Things have changed since 2020

Have you ever thought about how many things we love about America that the Democrats, mostly since November 2020, have made illegal, dangerous or terroristic with the advent of Covid? You don't need a tin foil hat you just need to look at the data or count your fingers and toes, ears, eyes and nose.

tweets
common sense
science
saying men are not women
peer reviewed medical articles
objecting to an election result
safe and FDA approved drugs
praying in public
speaking at school board meetings
leaving your home to walk in the fresh air
U.S. president phoning a president of another free country
using a pronoun
protecting children from pornography at a public library
attending the Latin mass
believing countries need borders

After the 2020 election "human rights/democracy groups" stopped complaining about pandemic restrictions in the U.S. Apparently misinformation, disinformation and gas-lighting just disappeared. And a vaccine replaced treatment. Want to add something?

Mis- Dis- and Mal- mischief in the Justice Department

THE WEAPONIZATION OF CISA: HOW A “CYBERSECURITY” AGENCY COLLUDED WITH BIG TECH AND “DISINFORMATION” PARTNERS TO CENSOR AMERICANS

"The First Amendment recognizes that no person or entity has a monopoly on the truth, and that the “truth” of today can quickly become the “misinformation” of tomorrow. Labeling speech “misinformation” or “disinformation” does not strip it of its First Amendment protection. As such, under the Constitution, the federal government is strictly prohibited from censoring Americans’ political speech. The government also may not use third parties to bypass the First Amendment and conduct censorship by proxy.2"

But that's exactly what our federal government did.

cisa-staff-report6-26-23.pdf (house.gov)

Among other things . . . 

• CISA is “working with federal partners to mature a whole-of-government approach” to curbing alleged misinformation and disinformation.8
• CISA considered the creation of an anti-misinformation “rapid response team” capable of physically deploying across the United States.9
• CISA moved its censorship operation to a CISA-funded non-profit after CISA and the Biden Administration were sued in federal court, implicitly admitting that its censorship activities are unconstitutional.10
• CISA wanted to use the same CISA-funded non-profit as its mouthpiece to “avoid the appearance of government propaganda.”11
• Members of CISA’s advisory committee agonized that it was “only a matter of time before someone realizes we exist and starts asking about our work.”12

The great disinformation hoax, how the government-created “war against disinformation” became the great moral crusade of its time

 A Guide to Understanding the Hoax of the Century - Tablet Magazine  by Jacob Siegal.

The hoax is "disinformation."  In short, the smoke and mirrors attack against Donald Trump.  For the life of me I can't figure out what the bureaucracy in the federal government were so afraid of.  One minute he's Hitler, then Stalin, then Putin.  When they could find no evidence of anything, they just used the idea of "disinformation." In my opinion [and it seems the author's], the disinformation hoax and techniques were used against us again with the Covid lies and lockdowns. But originally, and maybe for author Siegal, it begins in late December 2016 with Obama and his Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act. The Alvin Bragg crime in New York is just the latest edition of the hoax.

"A false story algorithmically amplified by Twitter and disseminated by the media—it’s no coincidence that this perfectly describes the “bullshit” spread on Twitter about Russian influence operations: In 2017, it was [Clint] Watts who came up with the idea for the Hamilton 68 dashboard and helped spearhead the initiative." 

If you don't want to read it, here's the author explaining it. https://youtu.be/eOEoNswz_Lg

The real tragedy is the result: our society has been destroyed by this disinformation hoax all designed by the federal government and its cohorts in social and traditional media. You really can't trust any source or authority, and it has made friend and family foes.

Dr. Robert Califf, FDA and misinformation

"I strongly believe that misinformation is a leading cause of preventable death in America now." Robert Califf, FDA

I believe that too, but I believe it is the result of government misinformation and not the victims' fault.

I strongly believe that misinformation, fear, and confusing messaging begins and ends with the government. Masks don't help; masks do help; masks are mandatory; or maybe not, just kidding. Not enough ventilators; President Trump's fault; ventilators found; ventilators turned out by millions; not enough people need ventilators; President Trump's fault. The virus can live 3 days on surface; wrong, lives 15 days; wrong again, I'll get back to you on that. Pets can't get covid 19; pets can get covid 19. We need temporary hospitals and hospital ships; tent hospitals standing empty; President Trump's fault--he should have known better. Remember Biden and Harris told Americans in 2020 not to trust the vaccine because Trump had advocated for it and it was his "win". 

The lockdown of people who weren't in danger (power hungry bureaucrats at the local level), and totalitarian ideology are the primary reason for the deaths; and the vaccination itself has caused great harm to younger people. Airline pilots have been fired, athletes are refusing it, doctors aren't allowed to prescribe safe and trusted medications, and just about everyone I know who's had Covid has also had the shot and boosters. Remember what we were told in Jan-Feb 2021? Protection and efficacy--off the charts! Then we discovered protection dissipated after a few months, but even that truth was squelched and ridiculed as a conspiracy theory, then later revised to "it will be less severe but can't protect us from infection.

I said in summer 2020 (see links below) there was no peer reviewed literature on masks offering either protection for the user or the exposed, and I kept checking for months. Zip, nada, zero. Yet children have probably lost 2 years of education, especially low income who didn't have parents to fill in the gaps. Churches were closed as being "non-essential." Now Cochrane Reviews has just come out with the same information as a retired medical librarian found 2.5 years ago. No evidence that masks or distancing stopped the spread. Handwashing possibly, but even that's inconclusive.

CDC, FDA and especially Fauci became the new Lysenkoism (caused millions of deaths in the USSR in early 20th century), where only they knew the science and not the many researchers/scientists who disagreed. One had to believe the science of the day, and if not obeyed tenured, published professors were under threat of having their careers destroyed by Big Tech fact-checkers.

By far the majority of deaths from Covid were the elderly, pre-existing conditions and obesity, yet I never saw jazzy ads about weight loss from athletes and movie stars, only the necessity of getting the shot. Instead, sick people (non-covid) couldn't get in to see their doctors. I don't know Califf or his record for research or teaching, but I do know of the work and talent of many of those he's calling snake oil salesmen. Like Bret Weinstein, certainly no Trump supporter and not a Republican or Conservative by any stretch, yet the leftist media refer to him as "right wing." This is government CYA as the non-Covid deaths continue to increase. It makes no difference if one is a tenured faculty in biology, a billionaire who was on board at the beginning, or a researcher who helped develop the mRNA technology, they will be silenced by smears, threats to their income and reputation, or firing.

The strategy that the government is using is to fund their own "misinformation" campaigns with our tax dollars to silence any news agency, blog, website or platform that disagrees with the party line, and that is not only Covid, but the GreenNew Deal, CRT, the border, or billions for Ukraine. If they are successful in silencing all who disagree with them on Covid, they will silence/censor on everything else, too.
1) Hamilton 68 Saga Illustrates Scope Of America’s Institutional Rot (thefederalist.com)

2) State Department Funded Foreign Think Tank Working To Censor Americans | The Daily Caller

3) Disinformation Inc: Meet the groups hauling in cash to secretly blacklist conservative news (washingtonexaminer.com)

4) Matt Taibbi: "Twitter Files" Reveal The Structure Of The Relationship Between Social Media Companies And FBI Requests For Censorship | Video | RealClearPolitics


Collecting My Thoughts: Finding research on medical masks for the public

Collecting My Thoughts: To mask or not to mask

Collecting My Thoughts: The battle of the masks.

Collecting My Thoughts: Evidence for cloth masks? Not much

Collecting My Thoughts: No published trial on the effects of masks in Covid-19 transmission

Fighting the misinformation police--Check My Ads

The targets, almost invariably, are conservative publications such as Human Events and The Post Millennial, and right-wing media figures such as Dan Bongino and Charlie Kirk. https://dailycaller.com/2022/02/03/check-my-ads-reid-hoffman-good-information-inc/

1. Check My Ads, a group started by Sleeping Giants co-founder and activist Nandini Jammi and advertising consultant Claire Atkin, bills itself as “adtech’s first watchdog” and claims to “cut disinformation off at the source,” invariably targeting conservative publications such as Human Events and The Post Millennial and right-wing media figures such as Dan Bongino and Charlie Kirk.
2. While Check My Ads’ self-declared mission includes fighting against disinformation, the group works with several figures and organizations that have themselves pushed misleading or false content.
3. Both Jammi and Atkin serve on the advisory committee of Good Information Inc., an investment vehicle backed by LinkedIn founder and left-wing philanthropist Reid Hoffman and financier George Soros, and led by Democratic strategist Tara McGowan.
4. Check My Ads’ main project is an initiative to “defund the insurrectionists,” which launched Jan. 5 and seeks to pressure advertisers to abandon several right-wing media figures that Jammi and Atkin believe “incited” the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

The hero military veteran who saved lives in the Colorado club

Guy Benson (gay conservative Fox host/podcaster) told a very moving story about the military vet who tackled and beat up the shooter at the gay nightclub. Sounds like he beat him on the head with his own gun, and grabbed a drag queen to step on him with his spike heels. Guy described him as an absolute hero. But what if he'd killed him while saving many other lives? You wonder what the media would have done about a straight military vet killing a binary shooter that uses a plural pronoun in a gay club. He was there with his family, and his daughter's boyfriend was among the dead.

Here in Columbus a policeman in 2019 saved a young black girl from another black girl Ma'Khia Bryant threatening her with a knife. The girls were in the same foster home. The policeman was accused of racism and investigated even though he saved their lives. Sports and TV "celebrities" of course sided with the attacker with sayhername postings, and photos. Just like George Floyd.

Colorado Springs shooting: Army veteran speaks out about disarming Club Q gunman, says 'I tried to finish him' | Fox News

Biden's Disinformation officer already accused of disinformation herself

"Nina Jankowicz is President Joe Biden's pick to serve as executive director of the Department of Homeland Security's new Disinformation Governance Board—and her appointment has already met with some controversy."

It seems she thought the Laptop from Hell (Hunter Biden) was disinformation.  Protect Biden at all costs and we may never know what is mis- dis- or fake.  

https://www.newsweek.com/who-nina-jankowicz-head-joe-biden-disinformation-governance-board-1701677

Update: Remember Bagdad Bob from 2 decades ago? "Sahaf's nickname, "Baghdad Bob," now denotes someone who confidently declares what everyone else can see is false--someone so wrong, it's funny. But when read beside the eventual cost of America's decade in Iraq, "Baghdad Bob" isn't so funny anymore."

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/baghdad-bob-and-his-ridiculous-true-predictions/274241/

Obama's North Star certainly isn't the Constitution

"Obama comes out to get mad about disinformation: Yesterday [April 21] at Stanford, President Obama gave a sweeping speech about disinformation, my favorite thing to complain about people complaining about. He called for more government regulation of platforms (they should be “be required to have a higher standard of care when it comes to advertising on their site”) and criticized big tech’s business model (“inflammatory content attracts engagement”).

“These companies need to have some other north star other than just making money and increasing market share,” the former president said.

We have an idea of what that North Star can be: how about the constitution? There’s a First Amendment in there that seems like a pretty great articulation of what the values of a social media company ought to be."  Nellie Bowles, "Common Sense" April 22, 2022  

Mis- Dis- and Mal- Information--our government warns us

 If there were ever a whiff of fascism of the gestapo in the air it would be the warning yesterday from the Department of Homeland Security.  Democrats called Bush a fascist and warned us that Trump was a fascist, I remember the cartoons, the nighttime hysteria on the talk shows, and the social media crazies. But that definition doesn't fit.  Fascists urge a bigger and more restrictive government, they invade other countries, and at least President Trump wasn't doing that.  Lowering taxes and strengthening (rather than expanding) our border just doesn't sound like Hitler or Mussolini to me.  But in the current administration, those restrictions under cloak of  "public health" abound.  Now DHS has sent out a formal warning on Mis- Dis- and Mal-  Information.  And it is the arbiter of what is information, fact, gossip, fantasy, knowledge, fiction, narrative (the latest buzz word), conspiracy theory, or day dream.

The United States remains in a heightened threat environment fueled by several factors, including an online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis- dis- and mal-information (MDM) introduced and/or amplified by foreign and domestic threat actors. These threat actors seek to exacerbate societal friction to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions to encourage unrest, which could potentially inspire acts of violence.

The proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions: 

For example, there is widespread online proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding unsubstantiated widespread election fraud and COVID-19. Grievances associated with these themes inspired violent extremist attacks during 2021. 

Malign foreign powers have and continue to amplify these false or misleading narratives in efforts to damage the United States.

In short, if you ask any questions about the Democrat run government, you are a terrorist.

Subscriptions (digital) to keep me up to date

I subscribe to several medical information services because for years I was a veterinary medicine librarian and sort of got hooked on the genre. (I was also a librarian for Russian and Soviet studies, Latin American studies, and Agriculture in earlier jobs.) However, I've seen quite a change in the last 20 years. I also get the printed version of JAMA. It's really disappointing to see science going the way of intersectionality.

I subscribe to research from START (The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism) which "prides itself on the diversity of research conducted across the Consortium to bring a holistic understanding to the study of terrorism, counterterrorism and community resilience. START researchers based throughout the United States and around the world bring varying perspectives, experiences, and academic disciplines to their analysis." It doesn't live up to its advertising of mission statement.

I subscribe to beSpacific "Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002" And so liberal I sometimes scream at the screen when I see what she's covering. Librarianship, gotta love it. It's mostly political bias, but at least you know what you're up against.

Don’t look for good information from educators, musings and opinions

"Education Week--Teacher" on-line features a story on "disinformation" and how teachers can combat it, but the company expert put a photo of President Trump, not an MSNBC or CNN anchor with the lead. Really? I read through it, and it equated some ridiculous minor conspiracy stories or right wing blogs (some of which I think are actually middle road) as evidence, and didn't mention that for four years, the main stream media which is how most Americans get their information has been non-stop, anti-Trump. Worthless piece of junk, yet this is what teachers in public schools are reading. And no, I won't give you the link. If you want disinformation, you don't need to go far. Look for the union label. But the author promotes "anti-racism" curricula, so there's a clue (things never get better they only get worse theme). That's like asking for a reading list on Jews from Hitler's Department of Education in the 1940s.

The good old days

Whether nostalgia or bad memory or politicians, you may be wrong about "the good old days," crime, climate, income gaps, etc.

"According to a YouGov poll last year, between 21 percent and 45 percent of respondents across the Western world thought that climate change “likely” or “quite likely” will make the human race extinct. At the same time, both the absolute numbers and the proportion of people dying from natural catastrophes like storms, floods, droughts, or wildfires has plummeted over the last century – and that includes all kinds of natural disasters (such as earthquakes and tsunamis) not just the ones that climate change may have worsened."

https://www.humanprogress.org/nothing-is-more-responsible-for-the-good-old-days-than-a-bad-memory/?

A few years ago I recall a report that asked people what percent of the population was homosexual, and many guessed 20-25%. The correct answer was a little over 2%. But it was the topics and characters of films, books and TV programs that caused them to make that wrong estimate. There are some people who think 50% of people who get Covid19 die (99.75% recover).  I think 24/7 news and social media are worsening our memories.

How Google controls your information

90% of internet searches use Google, and 95% of searchers drop out after the second page.  I began blogging in 2003 and remember when my blog entries came up within the first or second page.  In the code, bloggers/web page designers put in tags that describe the most typical topics and your search picks up on that. With Google’s manipulation of search results that could never happen today.  I’m a big believer in capitalism, and the founders of Google, one of which is a Russian immigrant, have done a good job for the investors in their company.  That said, when successful companies get too cozy with the government, it’s called crony capitalism.  That’s how legislators get rich and CEOs beat back the competition by getting what looks like stiff controls, but only they are wealthy enough to meet the standards.  Any search that involves any information about the government or President Trump will bring up pages of New York Times, Washington Post (owned by another tech giant, Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest man in the country), Daily Beast, Huffington Post, and other far left media sources. This results in an informed public that has read/heard only part of the story. The conservatives then flee to other sources and also risk knowing only part of the information. When I log in, I automatically get Google News, which always leans left.  Sometimes I do click on a story, especially  if it’s none political, but then may just encourage the bias by taking the bait.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/google-search-results-show-pervasive-anti-trump-anti-conservative-bias/

https://pjmedia.com/trending/facebook-censors-articles-from-salena-zito-jenna-lynn-ellis-saying-they-look-like-spam/

If you search anything about Trump on Google you’ll probably get referred to CNN, which falls far behind Fox in popularity and viewership. And if you are in an airport, exercise facility, or doctor’s office, good luck seeing anything other than CNN.

As expected, NYT denies any bias with Google, and instead accuses Google of different biases. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/technology/bias-google-trump.html

https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/july-2018-ratings-fox-news-marks-25-consecutive-months-as-most-watched-cable-network-in-total-day/372050

https://www.mrc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/2014/MBB2014.pdf

Yesterday: The Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism hearing entitled: “Extremist Content and Russian Disinformation Online: Working with Tech to Find Solutions” October 31, 2017. https://www.c-span.org/video/?436454-1/facebook-google-twitter-executives-testify-russia-election-ads

Isn’t it odd that they don’t investigate the disinformation and slanderous opinion of other “bad actors” like Washington Post and New York Times or CNN and MSNBC, or even our own PACs?
And why just Russia? Do they think that Canada or Germany or Israel never try to influence Americans who get their news from social media? Are we to believe that the United States is never guilty of trying to influence the elections of our friends and enemies? Or American technology funded foundations push contraceptives and abortions on other cultures? 
 

Who in Facebook or Twitter or Google Corporations should judge “inauthentic activity” or valid social communities for blacks and Muslims? By their own testimony, possibly 5% of the ads/comments/tweets, etc. are false, fake, malicious. And if a black woman subscribed to a fake "pro-Trump" sponsored site directed at blacks, did she change her vote from Hillary to Trump, and is there any way to know?

Are these ads worse than any of the stuff I'm seeing right now on my local TV as the election date comes close on school and drug issues in Ohio. How will those companies prevent people who just don't like Trump or conservatives from having those comments or tweets blocked by complaining? It happens.

Our own media gave President Trump billions of “free” publicity during the 2016 campaign—because they hated him, ridiculed him and told lies about him. Apparently, middle America and fly over country ignored them. I’m sure they can ignore Russia, too.
Note: because of the youth of the tech executives, be prepared for every sentence to have an uplift/uptalk/rising inflection as they testify.