It's Not "MIS"information, it's "DIS"information From Conservatives

"Misinformation is spreading on social media as some fight to stop what they call censorship. The Supreme Court is now grappling with how the First Amendment applies to the online world."

Misinformation: wrong information by mistake.

Disinformation: wrong information by design.

Click on the link below for a 15-minute "60-Minutes" segment parsing out the difference and exposing the dishonesty of Republicans/conservatives/MAGAs:

The Right to be Wrong 

Ukraine And Russia: A History Lession

"Although few Americans paid much attention at the time, the events of February 18, 2014, in Ukraine would turn out to be a linchpin in how the United States ended up where it is a decade later."

Click on the link below to better understand the connection between the Republican Party/MAGA and Putin/Russia:

10 years of US/Ukraine/Russia History

Intellectualism Is A 4-Letter Word To Republicans

• Ignorance, or an aversion to reason, has allowed things like gun violence and racism to define American culture.
• Anti-intellectual societies fall prey to tribalism and simplistic explanations, are emotionally immature, and often seek violent solutions.
• Corporate interests encourage anti-intellectualism, conditioning Americans into conformity and passive acceptance of institutional dominance.

Click on the link below for more. Oh, this was published BEFORE Trump was elected. It's only gotten worse:

The exaltation of ignorance in America

A Medical Problem Below The Radar

"Today I want to talk with you about an uncomfortable topic that needs much more open discussion than it’s receiving: America’s extraordinarily high level of anxiety.

"A panel of medical experts has recommended that doctors screen all patients under 65, including children and teenagers, for what the panel calls 'anxiety disorders.'

"Lori Pbert, a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, who serves on the panel, calls mental health disorders 'a crisis in this country.'

"Today’s New York Times has a lead article about what’s called 'persistent depressive disorder,' or P.D.D., which an estimated 2 percent of adults in the United States have experienced in the past year.

"Nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. lost their lives to suicide last year, according to a new provisional tally from the National Center for Health Statistics. (The agency said the final count would likely be higher.)

"The suicide rate of 14.3 deaths per 100,000 Americans has reached its highest level since 1941, when America entered World War II."

"What’s going on?

"Maybe the widespread anxiety and depression, along with the near record rate of suicide, should not be seen as personal disorders.

"Maybe they should be seen — in many cases — as rational responses to a society that’s becoming ever more disordered.

"After all, who’s not concerned by the rising costs of housing and the growing insecurity of jobs and incomes?"

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Click on the link below for more:

America's Anxiety Disorder

There Is NO Equivalency Between The Two Major US Political Parties

Anyone who watches Rachel Maddow knows her political views. The same can be said about Lis Cheney. There is no better example of polar opposites in political views. However, they agree 100% on ONE important matter: DONALD TRUMP MUST NEVER RETURN AS POTUS!!

Click on the link below for one of the best exposes of the dangers of Trump and his cult to the future of US representative democracy:

He is not the lesser of two evils’: Cheney emphasizes the severity of Trump threat

A Deep-Dive Into Trumpism/Conservatism

"Today we dive deeply into the world of conservatives as described in the new book “Strangers in their own Land” by Arlie Russel Hochschild in an attempt to understand how some non-deplorable people in the country could be supporting Donald Trump."

Click on the link below for a podcast from BEFORE Trump was elected in 2016. Democrats need to listen to this repetitively to fully understand not only the brains of conservatives/Trumpers but also how they have contributed to Trumpism in some ways:

What Drives Trump Conservatives - "Strangers in Their Own Land"

The History Of Trumpism

"Chris Hayes: 'There is no referee. Fox News and the conservative movement destroyed the conditions for that. So now, it is just a head-to-head battle of who you like more, who you believe, and who you trust more. They trust Donald Trump.'"

Click on the link below for a 10-min video of how conservatives have destroyed our society:

How The American Right Built Its Own Echo Chamber

The Evil Of Stochastic Terrorism

"In the US this weekend, Club Q in Colorado Springs joined a long list of places struck by concrete violence informed by a broader cultivation of hate. The term for this terrible outcome is “stochastic terrorism”: when an act of public violence is individually unpredictable (i.e. in terms of exact date, target, perpetrator), but also statistically predictable, based on a series of preceding factors, such as sustained hate-mongering from prominent media sources.

"It’s a relatively recent term that has a long history of case studies. Classic examples include the dehumanizing language ascribed to Jewish people ahead of the Holocaust, and Tutsi people ahead of the Rwandan genocide. But it was Gabrielle Giffords, shot in 2011 after appearing in the “crosshairs” of Sarah Palin’s campaign ads, who prompted Daily Kos writer “G2Geek” to bring the term into popular discourse. (Six others, including a nine-year-old, were killed in that attack, and fourteen others sustained injuries.)"

Click on the link below for an in-depth look at this subtle but real terror that any normal person can see within the Republicans:

Stochastic terrorism and the Colorado Springs Club Q shooting

Place The Blame For The Plight Of Afghanistan Allies Where It Belongs

"Olivia Troye, a former homeland security adviser to then-VP Mike Pence, reveals that racist and xenophobic ideologies inside the Trump Administration prevented Afghan allies from being granted Special Immigration Visas during the former president’s term. Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller was the tip of the spear." (link)

Ignoring Science Can Be A Killer

"Back in 2019, a panel of health experts declared that of every country in the whole world, the United States was the most prepared for handling a pandemic. So what went wrong? Acclaimed author Michael Lewis is unparalleled in unearthing the most compelling characters to tell an unexpected story – it’s no wonder he’s had multiple books turned into movies (The Blind Side, Moneyball, The Big Short). Now, Lewis has done it again with his latest book, “The Premonition”, following the people who spent years preparing for a pandemic only to be ignored at the most crucial juncture – to devastating results."

Click on the link below for an enlightening expose of how the present pandemic could have been greatly attenuated if the Trump administration was not a science denier:

The Premonition with Michael Lewis

The Value Of Undocumented Immigrants

Among other points, the following article is excellent in presenting how most of us don't fully know the importance of the work that undocumented immigrants from south of the border provide to the USA.

The Hypocrisy Of Eating At Mexican Restaurants 

The Evils Of Trumpism

This is from a friend, Jay Feldman, and it is a great summary of Donald Trump and his effects on all of us:
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What is Trumpism?

There are two diverse, popular, definitions of Trumpism; first is courtesy of Dictionary.com:

“Trumpism refers to the nontraditional political philosophy and approach espoused by US President Donald Trump and his supporters. The term Trumpism can also be used to directly refer to an outrageous or idiosyncratic statement made by Donald Trump.”
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