February 17, 2018

"For the past year, Donald Trump has repeatedly denied the existence of a profound national security threat..."

... write the editors of the NYT in "Stop Letting the Russians Get Away With It, Mr. Trump." They're pointing at the new indictment as if it makes it obvious that the Russians already did something that amounts to a profound national security threat. But it's far from obvious. In fact, I can't see it at all.
On Friday, Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 election, filed criminal charges of fraud and identity theft against 13 Russian citizens and three Russian organizations, all alleged to have operated a sophisticated influence campaign intended to “sow discord in the U.S. political system.”
So... they engaged in speech and they meant to "sow discord." I can't see that as a profound national security threat. If we were to adopt that view and act upon it, there would be a profound threat to freedom of speech.
["Specialists" at the Internet Research Agency] posed as Americans and created false identities to set up social media pages and groups aimed at attracting American audiences. 
Another day on the internet — people pretended to be what they are not. If you're going to assume that readers of the internet are so naive as to take the crap that pops up on line at face value, you're making the argument that we can't even have a democracy at all. People are too stupid to vote. But we're on the alert — even when we read the New York Times — that somebody's always trying to con us.
The broad outlines of this interference have been known publicly for a while, but the sheer scope of the deception detailed in Friday’s indictments is breathtaking.
Eh. I'm still breathing.
By the spring of 2016, the operation had zeroed in on supporting Mr. Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton. 
Because it was more chaos-y. So what?
The Internet Research Agency alone had a staff of 80 and a monthly budget of $1.25 million. On the advice of a real, unnamed grass-roots activist from Texas, it had focused its efforts on swing states like Colorado, Virginia and Florida.

Staffers bought ads with messages like “Hillary is a Satan,” “Ohio Wants Hillary 4 Prison” and “Vote Republican, Vote Trump, and support the Second Amendment!”
So these geniuses produced more of the same junk that you see all the time on the internet. It was like having 80 more deplorables chattering. How can that be "a profound national security threat"?!
They created hundreds of social media accounts on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other sites to confuse and anger people about sensitive issues like immigration, religion and the Black Lives Matter movement — in some cases gaining hundreds of thousands of followers.
Hundreds! Thousands! Who the hell cares? Is this column written for readers who have never spent any time on the internet? This editorial is doing the very thing it decries, trying to "confuse and anger people about sensitive issues."
They staged rallies while pretending to be American grass-roots organizations.
Another day at a protest. So what? We have our rallies in America, and if you go to one, as a competent citizen, you should wonder, who are these people really? If you went to a Vietnam War rally back in the day, and it turned out it was staged by communists and not loyal Americans, you'd be an anti-free-speech villain if you wanted those identity-hiding communists arrested for threatening national security.
A poster at one “pro-Clinton” rally in July 2016 read “Support Hillary. Save American Muslims,” along with a fabricated quote attributed to Mrs. Clinton: “I think Sharia Law will be a powerful new direction of freedom.”
Sneaky, yes, but profound threat to national security? It's just a stupid lie, and if people aren't smart enough to figure that out, then how can we be trusted with the vote?
As the election drew nearer, they tried to suppress minority turnout and promoted false allegations of Democratic voter fraud. The specialist running one of the organization’s Facebook accounts, called “Secured Borders,” was criticized for not publishing enough posts and was told that “it is imperative to intensify criticizing Hillary Clinton.”
What's the point here? That in the future these people might actually accomplish their nefarious plan to publish more posts?? That's the profound threat to national security?
After the election, they continued to spread confusion and chaos, staging rallies both for and against Mr. Trump, in one case on the same day and in the same city.
This column is continuing to spread confusion and chaos, but I nevertheless persist in keeping my wits about me. I'm not buying it. Just as I don't believe that Hillary Clinton said "Sharia Law will be a powerful new direction of freedom," I don't believe these piddling social media posts and real-world rallies are a profound thread to national security.
All along, they took steps to cover their tracks by stealing the identities of real Americans, opening accounts on American-based servers and lying about what their money was being used for... [A] specialist named Irina Kaverzina emailed a family member: “We had a slight crisis here at work: the FBI busted our activity (not a joke). So, I got preoccupied with covering tracks together with the colleagues.” Ms. Kaverzina continued, “I created all these pictures and posts, and the Americans believed that it was written by their people.”

Fake news, indeed.
Yes, fake news, indeed. "For the past year, Donald Trump has repeatedly denied the existence of a profound national security threat" and based on the indictment — as laid out in this editorial meant to show how wrong he was — I'd say he was right. And I'm disturbed at how stupid the NYT editors seem to think its readers are. It's almost forgivable that they think people could be so easily confused by some Russian rallies and social media posts. Forgivable, but still deserving of the Trump taunt: fake news.

233 comments:

1 – 200 of 233   Newer›   Newest»
Tank said...

Eh. I'm still breathing.

LOL.

Great line.

Connie said...

I can't wait for the Obama indictment: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/07/12/ngo-connected-to-obamas-2008-campaign-used-u-s-tax-dollars-trying-to-oust-netanyahu/?utm_term=.d2d92768b230

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Wait, I thought Trump was colluding or something. Now he's failing to engage enough?

Triangle Man said...

On the Internet, no one knows you are a dog.

I’m looking forward to a Facebook feature that categorized the asinine and inane political posts that get shared by their national intelligence service of origin. “fake Russian propaganda” or “fake ChiComm propaganda”. Who else is in play?


I’ll say that there is far greater irony in the flag draped Jesus memes of the Ruskies than anything I’ve seen from the Commies.

Ralph L said...

And who was President when all this skullduggery was occurring? The one who poo-pooed Mitt's fears?

corsair the rational pirate said...

Yeah, but read the WaPo and Fark and places like that and this is the nextr Pentagon Papers or Nixon recordings. They are all waiting with baited breath for the next shoe to drop (perp walking Trump and Pence out of the Whitehouse to some waiting FBI van). They . are saying prosecutions and jail time for the indicted. I don't think they even read that these people are Russians and that there is no chance that they will ever get arrested.

The left has been waiting so long for anything, they are taking these crumbs and running with them. What will they say in a year when nothing has still not happened? "Aaaaany minute now Hillary will be President!"

David Begley said...

A profound national security threat?

As outlined in Ann’s post, Boris and Natasha were the ones who did the work that resulted in Hillary’s loss.

I think Bullwinkle now writes for the NYT.

Anonymous said...

And I'm disturbed at how stupid the NYT editors seem to think its readers are.

If they're judging their readers' intelligence by the subset of readers that show up in the comments, their assessment is reasonable.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Facebook trolls are the A-bombs of the 21st century. The greatest threat to peace.

Freeman Hunt said...

What if they start selling bumper stickers here? What then?!

mezzrow said...

I'm disturbed at how stupid the NYT editors seem to think its readers are.

But if the readers don't already agree with the editorial view, why would the readers deserve that kind of respect. Disagreement is what the Timesmen use as an indicator of stupidity.

Only stupid deplorables don't hate Trump like they do.

curt replies said...

You said, "This editorial is doing the very thing it decries, trying to 'confuse and anger people about sensitive issues.'"

I thought nearly that very thing before I ever got to this line. (I suspect you did too, and just waited to say it.)

They seem to be PO'd that someone has been hard at work counteracting (to their telling, more effectively) all the effort they'd put in for Hillary.

cacimbo said...

Well a nice chunk of NYTimes stock is owned by a Mexican billionaire. Perhaps this article is just collusion with Mexico to influence US elections.

Freeman Hunt said...

Who knows how far this might go? There could be a "Hillary is a Satan!" t-shirt floating around somewhere, corrupting our citizens and defrauding the United States.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Why are paid trolls a bigger threat than the unpaid trolls we see every day? I mean, we have a large number of them right here in our comments section.

Anonymous said...

Cacimbo Cacimbo: Well a nice chunk of NYTimes stock is owned by a Mexican billionaire. Perhaps this article is just collusion with Mexico to influence US elections.

That's the joke the humor- and irony-impaired true-believin' NYT readers will never get.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

ARM is a Russian troll. It explains everything.

the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...

Times sows discord: discordant sow lipstick.

-6W

Ambrose said...

Excellent analysis Professor. I had similar thoughts when reading the news reports - these activities do not seem to me to be crimes. Yes there was conspiracy - but it was conspiracy to do what? To "sow discord" Well, book him Dano.

As for the threat to national security - do you know when I would be worried? It would be when foreign nations stopped caring about our election results.

Humperdink said...

corsair the rational pirate said: "They are all waiting with baited breath ..."

I too am still breathing without difficulty and without the aid of an O2 tank.

FleetUSA said...

R Madcow over on MSNBC is still hyperventilating because the trap is about to catch idiot DJT. Sad, but funny.

How long does Mueller & Co. need to milk these paychecks?

Bay Area Guy said...

According to the NYT, 13 Russian internet trolls are now a profound National Security threat.

Are these folks stoned?

Fernandinande said...

"sow discord."

NYT doesn't like competition.

"Never try to teach a sow to disco."

Bob Boyd said...

Oh those Russian rascals! They got me. They got me. What a fool I was!

Hillary! Sweet Hillary. Can you ever forgive me?

Fernandinande said...

Don't need those Russians:

On September 10, 2001, then U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld disclosed that his department was unable to account for roughly $2.3 trillion worth of transactions. The next day, the U.S. sustained the terrorist attacks that changed the world, and this startling revelation was forgotten.
...
By 2015, the amount reported missing by the Office of the Inspector General had increased to $6.5 trillion—and that was just for the army. Using public data from federal databases, Mark Skidmore, a professor of economics at Michigan State University, found that $21 trillion in unsupported adjustments had been reported by the Defense and Housing and Urban Development departments between 1998 and 2015. That’s about $65,000 for every American."

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Are they going to arrest some Russians? For what? Have they thought about the consequences of arresting foreigners on trumped-up (ahem) charges? Perhaps there would be retaliation?

We can't keep our credibility as the bastion of human rights if we throw people in jail for being Facebook trolls.

Bob Boyd said...

(prolonged sobbing)

stevew said...

Their purpose was/is to sow discord and confusion. Mission Accomplished. Seems to me the NYT editorialists are the ones doing the colluding by publishing this breathless nonsense.

But, then, I may be a bot. And a Russian bot to boot. Or not. You'll never know.

-sw

RNB said...

When the Russians bankrolled Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, at least they got a proximity fuse out of the deal. And the NYT didn't care.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Red Scare III is falling apart.

Enlighten-NewJersey said...

When do they indict illegal aliens and their enablers? These are foreign nationals and various front groups meddling in our elections, holding political rallies, protesting in the streets, backing political candidates and sowing discord in the nation. As a matter of fact millions upon millions have invaded are our country costing billions annually. Now that’s what I would call a national security threat!

rhhardin said...

Althouse repeatedly denies national security threat.

Bob Boyd said...

My God! My God What have I done? Oh what have I done?

(Wailing. Gnashing)

Bob Boyd said...

This
Must
Never
Happen
Again!

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

So this is the fall back position? Yes the Russians were helping the Great Pumpkin but they did a crappy job so no problem.

What if they get better at it and decide to support Bernie? Still not a problem?

Humperdink said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ralph L said...

Tom Maguire of JOM shares the breathing theme in a different way:
OK, Mueller validates his consumption of oxygen

Mary Beth said...

This editorial is doing the very thing it decries, trying to "confuse and anger people about sensitive issues.

The NYT is upset that foreigners are coming in and doing the same sort of work they do, for less.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Were any of Hillary's paid trolls Dreamers or illegal immigrants. If these paid trolls were a true national security threat we need to greatly expand this investigation.

La Raza would be a priority as well as any other pro-illegal group.

Humperdink said...

Well we know the Big O overtly tried to influence Israel's election. Are the there any others? Ukraine, maybe. Any middle east elections during our years of bombing?

Maybe Israel will indict Obama? Would that be fun to watch. Obama could have his mug shot placed beside his six-figured portrait.

Matt Sablan said...

Maybe someone should tell Trump the 1980s called.

Look, I get it. Those pesky Russians stole some people's identities and made other ones up. But... this investigation started not because of that. But because someone believed Trump allied with the Russians to hack the DNC. That *would* be a profound National Security Threat. Let's not move the goal posts.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

corsair the rational pirate said...

I don't think they even read that these people are Russians and that there is no chance that they will ever get arrested.

If the Russians really wanted to get some bang for their sowing-discord bucks, they would extradite a couple of these trolls, who would then "flip" on Trump, claiming high-level campaign collusion. Leak to the media the fact that the FBI is investigating, along with some wild claims of procuring prostitutes. FBI sources would confirm the investigation.

Dossier 2.0, all for the cost of an internet troll doing a little jail time, and then compensating them well when they return to Russia.

Temujin said...

I dunno. For years I've watched these astroturfed, scripted, bussed-in protests on the left decrying everything from energy independence to capitalism itself. You look at the pamphlets and a handful of signs and you'll see sponsorships from such organizations as the World Workers Party. Just who the hell do you think supports the World Workers Party? Who's paying for these things (beside George Soros?).

I've been watching Soviet, then Russian supported discord sowing for decades now. The NY Times is like Capt. Renault in Casablanca: "I'm shocked, shocked that there's a Russian effort to sow discord in this country."

Congrats New Yorkers. How's the air in that bubble?

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Hey genius, the Russians did support Bernie Sanders.

Do try to keep up.

Bob Boyd said...

"What if they get better at it and decide to support Bernie? Still not a problem?"

What do you want to do?

Matt Sablan said...

" these activities do not seem to me to be crimes."

-- They did steal IDs and create fake ones. If they hadn't done that, Mueller would have nothing.

Matt Sablan said...

"Yes the Russians were helping the Great Pumpkin but they did a crappy job so no problem."

-- No. The fallback position is that the Russians were helping and attacking everyone, that a preponderance of their minuscule spending went to helping instead of hurting Trump, and that ultimately, their operation wasn't meant to influence the election.

Did you even READ it?

Matt Sablan said...

Profound national security risks when foreigners meddle in elections, right?

Shouting Thomas said...

The main thing I got out of the editorial is that the Times has officially backed off the collusion bandwagon. Now, Trump's crime is that he didn't take the disinformation campaign seriously enough.

Take a look at the pic accompanying the editorial. It features a demonstrator holding a placard with a pic of Putin wearing a MAGA hat, so the Times is signaling to its readers that they should continue to yap about collusion even as the Times drops the collusion BS.

ARM, you're just wrong. The Russian disinformation campaign shifted its focus from favoring one candidate to another, and sometimes favored and opposed the same candidate on a single day. One of the deliberate errors of the fake news reporting is the assertion that the disinformation campaign primarily favored Trump. At times, the campaign did, in fact, favor Bernie.

MaxedOutMama said...

Ann, you can self-publish on Kindle for nothing. At some point, you should consider gathering some of these posts critiquing journalism and perhaps writing a few chapters weaving them together, interspersed with some law-prof stuff about the First Amendment, the press, etc. And publish it on Amazon.

I know I would buy it. I think many would buy it. You could argue that I had read most of these already, but to me it would be worth it to support your work and to get them gathered together. From my perspective, you are doing something important. I wish you would take it to the next level. I truly do.

"But we're on the alert — even when we read the New York Times — that somebody's always trying to con us." And if we're not, we need to be, don't we? Yes, I would pay for that.

Of course the indictment that was released is about trivialities, and if before we want to claim some sort of violation of all that's good and right and decent, we should consider our own country's efforts to influence politics in other countries as well - what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is all about influencing politics and political thinking in other countries:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Europe/Radio_Liberty

Stuff that's published on the internet, like radio, is broadcast. One of the more troubling things about this indictment, to me, is that it is not likely to lead to any sort of meaningful trial. I'm taking not only the NYT editorial as propaganda, but also the indictment as propaganda.

Humperdink said...

The 2020 presidential election cycle will be complete and utter chaos.

Matt Sablan said...

Also, if it is against the law for foreign nationals to spend money to the influence the election, is that why Steele has been unclear about whether he paid for the information in his dossier?

Paco Wové said...

"This editorial is doing the very thing it decries"

The Times is just mad that somebody else is playing in their sandbox.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Actually Mueller's indictment undercuts Clapper and Brennan's conclusion the Russians meddled in the election to get Trump elected. NSA gave that statement low confidence. Clapper, the liar under oath, and ex-communist Brennan said that was the opinion of all intelligence agencies.


Mueller said they meddled in the election to sow discord and the undermine our confidence in our institutions. That was the NSA position.

Once again Obama's intelligence agencies were meddling in our politics.

That is much more threat to our country than 13 internet troll.

MaxedOutMama said...

Note: I would like to correct the "you should consider" in the above comment to a more tactful and appropriate "I wish you would". I'm out of line (unintentionally - I've been up almost all night taking someone to the airport) saying what you should do, and what I meant is that I wish you would at least think about it, and that I think it would be anything but a waste of your time.

So much nonsense in the world! Somebody needs to skewer it as nonsense and because it is nonsense, and not as an exercise in ideology. You're ideal.

Clyde said...

Hillary Clinton didn't lose the election because of "fake news," she lost because too many people found out the truth about her: That she was dishonest and crooked, and had tried to peddle future influence through the Clinton Foundation. She would have been an awful president.

tim in vermont said...

There you go bringing nuance to an argument that demands that all nuance be banished. Remember that every argument can be seen in its best light when all contrary facts are swept away. The fact that Trump was repeatedly accused of treason, and that this Russia investigation was widely seen as a path to impeachment is swept away instantly. Never happened! Now it’s treason if Trump doesn’t declare war on Russia forthwith, and without so much as a trial!

Matt Sablan said...

I don't see why people are upset by this, since we know foreign activists are a profound national security threat.

Curious George said...

You want to know the real threat to national security? The MILLIONS of illegal aliens, many having fake identities, sowing discord on our political system.

tim in vermont said...

she lost because too many people found out the truth about her:

Blame the Russians! It’s not the emails she wrote, its the fact that they were leaked!

n.n said...

A budget of one million monthly to spread propaganda domestically and globally, including in America.

The NYT wants to abort the baby and recycle her too. Is this due to Mexican influence?

With over one million people emigrating from south of the border annually, millions more from social justice zones (e.g. "clean" wars) that open abortion fields and force CAIR, and American women being successfully deceived to normalize abortion rites and other dysfunctional behaviors and orientations, there is a clear and progressive risk posed by special, peculiar, domestic, and foreign interests.

Hagar said...

"The Russians," having abandoned communism, no longer is the religious leader of the world's socialists, and are back to being a second tier "great power" with pretensions for first rank status. It is uncomfortable to protect that enormous area encircled by past and present enemies with a population of just 140 million and falling.

If the Democrats want to look for enemies, they would do better to pay more attention to the states pretending to be the leaders of the presently most threatening evangelizing religion - radical Islam.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

So... they engaged in speech and they meant to "sow discord." I can't see that as a profound national security threat. If we were to adopt that view and act upon it, there would be a profound threat to freedom of speech.

This is why I love you.

Matt Sablan said...

"Hillary Clinton didn't lose the election because of "fake news," she lost because too many people found out the truth about her."

-- Not even that. She lost because she couldn't be bothered to show a little hustle and do things like *show up in Wisconsin.* It was a classic example of when my soccer coach would tell us when we lost against a statistically inferior team that the better team didn't win because we didn't try. Clinton had Trump out spent, out managed, out gunned and out resourced. And *lost*. That wasn't the Russians fault. Hell, the Russians didn't show up in Wisconsin either. If they wanted Hillary to lose, they'd have attacked her where she was weak, not in states like VA, FL and CA that are more likely to get views and shares.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

the Great Pumpkin

beneath you

tim in vermont said...

are all waiting with baited breath for the next shoe to drop

I used to react to using “baited” instead of “bated,” but since we know they are all just spewing chum to attract clicks, I have given up.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I know I would buy it. I think many would buy it. You could argue that I had read most of these already, but to me it would be worth it to support your work and to get them gathered together. From my perspective, you are doing something important. I wish you would take it to the next level. I truly do.

Not only would I buy it and read it for myself, I would add it to the essentials library I am building for my kids.

donald said...

I would hella buy a Hillary Clinton is a Satan t-shirt.

n.n said...

You want to know the real threat to national security? The MILLIONS of illegal aliens, many having fake identities, sowing discord on our political system.

Illegal and legal. Promoting corruption, gerrymandering the vote, exploiting arbitrage (environmental, labor, regulatory), and exceeding the rate of assimilation and integration.

Not to mention a narrative to create an illusion of "clean" wars (e.g. social justice adventures) and refugees, not victims of anthropogenic social justice zones that open abortion fields, which has been spread by the UN (e.g. UNICEF), secular/reformed religious organizations, NGOs, non-profits, etc.

tim in vermont said...

”This editorial is doing the very thing it decries"

And yet there are many people who think that “mindfulness” is a pointless fad.

Curious George said...

I'll say this, the Russians have to be laughing their ass off. They couldn't hope for the outcome in their wildest dreams. So much for so little. Hell next time they'll let us do it all on our own.

Thanks progs.

tim in vermont said...

Will you guys quit trying to get Althouse to stop blogging!

Matt Sablan said...

"Hell next time they'll let us do it all on our own."

-- The biggest thing that caused discord and chaos we DID do on our own, thanks to Hillary Clinton blaming Russia and hiring GPS/Steele.

I bet the KGB is looking at those millions spent and actually wondering why the hell they bothered, and whoever came up with the idea is probably no longer on the promotion track.

"All you had to do was tell a Clinton crony that we stole her data to give to Trump, but no! Instead? MILLIONS WASTED ON BERNIE BRO COLORING BOOKS AND MAGA HATS!"

MadisonMan said...

That Editorial is ridiculous. People who believe everything that they see on the Internet -- like the Editors of the Times, apparently, deserve nothing but scorn. That they try then to influence opinion based on this nonsense is madness.

Do the Editors know that everyone is laughing at their ignorance? Jeeze oh Mighty!

Matt Sablan said...

Though, that's part of any con, isn't it? It is much harder in most classic cons to actually fool an honest mark, since the classic cons (like the race horse track or the violin drop) require the mark to let greed overcome their honesty (agreeing to intercept the results and bet at the fake track, selling the violin instead of waiting for the owner to come redeem it in a few minutes as promised.)

If our politicians and intelligence agencies had been completely honest brokers, we'd never have reached fever pitch.

SayAahh said...

I have been trying to stay away but the Althouse Vortex keeps drawing me back in.
This post, once again, confirms my sense that retirement has been beneficial for the professor and her many readers. Free time has given her the opportunity to tell us how she perceives things.
I love these Fiskings. More so, because she has taken on the burden of reading these "trying to con us" sources and it spares my time and blood pressure.
Kudos, Dr. Althouse

Dude1394 said...

The NYTimes is just pissed that the Russians are better at propaganda than they are at a fraction of the cost. For my book the Russian trolls and the democrat-media are indistinguishable. They are both propagandists, the difference is the Russians admit it.

Paco Wové said...

From my observations, there isn't anything beneath ARM. It's ARM all the way down.

Tommy Duncan said...

If you hold the fish close enough to the camera it looks bigger.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Insistence the Russian interference isn’t important is going to convince a lot of people that it is.

pacwest said...

So now everytime I see a protest or internet post opposing something I am going to suspect foreign influence (or at least I should according to the NYT). The only way forward seems to be to clamp down on any dissent. ARM and Inga need to be investigated, or at the very least thrown in jail. Gay Pride, La Raza, Right to Life, Antifa and White Supremacists should all be gunned down in the streets.

Fernandinande said...

"Stop Letting the Russians Get Away With It, Mr. Trump."

That's even dumber than the crying moms and children asking Trump to confiscate people's guns - unless the editors were crying when they wrote it. I hope they were.

Matt Sablan said...

Trump didn't let the Russians get away with it. Under his administration, even if he doesn't think it is a big deal, Mueller indicted people.

We should ask why Obama let the Russians get away with it.

Michael K said...

Mueller, Comey and Rosenstein walk into a bar, plunk down $25 million taxpayer dollars, and order the indictment of 13 Russian internet trolls.

The bartender says, "What is this? Some kind of joke?"

Stolen from a Powerline commenter.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Paco Wové said...
From my observations


You apparently missed the fact that we are talking about a guy who cavorts with strippers and hookers. There is only so much dignity left at this point.

Matt Sablan said...

Palling around with hookers and strippers is bad.

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

Thank you for calling bullshit on the NYT, and on the mainstream or progressive narrative on "Russia." Apparently "our" nasty name-calling is extremely public-spirited and beneficial: we can call anyone Hitler and a threat to democracy anytime we want. But if anyone smears Hillary, or simply contributes to nasty dialogue on any side, there is a clear threat to national security.
Trump has admittedly contributed to a kind of degradation of the discourse we hear from prominent political leaders. I wish it were otherwise, but I don't think it's necessarily a reason to vote against him--depends on who his opponents are. People who take everything he says or does as a reason to hate him are not making much of a positive contribution themselves.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The "danger" (notice scare quotes) of Free Speech is that you are going to hear all sorts of crappola. Things that are not true. Distorted ideas. Ideas that appall and offend. Speech you agree with that confirms your bias (we all like that right?). Ideas that intrigue. Persuade. Dissuade. Ideas that are so ridiculous you just have to laugh.

Learn to pick through the noise and detect the garbage.

If the government is going to try to decide who, what and when in regards to free speech then we have NO freedom anymore.

George Soros sows discord around the world! The Anti Fa create chaos. Black lives matter. Tea Party can say things that people despise, but they do pick up their garbage. Offensive vagina costumes and man hating rhetoric. People with signs saying the world is going to end. ON and ON.

If it is a national security issue that foreign nationals are interfering in OUR elections.....then why the HELL is it OK for Illegal Aliens to actually VOTE in our elections and to protest creating chaos? But not OK for the latest leftist sacapegoats Russians

Picking and choosing who gets to speak and what they say? People need to think this through.

n.n said...

protest or internet post opposing something

... or supporting something. The logical conclusion is just go along to get along. Defer your agency to the mortal gods who rule you. Be a "good" German... American, whatever. Oh, and abort a baby for social progress, corporate profit, and balanced [color] diversity. Selective-child is something we can all embrace.

Wait, I was opposing and supporting something... something. Keep the baby and throw out the bathwater. No. Throw out the bathwater and baby, too. Sex is good. Tax is better.

tim in vermont said...

There is only so much dignity left at this point.

If only the Democrat had won! Then America would be awash in dignity!

Francisco D said...

The evidence doesn't matter. To the NYT Editorial Board and people like Chuck and Inga, Trump is always to blame.

There is a mindless "Hate Trump" cult in this country.

It is unhealthy because it makes people (like me) disinclined to criticize Trump for policy decisions that I disagree with. Our civil discourse has been lost.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

When is Mueller going to indict Soros?

traditionalguy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
traditionalguy said...

So thirteen Russian trolls swung an election that thirty million American trolls were working every day to swing. Russians are supermen.

Mueller acquitted Trump, but says his investigation found an actual attack on Democracy in millions of illegal alien votes being counted while millions of american votes were not counted, which is typical Dem/Soros electoral crime.

Trump won the Popular vote on 11/7/16 by 7 million, but we all knew that was the truth. We were there.

tim in vermont said...

I think what made me vote Trump was how mad I was that Hillary was on Satan’s side.

tcrosse said...

ARM reverts to the playground. Next it will be that Trump's Mom wears Combat Boots.

roesch/voltaire said...

How many people believe what Althouse calls stupid lies? Just enough to swing a close election, or just enough for one who posts on a hate site filled with anti Semitic hate to shoot to kill seventeen students in Florida or just enough to believe that Jews must be cleansed from Germany. What sticks in the mind is not all rational or thought out and often shaped by the latest meme or the ear worm of the last tv commercial. This is all made so much easier in our media age when even president Trump post stupid lies about Muslims from right wing English groups.

Bob Boyd said...

"a guy who cavorts with strippers and hookers."

That doesn't work anymore. We're all on the same standard now, the Clinton standard. It's better that way, don't you think?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The Russians had a pro-Trump rally on one end of town while they put on an anti-Trump rally at the other end of town.

Democrats only care about the pro-Trump rally. The other anti-Trump rally is all good.

The Russians also backed Bernie.

JML said...

Confession time: I'm actually a Doctor and Prince from Nigeria. I can send you a blue pill that will treat all of your sexual disfunction for the small price of $1000. But alas, I am also dying, so please send me your bank information including all PINs so I can share my fortune with you before I go, thus keeping my vast fortune out of the hands of a crushing evil.

n.n said...

#BLM = Baby Lives Matter

How much is NYT spending to troll Americans?

Fernandinande said...

"Mutant 'SUPER RUSSIANS' immune to poisons set to invade US and plague American homes!"

Tommy Duncan said...
If you hold the fish close enough to the camera it looks bigger.


One of my favorites: Pest controller claims he's killed 'Britain's biggest ever rat' measuring a whopping 20 INCHES

But 20" is just regular.

Matt Sablan said...

"Just enough to swing a close election, or just enough for one who posts on a hate site filled with anti Semitic hate to shoot to kill seventeen students in Florida or just enough to believe that Jews must be cleansed from Germany."

-- Got it. Hitler, yo, so anything goes. Like tackling Republican Senators and shooting them on the baseball diamond.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Matthew Sablan said...
Palling around with hookers and strippers is bad.


Having known both hookers and strippers in an earlier life I don't actually think this. People have to make a living.

I don't think it is the look we want for our leaders. Berlusconi did Italy no favors.

Anonymous said...

MaxedOutMama:

...and if before we want to claim some sort of violation of all that's good and right and decent, we should consider our own country's efforts to influence politics in other countries as well - what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is all about influencing politics and political thinking in other countries:

As an aside to this, one of the overlooked ironies of "russian collusion" is lefties going all-in on supporting the neo-con's preferred foreign policy narrative re Russia. Pussy-hats and neo-con war-mongering, a winning combination.

One of the more troubling things about this indictment, to me, is that it is not likely to lead to any sort of meaningful trial. I'm taking not only the NYT editorial as propaganda, but also the indictment as propaganda.

And exceedingly ham-handed propaganda at that. That's the really troubling part to me - they don't even care (or can't even see) how crazy/stupid/vicious they look to ordinary sane citizens. It's not even "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" as they hurriedly pull the curtain shut. It's running around naked and cackling maniacally in their glass house, still completely oblivious to the fact that the neighbors see everything they're up to.

Makes me worry about what worse things they think they can get away with, and will attempt to get away with.

Matt Sablan said...

I see that ARM missed the reference. Maybe Trump should just say they were some ladies in his neighborhood.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Does Mueller Indictment Mean Clinton Campaign Can Be Indicted for Chris Steele?

Lars Porsena said...

@ARM
You apparently missed the fact that we are talking about a guy who cavorts with strippers and hookers. There is only so much dignity left at this point.

When BJC took a nice fat cigar from the humidor and inserted it in Monica's tender bits
in the White House, were you worried about the Presidential dignity deficit?

Original Mike said...

”This editorial is doing the very thing it decries, trying to "confuse and anger people about sensitive issues."”

Their readers want to be angered. The NYT is giving them what they want. It’s despicable, but legal.

Matt Sablan said...

Of course it means that they CAN, but I've learned over the last year or so, Democrats are never held account for process crimes, so I fully expect nothing to happen to them.

n.n said...

The Russians also backed Bernie.

And the Obama/Clinton/DNC axis denied the nomination to the Jew, which is presumably what spurred Deep Plunger to expose their rabid diversity, foreign collusion, and other anti-American orientations and actions.

#BLM = Baby Lives Matter

tim in vermont said...

Sure, it’s “a problem.” Just a few months ago though it was being sung as a way to remove a sitting president. So maybe this is an “Art of the Deal” thing. You know what doesn’t help your credibility, ARM, pretending that a ton of stuff that was not just “said,” but splattered across the pages of our top newspapers and news broadcasts and cable were never said.

It’s not good persuasion.

MadisonMan said...

How many people believe what Althouse calls stupid lies? Just enough to swing a close election, or just enough for one who posts on a hate site filled with anti Semitic hate to shoot to kill seventeen students in Florida or just enough to believe that Jews must be cleansed from Germany. What sticks in the mind is not all rational or thought out and often shaped by the latest meme or the ear worm of the last tv commercial. This is all made so much easier in our media age when even president Trump post stupid lies about Muslims from right wing English groups.

How much did the Russians pay you to write that, Mr. Discord-Sower?

Ignorance is not limited to one side of the Political Spectrum. For every Right-winger (who cares passionately, Sunny Jim) who believes something, I'll show you a Liberal -- from my own Facebook feed, even, that believes Trump is Hitler incarnate.

Michael said...

I urge everyone to read the comments in the NYT. Mueller has scored big for the crazy and apparently very stupid left. Hundreds and hundreds of commenters, a hearty number employing all caps, are rejoicing that Trump has been snared in Mueller's genius trap.

Insane.

Anonymous said...

r/V: What sticks in the mind is not all rational or thought out and often shaped by the latest meme...

At last, a glimmer of self-insight from roesch/Voltaire.

Bilwick said...

When the "liberal" Hive turns Robert Welch, you know you're living in Heinlein's Crazy Years.

tim in vermont said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Freder Frederson said...

Trump won the Popular vote on 11/7/16 by 7 million, but we all knew that was the truth. We were there.

So you really believe that practically every undocumented man, woman, and child voted for Hillary in the election.

And Ann thinks people are smart enough to ignore fake news. She should read the comments on her blog every once in a while.

Leland said...

At this rate, the NYT might as well bring back the anti-American hearings.

the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...

Mueller to law: Olestra to fat.

-6W

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Roesch-

Sorry your gal Hillary, the corrupt money grubbing money whore, lost.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

A Russian paid me to say that.

the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...

Mueller and Olestra: annoying anal leakage.

-6W

n.n said...

cavorts with strippers and hookers

The lowest of the low. Inhuman, even. The blue collar workers of the entertainment and sex industry.

Still, several rungs above [color] diversitists, abortionists, redistributive/retributive changers, and the politically congruent.

Repent and sin no more.

tim in vermont said...

I’ll show you a Liberal -- from my own Facebook feed, even, that believes Trump is Hitler incarnate.

Yeah, but they agree with R/V, so it’s okey dokey.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Dickin'Bimbos@Home said...
A Russian paid me to say that.


Given the narrow scope and repetitive nature of your comments I just assumed you were a bot.

Sebastian said...

"I'm disturbed at how stupid the NYT editors seem to think its readers are." Disturbed, are you? Of course, the stupidity is willful: they want to believe, anything that serves the cause.

"It's almost forgivable that they think people could be so easily confused by some Russian rallies and social media posts." Almost forgivable? Why?

"still deserving of the Trump taunt: fake news." Right. Amazing how anything used against Trump boomerangs into prog faces.

But the NYT is setting up the next prog narrative: in future elections, they will try to frame criticism of Dems as Russian disinformation.

Freder Frederson said...

You’re a “college professor” or at least play one on the internets. Did that stuff really happen or not? Was there really a thousand sexual assaults by “refugees” on a single New Years Eve in Cologne, or not? Was that “stoopid lies” What about Rotherham? Was that lies? Paris, Charlie Hebdo? Lies?

Except that wasn't what Trump retweeted. So what is your point?

tim in vermont said...

If it weren’t for the Russians, we could live in blissful ignorance of the corruption of the DNC, the Clintons, etc. Maybe shooting the messenger in a country that values free speech, isn’t the best option.

Rusty said...

This is one of those; :Major Strasse has been shot!"
"Round up the usual suspects!"
FBI situations.
ARM proceeds to beclown himself. Nothing new there.

Robert Cook said...

Wouldn't it be more appalling if this prolonged, expensive, and foolish attempt to prove Russian subversion of the election were less about disparaging and getting rid of Donald Trump, and more about soothing the bruised ego of Hillary Clinton, to assure her that no, Americans didn't reject you, Hillary, the Russians feared you so much they executed a fraud just to ensure your defeat! That's a double ego-stroke!

Either way, for all their efforts (and our tax money) spent on this enterprise, they have still failed to show any evidence of such subversion. This latest is simply pathetic, and shows how barren their efforts have been. It's also dangerous, as, if it sticks, it will create the precedent that will make free speech and expression of contrary or discordant opinion illegal. And who defines what speech is contrary and discordant? Who ever is in power.

Talk about unAmerican!

tim in vermont said...

Except that wasn't what Trump retweeted. So what is your point?

My question was was it proven false, or was it, just like the Cologne debacle, something that the government just didn’t want people to see. It took a long time for Cologne to come out on account of the sheer number of victims made continued silence impossible.

Does he know it was a “lie.” Last I heard it was “unverifiied”

tim in vermont said...

Unverified by the incurious.

n.n said...

If it weren’t for the Russians, we could live in blissful ignorance of the corruption of the DNC

Maybe. However, it's more likely that Deep Plunger was a disenfranchised, disillusioned Democrat, now aborted. And Podesta was baited and hooked by a Nigerian phishing expedition. I wonder if the Chinese communists have second thoughts about spending billions annually, monthly, to influence the vote. I suppose environmental, labor, and regulatory arbitrage is not a zero-sum game.

Anonymous said...

Cookie @9:00:

That's what I like about our Cookie. Sometimes ya gotta say, "Bless you, you magnificent commie bastard".

Paco Wové said...

"we are talking about a guy who cavorts with strippers and hookers"

I was talking about you, ARM. You should be careful about that TMI tendency of yours.

...

I, too, would prefer a higher "tone" to the Presidency. I would prefer a higher "tone" to a lot of things, but I don't see that I'm going to get that, either. It's unfortunate that American politics has come to such a state that Trump was the best alternative, but there we are.

Bay Area Guy said...

Shorter NYTimes:

"Hey, you can't sow discord through our American political campaigns! Only WE can sow discord through our American political campaigns."


Fernandinande said...

Mum's horror as she discovers mystery food thief is GIANT RUSSIAN after setting up Facebook Live

Passerby's horror as GIANT RUSSIAN spotted in restaurant window 'after running in from street to get to kitchen'

Invasion of ravenous giant Russians that outnumber humans more than three to one set to hit British homes this winter

Horrifying colony of huge Russians found in park as parents warned to protect children

Huge Russian filmed running rings around KFC staff who stamp on it after it leaps into diner's lap

Hordes of giant Russians force mum and 7 children to flee their family home

Chip shop shut down by council after Facebook video showed huge Russians scurrying across the floor

Pest controller catches monster Russian the size of a CAT - and warns Russians are getting bigger

Gigantic Russian filmed running around Primark's Christmas window display as horrified customers look on

Giant Russians have invaded Britain's oldest Roman city and locals have come up with a way to hunt them

Neighbours claim street overrun with Russians the size of PUPPIES and one even ate through garden shed

Brave teenager rescues giant Russian by wrapping it in her work apron after man 'kicked it like a football'

Giant Russians terrorise children's play park as their[sic] spotted inches from baby in skin-crawling footage

Shocking footage captures giant Russians causing havoc on UK high street after feasting on waste food

This is how easy it is for a Russian to wiggle up your toilet

Diners at Chinese restaurant shocked after massive live RUSSIAN falls from ceiling during their meal

Shocking video shows giant Russian taking refuge in school kitchen's fridge

Half-dead 'zombie Russian' gets revenge on woman who stood on creature to kill it

Gran fears for young grandkids' lives after 'Russians the size of DOGS' invade back garden

Disgusting moment horrified gran looks out of window to see garden teeming with Russians

Giant mutant Russian attacks BABY as 200 million Russians swarm across Britain

Family told to wait THREE MONTHS before council can remove Russian from their home

Chris N said...

When the Seattle Nisqually quake happened in 2001 (6.8), I remember watching all the local and national coverage massively distort the severity of the damage, even though immediately afterwards there was a pretty serious need for information.

Around 2007 or so, my brother was working low-level for a U.S. Senator. His job was monitoring the progress of a bill by sitting in the gallery of the Senate and reporting back. He spotted a NY Times reporter there and checked the paper later for comparison (said reporter was following the same bill it turns out). He showed me what the Senator though were the salient facts, his own thinking, and the reportage. Whoa..

A few years later, me and the Lady were at a dinner in Seattle, and turns out there was a NY Times reporter seated near us at a long table. Now, i like to think I’ve been around narrow and wide distributions of people, and levels of intelligence, interests and beliefs. I really try to take people as they are and hope they take me the same. Perhaps this guy’s highly creative and saving it for his big novel? Maybe he plays it close to the chest or he’s tired of talking about work? Maybe he’s not curious about the same subjects?

Given the very free sharing of his thoughts for a few hours I remember thinking it’s possible he’s simply a moron.

-My humble experience

Original Mike said...

The article headlines over at memeorandum.com are good for a laugh. I especially like:

”Worries about Trump's legitimacy resurface with Russia indictment”

and this:

”In a direct rebuttal of Trump, former CIA Director John Brennan said claims of a hoax are “in tatters” after Friday’s stunning indictment.”

Jersey Fled said...

Am I missing something, or didn't this whole "profound national security threat" thing happen when Obama was president.

Roy Lofquist said...

In my life I've watched a few who were near and dear descend into dementia. It is heart breaking. I hope and pray that my precious country can become whole again.

Matt Sablan said...

"Am I missing something, or didn't this whole "profound national security threat" thing happen when Obama was president."

-- I asked the same earlier. Obama let it happen, Trump -- for all his thinking it isn't that big of a deal -- got the indictments out.

So... why is this Trump's fault?

Sprezzatura said...

So according to Althouse, a person is too dumb to vote if they believe lies re HRC.


Ha ha.

Original Mike said...

”And I'm disturbed at how stupid the NYT editors seem to think its readers are.”

The NYT has been dishing out nonsense like this for a long time and their readers are still there so, yeah, they are demonstrably that stupid.

AZ Bob said...

If only Trump would tell Putin to "Cut it out."

Matt Sablan said...

Maybe Obama shouldn't have given Russia so much flexibility after the election.

Paul Zrimsek said...

It's the moral equivalent of flamewar.

Deep State Reformer said...

This garbage is merely face saving rationalization from the lugenpresse. I'd posit that easily more fake votes were cast for Clinton by Democratic party aligned fixers than were votes she lost due to foreign paid-for ads on the internet. Bottom line is that the NYT's much ballyhooed first tier status as a media source is wholly undeserved these days. Just saying a source or factoid is unimpeachable and true because it has an NYT link doesn't work any longer except for the most partisan or the very gullible.

chuck said...

Ah, Saturday, and already I've forgotten Friday's blockbuster indictments. Never in the field of human conflict have so many done so little about so few.

Sebastian said...

The point of the investigation is the investigation.

The point of the NYT handwringing is to keep the investigation going.

Even their ostensible stupidity is a tool.

DanTheMan said...

So, foreigners were spending money trying to influence our elections?

Millions of Mexicans in the USA illegally do this every day.

MadisonMan said...

And who defines what speech is contrary and discordant? Who ever is in power.

It used to be whoever had the biggest Printing Press. Hence the NYTimes' Editors' bruised egos.

More speech is a good thing. It it challenges people to figure out what is truth and what is not, that's not necessarily a bad outcome.

320Busdriver said...

In reading the readers comments on the "fbi misses fl shooter" story I have all I need to know about the people who read then comment on the nyt.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Paco Wové said...
I was talking about you


So you acknowledge breaking the local rules? Soon you will be using excess white space and drifting off topic. We know how this ends.

Paul Zrimsek said...

I will build a great firewall -- and nobody builds firewalls better than me, believe me --and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great firewall on our Internet border, and I will make Russia pay for that firewall.

Anonymous said...

ABT: We know how this ends.

Yeah. With you, in a corner, gibbering and drooling and repeating lame demo-cuck talking points to yourself.

Had that concussion checked out yet?

readering said...

Trump president and I'm still breathing. Still see him as national security threat.

Bay Area Guy said...

I look forward to Rosenstein's next press conference where he announces that Mueller is really cracking down hard on Trump - this time placing him on Double Secret Probation.

Paco Wové said...

Get in line with Chuck and file a complaint with Meade, ARM. I'm sure he'll get right on it.

mezzrow said...

How long does Mueller & Co. need to milk these paychecks?

That depends. Essentially, how long do you have?

Humperdink said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Paco Wové said...

I'm not sure which I find more disturbing; that the NYT is so delusional and partisan that they believe what they write, or that the NYT is so cynical that they are intentionally promulgating falsehoods for the purpose of inflaming their more easily led fellow travelers. "Sowing discord", anyone?

Humperdink said...

readering said: "Trump president and I'm still breathing. Still see him as national security threat."

In a stunning turnabout, the Norks sent a contingent to the Olympics. Scratching my head as to what changed in the last few months to effectuate that.

Paddy O said...

What about foreign ownership of American media corporations? Even limited ownership can make for big influence in trying financial times.

Michael K said...

Blogger DanTheMan said...
So, foreigners were spending money trying to influence our elections?

Millions of Mexicans in the USA illegally do this every day.


That isn't that half of it. Mexican consulates all over the country do it every day.

They are even instructed to assist in avoiding ICE raids.

On Wednesday, the Mexican government instructed its embassy and consulates in the U.S. to step up measures to protect Mexican immigrants. The measures include a 24-hour hotline that will allow people to report harassment and immigration raids, as well as the expansion of deportation-defense work at 50 consulates.

"These are uncertain times," said Foreign Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu in an online video introducing the new measures. "The government of President Enrique Peña Nieto and all Mexicans are with you. We are going to be closer than ever."

Ruiz urged those living in the U.S. to contact Mexican consulates to find out whether they might be targeted for deportation after Trump takes office next year.


Nobody here but us Mexican chickens.

tim in vermont said...

hat depends. Essentially, how long do you have?

You got the money honey, I got the time! It’s an old programmer’s saying, probably went around among lawyers long before that. Maybe if he bills enough hours, he will finally make partner.

tim in vermont said...

So according to Althouse, a person is too dumb to vote if they believe lies re HRC.

You could help us out here, what are the “lies” about HRH Hillary that worry you?

tim in vermont said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tim in vermont said...

”Bless you, you magnificent commie bastard”.

My thoughts exactly. That was some of the most thoughtful and original Clinton realism I have ever seen. I just spent some time with my liberal, but not idiotic, brother, and he said he thinks that the FBI agents weren’t trying to win it for Hillary purposefully, they were just a little worried about how the next POTUS would view them. Somebody was posting some Moroccan proverbs that were pretty funny, one of them was something like “If you cannot bite the hand, kiss the ring.”

Sam L. said...

Tell me again why I should trust the NYT and I will say that you're a disgrace to your parents (and Nasty letter is in the mail).

Amadeus 48 said...

EEK!! Russians!

JAORE said...

"Having known both hookers and strippers in an earlier life I don't actually think this. People have to make a living."

What else do you post that you "don't actually think...."?

bgates said...

"By the spring of 2016, the operation had zeroed in on supporting Mr. Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton." Because it was more chaos-y. So what?

Supporting one candidate over another to cause chaos...where have I heard that before? Oh right, Operation Chaos, Rush Limbaugh's attempt to sow discord in the 2008 Democratic primary (which also involved Crooked Hillary).

OMG this means he's working with THE RUSSIANS!

We're on to you now, Rush(-uh) Limbaugh!

YoungHegelian said...

Is this column written for readers who have never spent any time on the internet?

Well, yes, actually. There seems to be a cadre of news readers now who scrupulously avoid any sort of internet sites that are not of the vetted MSM type. Such people are very proud of their "standards", in spite of the fact that they miss a great deal of news & excellent opinion that now comes from other sources**. They divide the internet into "news sources" & "loons typing away in their basement".

Sadly, I have among my friend too many of these people. And each and every one of them reads the NYT religiously.

**e.g. One of my friends called me up to get the straight-skinny on Jonathan Edwards getting busted by the National Enquirer for his affair with Rielle Hunter, which the NYT squashed until the story forced Edwards to end his campaign. He knew I'd have the dirt, 'cause I read Althouse!

David said...

One of your best posts ever, Althouse. Well done.

buwaya said...

I wonder when or if someone will investigate foreign funding and organization of the anti-fracking and anti-pipeline activism of the last decade or two.

Because it is well known that Arab, Russian, and European entities were deeply involved in these, including the Dakota Access pipeline protests, which were timed with the 2016 election cycle.

And thats just a beginning. It goes on and on. Its a target-rich environment.

University Arab-studies departments are largely Arab-state funded. They push for state and local government and public pension fund anti-Israel divestment. As also Arab-national students in US campuses. They are agents of foreign influence.

And online advertising and activism. What would a Mueller-type investigation turn up?

And we haven't even begun with the Chinese.

Etc. and etc. There is no end to this.

buwaya said...

The NYT is committed to the victory of the financial powers that back them, and of the cultural tribe that they represent. Their goal is despotic power over the rest of you, including the suppression of free speech.

roesch/voltaire said...

Madison where did I write that ignorance was only confined to one side of the spectrum? About Trump's. posting of the anti-Muslim video from England the Embassy in Netherlands posted this comment about one of the claims:Facts do matter. The perpetrator of the violent act in this video was born and raised in the Netherlands. He received and completed his sentence under Dutch law.
1:26 PM - Nov 29, 2017 And as Brendan Cox wrote: Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he’s trying to do it in ours. Spreading hatred has consequences & the President should be ashamed of himself.So yes many people on both sides believe "stupid lies."

buwaya said...

Althouse is of course an excellent critic, but its a bit beside the point to critique propaganda.

There is no sincerity behind editorials like this, of course. These are not honest errors, these are not the writings of blinkered, unaware people.

langford peel said...

"Palling around with hookers and strippers is bad."

Jesus palled around with hooker and strippers. And tax collectors.

Why do you hate Jesus?


Sebastian said...

"Althouse is of course an excellent critic, but its a bit beside the point to critique propaganda."

Exactly.

At what point does treating propaganda as argument become a fool's game?

I ask with regret. I wish we lived in an Althousian world etc. etc.

buwaya said...

Roesch,

The video posted by Trump is not lies.
The "Dutch" citizen is of Muslim extraction. The chronic problems created by a Muslim subculture is not limited to a single generation, but are perpetual. Where I come from this is 400 hundred years old, or older, probably, dating to the collapse of the Hindu Majapahit empire 800 years ago.

The others are examples of prevalent ideas and cultural traits of Muslims that can and do show up in most Muslim communities, it is irrelevant whether they are in Syria or Egypt or Paris or Manila.

You could make a similar video of truck-attacks and acid-attacks and bomb-attacks in Britain, assaults on French schoolchildren, Swedish rape-epidemics, and on and on. None of these are lies.

Dismissing this all as lies is itself a lie. It is disingenuous and insulting.

Alison said...

@Althouse, I'm late to the party, but thank you for fisking this ludicrous article.

Hagar said...

Our and other nations' alphabet soup agencies play at cold war games to justify their existence and paychecks. Perhaps that is not all bad. Sometime there is going to be a hot war with some enemy that has arisen from somewhere.

Comanche Voter said...

To the extent that the Russkies wanted to sow chaos and discord in American politics--including by such dastardly deeds as having a person stand in front of the White House with a sign saying 'Happy Birthday Boss" (the Horror Of It All!) they were only semi successful. But their efforts got turbocharged when Lying Hillary claimed "The Russians won the election" . The Messrs Schumer, Brennan, Schiff, Clapper, and Pelosi heaped fuel on the fire. The real Russian enablers are the leaders of the Democrat party and "The Resistance".

Meanwhile questions about who hacked the DNC server, how Susan Rice leaked classified information, who paid for the Steele Dossier go unanswered. You ask Mueller those questions and you get crickets.

buwaya said...

Anti-nuclear activism, environmentalist/global warming anti-coal, and anti-fracking activism more recently, in Europe, has long been a playground of Russian agents. The reason is directly related to Russian economic interests.

Russia needs to sell natural gas and exclude competitors.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

JAORE said...
What else do you post that you "don't actually think...."?


If you had read carefully you would see someone was attributing views to me that I don't hold. Not an uncommon occurrence here.

One commentator here believes that a failure on my part to find much to respect in the Trump persona necessarily means that I must be a 'demo-cuck', which admittedly sounds really bad.

Ann Althouse said...

“And Ann thinks people are smart enough to ignore fake news. She should read the comments on her blog every once in a while.”

Or at the NYT.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Paddy O said...
What about foreign ownership of American media corporations?


Murdoch is an Australian, born and bred.

PhilD said...

"For the past year, Donald Trump has repeatedly denied the existence of a profound national security threat"

1) The accusation was that Trump colluded with Russia. That accusation now morphs into "denial of the threat". Weak, very weak, especially considering the systematic denial of foreign threats by the NYT and fellow Goebbels media (like in terrorism, or historically, like in the hatred for McCarthy).

2) It happened under Obama who refused to act against this 'terrible' Russian (supposed) meddling.

3) This "investigation" has been used for more then a year to sabotage Trump's presidency. As for "foreign" it is this scam which is the real "collusion" and it has been successful out of all proportion. But you can't blame Putin for it.


However, if these are the "standards" of "foreign threat" and "collusion" then the Hillary campaign and the Democrat party is toast (yeah, sarcasm but one can dream).

Btw, I'm not an American. I will have to denounce myself now, I suppose.

Amadeus 48 said...

Murdoch is a US citizen since 1985. Carlos Slim is a Mexican citizen.

buwaya said...

There is also the agent problem.

Tom Steyer for instance. He is not an independent actor, in spite of being a billionaire. He is in the "wealth management" biz, which means he handles money (is a cutout) for other rich people.

He got wealthy being an agent of his group of investors, many of them foreigners - and who remain unknown and anonymous, which is the real point of a biz like his.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

In Praise of the New York Times Opinion Section. No, Really.

buwaya said...

National Review, Feb. 15, 2016 issue.

Original Mike said...

Blogger Comanche Voter said...”To the extent that the Russkies wanted to sow chaos and discord in American politics--including by such dastardly deeds as having a person stand in front of the White House with a sign saying 'Happy Birthday Boss" (the Horror Of It All!) they were only semi successful. But their efforts got turbocharged when Lying Hillary claimed "The Russians won the election" . The Messrs Schumer, Brennan, Schiff, Clapper, and Pelosi heaped fuel on the fire. The real Russian enablers are the leaders of the Democrat party and "The Resistance"”.

Exactly. The direct effects of Russian actions pale against the discord fermented by the democrats and the left in service to their own political ends.

Original Mike said...

”Murdoch is a US citizen since 1985.”

Hey, we don’t need no stinking facts here.

Big Mike said...

And I'm disturbed at how stupid the NYT editors seem to think its readers are.

They aren’t far wrong, though, are they? You keep reading it, Althouse, as though they are today what they once purported to be.

Anonymous said...

r/V: About Trump's. posting of the anti-Muslim video from England the Embassy in Netherlands posted this comment about one of the claims:Facts do matter. The perpetrator of the violent act in this video was born and raised in the Netherlands. He received and completed his sentence under Dutch law.

Good grief. The Dutch "correction" of Trump's tweet was at least as carefully "cropped" of context as the original tweet. (Just FYI, "Perp X was born in raised in [insert Western nation here], so the [insert crime here] has absotively posolutely nothing to do with immigration, you ignorant bigot!" maneuver is such a common and laughably dishonest attempt at deflection put out by Western governments, that it's been a joke for years.)

Look, we can follow these things all over the internet and ferret out the context, every single time. We don't have to take either Trump's or the "fact-checking" (lol) goodthinkers' word for anything. What continues to mystify me is that people like you think that, in trotting out the carefully curated prog version of events, you're introducing some kind of privileged information, heretofore hidden from the masses. Dude, a useful fact: everybody posting here has internet access. No, really, they do. If they saw the tweet, they saw the "correction", and the host of contextual information that allows them to get past the bullshit "factual" interpretations any side puts out. You should try it sometime.

1:26 PM - Nov 29, 2017 And as Brendan Cox wrote: Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he’s trying to do it in ours. Spreading hatred has consequences & the President should be ashamed of himself.So yes many people on both sides believe "stupid lies."

Every word of the above is hysterical, hate-mongering, fact-free cat-lady opinionating. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Trumpit said...

Just the other day, I overheard Trump say, "Get money, and Russia out of American politics. There was NO COLLUSION." So he does want to "Make America Great Again." His heart is in the right place. We need to give him a chance to become the greatest president of all time. Trump was also rumbling about a "swamp" that needed to be addressed at the Trump National Golf Course in D.C. due to recent flooding. So, he's keeping his promise to "drain the swamp." The Great One, i.e., Jackie Gleason, looked a lot like broad-bottomed Trump when "addressing" a golf ball and swinging wildly in this famous scene from the Honeymooners. "Hello, ball!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs8aRZntp6c

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