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Topic of the Day

This is a small cut of Matt Taibbi's (prepared remarks) at the Free Speech event that took place in London.

Him, Michael Shellenburger and Russell Brand all spoke there.

...But it goes deeper. Michael and I found correspondence in Twitter about something called the Virality Project, which was a cross-platform, information-sharing program led by Stanford University through which companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook shared information about Covid-19.

They compared notes on how to censor or deamplify certain content. The ostensible mission made sense, at least on the surface: it was to combat “misinformation” about the pandemic, and to encourage people to get vaccinated. When we read the communications to and from Stanford, we found shocking passages.

One suggested to Twitter that it should consider as “standard misinformation on your platform… stories of true vaccine side effects… true posts which could fuel hesitancy” as well as “worrisome jokes” or posts about things like “natural immunity” or “vaccinated individuals contracting Covid-19 anyway.”

This is straight out of Orwell. Instead of having “ambiguities” and “shades of meaning” on Covid-19, they reduced everything to a binary: vax and anti-vax.

They eliminated ambiguities by looking into the minds of users. In the Virality Project if a person told a true story about someone developing myocarditis after getting vaccinated, even if that person was just telling a story – even if they weren't saying, “The shot caused the myocarditis” – the Virality Project just saw a post that may “promote hesitancy.”

So, this content was true, but politically categorized as anti-vax, and therefore misinformation – untrue.

A person who talks about being against vaccine passports may express support for the vaccine elsewhere, but the Virality Project believed “concerns” about vaccine passports were driving “a larger anti-vaccination narrative,” so in this way, a pro-vaccine person may be anti-vax. They also wrote that such “concerns” inspired broader discussions “about the loss of rights and freedoms,” also problematic...

It's disgusting for every US citizen who believes in our constitution and Bill of Rights. If you get the subscription, you will see actual newsworthy reporting instead of the local police blotter, local racist acts and local buffoonery. It includes evidence provided for you to make your own decisions. And there was more in his initial opening remarks like this but I do not want to give away everything.
 
I've been the grocery shopper in our house since the 1960s. so I've seen prices go from my first trip in 1963, 3 pounds of hamburger for $0.99 till today were a buck will get you 1 burger, not so big.

But the past 3 years it's out of hand. $1 white store band bread now $2. same for hot dog or burger buns. $1.49 waffles now $2.49. $1.49 peanut butter now $2.29. $3.49 butter now $4.49. $2.39 TV dinner now $4.29. $11.99 TP now $14.99. and bacon nearly doubled.

Who wants more of this ?
 
It's only going to get worse as the rest of the world understands American Imperialism has destabilized, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Central America, and NATO by way of Ukraine. All wars based on lies and/or oil. Not weapons of mass destruction. Not Russian interference. Not even the actual homeland of the 9-1-1 terrorists, Saudi Arabia. And the Industrial Military Complex has Biden, a useful idiot in place to continue to destroy Ukraine solely because they don't like Putin.
 
Another excellent Matt Taibbi article for the 4th. Just a snippet:

...Today the fashion is not only to be pessimistic about the American conception of freedom, but to couple that pessimism with panic, media freakouts, and authoritarian solutions. Freedom of speech? Too dangerous, so we need digital censorship. Freedom to vote? Needs careful monitoring, lest we end up with more Donald Trumps. Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures? Can’t be afforded, in the age of foreign and domestic terrorism, so electronic surveillance must be expanded. Racial equality? Can’t be achieved without huge bureaucracies of DEI minders, in every corporation and university. Meritocracy? The pursuit of happiness? Shams, or covers for privilege schemes, the “pursuit” denounced by wine-set icons like Ibram Kendi as a “fantasy” cooked up by racist tyrants.
These new busybodies are convinced nothing about America works, not even its sales pitch, and all the things that historically made it and still make it appealing to foreigners around the world are just lies, brimming with menace. When a horrified Taylor Lorenz reported that “unfettered conversations are taking place on Clubhouse,” she sounded like every Soviet neurotic ever who grew furious if neighbors had conversations they couldn’t hear through the wall. Or, as the Washington Examiner noted, she was echoing Mencken’s description of Puritanism: “The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.”
When did Americans become so miserable? When did the country once convinced there’s “nothing to fear but fear itself” become addicted to freaking out? Emma Lazarus didn’t write, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to know what their neighbors are up to…” If the word freedom makes you anxious, you really need to lighten up.
Happy Fourth of July, Racket readers. Enjoy your families, and blow up something big, if you can.​
 
A Matt Taibbi PSA snippet:

I just published “Take That, Internet Censors!” about the landmark order in the Missouri v. Biden case, halting the federal government’s multi-agency digital censorship scheme...Since conventional media has shown no inclination to call attention to the problem, I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say the willingness of independent media subscribers to see this through played a role in what might end up being a significant political development.

Obviously there will be a legal counterattack, and there’s always the possibility that federal agencies will just ignore the ruling. We’ll see.

Lastly: there’s a lot in Judge Doughty’s 155-page ruling, and today’s story obviously didn’t get to most of it. So, Racket readers can expect...a review...or that another piece will be coming. More to come. Until then, thanks again to all, and be well.

This from his article:

...federal judge Terry Doughty yesterday...“If the allegations made by Plaintiffs are true, the present case arguably involves the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history.”

Good luck finding any relevant coverage from MSM as to what the judge said.

TYVM Louisiana AG Jeff Landry for prosecuting this blatant, disregard of the 1A by our government.
 
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