November 2, 2022

"The Department of Homeland Security is quietly broadening its efforts to curb speech it considers dangerous..."

"... an investigation by The Intercept has found. Years of internal DHS memos, emails, and documents — obtained via leaks and an ongoing lawsuit, as well as public documents — illustrate an expansive effort by the agency to influence tech platforms. The work, much of which remains unknown to the American public, came into clearer view earlier this year when DHS announced a new 'Disinformation Governance Board': a panel designed to police misinformation (false information spread unintentionally), disinformation (false information spread intentionally), and malinformation (factual information shared, typically out of context, with harmful intent) that allegedly threatens U.S. interests. While the board was widely ridiculed, immediately scaled back, and then shut down within a few months, other initiatives are underway as DHS pivots to monitoring social media now that its original mandate — the war on terror — has been wound down...."

From "TRUTH COPS/Leaked Documents Outline DHS’s Plans to Police Disinformation" by Ken Klippenstein and Lee Fang (The Intercept).

ADDED:

106 comments:

Dave Begley said...

Typical government operation. The problem goes away (terrorism) but the agency has to invent new work to justify its existence. Same deal with air pollution. That’s why the EPA had to declare carbon dioxide as a pollutant.

mezzrow said...

I knew someone would attach my answer to Durbin's tweet. A picture, in lieu of all those words.

https://twitter.com/dawn_comfort/status/1587604060995207168

gilbar said...

This is NO PROBLEM.
No one's speech will be curbed, in Any way.. As Long As: Your speech is APPROVED SPEECH
and WHY? would anyone Want to speak any non Approved Speech?

We are ALL Servants of Our Government.. We Exist to SERVE. Be GLAD! Be Happy!! COMPLY!!!

rwnutjob said...

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety”

gilbar said...

DHS pivots to monitoring social media now that its original mandate — the war on terror — has been wound down..

Has there EVER been a government agency that just QUIT, after their mandate "wound down" ???

Temujin said...

I just keep thinking of when Trump would refer to 'the Swamp' or the 'Deep State' and the experts, politicos, and Blue Checkmarks would all howl with laughter, make jokes on late night teen entertainment shows, and roll their eyes on 'serious' Sunday morning news shows.

The DoJ, FBI, CIA, NSA, State Dept., Treasury Dept. and so many more have so far exceeded anything any of us would have imagined. To say it's time to clean the swamp is akin to being on the Titanic and asking politely for a larger bucket.

We're way past the need to dismantle some or many of these departments and bureaus. How or what to do about it is the question. But I suspect no one, no one other than Trump would have the courage or venom to go after them fully. And it will take both energy and hate for who they are and what they've done to this country. DeSantis, as much as I like him, won't.

Wilbur said...

Our Minister of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment is on the job for us. God bless Dick Durbin.

Humperdink said...

We need a mis-information czar and I'm just the guy.

We need hate a speech judge. That's me too!

BTW, is every third sentence out of Biden's mouth false? Asking for a friend.

Enigma said...

Just noting that The Intercept is rated hard left by AllSides.com:

https://www.allsides.com/news-source/intercept


In context of Tulsi Gabbard's October pre-election defection, it seems to me that Trump Derangement Syndrome is fading and the left is splitting in two. The rabid aggressive predators versus the principled left?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

So long as our government is the biggest spreader of lies (I refuse to use their KGB-derived vocabulary to describe this evil) this bullshit is NOT going to bode well for the fascists running DC. Stop trying to control the populace or pay the consequences. Where’s any democrat that still believes in our constitution?

phantommut said...

“One could argue we’re in the business of critical infrastructure, and the most critical infrastructure is our cognitive infrastructure, so building that resilience to misinformation and disinformation, I think, is incredibly important,” said [Jen Easterly, Biden’s appointed director of CISA], speaking at a conference in November 2021.

Get that? The U.S. Government is very interested in making sure our "cognitive infrastructure" is optimal. Glad to know our betters are so keen on making sure we see and hear only correct things, and think and say only correct thoughts.

MadTownGuy said...

"...malinformation (factual information shared, typically out of context, with harmful intent)..."

DHS can't handle the truth.

Critter said...

All efforts to identify and restrict what the state believes to be disinformation represent a major plank of authoritarianism. This is anti-American and violates our birth rite of free speech as enshrined in the First Amendment. I do not want to hear any accusations of fascism from Democrats when they are actively engaged in coordination with large companies to limit speech of sovereign citizens, the very definition of fascism. We need to call this what it is - the greatest threat to our Republic since the Revolutionary War.

hawkeyedjb said...

We call it "information." Government adds dis-, mis- and mal- to convert it into something they can ban. People who go along with this don't like the idea of a free society. They want to live in East Germany, 1974.

Butkus51 said...

Yes, we needed a First amendment for happy talk.

Lucien said...

How does Durbin feel about spreading misinformation to exaggerate political violence?

Iman said...

I’ll be pleased when the US Senate does not include Dickie Durbin.

Howard said...

Durban implying suborning treason. I agree with Greenwald that it's better to not just allow but to encourage treasonous rhetoric in the public square. Target elimination is then easy peasy.

TrespassersW said...

One more agency to terminate.

Sydney said...

This whole “disinformation” censoring is very real and very much a threat to free speech and democracy. It’s the classic misuse of language that is the main weapon of modern tyranny. They label anything that diverts from their opinion as disinformation or misinformation. The transgender activists and pro-abortion activists within medicine have been using it lately. The pro-abortion groups to try to shut down pregnancy crisis centers and pro-life evidence. The transgender activists use it to shut down evidence of the harm of their treatments to change the phenotype of children medically.
Here’s a link to a letter sent by the AMA, the AAP, and a coalition of children’s hospitals to the DOJ recently:
https://downloads.aap.org/DOFA/DOJ%20Letter%20Final.pdf
It starts out reasonably talking about bomb threats, which of course should be investigated, then broadens the net later:
“ The attacks are rooted in an intentional campaign of disinformation, where a few high-profile users on social media share false and misleading information targeting individual physicians and hospitals, resulting in a rapid escalation of threats, harassment, and disruption of care across multiple jurisdictions. Our organizations have called on technology companies to do more to prevent this practice on digital platforms, and we now urge your office to take swift action to investigate and prosecute all organizations, individuals, and entities responsible.”
I bolded that last part. It reads to me as asking the DOJ to prosecute anyone who points out the services they are providing. Like Libs of Tick Tock. It isn’t misinformation to retweet hospital and physician’s own tweets.

Robert Marshall said...

First order of business for the next Congress should be to zero-out the budgets for our information-regulation overlords. This is getting out of hand.

Malesch Morocco said...

As my brother, an Illinois resident, likes to say: “Dick Durbin , before he dicks you”.

Rusty said...

Durin. You dick. Nothing more than a jack booted thug.

narciso said...

Durbin who was in contact eith the alexandria shooter

William said...

"It depends upon what your definition of is is."

Quod erat demonstrandum

Bobb said...

"I believe the environment is a challenge we must face head on," Durbin said on June 25, 2013. "To ignore it is to ignore reality. Lake Michigan, when measured just a few months ago, was at its lowest depth in any measured time in recent history. What we are seeing in global warming is the evaporation of our Great Lakes."

The average water level of Lake Michigan-Huron increased since Durbin's statement to record highs. Durbin should be cancelled for misinformation and not be allowed to comment on environmental issues.

Robert Cook said...

"We need to call this what it is - the greatest threat to our Republic since the Revolutionary War."

Well, to be nit-picky, the Revolutionary War was not a threat to our republic, as we did not have a republic at that time. It was our victory in that war that allowed us to create our republic.

Jamie said...

It isn’t misinformation to retweet hospital and physician’s own tweets.

I imagine that would fall under the heading of "malinformation."

This whole thing is scary as hell.

Rusty said...

Define," Treason". Howard.

Cappy said...

Defend free speech by shutting your filthy trap!

Cappy said...

Defend free speech by shutting your filthy trap!

wendybar said...

What Temujin said at 7:08am. THAT is the truth of the matter that NOBODY wants to see.

What's emanating from your penumbra said...

Just like the communists that inspire them, the left has turned this country into a who, whom struggle.

If the government turns its coercive powers against the left, you can bet the left will brazenly ask for amnesty for their abuses of the basic and essential rights necessary for the functioning of western civilization. Not that they will admit they partook in or supported oppressing their fellow citizens, but more like "whoever was responsible for those prior abuses, let's move past it and unite the country." Sorry.

They howl about fascism now. They shouldn't be surprised if the response to their pleas is to invoke the boy who cried wolf. Who, whom, indeed.

Achilles said...

I look forward to seeing Durbin's communications with James Hogkinson.

Particular the many emails they sent back and forth.

Jersey Fled said...

BTW, is every third sentence out of Biden's mouth false? Asking for a friend

Seems to me it’s more like every third word.

narciso said...

Durbin also cried for the 20th hijacker who is now back home planning attacks on the kingdom

Jamie said...

at its lowest depth in any measured time in recent history.

Awful lot of qualifiers there. Awful lot of ignoring that the bottoms of lakes tend to rise as the lakes silt in, that lakes themselves are considered ephemeral in geologic terms, that the Great Lakes are themselves remnants of glaciers that melted back a whole long time before humans could possibly have done anything to affect them, and that climate will change no matter what we do or don't do.

Elliott A said...

As Orwell observed, the real misinformation comes from the Dick Durbin's of the world.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Ironic that the people most gung-ho to censor others and declare what Truth is are the same people who cannot define woman.

Achilles said...

Howard said...

Durban implying suborning treason. I agree with Greenwald that it's better to not just allow but to encourage treasonous rhetoric in the public square. Target elimination is then easy peasy.

Howard the "Marine" agrees with the Stolen Valor shithead Dick Durbin that everyone that disagrees with them is a traitor.

Don't worry Howard. You In 5 years you will be comfortably claiming you never supported democrats or Durbin or Biden just like you are claiming you never supported the Russian Collusion hoax or censorship now.

ccscientist said...

So many things that were once "truth" (medical, economic, you name it) have been shown to be not true. Even with covid, they now admit that the vaccines did not (and they knew it) prevent transmission and that masks were not very effective. Were there risky side-effects? We were not allowed to see the data so we don't know. But CA passed a law that doctors that violate official positions (on covid, on trans surgery, anything) can lose their license. They do not want pro-life people to be able to show pics of fetus' because it is upsetting. This is not just censorship of nutjobs, it is censorship of anything upsetting to the powers that be. The white house is denying that their spending caused inflation or that shutting down oil caused prices to rise (they claim it is profiteering by oil companies). If they could they would not allow anyone to question this absurd lies either.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Terrifying stuff.

The corrupt left will call this disinformation.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Howard - It's now "treasonous" to criticize democrats?


mccullough said...

Lot of bad information out there.

The government spreads most of it.

Iman said...

Where’s the tag for that shit-for-brains, elfin, martian mayorkas!?!?

Steven Wilson said...

"We need to call this what it is - the greatest threat to our Republic since the Revolutionary War."

Well, to be nit-picky, the Revolutionary War was not a threat to our republic, as we did not have a republic at that time. It was our victory in that war that allowed us to create our republic.

Well, to be nit-picky about nit-picking, the sentence can also be interpreted to mean the greatest threat since (the conclusion) of the Revolutionary War. You don't have to, and probably shouldn't, read the sentence to mean including the Revolutionary War.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

It's now "treasonous" to criticize democrats?

Cmon man that's always been the de facto* operating mode of democrats and the Left in general. Criticism isn't even necessary: less than enthusiastic support for the party uber allis is the SOP.

*SCOTUS note: unlike Sotomayor I actually know the difference between de facto and de jure and I've never been to law school. English majors and journalists used to be taught such vocabulary so we can intelligently report on these idiots who rule over us.

Drago said...

Hunter Biden's tax payer funded Hooker: "Howard - It's now "treasonous" to criticize democrats?"

Short answer: yes.

The left/democraticals always turn disagreement into treason when they gain sufficient power.

But only every single place and every single time the left/dems reach that power level.

"Unexpectedly".

Drago said...

Mike (MJB Wolf): "Ironic that the people most gung-ho to censor others and declare what Truth is are the same people who cannot define woman."

Make no mistake, the New Soviet Democraticals could easily define "woman". However, for the purposes of conditioning the population for permanent New Soviet Democratical political power, the New Soviet Democraticals insist upon destroying language and objective truth.

gilbar said...

weren't we a republic, on July 4th, 1776? Wasn't there some declaration about just that thing?

Michael K said...

The average water level of Lake Michigan-Huron increased since Durbin's statement to record highs. Durbin should be cancelled for misinformation and not be allowed to comment on environmental issues.

Yes, Durbin is an idiot. Grand Beach, on the Michigan side, is a resort where we used to spend summers as kids. It had a lovely beach that is gone. The lake level is so high that homes near the beach are in danger.

I'd also like to see his emails with Hodgkinson

gahrie said...

We need to get rid of the DHS, and gut and rebuild the CIA and FBI.

Jamie said...

On the subject of information control: a commenter over at Neo (thenewneo.com) led me to this substack about Emily Oster's piece in The Atlantic asking for "amnesty" for the "mistakes" make by policymakers concerning COVID response.

One of several money quotes:

Emily is asking us to forgive a mistake. There was no mistake. There was a political calculation that harmed us, but even more, that harmed our children. The harm was considered acceptable because those who undertook it, took the votes of women for granted. They assumed they could lie and manipulate us into believing these harms were necessary, or barring that, unintentional. If we, as women, want our votes to be courted in the future by either party, we must vote to punish the past three years treachery.

A portion of the piece is about taking women's support for abortion for granted, and about this woman's evolution from "VERY pro-choice" to still pro-choice in the sense of wanting government out of morality, but now strongly understanding that the policial side where the pro-life people hang out is the side that actually, demonstrably values children.

It's a worthwhile read and, I think, an important feminist perspective.

hombre said...

Anyone familiar with creeping totalitarianism, particularly the Marxist variety, is not surprised by this.

The warnings we have received throughout most of my life go unheeded despite the shameless enabling behavior of Democrats.

Anthony said...

Fascists gonna fascist. . . .

hombre said...

Anyone familiar with creeping totalitarianism, particularly the Marxist variety, is not surprised by this.

The warnings we have received throughout most of my life go unheeded despite the shameless enabling behavior of Democrats.

Yancey Ward said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gahrie said...

weren't we a republic, on July 4th, 1776? Wasn't there some declaration about just that thing?

Nope. On July 4, 1776, we were thirteen independent States banding together for our common defense. Under the Articles in 1781 we became a confederation of independent States. The U.S. republic was formed on June 21 1788.

Yancey Ward said...

Dick Durbin deserves to be hammered to death for such a position.

Joe Smith said...

This is one of the biggest scandals of our lifetimes, but what is the remedy?

They likely swung an election their way with this bullshit.

But other than the First Amendment, what 'law' was broken?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Modern tyranny always starts by redefining key terms. A continuously changing vocabulary is necessary to affect the chaos within which progressives prefer to operate. If there isn't crisis, invent one. If there is a crisis don't ever let it go to waste. Alinsky and Lenin rule the Democratic party.

But us commoners just aren't good at following orders and we never shut up when told to: God bless America!

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

I don't if people often talk about Orwell's 1984 any more; it probably seems a bit melodramatic. But we are getting close. Tech making surveillance of "everyone" more possible than ever; government collaborating or colluding (I love that word) with tech companies to control speech and try to prevent bad thoughts that might be hostile to the regime. Endless wars to make everyone think rights have to be violated, and social traditions must be broken down, in an emergency. In Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 the book lovers can at least find a place where they are free from surveillance to memorize books and then burn them (so they can't be charged with the crime of having the books). In 1984 surveillance is becoming more complete--even in forests--and surely with satellites and drones today there is very little in the way of privacy.

Darkisland said...
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Darkisland said...
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Darkisland said...

We should all be appalled at the actions of the FBI. We should not be surprised. This is exactly what the FBI was founded for in 1908. As the "Bureau of Investigation" by AG Charles Bonaparte on Theodore Roosevelt's instructions. It was founded for the specific purpose of keeping tabs on political groups, mostly legal politic groups exercising their 1st Amendment rights. Crime fighting came later.

As the Wikipedia entry begins:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States

It was NEVER authorized by Congress or approved by the president. Perhaps the only federal agency that has no legislative charter. (Prove me wrong. Post a link to the enabling legislation)

Congress refused to authorize the bureau on various occasions saying that a political police force had no business being in the USA, that its existence was contrary to the constitution and everything it stands for.

But Bonaparte went ahead and other AGs kept it in place.

Anyone shocked at what the FBI (and other agencies) is up to deserves the mockery we usually reserve for Captain Renault: "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"

John stop fascism vote republican Henry

Achilles said...

gilbar said...

weren't we a republic, on July 4th, 1776? Wasn't there some declaration about just that thing?

I think the Republic thing started a few years later.

We were a Confederation for a while there.

narciso said...

no we were 13 colonies, al queda is still around, they are marvelling how poorly secured all our structures are,

Darkisland said...

From Tim Weiner's 2012 history of the FBI "Enemies" available via the portal.

“President ROOSEVELT directed BONAPARTE to create an investigative service within the Department of Justice subject to no other department or bureau, which would report to no one except the Attorney General.” The president’s order “resulted in the formation of the Bureau of Investigation.”

By law, Bonaparte had to ask the House and the Senate to create this new bureau. “The Department of Justice has no executive force, and, more particularly, no permanent detective force under its immediate control,” Bonaparte wrote to Congress; it was thus “assuredly not fully equipped for its work.” He formally sought the money and authority to create “a small, carefully selected, and experienced force.”

On May 27, 1908, the House emphatically said no. It feared the president intended to create an American secret police. [Bolding added-JRH] The fear was well-founded. Presidents had used private detectives as political spies in the past.

“American ideas of government” prohibited “spying on men and prying into what would ordinarily be considered their private affairs,” said Representative Joseph Swagar Sherley, a Kentucky Democrat. Representative Walter I. Smith, an Iowa Republican and later a federal appeals court judge, objected strongly to the creation of a “system of espionage” in America. Representative John J. Fitzgerald, a New York Democrat, warned against “a central police or spy system in the federal government.” Representative George E. Waldo, a New York Republican, said it would be “a great blow to freedom and to free institutions if there should arise in this country any such great central secret-service bureau as there is in Russia.”

Congress banned the Justice Department from spending a penny on Bonaparte’s proposal. The attorney general evaded the order. The maneuver might have broken the letter of the law. But it was true to the spirit of the president.

Theodore Roosevelt was “ready to kick the Constitution into the back yard whenever it gets in the way,” as Mark Twain observed. The beginnings of the FBI rose from that bold defiance.

Darkisland said...

From Tim Weiner's 2012 history of the FBI "Enemies" available via the portal.

“President ROOSEVELT directed BONAPARTE to create an investigative service within the Department of Justice subject to no other department or bureau, which would report to no one except the Attorney General.” The president’s order “resulted in the formation of the Bureau of Investigation.”

By law, Bonaparte had to ask the House and the Senate to create this new bureau. “The Department of Justice has no executive force, and, more particularly, no permanent detective force under its immediate control,” Bonaparte wrote to Congress; it was thus “assuredly not fully equipped for its work.” He formally sought the money and authority to create “a small, carefully selected, and experienced force.”

On May 27, 1908, the House emphatically said no. It feared the president intended to create an American secret police. [Bolding added-JRH] The fear was well-founded. Presidents had used private detectives as political spies in the past.

“American ideas of government” prohibited “spying on men and prying into what would ordinarily be considered their private affairs,” said Representative Joseph Swagar Sherley, a Kentucky Democrat. Representative Walter I. Smith, an Iowa Republican and later a federal appeals court judge, objected strongly to the creation of a “system of espionage” in America. Representative John J. Fitzgerald, a New York Democrat, warned against “a central police or spy system in the federal government.” Representative George E. Waldo, a New York Republican, said it would be “a great blow to freedom and to free institutions if there should arise in this country any such great central secret-service bureau as there is in Russia.”

Congress banned the Justice Department from spending a penny on Bonaparte’s proposal. The attorney general evaded the order. The maneuver might have broken the letter of the law. But it was true to the spirit of the president.

Theodore Roosevelt was “ready to kick the Constitution into the back yard whenever it gets in the way,” as Mark Twain observed. The beginnings of the FBI rose from that bold defiance.

Roger Sweeny said...

President DeSantis' first Supreme Court nominee should be Eugene Volokh.

Darkisland said...

Apologies for the multiple comments. Blogger is acting wonky today.

When I try to post, I get the "Whoops that's an error page"

I have deleted the extras.

gahrie said...

On the subject of information control: a commenter over at Neo (thenewneo.com) led me to this substack about Emily Oster's piece in The Atlantic asking for "amnesty" for the "mistakes" make by policymakers concerning COVID response...It's a worthwhile read and, I think, an important feminist perspective.

The problem is, it's just another attempt from the Left to avoid being held accountable for their actions. It's a direct descendent of Move On.

The only people the Left want to see held to account are Republicans and conservatives.

PM said...

To be clear, this has absolutely nothing to do with Musk buying Twitter.

Darkisland said...

On July 4, 1776, we did not become a republic or even a confederation.

The 13 colonies were never connected to each other besides being vaguely under the king of England.

Georgia was founded as a penal colony. Pennsylvania was privately owned by William Penn. Maryland was a Catholic refuge. Others were land grants to dukes and nobles. All were independent of each other but not of the king.

What happened on July 4 was that they went from being separate colonies to being separate, sovereign countries (A/K/A nations, states) now not only independent of each other but also independent of the King of England.

They, with 37 others added later, continue to be independent and sovereign, at least in theory. They delegate powers to DC, not the other way round.

There is a reason we call them "states" not provinces, shires, or some other name.

I am not even sure that we are, strictly speaking, a "republic" under the Constitution. A "Republic" implies a single country. We are not, at least in theory. Confederation is probably a more accurate word.

But that is a discussion for another day.

John stop fascism vote republican Henry

Amadeus 48 said...

Durbin--a hack's hack.

He is Illinois's senator, as is Tammy "Zero" Duckworth.

Lincoln would weep, except Illinois never put him in the Senate, either.

Narr said...

"We" (the 13 OC) were states without a monarch as of 4 July 1776, and thus republics de facto.

The republican form of government was taken as a given by the FF and most Americans as far as we can tell; I'll take Gahrie's word about 'official' self-recognition.

OTOH, Jefferson and others liked to talk about the future Empire of Liberty.

frose said...

For those concerned about the "threats to democracy" I would think that the government working with corporations to chill speech and violate the 1st Amendment would be seen as a pretty big threat. Wonder if Biden will talk about this in his speech tonight.....

Darkisland said...

For Howard,

Be careful how you talk about treason. You might be wrong:

Article III, Section 3, Clause 1:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.

"Enemies" is a legal term and at the moment we have none. We have not had any since the end of WWII since congress has never enacted a declaration of war. We have opponents and antagonists but no "enemies"

So there is nobody to adhere to or give aid and comfort to.

As for "levying war against them" Can speech, however much you may dislike it, rise to the level of "levying war"?

Referent to my previous comment, note also the use of pronouns here. It is not levying war against "it", as in the United States as an entity. It is levying war against "them" as in one or more of the countries (oops, I mean states) that make up the US.

"Hi, I'm the United States of America. My pronouns are they/them"

John stop fascism vote republican Henry

frose said...

For those concerned about the "threats to democracy" I would think that the government working with corporations to chill speech and violate the 1st Amendment would be seen as a pretty big threat. Wonder if Biden will talk about this in his speech tonight.....

Robert Cook said...

"BTW, is every third sentence out of Biden's mouth false? Asking for a friend'

"Seems to me it’s more like every third word."


If that's true, maybe he's trying to keep up with Trump, as that's what seems to keep the nitwits not just happy, but energized!

effinayright said...

To think that this clueless asshole graduated from Georgetown Law and (presumably) passed a bar exam, yet knows NUFFING about First Amendment law, is...frightening, but not surprising.

Aggie said...

"I don't if people often talk about Orwell's 1984 any more; it probably seems a bit melodramatic. But we are getting close. Tech making surveillance of "everyone" more possible than ever; government collaborating or colluding..."

The boiling frog. "That could never happen" becomes "That shouldn't be allowed" becomes "Well, it might happen in communist China, but it would never happen here", becomes "Well, I know Australia/New Zealand are similar, but they'll come around and it could never happen in our country." Sure it couldn't - just keep tellin' yourself that. Pretty soon it'll be "Well, yeah, but that's in a Blue state."

Robert Cook said...

"Well, to be nit-picky about nit-picking, the sentence can also be interpreted to mean the greatest threat since (the conclusion) of the Revolutionary War. You don't have to, and probably shouldn't, read the sentence to mean including the Revolutionary War."

That it can be read that way betrays its faulty construction. One should always (try to) write clearly, to prevent or minimize possible misreadings of the intended meaning.

effinayright said...

So...Dick Douche....Biden's ridiculous claim--- that the war is Iraq is a source of rampant inflation---is protected Free Speech....or isn't it?



Paul said...

DHS and DOJ are about to get defunded once Republicans take both houses...

They had best start looking for jobs. I understand Twitter will be hiring soon.

gahrie said...

"Hi, I'm the United States of America. My pronouns are they/them"

Up until the Civil War, United States was a plural noun. (The United States are) and afterwards United States was a singular noun. (The United States is)

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I wonder how they categorize the DNC-Media refusal to accurately report on the extremely poor health and communication skills of Biden and Fetterman. Do we have an antiinformation designation for such dereliction of journalistic duty?

Achilles said...

""The Department of Homeland Security is quietly broadening its efforts to curb speech it considers dangerous...""

The democrat party of James Hodgkinson says:


“What makes us think that one party can talk about ‘stolen elections,’ ‘Covid being a hoax,’ ‘this is all a bunch of lies,’ and it not affect people who may not be so well balanced?”

Joe Biden

“Right-wing extremists already have a plan to literally steal the next presidential election, and they’re not making a secret of it”

Hillary Clinton

"I condemn the attempted murder of Paul Pelosi and pray with the Pelosi family for his recovery. Now is not a moment for timidity. Let’s be direct. Today’s violence seems to be the direct product of Big Lies from many Republicans and Republican propaganda organs about Democrats and American democracy,"

Bill Pascrell, Jr

"The attack on Speaker Pelosi's family was not a ‘random act,' It was the logical result of a Republican Party that has targeted the speaker and other prominent women in public life for over a decade now, and then gaslights us when we call out its danger."

Ilhan Omar

"We must draw the straight lines that connect violent political rhetoric and violent acts," The Pelosi assailant’s Facebook page looks identical to the Facebook pages of Trump, [Georgia Rep. Marjorie] Taylor Greene, and [Colorado Rep. Lauren] Boebert. All three of them have glorified violence and [David] Depape acted on it."
Eric Swalwell.

Narr said...

Mencken called TR, who was itching to fight Kaiser Bill, the foremost proponent of Kaiserism in the United States of America.

Bully for Mencken.

narciso said...

the page that appeared on friday, and dissapeared on sunday?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Cook's "But Trump" argument. Sad. I expect a bit better from you.
Trump never used these massive governmetn entities+/Big Tech to stomp on free speech.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The loyalist left yawn - as they crawl in bed with war monger Cheney.

effinayright said...

"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."
***********

You can bet your ass that idiots like Durbin will claim that the phrase "enemies, foreign and domestic" in federal officials' Oath of Office covers citizens who openly object to what Democrats in power are doing.

Never mind that the phrase arose as a result of the actual rebellion known as the Civil War. For Progs it could be a convenient means of intimidating their opponents.

Is it a "stretch"? Sure. But when has that ever stopped the Left?

boatbuilder said...

Slow Joe is in South Florida (where he cannot do to much damage to Democrat candidacies, since they are going to lose) telling the sparse gatherings that Republicans are threatening Medicare and Social Security.

If the Republicans had any stones (not in evidence, for the most part) they would tell the voters they are going to eliminate HHS, the Dept. of Education, the Dept. of Energy, and the FBI, and maybe some others, and invest the many billions of $$ in shoring up Social Security and Medicare.

Rory said...

"I would think that the government working with corporations to chill speech and violate the 1st Amendment would be seen as a pretty big threat. Wonder if Biden will talk about this in his speech tonight....."

Biden may actually bear watching tonight. If the real polls are as bad as they seem for the Dems, then he's a cornered rat.

hombre said...

Wait until you see this election.

Narr said...

About that republic thing: Art IV Sec 4 USC provides that the federal government will guarantee to each state a republican form of government.



WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Glenn Greenwald
@ggreenwald
·
The regime of censorship being imposed on the internet – by a consortium of DC Dems, billionaire-funded "disinformation experts," the US Security State, and liberal employees of media corporations – is dangerously intensifying in ways I believe are not adequately understood.

n.n said...

Durbin speaks truth through projection over more than four years and recurring bouts of catastrophic anthropogenic dysfunctional convergence.

n.n said...

Liberalism is what it has always been: a philosophy of divergence, over generations, over factions, over various considerations, now coupled with progressivism: [unqualified] monotonic change. Principles matter.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Hold On There... https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1587446686393122816.html

Temujin said...

Because apparently they've got that old Border thing all figured out and taken care of. Now...time to focus on those darn citizens.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

I expect the GOP to have at least 53 seats in the Senate, and over 240 in the House.

So I expect that Congress will fight this next year. Not because the majority of the Establishment cares about this, but because they dont' want to give Trump another think to boost himself with

Greg The Class Traitor said...

The Left only "believed" in free speech when they didn't have the power.

Now that they think they do, they're showing their Stalinist roots

Michael K said...


If that's true, maybe he's trying to keep up with Trump, as that's what seems to keep the nitwits not just happy, but energized!


You leftists always say this but I have not seen a list of the "lies."

Robert Cook said...

"You leftists always say this but I have not seen a list of the 'lies.'"

Here is a list.

As you can see, the question is not if or when he lies, but if or when he isn't lying. And he lies about little things. He is compulsive. He has not been a liar just during his term as president, but for his entire career.