There is an old fable of a scorpion who wants to cross a river and convinced a hesitant frog to carry him on its back. After all, if he stung the frog in the river, they both would die. That seemed logical so the frog agreed to do so only to have the scorpion deliver a lethal sting halfway across. When the frog asked why the scorpion would doom them both, the scorpion replies: “I am sorry, but I couldn’t resist the urge. It’s in my nature.”
The story came to mind this week when the new head of the Disinformation Governance Board, Nina Jankowicz, pledged to protect free speech despite a career dissing and dismissing the right. After withering criticism of her appointment, Jankowicz declared the new board at Homeland Security will “maintain the Dept’s committment [sic] to protecting free speech.” She has spent a career denouncing “first amendment zealots” like myself who believe in a robust view of free speech.
As previously discussed, Jankowicz has made a career as an advocate for public and corporate censorship as well as spreading disinformation. She has been a popular figure on the left in assuring audiences that “the ‘free speech vs censorship’ framing is a false dichotomy.”
Not surprisingly, she was one of the first to express outrage at the notion that Elon Musk might restore free speech rights to Twitter:
“I shudder to think about if free speech absolutists were taking over more platforms, what that would look like for the marginalized communities … which are already shouldering … disproportionate amounts of this abuse.”
Jankowicz has declared disinformation to be “an American pathology” and said that Joe Biden is the doctor who can cure that condition.
That pathology, however, appears to largely manifest itself on the right for Jankowicz who has been criticized for spreading disinformation on subjects like the Hunter Biden laptop. She is also a huge advocate of censorship, including calls to ban conservative publications from social media.
In her article, “How to Defeat Disinformation: An Agenda for the Biden Administration” in Foreign Affairs in November of 2020, Jankowicz wrote that Biden needed to get into the business of regulating speech in a big way. Despite the outcry of many of us over the expansive censorship programs on social media, Jankowicz was not satisfied. She dismissed those programs as merely
“temporary, surface-level changes to curb the spread of false claims, but [social media companies] continue to profit from the very structures and imperatives that are now driving groups of Trump-supporting, reality-denying vigilantes to rally at ballot counting centers across the country.”
That has led Jankowicz to call for good old-fashioned government controls over speech if Biden is going to take the threat of disinformation “seriously.” She has pushed the same European censorship efforts that were recently championed by Hillary Clinton after the Musk takeover.
Jankowicz wanted Biden to “creat[e] a counter-disinformation czar within the National Security Council and setting up a corresponding directorate.” That “directorate” was created in Homeland Security instead.
Turns out, the Biden administration gave this new power to the Department of Homeland Security.
Jankowicz, however, is now assuring the public that it has nothing to fear with our new Disinformation Tsar on its back. In history, the shores of civil liberties are littered with dead frogs who accepted that “trust me, I’m the government” assurance.
The greatest tyrannies are always perpetrated in the name of the noblest causes – Thomas Paine
If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we maybe led like sheep to the slaughter – George Washington
The fact remains, we need every idea, every counter argument, every opinion, and every voice in order to come to a sensible and reasonable understanding of a problem, challenge or event. We need critical thinking. You cannot come to intellectual understanding when only one side dominates the discussion.
Nothing is more powerful than the truth.
The truth never lies.
The truth never changes.
No matter how much the world changes, or the people around us change, the truth never does.
One fact, the Constitution does not authorize any of the numerous federal agencies.
Bureaucracy, Like a Virus, exists only to Perpetuate itself.
Says the woman who posts on tick toc ” who do I have to f^ck to get rich”
Like most Democrats today a total hedonist and attention deficit knuckle dragger.
There is a video on youtube dated 2015 where Nina Jankowicz is singing at a restaurant that she wants to be rich, famous and powerful. Today she is only 33 for pete’s sake, meaning in 2015 she was 26
The Biden White House is not well
Great, an Ethel Merman wannabe getting to the be head of an unconstitutional office. I suppose she wants her student loan and drama classes paid off as well?
It’s a 1992 song written by composer David Friedman, originally released on an album by singer/actress Alix Korey. You object to people singing songs?
JT you have a blog which offers readers the ability to comment how will you and your colleagues deal with the new Ministry of Fears demands? Isn’t this that hill to fight on for the opportunity to speak freely? No one should sit idly by at this point, yes?
Wednesday night, Tucker Carlson did a 20 minute segment devoted entirely about this thing, named, “ Nina Jankowicz”. and during the segment he played a video of her singing a little rhyming diddly to the tune of a song that was sung by Mary Poppins that I’m sure every baby boomer will remember. And, the name of that song by MARY POPPINS IS, “SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS“
. “ You can just call me the Mary Poppins of disinformation,” Nina Jankowicz tweeted in February 2021.” As I watched this I couldn’t help but say to myself, oh my God Joe Biden and his entire administration really are insane.
And, “Them Democrat Party has been taken over by the most insane extremist.” Elon Musk, April 28th Thursday.
Keep in mind that everything that this, I am looking for the right words to describe this insane millennial piece of scum. Piece of, a Dingle Berry and she is quite insane. She really is folks. She really is. But I digress. But keep in mind that everything that she pushes and she has pushed, SHE HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY 100% DEAD 💀 WRONG-ABOUT…..
Here’s the words to her, “absolutely insane,” and I do mean “insane,”( SHE REALLY IS INSANE) Parody to Mary Poppins tune,
“ Information laundering is really quite ferocious. It’s when a huckster takes some lies and makes them sound precocious.
By saying them in Congress or a mainstream outlet, so disinformation’s origins are slightly less atrocious.”
“It’s how you hide a little, hide a little, little, little lie, it’s how you hide a little, little lie, it’s how you hide a little, little, little lie.
When Rudy Giuliani shared bad intel from Ukraine. Or when TikTok influencers say COVID can’t cause pain.”
“They’re laundering disinfo and we really should take note. And not support their lies with our wallet, voice or vote – oh!
In February 2021, Jankowicz shared her singing performance on Twitter with the caption: “You can just call me the Mary Poppins of disinformation.”
And here is the tape that Tucker put up. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-nina-jankowicz-most-ridiculous-biden-ministry-information
And here is an entire segment by HOT AIR Devoted to this politically insane piece of “Millennial-Dingle-Berry”. And if you don’t know what kind of a “Berry” a Dingle-Berry is, ask a Boomer or google it. To all you Millennial’s, You really, seriously don’t wanna eat this Berry. NO NO NO. But that is what she is. She’s one of many Dingle Berrys hanging off of Joe Biden’s rear-end.
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2022/04/29/lots-of-videos-of-disinformation-czar-nina-jankowicz-many-feature-singing-n465948
Your desire/choice to dehumanize by calling a person a “thing” is unhealthy.
Unfortunately my former Democrat party has turned far left. I will remain No Party Affiliate!
Of course they put this in an agency equipped to spy on citizens.
This follows the takeover by the administrative state. Agencies issuing mandates. The executive hiding behind the agency. Not accountable to voters, at least thats the lie Psaki pushes.
Closing churches
Closing gun stores
Suspending rents
DHS has a bigger problem with misinformation…the White House. What they need is to depoliticize the entire topic of immigration enforcement, then announce a policy worldwide that is the same thing being told to CBP. Then, they need to report to the world daily on
what is happening at the border, most importantly, your odds of being turned away if you don’t have an entry visa. If the numbers aren’t persuasive, then daily adjustments of tactics and resources need to be made.
And VP Harris needs to lead the charge to depoliticize enforcement, and be credible as the spokesperson. The WH has been deep into self-delusion and misinformation since the Biden/Harris swearing in. They’ve created a tremendous mess. They need to take responsibility.
“They’ve created a tremendous mess. They need to take responsibility.”
They have, and they should. But VP Harris isn’t capable of leading anything. At all.
suppression has made a lot of DC insiders VERY RICH!
We need to cut 50% of federal government and move 40% of DC federal government to the heartland.
Too much power is in the hands of too fews!
Nothing good is going to happen! When the son of a VP…Bidens….gets $100 Million Dollars….with NO APPARANT talent having been fired from every job he has ever hand…. you know the country is headed for trouble!
you better fight harder. Democrats plan to destroy America…not unlike 1860’s
We can ALL rest easy now, eh ?
Everyone, regardless of their political bent, should be outraged at this action. I only hope that the proponents of this action suffer mightily at the polls come November, and that a new Congress, regardless of the initial after their name, will defund this monstrosity.
I think I follow the thinking…Next Hunter drug Czar
We don’t “hate” anyone. I think disdain is the word you’re looking for.
One of the best quotes yet by Mr. Silberman. He is the prime exhibit for making an ass of himself. And we will all defend to the death his right to do it. Just don’t stand to close to the rest of us and we all need to wear hazmat masks as we defend your right.
To think that a large part of the 18th century was known as the Age of Enlightenment. Undoubtedly the 21st century will be known as The Spin Cycle. It could be applied to both political discourse as well as washing out the clothes (or covering up the dirt), depending on the event.
The Feds have become Big Brother. My family and I fled Communism precisely because they became Big Brother. Been there, done that, this is a hill worth dying on
FBI Conducted Potentially Millions of Searches of Americans’ Data Last Year, Report Says
“ Searches in national-security investigations came without warrants, could stoke privacy concerns in Congress”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/fbi-conducted-potentially-millions-of-searches-of-americans-data-last-year-report-says-11651253728
Disinformation has been used as attack vectors against countries for centuries. Governments have had office to counter this for equally as long. This is a non-story and another fake outrage by the Republicans.
Oh, you mean like the Trump-Russia collusion? Alfa Bank hoax? Bounty on US soldiers hoax? The Border Patrol agents using “whips” on illegal aliens? Inflation and gas prices are all Putin’s fault? Shutting down immunologists for disagreeing Fauci? Yeah, those damn Republicans.
“Governments have had office. . .”
You are correct.
Governments such as: The Spanish government during its Inquisition. The Roman Inquisition to combat “heresy.” The Iranian government to punish “blasphemy.” The Soviet governments to punish dissenters. The communist Chinese government to criminalize “unauthorized” speech.
Those who do not know history . . .
Governments have had office to counter this for equally as long.
I know you’re too stupid to grasp the significance.Which of those countries had constitutions that prevented said government from infringing as a citizens speech?
What AOC has done for economics and Boston University Nina Jankowicz is doing for Bryn Mawr and political science degrees. We have always thought of these degrees meaning the recipient is really bright and accomplished but, like the CDC, the media, journalism schools and others, these people and groups are proving the opposite.
This woman is so unaware of her own persona and her own biases that she can scream from the rooftops about disinformation as she helped pass along some of the most damaging disinformation that came along in the last five years.
One last thing: Imagine thinking that lying, fabulizing Joe Biden will “fix” the disinformation “problem” in our land. The guy that said he was, among other things, a coal miner, a professor, a top student in law school, a civil rights fighter and a truck driver wants to “fix” our problem of false news. Oh, just yesterday, the day that it came out that the country had a negative economic growth, Biden said that the economy is growing. This is who wants to monitor free speech.
One more thing (I lied too): Let’s be thankful that the idiots in the Biden administration named this fool to be the head of the MINISTRY OF TRUTH. Jankowicz is such a lightning rod due to her unserious nature, her obvious narcissism, her ridiculous past statements all leaning left, her disgusting smug sense of always being right and her juvenile need to be singing on Tic Toc, that this sub-agency will die under it’s own weight. Please tell us who in the administration named this woman who seems to have never left high school to such a position.
I think the answer concerning who appointed this person is this; the inmates are now in charge of the asylum. I can’t think of any logical reason that ANYTHING that the left has engaged in since they initiated the legislation of The Great Society, that has done much good for the underlying fabric of the American ethos. We have been on the road to ruin since we first put our tow into the fetid pool of socialism under FDR and the New Deal.
“Let’s be thankful that the idiots in the Biden administration named this fool to be the head of the MINISTRY OF TRUTH. ”
They didn’t.
Secretary Mayorkas said “Our Undersecretary for Policy, Rob Silvers, is co-chair with our Principal Deputy General Counsel Jennifer Daskal, in leading a just recently constituted misinformation/disinformation governance board.”
But don’t let facts get in the way of your rant.
Anonymous, so your point is that the people you mentioned AREN’T in the administration??? How exactly does that work? Is Mayorkas in the administration? Is that not the executive branch? What the heck are you talking about?
Imagine that Anonymous and a few other partisan bot/hacks are defending Nina Jankowicz as head of a “Disinformation Board”??? After all the lies she has pushed, they want her in this position? After all of her juvenile postings and sing alongs they want her in this post? She is a high school age little girl with a Tic-Toc mentality and they give her this role in OUR LIVES and fools that will never admit a Biden screw up defend her. It is maddening.
“Anonymous, so your point is that the people you mentioned AREN’T in the administration?”
No, my points are (a) your claim “the Biden administration named this fool to be the head of the MINISTRY OF TRUTH” is false, and (b) you should avoid making false claims and should correct them if you realize that something you said wasn’t accurate.
“Imagine that Anonymous and a few other partisan bot/hacks are defending Nina Jankowicz as head of a “Disinformation Board”?”
I’m not.
I’m simply saying: have a truthful discussion. In part, that means: if you don’t know something, then don’t pretend to know it.
How can there be a chair and co-chair of something that doesn’t exist?
The pendantry is endless
“Nina Jankowicz is doing for Bryn Mawr and political science degrees.”
Yep. Her fascist professors must be proud. She is how their evil ideology infects the culture.
A Republican member of the House is drafting a bill to defund this Board. Scalia supports it but McCarthy has not expressed a view. Republicans in the Senate should do likewise.
The Government has no business regulating what it considers to be misinformation. If it believes someone has said something false it can simply say what it thinks to be true. A new Board in a law enforcement agency is not needed for that.
I of course meant Scalise not Scalia.
The Republicans should force the Democrats to take a position on defunding this and then use it to campaign against anyone who opposes doing so. I suspect the constituency supporting this Board is very limited.
Daniel,
According to you, what is this misinformation/disinformation governance board charged with doing, and what are you taking as evidence that that’s the board’s charge? Is what you believe about the board actual knowledge, or just a guess?
For example, what is your basis for suggesting that its charge is “regulating what it considers to be misinformation”?
From FOX News – “Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., was quick to condemn this latest action by the Biden administration, promising to introduce legislation to defund the new disinformation board.”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/free-speech-concerns-dhs-disinformation-board-lawmakers-critics
“Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will.”
Joseph Goebbles
Fool me once….
All of us have dealt with lefties before.
“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an ass of yourself.”
Oscar Wilde
Jeff, your sentiment is right but everyone you support disagrees with you. Guys like Anonymous, Sammy, and Svelaz hate Turley and hate free speech. You would do well to argue with them once in awhile instead of forming a cabal of lying, contrarian fools.
Hullbobby,
Whom do you hate? Leftists? Liberals? Me?
Jeff, I don’t hate you, I hate that you want to ruin a great site’s comments section. I hate that you, Anonymous, Sammy and Natacha are so contrarian as to be making a mockery out of a forum run by a free speech absolutist. I hate that liberals are ruining our country by allowing, no encouraging a full fledged invasion of two million illegals a year. I hate that liberals killed our energy industry and are therefore killing our economy and national security.
JT is not in any way a “free speech absolutist”. He is just fine when Republicans engage in censorship and there is censorship on this blog.
Sammy, i’m curious to find, To locate, the censorship by Jonathan Turley that you say, you state, that he has done. Can you, will you, Show me, show all of us that he has done?????
Crickets !
Ah Sammie, another tool for the demofascists squeeks.
HEAR HEAR!! I could not agree more with you my friend! Joe Biden and Co, and every single person that voted for this piece of scum are also fully responsible for destroying our NATION!! especially when you look at everything that President Trump was able to get accomplished even with all the forces of hell lined up against him!
! Our entire government, our entire country, was 100% better off with him as president! when I read the list I have of everything that he was able to get done, and when I look at how much better off our nation was with him at the helm.
And now I see this thing at the helm that can no longer function mentally, and I look at the forces of evil around the world lined up against our country, and I look at every person that hates our country and they have a position of authority as the head of each department, it scares me to death!!
“This man is the most dangerous President in our American History. This Administration is the most radical, the most dangerous, our Nation has ever had. He makes Barack Obama out to look 👀, look 👀 like a center left Republican.” Victor Davis Hanson..
I see. So let me get this straight. You don’t hate ME personally, but you know for a fact that I hate YOU personally?