Twitter

[living sounds]

When social media alternately amplifies stories that they like and suppresses stories they don't like, the public discussion is being manipulated.

The public discussion has been manipulated by Rupert Murdoch's media outlets for many decades now. A lot of people here probably would not be talking the way they are if he/they had not done that.

Back to the "Twitter Files": All we've got here is a selectively edited release by Cancel King Elon. We know what kind of speech would profit him. There is no smoking gun anything, just people figuring out what to do in a bad situation and sometimes making mistakes. And probably problematic government interference, but if you are really worried about shady stuff by the US governement you should probably advocate for Snowden to get whistleblower status or something.

 

[Matador]

There’s a growing body of reporting establishing the close relationship between the Trump administration, Trump personally, Rupert Murdoch [the founder and acting CEO of Fox News], different shows on Fox, and specific on-air personalities, most closely Sean Hannity.

Most recently, Jane Mayer did a long piece connecting a number of dots and making a persuasive case that the relationship goes far beyond ideological affinity, to a kind of collaboration that has tilted the scales from Fox News doing opinion journalism with grounding in the principles of news to it being an extension of the administration whose purpose, while always commercial, has become focused on supporting the president — a political outcome — rather than covering him.

 

[scott2000]

 

[JohnRoberts]

And that lack of knowledge certainly won't stop you from spouting off here!!! Thanks for your kind assistance in bringing down the level of discourse just a little bit more--no contribution is too small!!

Borderline insults.... be nice.
===
You don't leave the fox in charge of the hen house. Jim Baker was responsible for FISA court warrant abuses based on Clinton campaign funded Steele dossier. Baker was also investigated by DOJ for leaking classified information to reporters (but not charged). After he left (?) the FBI he worked for CNN until leaving in 2020 to join Twitter. Elon reportedly asked Baker to explain himself. Elon said that Baker's explanation was unconvincing.

This can of worms is still being opened up and investigated.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

Tom Rosensteil said:
There’s a growing body of reporting establishing the close relationship between the Trump administration, Trump personally, Rupert Murdoch [the founder and acting CEO of Fox News], different shows on Fox, and specific on-air personalities, most closely Sean Hannity.

Most recently, Jane Mayer did a long piece connecting a number of dots and making a persuasive case that the relationship goes far beyond ideological affinity, to a kind of collaboration that has tilted the scales from Fox News doing opinion journalism with grounding in the principles of news to it being an extension of the administration whose purpose, while always commercial, has become focused on supporting the president — a political outcome — rather than covering him.

Oh dear? I guess Gabbard didn't get the memo.

JR

Rep.-elect George Santos had a difficult time explaining away the discrepancies in his résumé during a Fox News interview with Tulsi Gabbard, who came down hard on the New York Republican for his recent controversy.

As Santos conceded that several lies he made about his credentials were “a mistake,” Gabbard — a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and the guest host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” — refused to let him off the hook on Tuesday, pushing him on the definition of integrity and his “blatant lies.”

 

[fazer]

Snowden to get whistleblower status or something.

I’m all in.

 

[JohnRoberts]

The public discussion has been manipulated by Rupert Murdoch's media outlets for many decades now. A lot of people here probably would not be talking the way they are if he/they had not done that.

Back to the "Twitter Files": All we've got here is a selectively edited release by Cancel King Elon. We know what kind of speech would profit him. There is no smoking gun anything, just people figuring out what to do in a bad situation and sometimes making mistakes. And probably problematic government interference, but if you are really worried about shady stuff by the US governement you should probably advocate for Snowden to get whistleblower status or something.

Its what wealthy people do... I am not a big fan of playing whatabouts, but whatabout Jeff Bezos?

History will be kinder to Snowden than the US government, but I find it instructive that he was embraced by Putin, granted permanent residence, and is now living in Russia.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

The repubs I’m sure will create some political theater with control of the house just like the Dems have done for the last 2 years. And the theater will have new daily productions with change of seasons. I’m sounding a bit jaded. But kind of loving it.

This has been going on forever where the party newly in power investigates the party formerly in power, but it does seems meaner in recent cycles. That said the players have been abusing government force more these days than ever. These investigations rarely result in prosecutions. Hopefully these investigations will distract them from spending even more tax dollars.

JR

 

[AnalogPackrat]

I’m all in.

No argument here. The spooks are part of the problem.

 

[living sounds]

Its what wealthy people do... I am not a big fan of playing whatabouts, but whatabout Jeff Bezos?

History will be kinder to Snowden than the US government, but I find it instructive that he was embraced by Putin, granted permanent residence, and is now living in Russia.

JR

It's what wealthy people do if we let them. The first thing would be to make sure they pay a proportional amount of taxes to 'normal' people.

Snowden didn't have great choices at his disposal, did he? He could probably have gone to even more oppressive China or North Korea, I guess...

 

[AnalogPackrat]

It's what wealthy people do if we let them. The first thing would be to make sure they pay a proportional amount of taxes to 'normal' people.

It's more about power than wealth, though the Citizens United case has blurred that line. We have antitrust laws and other regulations, but our "leaders" of late have failed to use them as to do so would endanger their own power.

Snowden didn't have great choices at his disposal, did he? He could probably have gone to even more oppressive China or North Korea, I guess...

That whole escapade really showed us what Obama was, IMO (a weak empty suit). Of course no one since has done much either which tends to indicate that the real (and dangerous) power is not held by the elected government, but rather by the unelected bureaucracy.

 

[fazer]

Snowden didn't have great choices

I thought Trump would pardon Snowden. The Jeffrey Epstein info on trump (and every other politician of power) must have prevented him from pardoning Snowden. I wonder how many other Epstein type dirt agents are out there today. We know this will never stop a successful coercion program.

 

[crazydoc]

Hopefully these investigations will distract them from spending even more tax dollars.

JR

But I doubt it will keep them from spending most of their time raising funds for their reelection campaigns. And of course there will be no time left for doing the jobs they were elected to do.

 

[living sounds]

It's more about power than wealth, though the Citizens United case has blurred that line. We have antitrust laws and other regulations, but our "leaders" of late have failed to use them as to do so would endanger their own power.

At last we can agree on something (Citizens United). But I do think wealth pretty much equals power in an environment where everything is for sale.

 

[living sounds]

I thought Trump would pardon Snowden. The Jeffrey Epstein info on trump (and every other politician of power) must have prevented him from pardoning Snowden. I wonder how many other Epstein type dirt agents are out there today. We know this will never stop a successful coercion program.

"Must have"? Do you have information from a reliable source? Or are you speculating?

It is curious that Epstein could do what he did unmolested (pun intended) for as long as he did in a world saturated with electronic surveillance. And there still must be plenty of people alive who could talk... it does seem strange that we don't get to hear of more people involved.

 

[JohnRoberts]

It's what wealthy people do if we let them. The first thing would be to make sure they pay a proportional amount of taxes to 'normal' people.

I don't know what taxes are like in your country but here the wealthy pay a higher proportion of taxes. Media likes to demonize business and wealthy for taking legal tax deductions... Don't forget workers don't get hired by poor people but wealthy business owners.

Snowden didn't have great choices at his disposal, did he? He could probably have gone to even more oppressive China or North Korea, I guess...

Yup... The intelligence community has gone rogue for decades. It always was a little dodgy but now looks like a virtual shadow government (Sorry).

JR

 

[living sounds]

I don't know what taxes are like in your country but here the wealthy pay a higher proportion of taxes. Media likes to demonize business and wealthy for taking legal tax deductions... Don't forget workers don't get hired by poor people but wealthy business owners.

They demonstrably do not pay a higher proportion of taxes. Only in theory. In reality, most of the super rich in the US pay little to no taxes. Trump's tax returns are a good example. Even squeaky clean Mitt Romney only paid 13 % average for 20 years.

There's a long list I won't bother to google. It's the smaller and medium businesses that have to pay high taxes as percent of their income, as are the people subject to payroll taxes. It's similar everywhere, Amazon doesn't pay much if any taxes in Germany (unlike local book or electronics stores) and even in 'socialist' Sweden inequality due to disbalances in actual taxation is rampant.

One of the tricks the truly rich utilize is to never actually realize profits from the shares they own and just use what they have as collateral to borrow money they then can spend.

The numbers are there, no need to demonize anyone or anything. But you won't get these realities explained to you in any Murdoch owned media (see above).

 

[AnalogPackrat]

I don't know what taxes are like in your country but here the wealthy pay a higher proportion of taxes. Media likes to demonize business and wealthy for taking legal tax deductions... Don't forget workers don't get hired by poor people but wealthy business owners.

I'll post this again for educational purposes. IMO if everyone has skin in the game (flat or less progressive income tax) there would be a reduction in freeloading and more people would be concerned about government waste.

<edit to add link>

https://www.ntu.org/foundation/tax-page/who-pays-income-taxes
How much more of the actual tax income do you think it is "fair" to extract from people who've been successful? Simplify the tax code to eliminate loopholes.

Yup... The intelligence community has gone rogue for decades. It always was a little dodgy but now looks like a virtual shadow government (Sorry).

USA PATRIOT Act was another setup pushed through during "a dire emergency."

 

[Matador]

Its what wealthy people do... I am not a big fan of playing whatabouts, but whatabout Jeff Bezos?

The outrage over the Twitter files seems highly selective and specific, with a Trump white house coordinating closely with favorable news outlets seeming to pass without comment here on GroupDIY.

 

[Matador]

They demonstrably do not pay a higher proportion of taxes.

Indeed: this is a common "Wall Street Journal" screed, conflating total tax revenue with adjusted percentage of income taxed.

Someone making 50K and paying 20% (10K), compared with someone making 1M and paying 15% (150K). But the rich dude payed 15 times what the poor dude did, right! That's fair!