. . . one of the major problems (in the U.S.) today . . .
". . . arguing over the size of an inauguration crowd may seem trivial. But (former Trump Press Secretary Shean) Spicer’s very bold, very public and very disprovable lie arguably set the tone for the entire Trump presidency. This White House, Spicer implied, would not be concerned with facts and accuracy. No longer would administration officials allow the truth to prevent them from spreading their own narratives. They would just say what they wanted, and when challenged with the facts, label the questioner as biased and declare the media outlets to be “fake news.”. . . "
(from One Nation After Trump by E.J. Dionne, Jr., Norman J. Ornstein & Thomas E. Mann)
". . . The road to "fake news" was paved by the disdain in a large part of the conservative movement for real news. The trail to "alternative facts" was blazed by a mistrust of those whose jobs and professional ethics required them to report and rely on real facts. . . the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan's coinage: "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts". . . "
". . . It’s possible Trump didn’t see the mass of protestors, as he said. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist, or that reports of such crowds are “fake news.”
USA Today reported that “[t]he protest route ran from London’s Trafalgar Square, past No. 10 Downing St. – Prime Minister Theresa May’s official office and residence – and on to Parliament Square, a large open green space across the street from the British Parliament.” . . . But “because of the way British police placed security barriers,” the newspaper explained, “[m]ost of the demonstrators were out of his sight.”. . .
the Guardian, a British news publication, posted a short video of interviews with some of the protestors who gathered in those locations. (It also posted a longer video of people marching and listening to speakers criticize Trump.)
ABC News and CNN also published stories including a video and photos of more than a “very small” number of protestors holding signs with messages denouncing the president. There also was a parade-sized balloon depicting Trump as a baby, and a giant statue of Trump wearing an “impeach me” hat and sitting on a toilet with a phone in his hands.
NBC News reported that “[t]ens of thousands of protesters assembled in the streets of London on Tuesday” in what it said was the “largest of more than two dozen anti-Trump protests planned around the U.K. this week.” One of the groups that organized the demonstration claimed “some 75,000 people” attended the June 4 protest. . . . If so, that wouldn’t even be London’s largest ever gathering of Trump protesters. . . . “While thousands turned out, the protests were significantly smaller than the anti-Trump demonstrations that emerged during the President’s visit to the U.K. last July,” Time reported. The magazine said that time “[a]bout 250,000 people flooded the center of London, and an estimated total of 400,000 people protested across the U.K, resulting in a large-scale police and security operation, in which more than 10,000 police officers were deployed.”
. . . the president has a habit of labeling accurate news stories as “fake news.” This is yet another example. . . "
(from Thomas Jefferson; The Art of Power by Jon Meacham)
". . . The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them....Do not be too severe upon [the people's] errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, judges and governors shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions; and experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his own kind. . . "
Other Ray Jozwiak Offerings
(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)
(from https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-pol-trump-mexico-wall-never-said-20190110-story.html?fbclid=IwAR3njtTsp223Ql-0fIiQEGLRXgJ4gUpJvQBoTqip0UicMbsFb0pBynreORk)
". . . “When during the campaign, I would say 'Mexico is going to pay for it,' obviously, I never said this, and I never meant they're gonna write out a check, I said they're going to pay for it. They are," he said as departed the White House for an afternoon trip to McAllen, Texas for a roundtable on border security. . . "
. . . why does anyone even ask this man questions??? These people are lying MOST of the time. . . how long are people going to pretend that this makes sense? . . .
. . . how long are people going to pretend that the few things, labeled 'accomplishments' have actually been a benefit to them ? . . .
. . . how long are people going to pretend that this president actually CARES about them. . .
. . . how long are people going to pretend that only FOX news tells the truth and ALL OTHER media only broadcast 'fake' news . . .
. . . how long are people going to pretend than this 'man?' actually has their best interest at heart?. . .
. . . how long are people going to pretend that any 'consensus', 'agreement' or 'bipartisanship' can be employed as long as the current 'intercourse' continues. . .
How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . . How long? . . .
Please be careful how much you believe what you hear . . .
(from Lincoln's Last Trial by Dan Abrams and David Fisher)
". . . then from memory (Attorney John Palmer) quoted John Adams, "but as Mr. Adams told us, 'Facts are stubborn things, and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations or the dictums of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.' . . . "
. . . not especially in the case of our "President". . .
(http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-back-from-asia-knocks-%E2%80%98loser%E2%80%99-cnn/ar-BBEZeYo?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=ientp)
". . . Trump bashed CNN upon his return from a 12-day Asia trip, calling it "fake" in an early morning tweet on Wednesday. . ."While in the Philippines I was forced to watch @CNN, which I have not done in months, and again realized how bad, and FAKE, it is." Trump wrote. . . "Loser!" . . .Trump by contrast tweeted that "Fox and Friends" would be showing more footage of his "successful" trip overseas. . ."Believe it or not, even when I'm in Washington or New York, I do not watch much television," Trump told reporters. "People that don't know me, they like to say I watch television - people with fake sources. You know, fake reporters, fake sources.". . ."
Meantime, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, "I have never been so ashamed of a foreign trip in my years. It's just inside-out," Schumer said. "We attack our friends and the people who have given us the most trouble, China and Russia, we mollycoddle - that is so bad for the future of this country."
(https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-rips-mueller-target-papadopoulos-liar-low-level-volunteer-n815946)
". . . The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was "no collusion" and events mentioned took place long before he....came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS!. . .
The biggest story yesterday, the one that has the Dems in a dither, is Podesta running from his firm. What he know about Crooked Dems is...."
(from http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/05/19/revealed-barack-obama-talked-directly-mark-zuckerberg-facebook-concerns/ . . . with commentary from me)
BB: "Obama was one of the instigators of the “fake news” panic that has put Facebook in the establishment’s CROSSHAIRS following the election of Donald Trump. "
ME: I realize fake news was addressed to, and originated with, both political 'camps.' "Panic" though? What panic? Why Breitbart (and fox also, I'm sure) panic, of course. In any case, I suppose those of us non-NRA members are not part of the establishment putting Facebook in the CROSSHAIRS! And though, no particularly ardent fan of Barack Obama, I believe these folks put forth an convincing argument (or any kind of thesis at all) with the first sentence accusing Obama of being one instigator of the 'panic' etc. to which I've already referred.
BB: "According to a major New York Times Magazine feature on the future of Facebook, he is also holding private discussions with Mark Zuckerberg."
ME: Meaning, I surmise, that I, as part of the aforementioned 'establishment' must be concerned for some reason?
BB: "Earlier that day, Zuckerberg’s staff had sent me a draft of a 5,700 word manifesto that, I was told, he spent weeks writing. The document, “Building Global Community,” argued that until now, Facebook’s corporate goal had merely been to connect people. But that was just Step 1. According to the manifesto, Facebook’s “next focus will be developing the social infrastructure for community — for supporting us, for keeping us safe, for informing us, for civic engagement, and for inclusion of all.” If it was a nebulous crusade, it was also vast in its ambition.
ME: Nebulous, yes. But to which part of it did you object?
BB: "Facebook’s spokespeople then called the New York Times Magazine reporter to clarify the CEO’s comments, which the reporter interpreted as an attempt to counter the perception that the new manifesto was “partisan” and “anti-Trump.”"
ME: Seems the reporter possesses interpretation and perception issues.
BB: "Facebook’s spokespeople later called to stress that Obama was only one of many people to whom he had spoken. In other words: Don’t read this as a partisan anti-Trump manifesto. But if the company pursues the admittedly airy aims outlined in “Building Global Community,” the changes will echo across media and politics, and some are bound to be considered partisan."
ME: Now Facebook's spokespeople AND the reporter seem to have issues. AND, if this can in any way be viewed as a partisan issue, then my takeaway is that Obama and Facebook opponents (republicans? Trump-ites?) are anti-Global Community (read isolationist?).
. . . intentionally, and masterfully perpetrated-with the assistance of ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, WSJ, NYTs, USA Today, Washington Post, New York Post (you get the 'picture'). . .
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Al-Qaeda translation: "The Base" and alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa'ida) is a global militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in Peshawar, Pakistan, at some point between August 1988 and late 1989, with its origins being traceable to the Soviet War in Afghanistan. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad and a strict interpretation of sharia law. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, India and various other countries (see below). Al-Qaeda has carried out many attacks on non-Sunni Muslims, non-Muslims, and other targets it considers kafir. . .
(from http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Analysis-Whos-really-calling-the-shots-in-al-Qaida-322309)
. . . the United States killed the second-in-command of affiliate organization al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Abu Sufyan al-Azdi, in a drone strike in Yemen last year. He was reportedly wounded in the October 2012 strike and died a few months afterward. Jihadists recently called for revenge, and the terrorist organization’s affiliates in Iraq and Somalia are expressing their anger over his killing, according to Site, a jihadi monitoring website. There could also be a connection with the recent appointment of a Yemeni AQAP leader, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, as general manager of al-Qaida, effectively making him the No. 2 man in the organization. . .
(from http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/fakealqaeda.php)
"The truth is, there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called Al Qaida. And any informed intelligence officer knows this. But there is a propaganda campaign to make the public believe in the presence of an identified entity representing the 'devil' only in order to drive the TV watcher to accept a unified international leadership for a war against terrorism. The country behind this propaganda is the US . . ." -- Pierre-Henri Bunel
(http://www.rense.com/general68/alq.htm)
Shortly before his untimely death, former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook told the House of Commons that "Al Qaeda" is not really a terrorist group but a database of international mujaheddin and arms smugglers used by the CIA and Saudis to funnel guerrillas, arms, and money into Soviet-occupied Afghanistan. Courtesy of World Affairs, a journal based in New Delhi, WMR can bring you an important excerpt from an Apr.-Jun. 2004 article by Pierre-Henry Bunel, a former agent for French military intelligence. "I first heard about Al-Qaida while I was attending the Command and Staff course in Jordan. I was a French officer at that time and the French Armed Forces had close contacts and cooperation with Jordan . . .
