WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2025
Except on Fox & Friends: The madness is back with a vengeance! For viewers of Blue America's cable news, it started yesterday afternoon, when the commander made the statement shown below.
In his statement, he's referring to President Zelensky's complaint about the U.S.-Russkie peace conference taking place without Ukraine being present.
In the view of Blue America, the undisguised madness started again when the commander said this:
TRUMP (2/18/24): I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well. But today I heard, "Oh, we weren't invited."
Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it—three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.
(For a fuller transcript, see below.)
"You should have never started it," the commander said, plainly seeming to be scolding (and blaming) Zelensky. Over here in Blue America, that was widely taken to be an extremely strange remark.
This morning, on the Fox News Channel, the spotless minds of Red America were shielded from what Trump had said. In the full four hours of the Fox & Friends franchise, we can find no sign that the peculiar statement by the commander was quoted or discussed or played on videotape.
For viewers in Red America, the remark had never been made! The closest anyone came to reporting the statement came right at the start of the day—at 5:05 a.m.
Even then, viewers were shielded from the plainly puzzling part of the commander's statement. At the start of Fox & Friends First, co-host Todd Piro offered a notably shortened version of what the commander had said:
PIRO (2/19/25): Secretary of State Marco Rubio, closing out his tour of the Middle East this morning with a meeting...It all comes after Rubio and other top Trump officials met with their Russian counterparts yesterday and agreed to work toward ending the war in Ukraine, something President Trump says should have happened years ago:
TRUUMP (videotape): I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well. But today I heard, "Oh, we weren't invited."
Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it—three years.
At that point, the video ended, and co-host Piro moved on. The statement was clipped right before Trump seemed to say that Ukraine and Zelensky were the ones who had started the war!
If you were watching at 5:05 a.m., you saw that truncated statement. As best we can tell, Trump's statement was never mentioned in any way during the full three hours of the regular Fox & Friends broadcast, which started at 6 a.m.
So it went in the two Americas in the wake of Trump's remark:
In Blue America, the comment was aggressively discussed this morning, right from 5 o'clock forward. Over in Red America, the statement had never been made.
Was Blue America making a mistake—putting too much emphasis on a single offhand comment? Apparently not! Later this morning, on Truth Social, the commander lowered the boom on Ukraine, calling Zelensky a dictator and engaging in some absurdly inaccurate factual claims. It remains to be seen how the workers at the Fox News Channel are going to handle that.
Under current planning, Canada is destined to be America's 51st state. After this morning's angry remarks, is that expanded polity possibly destined to become Putin's newest republic?
Slightly fuller transcript: Here's a slightly fuller transcript of what the commander said:
TRUMP (2/18/24): I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well. But today I heard, "Oh, we weren't invited."
Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it—three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.
I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given them almost all of the land, everything, almost all of the and no people would have been killed, and no city would have been demolished, and not one dome would have been knocked down. But they chose not to do it that way.
This morning, the commander went whole hog, with insults and wild misstatements thrown into the mix.
Above, you see what the commander said yesterday—unless you were watching Fox.
ReplyDelete"...in some absurdly inaccurate factual claims."
Contradicting Democrat party's idiotic narratives; narratives of the party of shitheads, idiots, thieves, and liars, doesn't make any statement "absurdly inaccurate", Bob.
What's interesting is that a few years ago you knew it. You were capable of realizing it, Bob. But no more.
Alas, TDS ate your brain.
Quinnipiac poll: 22% of voters approve of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job, which is an all-time low
DeleteWeirdo Mao's comment should be viewed in light of the fact that he thinks Trump won the 2020 election because of a Dinesh D'Souza movie.
Deleteanon 3:36, I note your cogent and highly reasoned view, but how is it ok for Piro to edit out the quote that the infallible POTUS made that Ukraine started the war? I have to agree that contradicting the "Democrat {sic} party's 'idiotic narratives' in and of itself doesn't make a statement inaccurate. However, the narrative that Russia started the war, not Ukraine, is not an "idiotic" narrative, even if, for the sake of argument, one accepts your characterization of the "Democrat" party as the "party of shitheads, idiots, thieves, and liars." (Boy, you really don't like Democrats).
DeleteSo, why do you think that the narrative that Russia started the war is not "idiotic", AC/MA 7:21 AM? It certainly is idiotic, when it's repeated as self-evident.
DeleteIn February of 2022 the Russian Federation officially recognized the breakaway republics in the east of former Ukraine, and intervened in their defensive war against the Kiev regime. By that time, the war has been going on for 8 years already, and it was, without a doubt, started by the Kiev regime.
How do you like this narrative, AC/MA?
9:50, Why don't you add a little meat on the bullshit sandwich Putin is feeding you?
DeleteRussian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions – collectively known as Donbas – broke away from Ukrainian government control in 2014 and proclaimed themselves independent “people’s republics”, until now unrecognised. Since then, Ukraine says about 15,000 people have been killed in fighting. Russia denies being a party to the conflict, but has backed the separatists in numerous ways, including through covert military support, financial aid, supplies of Covid-19 vaccines and the issue of at least 800,000 Russian passports to residents. Moscow has always denied planning to invade Ukraine
You're right 10:02 AM that some of what you copy-pasted is bullshit. They didn't break away "from Ukrainian government control": there was no Ukrainian government at that time. No legitimate government, most definitely. They simply declared independence, after the government they elected (including the majority party in the parliament) was overthrown by an armed coup. And good for them.
Delete15,000 people killed in the civil war is, I believe, the UN number. No one with a functioning brain listens to what "Ukraine says". How is giving passports to people living in unrecognized republics an "issue"? They needed passports. Etc.
10:22, yeah, you want me to trust a man who sends his political opposition to die in gulags, and has an epidemic of people who oppose him falling out of windows? Let me think about it.
Delete
DeleteI have no idea what you're on about, Hillary. I don't want you to do anything.
Your Boris.
Oh, I see, Boris. You didn't mean for me to trust your recitation of history from the Putin News Network? Well then, never mind. I was thinking Ukraine had overthrown the Russian puppet government.
Delete
DeleteThat's right, Hillary: I don't care what you and other retards like you trust or don't trust. I am not interested in your retarded drivel at all.
Nor I, yours, Boris.
DeleteSomerby points out that Fox News reported Trump's statements differently than the other media did (there is no such thing as "blue media"). And that's pretty much all Somerby said about it.
ReplyDeleteThe selective reporting on Fox is not a new phenomenon. It has been going on since Fox became a Republican propaganda outlet. What are the implications of this? What does Somerby think is going on? Why bother pointing this out when everyone already knows it?
What about the other statement Trump made on Truth Social, about being King?
We already know MAGA hears different news. Unlike Somerby, we understand that this contributes to a different worldview. Somerby doesn't appear to know that right wingers seek this out because it is congruent with their own beliefs. Somerby has never had a suggestion about what to do about this political divide. At most, he has suggested that liberals move right and try to understand the MAGAs.
Today is more of the same. Why is this worth a "report"?
"[Somerby] has suggested that liberals move right"
DeleteYou just making this up or can you back it up?
“Talk to and try to understand “The Others”. He also said we should watch Fox because they have better facts there, which conflicts with today’s essay.
DeleteSomerby stopped asking us to “Talk to and try to understand “The Others”, when we reported back how bigotry is the thing that animates them.
Delete4:52 - Have you been paying attention at all? Somerby hasn’t been saying “Watch Fox!” He’s been saying Fox is a giant flaming bag of shit.
DeleteAmerica started it. Jake Sullivan and Victoria Nuland started it.
ReplyDeleteEuropean countries tried appeasing Hitler and look what happened. Trump knows this (or at least he used to know it). That makes his statement majorly disingenuous.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be questioning Trump's ignorance. One should never misunderestimate -- to quote former president Bush -- Trump's complete lack of knowledge of history or his lack of coherent thought.
DeleteAnother day, another plane crash:
ReplyDelete"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were reportedly investigating after one person died in a crash involving two planes in Arizona.
Marana Regional Airport personnel confirmed to KGUN 9 that the crash occurred Wednesday morning near Tuscon. The Marana Police Department said that one person was dead."
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/02/19/business/airplane-crashes-statistics
DeleteThe article demonstrates how to cherry pick data to present a misleading impression. Does anyone really think that cutting so many air traffic controllers and other FAA staff will increase safety?
DeleteAnonymouse 6:07pm, now look who is cherry-picking. Culling for excellence certainly would improve any area of expertise. There’s a difference between that and a shortage.
DeleteThey're not "culling for excellence". Look at the mistakes they made getting rid of the DOE nuclear and the bird flu experts who they fired and then had to quickly reinstate. No one is being fired over their performance reviews.
DeleteMake The Unemployment Rate 15% Again
DeleteCecelia, You think musk could figure out in a month who the excellent employees are vs the slackers? Get real, Cecelia. It isn’t about excellence. It’s about 1) devastating federal agencies and 2) replacing government employees with Trump loyalists. If you think Trump’s actions are going to ensure excellence at federal agencies, you’re deluded. It’s indiscriminate firing.
DeleteAnonymouse 6:33pm, what’s wrong replacing some employees with people who agree with the president’s vision of revitalization? People who run private companies want very competent people who are in sync with their vision of how things should be run. The same goes for the president who campaigned on his ideas as to how these agencies should be managed.
DeleteThese are not political appointments and people have employment rights. There was no more examination of vision than of performance. There are MAGAs being fired too. The firings are indiscriminate. That means no basis was used to justify their firing.
DeleteHow does loyalty to Trump help with being a nuclear scientist, a meteorologist (NOAA) an air traffic controller (FAA) an agricultural expert (USDA), etc? You want people with expertise, regardless of their politics. Otherwise, you’re instituting a perverse kind of DEI, where political loyalty is the deciding factor, that is almost guaranteed to produce worse outcomes. Amazing you don’t see that.
DeleteTrump and musk are presiding over the biggest brain drain in our history.
DeleteCecelia, what is the president's "vision" of Consumer Financial Protection? Cause it appears that he's fucking gutting the whole thing, illegally of course.
DeleteI give anonymices another week and a half before they stop acting like daddy’s coming after them with a belt. With Bob it will never stop. In two weeks anonymices will be chewing him out night and day for being overwrought.
DeleteAh yes, the troll trick, Cecelia. Pretend to ask a good faith question, then turn the tables and insult the people trying to answer it, who, by the way, were not talking about Somerby. You are a contemptible jackass.
DeleteAnonymouse 7:46pm, yeah, on board where anonymices are calling people bigots and dic—head, my analogy was such a low blow. You’re such clowns.
Deleteuncalled for
DeleteAnonymouse 8:18pm, by 10:00pm, you’ll be typing “Are you triggered, bro?”
DeleteCecelia,
DeleteWhat's the matter with you coming here to defend Trump for "finding excellence", and then quickly switching gears to "replacing some employees with people who agree with the president’s vision of revitalization"?
Nothing that realizing you'll say anything to support the bigotry the Republican Party, because that's all you really care about.
You're such a delicate flower, Cecelia. You can vote for a man who was found liable of sexual assault, raped a 13 year girl, and incited an insurrection, then pardoned the violent criminals who viciously attacked police leading to several deaths, but you can't spell "dick" or you'll blush.
DeleteThey train young men to drop fire on people. But their commanders won't allow them to write 'fuck' on their airplanes because it is obscene.
You are an obscenity yourself, Cec.
"The White House's post on X included a fake Time magazine cover that showed Trump wearing a crown. "LONG LIVE THE KING," the phony magazine cover read."
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a bad idea to let a man with increasing dementia, with access to our nuclear codes, think he is king. If he believes he can do whatever he wants, by fiat, he may try doing something dangerous to our nation, that we all might regret.
It is bad enough that he is selling out Ukraine as an act of revenge, and giving Putin whatever he wants. He may simply be gloating over winning the election, or taunting the libs because he thinks owning Dems makes him seem strong and manly, but do we really know that is all there is to it?
It would be a good idea for those around Trump to squash this kind of thing before his Proud Boys take him literally and we have civil war [again]. This is the kind of thing that will have even Republicans wondering about his sanity.
This is how Trump thinks our govt should work:
Delete"The Führerprinzip was the basis of executive authority in the government of Nazi Germany. It placed the Führer’s word above all written law, and meant that government policies, decisions, and officials all served to realize his will. In practice, the Führerprinzip gave Adolf Hitler supreme power over the ideology and policies of his political party; this form of personal dictatorship was a basic characteristic of Nazism. The state itself received “political authority” from Hitler, and the Führerprinzip stipulated that only what the Führer “commands, allows, or does not allow is our conscience,” with party leaders pledging “eternal allegiance to Adolf Hitler."
That cover is a work of art and we voted to end the Ukraine war. It wouldn't have started if a weak Democrat had not held the office of the presidency.
DeleteSez you.
DeleteIt doesn't matter who started it. Trump finished it.
ReplyDeleteThis is what's known as getting out over your skis.
DeleteIt matters who started it, surrender monkey Boris.
DeleteNo, it actually doesn't matter who started it. Putin says he was provoked and Zelensky says he was invaded. Stipulating that Zelensky is right, it doesn't matter. Ukraine was never going to win and the only question was how many Ukrainians Zelensky would draft to die before the war ends in the way it always would, and how much money the US would waste helping them die. Half a million as it turns out and the same number on the Russian side.
DeleteFuck you, Nostradamus. These people are fighting for their country, as I would if we were invaded. You have no idea how it would turn out and it is not your fucking right to decide for them.
DeleteIt ain't very hard to fucking stab your ally in the back. If that is what you call ending it.
I am wondering how long it will be before we start having AP reporters mysteriously falling out of windows here.
"It doesn't matter who started it. Trump finished it."
DeleteFor the record, the founding fathers started it.
You don’t have to be Nostradamus to have predicted the outcome of this war. You only had to be stupid or a liar to say it would go any other way.
DeletePeople fought it (without training no less) because they were forced to under penalty of prison or execution imposed by dictator Zelenskyy.
Ukraine would have pushed the Russian invaders out of their country by now if Trump and Republicans hadn't undermined western support.
Delete"it actually doesn't matter who started it. Putin says he was provoked and Zelensky says he was invaded."
DeleteThis is like watching a rape happen and saying, "It doesn't matter who started it. The rapist says the victim's clothing is provocative. The victim says she's being raped."
Everyone knows Trump is being blackmailed by Putin. Some deny it anyway, because they love the bigotry Trump and the Republican Party give them.
DeleteYou don’t have to be Nostradamus to have predicted Afghanistan could never repel a world superpower.
DeleteYou don’t have to be Nostradamus to have predicted those rag-tag colonists could never defeat the world's most powerful military empire.
You only had to be stupid or a liar to say it would go any other way. Fucking "A", Boris.
Nostradamus predicted no Republican voter would care about inflation after the Reagan Presidency.
DeleteNailed it!
Zelensky is a dictator.
ReplyDeleteHow so?
DeleteOh I forgot, cancelling elections protects democracy.
Delete@5:05, you misspelled "Trump"
DeleteThey also misspelled "Putin"
DeleteElections were suspended in the UK from 1940-1945. Little issue with being attacked by Nazi Germany made holding elections a little dicey.
DeleteHas Mary Trump weighed in?
ReplyDeleteHave they found a nuclear scale to weigh Trump's fat ass on?
DeleteThey're going to do it by water displacement. Off the coast of Greenland.
DeleteTrump's going to negotiate with Denmark for ownership of Greenland, himself.
DeleteYou don't have to be Nostradamus to know Denmark will own most of the 48 contiguous states, which currently make-up the USA, when the negotiations end.
"Pete Hegseth, the nation's new Defense Secretary, plans to slash his own agency's defense budget by 8 percent over the next five years and has ordered senior leaders at the Pentagon and throughout the military to develop plans to carry out the cuts."
ReplyDeleteIf I were Putin, I would tell Trump to cut the Pentagon budget too, because that is the easiest way to weaken the American military. Trump apparently said "Da" and ordered Hegseth to do it ASAP. A weaker defense capability can only benefit whatever Putin's plans are. It won't help us invade Canada, Mexico, or Panama, that's for sure. That's how we know the order came straight from the top (Putin) and not from Dear Leader.
"Trump has now golfed for five consecutive days in South Florida, The Daily Beast reported on Wednesday."
ReplyDeletePerhaps we should be happy about this, since he cannot make more mischief if he is away from the White House. It appears he is not even pretending to be the president any more.
If Biden had spent 5 days away from the job like this, everyone would be asking about his health and wondering what was being hidden. We know it is Trump's dementia, but why isn't anyone concerned about him and asking why he isn't on the job?
DeleteThis is abnormal behavior for a president.
DeleteBiden did spend more vacation days (544) than any president in modern history .
DeleteI’ll bet Biden had less “executive time” watching TV and played less golf. Trump never did any homework (reading and briefings) either. And Biden produced much better results during his term. Stats speak for themselves.
DeleteI miss Joe Biden's low inflation rates.
DeleteIt was Morning in America, until bigots got mad that immigrants were wiping the floor with white people on the job market.
Retired General Barry McCaffrey said today that he thinks the US will no longer support NATO and that the members of NATO are not counting on the US to be there for them. He said that increases the likelihood of war. He also said this:
ReplyDelete"Another thing he mentioned is that he noticed Trump's determination to invade and take Greenland doesn't make any sense, given U.S. forces are already there as part of a NATO base. Without NATO, however, U.S. troops wouldn't be there."
That sheds new light on Trump's insistence that he needs Greenland for US security. I doubt any of this is coming from Trump himself. I think it reveals the close working relationship and interests of Russia, manipulating Trump like a hand puppet. Russia would definitely like to have Greenland access when he gets into his broader land war in Europe. This all seems pretty obvious in this new context of Russian dominance of the US.
I don't know what we can do under the circumstances about Trump's sell-out to Putin.
Good. Since NATO is going to provoke endless war and carnage as it has in Ukraine the US should cut ties.
Delete"Since NATO is going to provoke endless war."
DeleteYou misspelled, "Since Putin has and will continue to wage endless war."
9:02,
DeleteHow lucky for you, that people who can't spell NATO, never mind know what it is and what it does, elected a bigot who would turns his back on it as a favor to the guy who is blackmailing him.
You should buy a PowerBall ticket today.
David and Cecelia, please explain how Ukraine started the war.
ReplyDeleteWho could have seen this coming?
ReplyDelete"DOGE disclosed for the first time this week a snapshot of some of the government contracts it has canceled, claiming to have saved taxpayers about $55 billion.
But the list of contracts, published to a DOGE website Monday night, raises questions about the accuracy of the tally. The website appears to have used erroneous federal data to claim that DOGE saved taxpayers $8 billion by canceling a single ICE contract that was actually worth a maximum of $8 million."
"One former federal contracting official called DOGE’s savings claims “completely disingenuous.”’
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/19/politics/doge-canceled-contracts-8-billion-invs/index.html
Proves you don't even read Somerby's posts you comment on you dumb, troll piece of garbage.
DeleteNo, it doesn’t.
DeleteHector, you have some nerve triggering @7:03 like that with facts. How dare you, sir
DeleteHector - suppose DOGE only saved taxpayers $35 billion instead of $55 million. That would still be a wonderful accomplishment, especially since Trump has only been in office for a month.
DeleteSaving money is not good if important services are not provided. We need what govt does.
DeleteWhat an infantile view of the world these Trump-Musk bots have. They never question whether these billion dollar figures are remotely accurate. Never question whether the downside of what Trump/Musk are doing and the reckless way they're going it might outweigh the benefit. Never wonder if the supposed "billions" will ever find its way to people who actually need it, instead of providing a pretext for tax cuts that go primarily to the wealthy. Never question all of the absurd claims about all of these civil servants in these various agencies - claims about how they're all just a bunch of corrupt, incompetent swindlers. Never question Trump's or Musk's motives, even though both have massive conflicts of interest, and Musk's companies had run afoul of several of the agencies he's gutting, due to rockets exploding, self-driving cars crashing and killing people, etc. These cultists live in a Trump version of North Korea, where Dear Leader does no wrong.
Delete"[They never wonder] whether the downside of what Trump/Musk are doing and the reckless way they're going [about] it might outweigh the [supposed] benefit"
DeleteJust one example of many:
"Musk is firing people who operate the Veterans Crisis Line. One of the most substantial and successful tools to fight veteran suicide today. There was a 2014 documentary about it that won an Oscar. Can someone point me to the outrage from the MAGA "we support the troops" crowd? Nope...crickets. It's always been a lie." ~Fred Wellman
Here is the difference between reality and the fantasy fanboys like DiC are living in:
DeleteFormer Inspector General Ware further explained the impact of IG’s on our democratic republic, “Our community has been doing effective work since the inception of the IG Act in 1978. In the last 10 years alone we have over $143 billion in investigative recoveries alone. We have a $26 return on investment on every dollar spent on IG offices, in my office at SBA alone, over the past 5 years, we have a return on investment of over $50 for every dollar spent on us. So what is being stripped away is an independent way to provide the type of protections and the type of transparency that every American citizen deserves.”
$143 billions saved over the past 10 years, and the difference is this IG will be able to document that figure with IG reports and audits, not some fucking tweet on X. And that is just one IG. Of course, the first thing Trump did was mass fire IGs, illegally.
I'm trying to imagine David in Cal choosing to save $55 Billion, in exchange for a white person losing some job opening to a minority because of merit, and I keep coming up blank.
Delete"There’s even under consideration to give 20 percent of the DOGE savings to American citizens, and 20 percent goes to paying down debt, because the numbers are incredible,” Trump said."
ReplyDeleteApparently they are.
in·cred·i·ble
/inˈkredəb(ə)l/
adjective
1. impossible to believe.
My wife was very upset by that comment Trump made that seemed to blame Zelinskyy for the war. She might hvae been a bit less upset if our local newspaper hadn't omitted the full context.
ReplyDeleteHowever, aside from that one sentence, Trump may have had a point. Ukraine might have been able to settle the war a long time ago on terms no worse than what today's agreement will have, Then 1.5 million lives would have been saved.
It's a credit to the media and effectiveness of their spin that so many people are more upset by a dumb, ugly comment than by the unnecessary deaths of one and a half million people.
Sure. Just like England could have avoided so many deaths by just capitulating to Germany in WWII.
DeleteWhat was the full context?
DeletePS: A more interesting question. Your wife sounds like a sane person. What is she doing with you?
PPS: You constantly want to come across as you know something that they rest of us -- who think that Trump is an unhinged, dementia-ridden, wanna-be-dictator -- don't.
I think the colonists would have saved a lot of lives if they'd surrendered to the British.
DeleteFuck you. Trump both stated that Zelenskyy is a dictator and Ukraine started the war. Go get the Montreal dementia exam and report back to us. Idiot.
DeleteI was a strong supporter of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia. I believe it’s terribly important that their aggression not succeed.
DeleteHowever, our strategy is not working, Russia is winning the war little by little. All we’re doing is spending a fortune and getting hundreds of thousand people killed. We should either make peace or fight to win.
Dave, you’re a genius. You’re showing that, when Trump loses the war, it’ll be Biden’s fault.
DeleteIt’s terribly important that their aggression not succeed so let’s let Putin and the amoral demented old man who lies about Ukraine’s culpability here decide how it ends. This may come as a surprise to you but Ukraine and the European Union will have a say in this. We now get to see what kind of a bootlicker Rubio is. Trump has managed to alienate Europe, Canada, and Mexico in roughly one month. and for the right price will give China whatever it wants. Ask the Kurds how Trump’s loyalty to an ally worked for them.
DeleteLittle Marco is such a lightweight, he has to wear ballast under his suit just to keep from floating away. The irony of watching him give a hand job under the table to Russian goons is just too rich for my diet.
DeleteDo they call you "two-faced", David. You always say you're a strong supporter of actual policies that Trump campaigned against.
Deleteit’s terribly important that their aggression not succeed.
How exactly would you like them to resist the aggression?
We should either make peace or fight to win.
We?
Our founding fathers screwed up not just paying the taxes without representation.
DeleteFor starters, we'd have no deficit for David in Cal to pretend to care about when it comes to the government helping those in need.
David may have a point here. We recall from history when Hitler said, "This is my last territorial demand in Europe" referring to the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, and England capitulated, look how many lives it saved. David's relatives in Poland wisely decided to stay and mocked their neighbors saying they had HDS.
DeleteIf our media reported about the Internews Network, then people would feel differently about USAID and DOGE
ReplyDeleteWatch Glenn Greenwald explain it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84WoetGoNeA&ab_channel=GlennGreenwald
Not sure what you found so revelatory about this video.
DeleteGreenwald asserts that Internews Network's sole justification is US propaganda. Oddly though, he doesn't provide a single example of said propaganda.
He says IN has no supervision, transparency or accountability, that it operates autonomously with its 'tentacles all around the world.'
Isn't IN subject to congressional authorization for its annual funding? Can't Congress provide whatever oversight they feel is necessary, and mandate any performance goals they want to, under penalty of withholding funds?
What's the big deal about this?
According to Greenwald, whether or not Congress could have provided oversight, they weren’t doing it.
DeleteHector, USAID and the State Department authorizes its annual funding (half a billion over 17 years). There is no direct congressional oversight or approval. You can't think of any reasons why this may be a big deal?
DeleteGreenwald reports about a government funded NGO that isn't fully transparent about its finances or political ties or how it operates and has offshore subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands and other places known for money laundering and a billing address in an abandoned building California and Hector can't figure out what the big deal is. You have to laugh.
DeleteWhere did you get your information 12:09? I mean, it’s wrong, because congress authorizes the funding, but just curious where your info came from.
Delete12:38, that would be of concern, but Greenwald is short on evidence.
DeleteIf the so called propaganda the Internews Network spewed out was a pro Russian solution to the war in Ukraine or supported eradicating the residents of Gaza, DiC would have no issues with it.
DeleteCongress authorizes USAID’s budget and USAID does what they want with it without any congressional oversight. In this case, fund this shady propaganda agency. Congress could exercise oversight over it, through oversight over USAID, but they don’t.
DeleteCongress could exercise oversight over it, through oversight over USAID, but they don’t.
DeleteHow do you know? Republicans have full control of both houses right now. Are they not doing their job?
Trump could have wiped out the deficit with a return to the 90% top income tax rate, but he didn't, that's why we need Hector to create our tax policies which will balance the budget.
DeleteIf you have any evidence of Congress is exercising oversight over that agency, please let us all know.
DeleteWhy don't you call your congressman and find out. It is their job, you know?
DeleteBecause I don't doubt that they don't.
DeletePolitically, the more interesting and relevant issue is that Trump and Musk can successfully use organizations like this as evidence to convince voters that the government is wasting their tax dollars and using them to promote ideas and ideologies they may not agree with.
DeleteIt surprises me that you can't see that it's a big deal *politically*. It kind of surprises me. In some ways it's par for the course for you to not even consider that aspect. And the band plays on.
I don't doubt the ignorant rubes who believed the Haitians were eating the cats and dogs in Springfield are very excited. I believe you, I really do.
DeleteThe classic Left-wing mistake of confusing the bigotry of Republican voters with ignorance.
DeleteWhat next, thinking a retired actuary knows absolutely nothing about economics, because they cos-play as stupid on the internet?
Bigotry? What makes you say that?
DeleteIt’s worth repeating that nowhere in the 19 minutes of innuendo and sneering does Greenwald provide a single example of IN propaganda, despite this being his central accusation.
DeleteI don't know how much actual oversight Congress has provided to IN, nor does anyone else commenting here. The point is that they can do as much or as little as they want. If you don’t like the fact that IN was a grantee of USAID, then there’s hell of a lot not to like about the US budget.
Another commenter brings up a billing address in a sinisterly abandoned building in Arcata, CA. Greenwald shows the building, which indeed looks sinisterly abandoned.
But if Greenwald had looked on the IN website (!) he would have found a PO Box listed for Arcata, not a physical address, along with six other locations across the globe, including one in D.C. The website also gives a list of IN's non-governmental donors.
As for the Cayman Islands, someone would have to explain to me what a ‘captive subsidiary’ is before I would know what to think about that.
There is some propaganda afoot here. Not from IN but from Greenwald. The use of words like 'tentacles' and ‘sinister’ and the gratuitous mentions of the Clintons are examples. But the best comes around the 6:00 minute mark when Greenwald presents IN's financial data and then accuses them of "spending all the money they're taking in."
Sinister indeed.
I took Bob's advice and listened to "the Others". Turns out it's nothing but bigotry, all the way down.
DeleteHow did it turn out it was all bigotry? What did they say?
DeleteIt was mostly the same tired bullshit you hear from them on the regular, but they did admit they were against all immigration, not just illegal immigration. Also, they were really upset with Obama's ACA initiative, because some black people were receiving benefits.
DeleteIt's not too late to take Somerby's advice, even though he stopped advising it, if you want to hear it for yourself.
Keeping from laughing in their faces when they discuss economics, was the hardest part of Somerby's task. It takes a strong will.
DeleteThe core issue is the lack of oversight and transparency in government funded media organizations. Greenwald's lack of direct evidence does not invalidate concerns about how the organization wields its influence or how it is funded. A P.O. Box, rather than a physical office, does not automatically resolve questions about financial opacity. While Congress has the authority to provide oversight, that doesn’t mean it always does. If hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are being allocated to an NGO with significant media influence, some believe it warrants scrutiny regarding oversight and financial allocation.
DeleteOthers, like yourself, choose to dismiss these concerns as propaganda, which is your prerogative.
Politically, one side is in a stronger position than the other right now. Ie. dismissing stories like this as propaganda is another in a warehouse full of gifts that liberals have laid at Trump's feet.
It's astounding to watch. Astounding.
Same with the bigotry accusations. It's a gift to Trump. It's hard to express how huge a gift it is.
DeleteWhich side wanted to hire more IRS agents, and which side did everything possible from keeping that from happening?
DeleteIt's simply astounding that someone who could write such a grammatically correct reply, and still think people would believe its something they didn't take into account.
Another gift for Trump:
DeleteNot one Republican voter is upset about Trump's high inflation rate, because he is putting minorities back in their place.
What other things can we discuss as a gift to Trump?
DeleteHim stealing from a children's cancer charity?
His adjudicated rape conviction?
His jealousy of Jared Kushner's penis?
That he's a longtime failed businessman?
That he's a self-admitted sexual predator?
That his soiled diaper stinks to high heaven?
That he wanted 5 young black men who were found to have been wrongfully convicted to be executed anyway?
Maybe it's easier if we have Trump make a wish gift list.
9:12, y'all do know that the hand of God moved that bullet just enough to nick Herr Trump's ear and kill the father sitting in the stands, don't you? That's a fact.
Delete
DeleteSo, it was your father, Hillary?
See how Cecelia is posting anonymously. "It" is the only one who calls me "Hillary" for some fucking twisted reason only a deranged person from the "Tribe That Rubs Shit In Their Hair" would understand.
Delete"Congress has the authority to provide oversight, that doesn’t mean it always does."
DeleteCalm down, boopsie. I critiqued Greenwald’s presentation as propaganda, but I expressed no opinion about how much oversight Congress was providing, or should provide.
If pushing back against propaganda is a gift to Trump, then I'll keep on giving.
Greenwald’s presentation may have included elements of propaganda, but that doesn’t debunk his claims. Or maybe you think it does. If you want to really push back, you’d need to demonstrate that Internews media outlets produce truly independent journalism.
DeleteI’m just pointing out that you’re arguing a government-funded media organization, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars, with little oversight and transparency, is not a valid topic for investigation or inquiry. That’s not exactly a great stance to be taking in today’s political climate. You're defending the Deep State and you don't even know it. That's politically dumb. And I'm not saying that's a reflection on you but a reflection on the backward, losing
information bubble you are in.
"If you want to really push back, you’d need to demonstrate that Internews media outlets produce truly independent journalism."
DeleteHere's where your argument really goes off the rails. Greenwald makes an accusation against IN, but provides no evidence for it. Until he does so, I don't have to do squat.
You also claim I said IN was not a valid topic for investigation. Wrong again. I only criticized Greenwald's attempt.
Does IN lack transparency? They have a website that lists their audited financial statements and list of donors. In exactly what way are they not transparent?
But all this is a repetition. You simply don't know how to reason.
Because Greenwald didn't provide direct evidence doesn't mean one can simply dismiss concerns without engaging with the argument. He provides circumstantial evidence for which you have not presented any counter-evidence. Transparency is not only about making some documents publicly available. Do the financial records have a clear breakdown of spending? Do they explain the offshore subsidiaries? Do they show how editorial independence is maintained after receiving government funding? You don't have to resort to personal attacks. We can agree to disagree. You think Greenwald is engaging in propaganda and don't see what the big deal is about the story. I agree about Greenwald in some respects but don't think his use of propaganda techniques makes this a non-story, especially in today's political environment.
Deletewithout engaging with the argument.
Deletethere is no argument to engage with - come back when you find one
The argument is whether Internews is truly independent or influenced by those funding it. Evading that intellectually dishonest and/or weak.
DeleteWhen you get around to any semblance of a proof, get back to me.
DeleteOk, I will. Until then I will note your belief Internews is above board.
Delete1:26, good for you. Are you keeping a spreadsheet tally?
Delete9:16 They are not against all immigrants, OK with white people from Denmark. Too bad they will never come to this recently turned into a shthole nation.
Delete
ReplyDelete"Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it—three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal. "
Clown Zelensky was Biden's SOB, but he didn't manage to become Trump's SOB. How sad.
Zelensky, you're fired!
Republican voters siding with Putin in exchange for Republican bigotry, is something everyone could see coming.
ReplyDeleteTrump was exaggerating for effect, when he took the oath of office and said he'd preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and uphold its laws.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete"Investigative American journalist Michael Shellenberger was called to testify before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday regarding allegations that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the CIA funded the 2019 impeachment effort against President Donald Trump.
Shellenberger first addressed the issue on Feb. 6 on the social media platform X, explaining how the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) played a central role in leading the impeachment effort.
“USAID’s defenders say it’s about charity and development in poor nations. It’s not. It’s a $40 billion driver of regime change abroad. And now the evidence suggests that it, along with the CIA, were behind the 2019 impeachment of Trump—an illegal regime change effort at home,” Shellenberger wrote."
Read the whole thing:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/journalist-called-to-testify-on-cia-funded-trump-impeachment-/3482300#
It was a perfect phone call to Zelensky. Fuck off, Boris.
DeleteYou are so convincing, Hillary.
DeleteLike most Righties, Michael Shellenberger will believe anything the Deep State tells him to.
DeleteHave some respect for yourself, 8:47.
Deletehow did the CIA trick orange chickenshit to try to illegally extort Ukraine?
DeleteI assume they dangled an opportunity for Trump to fuck his own daughter in front of him. That works every time.
Delete
DeleteYes, Hillary. Sounds like you do know what you're talking about.
Your Boris.
Good luck, if you're waiting for 8:47 to answer 9:08's question, with anything but a sad putdown thought-up by a simp.
DeleteI would really appreciate one of you Nazi lovers explaining why the Felon continues to extort Ukraine, checks notes, as of yesterday. Not Putin's puppet, no collusion. Silly people you are. Go to the mirror and practice your salute with a flourish!!! Dear leader commands you.
Delete"They're not working": Trump accuses federal workers of slacking after he spent the day golfing.
ReplyDeleteQ. How any Right-wing accusations are really confessions?
DeleteA. All of them, Katie.
Us here in VA are really looking forward to this year's Gubernatorial election.
DeleteAnti Musk violence
ReplyDelete“A Tesla Showroom has been SH0T UP in Oregon, per local media
This is the SECOND criminal incident at this location in recent weeks, as they were also the victims of an ARSON attack on January 20.
THIS is the result of Democrats and legacy media calling Elon Musk “HitIer.”
SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KlLLED.”
https://instapundit.com/703773/
DeleteWow!
DeleteA gun-owner fighting government tyranny.
That's one. Here we go, boys.
Sounds right.
DeleteNeither Congress, nor the Courts, are going to save us.
I am going to need more context, David.
DeleteBut in the meantime, thoughts and prayers.
I believe they refer to this as the "find out" stage.
I fired everyone working to stop Nazi shit on my X, since then I promoted Nazi shit on my X 24/7, me and Vance advocate for Germany's AfD Nazi party. Don't you dare call me a Nazi.
DeleteYou supporters are either Pathetic, or Nazis. Either way, you deserve a punch in the face.
Cope, Soros-bot.
Delete