dagblog - Comments for "More than 100 newspapers will publish editorials decrying Trump's anti-press rhetoric"

This should be here, I missed

artappraiser — Sun, 19 Aug 2018 04:59:48 +0000

In reply to More than 100 newspapers will publish editorials decrying Trump's anti-press rhetoric

This should be here, I missed it; you can read PDF of full Res. at link:

Senate unanimously adopts resolution declaring "the press is not the enemy of the people"

@ CBSNews.com, Aug 16, 2018 11:39 PM EDT

The Senate unanimously passed a resolution Thursday affirming that "the press is not the enemy of the people." The resolution, introduced by Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, passed by unanimous consent.

President Trump has repeatedly declared that the "fake news" media is the "enemy of the people."

Unanimously adopted today. https://t.co/QuJ3bNfZqO
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) August 16, 2018
"Resolved, that the Senate affirms that the press is not the enemy of the people; reaffirms the vital and indispensable role that the free press serves to inform the electorate, uncover the truth, act as a check on the inherent power of the government, further national discourse and debate, and otherwise advance the most basic and cherished democratic norms and freedoms of the United States; and condemns the attacks on the institution of the free press and views efforts to systematically undermine the credibility of the press as an attack on the democratic institutions of the United States...." the resolution reads. [....]

I have enjoyed Oliver's

A Guy Called LULU — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 22:43:20 +0000

In reply to imo John Oliver is perhaps

I have enjoyed Oliver's satire too. Maybe if I disagreed overall with his stand on some issue I could search for some single mistake in his presentation and claim it discredited everything he has said or might say in the future. Maybe I would even find a couple mistakes he had made. Here is an examination of an entire episode satirizing the Venezuelan government. It is funny. It is entertaining. It is satire. Is it accurate in its ridicule?

imo John Oliver is perhaps

ocean-kat — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 02:52:27 +0000

In reply to Thanks, amazing, this was

imo John Oliver is perhaps the greatest political satirist of our time. When ever I read a bizarre story like the Seeds of Solidarity I immediately think astroturfing. it's not always the case but pretty often that's what's happening.

Warren is coming up with a lot of good ideas like this. Novel solutions to problems we're facing that seem to bypass standard right left fights. I wonder if she's planning on running in 2012,

Bomb threat made at Boston

artappraiser — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 02:39:31 +0000

In reply to Yes, Virginia, it's

Bomb threat made at Boston Globe after editorial condemning Trump

By Justin Wise @ TheHill.com, 08/16/18 05:17 PM EDT

[....] Officials from the Boston police told Boston 7 News that they do not believe the threat was "super serious" but that they have increased patrols around the building.

The station noted that the FBI is conducting an investigation.

A building manager at the Globe's headquarters said the paper received "several threats via phone call" on Thursday, according to an email obtained by Axios. [....]

Thanks, amazing, this was

NCD — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 01:12:11 +0000

In reply to Another great video by John

Thanks, amazing, this was predicted by Orwell of course, The Ministry of Truth etc, except he didn't foresee capitalist oligarchs running things.

I like Elizabeth Warren's new ideas on making corporations legally responsible to workers and the community and nation, and requiring a 75% vote of shareholders/boards before any campaign money spent. Of course, the Roberts court would probably say any such plan is property siezure and unconstitutional.

Another great video by John

ocean-kat — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 00:28:59 +0000

In reply to In 3 minutes 80% of the not

Another great video by John Oliver on astroturfing.

https://slate.com/culture/2018/08/john-oliver-on-astroturfing-on-last-we...

thinking back now to this May

artappraiser — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 23:48:09 +0000

In reply to I dunno precisely because: we

thinking back now to this May story about another fired "dog" who he didn't dare name call back with the dog thing, didn't call him a dog, just fired him, as if he didn't want to draw much attention

Rex Tillerson just majorly trolled Donald Trump by Chris Cizzilla @ CNN, May 16

Rex Tillerson may be gone, but he hasn't forgotten.

Speaking to soon-to-be graduates of the Virginia Military Institute on Wednesday, Tillerson dropped this truth bomb:

"If our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom."

Woof.

Double woof.

You may remember that Tillerson was removed as Secretary of State by President Donald Trump after a remarkably tempestuous year in office -- a period of time during which relations between the two men grew badly strained.

Things were never really the same after reports surfaced last fall that Tillerson had called Trump a "moron" in a Pentagon meeting in the summer of 2017. Tillerson didn't deny using that word, although he sought to shame the press for even covering it. Which means, of course, that he said it [....]

An alpha thing is clearly involved as well. He feels free to troll beta males and women with name calling. But Tillerson called him a moron and he didn't name call back. Learned bully lessons long ago that you only pick on the weak? But it gets confusing because he's not that good of a judge about who is weak, he's often delusional about that?

Edit to add: he's real simplistic about who he thinks is weak. I.E., short guys like Sessions and Corker, he picks on them. Sooo not impressed with the idea of the NYTimes as the fourth estate. After all, back in the day, he liked using the NYPost Page Six gossip column for his own P.R. purposes and probably cackled in glee at the results. As if it mattered in the scheme of life...him, that's all that matters?

I dunno precisely because: we

artappraiser — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 23:21:04 +0000

In reply to More than Jack Shafer and Jay

I dunno precisely because: we have a troll in the office of president and he is unabashedly proud of his trolling skills! I still believe that the rule not to feed trolls works but that's only when they are pseudonymous commenters on the internet! When one has a Troll Uncle Rudy at the annual Thanksgiving dinner, that's a different, notoriously tough situation, precisely because he still feels free to troll even though he doesn't have the protection of anonymity. (I.E., he's an asshole.)

But when one has a troll occupying one of the most powerful offices in the world, it's vastly beyond my skill level to suggest anything. And the rules are being made up as we go along, what else can be done about it?

All that said, as first amendment fan (to the point of membership in PEN) I love being able to read and compare a lot of these essays, it's like the best competition evah with some of the best minds on topic. I don't know if it helps or hurts the immediate situation, but it's sure good for the history books.

After having a minute to

artappraiser — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 23:18:44 +0000

In reply to Yes, Virginia, it's

After having a minute to think on the TrumpTweet retort, one thing that stands out: it's all about ratings to him. That is: good information has high ratings and monetary success. So what hurts him most is criticism from those who are "popular," though he won't admit it. So especially from something like a Murdoch media entity, a WSJ for the elites and a Fox News for the masses, that is what freaks him out the most, even if he tries to cover it with bravado. Also keeping in mind he thinks like this: liberals are a minority and that it's always about him, the narcissism, not an ideology of any kind. I think celebs like Schwarzenegger, who are both popular and not far left wing, really know how to get his goat and possibly even inspire him to rethink certain things, though once again he won't deviate from what he thinks is good for the adoration of #1. And to complicate it more, he is often self-delusional.

In 3 minutes 80% of the not

NCD — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 22:57:21 +0000

In reply to lol! thanks, I didn't know

In 3 minutes 80% of the not the usual regulars/well known,.... "opinion havers".... on the internet can often be discovered to be delusional wackanoodles with all sorts of crazy ideas and opinions.

Lulu had one last week, to a guy with an awesome sounding membership on the Task Force on the Americas.org...!! Posting at....drum roll....Counterpunch..!!

It was praising Maduro, blaming US. The Task Force turned out to be a bunch of lefties in California whose claim to Task Force fame was sending an old lady to Caracas in 2016 with bags of seeds for the poor to grow food on balconies to avoid starvation. They called it.... Seeds of Solidarity.