There has been no greater danger from within to the future of America since the Civil War than today’s Trump-led, Christo-fascist GOP. And for the mainstream media to be reporting on this election from any other context is the worst failure I could ever imagine. Walter Cronkite is spinning in his grave.
There has been no greater danger from within to the future of America since the Civil War than today’s Trump-led, Christo-fascist GOP. And for the mainstream media to be reporting on this election from any other context is the worst failure I could ever imagine. Walter Cronkite is spinning in his grave.
My theory (having watched CNN go around the bend) is that corporate media, like many Republicans, are hedging their bets. They want to be in the good graces of the 'New MAGA Order' if that becomes a reality so as to survive, knowing that their craven cowardice and treason can be smoothed over should the nation regain its sanity and reelect Biden-Harris. It seems plain as day to me.
Maybe as Dan Rather quoted a teacher as saying. Just get up and go to the window and see if it’s raining. Report what you see. Spinning, deciding, do, or don’t, burying stories, headlining stories, is the media taking the decision away from us. Chump and David Pecker knew that. So should we all…
Indeed Mona Ross and Roxanna Springer; those are precisely the springs that feed my rage and outrage towards many of those outlets; no truth, nor honor - profit motives only.
Driving through Taos NM in late August 2015 there were " sandwich board' signs lined up in town for 2 blocks each one stating a reason why not to vote for tfg - it was great.
No Burma Shave in Melbourne, but there was one series of yellow signs with black printing that used to puzzle me when we drove out of town to the hills. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.....WHY NOT PREPARE?.....YOU CAN INSURE FREE.....BY TAKING THE SUN. I thought it must mean what we now do to boost our Vitamin D, but it meant "The Sun", one of our three morning newspapers (masthead a black rooster silhouette and the words "Daily at dawn"). Everybody read it, "The Argus" was rubbish, "The Age" was ponderously serious, with no pictures, and "The Herald" (evening) and "The Sun" were owned by that fine newspaperman Sir Keith Murdoch. Rupert was in short pants then. That's amazing: those four signposts popped back into my memory for the first time since childhood, reading about burma-shave.
Boy, would I love that. I remember them as a kid riding in the back seat with 3 bros. Would suggest that to maddogpac.com. The billboard folks, if I knew how. Attention getters for bored kids could be attention getters for head-in-the sand voters.
Thank you for a simple yet profound insight, Jeri. Your insight reminds me of when I was talking -- as one among several students -- with Charles Kuralt a few months after the bi-centennial. I had a pet-peeve, which I presented to the venerated 'American roadie'. I had been disturbed by the television crews interviewing Arthur Bremer's mother after the attempted assassination of Governor Wallace.
The 'old lady' (likely at an age younger than I am now) was crying, obviously broken-hearted and in the grief of disbelief that her son could do such a thing. The whole incident impressed me as mean-spirited thrill-seeking. Mr Kuralt patiently answered that news is not always pleasant. To which, with not wit, I exclaimed that I was so upset I turned off the television.
"And you had the choice to . . . just to turn off the TV," replied Mr Kuralt. One can not argue with that. Report the news and let the viewer make up his or her own mind. We are not imbeciles. Some may not be as well educated as others, but that does not mean they are stupid or that the media should become missionaries of information (i.e., propagandists).
In a pre-internet, pre-cable tv era, old school, shoe leather journalists of the highest professionalism as he certainly was, were the coin of the realm, displaying Americans and parts of America, to their fellow Americans in other parts of America with a panache as picaresque as it was powerful. I assume he and his producers at CBS titled the series ("On the Road with Charles Kuralt") both for the obvious and in tacit homage to the pioneering Jack Kerouac book.
Years later here in Southern California, our local PBS station presented a long running show of similar quality and focus hosted by a sometime acquaintance of mine, the late, great Huell Howser, entitled "California's Gold".
You actually met Charles Kuralt. I was a fan every Sunday morning. He would be appalled at the stupidity of viewers today, and how the gullible gobble nonsense like it is ambrosia. I agree with Napoleon’s comment that “nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” That should be our mantra for our difficult age.
As a college freshman. He was very unassuming and very kind. There was an eighty-something former vaudevillian in my college town whom we loved. Somebody told Mr Kuralt about him and so Mr Kuralt did an on-the-road segment of that man. So charitable; even brought a blush of grace to my young and cynical cheeks.
I know that nowadays, you can't trust anything in regards to pictures. There is a picture of trump holding a bottle with two hands but he looks like he is blowing on it as if the water was hot or he was going toot with it. Just one photo catching and isolating an action can be so misleading. Is the picture AI generated? photo-shopped? They all look so real.
What are the chances that TFG's supporters can wake up to the fact that they are being used to gain power? The very sources that have convinced them that their situation is not their fault but caused by the 'other', that the money behind those sources are the cause of their discontent.
About the same as the chances that the Christian nationalists will see that they're being used by their preachers (and the politicos and plutocrats) for similar reasons, and that most of what they're being taught doesn't come from the New Testament.
The problem is white supremacy. It’s insidious. Today’s letter outlines how racism has shaped our Constitution, our lives and our nation for centuries.
Why did we even need all of these Constitutional amendments and court decisions to give states rights when we’re supposed to be the “United” states?
Anyone who knows the truth about American history can see how white supremacy has shaped our nation in profound ways for centuries. It’s embedded in our Constitution, laws and customs.
Heather uses the term “neighbors” when she refers to Black people but most White people never had Black neighbors because America’s laws and customs didn’t allow Black people to live in certain places or hold certain jobs or attend certain schools.
So called “Christian nationalists have always been with us. The Bible was used to justify slavery and Jim Crow. Religion has been used to allow white supremacy to dominate all of our lives.
Yet in the mainstream we don’t like acknowledging, talking about or doing anything substantive about white supremacy.
I think Biden has fallen out of favor because the reality is his vice president is a colored woman, he’s included a good number of Black people in his administration/ campaign and Black voters are a good part of his base. This is alarming to most (but not all) Americans.
There’s panic about the idea that Kamala might have to assume the presidency. Heaven forbid! The ruling class and people who benefit are on edge.
The Great Replacement Theory is scaring too many White people. Trump is their savior.
Racism (plus misogyny) got us to where we are today and it’s killing America. Let’s pretend that’s not the issue though. It’s just Joe’s age.
White people overwhelmingly vote for Trump because they want small government and tax cuts. Never mind his character and agenda.
Nope-they vote for him because they don’t want us to make progress. They like white supremacy and know that Trump and the Rs will make America great again.
This is the real issue that people need to wake up to-if we could deal with white supremacy as a feature of our caste system then issues like education, gun control, abortion, climate change etc can be resolved because we’d have more unity-not division.
Black people support Biden because they know through lived experience over generations that tyranny means death and destruction.
Trump and the Rs lean on racism and “Christianity” because they know it works. It’s a proven tool for dividing and conquering the masses. It’s been cultivated for years. Would immigration be such a problem if the people weren’t “brown”?
We need to be wide awake to see the racism though. I’m counting on Americans with goodwill to give our nation a chance for change. Vote for Biden and call out racism when you see it so we can move forward together.
While President Biden's faculties have declined, I am still with him. I would welcome a President Harris, though I would likely disagree with many of her policies. She is a fine person with an unimpeachable character.
I also favour President Biden for many of the specific actions he has taken. One stands out as a reflection of his basic decency. That is the nomination of former Senator Jeff Flake as the (now) U.S. Ambassador to Turkey.
Senator Flake served the State of Arizona as a conservative Republican and wrote a modern up-date of 'Conscience of a Conservative'. He was the first, perhaps only, Republican Senator to stand up openly to condemn Trump for his hate-filled rhetoric.
Republican Senators who knew better let him twist in the wind; M.A.G.A. malice hounded Senator Flake out of the chamber. That President Biden rewarded Senator Flake for his courage says all I need to know about President Biden to vote for him.
Biden hasn't fallen out of favor in my circles either, but IMO Gina is on to something really important: that one reason Biden has fallen out of favor with the mostly white, mostly male pundits and media moguls is that his VP is a woman of color. Notice how so many of the people demanding he resign don't mention VP Harris as a backup, and indeed don't mention a backup scenario at all?
Gina - this is it precisely! I'm glad to see that you have called it out. But the level of discomfort that white Americans feel when this subject is broached is very informative. It seems really difficult for most Americans to ponder the contradictions inherent in our system of government, our laws, and our economy. Most would prefer to not be reminded and try to pretend it away.
Had a chat with my sister-in-law about the phony Christians all around these days. Shocked her to her core. But she is kind, serious about Christianity and no fool. The opportunity arose and I took a chance. Bet her brain has been spinning, but maybe she will decide that some of the family are bat-Schitt crazy with the cult crap.
A "friend" said that Kamala was chosen because she was female and black, totally disregarding her many achievements. Folks need to learn more about her before dismissing her.
‘Kamala …heaven forbid!’ We suspected Ronnie Reagan was ‘losing it’ after he was re-elected! Not until his term was over was it revealed Nancy was running the country , and her fortune teller!
Anne-Louise, they certainly do not teach from the first three Gospels and what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. They ignore what he said about the wealthy and religious hypocrites like themselves. if Jesus appeared today, they would deport him....not a blue-eyed white man. And then there is Paul and their fav book, Revelations.
The only share is fanatical insistence on being right vs wrong or more to the point good versus evil. If you're not sure about that, read the NT, just not as a Sunday School lesson.
Jeri Chilcutt's comment (Jul 9) is exactly what the "free press" is supposed to be doing. Real reportage has historically been "just the facts, ma'am," without slant, bias, or pre-determined conclusions. The facts drive the reporting, rather than the other way around. The USA saw the stirrings of "yellow journalism" back in the early 1890s, when breathless, sensational reportage was in use to propel the nation into a war with Spain. William Hearst and Joe Pulitzer saw real gains in readership by appealing to emotions and pathos in the articles that appeared, and Hearst himself has been credited with the origin of the expression "If it bleeds, it leads." It's been a downhill slide ever since.
Or even a genuinely NEUTRAL position. I don't need the media to tell me what to think or how to think, but I DO need the media to tell me what happened, what is planned, what various people are thinking or what their goals are.
It doesn’t matter. Any coverage allowed will be propaganda a la Putin. Public radio/TV will be defunded—something I mentioned in my letter today saying that I had stopped listening to their news which was (including BBC) constantly fomenting the agitation about Biden, and not covering his successes, stable administration, or Trump’s many disconnects ramblings. I told them I expect better of them,
I listen to Medias touch. They are gathering more and more well educated people. Glenn Kirchener, and the man from Tennessee. and Farron Cousins.
In the main stream news, no one seems to realized that the Biden's staff are very steady people who know what they are doing. Trump had staff who didn't know what they were doing. Biden just needs to go out and campaign just like he is doing.
We need to get beyond the debate and let our President focus on governing. This has become a huge distraction for our President.
If we continue this "distraction", we are giving free support to those in the Republican Party that are destroying our freedoms to govern "for the people".
There is a need for quiet, serious, and respectful conversation within the body of Democratic leaders. Our beloved and great President needs to be taken out of the spotlight so that he can continue the great work he has done for us.
Wise and positive action needs to be taken...no more "wringing our hands". Persons of color are working together to save our Democracy. We need to pay attention to their wisdom and follow their lead.
Thank you, Emily. So true! And just by the way, I was looking at a video clip of Jamie Raskin wielding his duelling sword with perfect balance and efficacity and admired him yet again. ("It's always a pleasure to hear my colleague from Colorado speaking" - just before demolishing her). He's not black, but the protective headscarf he's no longer wearing, thank goodness, could have made him a self-proclaimed victim of otherness.
Perhaps. But Biden might’ve actually prepared for a debate on issues. That wasn’t one, thanks in part to the panel failing to focus the questions and to Trump’s lifelong automatic ‘camera’ mode—the gaslighting conman. He is a media-created narcissist and Biden is not. Biden is a working man, not a media created celebrity. His mistake was expecting to actually talk about substance and facts.
DT did not answer a single question in that “debate”. In his usual bullying fashion he just repeated the lies that he has committed to memory and said over and over again. It wasn’t preparation, it was repetition.
I agree that Biden was over-coached and over-prepared with facts and numbers rather than speaking from his heart.
It’s time to be over the debate. What matters is defeating Project 2025!!
Using Project 25—and every single one of the horribly unpopular measures the MAGA GOP promises—as Democratic Party propaganda for defeating DT and MAGA at every turn.
Make a list of them, from His Majesty Donny I to overturning Roe vs. Wade to bump stocks to official State religion to the persecution of racial and sexual minorities to the expulsion of all the millions who have been keeping the country alive and the economy functioning by doing the jobs no one else is willing to do… List in order of horror.
Winning both houses of Congress is essential, purging every school board, every niche where the infestation of parasites and scavengers has taken up lodgings!
*
HURRY! Get hold of the COMPLETE VERSION NOW, before Drumpf has it taken down as… too embarrassing… with his name written all over it, just as that name will, if he has his way, be branded on all that moves and displayed in letters of gold on all that doesn’t.
GET THE PRESENTATION BY KEVIN ROBERTS, PRESIDENT OF THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION…
Drumpf, of course, says “Not me... Don’t know these folks”.
JUST AS HE DIDN’T “KNOW” STORMY DANIELS, THE LADY HE RAPED IN A CHANGING ROOM OR ANY OF THE OTHERS WHO HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF THOSE SMALL HANDS GRABBING THEM BY THE GENITALS.
Peter, I let it go with "I may have had a bad day or so in my time" and leave it go without debate. You soon find out who has an axe to grind or a narrative to 'spin.' ** Also, to your point; The manipulative nature of OiD's badly flawed character prepped him.
Thanks Eva. I too listen to Medias touch. They have brilliant commentators and as diverse as well educated Glenn Kitchener to Tennessee Brando (a good old ordinary average American). They help maintain the sanity that MSM is so lacking for true journalism.
*** And 'that' my wise friend Eva is the word that says it all; TEAM. The office of the president is All about the Team around him. Joe has constructed a team of professionals who are tremendously talented, extremely committed to 'ideals, philosophies, goals, etc., that Joe has, as their leader espouses and 'acts' upon. In shorter terms, they execute his ideals surrounding our construct of a just, useful, and constitutionally driven government and community. And for those who've paid close attention to our doctor, they are doing it all "lawfully," which has her, and yes myself, on their side; at this moment in time. ** I am ever in awe... absolute awe at the team Joe has assembled around himself. I've often thought, and chastised myself for not letting those individuals know how proud and grateful I am for their service to country... and Joe; each respectable leaders in their own rights. And extremely hard working.... again following Joe's lead and actions. That includes the seemingly invisible Kamala, who works her tail off too, unbeknownst to far too many. I would give anything, including my last days on this rock, to serve Joe, Kamala, Blinken, Buttigieg (sp ?_) - any who would have me. They are truly rock stars !!!
Lol Anne. I fret sometimes... At my core I'm sort of a grammarian and spell - arian like others here. Bet I could save our doctor some money on editing costs - I'd work for her for room and board ! Thanks for confirmation on the spelling. I don't know if it shows or not in my writing, but I write as I think and feel - in the moment. I don't calculate, yet sometimes my fingers get too far behind my thoughts.... Brava sistuh !
I think the man you refer to is "Tennessee Brando"? I have not seen Glenn Kirschner on Meidas, but he has his own Youtube channel and also does frequent clips with Brian Tyler Cohen.
I also recommend "Beau of the Fifth Column" and his companion weekly channel "The Roads with Beau".
They will disappear, completely. Maybe they want to hang on as a shadow of what they were early on. Well, that’s what they are now. Hoping for a Dem blow out and my many dreams come true. Yes, I’m a dreamer, but maybe I’m not the only one…
John, as if RFK Jr weren't the actual agent of division which HCR reminded us about in her previous letter about the political psychologicakl warfare Putin has used so effectively in the UK (see Brexit and Boris Johnson) and in France (in Marine LePen). RFK Jr represents the same kind of divider that tRump was. His major ties for speaking engagements, organizations and money has been the far right as has been his staffing. His own family is embarrassed by him and repudiates the stands he takes.
HCR specifically reported on "what Russian political theorists called “political technology”: the construction of a virtual political reality through modern media. Political theorists developed several techniques in this approach to politics: blackmailing opponents, abusing state power to help favored candidates, sponsoring “double” candidates with names similar to those of opponents in order to confuse voters on the other side and thus open the way for their own candidates, creating false parties to split the opposition, and, finally, creating a false narrative around an election or other event in order to control public debate."
100% agree. RFK in a sense is to this cycle that Ralph Nader was to 2000 but worse because he has used his good name and take on destructive directions on issues.
John, when you meet RFK, please ask him to buy my book, “How to Make Money From the Mentally Retarded.” I’ll send you an autographed copy dedicated to him.
I do believe the wonderful, honest and fearless patriots sharing the truth on MSNBC have proven that they are willing to face their fears and use their gifts and talents in order to preserve freedoms you enjoy but are too cowardly to stand up for! They are fighting for all of us...even you.
What are you doing to preserve freedom for the future of the citizens of the United States of America???
What are you doing? I don’t see you on social media attacking the traitor or his acolytes. I don’t see you sharing news worthy attacks on them. All I see here is an uninformed rabble rouser.
I am no longer able to listen to most of what CNN is reporting these days. They have barely mentioned Trumps abysmal, outrageous, one lie after another, performance during the “debate”…They seem set on destroying Biden. Jim Acosta seems to be the only one allowed to report on Trump’s outrageous behaviour. Also, let’s not forget that Biden is surrounded by strong, smart, trustworthy
My theory: it's like tug-of-war. The center is not where the flag is attached to the rope. The center is halfway between the two lines on the ground. The media's judgment is supposed to be on which side makes the best argument while the flag is between the two lines, which is while both sides are making sure both sides are being heard.
By closing its collective mind to the left, the right has declared that the flag is the center, and they knew the media would fall for the con because of its "next quarter" profits.
Dear CNN,
There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.
Yeah, and I had to read yours twice to be sure you really hadn't said "Pascal's Wanger"... Junior high brain stole the cafeine this morning, apparently.
I keep thinking about that--if Trump gets into office, there's no way Project 2025 will spare the NYT, CNN, or WaPo, no matter what they have been publishing recently.
Further Notice: James A, I am initiating mandatory mediation with Substack Inc on tortious Author conduct & unfair business practices by a Platform without James A.
Thank you, Bryan. Trolls have appeared and disappeared here before as we both well know (and that of the good readers here). I highly suspect that "James A" is former LFAA troll who got nowhere (you know who I mean!!) and has received funding to again try to sow discord here.
Steve Edward R. Murrow is spinning with Walter Cronkite. Murrow would be prompted to do a ‘Joe McCarthy’ expose on Trump, Project 2025, and the deadly challenge to the soul of America.
Murrow already would have done an expose on the Supreme Court, whose stench has fouled the Potomac River.
I'll put in my vote for MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell as one of the few remaining trustworthy journalists on television. In my judgment, everyone should make a habit of watching his show.
He, Lawrence O’Donnell is the news reporter that I also like. For his clear and honest reporting. I like Rachel Meda, but she’s just a little too cynical for me.
I think you mean Rachel Maddow. She's good too, but I don't always watch her, not because I think she's cynical, but because she's too detailed. We all need to know it's USA versus MAGA. If USA wins, everyone wins, including the MAGA cult members. And if MAGA wins, everyone loses, including MAGA.
Rachel digs into the nitty gritty detail to prove that point, and I'm thinking I'm already scared enough as it is. But I did watch the Stormy Daniels interview.
I knew Edward R. Murrow, his wife Janet, and Clancy, his only son. During WW II my family would listen to his remarkable THIS IS LONDON on Sundays. Much later Dad and Mr. Murrow created THIS I BELIEVE in memory of my mother.
I last talked with Murrow at an Eisenhower Fellowships meeting with President Eisenhower in the fall of 1960. Subsequently he became chief of the United States Information Agency, where he did a superb job of publicizing America abroad until, with lung cancer from his heavy smoking, he had to step down, and then died.
Lordy Keith. Most incredible thing I have seen on here. He was such a remarkable man. I saw his interview with Bogie and Bacall and he smoked non stop. What a loss. We watched him and my parents loved him. What a loss. You are so blessed.
Urrow. During the 1953 coronation, Murrow flew back with films for a broadcast, while Dad and I took Janet to Ascot (with Queen Elizabeth). Many years later Clancy and spoke spoke to a public television group in Washington about THIS I BELIEVE.
Have you written about it, such incredible memories. The coronation was the first thing I remember seeing on tv. We went to aunt’s house since we didn:’t have one. A fishing weekend. What an experience. How I wish some genius would show some of the old shows so we could relive some of those moments. I know C-span does old political speeches, but so much human interest stuff is lost or replaced by garbage.
Jesus Christ is spinning as well (hypocrisy being his #1 pet peeve). Never before have I witnessed such hypocrisy between what is written in the scriptures and the actions taken by these so-called “evangelicals.” Thank you David for calling out the mainstream media for doubling down on this….
Unfortunately, this supposes that we all (Americans) consume the same news, as we did when I was a kid and we only had the three local stations. Everyone got pretty much the same story. With the advent of cable, it doesn’t really matter how much news is consumed if it’s only consumed in a silo that protects and justifies your own thoughts and ideas. We don’t really have a Walter Cronkite or Edward R. Murrow anymore. And if we did and they reported the truth, the right wouldn’t watch or listen to them anymore.
There is nothing Christian about this organization. It is an insult to the name of Christ.
Christ came to reconcile mankind to God, the Father. He demonstrated unconditional love. He healed those whom no one else would touch. He went into storms and calmed them. He confronted those whom He loved with the truth....some turned to Him, some did not choose to do so....He did not condemn them.
He demonstrated the unconditional love of God by tenderly loving women who survived by living a life of prostitution or had been married many times...trying to find love and acceptance.
His chosen disciples were of a great variety of men each one with different gifts as well as struggles.
I am deeply concerned regarding family and friends who have allowed themselves to believe lies regarding the Christian faith. Too often it is just to be a part of a group.
It is also heart breaking to see people willing to believe lies from an organization that is far from living a surrendered life within the teachings and example of Christ.
How dare a person who has no faith , who worships only himself has gained such control over so called "Christians" who by their chosen ignorance from lack of studying and lack of praying and lack of "backbone" are leading our country to destruction.
Regarding "abortion", it must be a private decision made by a woman or a young girl.
In many instances, she is completely alone. The one who impregnated her carries nothing with him...not even a husband bears the pain or shame or fear or helplessness or guilt that is placed on the woman by many in this country. Her ability to choose is much more important than just a vote. Not to give a woman or young girl this right is cruel and dehumanizing. Her physical as well as mental health is at risk.
God does see the man....not just the woman or girl.
Regarding abortion, Jesus was as crystal clear. An individual's conscience is guided by the individual's personal relationship with God. That doesn't mean everyone gets to do anything they want and say "God told me to do it." Instead, we have to acknowledge that we are all children of God, and our responsibility is not only to resolve our internal conflicts, but we must also be willing to employ the time, energy, and attention necessary for resolving the conflicts between us.
Ergo, criminalizing health care (God told me to tell you what you can and cannot do) is anti-Christian. It is that simple. Anyone who doesn't believe that is ignoring Jesus' "all the Law and the Profits hang on these two commandments" message in Matthew 7:12 & 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 6:31 & 10:25-37, and John 14:12 & 15:12.
Thank you Emily. Yes, God gave us free will. If I want an abortion I can have one. You don’t have to have one but imposing your will to block me from exercising my free will I view as a major sin.
Jesus never said “worship me,” but instead said “follow my way.” Now these hypocrites want to impose their will of the “Christian family model” on the whole country, forgetting why people fled England to establish a free America! They have it back asswards—they love to flaunt their worship of Jesus but do not follow His way….
....And there you have it; Another bedrock foundational principle. Free will is "the thing" and in common among many - if not all religions. This g_o_d_ did not create puppets (if creation and g_o_d_ is your thing; I don't throw rocks). What is among the 'known' to me things is that this g_o_d_ of any doctrine I know of, did not 'create' identical puppets to itself. They were 'created' with "free will." Coincidentally or not, any whole person having a free will, also has the first and most important of "unalienable rights", .........the right of free will.
Emily, we've had this conversation before. If they do what they do in the name of Christ their God, and call themselves Christians, that is what they are. In their belief structure, they take the Bible as their foundational text.d That sounds mighty Christian to me, even as the semantics argue that there is no "Christ" in that version of Christian.
I don't know much about Susan B. Anthony, but I expect she is also rolling in her grave based on her three quotes I've listed below. The antiabortion Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America organization is using her name in vane by working in precisely the opposite direction of her stated intent.
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
"No man is good enough to govern any woman without her consent."
"Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less."
Walter was mightly distressed before he died as he watched Fox spin “the way it is” to whatever lies Rupert and repubs were pushing on any day. A sea change in America that affects every one, every single day.
I can only imagine. The whole "fair and balanced" and "we report, you decide".
I spent the better part of 28 years working graveyard patrol. I remember the first time I heard those two slogans: I had signed up for swingshift overtime, and had come on duty at 7:00 p.m. I tuned the radio to my usual station (at that time, in the mid 1990's I listened to Art Bell on AM 1120; don't judge me, it was entertaining.) I was eastbound on Hwy 58 from I-5 driving towards rural eastern Lane County. I heard that slogan and my initial thought was "well, yeah". Then I heard what they were reporting, and said (out loud and not abbreviated) WTAF?!? The only thing correct was the weather. Other than that, it was utter garbage.
Sidebar: In my later graveyard years (early 2000's) I discovered ESPN Sports Radio, and loved listening to "Mike and Mike in the Morning." When I went to dayshift contract patrol, it was classical music, all the way; then I discovered I could plug my iPod into the car radio... that was cool!
I recall my iPod "mini"--I couldn't afford a full size one. I loaded all my tunes into and brought it to work to show my friends. I can still picture the face of one co-worker--her eyes got HUGE and she begged me to let her borrow it for a day to show her husband! :)
I got a refurbished iPod 3 (I think) for a birthday 15+ years ago. I still have it, and can listen to the songs that were on it; can't add any new ones, but I have some great albums on there.
I remember, in 1946, when we received our first Colombia 33 rpm long playing record that had excerpts from classical and popular music. Could music life ever get better? What would I do with my 78 rpm recordings.
I so very much want one of those Ally ! When it was too late, I saw the value of those things. For instance, my daughters both had them, and I asked about them far too late.
My BFF in the 90’s turned out to be married to a conservative nut and when Fox started up, they had it on TV at their house 24/7, literally. They were up all night and I guarantee it was on whenever I was there, which was often. I was beyond appalled from the start, so I’ve always known how horrid Rupert was. And now the whole of our citizenry are bamboozled. It’s been a long strange road.
Trump gives the impression he is softening his position on an abortion ban by saying the states should decide...but that is not softening. If he succeeds, it will be a double blow. It will enable states to take away reproductive rights and the rights of any other group they decide to hate this week.
Likewise, for Congressmen and pundits to call for Biden to step down are themselves putting our very democracy in peril. The majority of American Democrats have spoken, through the process we call the primary election process.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT disenfranchise my vote. DO NOT weaken our election process.
Let's all be posting about Project 2025. Biden/Harris have a good write-up about it on their site: https://joebiden.com/project2025/ There's actually a lot of coverage of it in MSM just over the last couple of days. Let's all AMPLIFY via our social media accounts.
True! Mainstream media is fully back to operating under Wm. Randolph Hearst premise. "If it bleeds, it leads." And the GOP has, along with a great number of Americans have chosen to be willfully ignorant.
Steve, are you taking action. Putting in actual time for Biden? Working a phone bank? Helping craft and send out letters? Setting up neighborhood groups to act on what needs to be done in your community. Who is your local representative? Have you visited their office to see what kind of help they could use? That is how change happens! Ever worked on phone bank for a favorite local? Even 2 hours a week willl be appreciated, helpful
Thanks for asking. Yes, I am taking action here in my retirement … in pretty “red” Oklahoma… including being a member of the Lincoln County Democrats. There’s more I will say at a later time. I’ve been involved in politics in many ways since voting for Jimmy Carter in 1976. Here’s one fun picture from an event in Los Angeles in 2012 …
well said..but more than commenting on Heather's post, taking action, putting boots on the ground is much more important. Online commentary is fun, and can be intriguing... but again... boots on the ground! Community action groups are very valuable.
There has been no greater danger from within to the future of America since the Civil War than today’s Trump-led, Christo-fascist GOP. And for the mainstream media to be reporting on this election from any other context is the worst failure I could ever imagine. Walter Cronkite is spinning in his grave.
My theory (having watched CNN go around the bend) is that corporate media, like many Republicans, are hedging their bets. They want to be in the good graces of the 'New MAGA Order' if that becomes a reality so as to survive, knowing that their craven cowardice and treason can be smoothed over should the nation regain its sanity and reelect Biden-Harris. It seems plain as day to me.
… trying to play both sides against the middle instead of determining what’s right and what’s wrong and taking and making a stand on that decision!
Maybe as Dan Rather quoted a teacher as saying. Just get up and go to the window and see if it’s raining. Report what you see. Spinning, deciding, do, or don’t, burying stories, headlining stories, is the media taking the decision away from us. Chump and David Pecker knew that. So should we all…
Follow the money. Ratings over truth. What sells?
Distracting us from what's really going on -- a by-product of 'what sells' or the driver???
Indeed Mona Ross and Roxanna Springer; those are precisely the springs that feed my rage and outrage towards many of those outlets; no truth, nor honor - profit motives only.
Can you fit all that on to one of those front lawn signs? The MEDIA taking the decision away from us.
Make a series of "burma-shave" signs...
Driving through Taos NM in late August 2015 there were " sandwich board' signs lined up in town for 2 blocks each one stating a reason why not to vote for tfg - it was great.
*Example (from delighted memories ! ) "Passing Cars..... When you can't see.... Will get you to...... Eternity, _ Burma Shave"
Telling your and my ages Ally... lol. I loved those damn things !
Out of curiosity, ¿what is burma-shave?
No Burma Shave in Melbourne, but there was one series of yellow signs with black printing that used to puzzle me when we drove out of town to the hills. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.....WHY NOT PREPARE?.....YOU CAN INSURE FREE.....BY TAKING THE SUN. I thought it must mean what we now do to boost our Vitamin D, but it meant "The Sun", one of our three morning newspapers (masthead a black rooster silhouette and the words "Daily at dawn"). Everybody read it, "The Argus" was rubbish, "The Age" was ponderously serious, with no pictures, and "The Herald" (evening) and "The Sun" were owned by that fine newspaperman Sir Keith Murdoch. Rupert was in short pants then. That's amazing: those four signposts popped back into my memory for the first time since childhood, reading about burma-shave.
Boy, would I love that. I remember them as a kid riding in the back seat with 3 bros. Would suggest that to maddogpac.com. The billboard folks, if I knew how. Attention getters for bored kids could be attention getters for head-in-the sand voters.
Somebody else said it better than me. I’ll try to find it. It’s critical
It IS critical. If you can't find it, edit it yourself.
You must be young🤭
Actually - that says it!
"The Media is taking the decision away from us"!
There is an entire community of patriot hearts, brilliant minds to draw ideas from Anne. Great question... we all need ask the right questions.
Socratic teaching.
Wow. That would pack in a punch, ¿would it not?
Thank you for a simple yet profound insight, Jeri. Your insight reminds me of when I was talking -- as one among several students -- with Charles Kuralt a few months after the bi-centennial. I had a pet-peeve, which I presented to the venerated 'American roadie'. I had been disturbed by the television crews interviewing Arthur Bremer's mother after the attempted assassination of Governor Wallace.
The 'old lady' (likely at an age younger than I am now) was crying, obviously broken-hearted and in the grief of disbelief that her son could do such a thing. The whole incident impressed me as mean-spirited thrill-seeking. Mr Kuralt patiently answered that news is not always pleasant. To which, with not wit, I exclaimed that I was so upset I turned off the television.
"And you had the choice to . . . just to turn off the TV," replied Mr Kuralt. One can not argue with that. Report the news and let the viewer make up his or her own mind. We are not imbeciles. Some may not be as well educated as others, but that does not mean they are stupid or that the media should become missionaries of information (i.e., propagandists).
Ahhh, the late, great Charles Kuralt.
In a pre-internet, pre-cable tv era, old school, shoe leather journalists of the highest professionalism as he certainly was, were the coin of the realm, displaying Americans and parts of America, to their fellow Americans in other parts of America with a panache as picaresque as it was powerful. I assume he and his producers at CBS titled the series ("On the Road with Charles Kuralt") both for the obvious and in tacit homage to the pioneering Jack Kerouac book.
Years later here in Southern California, our local PBS station presented a long running show of similar quality and focus hosted by a sometime acquaintance of mine, the late, great Huell Howser, entitled "California's Gold".
"Amazin!"
How quickly it has been forgotten that ‘ol Charles’ was ‘on the road again’ because he had another family out West!
You actually met Charles Kuralt. I was a fan every Sunday morning. He would be appalled at the stupidity of viewers today, and how the gullible gobble nonsense like it is ambrosia. I agree with Napoleon’s comment that “nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” That should be our mantra for our difficult age.
As a college freshman. He was very unassuming and very kind. There was an eighty-something former vaudevillian in my college town whom we loved. Somebody told Mr Kuralt about him and so Mr Kuralt did an on-the-road segment of that man. So charitable; even brought a blush of grace to my young and cynical cheeks.
Lol; I adore Dan Rather too Jeri. Expecting nothing of recompense, he's still swingin' away for us all.
"Steady" arrives in my inbox every evening.
Me too. Loved Dan since Carla. I felt that Rupert and Karl Rove caused the trouble that led to CBS being stupid.
Talking heads making no sense to anyone but themselves!
Empty heads blathering bull schitt
I know that nowadays, you can't trust anything in regards to pictures. There is a picture of trump holding a bottle with two hands but he looks like he is blowing on it as if the water was hot or he was going toot with it. Just one photo catching and isolating an action can be so misleading. Is the picture AI generated? photo-shopped? They all look so real.
I have so many memes from 2016. I'd like to pitch them, but some really tell a story about the cretin that I hope to pass on someday.
What are the chances that TFG's supporters can wake up to the fact that they are being used to gain power? The very sources that have convinced them that their situation is not their fault but caused by the 'other', that the money behind those sources are the cause of their discontent.
About the same as the chances that the Christian nationalists will see that they're being used by their preachers (and the politicos and plutocrats) for similar reasons, and that most of what they're being taught doesn't come from the New Testament.
The problem is white supremacy. It’s insidious. Today’s letter outlines how racism has shaped our Constitution, our lives and our nation for centuries.
Why did we even need all of these Constitutional amendments and court decisions to give states rights when we’re supposed to be the “United” states?
Anyone who knows the truth about American history can see how white supremacy has shaped our nation in profound ways for centuries. It’s embedded in our Constitution, laws and customs.
Heather uses the term “neighbors” when she refers to Black people but most White people never had Black neighbors because America’s laws and customs didn’t allow Black people to live in certain places or hold certain jobs or attend certain schools.
So called “Christian nationalists have always been with us. The Bible was used to justify slavery and Jim Crow. Religion has been used to allow white supremacy to dominate all of our lives.
Yet in the mainstream we don’t like acknowledging, talking about or doing anything substantive about white supremacy.
I think Biden has fallen out of favor because the reality is his vice president is a colored woman, he’s included a good number of Black people in his administration/ campaign and Black voters are a good part of his base. This is alarming to most (but not all) Americans.
There’s panic about the idea that Kamala might have to assume the presidency. Heaven forbid! The ruling class and people who benefit are on edge.
The Great Replacement Theory is scaring too many White people. Trump is their savior.
Racism (plus misogyny) got us to where we are today and it’s killing America. Let’s pretend that’s not the issue though. It’s just Joe’s age.
White people overwhelmingly vote for Trump because they want small government and tax cuts. Never mind his character and agenda.
Nope-they vote for him because they don’t want us to make progress. They like white supremacy and know that Trump and the Rs will make America great again.
This is the real issue that people need to wake up to-if we could deal with white supremacy as a feature of our caste system then issues like education, gun control, abortion, climate change etc can be resolved because we’d have more unity-not division.
Black people support Biden because they know through lived experience over generations that tyranny means death and destruction.
Trump and the Rs lean on racism and “Christianity” because they know it works. It’s a proven tool for dividing and conquering the masses. It’s been cultivated for years. Would immigration be such a problem if the people weren’t “brown”?
We need to be wide awake to see the racism though. I’m counting on Americans with goodwill to give our nation a chance for change. Vote for Biden and call out racism when you see it so we can move forward together.
While President Biden's faculties have declined, I am still with him. I would welcome a President Harris, though I would likely disagree with many of her policies. She is a fine person with an unimpeachable character.
I also favour President Biden for many of the specific actions he has taken. One stands out as a reflection of his basic decency. That is the nomination of former Senator Jeff Flake as the (now) U.S. Ambassador to Turkey.
Senator Flake served the State of Arizona as a conservative Republican and wrote a modern up-date of 'Conscience of a Conservative'. He was the first, perhaps only, Republican Senator to stand up openly to condemn Trump for his hate-filled rhetoric.
Republican Senators who knew better let him twist in the wind; M.A.G.A. malice hounded Senator Flake out of the chamber. That President Biden rewarded Senator Flake for his courage says all I need to know about President Biden to vote for him.
I don't speak for everyone, but in my circle, Biden has NOT fallen out of favor!
Biden hasn't fallen out of favor in my circles either, but IMO Gina is on to something really important: that one reason Biden has fallen out of favor with the mostly white, mostly male pundits and media moguls is that his VP is a woman of color. Notice how so many of the people demanding he resign don't mention VP Harris as a backup, and indeed don't mention a backup scenario at all?
Biden fallen from favor? Not on YouTube.
Gina - this is it precisely! I'm glad to see that you have called it out. But the level of discomfort that white Americans feel when this subject is broached is very informative. It seems really difficult for most Americans to ponder the contradictions inherent in our system of government, our laws, and our economy. Most would prefer to not be reminded and try to pretend it away.
Had a chat with my sister-in-law about the phony Christians all around these days. Shocked her to her core. But she is kind, serious about Christianity and no fool. The opportunity arose and I took a chance. Bet her brain has been spinning, but maybe she will decide that some of the family are bat-Schitt crazy with the cult crap.
A "friend" said that Kamala was chosen because she was female and black, totally disregarding her many achievements. Folks need to learn more about her before dismissing her.
‘Kamala …heaven forbid!’ We suspected Ronnie Reagan was ‘losing it’ after he was re-elected! Not until his term was over was it revealed Nancy was running the country , and her fortune teller!
Is anything? (taught from the NT, if this post gets detached from Susanna's).
Anne-Louise, they certainly do not teach from the first three Gospels and what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. They ignore what he said about the wealthy and religious hypocrites like themselves. if Jesus appeared today, they would deport him....not a blue-eyed white man. And then there is Paul and their fav book, Revelations.
Paul said some pretty stupid stuff about women so I'm hedging my bets. <g>
There is another documentary, 'Bad Faith', that lays bare the corrosive corruption of power represented by Xian nationalism. Worth the watch.
The only share is fanatical insistence on being right vs wrong or more to the point good versus evil. If you're not sure about that, read the NT, just not as a Sunday School lesson.
Poor suckers seem to think that the power will be used to benefit them. Surprise - DT and MAGA power brokers. don’t really care about them.
Cults rarely wake up
Brain dead.
As far as those who haven't already peeled away eg Lincoln Project etc, Trumpism is likely baked in no end.
Fear of the monster they themselves created.
Jeri Chilcutt's comment (Jul 9) is exactly what the "free press" is supposed to be doing. Real reportage has historically been "just the facts, ma'am," without slant, bias, or pre-determined conclusions. The facts drive the reporting, rather than the other way around. The USA saw the stirrings of "yellow journalism" back in the early 1890s, when breathless, sensational reportage was in use to propel the nation into a war with Spain. William Hearst and Joe Pulitzer saw real gains in readership by appealing to emotions and pathos in the articles that appeared, and Hearst himself has been credited with the origin of the expression "If it bleeds, it leads." It's been a downhill slide ever since.
Or even a genuinely NEUTRAL position. I don't need the media to tell me what to think or how to think, but I DO need the media to tell me what happened, what is planned, what various people are thinking or what their goals are.
It doesn’t matter. Any coverage allowed will be propaganda a la Putin. Public radio/TV will be defunded—something I mentioned in my letter today saying that I had stopped listening to their news which was (including BBC) constantly fomenting the agitation about Biden, and not covering his successes, stable administration, or Trump’s many disconnects ramblings. I told them I expect better of them,
I listen to Medias touch. They are gathering more and more well educated people. Glenn Kirchener, and the man from Tennessee. and Farron Cousins.
In the main stream news, no one seems to realized that the Biden's staff are very steady people who know what they are doing. Trump had staff who didn't know what they were doing. Biden just needs to go out and campaign just like he is doing.
Exactly…Biden is surrounded by a smart, capable, trustworthy team. They will be dependable and competent and supportive.
Unfortunately, DT's minders prepared him very well for the "debate". Biden's did not.
Peter Burnett,
We need to get beyond the debate and let our President focus on governing. This has become a huge distraction for our President.
If we continue this "distraction", we are giving free support to those in the Republican Party that are destroying our freedoms to govern "for the people".
There is a need for quiet, serious, and respectful conversation within the body of Democratic leaders. Our beloved and great President needs to be taken out of the spotlight so that he can continue the great work he has done for us.
Wise and positive action needs to be taken...no more "wringing our hands". Persons of color are working together to save our Democracy. We need to pay attention to their wisdom and follow their lead.
Thank you, Emily. So true! And just by the way, I was looking at a video clip of Jamie Raskin wielding his duelling sword with perfect balance and efficacity and admired him yet again. ("It's always a pleasure to hear my colleague from Colorado speaking" - just before demolishing her). He's not black, but the protective headscarf he's no longer wearing, thank goodness, could have made him a self-proclaimed victim of otherness.
Perhaps. But Biden might’ve actually prepared for a debate on issues. That wasn’t one, thanks in part to the panel failing to focus the questions and to Trump’s lifelong automatic ‘camera’ mode—the gaslighting conman. He is a media-created narcissist and Biden is not. Biden is a working man, not a media created celebrity. His mistake was expecting to actually talk about substance and facts.
Yep.
DT did not answer a single question in that “debate”. In his usual bullying fashion he just repeated the lies that he has committed to memory and said over and over again. It wasn’t preparation, it was repetition.
I agree that Biden was over-coached and over-prepared with facts and numbers rather than speaking from his heart.
It’s time to be over the debate. What matters is defeating Project 2025!!
Not “defeating Project 25”.
Using Project 25—and every single one of the horribly unpopular measures the MAGA GOP promises—as Democratic Party propaganda for defeating DT and MAGA at every turn.
Make a list of them, from His Majesty Donny I to overturning Roe vs. Wade to bump stocks to official State religion to the persecution of racial and sexual minorities to the expulsion of all the millions who have been keeping the country alive and the economy functioning by doing the jobs no one else is willing to do… List in order of horror.
Winning both houses of Congress is essential, purging every school board, every niche where the infestation of parasites and scavengers has taken up lodgings!
*
HURRY! Get hold of the COMPLETE VERSION NOW, before Drumpf has it taken down as… too embarrassing… with his name written all over it, just as that name will, if he has his way, be branded on all that moves and displayed in letters of gold on all that doesn’t.
GET THE PRESENTATION BY KEVIN ROBERTS, PRESIDENT OF THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION…
Drumpf, of course, says “Not me... Don’t know these folks”.
JUST AS HE DIDN’T “KNOW” STORMY DANIELS, THE LADY HE RAPED IN A CHANGING ROOM OR ANY OF THE OTHERS WHO HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF THOSE SMALL HANDS GRABBING THEM BY THE GENITALS.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/09/project-2025-trump-connections-similarities
Read Catherine Rampell's Opinion in the WaPo
"Trump says he knows ‘nothing’ about his party’s dystopian plans. Right."
"It’s preposterous for Trump to feign ignorance of Project 2025, conceived by his closest advisers."
Really??? All I saw was more of the same…nothing new…Maybe that’s been working for him all along…
Peter, I let it go with "I may have had a bad day or so in my time" and leave it go without debate. You soon find out who has an axe to grind or a narrative to 'spin.' ** Also, to your point; The manipulative nature of OiD's badly flawed character prepped him.
Prepared him very well?? By what standard? Seriously!
Sitting calmly, never taking the bait...
That's something new.
Thanks Eva. I too listen to Medias touch. They have brilliant commentators and as diverse as well educated Glenn Kitchener to Tennessee Brando (a good old ordinary average American). They help maintain the sanity that MSM is so lacking for true journalism.
*** And 'that' my wise friend Eva is the word that says it all; TEAM. The office of the president is All about the Team around him. Joe has constructed a team of professionals who are tremendously talented, extremely committed to 'ideals, philosophies, goals, etc., that Joe has, as their leader espouses and 'acts' upon. In shorter terms, they execute his ideals surrounding our construct of a just, useful, and constitutionally driven government and community. And for those who've paid close attention to our doctor, they are doing it all "lawfully," which has her, and yes myself, on their side; at this moment in time. ** I am ever in awe... absolute awe at the team Joe has assembled around himself. I've often thought, and chastised myself for not letting those individuals know how proud and grateful I am for their service to country... and Joe; each respectable leaders in their own rights. And extremely hard working.... again following Joe's lead and actions. That includes the seemingly invisible Kamala, who works her tail off too, unbeknownst to far too many. I would give anything, including my last days on this rock, to serve Joe, Kamala, Blinken, Buttigieg (sp ?_) - any who would have me. They are truly rock stars !!!
I agree with every word! (sp correct).
Lol Anne. I fret sometimes... At my core I'm sort of a grammarian and spell - arian like others here. Bet I could save our doctor some money on editing costs - I'd work for her for room and board ! Thanks for confirmation on the spelling. I don't know if it shows or not in my writing, but I write as I think and feel - in the moment. I don't calculate, yet sometimes my fingers get too far behind my thoughts.... Brava sistuh !
I think the man you refer to is "Tennessee Brando"? I have not seen Glenn Kirschner on Meidas, but he has his own Youtube channel and also does frequent clips with Brian Tyler Cohen.
I also recommend "Beau of the Fifth Column" and his companion weekly channel "The Roads with Beau".
Repubs have been cutting funding for NPR, and PBS every chance they have gotten. They are forced to “toe the line.” They will be starved
(At last! someone who knows the line is toed, not towed).
Well said, fellow grammarian.
Lol....
Now if we could get "moot" and "mute" straightened out, I see those used interchangeably quite frequently.
Certainly under a second Trump term they will be cut. So what do they have to lose by truth-telling now??
They will disappear, completely. Maybe they want to hang on as a shadow of what they were early on. Well, that’s what they are now. Hoping for a Dem blow out and my many dreams come true. Yes, I’m a dreamer, but maybe I’m not the only one…
I've done the same, re PBS.
Corporate owned media protect their bottom line over unbiased information to the public who depend on freedom of the press.
How does a journalist report on evil without at least a sense of bias?
Being able to discern good from evil doesn't indicate bias. Not reporting the facts because headquarters has determined a
certain subject cannot be covered, or the reporter does not want to offend anyone is bias.
And RFKJR is the only candidate who can stop the corporations control.
John, as if RFK Jr weren't the actual agent of division which HCR reminded us about in her previous letter about the political psychologicakl warfare Putin has used so effectively in the UK (see Brexit and Boris Johnson) and in France (in Marine LePen). RFK Jr represents the same kind of divider that tRump was. His major ties for speaking engagements, organizations and money has been the far right as has been his staffing. His own family is embarrassed by him and repudiates the stands he takes.
HCR specifically reported on "what Russian political theorists called “political technology”: the construction of a virtual political reality through modern media. Political theorists developed several techniques in this approach to politics: blackmailing opponents, abusing state power to help favored candidates, sponsoring “double” candidates with names similar to those of opponents in order to confuse voters on the other side and thus open the way for their own candidates, creating false parties to split the opposition, and, finally, creating a false narrative around an election or other event in order to control public debate."
100% agree. RFK in a sense is to this cycle that Ralph Nader was to 2000 but worse because he has used his good name and take on destructive directions on issues.
John, when you meet RFK, please ask him to buy my book, “How to Make Money From the Mentally Retarded.” I’ll send you an autographed copy dedicated to him.
How would he do that exactly, surely not be sheer will?
I can’t see someone like Rachel Maddow, amongst certain others, ascribing to your assertion…,
And that’s where Rachel and Lawrence along with others at MSNBC are in grave danger if the traitor and his ilk are elected.
Mike Yochim,
I do believe the wonderful, honest and fearless patriots sharing the truth on MSNBC have proven that they are willing to face their fears and use their gifts and talents in order to preserve freedoms you enjoy but are too cowardly to stand up for! They are fighting for all of us...even you.
What are you doing to preserve freedom for the future of the citizens of the United States of America???
What are you doing? I don’t see you on social media attacking the traitor or his acolytes. I don’t see you sharing news worthy attacks on them. All I see here is an uninformed rabble rouser.
The exception rather than the rule. Rachel earned her PHD. Something very few entertainers have that “present” the news on cable tv.
Along with Jim Acosta at CNN… He will be long gone.. I love him and ache at how he has been more and more diminished…
Rachel is strong, but msnbc is owned and controlled by NBC, so corporate pressure is still strong.
Lonely Rachel?
Project 2025 will eliminate the White House Press Corp. They intend to go after the elite media. Remember trump despises the New York times.
The Fourth Estate is fooling themselves. In authoritarian governments a free press is always one f the first things to go.
The media is helping to elect someone who will punish and eliminate them.
I am no longer able to listen to most of what CNN is reporting these days. They have barely mentioned Trumps abysmal, outrageous, one lie after another, performance during the “debate”…They seem set on destroying Biden. Jim Acosta seems to be the only one allowed to report on Trump’s outrageous behaviour. Also, let’s not forget that Biden is surrounded by strong, smart, trustworthy
My theory: it's like tug-of-war. The center is not where the flag is attached to the rope. The center is halfway between the two lines on the ground. The media's judgment is supposed to be on which side makes the best argument while the flag is between the two lines, which is while both sides are making sure both sides are being heard.
By closing its collective mind to the left, the right has declared that the flag is the center, and they knew the media would fall for the con because of its "next quarter" profits.
Dear CNN,
There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.
"Preserving access" is the industry euphemism for 'sucking up to both sides so we can have anonymous sources too'.
Reminds me of ‘Pascal’s Wager’ 🤔
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/
Randall Munroe, who writes the web series xkcd, has the best take on Pascal's wager I've seen to date. Link: https://xkcd.com/2947/ Enjoy :)
Holy cow! That was easy to understand.
Perfect example Steve. It's a highly suspicious 'pyramid scheme' and you beat me to it. Bravo !
A way to explode one’s brain, or just turn it to mush. 50/50 chance
Whoops! glasses time. I read that as "Pascal's Wagner".
Yeah, and I had to read yours twice to be sure you really hadn't said "Pascal's Wanger"... Junior high brain stole the cafeine this morning, apparently.
Lol Anne ~
Bravo !
I don't follow you. That wager is no insurance policy, has nothing to do with hedging bets.
Exactly.
My theory is that it’s all about money, power and entertainment to distract and indoctrinate to secure money and power.
Agreed, David.
What kind of bubble do you live in?
Middle America has lived through 25-30% core inflation for the last 3 1/2 years,
open borders, a trans war on girls, and stupid foreign policy.
This isn't rocket science.
Those who do this always fail to look at history. In the end, if MAGA gets power, it will turn against them anyway.
Wise observation from history Cheryl. Indeed they will.
Michael Corthell, right, in other words they have no principles, just blind lust for profit and power.
Much of it is fear based as I said.
Michael Corthell, true.
I keep thinking about that--if Trump gets into office, there's no way Project 2025 will spare the NYT, CNN, or WaPo, no matter what they have been publishing recently.
Any chance maybe America hates 25-30% core inflation? Open borders?
War on girls by Trans rights? Stupid foreign policy?
Keep living in a leftist bubble.
Further Notice: James A, I am initiating mandatory mediation with Substack Inc on tortious Author conduct & unfair business practices by a Platform without James A.
Thank you, Bryan. Trolls have appeared and disappeared here before as we both well know (and that of the good readers here). I highly suspect that "James A" is former LFAA troll who got nowhere (you know who I mean!!) and has received funding to again try to sow discord here.
Buzz off. Who in the hell do you think you?
You don't get to censor me or tell me what I say. You are a fascist. Get lost.
Bzzzzzz
Yawn
Good theory. Let's say it is that they know the liberals will not seek retribution, but the conservatives will.
Same with NPR & PBS.
Steve Edward R. Murrow is spinning with Walter Cronkite. Murrow would be prompted to do a ‘Joe McCarthy’ expose on Trump, Project 2025, and the deadly challenge to the soul of America.
Murrow already would have done an expose on the Supreme Court, whose stench has fouled the Potomac River.
I'll put in my vote for MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell as one of the few remaining trustworthy journalists on television. In my judgment, everyone should make a habit of watching his show.
Absolutely. He is wise and truthful. And calm in his approach. Unfortunately many of the others tend toward hysteria.
He, Lawrence O’Donnell is the news reporter that I also like. For his clear and honest reporting. I like Rachel Meda, but she’s just a little too cynical for me.
I think you mean Rachel Maddow. She's good too, but I don't always watch her, not because I think she's cynical, but because she's too detailed. We all need to know it's USA versus MAGA. If USA wins, everyone wins, including the MAGA cult members. And if MAGA wins, everyone loses, including MAGA.
Rachel digs into the nitty gritty detail to prove that point, and I'm thinking I'm already scared enough as it is. But I did watch the Stormy Daniels interview.
Daniels appeared scared.
Yes, and for good reason, but the more I know about her, the more impressed I am with her strength and courage.
Loved both men. They have never been replaced and the vapid are in glorious ascendance
I knew Edward R. Murrow, his wife Janet, and Clancy, his only son. During WW II my family would listen to his remarkable THIS IS LONDON on Sundays. Much later Dad and Mr. Murrow created THIS I BELIEVE in memory of my mother.
I last talked with Murrow at an Eisenhower Fellowships meeting with President Eisenhower in the fall of 1960. Subsequently he became chief of the United States Information Agency, where he did a superb job of publicizing America abroad until, with lung cancer from his heavy smoking, he had to step down, and then died.
WOW!
Lordy Keith. Most incredible thing I have seen on here. He was such a remarkable man. I saw his interview with Bogie and Bacall and he smoked non stop. What a loss. We watched him and my parents loved him. What a loss. You are so blessed.
Jeri I had a fishing week end with
Urrow. During the 1953 coronation, Murrow flew back with films for a broadcast, while Dad and I took Janet to Ascot (with Queen Elizabeth). Many years later Clancy and spoke spoke to a public television group in Washington about THIS I BELIEVE.
Have you written about it, such incredible memories. The coronation was the first thing I remember seeing on tv. We went to aunt’s house since we didn:’t have one. A fishing weekend. What an experience. How I wish some genius would show some of the old shows so we could relive some of those moments. I know C-span does old political speeches, but so much human interest stuff is lost or replaced by garbage.
Today we seem to leave the hard-hitting journalism to John Oliver 🤯
Yep, John hits them where it hurts.
“ Walter Cronkite is spinning in his grave.”
Jesus Christ is spinning as well (hypocrisy being his #1 pet peeve). Never before have I witnessed such hypocrisy between what is written in the scriptures and the actions taken by these so-called “evangelicals.” Thank you David for calling out the mainstream media for doubling down on this….
There are many who claim to follow Jesus who wouldn’t recognize Jesus at all.
Kathy, you said that so well. Christi-fascism is just another term for corporate-fascism. They are all about money. It’s perverse.
Karl Rove helped take the Christ out of Christianity.in 2004
Or Lincoln. I can hear it from here.
Unfortunately, this supposes that we all (Americans) consume the same news, as we did when I was a kid and we only had the three local stations. Everyone got pretty much the same story. With the advent of cable, it doesn’t really matter how much news is consumed if it’s only consumed in a silo that protects and justifies your own thoughts and ideas. We don’t really have a Walter Cronkite or Edward R. Murrow anymore. And if we did and they reported the truth, the right wouldn’t watch or listen to them anymore.
Steve Brant,
There is nothing Christian about this organization. It is an insult to the name of Christ.
Christ came to reconcile mankind to God, the Father. He demonstrated unconditional love. He healed those whom no one else would touch. He went into storms and calmed them. He confronted those whom He loved with the truth....some turned to Him, some did not choose to do so....He did not condemn them.
He demonstrated the unconditional love of God by tenderly loving women who survived by living a life of prostitution or had been married many times...trying to find love and acceptance.
His chosen disciples were of a great variety of men each one with different gifts as well as struggles.
I am deeply concerned regarding family and friends who have allowed themselves to believe lies regarding the Christian faith. Too often it is just to be a part of a group.
It is also heart breaking to see people willing to believe lies from an organization that is far from living a surrendered life within the teachings and example of Christ.
How dare a person who has no faith , who worships only himself has gained such control over so called "Christians" who by their chosen ignorance from lack of studying and lack of praying and lack of "backbone" are leading our country to destruction.
Regarding "abortion", it must be a private decision made by a woman or a young girl.
In many instances, she is completely alone. The one who impregnated her carries nothing with him...not even a husband bears the pain or shame or fear or helplessness or guilt that is placed on the woman by many in this country. Her ability to choose is much more important than just a vote. Not to give a woman or young girl this right is cruel and dehumanizing. Her physical as well as mental health is at risk.
God does see the man....not just the woman or girl.
Regarding abortion, Jesus was as crystal clear. An individual's conscience is guided by the individual's personal relationship with God. That doesn't mean everyone gets to do anything they want and say "God told me to do it." Instead, we have to acknowledge that we are all children of God, and our responsibility is not only to resolve our internal conflicts, but we must also be willing to employ the time, energy, and attention necessary for resolving the conflicts between us.
Ergo, criminalizing health care (God told me to tell you what you can and cannot do) is anti-Christian. It is that simple. Anyone who doesn't believe that is ignoring Jesus' "all the Law and the Profits hang on these two commandments" message in Matthew 7:12 & 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 6:31 & 10:25-37, and John 14:12 & 15:12.
Thank you Emily. Yes, God gave us free will. If I want an abortion I can have one. You don’t have to have one but imposing your will to block me from exercising my free will I view as a major sin.
Jesus never said “worship me,” but instead said “follow my way.” Now these hypocrites want to impose their will of the “Christian family model” on the whole country, forgetting why people fled England to establish a free America! They have it back asswards—they love to flaunt their worship of Jesus but do not follow His way….
....And there you have it; Another bedrock foundational principle. Free will is "the thing" and in common among many - if not all religions. This g_o_d_ did not create puppets (if creation and g_o_d_ is your thing; I don't throw rocks). What is among the 'known' to me things is that this g_o_d_ of any doctrine I know of, did not 'create' identical puppets to itself. They were 'created' with "free will." Coincidentally or not, any whole person having a free will, also has the first and most important of "unalienable rights", .........the right of free will.
Oh my…Thank you so much for this. You have so clearly expressed so well how I feel but could not find the words.
Emily, we've had this conversation before. If they do what they do in the name of Christ their God, and call themselves Christians, that is what they are. In their belief structure, they take the Bible as their foundational text.d That sounds mighty Christian to me, even as the semantics argue that there is no "Christ" in that version of Christian.
I don't know much about Susan B. Anthony, but I expect she is also rolling in her grave based on her three quotes I've listed below. The antiabortion Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America organization is using her name in vane by working in precisely the opposite direction of her stated intent.
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
"No man is good enough to govern any woman without her consent."
"Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less."
Well done our James. Those are useful quotations for all to make good use of my friend !
Walter was mightly distressed before he died as he watched Fox spin “the way it is” to whatever lies Rupert and repubs were pushing on any day. A sea change in America that affects every one, every single day.
I can only imagine. The whole "fair and balanced" and "we report, you decide".
I spent the better part of 28 years working graveyard patrol. I remember the first time I heard those two slogans: I had signed up for swingshift overtime, and had come on duty at 7:00 p.m. I tuned the radio to my usual station (at that time, in the mid 1990's I listened to Art Bell on AM 1120; don't judge me, it was entertaining.) I was eastbound on Hwy 58 from I-5 driving towards rural eastern Lane County. I heard that slogan and my initial thought was "well, yeah". Then I heard what they were reporting, and said (out loud and not abbreviated) WTAF?!? The only thing correct was the weather. Other than that, it was utter garbage.
Sidebar: In my later graveyard years (early 2000's) I discovered ESPN Sports Radio, and loved listening to "Mike and Mike in the Morning." When I went to dayshift contract patrol, it was classical music, all the way; then I discovered I could plug my iPod into the car radio... that was cool!
I recall my iPod "mini"--I couldn't afford a full size one. I loaded all my tunes into and brought it to work to show my friends. I can still picture the face of one co-worker--her eyes got HUGE and she begged me to let her borrow it for a day to show her husband! :)
I got a refurbished iPod 3 (I think) for a birthday 15+ years ago. I still have it, and can listen to the songs that were on it; can't add any new ones, but I have some great albums on there.
Tuba
I remember, in 1946, when we received our first Colombia 33 rpm long playing record that had excerpts from classical and popular music. Could music life ever get better? What would I do with my 78 rpm recordings.
I use my iPOD nearly every day.
I so very much want one of those Ally ! When it was too late, I saw the value of those things. For instance, my daughters both had them, and I asked about them far too late.
My BFF in the 90’s turned out to be married to a conservative nut and when Fox started up, they had it on TV at their house 24/7, literally. They were up all night and I guarantee it was on whenever I was there, which was often. I was beyond appalled from the start, so I’ve always known how horrid Rupert was. And now the whole of our citizenry are bamboozled. It’s been a long strange road.
Trump gives the impression he is softening his position on an abortion ban by saying the states should decide...but that is not softening. If he succeeds, it will be a double blow. It will enable states to take away reproductive rights and the rights of any other group they decide to hate this week.
Likewise, for Congressmen and pundits to call for Biden to step down are themselves putting our very democracy in peril. The majority of American Democrats have spoken, through the process we call the primary election process.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT disenfranchise my vote. DO NOT weaken our election process.
It's all another 'con' Susan; you 'know' that.
The MSM has become the enemy of the people.
They would be most definitely among those "tossed from the temple". Sorry; the foregoing has me stuck on religiosity and hypocrisy..... lol.
My media time is 85% questioning Biden. Trump’s idiocy is not addressed. The perils of Project 2025 are addressed only by a few in Facebook.
Let's all be posting about Project 2025. Biden/Harris have a good write-up about it on their site: https://joebiden.com/project2025/ There's actually a lot of coverage of it in MSM just over the last couple of days. Let's all AMPLIFY via our social media accounts.
True! Mainstream media is fully back to operating under Wm. Randolph Hearst premise. "If it bleeds, it leads." And the GOP has, along with a great number of Americans have chosen to be willfully ignorant.
Willfully ignorant, exactly
Huntley and Brinkley aren't sleeping too well either.
Steve, are you taking action. Putting in actual time for Biden? Working a phone bank? Helping craft and send out letters? Setting up neighborhood groups to act on what needs to be done in your community. Who is your local representative? Have you visited their office to see what kind of help they could use? That is how change happens! Ever worked on phone bank for a favorite local? Even 2 hours a week willl be appreciated, helpful
Thanks for asking. Yes, I am taking action here in my retirement … in pretty “red” Oklahoma… including being a member of the Lincoln County Democrats. There’s more I will say at a later time. I’ve been involved in politics in many ways since voting for Jimmy Carter in 1976. Here’s one fun picture from an event in Los Angeles in 2012 …
Amen.
well said..but more than commenting on Heather's post, taking action, putting boots on the ground is much more important. Online commentary is fun, and can be intriguing... but again... boots on the ground! Community action groups are very valuable.