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Another wonderful informative article from HCR! Thank you so much! I do hope OAN has to pay Michael Cohen millions of dollars in punitive damages.

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Or better yet, give those millions to someone who deserves them more than Michael Cohen, which would be... most people!

How about a PSA campaign informing the public about all the things right-wing media has misinformed them about? Hey, a guy can dream!

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Perhaps use those millions in OAN punitive damages to fund high speed internet access to underfunded communities.

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This has been a goal of my own but directed to federal amounts given to WV ( itтАЩs high!)the projects directly affecting , bettering this little lot of poor southern states. It doesnтАЩt make a difference. They still vote RED . The extraction states (According to the U.S. Census Bureau: the national poverty rate was 12.4% in 2022, up from 11.2% in 2021. These states have the highest percentages of poverty in the country: Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, New Mexico, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, and New York) have long been poor, the population ( in most) is mainly black though WV has few, we are mostly just old here. Lots of churches (Thoughts and Prayers) , not much rural health care. I work /post to find facts pointing out why, doesnтАЩt make any difference. The young complain , leave the state, low voting percentages (except 2020 , 67% went to Trump). The coal companies have basically packed their bags and left, high production gas/oil companies/prominent coal barons havenтАЩt paid their taxes (nor definitely fair share) , fines/or been held responsible тАжbut are running for office again! Between 2010 and 2020 WV 65,000 people left. Near 8,000 died of Covid but the highest stats are heart diseaseтАж. and suicide 20% vs the Nat average of 14%.

But America has the highest rate of billionaires (756) andтАж. millionaires (24.4 MILLION).

Comforting?

Some big changes are coming, will it be whatтАЩs needed (or wanted) , time is telling , history is repeating itself, many want to rewrite it ( so it SOUNDS BETTER?) , are taking away voting rights , want to listen to FNC/OAN, stacked courts/elected officialsтАж..

And oh yeaтАжand Democracy is on the line.

ЁЯТЩЁЯТЩVOTEЁЯТЩЁЯТЩ

I am

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It's a real conundrum - how to bring light and shine it onto an issue. I have two high school buddies (Class of 1958), one a die hard Baptist living in Oklahoma and the other a die-hard atheist, living in Florida. Both are MAGA Republicans, but for different reasons. The Okla buddy favors white Protestant Christian Nationalism. The other is a racist who favors White Nationalism. That both have benefitted from the FDR/Frances Perkins New Deal economy is lost on them. I don't know what lies ahead but the Republican effort to replace public education with Charter schools is for the purpose of "Christianizing" the population. My dear departed friend, Jim Buie, believed that religious indoctrination of the young is a form of child abuse. Remember, Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini were all Roman Catholics, as is Gov. Ron DeSantis. Hate is religion's other side of the coin, apparently.

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I did not know Jim had passed ЁЯШЮ may blessings rest with his family, and JimтАжthanks for your support and wonderful writing. Thank you Richard, I love your commentary too .

I am a spiritual being, ChristтАЩs Path , the red letters (love the song) are far from where many walk/talk/block/got . My state is 52% evangelical , enough said. But, I understand the youthтАЩs protest тАжand like you point out we differ in our reasonings ,not always badly. Humans are a waring lot , and pointedly the тАШshewingтАЩ fills the pages, history repeating decades after decades.

I will work for peace, patiently protesting as I have done most of my 80 years . As тАШreturn to normalcyтАЩ so lovingly answered this morning ..we do so for our many grandchildren . In 68 I decided to leave for the woods partially in protest , it was trendy , a lot of dissolution in attempting it for many. Many of these turned about face and тАШfightтАЩ for the too many trod on -yuppies we were named. ItтАЩs humorous in ways. I came to WV and applied myself to help those. And тАЬstill yetтАЭ as the sayings amongst тАЬBless their heartsтАЭ go we ..and the many others ( profound thanks , lovesЁЯШМ)

I hope we can maintain the American Dream improving it as history proved, not as the history wanting to be rewritten would write.

I have done my Yoga today a little early , that and Deuter , my near favorite and classical music, has brought ..along with many of you тАжme to a better frame .

May your day be filled with inspiration , writings that make the difference, and peace.ЁЯе░

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What lovely thoughts and word pictures.

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I am humbled , KathyЁЯл╢

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Hi Pat ! I'm so pleased to see a Mountaineer on this platform, I could bust ! I'm not so fond to learn of your hardships. I do understand though.

I have so many questions... I was born there, know the culture, geography, etc., etc. It would be lovely to have conversations with you. There now exists a messaging system on this Substack platform. I think you could access it. It might be worth inquiry. I'd love to know 'where' in WVa you're residing, I don't know your comfort level for revealing that. My knowledge might be adequate for generalizations, landmarks.

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A ways out in rural Lincoln Co, county seat. Farmer. Retired. OLD! ЁЯдгWV is a beautiful state, poor. WVS alumi. Not really a Mountaineer Fan or Marshall , but theyтАЩre fun and popular.

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Don't forget SCOTUS' 6 Catholics

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I know about the SCOTUS 6. It's a national tragedy.

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Amen

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hope you watch the segment from Washington state GOP convention.......Rachel Maddow 4/29.

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Thank you, Rickey.

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oooh, I like that idea... a PSA listing every right-wing media lie.

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I have often wondered why 45тАЩs lies werenтАЩt broadcasted on streaming platforms to the public such as Time Square and public squares across the country.

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That is a cool idea.

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And disinformed! Knowingly dis informed.

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Not so far fetched. A nurse colleague I once worked with had a son who died in an ER due to the ER being poorly equipped to care for pediatric patents. They sued and won. Their suit was no money to them, but that the hospital had to upgrade their ER to be able to safely care for kids. It was amazing. So, law suits that hold these corporations accountable in a way to make public amends is a great idea.

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Damn right. ItтАЩs about time that these lying gits, and Fox, too, learn that they cannot simply throw shit in the world and call it тАШnewsтАЩ without any consequences. I hope that lying becomes _so_ expensive for them, that they will think twice about doing it again.

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Seems to me lies knowingly designed to harm are in no way free speech. The false cry of "Fire" for example.

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Very well put. The hard right always cries "free speech!" when someone tries to tell them they are lying.

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But not when non-Republicans protest violations of human rights.

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No, it always works in just one way. "Double standards", remember? That's a very important principle for the hard right camp...

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Excellent point.

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The problem is that if they began telling the тАЬtruthтАЭ - the real truth - then what distinguishes them from the likes of MSNBC, CNN and similar or like news sources? Maybe the cable companies should give us the opportunity to choose which 24-hour news sources we want to receive in our basic service subscription package.

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Believe Project 2025 is a real threat. It builds on the premise to dismantle the agencies. For this thread about Social Media Regulation, the FCC deregulated the Cable TV market and paved the way for an unregulated Satellite TV market. No one younger than 50 can even remember the Fairness Doctrine. The billionaires like Elum Musk loves Project 2025. No regulation helps them manage their monopolies.

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I do not have cable, I do not have тАЬdishтАЭ -feel like IтАЩm starting a Dr Seuss ..no itтАЩs a wish listтАж..

no public water , I heat with wood..and older now these things are hard , but corporate America has got to be barred ! There are millions being wasted away when spread around it could plain and simply тАжmeet the need. It would change the mindset from steal and greed.

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Thomas Frank's book, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" The lies have a purpose and they work.

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When Fox reported that Biden won, MAGAs jumped to OAN.

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"True Believers" to the end, and beyond.

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Yes please cable companies

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Sue National Enquirer, too. How many evil mis-media do we have?

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Facebook.(falsebook). Why not take the Tictock opportunity a little further. Does it matter who owns it? Unregulated means any foreign power can miss and dis inform our citizens without them knowing it.

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I will never forgive Zuckerberg or Sandler for the part they played in helping get trump elected in 2016. I don't care if they didn't think he could win. I knew he could and he did because of disinformation that wrapped people's minds.

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Zuck deleted all the data. 65 million fake accounts reaching over 100 million real American accounts. Bot likes exponentially elevate posts increasing enragement, artificially prostituting popularity fooling everyone including the legislators. Social Media needs regulation.

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It needs regulation quickly. Democracy depends on it.

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I prefer the term evil dis-media :)

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I wonder Mike, the viewership increased dramatically , as did their advertisers due to that. Are the fines commensurate or does that matter. Being entertained isnтАЩt about the factual тАжapparently ?

Geez, itтАЩs TuesdayтАж.and my outlook is terrible!

Sorry folks

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Don't feel bad & no need to apologize. I laid in my bed trying to fall back to sleep & nothing but the news, the worry about a possible coming trump 2.0, the Kristi Noem animal cruelty, & since I tend to watch many documentaries about WWII & Nazi Germany those thoughts burst into my mind as well. I tried to think about the many times I went to Yosemite & enjoyed Nature, or going to the beach in my youth & body surfing or fighting the waves as my Mom used to call it. But they kept being overshadowed by the dark, concerning/terrifying thoughts of "past is prelude". I'm old so want to protect my granddaughter from what could come. I want to impart what little I learned over the years so that she can be prepared & know what to look for as the history of the USA is being written.

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The greatest failure of our public schools is now on display: the failure over the past 60 years to teach critical thinking skills along with why it is that we want a democratic form of government, in contradistinction to an autocracy.

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ЁЯл╢

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The reason that OAN made the apology was probably to mitigate their damage exposure.

Hunter Biden is suing Fox. Time will tell. If Fox wants to minimize any future exposure, they'll apologize.

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An apology is woefully insufficient, another self-serving made-up story. ItтАЩs like Gilda RadnerтАЩs character Emily Littella, in the early years of SNL, whose tag line was always тАЬnever mind.тАЭ Fox News shouldnтАЩt get to тАЬnever mindтАЭ their viewers and proceed to the next lie. They need to be hit where it hurts, repeatedly, until they stop doing it or go bankrupt. They are already there, morally.

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Unfortunately, the law gives the defamer the apology defense to reduce damages, even preclude punitive damages. Depends on timing. May bee so late that the damage has been done.

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тАЬViolins on Television!!!!!тАЭ

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"Flea erections in India!!!"

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WhatтАЩs the status of all the voting defamation lawsuits? Fox settled, but what about Rudy? Sydney Powell, and the others?

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Another Emily tagline I loveтАжтАЭitтАЩs always somethingтАЭтАж. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7REI-kBlyQ8 Which, btw, is the title of her book (an excellent, poignant, read): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248170.It_s_Always_Something

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..these entities donтАЩt care about moralityтАж..just $$ all.the.way.across.the.board.

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Apologize AND cease to exist.

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Amen, Donna. Time to sweep these tired old liars and their tired old lies into the great dust-bin of history.

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ЁЯТЩЁЯТЩVOTE ALL THE COMPLICIT OUTЁЯТЩЁЯТЩ

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Cohen isn't suing. Hunter Biden is. Because of the voting company win, OAN is having to temper itself and apologize, occasionally.

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