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Speaking of frauds, carnival barkers and incompetents . . .
Sheryl Attkisson has actually tracked examples of the press and media violating fundamental standards of journalism related to their coverage of Trump over the last four years. I suggest a google search or YouTube search and you should get a maddening, entertaining and eye-opening trip down memory lane. Here’s a recent one (pretty long).
Glen Greenwald addressed the WaPo malfeasance in his column yesterday. Very powerful.
https://greenwald.substack.com/p/how-do-big-media-outlets-so-often
Hopefully, the publisher will update the illustrations and re-issue the books. i have no problem with that (as if any of you give a rat’s ass if I have problems with this or anything else for that matter.) What is dangerous in this moment is the trend toward “ghosting” writing that doesn’t fit the “woke” narrative. The Leftists don’t burn books. They just eliminate any way to order them online. 😥
Some “woke” scholar was probably desperate to find a thesis topic and, running out of time, went “all in” to inspect children’s books for racist themes and images. Apparently this effort was rewarded by finding hurtful depictions in several Dr. Seuss books. I have not seen the subject illustrations to determine how explicit they are. But I suppose that I must consider the possibility that early exposures to this explains a least a portion of my racist persona.
It is easy to get frustrated at Millenials and GenXers and such, but it has been the Baby Boomer generation that gave the initial momentum to this movement and it was they who inculcated these perspectives in our younger population. And it is the absence of backbone in Baby Boomers that allows this wildfire to spread without resistance.
I have not seen much in the way of analysis of the economic impact of a wealth tax, but there are those who question if it is constitutional. An income tax is specifically indicated, as are other types of levys, but there is no mention of a wealth tax. I would imagine, though, that a constitutional scholar such as Elizabeth Warren has thought that through and just needs to hammer out some details.
It also strikes me that it would be a method of taxation burdened by process and red tape. Capital gains calculations and estate taxes already provide examples of taxing methods that necessitate burdensome documentation, evaluation and subjectivity. A wealth tax would be much more difficult and arbitrary. Would this be an annual process? What an enormous pain. The cost of preparation of taxes would increase and enforcement costs would also go much higher.
And one can presume that this would be just the camel’s nose under the tent. I think it is laughable to say that this tax might replace the income tax. Instead, I would expect that, once the imposition is in place, it will be periodically raised in the normal “take and take” (instead of “give and take”, get it?) of legislators.
The Left has achieved cultural control. Their outlook underlies the general public’s “common sense”. The manner in which we discuss the future of the republic will be effected dramatically by the consensus default to the meaning of terms like “equity” or “fairness” or “inclusivity”. The decency of the American proletariat is being fed lies and is manipulated to transform our core values.
I thought the election of Trump was a giant middle finger to authoritarians in this country. Turns out, he simply unified the other side to such a degree that they discovered their immense power: media, technology, education, entertainment and all the key areas of cultural influence and control. A full manifestation of George Orwell’s nightmare.
Barack Obama is winning. Perhaps he has already won.
I respect the opinions of Turley, Derschowitz, A. McCarthy, Bill Barr, and many others that suggest that SCOTUS was correct in spurning Texas’s case. But my acceptance is founded in their credibility, not in my deep understanding.
The case Texas made, as I understand it, was that the non-legislative branches of the four defendant states had changed election law during the course of the run up to this year’s elections. This was in direct contradiction with the stated principle in the Constitution that the state legislature shall, in its sole discretion, determine the time and manner of the selection of the state’s electors. This would seem to at least merit SCOTUS deliberation.
As to standing, isn’t that determined in some manner that requires that plaintiff demonstrate that they have suffered some harm as a result of defendants’ actions. It seems indisputable that if the four defendant states improperly name their electors and, if a different result is possible if they had not committed their violations, that Texas and other states could credibly claim harm.
It is remarkable to me that these suits did not arise immediately in response to the subject illegal changes. It damages the credibility of this action that Texas (or others in each of the respective states) did not feel sufficiently threatened to take action earlier in the year.
Holy mackeral, though, I sure do hope that a minimum of one of these Georgia Senate runoffs goes to Republicans. We are toast if it doesn’t.
None of this will turn around until a meaningful segment of those on the Left develops the ability to be embarrassed. Intellectual honesty is not their strong suit.
It is very sad, what is happening to America. And one of the most damaging developments is the tainting of our fourth estate. The press has abdicated its role in shedding light on the issues that politicians try hard to hide or manipulate. The media is now largely engaged in abetting the politicians that they support and impeding those they are against. This is not the America in which I grew up.
At this point I am dispirited to the point that I believe the media will succeed in stifling this announcement and squashing any effects this conference might have had in what used to be a free and open society.
I think the Boomer generation is the main factor in the erosion of America’s exceptionalism and the beginning of its descent in this millennium. Self-absorbed and secular, my contemporaries undermined the values that historically differentiated us from other nations, both historically and in the world in which we presently live. Over time we compromised our liberty in order to try to obtain greater security on a broad range of topics. Such a trade-off often leads to a reduction in both liberty and security. We wish to be more compassionate, but instead we subjugate ourselves to the frailties of human imperfection.
