Charles Cooke Hits It Out of the Ballpark
[guest post by JVW]
Reflecting upon the last couple weeks of malodorous journalism, National Review’s Charles W. Cooke provides his usual pointed appraisal:
Our national press is a national joke. Vain, languid, excitable, morbid, duplicitous, cheap, insular, mawkish, and possessed of a chronic self-obsession that would have made Dorian Gray blush, it rambles around the United States in neon pants, demanding congratulation for its travails. Not since Florence Foster Jenkins have Americans been treated to such an excruciating example of self-delusion. The most vocal among the press corps’ ranks cast themselves openly as “firefighters” when, at worst, they are pyromaniacs and, at best, they are obsequious asbestos salesmen.
He writes about the idea of the media frenzy, which we saw in such stark relief last weekend, where the narrative reigns above all, facts and nuance be dammed. Noting that this tendency to readily believe stories which neatly fit into the preconceived biases of an educated but uninquisitive urban self-appointed elite is nothing new, Mr. Cooke notes that this sort of lazy malpractice has become markedly worse since Donald Trump became President:
[T]he victim of the frenzy — who is usually Donald Trump but might also be Brett Kavanaugh or Nikki Haley or Ben Shapiro or a county comptroller from Arkansas or the children of Covington High School or someone who just happens to share a name with a school shooter and once complained online about his property taxes — who will complain bitterly about the spectacle and then be condescended to on the weekend shows by professional media apologists such as CNN’s Brian Stelter.
This phase is the final one within the cycle, and it may also be the most pernicious, for it is here that it is made clear to the architects of the screw-up at hand that they should expect no internal policing or pressure from their peers and that, on the contrary, they should think of themselves as equals to Lewis and Clark. To watch Stelter’s show, Reliable Sources, after a reporting debacle is to watch a master class in whataboutism and faux-persecution, followed by the insistence that even the most egregious lapses in judgment or professionalism are to be expected from time to time and that we should actually be worrying about the real victim here: the media’s reputation. This, suffice it to say, is not helpful. Were a football commentator to worry aloud that a team’s ten straight losses might lead some to think they weren’t any good — and then to cast any criticisms as an attack on sports per se — he would be laughed out of the announcers’ box.
[Note, link above has been added by me and is not in the original NRO piece.]
And here he gets to the heart of the matter:
“Accountability” doesn’t mean “always running a retraction when you get it wrong.” At some point it means learning and adapting and changing one’s approach. It is not an accident that all of the press’s mistakes go in one political or narrative direction. It is not happenstance that none of the major figures seem capable of playing “wait and see” when the subject is this presidency. And it is not foreordained that they must reflexively appeal to generalities when a member of the guild steps forcefully onto the nearest rake. Ronald Reagan liked to quip that a government department represented the closest thing to eternal life we are likely to see on this earth. In close second is a bad journalist with the right opinions, for he will be treated as if he were the very embodiment of liberty.
And with respect to the oft-made claim that President Trump is a threat the First Amendment, Mr. Cooke is not buying it:
Donald Trump, at whom [MSNBC’s Kasie] Hunt’s quip [that Trump was the most anti-First Amendment American ruler since King George III] was aimed, does indeed have instincts toward the First Amendment of which he and his acolytes should be ashamed; he does indeed have a tenuous relationship with the truth; and he does indeed wear a skin so thin as to border on the translucent. But he has not — ever — “attacked the free press”; he has not prevented, or attempted to prevent, the publication of a single printed word; and he has made no attempt whatsoever to change the law that he might do so. Rather, he has repeatedly — and often stupidly — criticized the press corps. The difference between these two actions is the difference between a bad art critic’s savaging a painting in print and a bad art critic’s savaging a painting with a chainsaw. One is the exercise of liberty; the other, vandalism and intimidation.
It’s a long piece and I could go on and on pulling out the great tidbits that are neatly sliced with Mr. Cooke’s sharp wit (no, wait, that metaphor strains way too much; unfortunately he’s a way better writer than I am). If you will indulge me one more, I really liked this paragraph where the inanity of modern news reporting is attributed to the historical ignorance of the media class, a particular bugaboo of mine:
Selective political interest is disastrous in its own right. But when combined with the catastrophic historical illiteracy that is rife among the journalistic class, its result is what might best be described as the everything-happening-now-is-new fallacy, which leads almost everybody on cable news and the opinion pages to deem every moment of national irritation unprecedented, to cast all political fights as novel crises, and, provided it is being run by Republicans, to determine that the present Congress is “the worst ever.” Turn on the television and you will learn that our language is the “least civil,” our politics is “the most divided,” and our environment is the “most dangerous.” When a Democrat is president, he is “facing opposition of the kind that no president has had to suffer”; when a Republican is president, he is held to be badly unlike the previous ones, who were, in turn, regarded as a departure from their predecessors. Continually, we are held to be on the verge of descending into anarchy or reinstituting Jim Crow or murdering the marginalized or, a particular favorite of mine, establishing the regime outlined in The Handmaid’s Tale. Past is prologue, context, and balm. Without it, all is panic.
Anyway, do read the whole thing. Not only does Mr. Cooke give the corrupt media establishment forty stripes minus one across the back, but he also names deserving names (hello, Jim Acosta!). Great stuff as usual from him.
– JVW
Beware the cheesy cliché in the post’s title, but we’re only a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting and the high schools and colleges around here have already started winter practices.
JVW (54fd0b) — 1/27/2019 @ 2:21 pmExcellent article. Thanks for posting it.
John B Boddie (66f464) — 1/27/2019 @ 2:49 pm“… [Trump] has not prevented, or attempted to prevent the publication of a single word…”
Really?! Truly?!
‘Enquiring’ minds want to know.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/27/2019 @ 2:59 pmCome to a song of Rustic growth List all my jolly Hearers, Whose moral plainly tends to prove that all the world are sheerers, How shepards sheer their silly sheep, How statesmen sheer the state, And all when they can sheer no more are sheers’d themselves by fate, The sheering we will go
mg (8cbc69) — 1/27/2019 @ 3:08 pmJohn Thelwall
1795
Donald Trump is more introspective and inquisitive than 98% of the press.
His command of facts towers over local TV news presenters.
His ability to accept criticism and correct his behavior is infinitely greater that that of the media in general.
A lower bar could not be found, yet they fail even this test.
Kevin M (21ca15) — 1/27/2019 @ 3:24 pmSwing-and-a-miss-Cooke’s playing in the minors; major league media turns a profit.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/27/2019 @ 3:31 pmThat is a fine post, JVW. We see some of the problems described in smaller context, here in the comment section.
“Erzählung über alles,” is the rule these days…on all sides. Thanks for your moderating posts, truly.
Simon Jester (2cc688) — 1/27/2019 @ 3:48 pmJerry Springer wasn’t supposed to be the model.
Kevin M (21ca15) — 1/27/2019 @ 3:49 pmno it’s 1984, as how to manual, how did they call it ‘first to denounce’
narciso (d1f714) — 1/27/2019 @ 3:52 pmthe real victim here: the media’s reputation
“But we’re orphans!”
–Menendez brothers
Kevin M (21ca15) — 1/27/2019 @ 3:53 pm8. Ah, but Jerry Springer was a politician. And I believe he is still a practicing lawyer.
Gryph (08c844) — 1/27/2019 @ 4:35 pm5. I believe “Donald Trump is smarter than the collective press” would qualify as damning with faint praise.
Gryph (08c844) — 1/27/2019 @ 4:36 pmAt a rate of over ten false and misleading statements every single day, Trump has command over his storylines, but not the facts, and he’s made no corrections to his “facts” when he’s been called on them. The MSM is indeed biased, but the responsible outlets fix their mistakes.
Paul Montagu (27e440) — 1/27/2019 @ 4:40 pmEven now, Trump is trying to find a border patrol person to back up his unsupported claim that human traffickers gagged women with tape, which is not all that different from when he claimed that he won the popular vote but for three to five million illegal voters, then he hired Kobach to scare up those three to five million fraudulent votes (Kobach failed miserably).
Cooke is terrific.
It seems to me that if ideological diversity was considered as important as any of the more SJW-approved diversity categories then this problem would solve itself. But as long as the close-minded media is an organ of the left, then this is what we’re left with: the self-righteous, wounded cries of “But we’re heroes, why can’t they see that?”
Dana (023079) — 1/27/2019 @ 5:12 pmThe difference between these two actions is the difference between a bad art critic’s savaging a painting in print and a bad art critic’s savaging a painting with a chainsaw. One is the exercise of liberty; the other, vandalism and intimidation.
Wow! That art critic metaphor is great.
Yes, the press cannot seem to understand the difference between censorship and criticism. In Turkey, say, criticizing the president lands you in jail. In Trump’s America, it gets you called names on Twitter. That they equate the two shows just how moronic they are.
Bored Lawyer (8ea02a) — 1/27/2019 @ 5:22 pmIf the Media can’t be thought of as heroic, they’ll try to play the victim. If that doesn’t take hold, it’s a problem. They got nothin’.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 5:41 pmSpeaking of media, as improbable as it sounds, a Portland newspaper just did an excellent job of tracking down Saudi nationals who have been busted for felonies, and then where Saudi officials vanished those felons out of the country before they could face American justice. The lesson here is that if any Saudi is busted for a felony, the judge should deny bail for flight-risk reasons.
Paul Montagu (27e440) — 1/27/2019 @ 5:50 pmcorrupt news media what a concept. the news media has always been partisan since the founding of the country. washington was called a king. adams a tyrant jefferson the devil jackson a bigamist and worse. lincoln a tyrannical ape. cleveland a pervert fdr a communist nixon a fascist reagan a nazi dubya a traitor. pulitzer and hearst were yellow journalists. only in the 1960’s did the establishment demand the media appear to be non partisan for protection of the establishment.
lany (e18e86) — 1/27/2019 @ 5:59 pmIs there any irony in the fact that the loudest voices decrying a dishonest media belong to people who bend over backwards to defend and excuse the most execrable liar ever to hold the Presidency? I’ll go ahead and answer my own question: Yep.
JRH (fe281f) — 1/27/2019 @ 6:09 pmCooke is British by birth, born in late 1984. He really should bone up on another Briton, much older, who became a U.S. citizen as well, and revisit the crass crap that fella piped out to the British public before moving here to degrade if not poison the American media landscape. Just like he did in the UK: the LCD is highly profitable. Fleet Street was a cesspool; we saw the damage he was doing first hand when living over there before Cooke’s time. And watched it take root here.
‘Neon pants’ is a cousin of ‘leg lights’– brought to you by conservative media mogul: Rupert Murdoch.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/27/2019 @ 6:09 pm17… the thing with Saudis is that if they’re near, you’ll know they’ve fled when you notice the absence of the ever-present sulfurous haze caused by their diet.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 6:10 pm@20. Postscript- Actually, Rupert was Aussie-born, but bloomed in Britain; fudging that is decidedly Doosy. Still, the poison got around the English-speaking world just the same.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/27/2019 @ 6:23 pm“I am appalled that the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI have permitted a vindictive use of arrest in a non-violent case with a defendant who was willing to surrender. This is an abuse of power and it underscores the vindictive nature of it by the fact that CNN was alerted ahead of time. For those of us who have been prosecutors and have prosecuted mob figures, drug dealers and terrorists—those are the people for whom these aggressive tactics are reserved. Not a Roger Stone.
Make no mistake, this was designed to be vindictive and intimidating.”
—- former US Attorney for D.C. Joseph diGenova
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 6:24 pmHaiku, those non-felonious Saudis with excessively sulfurous flatulence are the ones I’ll prefer to deport. Send those greenhouse gases back to KSA.
Paul Montagu (27e440) — 1/27/2019 @ 6:26 pmLol… agreed.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 6:33 pmI think he understates the impact and influence of social media. He mentions blue check journalists, but they often get into the act relatively late. There are a lot of stories that I saw online well before the cable news picked them up, and I think at least times the news outlets cover a story because it’s already penetrated the echo chambers of Twitterdom.
Kishnevi (7367be) — 1/27/2019 @ 6:42 pmStanding orders from our Captain, Joey: ‘dress for success.’
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/27/2019 @ 6:51 pmCooke’s article is very good but the journalism disease he speaks of occasionally infects media on the right:
“It appears that most of the teenagers in this video are from a Catholic high school near Covington, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. They mock a serious, frail-looking older man and gloat in their momentary role as Roman soldiers to his Christ. “Bullying” is a worn-out word and doesn’t convey the full extent of the evil on display here.“ [bolding is mine]
From Cooke’s own National Review in an article (since removed) titled:
The Covington Students Might as Well Have Just Spit on the Cross
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/national-review-pulls-article-saying-141411037.html
harkin (e6b10c) — 1/27/2019 @ 7:43 pmThe fact that he makes a false assertion denied by everyone in a position to know the truth of the matter, and for which there is zero evidence, indicates that this is just agitprop for his fellow cultists.
Let’s see, the last time he was a US attorney was 31 years ago, and he was hired to work on Trump’s defense team about 10 months ago… I’m sure that just slipped your mind.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/27/2019 @ 7:48 pmAndrew Weissmann is the Wizard of Oz in Mueller’s shop. Same guy who screwed Arthur Anderson Consulting. Investors, partners lost all their money, thousands of their employees lost their jobs, Supreme Court overturned what Weissmann had wrought and Weissman got promoted. That’s how they do it at the federal level.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 7:51 pmLike tobacco-related illnesses (few suffered from them in the 18th century because they either did not smoke all that much or something else killed them first), the Founders did not envision the damage a vicious and degenerate Fake News Media could do to a society with advanced forms of communication. We need, desperately, to rein them with severe criminal and civil penalties for sedition, defamation, invasion of privacy, false and misleading advertising, and the dissemination of false information likely to cause civil unrest or a breach of the peace.
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 7:53 pmSort of like the system that works so well in Russia?
Dave (1bb933) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:03 pm31, real smart wording and analogy there..risky in that such reopens the old saw about muzzle loading muskets regarding the next amendment.
urbanleftbehind (6542f3) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:06 pmMueller and Weissmann – in particular- are using the same tactics used against Arthur Anderson Consuling, Enron, Merrill Lynch against the Trump administration as the Russian Collusion crap has fallen apart. We need a report on what took place on what took place with candidate Trump and then President Trump, Obama’s role in it, the rush to “unmask” innocent people, etc.
Partisan Sally Yates, good friend of Weissmann, Bruce Ohr and what he’s shared, FISA extended three times, all of this based on the dossier, fruit of the poisoned tree. Weissmann has worked this way for decades, Mueller knows it, and that’s why he hired him.
How many times has narciso shared this and it’s in one ear, out the other?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:07 pmThe founding fathers were quite aware of how yellow journalism could get. There wasn’t much quality control in their day either.
Nic (896fdf) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:09 pmTruth is of no interest to them, their interest lies in what can be ginned up to charge a criminal offense. Some contradictory statement, it doesn’t matter where it was made or if it had any bearing, they’ll somehow fashion it to work the way they need it to.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:12 pmMaybe waiting for the Mueller report is not what’s needed, since we know who will be writing the report.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:13 pmWeissmann specializes in manipulating the media, as well.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:14 pm31, real smart wording and analogy there..risky in that such reopens the old saw about muzzle loading muskets regarding the next amendment.
Heh! Where do you think I got it from? The Fake News Libtard Gun-Grabbers themselves.
But I’ll tell you what. They can have the same freedoms of expression that a well-regulated militia has while carrying out its duties. How is that?
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:18 pmPerhaps the media – who absolutely hate Trump – are so enamored with Mueller and his crew because they are large-scale leakers. Get their emails, texts and phone records.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:20 pmBut maybe you can tell me how “Congress shall pass no law” translates into “States shall pass no law” or, as in New York Times v. Sullivan, “the common law actions for libel and slander shall be as the Supreme Court of the United States decrees”?
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:23 pmWe have had an increasingly political DOJ and FBI, for a number of years now. How can it be stopped?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:24 pmThe way the Politburo controlled the KGB. By controlling funding, hiring, and promotions.
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:27 pm*waves hand*
Ooh! I know! I know!
(emphasis added)
Dave (1bb933) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:28 pmTrump dropped the ball on Day 1 in that respect. Comey, Yates, McCabe, even Sessions, were unforced errors.
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:29 pmWe have had an increasingly political DOJ and FBI, for a number of years now. How can it be stopped?
Well, it would certainly help if we had someone in the Oval Office who was not a grifting corrupt con man.
Kishnevi (1d9ed3) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:30 pmIndeed. Dubya was reviled by the left, but apart from Scooter Libby’s screw-up, which was a blip on the radar in the larger scheme of things, his administration had no problems with law enforcement.
Remarkable how not committing crimes and hiring criminals can do that…
Dave (1bb933) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:36 pmYou may be right there, Dave, except that no Supreme Court has agreed with you. Not ever. They’ve used the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth.
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:37 pmWhich members of Trump’s administration have had problems with law enforcement for something they did as members of the administration?
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:40 pmMcCabe, Strzok and Page don’t count.
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:41 pmExactly, and fitz Comey mueller goldsmith were wray where playing the same musical chairs 14-15 years ago. Goldsmith runs lawfare.
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:42 pmI had a pounding headache so I dozed off seriously Cooke hit a bunt maybe a single. Its embarrassing what a joke national review has become, yes Buckley came from the company Burnham briefly worked for them,
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:45 pmTrump could not remove any of these people till late January at the latest, what’s wrong with you people. I think admiral Roger’s did tip him off back in November but it didnt go to everyone.
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:47 pmHope you feel better.
At the moment, on that music forum I belong to, I am arguing with another member, who, I just realized, quite literally does not know what the meaning of “money” is.
Kishnevi (1d9ed3) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:49 pmPlay the Pink Floyd song for him?
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:52 pmTrump could have…I think should have…fired Comey on the afternoon of January 20, 2017 on the grounds that he completely mishandled the Clinton inquiry and had lost the trust of everyone. And probably more, but that would have been enough.
Kishnevi (1d9ed3) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:54 pmAnd no one would have said boo.
No he could not, and wishing doesn’t make it so, they had set up a tripwire, with Yates running interference
Apparently we ‘will get fooled again’
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:58 pmFlynn is the only prominent administration official to plead guilty so far, and his false statements were made while in office.
The investigation is centered on his campaign’s ties to Russia, so it shouldn’t be surprising that many indictments and guilty pleas have involved people who worked for him before he took office.
By and large, high level administration officials outside Trump’s inner circle have behaved ethically, at least until he fired them for it. That’s why his cultists are so angry.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/27/2019 @ 8:58 pmAccording to Nancy Pelosi, and I got it from the media so forgive me if I’m misquoting her, it’s all because “Trump’s campaign tried to influence the election”.
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:01 pmthe corruption of the propaganda bimbo media is no longer separable from the corruption of the sleazy FBI, the dirty treasonous tranny-mattis military, the criminally thuggish Rosytwat DOJ, the hawaii judge joke justice system, our stanford prison universities, the slimy america-hating trash that infest the cia, or the burgeoning number of hectoring toilet brands like gillette starbucks or levi’s
it’s all the same people anymore
it’s all the same trash
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:01 pmWell Price was a particular disappointment, he was swallowed up by the horde, Tillerson and mcmaster went with the permanent bureaucracy when it came to priorities in Latin America, a meester Patterson in Guatemala was one.
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:02 pm“In case you missed it, a would-be terrorist was arrested last week for allegedly plotting a massive, multi-faceted attack on the White House. The plotter, 21-year old Hasher Jallel Taheb, hails from Cumming, Ga. His motive appears to have been jihad.
Might this story have been a tad bigger if the alleged perpetrator hadn’t been a Muslim and “person of color?” Might it have been bigger yet if the sitting president had been a Democrat?
Of course it would have. It might even have gotten a fraction of the coverage that last October’s letter bomb scare received.”
https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/01/20/why-liberals-have-zero-credibility-when-they-talk-about-a-climate-of-hate/
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:03 pmWhitaker chambers was concerned when he defected, he had joined the losing side.
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:03 pmStrzok and Page aren’t in any legal trouble, and McCabe is only accused of a process crime (which makes him the innocent victim of a fascist deep-state witch-hunt, right?)
Dave (1bb933) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:05 pmWho polices the top cops? You know, guys that apparently think they answer to no one.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:05 pmHorowitz gives them a warning, judge Sullivan gives them a speeding ticket, like they did with Ted Steven’s the bureau fired Chad joy the whistleblower and kept Mary kempner, the protector of the key witness.
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:09 pmre: 64… he often gets his attempts at humor and talking points from the Democrat narrative memo…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:14 pmhttps://youtu.be/yyr-2NPszus
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:17 pmSo Cooke didn’t mention Fox News Follies once in that whole diatribe? Then what selective outrage, to say the least. To me, it discredits the whole article.
Shoot the messenger. The message from Con Don and his gang stinks to the high heavens. So try to demean the media? How shocking. That’s the Republicans’ last, desperate resort – there are no other options for them. How transparent.
Tillman (61f3c8) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:28 pmYes the only problem was Hillary didnt win, everyone was committed to that goal.
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:28 pmShep is generally useless as is stirewalt, and a few others.
A gay fellow in Norway has to point this out:
https://pjmedia.com/trending/highbrows-vs-deplorables/
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:46 pmSo Cooke didn’t mention Fox News Follies once in that whole diatribe?
was there a jot or tittle about how filthy dishonest and cowardly National Review has become?
of course not, and that would’ve been ridiculously conspicuous if he’d aimed his criticism in any way rightwards
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:46 pmshep isn’t just useless he does gobs of fake news – he outright lies
he’s a perniciousness and a venomous toxic
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:48 pmFloor wax, dessert topping, I dont get fox anymore.
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:51 pmi saw it when i was in texas
greg gutfeld and Mr. Carlson were the only things what had any sparkle
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/27/2019 @ 9:58 pmAre they still in the Houston airport terminal
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 10:04 pmi saw it at seester’s she had a surgery so i went down just to be there the first week after
all i remember from IAH was a kinda decent sushi place and how they gussied up the statue of HW
i guess he died a couple days before i flew back
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/27/2019 @ 10:11 pmRe: 69… they’ll always go to the Fox News attack. Having 99% of the media poncing for them just won’t cut it.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/27/2019 @ 10:17 pmMueller and Comey ran interference for the terrorists by challenging the interrogators, same with middle ranks in the company.
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 10:25 pmSo Ali soufan now an agent for Qatar, which sponsors Hamas and the Taliban along with that al tahir (the times cheered for them today)
Narciso (d7888d) — 1/27/2019 @ 10:26 pmYup. Fox News is the only major media outlet that’s not a Democrat house organ so it’s … partisan!
nk (dbc370) — 1/27/2019 @ 10:45 pmIf one says bias and partisanship by the media is harmful, what difference does it make which side is being favored?
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 12:18 amThe media is nothing but a bunch of dumb blondes having their string pulled before talking.
mg (8cbc69) — 1/28/2019 @ 2:35 amFox is not on our side. At most, it can be said to be providing the antidote to the poisonous toads of the Democrat party organs, although, I see it more as serving a market that has been abandoned by them. The poisonous toads of the Democrat party organs.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 5:44 amFrom the so called torygraph:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/26/melania-trump-apology/
Narciso (ff8a48) — 1/28/2019 @ 5:46 amyes yes fox has a creepy blond bimbo agenda and they foist a grotesque fried hog leg and jesus image of conservatism on america
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 5:53 amplus their benghazi fetish was almost as bad as the cnn poofterboy fetish with the newtown babby wazzles
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 5:54 amGood morning… https://static.pjmedia.com/instapundit/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-28-at-8.00.44-AM-600×360.png
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:07 amThe assassination of an American ambassador is a serious thing, especially when al queda is involved, the mastermind was detained last June when trannies Olympics or something was the focus.
Narciso (8f6dad) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:30 amAh they were whitewashing the ig report.
Narciso (8f6dad) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:35 am“Nailing Roger Stone on false statements was hardly a challenge. Stone could not give an interview without contradicting himself on national television. The question is, without Stone, what is left of the hack-and-attack conspiracy between the Russians and the Trump campaign? Like the Trump Tower meeting, the Stone angle seems to have fizzled out. On closer examination, there clearly appears to be dirty politics but nothing that can be fairly described as a criminal conspiracy.
Mueller has been unrelenting in pursuing Stone. Now he has him. For whatever it is worth.”
—- Jonathan Turley
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:39 am‘It was just a couple blocks from this very spot that nearly 30 years ago as a young district attorney I woke up and said the five words that would guide my life’s work’:
“Willie, you look fine today”
—- Kamala T. Harris, announcing her candidacy
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:47 amWillie Brown is happy today
He was made famous in a special way
Not very handsome or very rich
But a Presidential candidate was his _____
West Hollywood will think of him often
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:52 amTalkin’ ’bout Willie Brown and his Kamala shtuppin’
Willie Brown and his Kamala shtuppin’
News orgs make mistakes and issue corrections. I don’t give them a red cent and they don’t represent me. The President lies every day and makes no corrections. My tax dollars do pay his salary and he does represent me. Most of the same people who love to scream fake news slaver over the President’s every lying word. They have O credibility.
JRH (fe281f) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:56 amI don’t slaver, and I am as much “most people” as the next person at the grocery store checkout.
Other thing is, Presidents are term limited. One way or another. Fake News poisons minds in perpetuity. It’s not individuals. It’s a culture of misinformation, day in and day out.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:59 am@95. I know you don’t slaver. But in using that term, “Fake News,” you have adopted the battle cry of a guy who couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it.
JRH (fe281f) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:28 am@95. “Presidents are term limited”
Good point, Thank God and thank George Washington for refusing a third term.
JRH (fe281f) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:33 ami disagree about benghazi
it was basically just some meanies taking advantage of our loser state department’s arrogance and incompetence
some flunkies and mercenaries got the short end of the stick, but Libya’s what pigboy coward John McCain and his girl Hillary made it
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:37 amThey correct on A 29, but the narrative lingers on wikipedia on any news feed.
Narciso (8f6dad) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:47 amJRH hits it out of the ballpark…
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:48 amIt might’ve been a bigger story if the guy actually did something. I heard as much about Taheb as I did about the four Americans who plotted an attack against a Muslim enclave of 200 in upstate NY. In both cases, the common thread was that the feds got ahead of the situation and the suspects were arrested before they could actually go kinetic. Both stories lasted not much longer than a news cycle. BTW, the folks in Islamberg should change the name of their community to something like Americaberg, just to throw off the loopy loos.
Paul Montagu (27e440) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:52 amWhich is the base of the fellow who turned over Daniel pearl to Saeed sheikh.
Narciso (8f6dad) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:03 am“and theres this chicken sandwich, and if you eat it it means you hate gay people, but its SOO GOOD”
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:09 amhe’s determined to take schmuck to the next level i think
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:16 amwho wouldn’t drop everything to follow this man into battle and beyond
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:20 amYes, PM, much like with Italian mob and white supremacist groups, the motivation, personnel and expertise at the agencies has caught on days late and dollars short. 50 year old Italian Americans nabbing 70 year old mobsters and the infusion of black agents and supervisors from Carter and Clinton create a too tight a web for classic good old boys to catch momentum.
urbanleftbehind (6542f3) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:24 amGiven a choice between a guy who sucked Roy Cohn’s willie, a gal who sucked Willie Brown’s willie, and a guy who can sell five cents’ worth of polluted water for $5.00, whom would you vote for?
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:35 amIf he can get his old company to restore its once sensible restroom policies, he’s got my vote.
urbanleftbehind (6542f3) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:46 amIf the Democrats can field a candidate who 1% less repulsive than Hillary, Trump is history (a footnote thereto).
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:55 amIt gives me the willies to read about Willie’s willie.
Paul Montagu (27e440) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:57 amI think the knives are out for tulsi, so I think hes safe.
Narciso (8f6dad) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:00 ami already decided i’m voting for freedom
i’m voting for prosperity
i’m voting for integrity
i’m voting for President Donald Trump
because America deserves one more chance to stop being such a dirty corrupt slag-country
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:04 amPick a subject you know well, outside of politics, which has objective standards. See how many mistakes and deliberate misstatements you can find in press coverage of that subject. Project that level of accuracy onto every story you read.
Thud Muffle (5a4596) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:09 amI’d like to see Tulsi and Kam catfight though, but Tulsi is probably situated to be an Al Gore in terms of the timing (not the policies). Probably will be the origin of the THE damaging opp research find (e.g. Willie Horton), will quit Super Tuesdayish and will be on the ticket in ’24.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:15 amThe lack of self-awareness on the part of the media is pathetic. You have only to read all of the whining posts by the people laid off by HuffPost and Buzzfeed to understand how low the media has gone.
Rochf (877dba) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:38 amAll of this:
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-issue-is-not-roger-stones-lurid-personal-life-but-equality-under-the-law/
This is the real danger of the Mueller probe…
whembly (51f28e) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:38 amAs I have said before, Trump is a narcisstic bufoon who is an embarassment, even though I agree with many of his offical actions. I view him as the “middle finger candidate” — voting for him is a way to give the middle finger to many who deserve it. (I voted for a third party candidate last time as a protest, since I live in a blue state where it was clear that my vote would not matter either way.)
And, quite frankly, after the latest antics around the Covington affair, I am sorely tempted to vote for him next time for just that reason — to give those who deserve it the middle finger. What was done to the Covington boys — out and out lying, excoriating them before the nation, and calling for violence or death against them — is an outrage. For that, a middle finger is deserved. Too bad the only one to deliver is Trump.
Bored Lawyer (998177) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:48 amFour more years!
(for Mueller)
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:49 amWho is Florence Foster Jenkins??
I looked it up. She was asocialite who wanted to be an opera singer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Foster_Jenkins
She was born in 1868. and after her ather died, she began performing, from about 1912 till 1944.
She long ago lost her fame. The reason somebody knows about her now is that amovie was made about her in 2016.
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:55 amI think Charles Cooke fell into the same trap of historical illiteracy he talks about: Trump has not attempted to do that by virtue of his authority as president; He may not have seriously done that through his lawyers,
e.g. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/politics/trump-threatens-sue-fire-fury-publisher.html
https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/1/5/16854008/donald-trump-michael-wolff-fire-fury-authors-guild-libel-suit-threat
But he did do that as a private citizen.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2017-06-12/trump-s-history-of-lies-according-to-biographer-timothy-o-brien
(He didn’t, because in 2016 Michael Cohen, albeit maybe mainly on his own initiative, was trying to game plan with Felix Sater how Trump could get a tower in Moscow.)
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 10:09 ammeryl streep played florence in the movie i think
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 10:51 amsure trust O’Brien:
https://saraacarter.com/nunes-predicts-discovery-process-in-roger-stone-case-will-be-fascinating/
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2019 @ 10:58 am121. Yes it was Meryl Streep
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4136084/
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 11:03 amCharles Cooke about Nathan Phillips:
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/nathan-phillips-is-full-of-it
He requotes one thing that David French quoted from Natghan Phillip’s CNN interview. In particular a part that isn’t strictly a lie, to the effect that: (slightly condensing)
When these folks (the boys) came out there, these other folks (the Black Hebrew Israelites) were saying their piece, and they (the boys) got offended [although] they were just expressing their own views. They were saying things that he (Nathan Phillips] didn’t know whether he agreed with with or not, but some of it was educational, and it was the truth, and it was history and [about] religious views and ideologies, but these other folks [the boys] had one point of view and it seemed it was that their point of view was [that theirs] the only point that was worthwhile.
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 11:14 am107. Well, he would probably be almost certain to carry Utah, for one thing, if he seemed half reasonable, and was staying in the race..
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 11:16 amTe reason there was afrenzy about the boys, is that no one wanetd to risk being seen as showing tolerance toward hatred (or at least the wrong kind of hatred) Yes, they might condemn the boys later but then they could be accued then of waiting to see which way the wind was blowing.
Being skeptical or being cautious was just like people who didn’t believe women who claimed to be raped until they had no choice.
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 11:22 amOne thing I don’t like about news organizations – and this is true across the board, and has been for a long time – is that they don’t tell you important information until it’s too late.
They tell you things about political candidates that they never mentioned before the day after the election.
They just mentioned yesterday that the price of a first class stamp just went up. (I knew it, but thought the date was earlier in January and I bought 20 of them, which I may use at a rate that it would probably take several years to use up, plus I have some other Forever stamps already. But I have two possible packages to mail, one of which I would have to pay for, and if that went up too, it would have bene nice to know that the rate might be cheaper on Friday.)
They didn’t mention that some copyrights were expiring until they expired (now that is just as useful afterwards as before, still it should have been told before.)
They tell you about interesting people, many times only after they die (Although other times it is their 90th brthday or 100th or something.)
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 11:36 amTo tell you the truth, Howard Schultz sounds rather stupid, and, like Ross Perot, he pays too much attention to the federal debt (and only holistically) He has no ideas about immigration, except that his heart is in the right place. And he’s totally new to national defense.
I don’t know why 60 Minutes promoted him, except that, unlike Michael Bloomberg, he’s planning to run as an Independent. (and he’s also pledging to spend enough money to be a credible candidate.)
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 11:47 am> that Trump was the most anti-First Amendment American ruler since King George III
Do people simply not learn about American history any more?
During WWI the Congress passed and the President signed legislation that made it a criminal offense to use any language which would cause a listener to view the US government or its institutions with contempt, whenever the US was at war (among other things). It also made it illegal to, for example, advocate against the production of war material (with the intent to hinder the war effort through such advocacy).
aphrael (e0cdc9) — 1/28/2019 @ 11:50 amAfter the way Howard Schultz screwed the SuperSonics, no way in hell would I even consider him, even if he were a Republican. I boycotted Starbucks for five years and still won’t watch the NBA until a franchise comes to Seattle.
Paul Montagu (27e440) — 1/28/2019 @ 11:54 am“And, quite frankly, after the latest antics around the Covington affair, I am sorely tempted to vote for him next time for just that reason — to give those who deserve it the middle finger. What was done to the Covington boys — out and out lying, excoriating them before the nation, and calling for violence or death against them — is an outrage. For that, a middle finger is deserved. Too bad the only one to deliver is Trump.”
Pretty much, although as of today I still couldn’t vote for him.
There is an insanity in our country which has resulted in persons completely unfit for office (Obama, Trump) getting elected and others (Madame Pantsuit) getting way too close. Look at the Dem front runners right now. I’m praying we snap out of it but losing hope.
harkin (e6b10c) — 1/28/2019 @ 12:00 pmEntonces:
Narciso (0b1c92) — 1/28/2019 @ 12:01 pmhttps://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/byron-york-on-closer-examination-roger-stone-indictment-is-less-than-it-seems?utm_source=WEX_Breaking%20News%20Alert_01/27/2019&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WEX_Breaking%20News
National Revieew had acouple of articles about Nathan Phillips:
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/nathan-phillips-interview-cnn-falsehoods-inconsistencies
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/01/nathan-phillips-lied-the-media-bought-it/
Besides the Cooke one. (link at 124)
But this was covered in othe3r places, too.
By teh eway, I think the 1 hour 44 minute video may have come from the Black Hebrew Israelits themselves because the New York Times wrote on Thursday that they regularly post their street sermons on YouTube.
The article said they go back over 100 years but it was hard to describe their theology, because and have splintered into dozens (and dozens?) of groups, with the Southern Poverty Law Center listing 80 of them as hate groups (probably more becase of being anti-homosxeuals than anything else.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/us/black-hebrew-israelites-covington-catholic.html`
They claim that they are the original Jews and that they are divided into 12 tribes (none of them white) and (white Jews at least) are imposters; and they seem to have an admixture of Christianity in their theology too.
They don’t generally describe themselves as black, and don’t have churches (at least this group doesn’t) but preach on the street. Some of their most vile language is reserved for blacks who don’t seem to agree with them. (their targets for conversion.)
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 12:02 pmThe most convincing collusion defense I’ve heard to date:
Chris Christie: Trump and his campaign weren’t smart enough to collude with the Russians
Once this filters onto FoxNews, I’m hoping Trump responds with a Jessup-style tweet along the lines of:
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 12:30 pmHey Harkin,
I was very busy for the last few days. I was wondering if you ever followed the rules here about mischaracterizing the position of other commenters.
The rules are that if someone claims you did, you either prove your mischaracterization correct, or you retract and apologize. I recall you lied repeatedly and weaseled out of admitting what you did, saying you didn’t do it deliberately, but also just refusing to address the comment of mine that you mischaracterized… by cutting it up to mean the exact opposite of what I did say.
Seems like you shouldn’t be complaining about the media when your need to lie about other commenters is so much worse.
If you’ve apologized and retracted, please link the comment where you did. A man’s integrity is important.
Dustin (6d7686) — 1/28/2019 @ 12:59 pm“It looked like these young men were going to attack [the Black Israelites]. They were going to hurt them. They were going to hurt them because they didn’t like the color of their skin. They didn’t like their religious views. They were just here in front of the Lincoln — Lincoln is not my hero, but at the same time, there was this understanding that he brought the (Emancipation Proclamation) or freed the slaves, and here are American youth who are ready to, look like, lynch these guys. To be honest, they looked like they were going to lynch them. They were in this mob mentality.”
—- Nathan Phillips 1/19/19 on CNN
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:07 pmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPiK_Tdh9Vg
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:09 pmTo this day, the Mainstream Media has not called out Phillips for his egregious lies.
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:10 pm134, he better watch out or else he’ll be that long pig special at Satriales.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:11 pmEndeavor to Persevere!
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:15 pmWell said!
Dustin (6d7686) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:26 pmIt gives me the willies to read about Willie’s willie.
Bill Clinton just woke up and asked his nurse, “What’s all this about Kamala Harris and willies?”
JVW (773988) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:27 pmDo people simply not learn about American history any more?
I know you’re probably not a Rush Limbaugh listener, aphrael (and, truth be told, now that I’m not stuck in traffic in the mornings I am not either), but he always said that to most journalists history began the day they started college. There’s a great deal of truth to that.
JVW (773988) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:29 pmPresident Trump doesn’t lie what he does is tell the truth so that everyone has clarity
and that’s what makes his enemies so darn mad
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:30 pmIt probably really does seem that way to some people. After all, people act like Trump is uniquely unqualified morally for his office, and the same people are partisan as hell, so why not assume it’s just because they are enemies?
Validating this mistaken perspective is that all of Trump’s fans carry water all day for partisanship. They would lie, so of course everyone else is lying, they think.
Dustin (6d7686) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:34 pmIf you want to be kind to Donald Trump you can say he has a “reality distortion field” like Seteve Jobs had, but in reality, Trump says whatever he thinks can pass, or is the second cousin of the truth.
He doesn’t correct himself, but he can change his story.
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:53 pmReal News orgs make mistakes and issue corrections, the majority are often equivocal and just nibble around the edges.
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:57 pmThere wasn’t much publicity about all this organized crime there, you know”
When Joseph Valachi, the first important Mafia informer, testified before Congress in September, 1963. . .
– The Valachi Papers by Peter Maas, (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1968) page 20.
Now had Bill Clinton’s association been more or less innocent, he would ahev been hapy to talk about it – somewhere.
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 2:00 pm143. JVW (773988) — 1/28/2019 @ 1:29 pm
No, he said that for most (people) it began the day they weee born
Which means it went about ten years before they became aware of the news.
Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 1/28/2019 @ 2:04 pmSammy: that’s probably accurate, but “[x] is the WORST EVER” gets under my skin when it ignores obvious counterexamples. I objected to “[x] is the worst President ever” because *Buchanan*, and I have to object to “[x] is the most anti-first-amendment President ever* because of both *Wilson* and *Adams* and all of these claims make me want to shake people until they have acquired perspective.
aphrael (e0cdc9) — 1/28/2019 @ 2:12 pmSo Twitter is now banning people for the message #LearnToCode, but didn’t ban people for threatening the lives of the Covington kids or when Obama said the same thing to coal miners.
Some animals are more equal than others.
NJRob (3705e6) — 1/28/2019 @ 2:22 pm@149. LOL Limbaugh is an entertainer- always his retreat position. And a college drop-out.
And he smells. Literally; a real stinker. Met him; very bad BO.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/28/2019 @ 2:33 pmAnd the political motivation for this latest nefarious left-wing conspiracy is … ?
Dave (8ee42c) — 1/28/2019 @ 2:50 pmI don’t think NJRob ever said it was a left-wing conspiracy of any kind, much less a nefarious one. Perhaps you should apologize for the straw man.
Chuck Bartowski (bc1c71) — 1/28/2019 @ 2:58 pmEnough with the personal attack stuff.
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:14 pmthey don’t like their indispensability challenged:
https://saraacarter.com/crickets-at-doj-probe-into-fbis-handling-of-trump-russia-remain-a-mystery/
it’s like the never pay insurance sketch with the vicar
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:16 pmI know there is some chutzpah here, remember what they told Robert lacey
https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Top-Saudi-official-says-Obama-lied-set-Middle-East-back-20-years-578922
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:18 pmWhy would Twitter want to block people for telling people to learn to code? It seems to me that the bigger the coder market, the better for coder employers like Twitter.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:25 pm“News orgs make mistakes and issue corrections. I don’t give them a red cent and they don’t represent me.”
JRH (fe281f) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:56 am
I guess all those red cents the Sandmann kid neglected to give news orgs meant they were entitled to run over him. And any corrections put him whole.
Certainly the path leading to truth in reporting starts with holding politicians to a higher standard of honesty than news orgs. Known history stretching back to word origin of “demagogue” suggests this is entirely possible. LOL
Munroe (c0e308) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:29 pmLOL!
Yep, you’re right – no political undertones whatsoever!
Even putting aside the fact that I didn’t attack, or even refer to, any person or persons, people who live in glass houses really shouldn’t throw stones…
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:31 pmstill splitting atoms with your mind, dan?
https://amgreatness.com/2019/01/27/adults-are-cannibalizing-the-covington-kids/
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:39 pmFiled under “trying to hard to be relevant and coming off as phat-headed”…
https://theweek.com/speedreads/820187/tom-brokaw-issues-bizarre-apology-controversial-comments-about-hispanics
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:40 pmToo, not to
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:41 pmI waded into the fever swamps to figure out what he was talking about.
It was part of “a targeted harassment campaign against specific individuals”, according to Twitter.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:43 pmA honest explanation of the what and why… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjvBCmRS5pM
Colonel Haiku (61b436) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:46 pmbut when they told coal miners, that’s what they needed to do, that was just helpful advice, there is use in coal, a listicle, not so much,
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:47 pmIt was part of “a targeted harassment campaign against specific individuals”, according to Twitter.
I doubt it. I think it’s coders at Twitter who don’t want a glut on the coder market. Also, if Americans learn how to code, Twitter won’t hire their cousins from Hyderabad.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:52 pmAnd speaking of “targeted harassment campaigns,” Twitter hasn’t banned Ann Coulter yet for her recent, vicious assault on Newt Gingrich (and by extension, our Dear Leader):
MAGA vs. MAGA: Newt Gingrich and Ann Coulter attack over the shutdown surrender
Ann’s opening salvo:
But there’s a lot more where that came from!
The idea that there’s a “Tell the Truth faction” associated with Donald Trump is, in itself, comedy gold…
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:54 pmso when one actually confronts a Russian proxy they aren’t interested anymore,
https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/28/democrats-venezuela-trump-maduro/
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:55 pmHah – you funny!
You find job as comedian, earn many potato.
Some maybe not even thrown.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 3:58 pmAnd speaking of “targeted harassment campaigns,” Twitter hasn’t banned Ann Coulter yet for her recent, vicious assault on Newt Gingrich (and by extension, our Dear Leader):
You mean to tell me that Twitter doesn’t mind if you lob ugly metaphors against people who are unbeloved by the Silicon Valley elite, but if you throw the earlier words of some unemployed Buzzfeed/HuffPost writers back in their faces you are subject to a banning? Shocker! Was that the point you were making, Dave?
JVW (773988) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:02 pmHuh, Bill Clinton’s involved in this how exactly? He was a 16 or 17 playing in the marching band in High School.
The 5 families used Hot Springs as a neutral meeting place in the 1940s-50s. None of this has diddly squat to do with Clinton. He actually did enough stuff to complain about, no need to just make crap up, 40k people lived there, so what.
Colonel Klink (Ret) (6e7a1c) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:11 pmNo, no, no!
Twitter will obviously stop at nothing to goad Trump into building
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:15 pmhisAnn’s wall!Ann Coulter has a syndicated column. She needs Twitter like Gloria Steinem needs a bicycle.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:20 pmAnything you needed twitter for you probably shouldn’t be doing in the first place.
Dustin (6d7686) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:27 pm@168. ‘Attention Annie’ is the Kathy Griffin of conservatism while Newt’s just a jelly doughnut; powdered white on top w/red gunk in the middle and a hole at each end. America will snack on this for a month.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:28 pmNo Griffin, is like her mythological namesake, a wraith without anything substantial to say, coulter is a little annie one note, going past what her researcher has uncovered,
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:33 pm152, on occasion it’s the same smell that Bob “the cool Cuban” Menendez gives off.
urbanleftbehind (4d3585) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:34 pmA girl has to earn a living, DCSCA. What do you want poor Ann to do? Learn to code?
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:35 pmthings that should have been done 20 years, but when you have govt ministers on retainer, well that settles many things,
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/01/28/us-charges-huawei-fraud-violating-iran-sanctions/
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:37 pmyou have to admit it sells papers, compared to the post and the times dreary prose:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1078989/Venezuela-crisis-news-Russia-Vladimir-Putin-military-Pope-bloodbath-world-war-3
narciso (d1f714) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:43 pmCiting Twitter playing favorites in violation of their exemption from Congress isn’t calling it a left-wing conspiracy. You owe me an apology for putting words in my mouth or incorrectly summarizing what I said.
I cited 2 examples where Twitter did not follow their own policies:
1) the Covington kids being harassed and attacked and
2) citing a specific example of when “learn to code” was celebrated by those same individuals being mocked on Twitter.
NJRob (3705e6) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:51 pmMr. Newt isn’t a doughnut he’s fundamentally correct and he’s very supportive of President Trump’s policies, which are the best policies
Jack Douchey’s twatter however is a de facto doughnut cause it attracts a bunch of toilet brands like gillette and starbucks what use it to shape perceptions of their america-hating toilet brands
Drake likes little girls
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 5:13 pmNJRob (3705e6) — 1/28/2019 @ 4:51 pm
You were giving examples of leftwing bias by Twitter. Calling (by Dave, of course, not you) them conspiracies is possibly an exaggeration, but nothing worse.
Kishnevi (fe869b) — 1/28/2019 @ 5:27 pmYou forgot to mention the reference to Animal Farm…
I neither put words in your mouth nor purported to summarize anything you said.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 5:27 pmOh but I’m sure the post pointed this out:
http://thefederalist.com/2019/01/25/exclusive-d-c-exchange-website-misled-customers-individual-mandate/
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 5:30 pmChutzpah squared:
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/319989/?fbclid=IwAR2k0sZtD6d-ssajTt9ePTNCSBj-7N8A2hq6Tq3lKxoDYH1WD27yVjSgjRE
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:05 pmThat’s not right. I like Charles but nearly tweaked him on Twitter after finding two separate published examples of Trump trying to prevent people from publishing things he didn’t like.
Not sure what stopped me. A squirrel might have run across my field of vision.
Patterico (439c68) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:07 pmHe has not used state power to do, as an individual that’s something else entirely.
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:10 pmNew Gillette ad… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nno6SAYDfx8
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:23 pm“He has not used state power to do, as an individual that’s something else entirely.”
Now give me your opinion on “deplatforming”.
Davethulhu (9a0ae2) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:39 pmTrue, he only promised to use state power to do, if elected:
Another broken campaign promise.
About a year ago, as president, in reaction to Michael Wolff’s book, he renewed the same promise:
Fortunately, the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written to protect us from people like him.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:53 pmFortunately he did not use state power to do so.
Narcisso is right.
harkin (97db13) — 1/28/2019 @ 6:56 pmOne might quibble, but as opposed to the Clintons who managed to bury their dirty laundry in the marianas trench with cooperative journalists, well placed bureaucrats et al.
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:00 pmBrimski in teh bumskov
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:03 pmRussSoviet Collusion!https://twitter.com/TopRopeTravis/status/1089909214213038081
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:04 pmIt’s like that Wendy’s hamburger commercial.
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:09 pm#FakeNews. The Bernie Russia mashup.
Trump has lied, and I believed him, about both the NYT and WaPo not making money. They both have been making money and declaring a profit. For the last two years. Which is all I bothered to lok at. #NeverBelieveTrumpHe’sFakeNewsToo
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:18 pmi would bet they both lose money on their print operations
happyfeet (28a91b) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:23 pmIts the least lucrative of both Bezos and Carlos slims enterprises, there are accounts of ths latter having to sell off floors of the building. But as compared to buzzard feed and the puffington they are profitablem
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:29 pmYou’ll hate it for the fakery, but teh comments are some funny stuff!
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:30 pmYears ago I ventured into a Washington post comments section, the experience is like when the ghostbuster fell into that river of pink goo.
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:33 pmPhil Donahue taped a week of his show in Russia in 1987. I watched some of it. Now, that was enabling Soviet propaganda. For some reason, his entire studio audience all seemed to be “schoolteachers”.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:35 pmWill Twitter Punish Users Who Tweet ‘Learn to Code’ at Laid-Off Journalists? Maybe.
“Twitter is responding to a targeted harassment campaign against specific individuals—a policy that’s long been against the Twitter Rules.”
https://reason.com/blog/2019/01/28/learn-to-code-twitter-harassment-policy/amp?__twitter_impression=true
__ _
DB_Cooper⭐️⭐️⭐️Pouncing Conservative
@gwcotner
I think it’s projection. Liberals engage in targeted harassment campaigns, so they see several conservatives bashing a person and figure it has to be targeted as well, instead of just an organic reaction to online idiocy
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Benjamin GlaserBenjamin Glaser
@WVPitt
Tbf, I first saw “learn to code” used to mock Kevin Williamson when he lost his job at the Atlantic, based on his articles telling folks in Appalachia/Rust Belt areas to move for work.
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Aaron Day
@AaronDayAtlas
We don’t need “fake code”. It won’t work
__ _
Scout
@Scoutdomain
Journalists inability to take criticism is mind blowing. They argue they are the seekers of truth but then demand all criticism of their field be silenced even as they mock and lie to their fellow Americans. Grow up and do your job right.
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James Hasson
@JamesHasson20
Journalists: spread false reports for days accusing a kid of racism. The kid gets death threats as a result.
Also Journalists: Hey don’t tell us to “learn to code,” that’s targeted harrassment.
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WOPR
harkin (97db13) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:40 pm@W_O_P_R
Next, they’ll claim the alt-right started “you didn’t build that.”
Yes it’s not ‘let them eat cake’ have them learn to make bread.
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:43 pmlibs are starting a boycott starbucks. this is like when hitler attacked stalin you don’t know who to boo for!
lany (a7ef99) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:56 pmIn the chicken or fish category:
https://t.co/eyC88Xk4p3
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 7:59 pmBTW, it seems to be alleged repeatedly, so can you point to specific people who made death threats against a student from Covington HS on Twitter and haven’t been banned?
I don’t doubt that many reprehensible things have been said, but let’s focus on death threats (i.e. some variation of “I’m going to kill you”) since that keeps coming up.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:03 pmThe producer of beauty and the beast for one,
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:06 pmVile and disgusting, but not a death threat.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:12 pmNuance.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:13 pmAlthough it’s not improbable that by “putting them headfirst into a wood chipper” he meant “sending them to Bryan Singer’s house”.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:14 pmThat’s one interpretation, you know like hanging someone in effigy is symbolic, like macrame
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:16 pm“BTW, it seems to be alleged repeatedly, so can you point to specific people who made death threats against a student from Covington HS on Twitter and haven’t been banned?”
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:03 pm
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/techwatch/alexander-hall/2019/01/22/twitter-deletes-some-covington-threats-ignores-others
Munroe (2851a1) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:17 pmDidn’t some nutjobs at Reason find themselves the subjects of a federal investigation for saying the same thing about the federal judge who sentenced some drug dealer?
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:18 pmOt did anyone see I am the night’s premiere?
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:36 pmSo Harris is promising what is effectively a $300B annual ($3T over 10 years) tax-cut (refundable credit) to people making up to $50K/year and couples making up to $100K/year. It would be up to $3K per person for anyone making $30K/year or less and double that for couples making up to $60K.
It’s either a tax-cut masquerading as a welfare program, or a welfare program masquerading as a tax-cut, depending on how you want to look at it.
You can even receive it monthly, rather than waiting until the end of the year when you file your taxes – who could say no to an extra $250/month in the paycheck, courtesy of
Uncle SamAuntie Kam?Seems like a fiscally insane but politically clever gambit aimed at the middle class.
I predict Trump, who is very generous as long as other peoples’ money is involved, will be happy to outbid her…
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 8:52 pmAnd when I think that I once considered Muslim terrorists to be a threat to our country. Stupid me. Stupid Shrub. He should have invaded California.
nk (dbc370) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:21 pmIt’s already like a whole other country, maybe there were traces of sanity in the Arnold years, but then they went venezuela.
Narciso (019728) — 1/28/2019 @ 9:31 pmRest assured Illinois isn’t far behind.
Nato members increase defence spending by $100 billion after Donald Trump called them ‘delinquents’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/27/nato-members-increase-defence-spending-100-billion-donald-trump/
harkin (97db13) — 1/28/2019 @ 10:02 pmClever PR move by NATO to give Trump credit for increases that were agreed on four years ago…
Dave (1bb933) — 1/28/2019 @ 10:11 pmWhy has RBG not been seen?
mg (8cbc69) — 1/29/2019 @ 3:05 amErwin Barrera
harkin (97db13) — 1/29/2019 @ 5:54 am@ErwinBarrera
Saying learn code is the new smirking.
“Clever PR move by NATO to give Trump credit for increases that were agreed on four years ago…”
An agreement so binding that only four of 29 countries had actually followed through.
harkin (97db13) — 1/29/2019 @ 6:01 amIn IL, the pension teat makes for a lot of strange but in the long run self defeating bedfellows, Narciso, though such systems up north enable comparable FL entities to pay with sunshine and saltwater beaches and little else to 20-and-Outs and Rule of 85ers (age plus service time, IL).
urbanleftbehind (4d3585) — 1/29/2019 @ 6:10 amMaybe so but I’m referring to the jacobin politics, not general insolvency.
Narciso (beeb9a) — 1/29/2019 @ 6:37 amYes, but “Mein Pension uber Alles” leads to voting preferences which grant false license to said Jacobins.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 1/29/2019 @ 7:00 am… with 7 years left until the agreed date when Trump took office.
Dave (e924b0) — 1/29/2019 @ 1:14 pm