37 Comments

The increasing reliance on overt censorship is a sign of weakness and not strength.

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A sign of fear, sure. "strength"? Depends on what you mean. Name one SciFi movie/book where the protagonist actually "won". He might get away, but then he leaves everyone else behind.

The Empire always remains.

(I have to exempt Star Trek from this, I think.)

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This is so apropos if one knows Third Reich history. That arrow of history points to the currents idiots afraid of information, who should read a bit of Albert Speer's memoirs. Speer details exactly how afraid Hitler became of real information after the failure of Operation Barbarossa subsequent to the Russian defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad, winter 1942-43. Subsequent events --- accompanied by the needless slaughter of millions --- are testament to a fuehrer who cannot face reality because real information is shunned in favor of the propaganda of sycophants. Today's western fuerhers are firmly entrenched on that path while the nukes languish in pre-launch and the biosphere trembles with extreme anxiety for its health. And ours.

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"...and the biosphere trembles with extreme anxiety for its health."

Here's Putin doing his part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1U3xeEBpDI

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Your sarcasm falls short and has nothing to do with Vin's point.

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Sure it does. Civilization is responsible for the destruction of the planet and Russia historically, along with ALL industrialized nations is as much responsible for the planet's health as any other nation. There have been commenters here and elsewhere portraying Putin as a savior when in fact he's just more of the same.

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Oh com'on!

This is a classic example of "whataboutism" that has little, if anything, to do with the point of this essay.

Why your sudden concern for Climate Change? The essay is about "misinformation".

Where has anyone portrayed "Putin as a savior"? Perhaps in the context of saving Russia from the Western Oligarchy, but where in this exchange has anyone come close to pushing that idea? A search of all the comments seems to indicate that you, and you alone, are the only one talking about Putin. Where is your support for a claim that Putin is denying Climate Change or does not recognize the pollution faced in that city?

You're just trying to say that if the end of the world happens, it is all Russia's fault. How simplistic.

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John, too funny. You're a hoot.

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Yes, I agree, China's and Russia's free press is a shining example of how journalism should be done.

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This corrupt culture can only maintain its bullshit self by confusion and misinformation. If we, the people, clearly saw the intimidation, lies, propaganda and of course, misinformation we would revolt. Still may happen. It's kind of needed in these horrific times...

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Watch How to Start a Revolution DVD documentary and read From Dictatorship to Democracy, the book by Dr Gene Sharp. Then read The Politics of Nonviolent Action in three volumes.

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Never. Revolt against whom? That's the crux of it and why there will never be a successful revolution. It would be coopted from the get-go.

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The revolt will be to remove corporate control of our culture and the political enables. The reality of Life Now must be the new paradigm. They cannot coop truth, though they will certainly deny its existence. Life, which happens only now and includes us and all that is, cannot be coopted.

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But it has been coopted. By civilization. It's a cage and we're zoo animals.

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I wish Julian all the best... being de facto in prison for over 10 years a prisoner of war as I wrote on my substack long time ago.

Wikileaks has set the standard and Julian will forever go into my history books as a martyr and a hero...

But we must not stand still.

To honor him we must continue the work we are doing and free this world from those demons who possess us (they think).

Here is some information about the next challenge the so called Digital ID.

The so called "Digital ID" is in fact the same Identical technology used in the concentration camps of Auschwitz Birkenau.

It is Identical to the Identification based Database of Hermann Hollerith of IBM.

The Auschwitz Tattoo is the identical same as this QR code which will be replaced by a computer implant called "Neural Link" on that another Nazi...Elon Musk... already works on.

To fight that I wrote a declaration for Individual rights.

We the people have the power.

We the people must take this power back.

https://fritzfreud.substack.com/p/individual-rights-the-authority-of?s=w

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Had to stop reading once you cited Fair.

These folks once I heard them spouting lies once. Never listen again.

Forgot were they liaring about scamdemic or UKraine, same result to me, they destroyed their own credibility

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Every outlet sometimes lies. The trick is to filter what's real and what isn't. FAIR isn't all that bad. I still find substance there.

OTOH, I've taken your perspective on Democracy Now. perhaps I'll have to give them a break. I dunno.

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Amy badwiman lost me after wtc7 and she didn't follow that predisCog. Nothing but ifficial narrative from her screechy liar voice.

Turn off Amy crybabie liar whore

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Lots of people don't understand WTC7 and what it means.

Precisely the point Caitlin is making here.

The question to be answered is how do we overcome the lies from the Oligarchy. Especially when so many refuse to believe that the Oligarchy is the evil threat to humanity it is. I mean there is so much to overcome here.

Amy has exhibited amazing bravery. Yes, not so much now. Yet, it may be that she feels it important to provide the information she can within the boundaries outlined for her by the Oligarchy. Perhaps it is up to us to look beyond.

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The ironic thing is, there is no need for the censorship. What America has been doing up to this point, or the West more generally, has been quite effective. Flood the information space with so much noise and distraction, no one can think straight. I'm not sure why they're deviating from this strategy. It's been working like a charm.

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Whatever pressure can be placed upon Patel to not extradite Assange must be used by those who have the capacity to do so.

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Just going by the facts: US has 800 foreign bases" China,1: US has attacked numerous countries, for no good reason and the list is too long for casual comment but includes, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and even tiny Grenada -"because they killed some Americans". Right. China has attacked no one, and Russia's checks on Chechnya and Ukraine - countries right on their borders unlike those the US finds "dangerous" - were for good cause, existential necessity. States are not necessarily evil, and in fact life would be intolerable without them. And if you think there is a parallel in evil among all these countries, you should perhaps check your water supply.

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These people are giving the game away. It isn't subtle anymore, not that Joe McCarthy was exactly subtle. But there was a kind of romance about that era and people really believed there were actual good guys and bad guys countries, when it is the shadow hand playing all the cards, and what you see is just an illusion. Except for Russia and China, who still haves souls and must be attacked because of it.

Mostly, that's done, and only the really dumb believe, for instance, that Russia controls the government, elected Trump and is going to force them to eat grass, like the French before the revolution.

The stupidity hits you in the face: Disinformation Governance Board? Who thunk that up? A Guv'na who makes up disinformation? As entertainment? What?

Why don't they style it The Great Thought Sausage Factory?

I think they've overplayed their hand.

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"Except for Russia and China, who still haves souls and must be attacked because of it."

Too funny. Alrighty then. Exceptionalism alive and well. It doesn't go away — it just puts on a different outfit. Like a prairie dog, you stamp out American exceptionalism and up pops Chinese and Russian exceptionalism.

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And they have been doing that at least since WWII... well actually WWI and way before that, but after 1945 they even showed, that they really do not care about what the Nazis did. Research Adolf Eichmann, and his connections to Hans Globke. The CIA protected Globke and the Aufklärung Fremde Heere Ost because they had already set their sights on the USSR/Russia.

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Free Assange! Lock up the lying oligarchs, shut down the corrupt governments. Open the doors to a free and diverse press. Keep fighting!

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The fascists are in fear of losing their fans should "inconvenient" truths be known by the masses. It's sad because most folks are just working to stay afloat in a capitalist system that sucks them dry. One must have the time, and inclination, to go fact finding about why things suck so much; like trying to feed their babies, for example. So they end up getting the *vaccine*, or hating Russians because the TV says so. And Assange will very likely go to rot in an US prison with taxpayers fitting the bill. The "upside down" is here.

The end of Empire is near too, and so the screws of fascist, authoritarianism, gets tighter, and lives hang in the balance of assholes & imbeciles.(neocons, politicians, etc.) Peace

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Brilliant Synopsis - just Brilliant. Families with both parents working 2 jobs just to break even do NOT have time/energy for Civic Action & Grassroots movements = ensuring the Ruling Class stranglehold on us all continues. Corporate News Media rebranding the Class War we are all under as a "culture war" also ensures status quo with nothing changing. SWJW.

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Veracity is inversely proportional to screen size, volume, eye makeup and exposed flesh of the talking heads. If it LOOKS or sounds like The Bearded Man in "They Live" or Seymour Hirsh arguing with Hunter Thompson, with drunk Marines slinking-off in horror... well, it might STILL be good to check it out, as if it were Ukranian Instagram whore hiding actual tattoos of Hitler?

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Exactly!

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However welcome the Wikileaks disclosures may be, collection and dissemination of classified documents is an act of civil disobedience, when accomplished by citizen or subject of the government that has formally classified those documents as state secrets.

Assange arguably performed a great service to the cause of truth and transparency in government. In the process, a law was allegedly violated; the espionage act. The act is necessary, and it is also routinely employed in avoidance and corruption of other laws and constitutional safeguards.

To this affair, it seems to me that Jefferson's famous quotation "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" may obtain.

Assange's freedom is, or should be, a matter of law. In a largely metaphorical sense, his days are his life's blood; imprisonment is unversally linked to a shortening of the days of thelife of they who are imprisoned.

But what of his legacy? Should he be compelled by his actions to pay their price under law, shall he be remembered with fondness as was Thoreau, or vilified as another Arnold?

The information that was released held, in part, a record of corruption and malfeasance. In that regard, Assange became an essential corrective. For that, he is owed a debt of gratitude.

What is at stake is a matter of principle, to whit; what reward shall accompany such gratitude when immunity so conferred strikes so deeply within the heart of the rule of law?

There is a very good reason why heroism correlates so often with tragedy. The balance is struck when the burden of tragedy is borne upon the shoulders of the hero. It is the very definition of heroism, sacrifice by the few for the good of the many.

We may ponder or even predict the verdict of law. The verdict of history shall rely on the good that was done thereby. He will thus be judged on the basis of his courage; we citizens can only bear witness.

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Wikileaks didn't collect any information. They are a publisher. When given accurate information from a reliable source, it is their duty to publish it, however inconvenient it may be to the powers that be.

Your argument means that The New York Times should be charged with a crime for publishing the Pentagon Papers, and the Washington Post should be charged with a crime for publishing Watergate. Daniel Ellsberg should be considered a criminal, not a hero.

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I'm sure we've all seen independent voices on YT or other outlets switch teams (or perhaps reveal their true allegiance) and begin providing cover for corporate rule, wealth extraction and global empire. And just occasionally, controlled opposition resists and starts moving toward actual opposition. It is a true information battlefield, and the 'fog of war' resists our attempts to tell who's winning. But the increasingly desperate tactics by the oligarchs and their servants tell us they themselves think they're losing. Truth, they have found, is quite pernicious and can't easily be stamped out.

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