that operates within the United States may provide user data to any government, domestic or foreign, for any reason with one exception: A criminal investigation in which you must obtain a warrant that shall be public record and identify the specific users being investigated.
Then apply the same to third parties that purchase or obtain such data. That, at least, addresses the problem of governments being able to influence social media platforms.
Or, if you prefer, give more control to users about data that is shared and transparency with algorithms -- but if you do, you still better have language that restrains governments from having the ability to seize control of any type.
Yet another Chinese "spy"balloon myth. The lab release stuff again???
I want to reiterate my view that the massive land buying kills two birds with one stone. Massive PR value as your MegaCorporations build the "GE City of the Future" on top and a massive, massive bunker beneath to accommodate all one's friends and families. Alas there are only about a hundred of this (not counting government bunkers) and not all of us have a berth on that sunken ship.
why do you need to "limit" anybody's influence? In my day, that was done by making your own views more convincing than theirs. Today we do it by silencing voices of dissent. It is oppressive, it is dictatorial, it is the very foundation of tyranny, and if you support it, don't complain when you get hauled off for voicing the wrong opinion or reading the wrong stuff. It happened for many decades across Europe and is back in full swing in the Western Garden, where only the One Narrative is allowed.
Maybe stop consuming mainstream/legacy media?