Tuesday, May 09, 2017

Truest statement of the week




Data for Democracy bemoans the fact that Le Pen accused Macron of having a secret tax haven, and that
“Macron has had to answer for this claim in interviews, much like Barack Obama had to answer questions about his birth certificate and Hillary Clinton about her email server.”
So the tax haven accusation is the equivalent of birtherism, and so is the known fact that Mrs. Clinton had a private email server while Secretary of State, a violation of the law and a security problem.
Of course, none of this would amount to anything other than partisan boilerplate until we get to the real aims of these “Data for Democracy” “researchers”:
“So what do we do? … demand that  the platforms who enable the spread of disinformation and hate online be held accountable.
“The web is ours. Democracy is ours. It’s time we took them both back.”
“The webs is ours” – but what exactly does this mean? You have to follow the link to find out what “taking it back” means, and it isn’t pretty.
The link takes you to a piece by University of Maryland instructor Kris Shaffer, who writes:
“Imagine a world where hate sites couldn’t do any of these things…

  • embed content from YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter
  • violate mainstream media outlets’ copyright privileges without legal action
  • make money off of ads from Google, Facebook, or other mainstream companies
  • list podcasts in the iTunes database
  • post content to social media
  • have site content appear on Facebook or Twitter via their Open Graph/Twitter Cards services (with pictures, highlighted headlines, etc., all of which boost traffic) … or even at all
  • appear in Google search results.”

That is, imagine a world run by “Data for Democracy” and other illiberal liberals, who get to censor any site they deem a “hate site.” Imagine a world where the Internet is no longer free, where government and corporate power combine to determine what you may see, and how you may see it. Imagine a censored Internet.


-- Justin Raimondo, "The Day of the Censors" (ANTIWAR.COM).







Truest statement of the week II

That Super PAC, officially known as “Onward Together”, is a terrible idea that no one wants, so of course, it’s the perfect next act in Hillary Clinton’s never-ending tragicomedy of errors.
For one thing, the notion that pouring millions of big-donor dollars into politics is what the country needs is proof-positive that Hillary and her clique still haven’t learned a thing from their resounding defeat.

The long-held progressive critique of Super PACs–that they’re vehicles for corruption and the erosion of American democracy by a loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires–has become a super-majoritarian opinion held by voters across the partisan and ideological divide.

-- Colin Kalmbacher, "Tone-Deaf Hillary Clinton Forms Super-Pac In Order to Become 'Part of the Resistance'" (MEDIAITE).



A note to our readers

Hey --

A Tuesday..





Let's thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:



The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.


And what did we come up with?


Justin Raimondo gets a truest.
As does Colin Kalmbacher.
We wrote this Monday.
Ava and C.I. check in on SENSE8.

We cast the various parts for the limited series based on the book.

 
  •  
  • Tweet of the Week

  • CNN on the destruction of Mosul.

    We return to the test kitchen.
    What we listened to while writing.
    Repost from UK's SOCIALIST WORKER.
    Repost from the Green Party.

    Repost of Kat's Aimee Mann review.


    That's what we came up with.

     Peace,






    -- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I















    Editorial: 201 A Sectarian Policy


    Mosul Battles has lasted a month longer than siege of Stalingrad and biggest since the WWII in terms of number of forces involved.



    The Mosul Slog.

    Sunday, it hit the 200 day mark.

    Today?

    201.


    201, A Sectarian Policy.

    The operation should have started years ago.

    Why didn't it?

    Hard not to argue sectarian politics had a lot to do with it.

    Otherwise, you're just left with the Iraqi government being a coward.

    In June of 2014, the terrorist group the Islamic State (aka ISIS) seized control of Mosul.

    In 2014, the Iraqi government did nothing.

    In 2015, the Iraqi government did nothing.

    2016 was 3/4s over when they finally launched an operation to liberate Mosul -- or 'liberate.'

    Again, 201 A Sectarian Policy.

    That would also explain why the Iraqi government told the civilians not to leave.


    We helped kill 81 innocent civilians in a strike last week. How much did you hear about it?




    The Iraqi government tells them not to leave but the US press insists its the Islamic State trying to lure the civilians into being bombed?


    Well they'll tell any lie to avoid holding the US government accountable.


    Meanwhile, The Mosul Slog just scoots along.


    ISIS launches rocket-mounted vehicle attack against US-backed Iraqi troops in Mosul






    North West of Mosul, ISIS Missile strike destroyed Iraqi Army Abram Tank.





















    TV: NETFLIX's finest series returns

    In 2016, we praised SENSE8 without reservation but we did question NETFLIX's decision to dump all the episodes at once.

    This go round, we don't question the opportunity to binge.

    tv



    That's not just because season two is even stronger but also because our attachment to the characters is now firmly established.

    As strong as season one was, season two is stronger.

    The action scenes are more intense, the character motivation is clearer, the storylines more sure.

    Toby Onwumere steps into the character of Van Damme with a surefooted naturalness.  Aml Ameen had done a good job playng the role in season one but Onwumere brings a maturity to the role that makes his decision to run for public office completely believable.

    Jamie Clayton remains the heart of the show in many ways and the chemistry between her Nomi and Freema Agyeman's Neets has only grown stronger.  You don't just want Nomi to escape the authorities, you want her and Neets to find happiness.

    The chemistry between Max Riemelt's Wolfie and Tina Desai's Kala has also strengthened.

    If any couple loses out, it's Tuppence Middleton's Riley and Brian J. Smith's Will.  Will's pulled to the overarching story of tracking the villain Whispers (Terrence Mann) which is logical plot wise but surprising since Will (and the others) risked so much for Riley as season one drew to a close.

    That said, the show's themes are stronger this season: Acceptance and hope.

    As dystopia has overtaken most sci-fi, SENSE8 stands out as a show, like the original STAR TREK, that sees the future as something we don't need to fear.

    In scene after scene, we're reminded that differences can be embraced or feared and that the latter route can lead to violence.

    This message shines through -- the way Daryl Hannah's Angelica does when she shows up in flashbacks.

    Miguel Angel Silvestre's Lito remains with his boyfriend Hernando (Alfonso Herrera) and their friend Daniela (Erendira Ibarra) -- a family of three.  They link together in a similar manner to the way the 8 sensates are both part of a cluster and their own unique family.


    It's rare that a show can be seen as life affirming -- STAR TREK and THE BIONIC WOMAN are two examples.

    That's because fear not only sells, it's such an obvious emotion, as Shirley MacLaine has often pointed out.  For example, from Shirley's WHAT IF . . . A LIFETIME OF QUESTIONS, SPECULATIONS, REASONABLE GUESSES, AND A FEW THINGS I KNOW FOR SURE:


    Audiences might like being entertained by war, but they don't like participating in it.
    The theaters of war and terror in the world are literally financed by our fears.  Fear makes money.
    [. . .]
    One of the most disturbing truths about show business and the effect is has on public consciousness is the development deals in place to portray extraterrestrials as evil and something to be afraid of.  According to the current rules in the entertainment business, alien invasion is in the works, and that necessitates increased military protection, which is also in the works.  The militarization of space will become necessary, according to the "new" entertainment. 



    SENSE8 is challenging fair that draws together instead of dividing.

    It manages to excite and hold the interest while painting on a large canvas.

    Season two was a question mark according to the media last year.

    And there was talk that, if season two did come off, it would be the last.

    SENSE8, even more than STRANGER THINGS, is the reason NETFLIX exists.

    Doona Bae's Sun, for example, could exist on another TV series.  She could even be strong on another TV series.  But on any other TV series, she'd be surrounded by men -- a victim of what we long ago identified as The Deanna Durbin Syndrome: 100 MEN AND A GIRL.


    It's a syndrome ABC has long trafficked in -- from ALIAS to Maggie Q's one-woman squad on DESIGNATED SURVIVOR (we're not insulting Maggie Q, she's doing a wonderful job, we are noting that she's the only woman doing anything -- especially now that the Speaker of the House has become the Secretary of Education).

    It's what NETFLIX could carry us away from, could and should.









    Casting SHATTERED

    Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes' SHATTERED: INSIDE HILLARY CLINTON'S DOOMED CAMPAIGN is already a best seller and has now been optioned by TRISTAR TELEVISION with plans for a limited TV series.


    Below, we cast some of the major players.


    Hillary Clinton?


    Hope Davis.

      Retweeted








    Robby Mook?

    Jim Parsons.

      Retweeted
    ! The Jim Parsons Project:








    Jennifer Palmieri?

    Amy Sedaris.


    Happy Easter! Our episode with Amy Sedaris is filled with gems about crafting, her new TV project, and rabbits.







    Stephanie Hannon?

    Ann Dowd.







    John Podesta?

    Andy Dick.









    Dennis Cheng?

    John Cho.

    Happy belated birthday to my pal . Baby's all grows up!






    Huma Abedin?

    Priyanka Chopra.



    Need more ? Catch her on , tonight!







    Anthony Weiner?

    Dustin Diamond.

      Retweeted
    Great show tonight in Roanoke! Missed you last time so glad you made it back.







    Joel Benenson?

    Peter Sarsgaard.

      Retweeted
    Beautiful at the stunning@olafureliasson opening tonight


















    Creative Commons License
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
     
    Poll1 { display:none; }