Thanks for running my latest column, The Contrarian. We need to stand together against threats to the First Amendment! Folks - you can hear and see more at: https://theystandcorrected.substack.com/
Thank you, Josh Levs. I knew about this attempt to control what news regarding the Pentagon would be allowed to get out to the public. It is most definitely a threat to our rights and another step at feeding propaganda to the people.
Much appreciated. Yes, it is a threat. And propaganda is eating away at us! If you haven't already, come join me at https://theystandcorrected.substack.com/. Let's fight the good fight together.
You know, it is difficult to write regularly about our current situation in the US, and we all understand how important the work is for every journalist today! So, with all due respect, I just want to address something stated in this current email.
There were a few issues, but the most important to me, since I have been writing about just the subject mentioned for the last 4 months, is this particular comment:
"Unfortunately, many diehard Trump fans will probably never hear this. It’s not about attacking Democrats, so it’s unlikely to make prime time on Fox. And because President Donald Trump has soured on the channel, many Trumpists tune in to more extreme right-wing media now."
Why, we might ask, is that an accepted conclusion in the middle of a war for our nation? Why do we remain glued to a history, now defunct, of operating as though there are no choices available to us? Does this battle always have to be on Trump's terms, on his home court? Or, can we begin to create unusual, and what in wartime may be considered to be part of a George Smiley operation?
Why can't a large donor establish an organization (let's call it Moderate Ideas) and that organization hires hundreds of people whose job it is to write on every Republican and right-wing social media, Twitter (I cannot say "X"), and every other media site that may be available? This is done daily! They post with names like Bill@moderateideas.com; or Mary@moderateideas.com. They also post Democratic Congress people, in their videos, which now run on the DNC site of Twitter, like that means something! UGH!
Every word, every idea, every action by Trump and his gang of toughs can be challenged daily with the truth! Every lie and everything they are doing to destroy the lives of middle and lower-working-class families can be openly challenged on the platforms that they actually read or watch! Fox News and the many sites they use can become the open mike operation of truthful comments!
So, might this just work? Possibly, they can hire someone who worked with le Clarre', or his publisher, can be hired to manage the overall operation and develop many of le Clarres' counter-intelligence operational stings, and Trump and the gang will not be any the wiser?
Important article but this is far too weak a defense. We don't just revere freedom of speech and freedom of the press, they are in the 1st Amendment and they are our rights that the government may not take away. In the face of such extremist threats and direct violation of the Constitution, we must not equivocate or use weak language. The Pentagon policy is unconstitutional.
Responsible news organizations consider the national security or other implications of publishing material they receive and contact the government in consideration of this, but they are not obligated to ask the government's permission. If the Pentagon or DOJ said, “However, purchase or possession of a firearm must be approved by an appropriate authorizing official,” the policy would be immediately condemned as unconstitutional. We should be no less clear and resolute in defense of the 1st Amendment.
Many times I've noticed strong parallels between abuses of power that occurred hundreds of years ago and the conduct of Trump and the people who are supporting or using Trump. It seems somebody advising Trump studies such history to do exactly the things that our Constitution was meant to prevent.
James Madison emphasized, for example, the vital reason that the First Amendment secures the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press:
"A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or perhaps both. Knowlege will for ever govern ignorance: and a people who mean to be their own Governours, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."
So somebody advising Trump says, "What a great idea! Let's deprive people of information and the means of acquiring so that we can engineer a farce or a tragedy, or maybe even both!"
Sometimes Jonathan Turley really does tell it like it is. What Thrump and Pig breath Hegeseth want is cherry picked news. Anything coming from the Pentagon is likely no longer trustworthy news. They want to cherry pick just to get out ahead of it.
"The true authors of this American calamity" are out in the open. They wrote and made public "Project 2025" long before the 2024 election and Trump made no bones to hide that he will come into office hell bent for revenge.
"WE the people" elected an Autocratic Fascist into the oval office and gave him FREE REIGN (by giving Republicans majorities in both houses) to destroy our democracy.
We have to learn to live with it as our children will have to, for decades to come.
We have allowed the destruction of American Democracy to take place "in a day".
The rebuilding of that democracy WILL SURELY take years (possibly a decade or more).
We all must know this and fight those now out in the open, for American Democracy to return.
Thanks for running my latest column, The Contrarian. We need to stand together against threats to the First Amendment! Folks - you can hear and see more at: https://theystandcorrected.substack.com/
I put the Pentagon memo in here so you don't have to download it to see it: https://theystandcorrected.substack.com/p/this-government-shutdown-is-different
Thank you, Josh Levs. I knew about this attempt to control what news regarding the Pentagon would be allowed to get out to the public. It is most definitely a threat to our rights and another step at feeding propaganda to the people.
Much appreciated. Yes, it is a threat. And propaganda is eating away at us! If you haven't already, come join me at https://theystandcorrected.substack.com/. Let's fight the good fight together.
You know, it is difficult to write regularly about our current situation in the US, and we all understand how important the work is for every journalist today! So, with all due respect, I just want to address something stated in this current email.
There were a few issues, but the most important to me, since I have been writing about just the subject mentioned for the last 4 months, is this particular comment:
"Unfortunately, many diehard Trump fans will probably never hear this. It’s not about attacking Democrats, so it’s unlikely to make prime time on Fox. And because President Donald Trump has soured on the channel, many Trumpists tune in to more extreme right-wing media now."
Why, we might ask, is that an accepted conclusion in the middle of a war for our nation? Why do we remain glued to a history, now defunct, of operating as though there are no choices available to us? Does this battle always have to be on Trump's terms, on his home court? Or, can we begin to create unusual, and what in wartime may be considered to be part of a George Smiley operation?
Why can't a large donor establish an organization (let's call it Moderate Ideas) and that organization hires hundreds of people whose job it is to write on every Republican and right-wing social media, Twitter (I cannot say "X"), and every other media site that may be available? This is done daily! They post with names like Bill@moderateideas.com; or Mary@moderateideas.com. They also post Democratic Congress people, in their videos, which now run on the DNC site of Twitter, like that means something! UGH!
Every word, every idea, every action by Trump and his gang of toughs can be challenged daily with the truth! Every lie and everything they are doing to destroy the lives of middle and lower-working-class families can be openly challenged on the platforms that they actually read or watch! Fox News and the many sites they use can become the open mike operation of truthful comments!
So, might this just work? Possibly, they can hire someone who worked with le Clarre', or his publisher, can be hired to manage the overall operation and develop many of le Clarres' counter-intelligence operational stings, and Trump and the gang will not be any the wiser?
"In a society that reveres freedom of speech"
Important article but this is far too weak a defense. We don't just revere freedom of speech and freedom of the press, they are in the 1st Amendment and they are our rights that the government may not take away. In the face of such extremist threats and direct violation of the Constitution, we must not equivocate or use weak language. The Pentagon policy is unconstitutional.
Responsible news organizations consider the national security or other implications of publishing material they receive and contact the government in consideration of this, but they are not obligated to ask the government's permission. If the Pentagon or DOJ said, “However, purchase or possession of a firearm must be approved by an appropriate authorizing official,” the policy would be immediately condemned as unconstitutional. We should be no less clear and resolute in defense of the 1st Amendment.
Many times I've noticed strong parallels between abuses of power that occurred hundreds of years ago and the conduct of Trump and the people who are supporting or using Trump. It seems somebody advising Trump studies such history to do exactly the things that our Constitution was meant to prevent.
James Madison emphasized, for example, the vital reason that the First Amendment secures the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press:
"A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or perhaps both. Knowlege will for ever govern ignorance: and a people who mean to be their own Governours, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."
So somebody advising Trump says, "What a great idea! Let's deprive people of information and the means of acquiring so that we can engineer a farce or a tragedy, or maybe even both!"
Sometimes Jonathan Turley really does tell it like it is. What Thrump and Pig breath Hegeseth want is cherry picked news. Anything coming from the Pentagon is likely no longer trustworthy news. They want to cherry pick just to get out ahead of it.
"The true authors of this American calamity" are out in the open. They wrote and made public "Project 2025" long before the 2024 election and Trump made no bones to hide that he will come into office hell bent for revenge.
"WE the people" elected an Autocratic Fascist into the oval office and gave him FREE REIGN (by giving Republicans majorities in both houses) to destroy our democracy.
We have to learn to live with it as our children will have to, for decades to come.
We have allowed the destruction of American Democracy to take place "in a day".
The rebuilding of that democracy WILL SURELY take years (possibly a decade or more).
We all must know this and fight those now out in the open, for American Democracy to return.
there's the upside...