Category Archives: Rob Meyne

America’s Politics are Getting More Like Russia’s, Only Less Trustworthy!

It is not always easy to know when you are experiencing an historic event. But bank on this: people will be talking about this election for decades to come. Unless the left wins, in which case we’ll probably see the end of free speech, and history will be rewritten. But that is a topic for a future column.

This is the first quadrennial U. S. election in which one of the two major political parties has attempted to imprison their leading opponent. This is the stuff of Putin, Mao, and the Woody Allen movie “Bananas.” More importantly, it has become the “stuff” of America’s leading leftist group: the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party embodies America’s Socialist/Marxist movement. Republicans are the conservative wing, although the GOP clings less faithfully to conservative principles than the Democrats cling to leftist ones. Although that sounds simplistic, it is also manifestly true. If there is a left and a right cohort in American politics, it is the Dems who are the left and the GOP who is the right. It is a complex question, but that much generalization is accurate.

There is no doubt you could find millions of Democratic voters who love America, support freedom, capitalism, and the Constitution. There is also no doubt you will find very few of those people in positions of leadership in the national Democratic Party. It is equally true that average Democrats are becoming more leftist and more comfortable with socialist and fascist activities. They even say so.

Democrats are now accepting, with almost no pushback, ridiculous tropes that most people could even mutter without rolling their eyes. Their party is led by people who accept things on face value that are demonstrably false. For example: there are hundreds of genders; men can have babies; killing a baby in the final trimester only involves the body of the mother; America is systemically and irredeemably racist; all white people are racist; all black people are victims; or police murders of unarmed blacks are a daily occurrence. Those statements are all provably false but widely accepted by Democratic leaders and their sycophants.

The Dems have also rejected the concept of equal opportunity, preferring the concept of equity. Equal opportunity has long been the basis of the American Dream. No longer. Today, our leaders plead for equal outcomes – equity – based on a worldview that values groups but not individuals.
If you seek a party that puts a priority on the individual, the GOP welcomes you. If you seek one that cares about your sex and race, but not you, the Democratic Party is your home.

There should also be no doubt about which is America’s fascist party. Hint: it isn’t the GOP. Nearly every major policy proposal from the Dem leadership involves strengthening the government, and Washington, in particular; reducing freedom; or restricting speech. Their policies depend on big government working in an alliance with rich elites and corporate media.

When a corporate leader strays away from their playbook, he is despised. Consider Elon Musk. He has long been the darling of the left. He believes climate change is a problem and that electric vehicles are a big part of the solution. Then he dared to buy Twitter and become a vocal advocate for free speech. He questioned liberal dogma and exposed the actions by the FBI, White House, DOJ, and even the Democratic National Committee to unconstitutionally censor the speech of individuals and organizations. Now, he is excoriated. This is mostly because he supports free speech. Got it? A principle that used to be the foundation of liberal thought has now become the reason the left rejects people.

Unfortunately, it is not just the Dem leaders who abhor free speech. Public opinion surveys show huge numbers of Democratic voters – ordinary people –think Americans have too much freedom and that speech should be restricted. Just a few short years ago Dems and GOPs alike valued free speech. But one party is turning its back on it.

The differences between the leadership of the two major parties are profound. But the differences among the rank and file of both parties are becoming starker as well.

In a new RealClear Opinion Research poll, a startling 47 percent of Democratic voters said speech should be legal “only under certain circumstances,” and 52 percent approve of government censoring social media posts. A third of Democrats believe Americans have “too much freedom.”

Those saying speech should be “legal under any circumstances” included 74 percent of registered Republicans and 61 percent of independents.” Just five years ago the numbers were at parity. Something has happened to cause the number of Democrats who oppose free speech to skyrocket, and it happened very quickly. Be afraid. Be very afraid!

America’s Socialist/Democratic Party is hell-bent on growing the size and power of government; they are committed to reducing your freedom while they build their own wealth and influence; and they don’t mind using police powers to do it.

A precedent has been established that the party in power should use all means available to destroy their opponents, even to the point of tying them up with legal battles and potentially imprisoning them. This will be the most astonishing and dangerous election in our history. Fascist socialism has overtaken the Dem leadership and many of their followers. It is happening now, and it should concern you deeply.
 

Please share!

End of the Road for Free Speech?

By Rob Meyne

  • Nov. 8, 2023
  • 1-min read

It has been learned that the FCC will vote, next week, to give itself control over the internet. That’s right. Complete control of the internet. If this is allowed to stand, it could well be the end of all free speech in this country.

Everything we do, read, learn, and believe comes to us through the internet, or is connected with it at some point. NO governmental agency has the authority to, or justification for, controlling the internet.

It is instructive that the Biden administration has tried to keep a lid on this. They know it is bad policy, they know it is probably unconstitutional, and they know they are pursuing governmental control of the internet so they can censor you.

Don’t let them do it.

See the full proposed rule below (PDF download):

FCC FACT SHEET* — Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet
 
 

Please share!

If Trump is so bad, why lie about him?

By Rob Meyne

  • Nov. 6, 2023
  • 4-min read

It is astonishing, but no longer surprising, how little connection exists between facts and the left’s weaponization of the media and judicial system against their political opposites. Many of the statements that are bandied about as facts simply do not hold up under even minor scrutiny.

A friend, who is a rabid anti-Trumper. He says this letter generally reflects how he feels.

The LTE (Letter to The Editor) includes many of the charges spewed millions of times every day in an attempt to portray Trump and his supporters as villains. Like so many things you hear when politics is the topic, the key charges are simply lies. And remember this: there are plenty of valid, factual things to criticize about both Biden and Trump. If you’re an anti-Trumper, you do not need to make things up. So why do you?

Consider:

  • The writer says there was an effort to establish Trump as dictator for life. There is precisely zero evidence of that. Have you seen evidence that Trump wants to be a dictator? Neither have I. Because there is none.
  • The writer also claims it was an attempt to overthrow the government. There was a riot on January 6, 2021, and people have gone to jail. But no one tried to overthrow the government.

Think logically for fifteen seconds and you will realize there was no effort to overthrow anything. The president was Donald Trump. Therefore, an attempt to overthrow the government would have been an attempt to remove Trump. An overthrow is precisely what the rioters did not seek.

  • By the same reasoning, there was no insurrection. An insurrection involves an effort to replace the people in power. The rioters supported Trump. They didn’t want to replace him.
  • One also hears January 6 was an attempt to interfere with the “peaceful transfer of power.” Yet, again, that isn’t even logical. The transfer of power DOES NOT take place on January 6. It happens on January 20. Power was not being transferred January 6, so the riot, factually, could not have been an attempt to interfere with it.
  • The letter mentions that at “least two people died that day.” The implication is, clearly, that rioters killed them. They did not. No one died at the hands of Trump supporters. Not. One. Person.

The only person killed during the riot itself was an unarmed woman shot in the face, without warning, by a Capitol Hill Police officer. Again, the description of the riots as “deadly” is an intentionally misleading statement. It is factually untrue.

There’s more:

  • The accusation that the crowd was “white supremacist goons” says nothing factual about them but does speak volumes about the bigotry and stupidity of the writer. The crowd supporting Donald Trump that day included people of all races, from all states, and represented hundreds of occupations. Anyone capable of coming up with the “white supremacist goon” line must have the knowledge and IQ of a random bag of vomit. Although that is a bit insulting to bags of vomit.
  • On a related note, we often hear the accusation that the riots on 1/6 were an effort to stop the counting of the electoral college votes. Again, there is not one shred of evidence of that. You’ve heard it but it just isn’t true.

The only specific action ANYONE advocated is the suggestion that a few select slates of state electors – where their accuracy or legitimacy was in question – be returned to their state legislatures for a final review and approval. That action would not have stopped the count or interfered in the process.

It is a FEATURE of the process, provided by law and the Constitution. It has been done before. It would have resulted in a higher degree of confidence in the results. It would not have prevented a vote count or impeded it. If you ask to get $100 out of the bank, and the teller has to confirm you have it in your account, is he or she impeding the process? Of course not. Anti-Trumpers are saying that Trump committed treason by trying to do something that is provided by law.

  • We also know that dozens, if not hundreds, of police officers and federal agents were in the crowd that day. Were they encouraging violence? We don’t know, because the FBI refuses to tell us even how many were there.
  • We also know that many police officers peacefully and politely let people into the Capitol that day. We have footage of it. The suggestion that every demonstrator entered violently or illegally is simply, again, a lie.
  • Finally, make note that President Trump has been accused of orchestrating the riot on January 6. Even after more than a year of the one-sided House committee investigation, they failed to find even a single piece of direct evidence that Trump wanted violence that day. Not. One. President Trump called for the protestors to be peaceful. So, they claim he wanted violence.

It is mind-numbing that anyone could agree with the drivel in the LTE, or the broader anti-Trump beliefs it represents, and think it is insightful, persuasive, or even factual. It is none of those things. The accusations in it are baseless, unhinged, and the product of bigotry and ignorance.

If you agree with those views, you should go back to wherever you attended school and demand your money back.

Please share!

Harris and Company Lie About Florida and DeSantis

By Rob Meyne

  • July 29, 2023
  • 2-min read

If you watch what they do rather than what they say, the leaders on the left will tell you who they fear most. Recent events suggest that person is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

You don’t hear anyone attacking Asa Hutchison or Nicki Haley, although they would both be improvements over the guy in the White House. (But then again, so would my Cocker Spaniel, Buddy.)

They attack Trump 24/7, of course, and they fear him as well. But there is more in play regarding Trump than just their dislike of him. More on that later.

For now, consider the latest major attack on DeSantis. He is accused of implementing education reforms in Florida that revise history and downplay the severity of the sin of slavery. It is a lie, pure and simple. It is, however, entirely predictable.

When attacks are based on truth, of course, they are fair game. However, when a political cohort must lie about their opponents, repeatedly and boldly, it is an indication of their intellectual and political impotence. If they had a winning message that had the support of clear majorities, they wouldn’t have to lie about the other side.

In Florida, Gov. DeSantis won passage of legislation to minimize the politically correct “woke” aspects of state institutions, primary educational. As part of this effort, a group of scholars and experts on African American history – many of these educators are black, by the way – developed a new set of standards for use in Florida schools. It replaced the curriculum developed by the AP College Board, called “Official course framework, project, and exam overview for AP African American studies.” This is the national document describing what ought to be taught to high-achieving students across the country.

The criticism of the Florida curriculum is based on lies and intended simply to hurt DeSantis and, by extension, other GOPs, and conservatives.

Both the AP College Board and the new Florida guidelines discuss the difficulty that faced former slaves as they adapted to freedom. As many historians have pointed out, some had skills that were useful and helped them find jobs. Some of these skills were developed here, others before they were brought here. That point is undeniable and, again, is in both documents. It does not mean slavery was “good” for anyone.

Yet, DeSantis is attacked and accused of saying slavery was good, even though the same thing is said on page 72 of the College Board AP document. Both curricula made the point about some slaves having useful skills. But they claim Florida is racist when they say it.

If anyone is interested, below is a link to the curriculum Harris, et al, supported. Hypocrisy does not get clearer or more offensive than this.

AP African American Studies Official Course Framework, Project, and Exam Overview – Effective 2023-2024: CollegeBoard.org

Please share!

If You Hate Sound of Freedom, You Have A Problem

By Rob Meyne

  • July 14 2023
  • 2-min read

Sound of Freedom is a fantastic film that celebrates people who devote their lives to rescuing children who are part of the slave trade. Many experts estimate there are more slaves in the world today than at the time when it was legal. Yet you don’t hear a word from our president or his minions on this.

Slaves are widely held in many nations today, even though it is illegal.

BTW, America appears to be the leading consumer of child sex media and slavery. There is much we can do here to prevent it.

Astonishingly, the Biden Department of Justice has recently removed from its web site information about child trafficking and sex slavery. It isn’t even on the site anymore. At the same time, the Biden Administration admits it has totally lost track of at least 85,000 children who came into the country over our open southern border. They have no idea where they are, who controls them, and whether they have been sold into slavery. Does this sound like a government whose priorities are in the right place?

Sound of Freedom is excellent. It tells the story of Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security agent, who has devoted his life to saving children. Unsurprisingly, because it celebrates courage, decency, and faith, many on the left and in the Democratic Party have attacked it.

Remember: When your political opponents focus on a person, group, or organization with this much vehemence, it tells you they are afraid, and you must be doing something right. When we irritate and anger our opponents, we are making progress.

Sometimes you can learn exactly what people are like just by watching and listening to them. Tons of commentators, news outlets, and social media sites are trashing Sound of Freedom. It focuses on the scandalous and horrific trafficking of children, primarily for sexual slavery.

Many on the left have excoriated this film and its creators. Think about it. This is a great film about a man who is dedicated to saving children, and the left hates it. There is nothing remotely controversial about the movie unless you are against saving children. The backlash against this film is disgusting, as are the people who oppose it. No extreme views are promoted in it, no conspiracies, no lies. Just the truth. And the left hates it. What more proof do you need about who these people are?

Here is a brief story with a video clip from CBS News embedded in it about Ballard and his successful rescue of children: CBS, nearly a decade ago, did a segment on Tim Ballard, now film on child trafficking ‘is QAnon’

What is there about that message that decent human beings should oppose?

Watch what people say, what they do, who they criticize, and you will see them for what they really are.

Please share!

Looking at Dobbs A Year Later, Part 2

By Rob Meyne

  • July 4, 2023
  • 5-min read

Many critics of the Dobbs decision observe that life is now harder and more emotionally challenging for people who want abortions. Well, yes, it is. See again the article from Vice, here.

The question is this: how much do stories of the unfortunate aspects of this, or any, Supreme Court decision matter, and based on what values structure? If the issues discussed in Vice are all that matters, of course you would oppose Dobbs. If, however, you cared as much or more about ALL human life, at all stages of its development, you would have to support Dobbs.

And, BTW, it IS that simple.

Is ANY sad or painful result of a law a negative? Strictly speaking, sure. Every law has plusses and minuses. No exceptions. But telling only one aspect of a story, or looking only at one perspective, is comparable to a jury only hearing from the prosecution. It is interesting but hardly conclusive.

How persuasive such arguments are depends entirely on the standards, the foundational values against which you evaluate them. IF the happiness and emotional health of women who have already been born is the only thing that matters of course you would oppose Dobbs. IF, however, you value life in all forms, and at all stages of development, you could easily feel empathy for the women described in Vice but STILL support Dobbs, because you value the lives of 60-plus million dead babies more. The arguments of the pro-abortion crowd are persuasive if, and only if, you value the lives of these women more than those of the more than one million innocent lives murdered in the womb every year in America.

In a Constitutional Republic, it is seldom, if ever true, that only the opinions of a select group matter, and it certainly makes no sense now.

Nevertheless, some people believe the dispositive issue is what effect abortion law has on pro-abortion women (those who have been born). That value structure quite literally requires you to believe that the lives of those who “won the lottery,” so to speak, meaning they weren’t killed in the womb, are more valuable than the lives of those not allowed to be born.

And, let’s be clear about this. Babies/pre-born people/whatever you want to call them are living humans. Period. There is no serious debate about that. The argument that they are not human would be, well, what? Unborn humans are humans just like unborn dogs are still dogs. It is so clear, and logical, that people are embarrassed to even defend an alternative viewpoint.

To make the point even clearer: Democratic leadership in Washington DC, including the president, favors unlimited abortion, at any point. (Biden was asked in 2022 if there should be any restrictions on abortion, and said no.) They support policies like in Minnesota, where you can walk in during the ninth month of pregnancy and say, “get rid of it,” kill it.

What possible argument could be made that a baby in the 9th month isn’t a human? If you just remove it, the child will likely grow up to live a normal life. It is inarguably human, yet the leadership of the political party in power thinks killing them is ok. The key issue for our time on this subject is NOT rather the baby is human and alive – indisputably, it is – but why abortion supporters would think killing them is fine.

There is no logical argument that babies aren’t people. None. What would it be? How would you prove a baby isn’t human? Of course, you can’t. To be fair, we generally can’t prove a negative. (You can’t prove you’ve never been to Australia.) But the question remains: If they aren’t human, what are they? Iguanas? Sloths? Hummingbirds? Lesser pandas?

A human life is human from conception, just as a bald eagle is an eagle from conception. Of course, destroying an eagle’s egg is a federal crime. Eagles are loved and protected. Humans are not. Horrifically, destroying a person at an early point is legal and celebrated by about half our population. An eagle in the early stages of its life gets protection your children do not.

Continue reading →

Please share!

State Abortion Laws Vary, But the Trend is in Support of Life

By Rob Meyne

  • June 30, 2023
  • 5-min read

Abortion – Part 1

Much has been written about the consequences of the Dobbs decision. As you know, SCOTUS ruled that there was no constitutional right to abortion. It did not make it illegal. It recognizes abortion law is up to each state.

That, of course, is exactly what our founding fathers had in mind. They saw states as essential laboratories for considering and debating public policy. Our founders knew that law may be different from state to state. They were fine with that, even happy about it.

Our legal landscape in the aftermath of Dobbs is inconsistent and confusing from state to state. That is ok. It does not mean Dobbs was a bad decision or that we somehow have a crisis at hand. When we have different policies in different states, it is not a bug in the system; it is a feature of it. That is not in itself a problem.

The effect this ruling has had on some women is explored in an article from Vice, here. It is an interesting read. Even if you don’t agree that the “problems” created by Dobbs should make us question the decision, it is still important to understand how people with opinions different from your own came to their conclusions. That is why we read pieces every day written by people with whom we are likely to disagree.

Remember what the great Hugh Hewitt likes to say. He prefers clarity to agreement. Or as Stephen Covey says, paraphrasing, seek first to understand, then to be understood.

If the Vice piece isn’t persuasive, it is at least interesting, tugs at heartstrings, and shows how a lot of pro-abortion people view the SCOTUS ruling.

No doubt, there are troubling aspects of post-Roe America. It causes, for some people, stress, pain, and heartache, and makes getting an abortion more difficult. Well, as they say… “Duh!” Of course, it does.

States that have passed laws prohibiting or regulating abortion make it harder to get one. That. .. Is… The… Point…

Laws that regulate the purchase of pharmaceuticals, the practice of medicine, carrying firearms, or driving at high speeds are also designed to make those things more difficult.

As is the case with new laws, it isn’t a perfect situation. We often don’t understand all the ramifications of laws until they are implemented. This is a lesson we learned years ago when working in the Indiana House of Representatives. Most of the legislation, in any given session, involves attempts to correct, improve, and revise existing law. Most bills don’t propose new laws. The new state laws on abortion will likely be modified and improved over time. That is a good thing.

Having fewer abortions is a huge improvement in the minds of millions. Whatever troubles exist in the meantime should be addressed and, where needed, the laws revised and clarified.

Continue reading →

Please share!

How Much More Evidence of Biden’s Corruption Do We Need?

By Rob Meyne

  • June 21, 2023
  • 3 min-read

You are probably aware of the corruption that has infested the DOJ in general and especially the FBI. No reasonable person can deny America’s law enforcement infrastructure operates with a double standard. If you are leftist, rich, in elite professions and well-connected families, you generally get lenient treatment.

Hunter Biden got a slap on the wrist for serious tax and gun crimes. Anyone with thirty seconds and access to a search engine knows people are routinely sentenced to prison for the exact offenses to which Hunter pleaded guilty.

The DOJ has said their investigation of Hunter Biden is ongoing. While one is tempted to be reassured by this, hoping he will eventually be held accountable for more extreme crimes, there is a better explanation. If they claim it is an ongoing investigation, they have yet another reason not to cooperate with Congressional investigators.

Even the two charges they filed were based on evidence in their possession since 2016. If it takes them seven years to decide to charge someone when the evidence is undisputed and overwhelming, it doesn’t bode well for effective enforcement of the law to return any time in the future.

Information that has come out from an IRS whistleblower, meanwhile, shows the FBI had possession of Hunter’s laptop and confirmed it was authentic in 2019. That is more information (as if we needed it) that the leadership of the FBI is corrupt, hypocritical, and completely in the tank for America’s leftist elites. Is there another conclusion one can reasonably draw?

The FBI, CIA, DOJ, and even at times the Democratic National Committee (often working through the White House) took great pains throughout the 2020 cycle to push news media and social platforms not to cover stories that were damaging to the Biden campaign. About 80% of the American people get most of their news from social media, so this is important. The DOJ and FBI told Twitter, for example, the Hunter laptop story was unconfirmed, possibly stolen or hacked. They knew at the time that wasn’t true.

In addition, 51 intelligence agency leaders said the story appeared to be “Russian disinformation” so the media would not cover it. Yet they had no personal knowledge of the situation, had not reviewed the information, and had no evidence of Russian involvement. It didn’t stop them from pushing for censorship. Meanwhile, post-election surveys show that about 1 in 6 Biden voters would not have voted for him if they had known about the corruption revealed on the laptop. (For the record, at no time has the Biden family even denied the laptop belonged to Hunter. The media and deep state reflexively went farther to defend the Bidens than they did themselves.)

Leon Panetta, the former Secretary of Defense and Director of the CIA, signed the letter to help the Biden campaign. I’ve met Panetta and found him to be engaging and friendly. A fine guy with whom to share a cocktail. But a friend, who knows Panetta well, goes further. He says he is a great guy, a patriot, honest, and a straight shooter. BS. Panetta is a partisan hack, not to put too fine a point on it. You can be both charming and dishonest.

But the latest news is the new evidence of the attempt by Hunter to extort China to pay him $5 million for. The Federalist has the story, and it is linked here.

Hunter sent a message demanding payment and threatening to use his father, and his many friends, to hurt them, if they did not pay. Hunter’s associate in the Chinese Communist Party, Mr. Zhau, then forwarded $5 million to Hunter. If that isn’t clear evidence of corruption at its highest level, nothing is.

Another revelation confirmed what was already obvious: the DOJ moves at a glacial pace to investigate the criminal activity of Dem leaders, if they look at it at all, and many investigations are simply halted. An IRS whistleblower has testified to this before Congress.

Biden needs to go, stat. Even if we are doomed to have some months under a Kamala Harris presidency, Biden is a threat who needs to be neutralized. There is too much at stake to have a president in office who is bought and paid for by hostile foreign powers.

Stay tuned.

Please share!

A Tragic Event in American History

By Rob Meyne

  • June 10, 2023
  • 5-min read

One of the most important, and tragic, events in American history occurred this week: the indictment of a former president on federal charges. This is unprecedented. Whatever you may think of former President Donald Trump, it says as much about the forces determined to stop him as it does about Trump himself. In no sense is this a good thing for the country.

It is easier to make decisions on most issues based on emotion and your own biases (factually based or not) than to make them based on facts and objectivity. This is such a case.

While we like to say we are a nation of laws, most decisions regarding who to prosecute involve an overwhelming amount of subjectivity. If you believe most prosecutions are based on facts alone then, with respect, you don’t know much about our system. Nearly all prosecutorial choices involve opinion, bias, and preferences. It is called “prosecutorial discretion.” The DA who indicted Trump in New York, for example, immediately upon taking office, reduced the charges against thousands of people accused of violent crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. The facts had not changed, only the opinion of the DA.

I’ll go further and say that any lawyer who doesn’t recognize the decision to charge Trump is unjustifiable based on past actions in similar cases – and doesn’t say so – is at this point a hypocrite not deserving of membership in the bar. Any political observer who doesn’t admit this is an entirely unjustified prosecution is also either uninformed, corrupt, or lying. If that is too pointed or confrontational for you, my apologies, and maybe this piece isn’t your cup of tea. The stakes are high and the time for timidity is gone.

How is that for direct? 😊 You know who you are! With love and apologies all around, the time for being afraid to express your opinion is gone. We are in many ways losing our country, and if you don’t work to preserve it, you are part of the problem.

The decision to charge Trump is politically driven. Period.

From the political side, it is very likely, in my view, that leading Democrats are pushing for prosecution of Trump because they know it will inflame his base and make his nomination more likely. They WANT Trump to be the nominee because they think they can beat him. At the same time, they know moderates and non-partisans will be hesitant to vote for someone under indictment or convicted.

The political ramifications will be interesting, but the legal outline is clear.

Every executive in Washington must follow a complex system of requirements and procedures for record-keeping. It is rare for Washington’s denizens NOT to violate a procedure, either intentionally or inadvertently. In almost all such cases there is either no punishment or only minor fines. That is what makes the Trump indictment indefensible. None of his predecessors has been subject to the same level of investigation, scrutiny, or potential sanctions.

Be clear: the DOJ works for the president and is taking actions to affect his leading opponent and to impact the election. Anyone who doesn’t recognize that should just, candidly, go home and stay there on Election Day, because they are hopelessly naïve.

Memos and emails have already shown the White House was involved in the decision to search Mar-A-Lago, even though President Joe Biden claimed he didn’t even know it was going to happen. This White House spews more lies in a week than Pinocchio did in a lifetime, and they aren’t even particularly clever about it.

Continue reading →

Please share!

You’re Living in a Different World Than Everyone Else

By Rob Meyne

  • May 20, 2023
  • 4-min read

If you ever feel like you are living in a different world than your friends, neighbors, or work mates, it is because you are. We may reside on the same planet, but the specifics that make up our “worlds” are distinct in infinite ways.

Our opinions on political issues are often in conflict because they are based on a completely different understanding of the facts. It is hard to overstate how much this contributes to national division.

Constructive policy can be developed through collaboration and compromise. But it is difficult to do that when you don’t even agree on the facts. Since we’re not making decisions based on a common, agreed upon set of data, it is inevitable there will be huge disagreements.

A variety of dynamic factors have led to this.

For one, the way we get information has changed more dramatically in the past two decades than at any time since a guy named Guttenberg was doing his thing. Newspapers, broadcast TV, and radio are still around, but their influence is waning. Cable and streaming services exert tremendous influence, as do podcasts, social media, and various subscription services.

Mainstream “corporate” media is still powerful, but its role has been largely usurped by digital communications that are accessible wirelessly. This diversification in communications – the way information is conveyed – is unprecedented and getting more complex.

Two, governmental agencies, mainstream media, tech companies, political organizations, and NGOs are very good at coordinating their activities, suppressing speech, and promoting only those messages that meet their preferred narratives. If you don’t believe this, spend ten minutes looking at the “Twitter Files.” It is no longer deniable that the CIA, FBI, and even the Democratic National Committee are able to censor stories on Twitter and other platforms on an ongoing basis.

As artificial intelligence gets more pervasive, it will become the source of editorial direction that impacts everything we see. It will make it easier to censor even accurate information long before it has a chance to enter your newsfeed or inbox.

Continue reading →

Please share!