Stick with this — step over the cheap shots at Trump and predictable hits on conservatives — Bill Maher is doing a cracker job on a soft left audience. He’s packaged up a dose of medicine about how important free speech is. His is a rare voice on the left pointing out the hypocrisy and stupidity of censorship.
“Keeping you safe and sorting out the lies is your job” (not Twitters)
We always focus on the producers and never the consumers, as if we’re all helpless dumb blondes ready to believe everything…
People lie, that’s what people do. Every age is the misinformation age, and whenever a new means of communication comes along some reach for the censor button. In 1858 the New York Times thought we couldn’t handle the Transatlantic Telegraph. “It was superficial and too fast for the Truth”…
He also tosses a cold bucket or two on the lefty willingness to believe the Covid stats, and effectively calls all the censors “assholes”.
In America you have the right to say what you think, to be wrong, and to be an asshole.
And if you think you know everything and no one else could possibly have another truth you should be glad of that protection — because you’re an asshole.
There are things to learn here.
I know people who have had to work with Maher.
There are very few bigger @$$#0|ε$ than Maher.
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And your comment on the video?
I found it insightful and humorous.
Cheers
Dave B
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Accordingly, Maher lies, that’s what he does with his statement.
Yes people lie, but not always.
What people do is not inevitably and inclusively a lie, nor necessarily every falsehood or inaccurate statement.
Perhaps Maher is a misanthrope who cannot permit himself even provisionally to trust anything another human says.
Is it really better blindly to trust Google, particularly when this really means picking from Google’s “truth” offerings those which best match your expectations?
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Although it appears that even a stopped clock gets it right on occasion.
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But its still useless and you have to replace it with one that shows correct time all the time.If you want the truth.
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Bill Maher is an extremely rare case of an honest Leftist or one who is not a member of the slave army of useful/useless idiots of the Left.
I wish all Leftists were as honest and intelligent and had the world awareness he has.
He would make a good conservative if he ever “sees the light”.
I can’t comment on what it’s like working with him as John pointed out in #1, just what I see publicly.
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“I wish all Leftists were as honest and intelligent “
Good luck with that, it is totally against their nature !!
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The American Democrat Left Today – Thick as Bricks
Protester says US Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who gave birth five times, doesn’t understand pregnancy
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Pope Innocent VIII was not a good Pope but that he insisted that the world was flat is one of the best examples of a lie being told often enough and for long enough to become the truth. Catholic schools taught that the Earth was an orb for over 7 centuries before him.
Real historians have rolled their eyes at the mention of the flat-earth myth for nearly 200 years, but it’s still commonly believed.
About 10 years ago, every article in the media had a reference to sceptics being like people tried to convince Columbus that the world was flat. Not one was actually well educated enough to know to at least check before spurting out gibberish.
And these people will be arbiters of the truth.
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It was Aristarchus of Samos c. 310 – c. 230 BC that developed the first heliocentric model of the solar system with a spherical earth spinning on its axis. All that was not certain was the size of the earth.
Eratosthenes made the first estimate of size by the correct technique but with sources of error so got it wrong.
Posidonius of Rhodes (c. 135–51 BCE) got the first reasonable estimate within 28%.
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Thanks David,
Do you have a reference for Posidoniius measurements?
Britannia says all of his writings have been lost!
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Bill Maher once had a show called Politically Incorrect but it got cancelled. From Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politically_Incorrect?wprov=sfla1
And unlike many Leftists he doesn’t sympathise with or condone terrorists.
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Misinformation is in the ear of the beholder.
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No limits on free speech, all very noble.
Is there anywhere where this is practiced?
/the right to yell fire in a movie theatre comes to mind
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Well, we practise free speech around the kitchen table. Since eavesdropping by the State is not quite there.
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PF shows he has zero understanding of “free speech”, or “personal responsibility”.
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ie , PF is a typical leftist.
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Keep stretching that argument, it has worked up to now…
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So there is nowhere were free speech is not limited?
011
Again.. zero comprehension of what free speech actually is.
Dig deeper, PF !
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Mr. nice: As usual, Mr. Fitzroy invites us to an argument where ignorance wins, and he has the advantage.
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There are places where absolutely anything can be said without consequences Peter.
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Peter Fitzroy. You are defending free speech without even knowing it….
The actual phrase used in the US Supreme Court decision in 1919 was “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic….”
In reality, if the thing being expressed is true, it is protected.
Do you ever get anything right? Like, EVER?
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I’m point out the hypocrisy in promoting free speech when it censored in every society and in every time
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No, you are not pointing out anything except that you have zero comprehension of the concept of free speech.
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There is censorship for the common good, that errs on the side of not restricting what ideas one can express.
You can yell fire in a theatre. If there is a fire, you made an honest mistake or nothing came of it except some people were grumpy, there are no consequences (Maybe being barred for not keeping quiet during a performance). The Left think saying nothing intelligent but making noises to harass is freedom of speech but opining that the US elections must have been rigged is strictly forbidden. Its all a sad joke.
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so now we are debating the line between free speech and censorship.
Face it, there is always censorship, and the decisions on what is censored are ideological
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Fact is, you are clueless about what free speech is.
And will always be clueless.
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Again, you miss the point on how to determine the line so that censorship is not used to push some ideology. Just annoying screaming by leftwing protestors, offensive art and porn get protected by free speech laws, but evidence that thermogeddon is not happen happening needs to be censored so that thermogeddon doesn’t happen. Debate on government policy that could destroy civilisation is not allowed because it will kill polar bears. Idiocy is winning.
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So, come on Peter – which ideology thinks yelling “fire” in a theatre (when there isn’t one) is wrong and which ideology thinks it’s ok?
Or are you just trying to sound clever?
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‘ … the US elections must have been rigged …’
The US election wasn’t rigged, but I have no objection to you sprouting nonsense. More fool you.
06
Mr. gordo: “The U.S. election wasn’t rigged….” Which one? The 2016 one that WH spokesperson says was rigged? OR the 2018 GA election Stacy Abrams never conceded, which the WH spokesperson says was rigged? OR maybe the ’20 presidential election, which we can agree was not rigged in, say, 45 out of 50 states? You say it so very definitely, one might get the idea you have looked into it. What does your investigation show regarding the xtra five days of counting in Detroit, Philly, etc.? What did you find when you looked?
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‘What did you find when you looked?’
Nought.
03
What if there is a fire, I would hope someone yells it.
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Free speech used to be practiced in western countries prior to the woke era and the subsequent censorship and cancel culture. Unfortunately, “free” speech now has a price, courtesy of wokeism, but fortunately along came Elon Musk !!!
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He’s another slow learner. We’re just being sanguine. Oh well, he might open the eyes of some of the brighter morons that watch his show.
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Slightly OT.. But you know how the US and cronies said they would undermine Russian currency 😉
https://realclimatescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Image-3983-down.png
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“… pointing out the hypocrisy and stupidity of censorship.”
As those who have been arguing with climate cultists for decades will know, rationality, logic and objective debate are utterly futile tools when employed against an emotional state of belief.
The Left does not reach its positions based on these intellectual qualities which are increasingly being identified as “the tools of white supremacy”.
You simply can’t reason people away from a position not reached by reason.
Maher will, like all “white supremacists” who insist on using the intellectual tools of Western civilization, eventually be chased out of Leftidom for his treason.
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This is rubbish. Of course people need to be intelligent enough and astute enough to inform themselves but, to do so, the means to find out both sides of a debate has to exist. The whole point of left wing driven censorship is to only allow people to find out one side of the story, to pretend there is no alternative viewpoint. Eliminate censorship and he is right but if you do that his entire talk would be irrelevant.
How are people supposed to find out the “truth” about Ivermectin or Hunter Biden’s laptop in the face of such censorship. Do you expect people to spend their lives doing research in a desperate attempt to overcome media bias.
To suggest that intelligent people are immune to gross traditional media and social media bias is simply wrong. Humans are social animals and that means they accept input from fellow humans. Censorship seeks to ensure that the only input available is from one side of the argument. Maher is simply trying to say, “sure we use censorship but its your fault that its effective, dont blame us”. “We do things we know are effective to stifle debate and bias community thinking but you have no right to blame us for that its your fault for falling for it”. If you think that way then repeal laws for misleading advertising and all similar laws.
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“The whole point of left wing driven censorship is to only allow people to find out one side of the story, to pretend there is no alternative viewpoint. Eliminate censorship and he is right but if you do that his entire talk would be irrelevant.”
Here’s little bit of information you might not like.
The right wing in America has spent the past 18 months waging an increasingly vocal war on education, banning books and restricting the discussions teachers can have in classrooms, usually when it comes to issues like racism or sexuality.
However, progressives have won a series of victories in some states, suggesting a backlash against education censorship could be on the way.
“So far in 2022 the left has forced Republicans in Indiana to abandon legislation that would have placed severe restrictions on what teachers can say in classrooms, while in New Hampshire liberal candidates won sweeping victories against conservative “anti-critical race theory” candidates in school board elections.
The progressive wins are a development that looked unlikely as the right wing, often through organizations with connections to wealthy Republican donors, has introduced bill after bill in states across the country. The campaign has successfully banned books, predominantly pertaining to issues of race or sexuality, from school districts, while some states have already banned discussion of the modern-day impact of historical racism in the US.”
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/mar/22/educators-resisting-rightwing-book-banning
It will be interesting to see if there is any response to this link. On previous occasions I have been reviled for linking to the Guardian as it is a “left wing rag”. Obviously it would be somewhat hypocritical if commenters here do not want to hear two sides of an argument in a thread that is focussing on censorship
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“banning books and restricting the discussions teachers can have in classrooms, usually when it comes to issues like racism or sexuality.”
“predominantly pertaining to issues of race or sexuality”
You really are outing yourself today, Ian, for what you really are. !
Do you really think kindy and primary or even secondary students should be being subjected to this disgusting woke, anti-human, immoral BS?
Next you will be complaining that they won’t allow pornography to be shown to kindergarten children.. that is essentially what the stuff being banned is.
What is being taken out is the irksome, disgusting, child-grooming and ultra-racist garbage that the far-left have tried to bring in.
And you say it should remain.. WOW. !
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“And you say it should remain.. WOW. !”
Sometimes I wonder about you as you seem incapable of understanding what you read. Where in my comment did I say anything should either remain or be removed? Where did I make any comment on whether or not i agreed with the article? Use your eyes and see if you can find any personal opinion. Although it maybe you are too biased to read and understand anything you don’t agree with.
The whole thrust of this thread is censorship. Virtually all of the comments were focussed.on Left wing censorship. To introduce a little balance I linked to an article that was discussing rightwing censorship in banning books dealing with racism and sexuality. I also included the sentences where it was shown that the censorship had ceased. I chose this article as it was the first one I came to that discussed rightwing censorship and for no other reason.
According to you “What is being taken out is the irksome, disgusting, child-grooming and ultra-racist garbage that the far-left have tried to bring in.”
What evidence do you have for that statement? There is none in the article or in my comment. There is evidence however that as the censoring has stopped in some states others agree with the concept of free speech.
You b.nice do not have the first idea of what free speech is all about.
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Lol.. keep outing yourself Ian.
Really thinking that the leftist tripe pedaled to schools is anything to do with “freedom of speech” or “censorship”.
Back-pedalling won’t help you..
You made a huge deal of this sort of totally inappropriate being banned etc.. why bother even bringing it up on a “freedom of speech” discussion.
Its nothing to do with “freedom of speech”.. its about totally irksome and inappropriate content for school situation.
Or you are totally unaware of the difference.
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“you seem incapable of understanding what you read”
you wrote…”The right wing in America has spent the past 18 months waging an increasingly vocal war on education, banning books and restricting the discussions teachers can have in classrooms, usually when it comes to issues like racism or sexuality.”
Seems you are yet again, forgetting what you wrote. !
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“vocal war on education”
The junk that the right are trying to ban, could never be called “education”.
It is child-grooming and racist indoctrination.
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Banning racist trash and child-bending trash from high school is not censorship.
You can go and read any of those books any time you like, and probably do, as guidance.
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Ian; I cant comment on your specific examples because I have not researched them. Yes the Guardian in my view is a thoroughly untrustworthy source which frequently engages in half truths or entirely disinformation however I doubt you would agree. HOWEVER, you have totally misunderstood my comment. Mahler is in effect saying the source of the information carries little if any responsibility for what they publish because it is up to the consumer of their product to filter and assess the output. In short Caveat Emptor. If you believe that then laws against libel and slander should be revoked. Winding back speedos in second hand cars should be completely OK. Not disclosing important information about a property being offered for sale, or representing a painting as an original when it is infact a forgery should be no issue at all. Really? how far would you go. Lets not forget people have many priorities in their lives and identifying and sorting through reported mistruths is a very time consuming task.
So what does one do when one finds what is reported is inaccurate or downright wrong. What do you do when someone lies to you. Dont know about you but I cease to trust them and discount what they say. So the outcome of Mahlers logic is we cease trusting the traditional media, we cease trusting the social media, we cease trusting politicians. Oh, wait a minute, that’s what is happening right now isn’t it. No doubt a far better outcome by your standards but consider, how does one govern when no one believes anything that is said? Personally, I believe sources of information have a responsibility to ensure their product is as balanced and fair as possible.
Further to your specific points, I dont know if your examples are correct or disinformation but even if they is, the fact that both sides do it does not make it OK. To counter your examples, what about the source of covid, effectiveness or otherwise of Ivermectin, safety or otherwise of mRNA vaccines, Hunter Biden’s laptop, was there fraud in the 2020 US election, is global warming really an issue, what are the down sides to net zero, were the floods in NSW a result of AGW or just a natural event. Everyone of the above has been the subject of coverup, widespread misinformation and actions to supress one side of the debate.
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HOWEVER, you have totally misunderstood my comment. Mahler is in effect saying the source of the information carries little if any responsibility for what they publish because it is up to the consumer of their product to filter and assess the output.
Yes, I think you are right. have totally misunderstood your comment. I will go and re-read
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Describing it as a war when more than half the population does not want it taught in schools is a full on lie that could incite some idiot to burn a church.
Turn yourself in, Ian.
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“Describing it as a war when more than half the population does not want it taught in schools is a full on lie that could incite some idiot to burn a church.
Turn yourself in, Ian.”
Don’t address your comment to me R.B. write to the journalist that wrote it.
As for the “full on lie”you could perhaps look at this
4 out of 5 parents support teaching gender and sexuality diversity in Australian schools. Debates about how schools acknowledge gender and sexuality diversity have been ongoing in Australia. It’s often claimed parents oppose the inclusion of gender and sexuality diversity content in the teaching of their children. But our research shows four out of five parents support such content being included in the relationships and sexual health curriculum.
https://theconversation.com/4-out-of-5-parents-support-teaching-gender-and-sexuality-diversity-in-australian-schools-176787
15
Why?
Do you and GeeEye constantly link to the conversation website?
Yet they will NOT allow comments against their beliefs?
Consensus maybe, but not science?
Is there remuneration of some sort every time you and GeeEye link that site?
You and GeeEye constantly complain about dodgy lame sites, yet constantly link to this one?
Money?
Trolling?
Blindness?
Maybe just ensconced in a plush Uni Position with 100% more Super than the average Ausssie.
With rewards eh Ian?
30
I assume you know that I link to the article not the comments. Do you need to have comments?
00
“”Paid advertisements via social media (Facebook and Instagram) were used to conduct targeted diversity sampling advertising in order to recruit a sample of Australian parents. “
“Our final sample (N = 2093) was obtained through an opt-in mechanism,”
You have to be joking !!
So they put paid advertisements on far-left media. and then choose who they would interview.
And you really think they will have anything but a totally woke, morally degenerate sample ?
Even for you, that is a new low. !
30
It’s not in quotation marks. You are promoting the lie that it’s a war rather than criticising it. Deliberately calling a difference of policy a war is being malicious and under your standards, you need to be barred from expressing an opinion.
Then you defend your deplorable comments with a deliberately misleading poll.
El-Gordo, why do you believe that the massive increase in votes was due to people no longer being disenfranchised from voting rather fraud? The Left are too honest?
10
There’s a possible up side to a Government Disinformation Board.
Anything they comment on is something they are sensitive about.
A guide book for the theme park.
If they say false, it’s likely true, and versa vice.
If they talk about something, look in the other direction.
Like a Fauci.
Simplifies things.
160
Looks like I woke up this morning right in the zeitgeist. Thinking about the oft heard phrase, ‘control the language, control the mind,’ and realising I’m not hearing it. We are talking ACTUAL MIND CONTROL! If you can be made to not understand what a woman is, or that maths isn’t real, or Climate Change is not just a slogan, they have your mind under their control. And the crazier the language is the better. It’s related to the propaganda technique of throwing up a bewildering array to explanations, and the mind just gives up on there being ANY truth. So it is useless trying to debate on the level of the language, we have to attack by pointing out this is all a technique of mind control. LOUDLY! Any mention of genders, privileges, revised history, quit arguing on that level, just hammer ‘mind control technique, mind control technique, mind control technique, control the language, control the mind, control the language, control the mind.’
And why aren’t the libs attacking on the gender mind controlling? Women are being screwed over, some of them might get it. I liked Tom MacDonald’s line – basically women have fought for their rights and now they have to do it all over again, for men.
A new term has popped up — mindkcuffed. Makes sense.
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There’s a saying that people go mad in droves but recover their sanity one at a time.
The outcome of the November mid-term elections will be a big test for the USA. If the dems go for a big steal in order to hang on to power then all hell will break loose. If the dems don’t go for a big steal in order to hang on to power then all hell will break loose.
And none of the deep state are going to change their ways in the slightest. Lust for power and enjoying the benefits of corruption does that to people.
140
Nothing will happen either way. The 2020 election was the rehearsal where they tested the people’s resolve: 1) People chose not to see, and 2) people chose to believe the explanations rationalizing it. It’s downhill from there…
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Predictions are tricky things especially about the future. I’ll try to remember to check in with you in December to see how our predictions fared.
50
I fear you might be right. And it’s genuine fear – that’s how bloody revolutions happen. Unfortunately the ones driving the 2 points I made above are the ones leading society towards something ugly. If those in leadership positions did their job and didn’t exploit situations for their own gain (never let a crisis go to waste, etc.), we would not be in danger…there are green shoots here and there in the US where people in some states seem to be trying to close the loopholes, but there’s enough parties who actually currently benefit from the shenanigans and chose not to see or do anything, and those who benefited in “20 and think the end justifies the means without realizing you cannot put a cork back in a champagne bottle.
50
I’m starting to say I’m looking forward to going over the cliff. Probably the only thing that will slow us down, is the left’s incompetence.
Just a question. Does the Australian Electoral Commission have an HR department? Any organisation that has one, you know where they are at.
With the approach of Bill Gates’ WHO, and Truth commissions, I do see in the dying rays of the setting sun, that the evening star is out, shining bright. Maybe we should stick with the ‘Evening Star’ nomenclature!?
I think Peta Credlin might make a fine PM.
30
With Jo Chief of Staff!
40
Just going to slide this in here as it is the “Last Post” before the rally tomorrow.
Freedom rally tomorrow Saturday, it has been rebadged as “Sack Them All”.
https://newsblaze.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/sack-them-all.jpg
The flier above has 12.00 as the starting time but as always it is different in every city so check the for your city times on the listed cities.
https://newsblaze.com.au/politics/regain-freedom-put-the-majors-last_1317
50
Just be careful that any independents you give a preference to are not part of the “climate 200” cartel.
They are probably one step worse than even Lab/Green.
50
I have little choice here in Kennedy, just do the opposite.
https://voteclimateone.org.au/electoral-division/kennedy/#sn
00
Useful link 🙂 Vote green last
00
To understand how we are being manipulated, if we are unwary and do not bother to check facts, please read the excellent book written by journalist Paul Sheehan;
The Electronic Whorehouse.
42
For another perspective on USA politics, see the latest Musings From Chiefio. IMHO, most of the basics he highlights apply globally.
Are Western Democratic Republics Recoverable?
Posted on 11 May 2022 by E.M.Smith
Just click Cheifio on Jo’s sidebar Links.
50
The article ends with these questions “So is there a cure for this global corruption that can get us back to a nation of, by, and for The People? Or do we just Go Galt and await the inevitable collapse as the parasites kill the host?”
It’s pretty obvious what the answers are given the type of leader in the US. Of course that could change after the next US elections but by that time things might have gone too far (if not already). THe previous article on Musings from the Chiefio is worth reading too as it exposes some of the truths about the Ukrainian situation. He concludes “Western Ukraine, the EU, and Biden / DNC have cooked this into a Blood Feud between Ethnic Russians (in or out of the former Ukraine) and the Poles, Slovaks, Rusyns, and Ethnic Ukrainians of former Western Ukraine.” In other words, the US is dead set on using Ukraine to goad Russia into doing something terrible so the US can use that excuse to smash Russia. So, as for Western Democratic Republics, they are are dead or dying. It’s no longer even a secret. The video below spells it out very clearly with no compunction. The bottom line is the West wants to bring down Russia to make it easier to establish a NWO following China as the model. Trudeau would have no problem with that as we know from his glowing commentary of the CCP. Whether they succeed or not only time will tell.
Globalists have spelled out their plan to use the Ukraine conflict to impose one-world government
00
‘ … the entire UN Structure designed to promote Socialism & Communism ….’
That is rubbish, they are only promoting socialism.
01
Years ago when the ABC was pro free speech, I called the talk back show, the topic being free speech, and mentioned people wouldn’t cope with true free speech because of their intolerance for varying opinions.
Before FB and Twitter, blogs, you couldn’t actually voice your free speech apart from a letter to the editor, perhaps talk back radio, all edited.But when they came along people got the ability to enact their free speech rather than it just being a theory, and censorship followed.
41
Most of what comes out of the Left’s mouths was summed up millennia ago in Isaiah, Chapter 5. The reality of every thing they say is the opposite. Indeed, that is a character of evil in general.
20 Woe to those who say of the evil that it is good and of the good that it is evil; who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet and sweet as bitter.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and in their own estimation, of profound understanding.
30
In Australia our forthcoming Federal election is going to be influenced by Leftist media censorship such as censorship concerning such issues as the anthropogenic global warming fraud, massive government debt, gross mismanagement of covid and numerous lives lost because Klaus Schwab student Greg Hunt banned safe antivirals and didn’t even get his goons to promote vitamin D supplementation in the deficient.
70
Yep, never forget what’s been done and who did it.
Pay back time!
30
You can’t trust the Man who wears this Star – Neither can your Car
00
As a conservative, I’m freely admitting I watch Jimmy Dore and Russell Brand videos on YT while I’m eating breakfast. They too have seen the BS spewing from the totalitarian left. Maher is still a hard watch. His creepy, smugness is very off putting.
50
Ministry of Truth: War in the Ukraine keeps the Peace for NATO, Free Speech is Slavery for the Woke and Ignorance is Strength for Big Pharma.
20
Why don’t we call this epoch the Mendacium?
10