Last night I wrote a column on the challenges faced by Elon Musk in taking over Twitter and suggested steps to “hit the ground running.” One of those obvious steps discussed in earlier columns was to fire CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal and head of legal policy, trust, and safety Vijaya Gadde, the primary figures responsible for creating one of the largest censorship systems in history. He did so within minutes of taking over and their removal constitutes as singular advances in the cause of free speech around the world. As expected, this morning media figures are in full panic at the thought that one social media platform may restore free speech protections after years of biased and aggressive censorship. The controversial Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz lamented, “It’s like the gates of hell opened on this site tonight.” That’s right, the prospect of others having access to Twitter to express their own views is a hellish prospect for many in the media.
“… the gates of Hell…
**********************
So scriptural today! My absolute favorite line in the KJV Bible is from a letter of Paul’s: “Professing themselves wise, they became fools.” I had no idea Paul had the addresses for Taylor Lorenz et stupids.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pkDQ4uslrzg
The Bible will surprise you like that. 🙂
Prof. Turley spelled it out perfectly…!!! Thank You. And.. what a magnificent sense of pure joy to hear about the firings of the Top Gestapo Brass..Now Elon must drill down through the IT programmers who control the actual filters, including blocking tweets, deleting tweets, redirecting or hiding content, etc., etc… all of which many of us have ample experience….. Yet..what a great corner has been turned… Miracles do happen afterall.
Their hypocrisy is unbearable. They say one thing on Twitter, but they show their true colors in elections against their own Hispanic, immigrant and black candidates.
Black Democratic nominee for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Naomi Esther Blemur, accuses Florida Democrat Party of being racist.
No surprise here considering their sabotaging in El Paso, Texas, Claudia Rodriguez, a Latina Democrat candidate, for exposing Biden’s immigration debacle in El Paso, with Biden pressuring the mayor to keep quiet.
Texas Democrats turn on El Paso whistleblower Claudia Rodriguez during migrant crisis
– NY Post
Today’s Democrat Party: racist to the core, antisemitic, bigots towards immigrants, and cultists
https://naomiblemur.com/the-treatment-ive-received-from-democratic-leaders-and-independent-organizations-should-not-be-tolerated/
The treatment I’ve received from Democratic leaders and independent organizations should not be tolerated
As a woman of color born and raised by immigrant parents from Haiti, I know all too well what discrimination looks like. I know how it feels to be singled out because they don’t like your accent, your choice of clothing or the colors you choose to wear. I know what it feels like to be called “boat people” and constantly reminded that “you don’t belong here” and “we don’t want you here.”
And now, in this race, as the first woman of color and the first Caribbean woman in the history of Florida to file, qualify and receive the nomination for a statewide seat, I know what it feels like to be discriminated against by leaders and independent organizations within my own party. Leaders that claim they are fighting for minorities and marginalized groups. Leaders that actively seek to divide us as a party, instead of unifying us around a common vision.
For calling abortion what it is, a sin, she, as a Christian, is expelled from the Democrat support. They are experts, after all, at lynching people, high-tech or with a rope & tree.
Blemur, a first-time candidate from North Miami, did not respond to requests for comment. On Friday, she said on her campaign website that she was being “discriminated against by leaders and independent organizations within my own party.” (During the primary, some Democrats withdrew their endorsements after her past Facebook posts calling abortion a “sin” resurfaced.)
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article267982937.html
Twitter is 44 billion over. Or trillion over. It’s no longer a publicly traded company. It is now privately owned….on par with truth social et al! And it’s advertisers are going to leave it! No one is after this election going to use twitter….for what! So it can try to sell you something ‘it’s thinks you need….? By invading you privacy first! The very people who want free speech want privacy. It will be very creepy if musk gets his way differentiating ‘content’ as targeted advertisements. Twitter is over….the remaining question is who gets to write off the loss….
Mercifully all the people in funds I Twitter got musk’s bailout. But what a baffoon. How did he expect to keep up advertisng? So he believes in free speech….shoot the rest of us believe in privacy! Now what elon? You invade our privacy…..to give u RElentless “content” kid my ass! We communicated well before your internet! We don’t need you or twitter….for free xpeech! God you are not!
Amy Schumer’s take on Dr. Oz …
https://www.instagram.com/p/CkL-uAkgFnv/?hl=en
Let me guess, unfunny fat chick prefers a mentally incapable moron to a doctor who gets more attention than she does…shocker.
But appealing to the amy schumers of the world as thought leaders is what the left seems to like to do
You guessed wrong.
Maybe you’re a mentally incapable moron who prefers wrong guesses to easy knowledge.
Estovir, we know you speak from experience.
What part is wrong, not the unfunny fat chick part. Not the incapable moron part. Not the doctor who gets more attention part. Not the left’s penchant for appealing to celebrity authority part. Oh, her opinion – who give AF?
Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities. Voltaire
I’ve been searching for an explanation as to why so many people will defend the indefensible. Why would they support the actions of a regime or non-state actors to implement what are clearly policies that if unchecked lead to living under totalitarianism. I may be slow in this discovery but Mattias Desmet and his book, The Psychology of Totalitarianism explains it all with the concept of Mass Formation. I won’t ever be able to read another comment on this blog, from what I used to consider trolls, without considering them to be part of the phenomenon of Mass Formation.
https://thehighwire.com/videos/mattias-desmet-the-psychology-of-totalitarianism/
Ultimately, my book explores the possibilities of finding a way out of the current cultural impasse in which we appear to be stuck. The escalating social crises of the early twenty-first century are the manifestation of an underlying psychological and ideological upheaval—a shift of the tectonic plates on which a worldview rests. We are experiencing the moment in which an old ideology rears up in power, one last time, before collapsing. Each attempt to remediate the current social problems, whatever they may be, on the basis of the old ideology will only make things worse. One cannot solve a problem using the same mindset that created it. The solution to our fear and uncertainty does not lie in the increase of (technological) control. The real task facing us as individuals and as a society is to envision a new view of humankind and the world, to find a new foundation for our identity, to formulate new principles for living together with others, and to reclaim a timely human capacity—Truth Speech.
https://mattiasdesmet.substack.com/p/the-psychology-of-totalitarianism
Thank you for linking to Mattias Desmet. He has a lot to say!
Your welcome. His explanation sheds a whole new light on the concept of “trigger words/phrases.” These words/phrases (and others) are invoked, usually without any evidence, to strike fear and/or action in an effectively hypnotized collective.
– Threat to democracy
– Assault weapon
– Domestic Extremists
– Racist
– MAGA or Ultra MAGA
– Russia
– ISM’s
– ‘phobia’s
– Trump
– Social Justice
– Equity
– Climate Change
What humanity, especially Americans, needs to be free of is the idea that we need an elitist intelligentsia to determine for us what is real and true and what is not. Let’s cut to the chase and start with religion, namely Christianity which has been the de facto state religion of western civilization for 6 centuries. Americans who believe in the Resurrection, the crux of this preposterous religion, and the validity of its corollary beliefs and practices, will believe in anything the media tells them.
Pro-Choice ethical religion.
So you believe that it is christians that are being led astray by the media, and that that media is run by christians? LOL. I think you’ll find that those that will believe anything, democrats, are not the fundamental xtian types and that the media is not either.
But then again, you think you know what humanity needs, so who am I to debate this with you? I’m not a fundy or religiously affiliated at all, fyi.
Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson. Read it.
All of identities are social constructs. Christianity, Democrat, American all of it.
And all stereotypes are based on nothing and all empirical evidence is subject to contextualization and modern art explains it all and there is no beauty or truth in the universe and nihilism…
Real communities run by democrats for the past 60 years or so – visit them. Send your kids to school there, raise your family there, enjoy an evening stroll there, invest in a business there, employ people from there…Then tell me, as the person I was responding to that fundy xtians are to blame. Psssst…your leafy suburb is rapidly falling the same as the cities did, have a fentanyl and a smile and embrace the code words of the day you are told to.
Oh the bitterness of a heart betrayed. The Green socialist helped Elon Musk to acquire his fortune but now he won’t let them kick their adversaries out of their little birdies nest. https://www.govtech.com/policy/gov-newsom-says-california-subsidies-powered-teslas-success. Oh what sweet irony. Thank you Gavin Newsom for this rolling over with laughter moment. It must not be much fun when your the last one out of the clown car. Gavin! Did you eat the beans?!
Social media is general, and Twitter specifically, is a place to protect those who refuse to protect themselves. (Add hint of sarcasm to “protect.”) The various sites allow users to block others, allow only the invited to view content, and even report digital threats to the platform. Plenty of options for those afraid of others (that are of no real threat other than hurting feelings.). Yet Twitter and other sites had to add “content moderators. It is these so-called moderators that have created this Free Speech debate.
All those lefties getting fired at Twitter should blame themselves for having removed the President from the platform and for having censored the true story about Hunter Biden’s laptop. This is their just desserts.
Not viable. Not viable… Goose.
Karmic irony of an ethical religion that exercises liberal license to indulge conflation of logical domains.
President Biden said that inflation is transitory. No dissenting opinion should be allowed and if Elon Musk does allow it they will call him a right wing apologist fascist. One can assume the future based on similar occurrences in the past.
Left wing Berkeley nudist responsible for Paul Pelosi attack. It’s always the Leftists who are the violent types
https://heavy.com/news/david-depape/
“Joe Eskenazi, of Mission Local, tweeted, “My sources also name the suspect in this morning’s hammer attack on Paul Pelosi as David DePape, born 1980, of Berkeley. He would appear to be a former Castro nudist protester. Things appear set to be bizarre for a while.”
A 2013 article in the San Francisco Chronicle mentions Depape, although his name is spelled wrong. It describes him as a “hemp jewelry maker.” That article reported that Depape was the best man at the naked wedding of Gypsy Taub.
A 2008 article in the Oakland Tribune, accessed via Newspapers.com, reported that David Depape and Gypsy Taub have three children together. Instead of cooking Thanksgiving dinner in their Berkeley home, they “chose to join 350 others at the Two Star Market for a community meal,” the article stated.”
Not true. From CNN: “The man who allegedly attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband early Friday posted memes and conspiracy theories on Facebook about Covid vaccines, the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and an acquaintance told CNN that he seemed “out of touch with reality.””
Now, where do you suppose he got the baseless beliefs about COVID vaccines, the 2020 election and the Jan 6th attack? It wasn’t from mainstream media.
DNC & other Assorted Globalist American Hating Trash No Doubt!
Paul Pelosi Event, Looks/Sounds just like another Jesse Smollett BS False Flag Scam.
Did Nancy Pelosi’s Son’s Film Crew get the event on camera like Nancy did with her Insurrection/Coup?
BTW: You do you like that? LOL;)
No need to use CNN. His own friggin link has all of that information. This post from “Nicholson” may be the most blatantly obvious spread of fake news I have ever seen. Ironically, it was posted in Turley’s post regarding Twitter censorship, so I had the obligation to nip it in the bud before more people (the 3 likes he received, the anti-semitic response of approval from Oky1, etc.) promote this ridiculousness.
From CNN et al.
Did you even read the link you posted?
The details you conveniently left out….
– he rants about elites, the ruling class, Jews, and the cult of college
– he has a blog called “Welcome to Big Brothers Censorship Hell” and his posts favor Trump and Kanye.
– he posts about the government “disinformation board”
– his posts are critical of George Floyd and he defends Derek Chauvin
– his posts link to Mike Lindell videos
– he posts transphobic images and links to websites claiming Covid vaccines are deadly
– he posts links to YouTube videos called “Democrat FACE Commission to Investigate January 6th Capitol Riot COLLAPSES in Congress!! and “Global Elites Plan to Take Control of YOUR Money”
Which side of the aisle do you think person sits? For heaven’s sake.
Thanks for taking the time to post this list. Maybe I am latching onto this list too much (one can only list so much in a comment), so I could be wrong, but it seems that this person hastily added a bunch of stereotypical rightist articles. I am pointing this out because it seems like the guy is grabbing at every article that could make him appear to be a rightist. He should also have at least one post on why he has switched political preferences if that actually was the case. Most people who have drastically changed their mind would want to tell the world about why they changed their mind, not just post a bunch of leftist articles and then post a bunch of rightist articles, so I am not so sure his posts are genuine at this point.
The man is not any side.
He has serious mental health issues and needs help.
Trying to define the political affiliation of a delusional mind is, well, delusional.
It doesn’t matter “which side of the aisle” this guys sits on. He doesn’t need to sit on any side of the aisle. His history shows mental instability, not loyalty to the Republican Party. Indeed, in his 911 call, Paul Pelosi apparently referred to Depape as “a friend.” If you mean to say that Republican rhetoric inspired David Depape, then you also need to answer the question of who inspired Nicholas Roske to plan and partially carry out the assassination of Justice Kavanaugh this past summer.
He may have been a leftist in the past, but all his recent activities place him on the right:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/What-we-know-about-David-DePape-man-accused-of-17542056.php
There’s a reason that you’re focused on 2008 and 2013, not 2022.
Off topic, but my wife and I redid our budget this week, the first time we have since 2020: we are spending around $6,000 more a year than before the Biden administration, and I assure you, we are frugal people. That is less than two years. I cook everything from scratch, we have old cars with no payments, we do not take lavish vacations, have a modest home, have not added luxuries to our budget, and yet. Heaven help those that have higher expenses than us and can’t absorb the extra.
James,
That fits the national average for the American household.
Based off what I am seeing, expect your grocery bill to go higher next year.
And if you hear someone try to say it is the Republicans fault/result of the mid-terms, crops dont care who is in power. For that matter, next years prices will reflect this past springs planting season.
Why is that? If you would be kind enough to share. On Facebook, my local Republican Congresscritter says it is the fault of Democratic policies yet will not provide specifics, nor hold townhalls or respond to calls/office visits other than presenting a canned response. It does not align with what I remember from ECON 101. Inflation should not care who is in power.
Safeside824,
Inflation is costing the average American household $6k a year.
Injecting trillions of dollars (created out of thin air, via the Fed printing press) into the economy in forms of COVID relief, was inflationary. The San Fran Fed and Janet Yellen very quietly admitted this. So, if anyone thinks UBI is a good idea, think again.
The other problem of cranking up the printing press is not just for Americans. It is for the whole world. The Brettonwood Accords of 1944 established the US dollar as the reserve status currency and established the petrodollar. This gave the US world currency dominance. All purchases of oil had to be in dollars. So all countries had to have a given amount of US dollars on hand to make oil purchases.
Every time The Fed cranks up the printing press, the whole world feels it.
In the past, they had to suck it up.
Now, with the US lead, Western uni-polar world collapsing to a multi-polar world with the BRICS leading that parallel monetary system (note, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey have all applied to join the BRICS) the dominance of the US dollar is under real threat. The US involvement in the Ukraine has nothing to do with the Ukraine. It is about maintaining US dollar reserve currency status.
In regards to what you remember about ECON 101, you are correct. Inflation does not care. However, in this case, it is cause and effect. COVID stimulus equated to inflation. Only The Fed can combat inflation with raising interest rates. Unfortunately for us, The Fed is a few months short and basis points behind. Unless The Fed pulls a 1980s like Volcker interest rate (i.e. 20%). And that will force the US into a recession. Note, a recession is already on the horizon. We all know it. The thing is, I think we are going to get both a recession and inflation at the same time. Historically speaking a recession crashes inflation. But with the drought, tight energy markets . . . Note, the drought is beyond any parties control.
The shift in the geopolitics from the OPEC+ countries, Biden’s foreign policy is the root cause.
Sorry…was not clear, I was referring specifically to the farming aspect as it applies to rising prices at the grocery. For example, in 2018 a dozen eggs cost $3.00 at market. The cost breakdown is… In 2022 it cost $3.50. The cost breakdown is… Here’s why. That sort of thing. Your username led me to think you were a farmer. I’m not and would probably need a detailed spreadsheet to figure it out. I understand the monetary policy and its relationship with inflation. In its totality, I don’t buy it’s President Bidens fault (to many outside forces) but cannot debate it as I have not done due diligence. Thanks.
I am a farmer.
The prices of of fuel, seeds, fertilizer, feed have all gone up, and by no small amount. It is too regional to get into specifics, but take a look at the price of diesel: https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_retail_diesel_price
Not sure if this is going to come across into WP, but click on the 3 year overview.
To some degree, farmers can absorb costs at a loss. But in times like this, the costs get passed on to the consumer.
And the drought that is affecting the West, South West, parts of the plains states and even the Mid-West is going to hit everyone. Watched a interview with a KS farmer. He said his wheat should be calf high and green. He said it was ankle high hay.
The USDA reported this year harvest will be at a 50 year low for US exports.
There are a lot of people both domestic and globally are going to be facing real food insecurity in the next year or two. This may sound cruel, but I hope it is only two years.
Thank you, that was informative. Now I have to separate the wheat from the chaff as to why Side A’s policies are good, but Side B’s are bad (and vice verse). Always trying to learn.
Safeside824,
I have yet to see anyone present a real proposal of from the extraction of raw materials, to the recycling of the batteries, solar panels (did you know only 10% of solar panels are recycled? The rest, land fill bound usually in some poor third world country).
I have yet to see someone present how solar, wind, hydro (read about how the drought is effecting barge traffic on the Mississippi river?) are going to reliably power our grid and meet the demands for daily consumption. Then tack on a few million EVs.
I have yet to see battery operated farm equipment. How long is it going to charge a tractor? A combine? How many hours of work am I going to get off one charge? What is the electric bill going to look like?
Have you seen the article about going meatless? More than a few propose eating bugs. Ever see the movie Snowpiercer?
As I mention to TiT, the only way to meet the going green goals, reduce our carbon foot print. That would require every person on the planet would have to adopt a pre industrial revolution lifestyle.
Would you be willing to give up your current standard of living?
Don’t disagree. The technology may not yet be mature. I don’t think that means we give up and not develop it. Allow it to realize its full market potential…ala capitalism. It’s about always improving my position.
Safeside824, economist Paul Krugman writes a column frequently for The New York Times. He can and will explain from where various aspects of inflation arise.
I am aware of Mr Krugman and don’t read his stuff enough. I was not clear enough in my question to UpstateFarmer, I was looking for data related to actual farming costs and their effects at the grocery. Thanks.
Welcome back albeit with a new handle. I was more fond of “CommitToHonestDiscussion” not too long ago
Pro-tip: change your verbiage, alter your sentence structure and drop your pathognomonic holier-than-thou, edgy, know it all approach. Dead give away.
Air Force for 27 years? adorable!
What? Don’t remember changing my handle and it has never been “CommitToHonestDiscussion” (to long, to hard). Unsolicited advice from a rando on the internet, yeah, I’ll get right on that. Jealous? Stop flirting with me…I’m never going to date you.
Poor Alan, pines for the girl who ignored him.
2 errors in less than 10 words. Firstly I am not that anonymous poster. I don’t know the answer to the question raised. Second, I am married to the first love of my life and that started at a very young age. You are still trying to figure out what a woman is.
SM
Surfside, why don’t you tell us what the major causes of inflation are. Then we can look at policies and see which policies are at fault. There is no need to go further than that, but if you wish you can attach the policy to the President so you have someone to blame.
We know what causes inflation. Books have been written on it so it is quite obvious.
If you aren’t sure what causes inflation you can look and see what the fed is doing to calm inflation down. Knowing that points you to the direct cause.
Surfside…I like it. I understand the economic basics and feel no need to attach blame. The original question was not specific enough (corrected down-thread from original). I was hoping to understand the effects of inflation from a farmer’s perspective. I’ll try FarmersOnly.com.
” I understand the economic basics and feel no need to attach blame. “
Surfside, when we vote, we figure out who to vote for based on the effect their policies have had on the nation. That means we are both attaching blame and credit to politicians in charge of such policy.
I hope you understand all the spending we have seen in recent years led to inflation. From the farmer’s angle, inflation breeds inflation. But don’t you think the oil supply has much to do with inflation that involves farmers? We have to recognize that the price of oil and natural gas is in part reflected in the price of fertilizer. That is additive to the farmer since oil and natural gas also run his machines.
The impact on the farmer of present policies was predictable. That tells us a lot about the mindset of our leaders.
The laws of supply and demand dictate that if demand rises – as it usually does, and supply declines – as the left is actively seeking, that prices will spike. In a free market that spike will be short lived. One way or another prices will come back down. Supply will increase or demand will decline.
Aside from the fact that in this instance the price spike in oil is the consequence of a number of government acts, what we are seeing in oil is the normal response to a supply shock.
That does NOT cause inflation.
So long as the supply of money is fixed – the overall price level can not rise.
If oil rises – and products that require oil rise, demand must drop and/or prices elsewhere must drop.
The laws of supply and demand apply to money too.
Inflation is when the value of money drops – because there is an excess supply.
A lower value for money means higher prices overall.
When the overall price level rises – there is too much money.
The fed talks about raising the interest rates to tame inflation.
Interest is the price of money. What the Fed is actually doing is trying to reduce the demand for new money.
When banks come to the Fed to borrow money – that creates new money.
When the Fed raises interest rates – demand for money goes down.
Eventually inflation subsides and absent further government error
things return to normal.
But the process is painful. Driving interest rates higher deliberately causes a recession.
Democrats are celebrating because the Q3 2022 Economy had small positive growth – we did not get 3Q of decline.
At the same time the inflation rate dropped a small amount.
The bad news is that it is still too high. That actually means the Fed has a long way to go and recession is still in our future.
I am honestly surprised that there was economic growth in 3Q 2022. My business which is a leading edge indicator, was doing well in Q1 and Q2 we were busy as ever. In Q3 very abruptly nearly everything dried up. I have laid off or cut back everyone working for me – including myself.
That is true throughout my industry. When I have free time – as I do now, I look for embedded software consulting work.
There is lots of work that claims to be available, but no one is going forward.
Food price increases which go hand in hand with oil prices – and which are made worse still by constraining Ukraine and Russian grain exports,
historically lead to political unrest, violence, terrorism in unstable poor countries.
Aside from the war in Ukraine and the threat of nuclear anhiliation, the world is going to get more violent.
If this is for me, thank you. If not, thank you anyway. (The indent is less than obvious).
It is for anyone. I beleive it was a reply to your post.
It was an observation – not a critique of what you were saying.
There is lots of misinformation about inflation – both right and left.
Many on the right are claiming that government spending is causing inflation.
That is true ONLY because the Fed financed that spending, by expanding money supply.
Government spending has many bad effects. But inflation is only a consequence of government spending if it results in increases in money supply. In the US and much fo the modern world money supply is controlled (mostly) by the Fed.
This is also why a variety of alternate money – Gold, Silver, Crypto often retain value in inflationary times.
Just to be clear – I am not advocating for any specific inflation hedge right now. Each of us must manage that on our own.
The 2nd point is that SOME prices are spiking specifically because of this governments DELIBERATE policies.
The Policies are NOT inflationary – they do not increase the overall price level. But they DO result in higher prices in specific commodities AND commodities that are dependent on those. So long as the policies continue though prices may remain volatile they will not sustainably drop no matter what th market does save ONE thing – which is what the policies are trying to drive – that is prices will remain high until there is a long term drop in demand for the commodities being punished by government policies.
Finally it is TRUE that when we have Bad policies concurrently with increases in money supply that the primarly place inflation will be observed is in those commodities target by bad policies.
BUT if we have bad policies without increases in money supply – something somewhere MUST give. Eitehr demand must drop lowering prices, or prices elsewhere must drop to accommodate higher energy prices.
All of this is math – basic economics, and it is immutable.
Can’t argue with your overarching premise. The rub (from my perspective) is the partisan view it all turns to $h!t/Gold every 4 years on Jan 21. The policies/actions of previous years are discounted, and outside agents have exerted no influence on the current situation.
There is no overreaching premise. Inflation exists, and the fed is raising interest rates to combat inflation. We are already in a recession, and for those that say no, we will meet their criteria shortly. The oil supply has been tampered with, and gas prices are rising. At the same time, we are depleting our strategic oil reserve while threats from China are on the rise.
All the above is factual, so there is no overreaching. With that in mind, I would like to correct anything I have said that is wrong. Will you expand on what you think is overreaching?
I don’t know about your “ $h!t/Gold every 4 years ” premise, but presently we are in deep Sh!t. I am looking for good leaders and have no firm allegiance to any party. I do vote, but when I vote. I pay careful attention to what the candidates have done in the past and try and figure out what they will do in the future. Presently the Dems do not look good. If JFK were around, the left would excoriate him as a far-right loon. Do you believe he was?
I said overarching (i.e. comprehensive or all-encompassing), not overreaching (i.e. overdo or overestimate). The $h!t/Gold statement is merely my current POV regarding the partisan nature of the debate. It will expand or contract with time and experience. Thank you for voting with care and deliberation.
Yes, you did say overarching. The debate is partisan but desires need not be. Policies are what ought to be discussed and some of the major policies are the failures of the present administration. I used to split my votes because I didn’t like one party in complete control. Today, however, is different. In my mind we are not dealing with a ‘sane’ Democrat Party so they have to be booted totally before they can be trusted with leadership.
You are right. There is too much partisanship and not enough statesmanship.
OT
Tulsi Gabbard is campaigning for
Buldoc in NH – who is closing.
Tudor Dixon in MI – who is closing.
Kari Lake in AZ – who is ahead.
Good for Tulsi. However, that doesn’t tell us where she stands on some of the issues previously mentioned.
@Upstate Farmer
There is no question this happened from early 2021 to now, it’s in our meticulous paperwork; only a fool would be able to convince themselves this has anything to do with the yet to be determined mid-terms or Trump. It began during the covid lockdowns, period, and has escalated since. There has only been one party in power during that time (my state is and has been blue as the day is long). I am stunned at just how quickly they have run things into the ground – the shock is the thing I’m reeling from. I knew we were paying more, but we are talking over $500 per month. Many people simply can’t afford that without going into debt or worse.
And, the cause of your increased costs is indeed “before the Biden administration”–Trump. He caused the worst recession since the Great Depression with his utter incompetence, arrogance and lack of understanding of geopolitical finance: 1. national debt rose to record levels due to tax breaks primarily benefitting the ultra-wealthy. Interest on the national debt alone is a driver of inflation; Biden has brought this down by several trillion; 2. because the country was mostly shut down for 2 years due to his incompetent handling of COVID, factories and other businesses shut down, which resulted in a shortage of consumer goods and component parts; unemployment was above 10%–Biden brought that down to 3.4%. The economy grew last month by 2.6%, so we’re headed in the right direction. 3. add to #2, the trade war Trump started with China, which caused a shortage of consumer goods and computer chips that are used in automobiles, home appliances, computers, etc. Biden got the Chips Act passed that will help alleviate the shortage of chips, but until supply catches up with demand, high demand and low supply drives up prices. This is Trump’s fault, not Biden’s. Biden’s COVID stimulus package caused the economy to come back roaring, and demand is indeed outstripping supply. 4. As to fuel costs, which also contribute to the higher cost of goods and services, because the country was forced to shut down for about 2 years due to Trump’s lying and downplaying the seriousness of COVID and refusing to wear a mask and criticizing public health officials, all of which caused COVID to spread more than it should have because people doubted public health advice, took quack cures like Hydroxychloroquine and horse de-wormer and wouldn’t wear masks, there was a glut of refined fuel, which artificially depressed prices. People started working from home and not commuting, they couldn’t take vacations, school buses weren’t running, so some refineries shut down and haven’t reopened; now, demand is high but supply hasn’t caught up; add to that, the war with Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. 5. Putin started a war with Ukraine, believing that Trump’s insults to EU and NATO allies would alienate them and the US wouldn’t be able to pull together sufficient resistance, so he’d just take over, kill Zelenskyy and get what he wanted. Ukraine has held off Russia, Biden healed these wounds, and now Finland, Sweden and Ukraine have petitioned to join NATO. Trump would have pulled the US out of NATO if he could have cheated his way into office a second time.
Trump’s history of his own business and financial failures should be a clue. He was dependent upon his father to bail him out of one financial mess after another, and when his father’s Alzheimer’s resulted in the loss of control of his finances, that’s when the business bankruptcies started. Trump has no clue about finances–he cheats on taxes and lies on financial declaration forms, he is constantly in debt to keep his hotels and resorts open, to support his lavish lifestyle, and now is depending on contributions from his adoring fan base. He’s using the money to refurbish is private plane and to pay for Melania’s designer clothes.
Biden has done a remarkable job of turning around the disasters Trump caused.
You must not budget your money, Gigi. Pre-pandemic, under Trump, prices consistently came *down*. We keep very careful track of our expenses, and it’s irrefutable for us. The worst of it has been over the past 12 months, with this month was a peak, at least so far. The cost of living in our city has never, at any time in my life, been higher.
LOL. Who is gonna tell you what to think when twitter stops its propaganda?
Jeezus you are blind. I hope you are getting paid to think like that.
The Gates of Hell, according to Rodin
https://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/musee/collections/oeuvres/gates-hell
There is another casting in the Museum of French Art.
More detail and correction about Musee d’Orsay:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gates_of_Hell
Jonathan: If Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and a baker’s refusal to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple are “Big Wins” for “free speech” there is a case In Nebraska that is also a direct attack on free expression in public schools. A subject that should draw you attention but probably won’t. So I will.
“Viking Saga”, a high school student newspaper published since 1968 in Grand Island, Nebraska has been shut down. Back in May the newspaper published 3 articles on LGBTQ issues. One editorial was critical of FL Gov. DeSantis and his “Don’t Say Gay” law. The school district said it was closing down the newspaper because transgender reporters refused to use their birth names on their bylines and the 3 articles were “inappropriate”. In response, the Nebraska chapter of the ACLU wrote the school district asking the Viking Saga be reinstated: “The District’s unlawful attempts to quash student journalism and student opinions violate students’ rights to free speech and equal protection under the Nebraska and United States Constitutions, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972”.
If there was ever a quintessential “free speech” issue this is it. Shutting down the Viking Saga over publishing LGBTQ articles is a “Big Loss” for student free speech rights. Will you address this case to demonstrate you really are a free speech “originalist”? I’m not holding my breath!
I guess my first thought is kids at a school do not have a right to free speech. I was definitely not aloud to say anything I wanted in school.
This is correct. You do not have freedom of speech in schools. Parents can say what they want about the school and about the curriculum, but students cannot necessarily say whatever they want in school.
Note of us have read the article so who can say how we would react.
I note you use the title ““Don’t Say Gay”. Without reading what was said I don’t know how I would feel. However, I would be quite critical of the student’s ability to post the truth, and wonder if they were stupid and didn’t know what the law was about. If students want to write a newspaper they should at least be smart enough to know what they are talking about.
How rich is it that Turley whines about “advocacy journalism”, which is the sole reason for the existence of his employer? Fox News was founded because Murdoch and other Republicans were upset over Nixon being forced to resign because there wasn’t any media outlet to punch back against his crimes as correctly reported by all media. Of course, the “punch back” would be to lie and/or accuse those who caught him of being liars, of being politically-motivated, to question the truth, to come up with you know, exactly how Fox spins the truth to defend the indefensible, to spread doubt. One example: I am no longer friends with a woman who believed the Fox lie that those who invaded the Capitol were paid by Democrats to make Trump look bad, and/or were really “Antifa”. She believed that lie, and took umbrage over my assessment that she is gullible.
Turley claims: “[m]any of those same figures are now apoplectic at the thought that others may be able to express dissenting views on subjects ranging from climate change to election regulations to gender identity.” Utter BS–there are NO valid “dissenting views” over climate change: NO reliable scientist denies it exists because the evidence is overwhelming, denies that it is man-made, and that the cause is pollutants. Ditto for “election regulations”: There was no widespread voter fraud. Passing laws curtailing polling locations and voting hours, criminalizing handing out bottled water and snacks to people forced to wait for hours in long lines just to vote, requiring multiple types of ID and closing polls in Sundays (to stop black churches from bringing “souls to the polls”) is designed for just one thing: to make it harder for black and brown people, plus other probable Democrats, to vote. These laws were NOT passed to correct any valid problem. “Gender identity” is also not a matter over which there are valid grounds for “dissenting opinions”. What business is it for anyone to criticize or question another’s gender identity? This is not a matter for personal opinion.
All of this is just to provide another platform to spread lies, misinformation and to stir the culture wars, all under the alleged rubric of “free speech”. You know it, too, Turley.
Gigi, at one time science declared that the sun orbited around the earth. It was settled science. No dissenting views were allowed. Galileo died in prison because he disagreed. You are correct. Global warming is occurring. The question is how drastic will it’s effect be on the planet? Science now says that the Greenland ice sheet is in danger of vanishing in about 1000 + years due to global warming. You are willing to sacrifice the quality of life for billions of people who rely on fossil fuels in pursuit of your global warming religion. Just like those who said Galileo was spouting disinformation your dogma leads you to believe that no dissenting opinions should be allowed. Some of us have learned the lesson of Galileo and some of us have not. Some of us even know who he was.
Thinkitthrough, you have it wrong. The Church stated that the sun went around the earth, not a non-existent ‘science’. Galileo, upon being the instruments of torture, recanted and spent his declining days under house arrest. While there he wrote about terrestrial gravity. Further advances in astronomy were accomplished in protestant countries.
As for global warming, it exists and is due to humans burning coal, etc. You can read many more articles on the subject via the links provided at
https://bravenewclimate.proboards.com/
David B Benson, I stated that Galileo was imprisoned because he said that the sun orbited the earth. Orbiting is the same as going around. I stated that global warming does indeed exist but I questioned the eminent danger to humanity of this happening. It does not mater if the Church of Rome or the Green Church will not allow any dissenting opinions. They are both religions. If you were restricted to house arrest your loss of freedom would be little different than if you were imprisoned. You and your opinions on anything would be cut off from the world. In either case you and Gigi are saying that no dissenting opinions should be allowed. You did the same thing with Covid from a lab and the Hunter Biden laptop. No questioning of the settled dogma would be permitted. No sugar coating will make it different. The parallels between the actions of the ancient church and the New Green Religion are obvious.
Thinkitthough, nope. Galileo had the comforts of home as well as visitors. You should really read a competent biography before pontificating.
On, for example, the matter of planting trillions of trees, you will find divergent views represented by links on the appropriate thread of
https://bravenewclimate.proboards.com/
so once again you are shown wrong and writing in ignorance. Why don’t you go there are read what is to be found?
TiT,
I posted a long post about global warming, climate change and the whole going green thing.
And WP had a hiccup and it fell through the cracks.
From what I can recall I wrote yesterday afternoon, we are going from higher density forms of energy (i.e. coal, oil, nat gas, nuclear) to lower ones wind, solar.
What the green types are not saying, is the need to reduce our carbon foot print if they are serious about CC. But that would require real sacrifice or as you put, ” . . . willing to sacrifice the quality of life for billions of people . . .”
Could you imagine people giving up their 1st world lifestyle for something more like pre industrial revolution?
800sqft home.
Thermostat set at 62 in the winter, 78 in the summer.
Limited internet (pre-pandemic, the internet namely streaming consumed as much energy as the entire airline industry).
Say goodbye to the smart phone.
Use up too many of carbon credits, the EV wont start.
Could you imagine?
Of course not!
Gigi, all that voter suppression is causing massive turnout in Georgia. It seems that all those people dying of thirst standing in line in the last election are returning to the poles for more of the same. Your problem is that there not serving enough cool aid for you to slam down to beat the heat. In case you haven’t noticed its expected to be 59 degrees in Georgia in November. The Democrats would have been smarter if they would have complained about hot chocolate or hot coffee not being made available to those standing in line. If your standing outside of 100 ft. From the entrance of the polling place you may receive all the water you want. To give you a better perspective thats about 33 yards. This cruelty must come to an end. Your leaders think you are to stupid to understand how short of a distance 33 yards is. I’ll leave it at that.
I don’t know, but how about having enough polling locations open for enough days for early voting and for enough hours when polls are open so that every citizen can exercise their right to vote without having to wait more than 30 minutes in line at most? It’s not like they dont know how many voters are registered in a given precinct. In Republican states, long lines mainly exist ONLY in Democrat precincts. That is a fact. It is also a fact that Republicans have an organized plan to intimidate voters. See the Eastman memorandum, released this morning, outlining how to challenge Democratic voters. Then, there’s the ignoramus goons in Michigan who are patrolling around ballot drop boxes and taking down license numbers. Intimidating voters is a felony. Who do you think has suggested and is supporting these things?
You want to know which party has stupid leaders? Tell me, exactly WHAT is the Republican plan to tame inflation? Can you? I know you can’t because they don’t have one. How about the party’s stance on codifying Roe? Why won’t people like Oz answer the simple question of whether they would vote with Lindsey Graham who wants to outlaw all abortions? Does the party have ANY platform at all, other than complaining about Joe Biden and trying to blame him and Democrats for everything, and taking credit for the good things that Biden got passed without their votes, like the Chips Act? The answer is: NO. They trade on hate and disinformation. Now, they’re trying to make the case that China is about to start a nuclear war with us. Anything to spread fear in order to grab power. And, the disciples fall for it.
You mention “codifying Roe” – I don’t think you recognize that is the exact opposite of Republican legislative priorities, right? They do not want Roe v. Wade or a legislative “codification” to be the law of the land.
Why don’t you go directly to the cause of those long lines. The number and placement of polling places is determined by the communities. “long lines mainly exist ONLY in Democrat precincts.”, so guess who is to blame.
“there are NO valid “dissenting views” over climate change: NO reliable scientist denies it exists because the evidence is overwhelming, denies that it is man-made, and that the cause is pollutants.”
That shows how little you know about the subjct.
lol
That puny laugh, sounding more like fear, has little meaning. “He who laughs last laughs loudest”
Gigi is Natcha in a Halloween mask.
Gigi is Natcha in a Halloween mask.
She also has re-visioned history, has no understanding of economics or geopolitics.
Everything she has posted is an out right lie.
I think you’re right. Either that, or Gigi spent hours studying Natacha’s posts. The style and tone are too similar.
Great news! Paul Pelosi is, in spite of all of his ill-gotten wealth, and his Fascist Wife profiting illegally from insider training, feels the increasing trends of violent crime in Biden’s Amerikkka.
Thoughts and prayers!
Great metaphor Professor Turley. The gates of hell have been opened and the devils of misinformation have been released. There will be much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth by the lovers of conformity. We can already read the grinding of dentures on this blog. A drama has never been more perfectly performed as on these pages, the left wing television and the great tomes known as The Washington Post and The NewYork Times. Surely these machinations will go down in comparison to the dramas of Shakespeare in the annals of great literature.
…oh, and in 1773, BABEL X would have uncovered the plot of those pesky colonial revolutionaries Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Adams et al., who promoted freedom, not state oppression and Marx’s “dictatorship of the proletariat.”
________________________________________________
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation has purchased 5,000 licenses for an analytics tool for gathering open-source intelligence from multiple social media platforms.”
“Virginia-based Panamerica Computers will provide the law enforcement agency with licenses for Babel X, according to details published on SAM.gov on March 11. Babel X is a text analytics platform that allows users to search multiple online media websites and search by location.”
Written by John Hewitt Jones
Apr 5, 2022 | FEDSCOOP
https://www.fedscoop.com/babel-x-fbi-purchases-5000-licenses/
I applaud the fact that Elon Musk has pledged to clean up Twitter. He is a businessman first. He benefits by keeping and attracting more customers. It is standard operating procedure for a new owner to fire the top leadership and influencers to create a new culture and set the tone.
Many media operations (newspapers, television and social media, entertainment) have alienated their customers. That is why so many once thriving news agencies have dismal ratings, subscribers or listeners. Bad business. Elon sees profit in appealing to a larger base. Good business.
How many media and entertainment consumers have been sidelined by these organizations that have chosen a unilateral, myopic perspective?
What is also scary is that there is so much power in the hands of one individual. He now has the data of hundreds of million people and a powerful aerospace-satellite communication network.
It is,however, entertaining to watch the apoplectic reaction to this news.