As we've all seen today, the jugheads in the Corporate Media have been predicting the eminent downfall of the Trump Administration again. How many times now have fake news outlets made up some scandal that would lead to impeachment?
Granted there is a need for Alternative News outlets and bloggers to report on and expose the fake news. Much of it though is self-refuting and only a matter of considering the source. We wrote here recently of NBC's Claudio Lavanga shameful antics disrupting the Centennial Papal Pilgrimage to Fatima. And then there was the stupid commentary by ABC's Matthew Dowd about the Conference on Christian Persecution attended by Vice-President Pence. Sources like these can't be believed for much of anything.
In the past, when journalists actually operated under a professional code of conduct and ethics, everybody understood that a news agency relied on two things: public trust and credible sources. Journalists dealt with facts; not narrative. And old-school journalists would tell you that the difference between reporting concrete facts and reporting political narrative was the difference between a free and a controlled press. That fools like Lavanga and Dowd are the pinnacle of modern American journalism shows that our press is generally not credible.
The Washington Post thus reported that unnamed sources told them that President Trump revealed unspecified national secrets to Russian officials. Why is this fake news? Simply because we don't know who told this to the press; we don't know what information was supposedly released, and frankly, we never can know. If it really happened, did it compromise national security? We don't know, and never can know. So what was the point of reporting this story? None. If the story had any validity, the responsibility of a real journalist would be to investigate and build a convincing case---not just print what anybody whispers his ear the next day.
The worst thing about this kind of fake news that it trips unstable minds, like Keith Olbermann's to go on air and rave about coups and the end of American Democracy. Olbermann has even gone so far as to encourage outright treason: yesterday he called on foreign governments to work with Americans to overthrow Trump.
"I appeal to the intelligence agencies and governments of what is left of the free world; to them as entities, entireties, bureaucracies making official decisions and to individuals who make decisions of conscience...to all of them, and to the world's journalists, I make this plea." Olbermann shrieked, "We, the citizens of the United States of America are the victims of a coup. We need your leaks, your information, your intelligence, your videos and recordings, and your conscience. The civilian government and the military is no longer in the hands of the people. Nor in the control of any responsible individual upon whom you can rely."
Olbermann goes on to give suggestions to these foreign agents and lists Britain, Australia, France, Germany, and Japan as countries that should help facilitate this overthrow. Olbermann of course doesn't seem to realize that any one of those five countries would have (or at least have the legal power to) throw him in jail if he'd said any of that against their governments in their countries.
Though Olbermann probably won't end up in jail for what he advocates: we should caution any Liberally-leaning readers against acting on his advice. There are two facts of which you should be keenly aware:
1. The FBI takes an extremely dim view of cavorting with foreign operatives for the purpose of overthrowing the US government---regardless of who the president is. Even Rules for Radicals advises against doing this, it's such a bad idea.
2. When you get caught by the FBI, federal judges will not take "But Keith Olbermann told me to!" as a legitimate defense. The Federal Prison System is full of people who did what somebody else told them to do. Just ask the Pizzagate Shooter.
We have a lot bigger problem with our irresponsible media than with presidential appointments or diplomatic meetings. We need to work on reforming that part of society desperately.
While the fake news outlets are busy peddling anti-Russia hysteria, Attorney-General Sessions has been on the job. The US Department of Justice announced another milestone yesterday, securing the first-ever federal organ-trafficking conviction.
The criminal ring was apparently run by the Jewish Mafia in Brooklyn and involved contacts in Israel. 46 people were altogether apprehended, the result of an FBI sting-operation in the New York Metro Area. Levy I. Rosenbaum was sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison, federal fines of $250,000 and $420,000 civil forfeiture which prosecutors allege were profits off the scheme.
Rosenbaum's specialty was human kidneys. He purchased kidneys on the Black Market from Israeli criminals for around $10,000 each; then sold them to American clients for 10-12 times that amount.
US Attorney Paul Fishman stated "The Black Market in human organs is not only a grave threat to public health, it reserves life-saving treatment for those who can best afford it at the expense of those who cannot. We will not tolerate such an affront to human dignity."
Organ trafficking is a major problem in Israel, and Israeli authorities have struggled with it considerably since the rise of ISIS. It's well-known now that ISIS was performing organ-harvesting operations on Syrian and Iraqi captives to fund their criminal activities. The organs were then smuggled into wealthy Western countries via criminal traffickers, primarily in Turkey and Israel. Organized crime in those countries has facilitated ISIS to the point that many Arabs suspect the Turkish and Israeli governments of covertly aiding the terrorists.
The Jewish Mafia, or Undzer Shtik, has been responsible for creating anti-Semitism in the US because of many of its activities. They've been known to the FBI for a long time; and have included legendary gangsters like Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Mickey Cohen, Dutch Schultz, and others. They have a reputation for being especially ruthless; and despite their common Jewish heritage, are really no friends of the Jewish community at large.
The breakup of the Rosenbaum Gang was a major victory in the fight against this hideous practice. Defense attorneys even tried to argue that Rosenbaum was acting on humanitarian principles and some defenders of organ-trafficking argue that lives have saved when there was no other way to do it. The fact though is that people like Rosenbaum are obtaining these organs at the sacrifice of innocent lives, and at very high profit to themselves. And---like most Black Market products---quality-control is not a high priority. Buying organs on the Black Market is a definite health risk.
Let's hope that this first prosecution will be the beginning of several more.
Typically whenever the Trump Administration acts to benefit the American people, the Corporate Media bombards the public with ridiculous fake-news stories as a distraction. Today was no exception. The troll factory known as The Washington Post circulated an especially transparent lie that Trump passed official secrets to visiting Russian dignitaries. Then, The New York Times shamelessly tried to blame the recent global cyberattack on North Korea---even though it's been known for days that the attack was the handiwork of rogue NSA agents.
The story the Liberals want to hide concerns an Executive Order signed by President Trump today which opens a special commission to combat voter fraud. The political Left actually denies voter fraud exists in the US---at least since the end of the Bush Administration during which they talked of it incessantly.
Trump named Vice-President Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to head the new commission. The Commission will be bipartisan, but the Whacko Left is beside itself with outrage. Interestingly, though, a recent Gallup Poll found that only 29% of Americans had confidence in the integrity of the electoral system. What we've learned of DNC activities during the 2016 Elections, the Left likely has reason for concern.
Voter Fraud has always been a problem in the US; at some historical periods more than others. Our Founding Fathers were well aware of the potential for it and created the Electoral College as one means of deterring it. In spite of media hysterics, Trump's commission is nothing new. President Hayes ordered an inquest into the 1876 Election wherein voter fraud was even more egregious than 2016---as incredible as that may seem.
The new Commission will investigate illegal voter registration and voter suppression cases in particular. It is designed to co-ordinate with State governments to help them reform their own specific systems. Kobach led a voter reform effort in Kansas which has by all accounts strengthened the integrity of this system.
It will be interesting to see what the Commission uncovers and what reforms will be promoted. But don't expect the Corporate Media to tell us, though.
Pope Francis arrived in Fatima, Portugal yesterday to commemorate the Centennial Anniversary of the celebrated appearances of Our Lady of Fatima. The Pope very humbly stated that he was on a pilgrimage, like all other Catholics, and so forwent most of the typical events associated with a state visit.
On May 13th, 1917 Mary first appeared to three shepherd children with several revelations and messages of hope and peace. The site is holy to Catholics and pilgrimages are made to Fatima regularly. The Centennial was naturally a special event.
Before his devotions, the Pope agreed to speak to a press delegation; mostly of European reporters. They asked him a variety of questions relating to Fatima's message, the mysterious 'Third Secret', ecumenical issues, and a very interesting exchange about the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje. But then NBC reporter Claudio Lavanga piped up on the subject with which Ameroboob Liberals are obsessed:
"Yesterday you asked the Faithful to break down barriers, yet on May 24th you meet a head of state (i.e. President Trump) who is threatening to build walls! It is a bit contradictory to your word, and he also has opinions different from yours on the need to confront global warming and the welcoming of migrants...In light of this meeting, what is your opinion of President Trump's policies and what do you really expect from a meeting with a head of state with opinions so radically different from yours?"
What an arrogant ass. Who else but the American Liberals would presume to lecture the Pope and turn a spiritual pilgrimage into a political diatribe? The Pope calmly, but firmly stated that he was more opposed to judging a person before hearing his side of the story. That rebuke only maddened Lavanga the more and this shamefully disrespectful exchange took place, marked by Lavanga's arrogant insanity and Francis' firmness:
Lavanga: "What do you think about his reception of immigrants?"
Pope Francis: "But all know my position---"
Lavanga interrupts, near white with rage: "Instead then, what do you expect from a meeting with a head of state who is contradictory to you?!?"
The Pope, no doubt recalling the meetings between Christ and the Pharisees, cleared his throat and gave a most manly and Christ-like answer:
"Always there are doors that are not closed. You should look for doors that are the least little-bit opened, enter, talk about common things and go on. Step by step. Peace is handcrafted. It is made every day. Also friendship among people, mutual knowledge, esteem is handcrafted. It's made every day. If you respect the other person, say what one thinks, but with respect, and walk together. That is the better way, isn't it?"
But Trump Derangement Syndrome, as we have seen is repelled by Christian moral teaching---which ought to give us all a clue as to its true origins. Lavanga was no exception:
"Do you really hope to soften his decisions with a meeting?" he snorted.
"That is a political calculation I do not permit myself to make." the Pope calmly replied.
The stunned foreign press entourage briefly recovered at Lavanga's outburst, and the moderator discreetly called on another reporter; probably saving Lavanga from being returned to Rome in a straitjacket in the process. The next reporter, a charming French woman, discussed with Francis his thoughts on a Catholic revival in France.
And the American Media wonders why everybody hates them.
Meanwhile, the same Corporate Media ignored Vice-President Pence's inauguration of the first International Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians. The Summit brought together Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox leaders from 130 countries.
"On behalf of President Trump, I say that we're with you and we stand by you." Pence told the audience, "Each one of you bears witness to the power of Truth to transform lives."
Thus wherever Faith and Truth are present, the Liberal Media is conspicuously absent.
It should be no secret to anyone who's seen the last three administration's mishandling of the US Military that the Pentagon is another Swamp in desperate need of draining. Our dumbed-down, politically-corrected schools and 'inclusive' lowered recruiting standards have been taking their toll.
So General Mattis has begun a joint operation with British and Norwegian troops to "accustom Marines to fighting in the cold and snow". Apparently, until the Trump Administration nobody in the Pentagon thought that this might be a good idea.
The first rotation in Norway has proven an embarrassing failure. First, European trainers had to lead the few, the out and proud because qualified American trainers were unavailable. The grueling three weeks in the cold and snow deeply traumatized the Millennial generation. The pajama-boys took their frustrations out on the USMC Evaluation Team.
"That was an emotional experience for many people," Lt. Sean Gil, a platoon commander lamented to the Media, "The unit had just gotten off almost continuous field operations, suffering from certain shortcomings in the gear, and they felt like taking it out on the evaluators."
"Imagine walking through subzero temperatures and having your pack break!" huffed Sgt. Troy Hauck, "We had to use parachute cord and duct tape to fix them! It was not fun!"
Sgt. Nelson Avecedo fussed that 'Marines' boots often tore while trying to put on skis. "This could cause potential injury to the individual."
And so, our brave men and women in uniform retreated to their 'safe spaces' under considerable hooting and ridicule from NATO allies. And they don't even have porn to console them anymore. Nobody can argue that the Pentagon doesn't have its priorities, at least.
From this:
To this:
We've got a long way to go...
While the Corporate Media has been occupied in collective hysteria over the dismissal of FBI Director Comey, the Trump Administration announced today the conclusion of the largest gang crackdown in US history. In a six-week campaign, the Department of Homeland Security took nearly 1,400 Crips, Bloods, MS-13 and other dirtbags out of circulation.
General John Kelly, DHS Secretary announced that "this operation targeted gang members and associates involved in transnational criminal activity including drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, human smuggling and sex trafficking, murder and racketeering."
One has to wonder at this news: what exactly was the Obama Administration actually doing for the last eight years? This monumental operation took only six weeks to organize and execute. General Kelly goes on to describe what upstanding pillars of the community were taken in the dragnet:
"Of the 1,378 total arrested, 1,098 were arrested on federal/state criminal charges including 21 individuals arrested on murder-related charges and 7 for rape and sexual assault charges. The remaining 280 were arrested on immigration violations. Of the total arrested, 933 were US citizens and 445 were foreign nationals."
Kelly noted that some of those legal immigrants entered the country under Obama's DACA program.
Among the contraband seized by authorities were 238 firearms, 50 pounds of cocaine, 34 pounds of methamphetamine, 7 pounds of heroin, 502 pounds of marijuana, and about a half million dollars in currency. The leaders of the Tango Orejon Gang in San Antonio were among gang chieftains taken into custody as were two narcotics distribution leaders of the Crips in Newark. In San Diego, 23 gang leaders running a network of American and Mexican streets were apprehended and their operation broken up.
But the Corporate Media seems to have blacked out this entire story---even though it was publicized on the DHS website. Instead the public is being distracted with absurd conspiracy theories about the Comey firing. That includes Leftist wingnuts like Keith Olbermann, who was raving again yesterday that Trump is affecting a coup of some sort. Not a peep out of him though about the thousands of Scum who've been taken off the streets.
Police officials in Tennessee announced today they had arrested 35 year-old Wendi Wright on charges of felony reckless endangerment. According to WPSD-TV 6, Wright tailed and followed Representative David Kustoff and his aide as they were leaving a Town Hall Meeting at the local University of Tennessee branch.
Wright allegedly tried to force the Congressman off the road. Kustoff pulled into the driveway of a friend's home when Wright pulled in behind them, blocking them in. She came screaming out of the car, banging on Kustoff's vehicle, grasping at him through an open window and bellowing obscenities. Kustoff called police, but Wright escaped before their arrival. She was later arrested at her home after boasting of the deed on a Left-Wing social media site.
According to authorities, Wright was angry at Kustoff for his vote to repeal Obamacare.
At some point, there's going to have be a serious national dialogue addressing these kinds of outbursts because they are becoming all too frequent. It was reported yesterday that the FCC has been under a sustained troll attack since pundit John Oliver called for a protest over some proposed Net Neutrality policies. The extremist rhetoric coming out of people like Keith Olbermann and Stephan Colbert is clearly calculated to push unstable people like Wright into violent actions.
This is not to say, either, that the Far Right isn't guilty of doing the same things. We've documented numerous cases of their pundits inciting violence and other despicable acts. As Pope Francis said, the tongue is a dangerous weapon and can even be the most potent weapon in the hands of political terrorists.
In terms of social psychology, it's well-known that a certain percentage of the population---either through lack of education or psychological problems---are very susceptible to the influences of those they consider leaders. When they hear hyperbole they are bound to take it literally and act accordingly. This is why Codes of Professional Journalism in the past forbade language like that. In an even broader sense, these acts can encourage copycats---as we've seen with the increased number of attacks on police since the Dallas shooting last year. It can also lead to mob violence, and we've seen that in places like Berkeley and Portland recently.
What should happen via a national dialogue is for leaders in the Media to start policing themselves. Some media watchdog groups are doing that already; but their influence is very limited.
Some may object at this point that there's no proof that Wright's actions were motivated by media extremism. It may be so, but the fact that she posted this on social media suggests that she was seeking the same kind of validation in the same venues.
It's a complicated problem, because what we are seeing is the First Amendment being badly abused. This situation---if allowed to continue---cannot possibly have a positive outcome. The universal tendency of all governments (and ours is no exception) is to restrict freedom when it becomes a public nuisance. When the Right of Assembly constantly ends in destructive riots; the Right to Petition ends in troll acts; Freedom of Speech and Press ends in attacks on Congressmen and mass-shootings; then the Government will not only move to restrict freedoms but will do so with the full blessing of the general population. We've actually seen this historically happen during the US Civil War and both World Wars in America.
What has to be emphasized and exposed in public discourse is that the demagogues at both ends of the political spectrum actually desire that outcome. A government of either Red Pill or Antifa types is unlikely to be sympathetic to First Amendment liberties once in power itself. They actually would like nothing more than to force the Government's hand to restrict such freedoms (against their respective enemies, that is). Then they can also sit on their perches and claim that the Government has become a tyranny and needs to be overthrown.
Once people understand that these demagogues are simply using them for their own purposes, their power will largely be diminished without the need for restrictive new laws. But it's going to take leaders in the media and government to put aside partisanship and speak out from the bully-pulpit; because if they don't there may not be a pulpit to speak from.
