Listen to a reading of this article: I feel like we haven't been talking enough about the fact that US government agencies were just caught intimately collaborating with massive online platforms to censor content in the name of regulating the "cognitive infrastructure" of society. The only way you could be okay with the US government appointing itself this authority would be if you believed the US government is an honest and beneficent entity that works toward the benefit of the common man. Which would of course be an unacceptable thing for a grown adult to believe.
I love Caitlin's work when she discusses the US proxy war against Russia, and when she discusses how propaganda works. Actually, I even love her work when I disagree completely because I enjoy her bold, vivid prose.
But these statements were factually incorrect:
There's no such thing as an objective journalist. (CLOSE. There are people who strive for objectivity, as she later acknowledges.)
There's no such thing as a moral billionaire. (Well, no one's perfect, but some are a lot more moral than others.)
There's no such thing as a humanitarian intervention. (When did she become a libertarian? I thought she was a Marxist who got annoyed when people "babble about Stalin and Mao" and other socialist mass murderers, suppressors of free speech, institutors of gun control, and creators of societies where you are not allowed to leave.)
There's no such thing as an honest war. (What about a defensive war? Look up "Just War criteria." Many people have formulated sincere doctrines that involve self-defense. If Anne Frank had been able to fight back, that would have been a just war.)
Even though sometimes she overgeneralizes, I know she does it to get us to think, because if she is actually this rigid and ideological, I am sure circumstances will make her more flexible. Example: she sided with Elon Musk recently in his attempts to open up Twitter to free speech, if that is what he is doing, because the regime needs to be exposed as using Twitter as a psy-opp.
"...a platform banning the way people talk about a war or a virus because government agencies told them to." Exactly.
I can't stand:
* Censorship of what's really happening in Ukraine and Russia, and why. I want this US proxy war over with.
* All of the communist lockdowns and restrictions that broke the world in 2020-21. Alcoholism shot way up. Starvation worldwide shot way up. Deaths due to lockdowns far exceeded deaths from a virus.
Every so often someone goes on substack to post a thread consisting of nothing but racial or antisemitic slurs, seemingly to prove the point that censorship is necessary. You're right that the powerful conflate hate speech and political speech and they do it on purpose, to get people to support censorship. I am a free speech absolutist, I'd rather put up with the one than give up the other. Like a former professor put it back in the 90s when Larry Flynt was pretending to be a free speech champion, "Porn is the price we pay for free speech, not the reason for it."
Caitlin, that last paragraph sums up why I love you & always will. I knew it anyway, long before you said it, but it's good you remind the poor in spirit & the stragglers. I really dislike your (& anyone else's) spiritual stuff, but that's part of who you are & I have to take you with the whole of your beautiful being. Thanks, Caity, for being you.
I have never been on Twitter and I hope people have responded to Blinken's comment with Assange, Khashoggi and the persecution of journalists in Ukraine and the censoring and demonitizing of journalists online and the stealing of their money by PayPal, to name a few of the many examples. I hate hypocrisy! It's like how I felt when Biden had the gall to say, "What if we interfered in the elections of another country?"
One wonders how long Substack can continued unimpeded by government censorship organs.
As a recovered Christian conservative, I still find myself sometimes agreeing with the WSJ, National Review, et al., but was led here by Matt Taibbi who I found to be refreshingly heterodox, honest about his biases, an excellent writer and willing to disagree, even mock mercilessly public figures of all stripes when needed.
Similarly, I've found Caitlin and Chris Hedges to be, in different ways, clear headed and brutally honest about the horrors of war, now edging closer to our doorstep. This, while otherwise smart, clear thinking people across the political spectrum cheer on each escalation and hope to hasten regime change in Russia, while ignoring our 100% failure rate in so doing over the past 70 years.
I fear that the time may soon come when even Substack will be pressured to fall in line or die on the vine.
"No member of the press should be threatened, harassed, attacked, arrested, or killed for doing their job. On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, we vow to continue protecting and promoting the rights of a free press and the safety of journalists” .
Stated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, November 2, 2022, and with the Australian Julian Assange languishing in a British prison after years of harassment by the same US government, has there ever been a more outrageous example of hypocrisy than this statement? Do something now, Prime Minister. It is there in front of you in black and white for you and the world to see and act upon. NOW.
HEADLINES INVOLVING PEACE TALKS FROM THE DAILY MAIL:
Could the end of the Ukraine war be in sight?
US 'is pressuring Volodymyr Zelensky to drop his ban on talks with Putin and negotiate an end to the fighting' amid growing fears of nuclear war, new report claims
The request is to ensure Kyiv maintains the support of its international backers
Zelensky’s ban has created concern in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America
US officials say several nations are worried about fueling a war for many years"
Ironic, since the U.S. last March wouldn't let Zelensky talk with Putin. The senile, evil, corrupt, anti-human, anti-God Biden regime, which stole the 2020 election, has caused this run-up to nuclear war in the first place!
Beautiful. If you are looking to see the full extent of humanity's creativeness, flexibility and the shifting nature of our society read this book!! Puts data behind the (correct) assertion that "human nature" is not competitive and greedy and unravels the myth.
I'm doing a poetry and translation workshop tonight. If you don't mind, I'll use this quote to remind us what honest public writing is really about:
"As more and more energy goes into distorting and manipulating public understanding of the world, it becomes more necessary to bare your soul to the furthest extent possible so people can decide on their own whether you're the kind of person they want to pay attention to.
People are very distrusting in today's environment, and rightly so; we swim in an ocean of lies. You can get around that distrust by manipulating people into thinking you're trustworthy, or you can do it by taking transparency to the furthest extent possible and letting yourself be fully seen so that people can make up their own minds about you for themselves."
Thanks for explaining things so clearly. I love this feeling when I read something that I somehow already knew, but had no language to express myself.
No Such Thing As An Objective Journalist: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
I completely agree. However, every Democrat on FB and Twitter currently believes in censorship. You could not make it up.
Putin gave a 5,600 word speech yesterday. I like to read people unfiltered by PMSNBC, Fox, etc.
Here is the link:
https://www.theinteldrop.org/2022/10/28/vital-putins-valdai-speech-in-full-deeply-censored-in-the-west/
Beautifully written
I love Caitlin's work when she discusses the US proxy war against Russia, and when she discusses how propaganda works. Actually, I even love her work when I disagree completely because I enjoy her bold, vivid prose.
But these statements were factually incorrect:
There's no such thing as an objective journalist. (CLOSE. There are people who strive for objectivity, as she later acknowledges.)
There's no such thing as a moral billionaire. (Well, no one's perfect, but some are a lot more moral than others.)
There's no such thing as a humanitarian intervention. (When did she become a libertarian? I thought she was a Marxist who got annoyed when people "babble about Stalin and Mao" and other socialist mass murderers, suppressors of free speech, institutors of gun control, and creators of societies where you are not allowed to leave.)
There's no such thing as an honest war. (What about a defensive war? Look up "Just War criteria." Many people have formulated sincere doctrines that involve self-defense. If Anne Frank had been able to fight back, that would have been a just war.)
Even though sometimes she overgeneralizes, I know she does it to get us to think, because if she is actually this rigid and ideological, I am sure circumstances will make her more flexible. Example: she sided with Elon Musk recently in his attempts to open up Twitter to free speech, if that is what he is doing, because the regime needs to be exposed as using Twitter as a psy-opp.
Anthony "piece of shit" Blinken. Beautifully put.
EDIT: It's "Antony".
UPDATE: It's also a "scumbag".
"...a platform banning the way people talk about a war or a virus because government agencies told them to." Exactly.
I can't stand:
* Censorship of what's really happening in Ukraine and Russia, and why. I want this US proxy war over with.
* All of the communist lockdowns and restrictions that broke the world in 2020-21. Alcoholism shot way up. Starvation worldwide shot way up. Deaths due to lockdowns far exceeded deaths from a virus.
Stand for honesty, courage, and freedom, people.
Every so often someone goes on substack to post a thread consisting of nothing but racial or antisemitic slurs, seemingly to prove the point that censorship is necessary. You're right that the powerful conflate hate speech and political speech and they do it on purpose, to get people to support censorship. I am a free speech absolutist, I'd rather put up with the one than give up the other. Like a former professor put it back in the 90s when Larry Flynt was pretending to be a free speech champion, "Porn is the price we pay for free speech, not the reason for it."
Caitlin, that last paragraph sums up why I love you & always will. I knew it anyway, long before you said it, but it's good you remind the poor in spirit & the stragglers. I really dislike your (& anyone else's) spiritual stuff, but that's part of who you are & I have to take you with the whole of your beautiful being. Thanks, Caity, for being you.
Two words: Global Walkout! Join the Reignite Freedom movement. The time is NOW!
I have never been on Twitter and I hope people have responded to Blinken's comment with Assange, Khashoggi and the persecution of journalists in Ukraine and the censoring and demonitizing of journalists online and the stealing of their money by PayPal, to name a few of the many examples. I hate hypocrisy! It's like how I felt when Biden had the gall to say, "What if we interfered in the elections of another country?"
Trust to the truth. It does not go away. It will endure and eventually it will prevail.
One wonders how long Substack can continued unimpeded by government censorship organs.
As a recovered Christian conservative, I still find myself sometimes agreeing with the WSJ, National Review, et al., but was led here by Matt Taibbi who I found to be refreshingly heterodox, honest about his biases, an excellent writer and willing to disagree, even mock mercilessly public figures of all stripes when needed.
Similarly, I've found Caitlin and Chris Hedges to be, in different ways, clear headed and brutally honest about the horrors of war, now edging closer to our doorstep. This, while otherwise smart, clear thinking people across the political spectrum cheer on each escalation and hope to hasten regime change in Russia, while ignoring our 100% failure rate in so doing over the past 70 years.
I fear that the time may soon come when even Substack will be pressured to fall in line or die on the vine.
"No member of the press should be threatened, harassed, attacked, arrested, or killed for doing their job. On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, we vow to continue protecting and promoting the rights of a free press and the safety of journalists” .
Stated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, November 2, 2022, and with the Australian Julian Assange languishing in a British prison after years of harassment by the same US government, has there ever been a more outrageous example of hypocrisy than this statement? Do something now, Prime Minister. It is there in front of you in black and white for you and the world to see and act upon. NOW.
Referrer
HEADLINES INVOLVING PEACE TALKS FROM THE DAILY MAIL:
Could the end of the Ukraine war be in sight?
US 'is pressuring Volodymyr Zelensky to drop his ban on talks with Putin and negotiate an end to the fighting' amid growing fears of nuclear war, new report claims
The request is to ensure Kyiv maintains the support of its international backers
Zelensky’s ban has created concern in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America
US officials say several nations are worried about fueling a war for many years"
Ironic, since the U.S. last March wouldn't let Zelensky talk with Putin. The senile, evil, corrupt, anti-human, anti-God Biden regime, which stole the 2020 election, has caused this run-up to nuclear war in the first place!
Here is the Daily Mail Link:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11394623/US-pressuring-Zelensky-drop-ban-talks-Putin-negotiate-end-fighting.html
Beautiful. If you are looking to see the full extent of humanity's creativeness, flexibility and the shifting nature of our society read this book!! Puts data behind the (correct) assertion that "human nature" is not competitive and greedy and unravels the myth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dawn_of_Everything
I'm doing a poetry and translation workshop tonight. If you don't mind, I'll use this quote to remind us what honest public writing is really about:
"As more and more energy goes into distorting and manipulating public understanding of the world, it becomes more necessary to bare your soul to the furthest extent possible so people can decide on their own whether you're the kind of person they want to pay attention to.
People are very distrusting in today's environment, and rightly so; we swim in an ocean of lies. You can get around that distrust by manipulating people into thinking you're trustworthy, or you can do it by taking transparency to the furthest extent possible and letting yourself be fully seen so that people can make up their own minds about you for themselves."
Thanks for explaining things so clearly. I love this feeling when I read something that I somehow already knew, but had no language to express myself.