tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post6981013194239064929..comments2024-03-22T05:20:44.167-07:00Comments on The Disaffected Lib: Is Obama Going to Hand Trump a Poison Pill?The Mound of Soundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-28176885878939109322016-12-18T15:27:45.690-08:002016-12-18T15:27:45.690-08:00Poland, Hungary and Turkey are run now by national...Poland, Hungary and Turkey are run now by nationalistic governments.<br />For the last ~40 years USA has been run primarily by $$$.<br />Canada succumbed to the almighty dollar a decade or so after US.<br />A..nonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-12562440419338369942016-12-17T21:54:50.900-08:002016-12-17T21:54:50.900-08:00Chris, we have delved into these issues twice so f...Chris, we have delved into these issues twice so far: the Davey and the Kent Commission reports to be specific. We have explored the critical role the media play in creating an informed public capable of exercising their democratic franchise to vote. Those reports also dealt with what has become today's corporate media cartel, outfits exactly like PostMedia that achieve such an unhealthy domination of the media market whether through concentration of ownership or market cross-ownership that the public interest is harmed.<br /><br />A tell tale of the corporate media cartel is when the media no longer represents the public as watchdog of government and instead becomes the government's lap dog. That's when the cartel makes the subtle shift from disseminating information to distributing messaging under the guise of information only with a spin, a precursor to outright propaganda. This abandonment of the public interest in favour of the vastly more lucrative special interest or government interest is a betrayal of the public trust the fourth estate is supposed to uphold. The most jarring example was when PostMedia, after years of being the virtual house organ of the Canadian Petroleum Club, came out and announced it was "partnering" with the oil industry. Henceforth its reportage would bear an admitted slant. It was a shameless admission that, for PostMedia, the notion of a free press was negotiable.<br /><br />Harper personally exempted PostMedia from the laws governing foreign ownership, a favour that was repaid a dozen times over most blatantly when every PostMedia newspaper ran a full, front page endorsement of Harper on the eve of the 2015 election. That was a huge but now largely forgotten assault on liberal democracy.<br /><br />Across the western world, liberal democracy is battered and in retreat. Poland, Hungary, Turkey, the United States are already in the illiberal camp and other nations, including France, are trending in the same direction. Canadians have no business taking our democracy for granted. We still have the opportunity for a democratic restoration which I've long argued begins by breaking up the corporate media cartel and restoring a genuinely free press - as broadly owned as possible and offering the widest range of news and opinion across the political spectrum.<br /><br />Achieving this reformation may ultimately require ideas such as you've proposed. The cost is but one issue. The greater problem is that, of all our national parties, only one has a platform policy to restore a free press to Canada and that is neither Liberal, Conservative nor New Democrat. The absence of the slightest interest on the part of our major mainstream political parties is proof of how neoliberal doctrine has them in its grasp.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-36356524475102783662016-12-17T18:00:59.282-08:002016-12-17T18:00:59.282-08:00Wouldn't it be good to see something like this...Wouldn't it be good to see something like this: <br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXrOqjS9ZyADanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12465953801145126160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-8628165639039002412016-12-17T17:42:08.359-08:002016-12-17T17:42:08.359-08:00Hacking computer systems and selectively leaking t...Hacking computer systems and selectively leaking their contents to organisations in a way that can be used to create a somewhat misleading narrative: this is bad for sure. And it is a problem.<br /><br />But the bigger problem was the effect these leaks had on the media (traditional and new) and the public's reaction.<br /><br />To counter the threat, you could proceed in several ways:<br /><br />1) Prevent damaging leaks:<br /><br />* Practice security. So much of how organisations work with data is lamentable, from a security standpoint.<br /><br />* Prioritize between what is secure and not secure. Never be afraid for your non-secured data to eventually leak. Try to work in ways that doesn't generate a need for strong secrecy or security online.<br /><br />2) Strengthen the media in ways that the public is well informed and immunized against fake news.<br /><br />* Fully fund NPR/PBS<br />* Consider tax breaks for household newspaper subscriptions. The weakness of the traditional media has both lowered its quality, and also allowed poor/questionable/fake news sites to proliferate online.<br /><br />In Canada we can be thankful for the CBC. But our print media is extremely vulnerable. Even though I gag at what post-media has become today, there needs to be a discussion on whether the government may wish to somehow underwrite its subscriptions, along with those of its competitors. A stable, more competitive newspaper industry is needed for a well informed populace, which is essential in the functioning of a Democracy.crfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10726414637021391906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-64215534143862541352016-12-17T16:25:00.619-08:002016-12-17T16:25:00.619-08:00I tried to convey my reluctance to bring up this i...I tried to convey my reluctance to bring up this issue because it's secondary to the principal story of what's going on between the US and Russia and how that might have impacted the outcome of the election, ie. how it factors into the legitimacy of the Trump presidency which has plenty of other problems. It's relevant but it's tangential and America's sullied history is not, of itself, determinative of the issue. The Americans may not have clean hands but that doesn't resolve this problem. It's more complex than that.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-88916743551598793882016-12-17T15:23:48.726-08:002016-12-17T15:23:48.726-08:00" I had canvassed the point of America's ..." I had canvassed the point of America's history of meddling in the elections of other states." <br />Meddling, which is likely ~10x* that of Russia. <br />(* my estimate, based on economic and military strength)<br />So Mound, why to bother with publishing the post? To spite Trump?<br />A..nonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-1242236956859057522016-12-17T13:02:53.168-08:002016-12-17T13:02:53.168-08:00Anon, if you had read my previous remarks you woul...Anon, if you had read my previous remarks you would realize I had canvassed the point of America's history of meddling in the elections of other states. Do try to keep up.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-75020299501035261922016-12-17T11:57:40.808-08:002016-12-17T11:57:40.808-08:00It seems a majority of Americans believe that Hill...<i>It seems a majority of Americans believe that Hillary Clinton, having won the popular vote by some three million ballots, should be the president of the United States, not Donald J. Trump.</i><br />Except that Presidential elections in the USA are not decided this way. <br /><br />I have yet to read what exactly have those pesky reds done. Exposed Hillary's emails? How Bernie was fucked over by the DNC? <br /><br />Now, tell me, how many times has the USA directly and covertly tried to control elections in other countries? <br />You may not like Trump but think of it as blowback for the Gough Whitlam's that have been dismissed. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-67158694403489476272016-12-17T05:40:00.546-08:002016-12-17T05:40:00.546-08:00"There is an intense struggle between two maj..."There is an intense struggle between two major power groups in USA. "<br /><br />Right... the two sides are arguing over whether to include Russia in the white-boys club as they continue global conquest.<br /><br />Northern PoVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04670080478290108536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-36113174144703870612016-12-16T22:52:34.742-08:002016-12-16T22:52:34.742-08:00Toby, what I've been biting my tongue to avoid...Toby, what I've been biting my tongue to avoid raising is the question of America's own history of "meddling" in other countries' elections. As far back as I can remember, certainly back to the 70s, America has funneled money and other aid to help defeat parties or leaders they didn't like. That's been so common that it almost goes unmentioned. Even in Ukraine (pre-Crimea separation) the US was deeply involved in toppling the admittedly corrupt but democratically elected regime. Iran is another glaring example. It's a bit much that the nation that refuses to respect the democratic process in so many other, smaller countries, acts as saintly when this sort of thing happens to them.<br />The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-11359032176684523082016-12-16T22:49:12.083-08:002016-12-16T22:49:12.083-08:00Re
There's a problem for the Giant Orange Bloa...Re<br />There's a problem for the Giant Orange Bloat. On vote tallies alone a majority of his public see his presidency as illegitimate before he's even sworn in.<br /><br />This happens all the time in Canada; why is it an issue here?<br /><br />Re<br />e DJT told his faithful that he was only bullshitting them all along. There ain't gonna be no wall. Hillary ain't gonna go to jail. All those jobs won't be coming back. But the rich will get plenty richer. Ooh, that's gotta sting.<br /><br /><br />My guess is that the US public will take to the streets within 12 months.<br />The CIA has judged that the Russian cyber attacks, including the hacking of emails from the Democratic National Committee, were intended to influence the election <br />Re,<br />The CIA has judged that the Russian cyber attacks, including the hacking of emails from the Democratic National Committee, were intended to influence the election .<br /><br />Wow, all of this innuendo from an organisation that gave the world the Shah of Iran and weapons of mass destruction.<br />Put that on your resume.<br /><br />Re,<br />If Obama is going to act against Putin, he's got about four weeks to do it, and, whatever he does, it will fall squarely into Trump's lap on January 20th. Sweet.<br /><br />Looks like Putin did what the USA failed to do in Syria.<br />Putin's credibility rises whilst the credibility of the USA fails in a big way.<br /><br />Next stop; Trumps foreign policy!<br />Holy shit said the Pope.<br /><br />TBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-88917376688283281922016-12-16T20:59:11.575-08:002016-12-16T20:59:11.575-08:00What should be of more concern is that in earlier ...What should be of more concern is that in earlier American elections there would not have been any chance a foreign despot could influence the outcome. This whole episode displays the depths that American democracy has sunk. Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-38064874453992916982016-12-16T16:36:28.126-08:002016-12-16T16:36:28.126-08:00Another bizarre feature of the Russian Haxors issu...Another bizarre feature of the Russian Haxors issue is that Putin is being accused of . . . telling the truth. Nobody is questioning the genuineness of the emails under discussion, they're just flabbergasted at the gall of anyone telling the American people what their masters are doing. Of course Putin backers don't believe he would ever do anything so reprehensible! A bit of bombing, strong-arm diplomacy, the occasional assassination, sure, but truth-telling?! How dare the media make such accusations!Purple library guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01930984683714519212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-61382461381808468642016-12-16T14:51:29.958-08:002016-12-16T14:51:29.958-08:00One is certain. There is an intense struggle betwe...One is certain. There is an intense struggle between two major power groups in USA. And those two camps are not democrats or republicans. The best scenario would be that this fight would not spill(too much)into the world as a whole. Nothing to cheer about this last scenario...<br />A..nonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-8102703041756130772016-12-16T13:38:50.891-08:002016-12-16T13:38:50.891-08:00Quick precis of the article I linked:
1. The alle...Quick precis of the article I linked:<br />1. The alleged hacking relates to the revelation of certain emails.<br />2. These emails were released by Wikileaks.<br />3. Prominent (named, not anonymous) Wikileaks people say they didn't get them from the Russians but directly, in person, from non-Russians who would have had access, and they were leaked, not hacked. So that is direct witness evidence.<br />Personal interjection: Given the option of trusting anonymous CIA sources who present no evidence or trusting Wikileaks people . . . well, let's see, the CIA makes black propaganda (ie lying) an industry, part of its mandate, whereas Wikileaks have never lied to this date as far as I know and their entire ethos is about releasing the truth. I think I know who I'll believe.<br />4. If they had been hacked, the NSA would have been able to track the movement of files across the internet, and would have had no reason not to say so. They haven't. Ergo the leak story is more plausible.<br /><br />I think it is not really true, then, to say we're all just guessing. We have the information from the Wikileaks' mouth. <br /><br />And I also think that when it comes to the CIA, the chance of their telling the truth to the public on any given issue is well under 50%, gets even lower when there is no hard evidence advanced, and lower still when the CIA sources are anonymous. If the CIA was alleging, without pictures via anonymous CIA sources, that the sky was blue, I would go out and check, and then maybe catch a bus and check across town, before I gave much credence to the idea. For something like this Russian thing . . . say nobody from Wikileaks had come forward. If it was just a rumour on the internet I'd give it maybe 50/50 chance of being true--it's certainly something the Russians <b>could</b> do (although Putin is too careful a man to authorize such a thing personally IMO). If it was apparently baseless allegations from Democratic politicians, that would drop substantially, to say 30% or even less. But if anonymous CIA sources were claiming it . . . maybe 10%. Those guys lie for a living. <br /><br />Even on those rare occasions the CIA find a truth useful enough to tell, it's still a sure thing that their purpose in telling it is to do us harm. It is unwise ever to be happy that the CIA is apparently on your side.Purple library guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01930984683714519212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-90638065446359135242016-12-16T13:35:31.571-08:002016-12-16T13:35:31.571-08:00Bill Moyers: Buying the War<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KzYL6e3sV0" rel="nofollow">Bill Moyers: Buying the War</a>Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-29970962340157921742016-12-16T13:08:41.969-08:002016-12-16T13:08:41.969-08:00So . . . Obama may force Trump to actually do the ...So . . . Obama may force Trump to actually do the one evil, dangerous, crazy thing he didn't seem to want to do. Hurrah?<br /><br />Just so we're clear, and in hopes that a fair portion of us are on the same page, let's note that this CIA/Democratic pressure play to re-engage the cold war is based on the usual tissue of lies:<br />http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/12/16/ah-so-putin-didnt-hack-those-emails-after-all/<br /><br />One might argue with some force that it would be well worth lying one's ass off to seriously hamper the Trump presidency. The argument that it is worth lying, needlessly making international relations more strained and violent, AND courting global thermonuclear war, to seriously hamper the Trump presidency is a bit harder in my view to sustain. I would rather they destabilized Trump with pretty much ANY other cock-and-bull story.Purple library guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01930984683714519212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-63262446935908296002016-12-16T12:31:05.602-08:002016-12-16T12:31:05.602-08:00No I don't remember that. Why don't you re...No I don't remember that. Why don't you remind me. Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12465953801145126160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-55335940877195764222016-12-16T12:27:04.013-08:002016-12-16T12:27:04.013-08:00Dana said, "It surely is a strange sign of th... Dana said, "It surely is a strange sign of the times that there are so many people more willing to believe a Russian oligarch than the government of the US."<br /><br />Who said anything about trusting a Russian oligarch? I don't trust either side in this dispute. There is a limit to how much disinformation one can be exposed to before one learns to disbelieve. Remember the buildup to the Iraq war? Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-10307824377815805842016-12-16T12:00:29.236-08:002016-12-16T12:00:29.236-08:00https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/vladimir-p...https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/vladimir-putin-wants-a-new-world-order-why-would-donald-trump-help-him/2016/12/15/ad12a046-c30d-11e6-8422-eac61c0ef74d_story.htmlDanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12465953801145126160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-82225426555377319302016-12-16T11:19:05.754-08:002016-12-16T11:19:05.754-08:00I could imagine that the US might try a "tit ... <br /><br />I could imagine that the US might try a "tit for tat" style attack, to try to hack RT or Sputnik to find direct evidence of collusion between the Russian government and those news services. That would be scandalous <i>if</i> these were western news agencies. But collusion is just what everyone would expect of the Kremlin. <br /><br />Russia just doesn't present any targets for a proportionate response. The problem for Obama is that the Russian Government is beyond shame.crfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10726414637021391906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-254146950205512016-12-16T10:30:11.860-08:002016-12-16T10:30:11.860-08:00Mound, you are generally suspicious and critical o...Mound, you are generally suspicious and critical of political motives so I'm surprised that you are so ready to believe this Cold War rhetoric from those who have a record of telling us what they want us to hear. Are they right? Are they wrong? I don't know. It just seems rather far fetched to me. <br /><br />Oh, you are probably right that Obama leaves at least one poison pill for Trump. Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-12241421902058527302016-12-16T09:46:57.254-08:002016-12-16T09:46:57.254-08:00It surely is a strange sign of the times that ther...It surely is a strange sign of the times that there are so many people more willing to believe a Russian oligarch than the government of the US. Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12465953801145126160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-66263261911991386812016-12-16T08:52:43.258-08:002016-12-16T08:52:43.258-08:00Toby, I'm not saying there isn't reason fo...Toby, I'm not saying there isn't reason for caution. Of course there is. What I'm saying is that you can't refute it either which means your dismissal is not credible.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-17380456796001937902016-12-16T08:23:22.921-08:002016-12-16T08:23:22.921-08:00I've seen this movie before. When I was a teen...I've seen this movie before. When I was a teen I heard President Eisenhower announce on the radio that he was sending the Marines into Guatemala to stop a Communist insurgency. Many years later I stumbled onto the real story. Henry Cabot Lodge and one of the Dulles Brothers were in Eisenhower's Cabinet while the other Dulles brother was head of the CIA. All three had intimate ties with the United Fruit Company. From there the trail was easy to follow. Yes, Eisenhower lied. There is no other word for it; Eisenhower lied. He overthrew a legitimate government for bananas. This is easy to look up. (Canadians beware)<br /><br />When the forces in Washington start demonizing it is time to look behind the curtains. Tobynoreply@blogger.com