Even in this age of rage and delirium, a claim being made on the Internet is breathtaking. Videos are circulating on social media that claim that taking the Covid-19 vaccines makes you legally “transhuman” and therefore you have no rights guaranteed under the Constitution. What is impressive about this demonstrably false claim is that it is based on a purported holding of the Supreme Court. The viral story has been cited as an example of “disinformation” that supports calls for greater governmental or corporate censorship. However, it is a prime example to prove the opposite: how free speech can correct bad speech. There is no need to censor rather than expose such lunacy. Vaccines will clearly not make you transhuman but censorship will certainly make you less free.
The great Justice Louis Brandeis famously declared that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants” in a 1913 Harper’s Weekly article, entitled “What Publicity Can Do.” For free speech advocates, it is the defining principle in the fight against forms of censorship by the government or corporations. A good example is the transhuman vaccination claims being advanced on social media.
Some TikTok videos claiming that vaccines include microchips have been found to be hoaxes or intended jokes. One circulating on TikTok makes the claim that the Supreme Court has ruled that vaccinated people are now transhuman and outside the protections of the Constitution. Some conspiracy theories are so labored or contorted that they become fascinating. I expect that many are circulating the video as humorous while others are taking it seriously. It has led to various sites censoring the video or flagging the falsehood.
Some sites referenced the specific case:
The references are to the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. We previously discussed that case in which the Court unanimously ruled against the Utah company on a patent claim.
The patent by Myriad Genetics claimed genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) that it found correlate with increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The company was trying to stop other companies from offering the test at a lower cost.
Justice Clarence Thomas drew a bright line, writing that “A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated.” Thomas saw the question in simple terms: “It is undisputed that Myriad did not create or alter any of the genetic information encoded in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.” Notably, the Court acknowledged that the company “found an important and useful gene, but separating that gene from its surrounding genetic material is not an act of invention. Groundbreaking, innovative, or even brilliant discovery does not by itself satisfy the [patent law] inquiry.” There was interest in how the Court would define the applicability of patent law to synthesized DNA, or “complementary DNA,” or cDNA. Yet in a footnote the Court expressly stated that it was not ruling or indicating that even cDNA is specifically entitled to a composition patent.
That would seem a rather curious basis for declaring vaccinated people to now be legally transhuman. Here is how it works.
People are claiming that mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 alter DNA. Once “altered, humans can be patented and have their rights taken away.” The problem is that the vaccines do not rewrite one’s genetic makeup. Moreover, the opinion states the opposite. It not only does not deal with such vaccines but it states that anything found in nature, including people, cannot be patented.
This lingering claim was sent to me recently as an example of the type of disinformation found on the Internet. However, I do not believe that it is a good example supporting the calls for corporate censorship. A new poll shows roughly half of the public supporting not just corporate censorship but government censorship of anything deemed “misinformation.”
Yet, this is an example where the falsity of the information should be evident on its face or can be confirmed with the most cursory search of the Internet. People regularly engage in speech that is based on false or misleading representations in every area of public discourse. Rather than invite governmental or corporate censorship, free speech allows such claims to be refuted or rebutted.
This is why I have described myself as an Internet Originalist:
The alternative is “internet originalism” — no censorship. If social media companies returned to their original roles, there would be no slippery slope of political bias or opportunism; they would assume the same status as telephone companies. We do not need companies to protect us from harmful or “misleading” thoughts. The solution to bad speech is more speech, not approved speech.
If Pelosi demanded that Verizon or Sprint interrupt calls to stop people saying false or misleading things, the public would be outraged. Twitter serves the same communicative function between consenting parties; it simply allows thousands of people to participate in such digital exchanges. Those people do not sign up to exchange thoughts only to have Dorsey or some other internet overlord monitor their conversations and “protect” them from errant or harmful thoughts.
The danger of the rising levels of censorship is far greater than the dangers of such absurd claims of the law or science — or in this case both. Anyone who would simply accept such a video as demonstrably true was predisposed to such looney conclusions. We cannot protect against willful blindness. Moreover, censorship will not give such people the ability to see such fallacies. What we can do is to maximize the free discourse and expression on the Internet to allow free speech itself to be the ultimate disinfectant of disinformation.
I am most concerned about the transhuman issue not because the covid 19 shots are not genetic altering drugs but that they may be the gateway. I have read the PREP Act and astounded by the sweeping breath of protection it gives to people responding to a declared emergency even if the emergency might be ginned up and or just plain false.
“We cannot protect against willful blindness.” Perhaps this is the same thing in essence: We cannot protect against willful ignorance. It seems to many that a large portion of the population actually goes out of their way to take the ostrich approach to so many things that are contrary to their liberal conditioning. Inquiring minds are being virtually stamped out on a daily basis with what is tantamount to “believe me or else!”.
Jeff, Won’t let me reply to Sept 26th, 11:25, so here goes. First of all I am not a Trumpist or a birther. I thought we were past that. I am a conservative .Maybe you need to let me know what the definition of Trumpist is. I have conceded that he lied a lot, ( we will not debate the veracity/ actual lies thing again). You have conceded that all politicians lie. I said that the election was not stolen. And I also said it was my wish that he not run again. So what makes me a Trumpist? The fact that I sometimes disagree with you? This is starting to remind me of the Left’s answer to anyone who disagrees with them. The all encompassing, weak, pathetic ” YOU ARE A RACIST!!! And not once have I mentioned Obama’s place of birth. And this might be splitting hairs, but it is not uncommon for a man, in what he thinks is a private setting, to say vulgar things. That is not an overt act. Unlike ” Heels up”. I also noticed that you never answered my question about equating ” the fear of Trumpism” and actual censorship. Care to opine? If I ever do not answer one of your questions, please bring that up and I will respond.
So back to Kamala. I admit she does have a functioning brain. Which puts her in a different category than Joe. But , and I am being totally serious here, what qualities, experience, social skills etc. do you think that she has to become the most powerful person on the planet? She is a former S.F D.A , ( how she got that job was previously addressed), a California D.A., And a one term Senator. She dropped out of the Presidential campaign before one primary vote was cast. She was not even expected to carry California, her home state. Not exactly a ringing endorsement .In my estimation, she only has her current job for two reasons. And this comes after basically calling the current president a racist on the debate stage. ( Which by the way he is, we can have that argument later if you wish). Biden vowed to have a female as his running mate. Personally I would call that pandering. But I know running mates are picked for political purposes all of the time. Usually for electoral votes ( see Kennedy/ LBJ). So he is now locked into a female. And after the ” You Ain’t Black ” outburst, he then had to name a woman of color. Pandering again. As you know I gamble. And gambling is basically making predictions. here is a prediction. Biden will not run for a second term. If he even completes the first one, which I doubt. That has only happened 6 times. Polk and Hayes who got elected on the promise that they would not run again. Coolidge along with Truman who basically served two terms because their predecessors died very early in their terms. Same for Truman, although his age was said to be a factor. The other two are Buchanan and LBJ. Both who had no chance of being re elected. Harris’ performance in the only task that I can see that she has been given, the Southern Border , has been a disaster.
Newsom will be your candidate.
Paul,
When you ingloriously stayed, “And I am sorry but I have to bring this up. Her early gravitas was established on her knees with a married Democratic power broker,” I could not resist responding in kind.
I know you are not a Trumpist; I was referring to Trumpists, those on your side who you need to condemn.
I have not conceded that all politicians lie to the same extent as Trump- he is in a class by himself.
You note, “you never answered my question about equating ” the fear of Trumpism” and actual censorship.”
Could you rephrase the question?
You ask, “I am being totally serious here, what qualities, experience, social skills etc. do you think that she has to become the most powerful person on the planet?”
When we start asking that question of politicians, it will be like pulling on a loose strand of fiber on a sweater. If we keep tugging on it, our entire democracy will unravel. It is a great embarrassment that our citizenry elects so many “good for nothing’s.” Name recognition is the primary attribute. Look at Larry Elder! You suppose he was more qualified than Harris? It’s pathetic.
You say:
“Biden vowed to have a female as his running mate. Personally I would call that pandering. But I know running mates are picked for political purposes all of the time. Usually for electoral votes ( see Kennedy/ LBJ). So he is now locked into a female. And after the ” You Ain’t Black ” outburst, he then had to name a woman of color. Pandering again.”
Or magnanimous.
I think you should bet the farm on Biden not running again! It’s a cinch though your odds will not be favorable.
Jeff,
I don’t know if ” honored” would be the correct term, but I am certainly gratified that you don’t consider me a Trumpist.
On the lying thing, Ok I don’t want to relitigate. But if you are being honest with yourself, if you rate Trump as the all time lie leader, Biden is a close second. And because of the lie of not leaving any Americans behind , in a hostile foreign country, something unprecedented in our country’s history, he is the worst liar of all time. Again , with something as common as lying, something everyone has done, I prioritize veracity over sheer numbers. All lies are NOT created equally.
On my question, it was in reference to your statement on Sept. 25 6:04 PM.
” I bring up my fear of Trumpism no more than Turley complains about too much censorship”. Maybe I inferred that you equated the fear of Trumpism as equal to censorship. Did I misconstrue your quote?
On Kamala’s qualifications- You think that name recognition is the” primary attribute” in a politician that makes them electable? If so I am more fearful than ever. I admit it helps, but primary? I was not asking a politician ( as in Kamala, although I would if I had the chance) what qualifications she had, I was asking you .You say you prefer her to Joe. Outside of him being totally inept, why? The lessor of two evils? Actually that is what I think happened in the last election. Most didn’t vote for Joe, they voted against Trump.
So in YOUR opinion, why should this country want to have Kamala be the most powerful person on the planet?
And Larry Elder was not running against Kamala. Not that it would have mattered. I am convinced that in California, a resurrected Charles Manson running as a Democrat would have beaten Elder. After all, according to the L.A. Times he was ” the Black face of White Supremacy”. An irony that was lost by many. I never thought Newsom would lose. It is estimated to my knowledge that something like 67% of the registered voters in California are Democrats. You would know better than I. So it was really just about turnout.
But I did find it interesting that the biggest hitters in the Democratic Party were summoned to help. There must have been some fear of losing. Senators Warren and Klobuchar. Two Presidential candidates. To say nothing of the President and Vice President.
You say magnanimous rather than pandering. The definition of magnanimous is- generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival, or less powerful person. So his pick for V.P. was forgiveness driven? Why, for implying that he was a racist on the debate stage? That is the criteria for selecting the person who is one heartbeat away from being the most powerful person on the planet?
By the way, I lost a little money this weekend. I would have won if the 49ers would have covered. And because you are in California, I blame you.
Be well
Paul,
Let me cut to the chase. I don’t like to talk politics because I don’t respect 99.99% of ALL of them. They say platitudes and bs too much for my taste. To me, our political system is a sad joke. I prefer the courts of law where lying is prohibited unlike the court of public opinion where it is not.
I am interested in the larger picture- the future of our democratic system and the loss of faith in the rule of law. I am very agitated by Trumpism because it is an affront to truth and honesty. We need both for our Republic to survive. I agree that Biden has told lies, but none as dangerous as claiming that the election was stolen and refusing (in spite of a lack of evidence) to acknowledge his mistaken belief.
Instead, Trump will NEVER concede defeat and will demand his followers to back his lie. When he runs in 2024, he will claim that he DESERVES another term because his second term was stolen from him. This will be unprecedented in our history, and it will strain our society to the breaking point as both sides dig-in and refuse to budge. Something has got to give.
Jeff, you don’t like to talk politics? To coin a phrase by a by a cognitively decimated individual, C’mon man. So I guess you are not going to answer my question. Interesting.
Paul,
I don’t vote. There I said it. There is no one worthy of my vote. That’s the amount of contempt I have for politicians. Maybe I would have voted for Ralph Nader. My interest are arguments- good ones vs. bad ones. Facts vs. fiction. Political affiliation is irrelevant to the soundness of one’s argument or the foundation of one’s beliefs.
Do you follow college football? I swore off pro-ball when my hometown Colts left for Indianapolis. I remember a memorable shootout between Unitas and Namath both in the twilight of their respective careers. If you got any sure things in college ball, let me know. I guess I don’t need to find a bookie like the old days, right? There is internet sports betting.
So do transhumans have to pay taxes?
Those who are in the business of publishing information should be held to a standard of negligence much higher than we do now. Publishing false information to a large audience has the potential to do great harm to society which cannot be undone. Like we do with a demolition company, for example, we should say that the person who decides to publish assumes burden to do the research to ensure that the information is accurate. There is now no cost for willfully publishing propaganda. The theory that lies will always be defeated by the truth is wishful thinking, or an excuse to allow the propaganda.
Nope. Publishers should be considered no different from the company that sells the mimeograph machine that some loony standing on a corner uses to print leaflets promoting his beliefs.
You seem to think that internet companies hire people who are especially intelligent and capable of discerning valid information from misinformation. You would be seriously wrong.
I don’t want some internet platform, publisher, poster making the decision of what I can hear, see or read, period. When they prevent something they prevent you or me from seeing. It is a DIRECT affront and attack on the reader, you and me, not the writer.Do you really trust them to always be correct?
Tom C says:
“There is now no cost for willfully publishing propaganda. The theory that lies will always be defeated by the truth is wishful thinking, or an excuse to allow the propaganda.”
Well said. If publishers can be held accountable civilly for knowingly publishing lies (or recklessly doing so) which damages a party’s business reputation of personal reputation, I see no reason why they should be free to publish the same lies (though they may not damage a company or individual reputation). A publisher as a journalist or a good corporate citizen should avoid harming public opinion by publishing lies. They should act responsibly.
I an not talking about government. I am referring to private media. The viewers/ readers don’t want to be lied to unless they are Trumpists. They can’t win by being honest. They have to lie about the Democrats to persuade citizens that the Democrats are evil incarnate and are trying to make this country into a Communist gulag.
“Videos are circulating on social media that claim that taking the Covid-19 vaccines makes you legally “transhuman” and therefore you have no rights guaranteed under the Constitution.”
A baby? When, and by whose Choice, does a human life acquire and retain her or his right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness? A progressive path and grade.
Transhumane, with excess adverse events (e.g. progressive viability), yes. Transhuman, probably not. In some people, the hijacked cells were not localized, and the mRNA viral effect spread beyond its intended target.
“Videos are circulating on social media that claim that taking the Covid-19 vaccines makes you legally “transhuman” and therefore you have no rights guaranteed under the Constitution.”
– Professor Turley
______________
If you are American, you have all rights guaranteed under the Constitution.
If you are not an American, an illegal alien or the beneficiary of unconstitutional criminal activity, you have obligations to meet and penalties to pay.
Freed slaves must have been immediately deported in 1863 per contemporary immigration law, the Naturalization Act of 1802.
The American Founders, through federal and state law, required citizens to be “…free white person(s)…” and voters to be male, European, 21 with 50 lbs. Sterling or 50 acres.
“Crazy Abe” Lincoln, by way of military force, illegally and unconstitutionally changed those laws and illegally and unconstitutionally destroyed the America established by its Founders.
The entire American welfare state is illicit and unconstitutional.
The only legal and constitutional bills, legislation, amendments, etc., are those extant before “Crazy Abe” Lincoln’s “Reign of Terror” which illegally altered America and its course through crime, corruption and violence.
Indeed, actual Americans enjoy all of the “…rights guaranteed under the Constitution.”
These stores are based upon confusion about how the nuclear of a cell directs the production of proteins, combined with mistaking the process for genetic engineering such as CRISPR-Cas9 or retroviruses.
All of our cells make mRNA, which is like a blueprint that goes to the ribosomes, which is like the contractor. The contractor reads the blueprint and makes that exact protein.
This is a gross oversimplification, but a virus basically inserts its own DNA or RNA (depending on the type of virus) into our cells. This carjacks our cells. The cells start producing mRNA as it usually would for its own DNA, which then direct our ribosomes to produce viral proteins. It keeps doing this until the cell bursts open, releasing all those infectious viruses to hijack more of our cells.
The mRNA vaccine releases viral mRNA, but only for the spike protein rather than for the entire virus. Instead of a virus breaking into our cells, hijacking it, injecting its own genetic material, and THEN our own system creating mRNA to direct our ribosomes to produce viral proteins, this mRNA just goes to the ribosomes and directs them to make only spike protein. Instead of creating so many complete viruses that the cell explodes, it just makes spike protein until the mRNA is all used up. There is no virus, so it doesn’t keep producing that mRNA. Once the mRNA is used up, the ribosomes stop producing viral spike protein. But that protein in our blood teaches our immune system to recognize the viral enemy so when the real thing rears its ugly Velcro head, we repel it.
mRNA does not change our DNA. That’s not how it works. Certain viruses can permanently change our DNA, however. In fact, 8% of our DNA is comprised of ancient retroviruses, while up to 40% might have remnants of them. These changes both changed our evolutionary history, and are responsible for some of our inflammatory diseases. Although we’ve known about these genes for decades, the field is still relatively young. This field of study aided in the development of gene editing technology like CRISPR-Cas9, which is like genetic scissors.
SARS-CoV2 is not a retrovirus. Neither this virus, nor the mRNA vaccine, changes your DNA. There absolutely is genetic engineering technology, and it absolutely could become weaponized, but that’s not the technology of the vaccine. The main problem, as I suspect it, with the vaccine is that COVID-19 is highly inflammatory. The virus sticks via its spike protein to ACE2 receptors which are in our major organs – lungs, heart, brain, testes, etc. The vaccine generates that recognizable spike protein, which means it still sticks to those same organs, only in far smaller numbers and without a virus attached. Our immune system scraps the spike proteins off, which is what leads to the inflammation noted in the side effects. I suspect that if your body reacted with a lot of inflammation to just the spike protein, then it would likely have had high inflammatory response to the whole replicating virus. Covid-19 is a nasty little bug engineered to have gain of function in the WIV lab in Wuhan. I’d rather get immunity through exposure to just the spike protein than get infected with that beastie, although with the rapidity of variants that escape immunity, we all might end up getting this disease multiple times. Thanks a lot, CCP.
I really hate spell check.
“But that protein in our blood teaches our immune system to recognize the viral enemy so when the real thing rears its ugly Velcro head, we repel it. ”
The body learns to protect against a SPECIFIC spike protein configuration. If the virus modifies the spike protein, which coats its surface, such that it allows the virus entry into the cell to reproduce itself, then the immune system will not be protective against this new spike protein config. This is why booster shots are needed.
OTOH, natural immunity where you get sick and recover does a much better job of providing real immunity against the virus and all varieties of spike protein configs that the virus might try. This is the weakness of mRNA/DNA vaccines.
Further, there is the issue of how much damage the spike protein floating around in the body causes to the vascular system. The Salk Institute published work back at the end of April showing the spike protein, by itself, sans virus, creating vascular damage. Check it out here:
Salk researchers and collaborators show how the protein damages cells, confirming COVID-19 as a primarily vascular disease
April 30, 2021
https://www.salk.edu/news-release/the-novel-coronavirus-spike-protein-plays-additional-key-role-in-illness/
We have to have officially-approved vaccine passports to eat out, but we don’t need any photo ID’s to vote??
Do you often confuse private businesses and the government?
Do you also complain about “No shoes, no shirt, no service”?
Biden demands millions be fired by private businesses for not being vaccinated with proof.
You didn’t get the memo??
No, I didn’t get your fake memo.
I read the actual plan from Biden, which says “The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work.”
Next thing you know Baizou Biden’s handlers will have the puppet in chief bark out and EO that demands people not down with the toxic blue jab to wear blue stars on their backs. Yes it’s a krystallnacht in the planning. They need the distraction to complete their destruction of Judeao/Christian culture that is the backbone of the country. This is all about control and how far the snakes at the top can push it.
I know someone who was routinely tested like weekly….up the nostril. Until her brain fluids started to leak. She had to have “brain” surgery. Cost her 8.,000$ plus in co pays and deductibles….and a couple months of ” not thinking or moving around much”
There is also a study in a radi-ology journal re same thing happening.
So routine testing has some risks too.
And…..nevermind tons of people didn’t qualify for tests early on and no doubt have acquired natural immunity. Those pesky asymptomatic and mild cases.
Not sure how the “osha” rule will ultimately look….in the meantime workers are already faced with a bad choice. … Options.
As to the military. I thought officers had to be court martial with sentence of dismissal … By a military jury. To get dishonorable. Or if sentenced greater than 6 months they are removed from the rolls. Doubt Biden can change those statutes alone.
Also…we know when covid kills younger people it’s usually bc of clots. Like the politician in Louisiana and my own g p. There is growing concern that the vax are also causing clot issues.
An article in a toxicology journal posses this concern which is really about latent clotting. Micro clots was the example … With regards to how air travel spawns dvt -think face the nation host and “princess Leah” (forgive me not knowing their human names off the bat).
Prof turley is correct. We need more speech. For instance conspiracy theories are fascinating….but what if they are true? Like is there really an army md Theresa long…..flight surgeon (term of art – no actual surgery) who has applied the DoD risk management regs and grounded all her pilots? And did 3 fort hood aircrew recently die 48 hours after vaccine?
None us have the answers….but in our gut know that ….. 99.99 isn’t too bad of odds. No one wants to be the .01.
But we are all mortal. We live whats been dealt to us. We were dealt liberty. … And more. The ability to spot the card shark….to discern. To read the study from new Jersey. (Hampshire?) where the 50 percent of the hospitalized with covid and who died ….90 percent who dief had a “dnr” – medical treatment denial…that they chose!
And this isn’t about vac ….these products do not prevent contagion or transmission….so these workers getting them doesnt change any math…as they’ve been working like as is since the beginning of this outbreak….they should code without penalty or coercion.
Chose. Not code.
What isn’t being discussed is how the vaccine mandate will purge the military of officers and enlisted that won’t swear allegiance to this tyrant. What wokeism won’t do, vaccine mandates will. To pour salt in the wound of servicemembers voluntarily ending their service, the Biden administration is considering not giving them an honorable discharge. They’re even weighing saddling them with dishonorable discharges.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the White House forcefully rejected a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) prohibiting the Pentagon from dishonorably discharging any service member who declines to get the vaccine.
“The Administration strongly opposes section 716, which would detract from readiness and limit a commander’s options for enforcing good order and discipline when a Service member fails to obey a lawful order to receive a vaccination,” the White House argued. “To enable a uniformed force to fight with discipline, commanders must have the ability to give orders and take appropriate disciplinary measures.”
https://libertyjournal.org/2021/09/23/biden-threatens-vax-refusers-with-dishonorable-dishcarge/
So required military vaccination for a slew of other conditions is OK, but required military vaccination against Covid isn’t?
AFAIK, they still allow medical and religious exemptions, but that’s not enough for you?
Not in their world of alternative facts. Their magnetic microchips frequency is interfering with Bill Gates microchips. And of course Soros mind controlling white noise.
Anonymous, giving someone a dishonorable discharge because they are worried about the Covid shot, especially the well documented myocarditis and pericarditis, dishonors their service to our country.
Heart inflammation is most common among young men, the demographic of those in military service. Those who have already recovered from Covid, have immunity equal to or better than those who have received the vaccine. The risk/benefit analysis for healthy young men with naturally acquired immunity does not work out the same as it does for someone who’s never had Covid, in their 50s, who is overweight.
Punishing those who don’t feel comfortable accepting this vaccine with a dishonorable discharge, a permanent blight on their record, denying them the myriad benefits they earned by risking their lives is unethical.
A dishonorable discharge is the absolute worse of the 5 types of discharge or separation from service.
You get a dishonorable discharge for reprehensible conduct. It is a putative action, and can only be handed down by a court martial. It has required conviction by court martial for serious offenses including murder, rape, and desertion.
It is stark raving madness to lump in those who are not comfortable taking a vaccine with the punishment reserved for rape, murder, desertion, extreme cowardice, and other reprehensible acts. It’s worse than just firing them. It’s forever branding them with the worst possible mark on their record, which will forever make it harder to get employment in any field. It will show up on a background check as the punishment for a crime. They will be denied any benefit like a VA loan, certain insurance, college funds…anything. These people risked their lives for us, and this is how we savagely attack them just for “my body, my choice?”
You have no leg to stand on attempting to justify this.
Again, Karen, there is a process for requesting a medical or religious exception. It’s no different than any other required military vaccinations.
Are you also concerned about the unwarranted dishonorable discharges over many decades for service members who were discharged for being gay? As you say “It’s forever branding them with the worst possible mark on their record, which will forever make it harder to get employment in any field. It will show up on a background check as the punishment for a crime. They will be denied any benefit like a VA loan, certain insurance, college funds…anything.”
Anonymous:
I am specifically asking you if you agree with the proposal to dishonorably discharge service members who refuse the vaccine. Yes or No.
It’s a simple question.
I’m not asking about the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, the bomb of Hiroshima, or anything else you try to deflect.
a) You chose not to answer the question I’d already asked you in my 4:05pm comment.
b) I don’t know the wording of whatever proposal you’re referring to by “the proposal to dishonorably discharge service members who refuse the vaccine.” Link to it, and I’ll read it. If you’re referring to the proposed wording of Section 716 of the 2022 NDAA, it’s not a “proposal to dishonorably discharge service members who refuse the vaccine.”
“Are you also concerned about . . .”
Another of Anon’s sophistical tricks: tu quoque. It’s a textbook red herring tactic, intended to undercut a person’s confidence in their original argument.
It’s slimy and it’s dishonest.
Actually, it was a regular question, not a rhetorical one, much less a “sophistical trick.”
It is stark raving madness to lump in those who are not comfortable taking a vaccine with the punishment reserved for rape, murder, desertion, extreme cowardice, and other reprehensible acts.
Imagine the soldier that risked his life searching for the deserter, Bowe Bergdahl, receiving the same dishonorable discharge merely because he refuses to get a vaccine. It’s bad enough these American Marxists have demoralized generations of Americans, but now they want to do the same to our apolitical and honorable military force.
I had a haircut today at my usual barbershop in Hanover County, VA. My barber, a Mensa member, knows me well, his clients are “salt of the earth”, good, unpretentious, hardworking Americans who speak their minds. I find them incredibly refreshing and a wonderful change from the usual academic elitists I encounter. The subject was raised by one of the clients in a barber’s seat about schools, wearing masks, his children, and vaccines. This is the type of barbershop where everyone participates in the conversation, a friendly, conversant hole in the wall business. My barber is incredibly intelligent and makes it a point to draw people into the conversation. He calls his clients “Brothers”. The complaints were the usual fare, but it became very personal when someone remarked, “Biden is alienating Americans. He is making enemies of all of us”.
The commenter was spot on. Some were former supporters of Obama. I am unaware of any of them voting for Trump, as I did not vote for Trump. But it was apparent to me that these people resent Biden, as do I. My barber is a fairly liberal man but he has nothing but scorn for Biden and Democrats, and this from a registered Democrat himself.
If mentally competent Biden knew how Americans were responding to his Presidency, I suspect he would be disappointed in himself and reverse course. Unfortunately the Biden that currently occupies the White House is not mentally competent. He is being handled by operatives who hate America, and have no desire to tone down their aggression towards Americans. Someone in the barbershop said we were already in a Civil War, referencing Ken Burns. I can’t say I disagree with the sentiment. Obama started this mess, as Matt Taibbi wrote in another comment I posted earlier today. Biden’s handlers are enjoying burning the nation, just like ANTIFA BLM did in 2020 and today.
Historian Ken Burns: US is in a crisis at the level of Civil War, the Depression, and World War II
“It’s really serious. There are three great crises before this: the Civil War, the Depression, and World War II. This is equal to it,” he said on Monday’s episode when asked about the direction the United States was headed.
He went on to quote part of a speech that a young Abraham Lincoln delivered in January 1838 to a group in Springfield, Illinois:
From whence shall we expect the approach of danger? Shall some trans-Atlantic military giant step the earth and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years. No, if destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we will live forever or die by suicide.
“We’re looking right down the muzzle of that gun,” Burns added.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/09/22/historian-ken-burns-us-is-in-a-crisis-at-the-level-of-civil-war-the-depression-and-world-war-ii-1138195/
Someone in the barbershop said we were already in a Civil War, referencing Ken Burns.
I saw that the other day as well and I agree. I’ve said here for quite sometime that we’re at that “house divided” moment in history that Lincoln stated. We’re at the pre-revolutionary war or pre-civil war stage. We were being nudged in this direction, but right now, it’s more like being shoved.
Fortunately, most of us here will not live to see this civil war should it prove inescapable. A lot will depend upon whether the hateful voices of Mark Levin, Michael Weiner and Alex Jones continue to gain influence or broadcast networks marginalize them by ignoring them. Their types will always be with us; the question is whether media networks will act responsibly by refusing to profit on such “bad speech” as Turley calls it.
Olly, Biden has managed to alienate the Border Patrol, as well, who are so angry about the false accusations of whipping immigrants that they say it’s war. There is no reason for anyone to suit up if the CIC doesn’t have their back, and will in fact sacrifice them for political advantage without taking 5 minutes to investigate.
Those riders had Western rig, with split reins. They were reins, not whips. No one was whipping anyone. They don’t even have whips. The photo in question showed a BP horse patrol unit with one hand on the reins, and the other holding a man by the shirt. Not only did he not have any weapons in either hand, but unless he had a third hand hiding somewhere, he couldn’t hit anyone with anything.
Video and photographs taken from another angle of this exact same second in time clearly showed no one was hit or whipped.
It was all a lie. A lie that Biden was content to repeat like a Mean Girl in high school, just to generate public sympathy for the out of control illegal immigration, and to ONCE AGAIN gin up hatred for law enforcement.
Our allies are rapidly realizing that the Biden Administration cannot be trusted. They do not hold alliances dear. They are all about their agenda, and will steamroller long held alliances, with Biden likely forgetting all about it, as well as where he is.
Honestly, perhaps cops and BP should just quit. It might be time for tough love. Perhaps we should the Democrats have everything they want. Give the country to the criminals, tell the 7.5 billion people on Earth to come on down. In fact, give everyone amnesty. That way, within a year or so, as our population swells beyond our food capacity, and we’re flooded with vast numbers of people from countries infamous for human rights abuses, the brand new Democrat voters can vote out women’s rights, gay rights, and vote for stoning immodest women, who will not be allowed to own firearms. We’ll be a corrupt starving far Left socialist fecal swamp like so much of the world. All our trees will be cut down for firewood, as environmental activism is only a concern for wealthy countries, not those struggling to feed its people. Maybe when all of the US prosperity is gone Democrats will finally be happy. Then the locusts can consume Canada, who are already backpedaling on promoting illegal immigration.
We’re already at the point where Democrats in Congress angrily oppose Israel’s defensive Iron Dome, the shield that only deflects incoming missiles. That means they want to maximize Israeli civilian casualties. This is because they don’t want Israel to exist. The antisemites want the Jewish homeland, the only Westernized Middle Eastern nation, to be like all its neighbors, where Jews are killed, women are abused and controlled, and apostasy is a capital offense. Then Tlaib, AOC, and Omar will be happy.
This trend is appalling.
👍
Many Only required when deploying to said area of concern. Many not given when t I ters of past infection.
Lawful order. Vs lazy admin. To lazy cheap to test antibodies.
Vs bivens action.
Read occonor.
Dissent in Stanley vs.
“Do you often confuse private businesses and the government?”
Apparently you do.
The vaccine passports for restaurants, et al., are mandated by local *governments*, e.g., in NYC, SF, New Orleans.
Diogenes didn’t limit his claim to cities where it’s mandated by local governments or say that he lives in one of those cities. He only wrote “We have to have officially-approved vaccine passports to eat out.”
But if you’re correct in your assumption, thanks for the correction, my mistake.
Mr. Turley that’s an excellent defense of freedom of speech, but I have to take issue with just one part of the article. You confidently claim that the idea of transhumanism is “lunacy” and “demonstrably false” — and I’m not saying it’s true, but I want to ask you, how do you know it’s untrue? It’s not such a far-fetched idea: nano-technology has been under development for some time and it’s not implausible to say that nanites may have been injected into some human beings. Yes it seems more like science fiction than fact, but my point is that it’s not “lunacy” to suggest it. There are actually military scientists working on developing transhumanism, and they’ve been doing so for some time.
For example, The Times of Israel reports that “Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) on gene-editing and mRNA therapeutics. DARPA is focused on developing emerging disruptive technologies to maintain a competitive edge over adversaries, including many ‘transhuman’ projects such as genetic engineering and soldier enhancement via robotics.”
The article states that Moderna has a contract with DARPA and that “In the case of Moderna and mRNA therapeutics, DNA vaccines is considered a new paradigm that would disrupt the pharmaceutical industry. Its vision is to harness a new technology that synthesizes messenger RNA, or mRNA—which is an instruction manual in every living cell for creating protein—to prompt the human body to make its own medicine . . .
“Indeed, DARPA is also developing other forms of human enhancement in addition to gene editing. Already scientists are merging robotics with the human body in brain-to-computer interface (BCI), wherein individuals with physical injuries can regain their functions, and soldiers become smarter and more powerful through the fusing of their brain with machines.” (see https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/gene-editing-moderna-and-transhumanism/).
So while I don’t believe the mRNA Covid ‘vaccines’ (which are not true vaccines, but something else) have nano-tech in them, the concept of transhumanism is not implausible inasmuch as it is being worked on right now. So it’s not “lunacy” to raise this type of concern.
As it turns out, the inventor of mRNA technology, Robert Malone, has reservations about its use – not due to “transhumanism” but because it can result in ADE, which is alleged to have caused the Delta variant. You can find interviews with him online about this.
Lastly, I agree with you re: free speech. The censoriousness of Big Tech is worrisome and harmful. Let the people use their own reason to decide. Kant, in “What is Enlightenment? “argue that we ought to question all authorities who would presume to think for us.
To use our own reason, we need full access to multiple perspectives. Let the marketplace of ideas determine the truth, not some anonymous presumptuous censor who considers himself morally superior but is more often than not operating within a narrow ideological worldview which he wishes to impose the rest of us by force.
As for new technologies, we ought to be wary of them and apply what’s called “the ethics of technology” to evaluate them.
There is no scientific basis to state that the covid vaccine “can result in ADE, which is alleged to have caused the Delta variant.” To date, there have been no verified reports of ADE occurring in humans as a result of COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, the Delta variant was caused by a mutation, not by ADE. This is a good example of spreading misinformation. Malone has had a lot to say about this virus lately, but not on credible sites. His motives are questionable, as is his assertion to have invented mRNA technology. But Turley is a free speech supporter, so you can feel free to spread as much nonsense as you like.
My understanding is that in almost no case is any testing done regarding what specific variant of CoViD-19 is infecting the patient. There has been whistleblower testimony that severe cases of CoViD-19, particularly those in already fully vaccinated individuals, have been arbitrarily labeled as “delta variant” with no actual clinical confirmation. The suspected reason for this is to excuse the mRNA treatment’s failure to protect by attributing the problem to a new variant, lest the lack of protection and amelioration of severity give the treatment a bad reputation, further alienating the vaccine hesitant.
Ungekrzte, the kind of genetic engineering you refer to does exist. However, this is not that kind of technology. That’s not the way the mRNA works. Vaccine manufacturers had to submit their data to the FDA to get approval. If this was genetic engineering, such as CRISPR-Cas9, then it would show up in the data.
One could claim that any shot of anything, from vaccines to morphine, didn’t really contain what the vial said it did. That it really contained genetic engineering technology. Anyone could say that, but you have to have evidence rather than conjecture.
People could say the eggs you ate this morning were genetically engineered to introduce a retrovirus to change your DNA. That the car you drove had a microscopic tracking device. That the gas you bought had psychedelic fumes that would make you hallucinate.
People can say anything, but this has to have some kind of data.
There was, in fact, nano technology used in the mRNA vaccine. mRNA is very fragile. It can’t remain intact long enough to make it from the manufacturer, to the medical facility, into your arm, and then into a cell, arriving fully functional. mRNA is so delicate that if you drop it on the lab bench it’s degraded before you read this sentence. mRNA functions in the environment inside the cell membrane (or wall if it’s a plant), and is very vulnerable to the environment. It was coated inside a nano lipid package that protected it from the environment long enough for it to arrive inside the cell.
Nano refers to the scale of size. While it is absolutely true that nano particles can behave in unexpected ways, this is not the kind of nano technology that you’re concerned about.
I agree with you that there’s nothing wrong with people voicing their concerns, asking questions, and proposing theories. People should feel safe and supported to ask questions and make decisions for themselves.
Like when Dar pa was engineering blue eye color…. Why? Why turn ppls eyes another color? What was the goal? Eye color or something else. Take away their money.
Indeed. mRNA tech has never been used for vaccination purposes on entire populations for any infection in the past. Not. One. Not for anything. Yet when this is pointed out as reason enough to be skeptical about it’s world-wide distribution in a very short period of time under the unknowable premise that no harm will come to the patient – for an infection that’s very highly recoverable without it – the questioner is immediately labeled a ‘denier’ or ‘anti’vaxx’ for nothing more than political expediency.
I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned. –Richard Feynman
“Rather than invite governmental or corporate censorship, free speech allows such claims to be refuted or rebutted.”
The 1st Amendment protects the companies’ rights to reject posts that conflict with their Terms of Service. The government cannot compel them to publicly display speech that is inconsistent with their TOS.
Over and over, Turley conflates private speech in phone calls with public speech on sites like Twitter.
Over and over, Turley is silent about the companies’ 1st Amendment rights.
“What we can do is to maximize the free discourse and expression on the Internet to allow free speech itself to be the ultimate disinfectant of disinformation.”
This would imply that companies would not allow users to block speech they do not wish to see. After all, if the countering information is blocked from view, it cannot serve to disinfect.
Turley repeatedly fails to explore the key issues in his own argument.
The smart people who founded this country agreed with freedom of speech
Democrats agree with 1930’s German Socialist that Propaganda is paramount!
Dad used to tell us kids, “There’s no profit in doing the wrong thing.”When the predicate is based upon lies it’s a NO GO NO SHOW CONTAMINATION.
If you carry a smart phone, and very nearly all of us do, you already carry a trackable microchip with you everywhere you go, all the time, and the device contains more data about you than any fantasy injected ‘chip’ ever could. The reality is much more daunting: we have willingly created a society in which it is almost virtually a necessity, and we pay top dollar for it. And yes, companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon et. al. Keep your data and add to your stored data in perpetuity.
Here is a twofer of “misinformation” by both sides. The youtube video is sponsored by RT, an ostensible right wing outlet. They interview a “transgender” dressed in makeup, tight blouse, feminine body language. This in spite of the scientific fact that the Male-to-Female Trans person’s billions of chromosomes at the 23rd position all have the defining male genotype: XY. There is nothing female at the cellular, molecular, chromosomal, genotype of this trans.
The RT commentary is of “Cosmopolitan Magazine” (far Left rag) glamorizing obesity with the misinformation headline This is Healthy! . Given that the vast majority of COVID deaths occur in the obese, it is a crime against humanity that the CDC, FDA, NIH have not hammered Americans with the cause and effect scientific data of obesity = covid deaths. Instead we have suffered massive harm with their misinformation campaigns of homemade cloth and surgical masks being bullet proof, vaccines being impenetrable shields and shutting down economies resulting in “flattening the curve”. The injury upon children: catastrophic.
People are going to believe what they want to believe, e.g. Michael Avenatti, Lawrence Tribe, Main Screed Media russia! Russia! RUSSIA! , FISA Court, FBI, CIA, Kamala Harris, Adam Schift, Joe / Hunter / “Dr Jill” Biden, and on and on and on
Take 2 Xanax and call your doctor in the morning
😀
I’ll take issue with your characterization of RT as “right wing”. RT is for whatever sows the most discontent and division in America.
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/rt-news/
Reasoning: Russian Propaganda, Conspiracy, Lack of Transparency, Some Fake News
Bias Rating: RIGHT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: VERY LOW
Russia hardly holds a claim on dividing Americans.
Both Left and Right wing are about dividing Americans. Both sides reject Christianity because of the high expectations it demands of people, hence “sheep and goats”. They detest being judged by God but do so willingly of others with said labels. There is nothing honorable in labeling people as “conservative” or “liberal”. How about “holy” vs “God fearing”? Seemed to work for centuries globally.
This is the first article I can remember where Turley cites what he calls a demonstrably false claim:
“What is impressive about this demonstrably false claim is that it is based on a purported holding of the Supreme Court.”
Turley is naive if he thinks that people will not believe it. Apparently, he has never heard of Q-Anon which has millions of followers- probably some on this very blog! Young? Their global pedophile conspiracy beliefs are even harder to swallow!
If “demonstrably false” is the standard of disbelief, what about the Big Lie?!
The Arizona Audit apparently found more votes for Biden not less! This demonstrably proves false the Big Lie, and yet every Trumpist will swear on a stack of bibles that the election was still stolen. Right Karen?
Turley is a Pollyanna if he thinks good speech will work to “disinfect” the lies told by Trumpists.
TRUMPISTS DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH.
They will believe that the election was rigged regardless of demonstrable facts proving otherwise! Turley refuses to acknowledge that fact. Trump and his followers will NEVER concede defeat! Right Olly?
This is what makes Trumpism so pernicious and dangerous because good speech is useless.
Jeff, here we go again. This particular post has absolutely nothing to do with Trump, audits , what ” Trumpists” believe or don’t believe or how gullible they may be. Why you diverted into this black hole is concerning. The only think that you left out is your indignation that Turley is a contributor at Fox. I know that this is not a legal proceeding but this information is out of the scope of admissible evidence. The subject matter here is, free speech. Your contention if I understand it correctly, is more speech is not the antidote for ” false speech” or a word I hate, misinformation. So what? Your solution is censorship. Which I abhor. The problem with censorship is not what it does but rather who gets to decide what needs to be censored. I know private entities can do what they want. So far , according to Turley, whatever social media site that this is on has not censored this yet.
I read 1984 in the 7th grade. I am going to read it again. From what I remember, it is less fiction and more prophetic.
I am sorry, and I know we have butted heads on this before. But American Citizens has the right to be gullible. Or even stupid. As with most things in life, you weigh the pro and cons when making a decision. Few decisions are 100% guaranteed of the desired outcome. The cons of people being fooled by an article, because they are not smart enough to vet that article, vs. having any entity in charge of what I can read, is an easy decision for me.
He’s got a severe case of TDS.
Paul: “The problem with censorship is not what it does but rather who gets to decide what needs to be censored.” Perfect. I would only add that when a minority decides for the majority what they can or cannot say, think, read, see, we are in totalitarian waters.
Paul says:
“Your solution is censorship. Which I abhor. The problem with censorship is not what it does but rather who gets to decide what needs to be censored. I know private entities can do what they want. So far , according to Turley, whatever social media site that this is on has not censored this yet.”
My solution is not governmental censorship. It’s private companies not broadcasting lies or reckless false information. If Fox News can refuse NOW- after being sued for defamation- to broadcast that the election was stolen, they COULD HAVE done so BEFOREHAND had their producers done their due diligence in investigating the merits of these election claims and discovered that they were bogus.
It’s called good journalism as opposed to advocacy journalism!
Instead of relying upon good speech and facts to disinfect lies AFTER broadcasting, why not use common sense and a diligent investigation BEFORE broadcasting the bad speech?
I agree. I am in favor of good journalism also. But you act like advocacy journalism is all on one side. The conservative side, Which is simply not true. I am not going to get into a point by point argument over slanted journalism. But would you at least agree that in print media, social media, cable and network television taken in their totality, lean left? The mere fact that not once, out of the many times Biden said something to the effect of ” I can’t do that I will get in trouble” and not one member of the media asked the question that any 8th grader would ask of the most powerful person on the planet, ” In trouble with who?” tells you something .The CRISIS at the border, was not covered in the least until the recent ” whipping incident”. An incident in which an eye witness, the guy who took the photograph, said there was no whipping. And still ” this is worse than slavery”. Which even if the ” whipping ” were true, is ridiculous.
Again, if someone wants to say the pyramids were built by aliens, so what? Do your own due diligence. If someone wants to say Oswald didn’t kill Kennedy, So what? Do your own due diligence. If someone wants to say the by taking the vaccine they are injecting computer chips inside you , So What? Do your own due diligence. If Fox wants to promote the big lie, so what? Do your own due diligence. Fox is not being sued because of promoting a false narrative. They are being sued by a private entity for defamation .You know that. If every outlet was held liable for broadcasting a false narrative there would be no media. That is one of the reasons for Section 230. You know that.
But I am, still concerned that you once again devolved into an anti Trump diatribe, when the subject matter had absolutely nothing to do with Trump or those who support him.
I would like to try a little experiment with your permission. Unless the subject matter deals directly with Trump or his supporters, you and others hopefully, cannot mention Trump in your counter arguments. No ” whataboutisms” ok? Let’s deal with cases on their own merits.
I agree that the mainstream cable media has advocacy journalism. There is no such thing as purely objective journalism. Every media network is biased. Each selects the stories it deems newsworthy. For instance, there is no question that MSNBC did not cover Hunter Biden. On the other hand, Fox News did not cover the Arizona Audit which proved the election was not stolen there. I have resigned myself to watching both Fox and MSNBC in order to get full coverage of the news. I think getting your news from both sides is unavoidable and probably to be expected.
But I do differ with you. Fox is more propagandistic than MSNBC. One piece of evidence for that fact is that Fox puts on Radio Talk Show hosts to provide their opinion. Those opinion hosts are NOT journalists. MSMBC puts on journalists from admittedly left leaning media companies, but they are JOURNALISTS trained as such and bound by their ethics. It’s a big difference. I know I won’t able to convince you that Fox is not acting in good faith, but that is my firm belief. If we sat down together and could watch Tucker Carlson, I would point out all the intellectually dishonest opinions he provides. MSNBC demonstrates bias by the selection of its narratives, but it is less dishonest in their presentation.
MSNBC covered the border story, but it did not sensationalize it as an “invasion” as did Fox. I do agree that MSNBC sensationalized 1/6 by calling it an “insurrection” when it was more like a riot, but Fox downplays it as a patriotic event. So both sides slant the narrative to suit their audience, but Fox is being sued for defamation and MSNBC is not….because MSNBC is *less reckless* with the facts!
You say: “Fox wants to promote the big lie, so what? Do your own due diligence.”
The masses cannot do their own due diligence. That’s unrealistic. The audience expects to rely upon the media to do the due diligence for them. Fox is being sued for promoting the Big Lie. Now they won’t touch it. Giuliani and the Trump liars are banned on Fox for good reason. Fox made a mistake, and they realize it, and hope they won’t have to pay millions in damages.
I will not refrain from denigrating Trumpism because it poses the greatest threat to our democracy. Read Conservative Robert Kagan’s piece in the Washington Post yesterday. He explains the danger of Trump better than I ever could.
Would that you rally for Americans who voted for Biden and Obama, yet are now being deprived monoclonal antibody treatments as vaccinated Americans. You are either for saving lives or you are reincarnated Dr Josef Mengele, Angel of Death, Nazi SS officer. Which are you?
# #
Sep 15, 2021,10:08 am EDT
U.S. Limits Covid Antibody Treatments For All States As Shortage Fears Rise
Jemima McEvoy
Forbes Staff
Business
Doctors and state leaders in places battling some of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks have already started expressing concern, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who on Tuesday warned residents against “placing faith” in monoclonal antibody treatments instead of the vaccine as they “might not be there for you.” This came after physicians with the Medical Association of the State of Alabama released a statement on Monday saying they are “very concerned” that the federal government is limiting supply at a time when it should be helping “provide more of this treatment … not less.”
As part of its newly announced comprehensive plan for combating the delta variant, the Biden administration last week pledged to accelerate the distribution of monoclonal antibodies. It also introduced “monoclonal antibody strike teams” to deploy clinical personnel to “help hospitals and health systems stand up the delivery of this key treatment option.”
CHIEF CRITIC
A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accused the Biden administration of “mixed messages” for his recent pledge. “It is regrettable that the Biden administration would play politics with people’s lives during the pandemic, by withholding a life-saving treatment,” the governor’s spokesperson told The Washington Post.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
Sarah Tanksley, a spokesperson with the Tennessee Department of Health, told Forbes in an email the department “cannot anticipate shipments for scheduling patients” because of the new changes. “Patients are being turned away, and appointments are canceled due to a lack of clarity on when treatment will be available,” she said.
Jeff, I totally disagree with you as to your evaluation. At least Fox ADMITS that they have opinion hosts. You call O,Donnell and Wallace trained journalists? Give me a break. I never went to journalism school nor published a paper, but I have more of journalistic credibility than Wallace could ever have. I know that I am showing my age here but, next to media hack in the dictionary is a picture of Wallace. And if your supposition is correct about the masses not being able to do their own due diligence, which I dispute, let them be the victims of their own ignorance. Do you rely on the media to do your due diligence for you? I don’t.
And I am not asking you to refrain from denigrating ” Trumpists”. You are too smart or you think I am too stupid for you to use that obvious misinterpretation of what I proposed. I am merely asking you to take the ” what about Trump” arrow out of your quiver when addressing a subject matter on this blog that has nothing to do with Trump. Or ” Trumpists” . Unless you think the notion of Trump seeps into every matter addressed on this blog, and if you do please seek professional psychiatric help, a person as intelligent as yourself should be able to pose a counter argument to any position without invoking the name of Trump.
And once again Fox is not being sued for the big lie, as it pertains to misleading the public. They are being sued by Dominion and Smartmatic . Two privately held companies that assert that Fox libeled them. And of course Fox is not going to go near the subject of election integrity while being sued by those companies. Any lawyer that would not advise them not to come within a thousand miles of the subject should be disbarred.
Paul,
I don’t watch Wallace, but I like O’Donnell. I don’t know if either went to journalism school. Probably neither. I would prefer journalists to host these shows. But these shows are celebrity driven sadly. Hannity did not even finish college (I think). But my criticism still stands- MSNBC relies upon journalists to be interviewed on their programs; I can’t remember a radio talk show host being brought on to render an opinion. Do you watch Carlson, Hannity or Ingraham?
I bring up Trump when I think it is relevant for me to make a point. I don’t engage in “whataboutism.” I reference Trump to demonstrate hypocrisy on the part of Trumpists, NOT to justify bad conduct on the part of Leftists because Trump did it too. Two wrongs don’t make a right! But I do like to expose hypocrisy by Trumpists and Turley.
Of course, people should do their own due diligence if they want, but they still have a justifiable expectation that their media is not misleading them. But I still say that it is impossible for the common man to investigate a news story like that of the New York Times. What is the point of a reporter if you can’t rely upon their sources and fact-checking? All one can do is to read a left wing and a right wing paper to get a complete picture.
I agree Fox is not being sued for damaging public opinion for promoting the Big Lie, BUT, if it believed it were TRUE or at least thought it was NOT reckless in promoting it, then it should have no fear in keep pushing that the election was stolen!! Truth is a defense to defamation. The fact that Fox has stopped 100% to mention it is an admission that it has its own doubts about its truthfulness. And they don’t want to increase their liability to damages by keep repeating a lie.
Ironically, the only one of the MSDNC hosts that has a journalism degree is Wallace. Maddow O’Donnell and Hayes do not. I remember Hayes from ” the Chicago Reader” He was even more insufferable then than now. As unbelievable as that might be.
You say that you don’t engage in ” whataboutism”. What would you call it when you bring up Trump’s name as a counter argument to a position on this blog, where Trump, his policies, his advocates, are not even mentioned?
On your question, I have watched all three. But I almost never watch Hannity. I rarely watch Ingram. And maybe twice a week I might watch Carlson. Not unlike most cable viewers. As Fox buries the competition every week.
Actually I started to watch CNN more. Not Fredo or the dumbest man on T.V. And during the Afghanistan debacle they were almost unbiased. Even they couldn’t swallow the swill that is still coming out of The White House and the State Department. But even though there are still Americans there, not to mention those who helped us, it is back to Jan.6th.
I must admit I would do the same thing if I were in the bag for Dementia Joe. Most murders since 1960, the year that the FBI started recording those figures. Overall crime up. Inflation not seen since 2008.The border Crisis. Covid back. Our oldest ally withdrawing it’s Ambassador. A President that ” will get in trouble” if he takes questions. A press secretary that says there is no need to test those coming across the border for Covid because they won’t be here long. A week after saying they are coming here for a better LIFE.
I have a question. Outside of giving away money, what significant accomplishments has this administration had?
I will give them vaccine distribution. A vaccine that Biden said was unavailable after he himself received it. Not sure if he lied or just didn’t remember.
When I bring it up Trump on the future, call me on it to determine if I bring it up to defend the Left or simply to show Trumpist hypocrisy which I will never yield in pointing out. I bring up my fear of Trumpism no more than Turley complains about too much censorship!
The fact that you believe that Hayes is insufferable shows how different we are because I find him very astute and credible.
The fact that Fox buries the competition is irrelevant. Truth is not a popularity contest. I’m surprised you would even mention ratings. In the the pursuit of ratings, truth is often sacrificed in order to pander to the audience!
You sure have swallowed the Fox mantra hook, line and sinker. I agree that Biden had made mistakes, but he is not a would be autocrat and pathological liar like Trump. Not to say that Biden is correct, but to point out your hypocrisy in not taking Trump to task for his lies and misdeeds which are worse.
Biden put a halt to Trumpism- that’s enough for me. I am no so much concerned with different legislative policies. I am much more concerned that the notion of Truth and facts were under assault by Trumpism.
Read Kagan’s piece in the Washington Post. Another stalwart *Conservative Republican* who sees Trumpism for the threat it is to this country.
Ok just so I understand. You are giving equal weight to fear of Trumpism and censorship? On the Hayes thing being from Chicago I have been exposed to him much longer than you. But that doesn’t matter. I think we both acknowledge that we have different viewpoints.
Your point on ratings is well taken.
That being said, as stated before I do my own due diligence, I don’t care what people think and my views/ opinions are not a result of me swallowing anything!! And quite honestly, I judge every administration by how secure I feel, my outlook as to how the future of my kid’s lives appears and yes quite honestly how much my hard earned dollars are worth. I don’t put a whole lot of weight into almost anything that doesn’t impact those things. I am not going to get into the ” who’s lies are worse” discussion again. And here is the relevant point I feel. TRUMP IS NO LONGER IN OFFICE. BIDEN’S DECISIONS DIRECTLY EFFECT MY FAMILY’S LIVES. All I know is that the problems under this administration that I have put forth concern me greatly. You gloss over them in my opinion with ” he has made some mistakes”. I ask you again, and we are dealing with the current Administration, outside of the vaccine rollout, what has Joe done right? Economy? Afghanistan? Our standing in the world? Do citizens feel more secure? Bringing us together?
Give me something outside of ” he is not Trump”. And if that is enough, we are further apart than I thought.
You say:
“I ask you again, and we are dealing with the current Administration, outside of the vaccine rollout, what has Joe done right? Economy? Afghanistan? Our standing in the world? Do citizens feel more secure? Bringing us together?
Give me something outside of ” he is not Trump”. And if that is enough, we are further apart than I thought.”
Economy- too complicated to blame on any President. I’m no economist. Stock market still in record territory. What’s the big problem?
Afghanistan- again I don’t know all the secret discussion unbeknownst to us. Terrible departure. Could Trump have prevented the suicidal terrorist? Doubtful. I don’t second guess foreign affairs. Too many unknowns.
Standing in the world? That’s too vague a question. I can’t answer that.
Do I feel more secure? From whom I should be scared? North Korea? Iran? Russia? China? We are a nuclear power. When you can nuke a country, no country will f*ck with you. Period. That is why every country wants the bomb!
Bringing us together? Impossible. There was never any chance of compromise. Trumpists think Joe stole the election. They want Joe’s head on a silver platter.
I don’t like Biden that much. I did not vote for him. But I would vote for Turley over Trump. Trump needed to be stopped.
JeffSilberman … and Democrats do want to know the truth? They’re still pushing the Russiagate hoax, denying there’s a border crisis, and not acknowledging Biden’s obvious mental decline. Let’s be honest — there are people of all political stripes who will look a fact straight in the eye and deny it outright. “Facts” mean nothing to them. Politicians are paid to twist, distort and deny the facts in the pursuit of their political agenda.
Paul says:
“The cons of people being fooled by an article, because they are not smart enough to vet that article, vs. having any entity in charge of what I can read, is an easy decision for me.”
Every media platform has editors and lawyers who fact-check a publication. They decide what you will read in their paper or broadcast. It’s called JOURNALISM. Some media are honest and diligent and others are propagandist. You can decide which media you want to be informed. Forget about the government; the problem is not Big Brother. The problem is “Little Brother” as Turley has called it.
Because Turley works for Fox, he wants to defend the idea that a media platform should be able to broadcast “credible liars.” Fox wants to be able to broadcast lawyers, politicians, etc (who are not known to have lied in the past and who are otherwise respectable) and allow them to spread whatever misinformation or disinformation they wish without Fox having to question it. Fox wants to be like Facebook, that is, anyone can say anything without accountability on Fox’s part. But Fox and Facebook are completely different. Facebook cannot control what is broadcast on its platform. Fox controls everything which is placed on its air and, accordingly, can be and should held accountable. Again, it’s called journalism; it’s a profession bound by ETHICS.
Turley is seemingly advocating that Fox should broadcast anything (short of defamation) and let the viewer decide what is factual despite the fact they are not in a position to discover the veracity nor have the expertise to do so. And when bad speech is put into the public marketplace, good speech will always disinfect it.
No. Society needs both- responsible broadcasters who will fact-check their stories and filter out lies. If a broadcaster acts in bad faith, it will be exposed by competing broadcasters. Broadcasters/journalists police themselves.
The heart of the problem lies with “opinion” which theoretically is factually neither right nor wrong. But within any opinion, there are expressed or implied factual assertions. That is, there are good faith and bad faith opinions. And here too, a broadcaster should- must- scrutinize the factual basis of that opinion. The Supreme Court recognizes that not all statements may be dismissed as mere opinion when it comes to defamation.
When Trump says that “the election was rigged” is that a fact or an opinion? Whatever it is, it is made in bad faith because when he said it, he had no factual basis to make that claim.
Jeff,wait a minute. I read this after our previous back and forth.
” Facebook cannot control what is broadcast on it’s platform? Do you want to rethink that? They constantly do just that. Their coronavirus ” fact checker” was Peter Daszak, of EcoHealth. He was neck deep in the Wuhan lab funding. And to protect his own ass, censored any implication that Covid 19 could have emanated from that lab on Facebook. That later went by the wayside after credible outcry.
Same for the Hunter Biden laptop information being censored by Twitter, which Dorsey conveniently apologized for. After the election.
I don’t know anything about Peter Daszak. Never heard of him. I don’t deny that Facebook removes disinformation. My point is that it does not decide to post information like a media company. It only removes Lies AFTER a user posts them. In that way, it is completely different than a journalistic operation. Facebook is not a journalistic operation. It just filters out harmful bad faith disinformation as it should in order to be a good corporate citizen.
As for Hunter, as I have said previously, the guy should be prosecuted for any crimes. But his crimes do not implicate Joe unless there is evidence of corruption. If no corruption, then smearing Joe on account of Hunter is guilt by association which is unAmerican. Fox wanted to smear Joe with Hunter; the MSM would not engage in this illegitimate tactic. Prosecute Hunter. Leave Joe out of it unless you have credible evidence.
For some reason can’t respond to your post at 10:36 this morning. Just gives me the ” like ” option.
I am not an economist either. But I do know that when the government pumps billions of dollars into the economy, with a promise to pump billions more that causes inflation. That means the average American has less buying power. And the rate of inflation is far outpacing the governmental giveaways. You cannot dispute that the price of gas, food, household goods, building materials among other things, all have gone up significantly. I attribute this to Administration policy. And I thought the stock market as a measure of a good economy only reflected prosperity for the rich. That was the argument from the left the whole time the market hit new highs under Trump.
Afghanistan- None of us are privy to secret talks. But let’s just use some common sense. You admit it was a disaster. And let’s not gloss over the fact that there are still Americans ( who want to leave, I loved that bull**it caveat narrative) that are still STRANDED in Afghanistan. Not to mention Green card holders, SIV holders and those who put their lives in danger to help us. After Biden told Stephanopoulos that no American would be left behind before we pulled out militarily. This is unprecedented. Do I know what Trump would have done? No. But I highly doubt he would have closed Bagram. A U.S. military base .Could he have prevented suicide bombers? Probably not. But my guess is his retaliation would not have been a drone strike that killed innocent civilians including 9 children. I say that with some confidence because of a Trump era Drone strike that killed Soleimani, a terrorist general who was responsible for the death of many Americans. Which by the way Trump was vilified for doing by the Left. Imagine that, Democratic leaders taking the side of a murdering terrorist over their own fallen heroes .But that was ok because to do otherwise would mean giving Trump some credit. They all praised Biden for the retaliatory ” over the horizon” drone strike on Isis K, until they found out it to was a total debacle.
Standing in the world- Biden was denounced by Parliament and as previously stated our oldest ally recalled their ambassador.
And those are not good things. Not definitive, but not good.
Security- Biden’s own F.BI. director said that with the situation in Afghanistan we are less safe. And as far as your nuclear power deterrent, we did not use nuclear weapons when we experienced that greatest loss of American lives from a foreign entity, 9/11. I don’t see N.Korea, China Russia, Iran declaring war on us. That would be suicide. But I can surely see terrorist attacks. Especially with thousands crossing our Southern border unvetted. And another form of not being secure in this day and age is cyber attacks. Yet another example of multiple attacks on the American people that has gone without consequences on the perpetrators by this feckless Administration.
Bringing us together- I don’t see this happening. But I am not the one that promised that in an Inaugural address.
And by the way, I don’t think that Biden stole the election. And I have said many times, this narrative is counter productive. I am only going to use this example because I am a Christian. If Jesus Christ came down from heaven, and said the election was stolen, there is still no legal way to reverse it. The Arizona audit was stupid and discredited. As will all of the others if they take place. My only problem with the last election was in states like Pennsylvania, election rules were changed by the state’s Executive branch rather than the Legislative branch. I think prior to the election that could have been challenged in the courts.
But the pandemic allowed for a lot of changes.
On your post of 8 :41 this AM,
I will take you at your word that you don’t know who Peter Daszak is. But I find that remarkable for a person who is as informed as yourself.
And you are wrong about Facebook. Sometimes things get passed their ” factcheckers” and are then deleted. And sometimes users are censored before their content is posted. In the case of the supposition that the virus could have come from the Wuhan lab, all posts were prohibited, not later deleted, when found to be ” lies”. Those suppositions never saw the light of day on Facebook. Because of the aforementioned Daszak. And again I know social media companies are private entities, but in many cases what are ” lies” is totally based in subjectivity, not factual confirmation.
On Hunter, I agree he is responsible for his actions, not his father. But if what was on his laptop is too be believed, and not the bull**it Russian disinformation theory, there is ample evidence that their was influence peddling involving Joe. Neither Joe, nor his campaign nor Hunter has ever denied that the laptop was Hunter’s. Not sure if that counts as evidence, but my guess is we will never know.
Have to go now. Time to get my NFL bets in.
Good luck, good health. Thank you for the respectful discourse.
Frankly, I don’t have to worry about inflation, and the stock market has been very good to me. I thinking about my situation. But I am not unconcerned about my less fortunate fellow Americans; I got vaccinated unlike Trumpists.
With regard to Afghanistan, I don’t want to pass judgment when I don’t have all the facts. I always prefer to admit that I don’t know rather than claim I know something that I can’t be sure about. As Twain said, “what gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” Accordingly, I don’t pass judgment on foreign affairs or military affairs.
I don’t think it is fair to say that the Left vilified Trump for killing Soleimani. Questions were raised on what could be the retaliation. It did not bother me except that our drone policy is worrisome in general. How would the US react if ever a foreign drone killed anyone for any reason on our soil? Can you imagine the reaction?? I think Turley has even questioned the legitimacy of drone strikes on the order of the president. I would prefer that we not do it once we get our troops out of a county.
For what reason Biden was denounced by the English Parliament? That’s news to me. As for the French, again international affairs are above my pay grade.
We may be less safe pulling out of Afghanistan, but we have strengthened our Homeland Security so much since 9/11 that we should be able to ward off another 9/11 style attack no matter where it was planned- here or abroad. With us out of Afghanistan, the Taliban have no reason to attack us. They want international recognition. They won the war. Why look for trouble doing suicide attacks against our country?
You call Biden’s administration “feckless.” It’s not so different from Trump’s. The only real difference is that the President is no longer a blowhard threatening China, Iran and North Korea with tough talk. I prefer to “speak softly, but carry a big stick.” Apparently, you like a Big Mouth tough guy approach to foreign policy. Not me.
All presidents promise re-uniting the country. It’s pablum. It’s what they all have to promise, but does anyone take it seriously?
You say: “And by the way, I don’t think that Biden stole the election. And I have said many times, this narrative is counter productive.”
You are the only Republican on this blog to admit so! Trumpists will NOT. Why won’t even Turley acknowledge it? Could it be- dare I say it- that it is not a good look for Fox which pushed the election was rigged narrative? The less said about the election nowadays, the better? Have I not persuaded you that Turley is hypocritical when it comes to criticizing the mainstream but NEVER Fox (in spite of all the personal attacks I get from the Trumpists for holding him accountable)?
As for Pennsylvania, i don’t know enough of the facts. I would have to read the opinions of the courts to decide. I often do read court opinions, but not in every case. It is very problematic to make general statements. One really needs to get into the weeds and look at the precise facts which takes time and requires motivation which I can’t muster except in more momentous decisions.
A fact is a “justified true belief.” The operative word is “justified.” You can’t claim a fact with no reason to believe it true which just happens to be true or turns out to be true. That’s called a lucky “guess”! If Facebook users claimed the Wuhan virus came from a lab long before anyone had done enough investigation to establish the evidence, then Facebook should filter it out as misinformation. Trump’s go-to evidentiary standard of “people are saying the virus came from the lab” is not good enough! Private companies have a corporate duty not to pass along Russian and Chinese disinformation and Trumpist lies. If they sometimes filter out some truth inadvertently, that is an inescapable price to pay. Eventually the truth will out. It can only be delayed. The truth is coming out about the election not being rigged despite the several months delay of Trump’s lies.
It would suit me just fine if Joe Biden is corrupt and impeached. I would like to see Kamala President! I am not a Democrat. I am not loyal to any party. I am loyal to the truth. No one is the law which is why I am so opposed to Trumpism because it displays utter disdain for the rule of law- calling investigations “witch hunts,” impugning the integrity of judges on account of their political affiliation and Trump’s pardoning those who could flip on him and calling a whistleblower a “rat.” It’s all despicable. This is why I know that the Trumpists and Turley will eventually having a falling out because Turley will not call the prosecutions of Trumpists illegitimate. He will defend the verdicts (or perhaps cravenly ignore commenting on them), but he won’t dare call them rigged or unfair as will all the Trumpists.
This has been my prediction all along.
So, you are a degenerate gambler! I only gamble when I eat at a new restaurant!
I will end with this. The fact that you state that you don’t have to worry about inflation sounds very selfish. Especially for a liberal. You are a liberal , correct? And being vaccinated does not protect anyone from rising prices. Hasn’t changed my lifestyle one bit. But I wasn’t thinking of myself. And the biggest single demographic not vaccinated are Blacks. Not Trumpists. And Blacks vote overwhelmingly Democrat. So if you have a problem with the unvaccinated, talk to the core of the Democratic voters.
Biden was denounced by Parliament for not consulting a chief ally on the pullout. You would know that if your main source of news was not MSDNC.
Biden does speak softly. Actually whispers at the podium often. Which is really creepy. But couldn’t find ” the big stick” with both hands and a roadmap. If you get my drift.
And because I make an occasional wager , I don’t think that makes me a ” degenerate”.
On to the next interaction.
Be well.
Paul,
It’s not selfish that I don’t have to worry about inflation. I’m just being honest- a character trait Republicans sadly have a hard time appreciating nowadays thanks to Trump. I’m not against addressing inflation. I don’t believe in the trickle down theory of economics.
Blacks don’t take the vaccine for the reason that Trumpists don’t. Trumpists don’t take it in order to spite Liberals. That is sick in the head.
I watch Prime Minister’s questions weekly. I enjoy the sniping argumentation between the Conservatives and Labor and the Scottish Nationals. I like hearing the Speaker of the House, yell “Order, order!” But I missed the condemnation you reference. Trump was vilified by this same Parliament as you may recall and many MP’s thought Trump too undignified for the queen to meet with such a lout.
I’m no fan of Biden. I would have preferred the vigorous Sanders. I was joking about your gambling addiction. I just hope you are not a loser. Trump only likes winners!
Personally, I don’t care who Trump likes. Or anyone else for that matter.
Maybe my wife. And does it really matter the reason for vaccine hesitantancy?
And as long as it is half time in the game that I have an investment in, you really want to see Kamala be President? I said that was the plan all along, but she is awful. You said you live in California so I will defer to you. But all I know is she ,as aAttorney General did everything possible to keep inmates in prison as a free labor force. Put an inordinate number of Blacks in prison for minor drug offenses. And I am sorry but I have to bring this up. Her early gravitas was established on her knees with a married Democratic power broker.
And I know that she has never been to Europe, but she was put in charge of the Southern border. And if she is looking for the ” root causes” all she has to do is visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Paul says:
“And I am sorry but I have to bring this up. Her early gravitas was established on her knees with a married Democratic power broker.”
I’m not so sure you are so reluctant to bring it up, but now that you have, you have opened the door to defending Trump’s sexual depravity. After Bill Clinton, I thought the Republicans were against voting for a proud p*ssy grabbing sexual degenerate for President! Of course, since you Trumpists/birthers were prone to latch onto the Q-Anon conspiracy theory that Hilary was involved in child pedophile blood-drinking cult, I guess Trump was the better choice!
Off topic. Sort of. Haitian special envoy from the u.s. who made the dumb statements when he quit should be arrested and taken to the Mexican border and pushed across. Who hired that nitwit?