Trump reelection bid

[vnatale]

My apologies in advance if this isn't a good thread to post this in.

May I suggest that you read "The Harbinger" by Jonathan Cahn if you have not. Fascinating read and so many connections of events. Very well written and entertaining even if you don't believe the events that prompted his story. It's been around for 10 years or so and was a best seller but I just read it yesterday.

Discovered that I have a copy of it. Will let you know what I think if it gets to be read by me at some point.

Decided to start it now. Some fairly big endorsements here. Let's see how they and the book stand up with 11 years of hindsight after its publication.

Capture.JPG (150.82 KiB) Viewed 3827 times

[vnatale]

My apologies in advance if this isn't a good thread to post this in.

May I suggest that you read "The Harbinger" by Jonathan Cahn if you have not. Fascinating read and so many connections of events. Very well written and entertaining even if you don't believe the events that prompted his story. It's been around for 10 years or so and was a best seller but I just read it yesterday.

Discovered that I have a copy of it. Will let you know what I think if it gets to be read by me at some point.

Decided to start it now. Some fairly big endorsements here. Let's see how they and the book stand up with 11 years of hindsight after its publication.

Am now 45% of the way through the book. Here are some comments so far.

1) After reading the first page I sent that first page to friends with the following:

"How would you rate this writing?

To me it represents typical superficial fiction writing that does not come close to the excellent writing I will come across in a good history book."

2) The book clearly represents a point of view held by the Chrisitan Evangelical Right. I don't think it was sway anyone to these beliefs who don't already share them. Its many logical inconsistencies prevent it from swaying anyone capable of critical thinking.

3) The book tries to make the case that God is going to un+bless America the same way He un-blessed Israel because He has so blessed America and America has not honored those blessings. Begs the questions of why He will not treat other countries the same or worse who are far worse countries than ours in terms of honoring God, e.g., Russia, North Korea or those who have similar societies to ours, e.g., England. This whole aspect of the book is thoroughly un-persuasive.

4) Many of the same Christian Evangelical Right have embraced the belief that Trump was America's God's chosen leader. In this book the rebuilding of the Twin Towers is cited as The Grabd Defiance of God. And, that darling (Trump) of the Christian Evangelical Right is cited as one of those Americans who is part of that Grand Deviance of God!

“So too it came out in the words of those attempting to rebuild Ground Zero. One of the nation’s most prominent real estate magnates said this of the proposed project:

“…we should have the World Trade Center bigger and better.18

18. MSNBC.com, “Trump Calls Freedom Tower ‘Disgusting’ and a ‘Pile of Junk,’” transcript of Hardball With Chris Matthews, May 13, 2005, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7832944/ns/ ... -pile-junk (accessed June 17, 2011).


As I said this book is not going to persuade anyone who did not already hold all the beliefs espoused in this book.

I will finish it. It is obviously a quick read. But I don't think it'd going to get a better grade than C- from me. Just gives me another reason to stay away from fiction and stay with my non-fiction books.

[joypog]

I'm talking about locking up Jan 6 epople without charging them or giving them a trial,

I'm asking this question in all seriousness. Is there any proof that any of the insurrectionists have actually been locked up without due process?

Yes

Link?

[vnatale]

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-764100273142

More than 700 people have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to the Justice Department. They were arrested mostly on federal charges ranging from unlawfully entering the Capitol to seditious conspiracy. Suspects include more than three dozen members and associates of right-wing extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Each of the suspects charged was arrested based on a criminal complaint signed by a federal judge and requiring investigators prove they have probable cause the person committed a federal crime, or an indictment from a grand jury. Information on individual cases is publicly available. The charges can be seen for each defendant.

A member of the prosecution team has just presented evidence We await a member of the defense team to present his evidence

[joypog]

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-764100273142

More than 700 people have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to the Justice Department. They were arrested mostly on federal charges ranging from unlawfully entering the Capitol to seditious conspiracy. Suspects include more than three dozen members and associates of right-wing extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Each of the suspects charged was arrested based on a criminal complaint signed by a federal judge and requiring investigators prove they have probable cause the person committed a federal crime, or an indictment from a grand jury. Information on individual cases is publicly available. The charges can be seen for each defendant.

I'm talking about locking up Jan 6 epople without charging them or giving them a trial

So who do we trust? AP news or MangoMan?

[Xan]

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-764100273142

More than 700 people have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to the Justice Department. They were arrested mostly on federal charges ranging from unlawfully entering the Capitol to seditious conspiracy. Suspects include more than three dozen members and associates of right-wing extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Each of the suspects charged was arrested based on a criminal complaint signed by a federal judge and requiring investigators prove they have probable cause the person committed a federal crime, or an indictment from a grand jury. Information on individual cases is publicly available. The charges can be seen for each defendant.

I'm talking about locking up Jan 6 epople without charging them or giving them a trial

So who do we trust? AP news or MangoMan?

The AP quote doesn't say they were charged or given a trial.

[dockinGA]

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-764100273142

More than 700 people have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to the Justice Department. They were arrested mostly on federal charges ranging from unlawfully entering the Capitol to seditious conspiracy. Suspects include more than three dozen members and associates of right-wing extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Each of the suspects charged was arrested based on a criminal complaint signed by a federal judge and requiring investigators prove they have probable cause the person committed a federal crime, or an indictment from a grand jury. Information on individual cases is publicly available. The charges can be seen for each defendant.

I'm talking about locking up Jan 6 epople without charging them or giving them a trial

So who do we trust? AP news or MangoMan?

Unfortunately, there are far too many people in this world getting their news from only one source, and whether it be AP News or MangoMan, both sources are probably lying to them or slanting the info.

I asked the question because I legitimately couldn't find much info on it. I found the AP link, which is most likely 'mostly' true. I was also able to find one story, can't find it now unfortunately, that talked about one individual who was forgotten about, fairly recently. It sounded like he had only been arrested and jailed for a few weeks to a month, but the government admitted fault and tried to throw the case out due to mishandling things. But, the insurrectionist was choosing to attempt to plead guilty for fear that they get charged with something worse than what they were already charged with.

My hunch is that, due to an incredible backlog of people all charged with the same thing at the same time in the same place, there may have been more delays than normal during the early part of the process. And that was, anecdotally, picked up by right wing media and made into some nefarious fiasco that the left was intentionally doing. I'm no legal expert, but what would happen if a mob went on a rampage and tried to murder some people? I assume as many as possible would be arrested, put in jail awaiting official charges, but those people would be far too dangerous to be allowed to roam the streets waiting on official charges to begin. Due to the backlog of would-be murderers in this case, it would take longer than usual for the processes to play out. Is the answer to let them out of jail to go try to kill somebody else, since we don't have the ability to handle all the cases at one time? I think the answer is no, as long as the government is acting in good faith. Proving that good faith can be difficult, though. Anyway, just a poorly worded thought experiment.

[glennds]

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-764100273142

More than 700 people have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to the Justice Department. They were arrested mostly on federal charges ranging from unlawfully entering the Capitol to seditious conspiracy. Suspects include more than three dozen members and associates of right-wing extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Each of the suspects charged was arrested based on a criminal complaint signed by a federal judge and requiring investigators prove they have probable cause the person committed a federal crime, or an indictment from a grand jury. Information on individual cases is publicly available. The charges can be seen for each defendant.

I'm talking about locking up Jan 6 epople without charging them or giving them a trial

So who do we trust? AP news or MangoMan?

I'm waiting for someone to say the courts are rigged.

[glennds]

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-764100273142

More than 700 people have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to the Justice Department. They were arrested mostly on federal charges ranging from unlawfully entering the Capitol to seditious conspiracy. Suspects include more than three dozen members and associates of right-wing extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Each of the suspects charged was arrested based on a criminal complaint signed by a federal judge and requiring investigators prove they have probable cause the person committed a federal crime, or an indictment from a grand jury. Information on individual cases is publicly available. The charges can be seen for each defendant.

I'm talking about locking up Jan 6 epople without charging them or giving them a trial

So who do we trust? AP news or MangoMan?

The AP quote doesn't say they were charged or given a trial.

https://www.insider.com/all-the-us-capi ... mes-2021-1

Searchable table here. From the table you can link to the Complaint and other court documents associated with each of (I think) 895 defendants. It's 112 pages, more than anyone here is probably going to read. But a few of them are interesting, they include tipster interviews, video evidence, other evidence, sometimes plea agreements. The 3 or 4 that I clicked all had at least a detailed Complaint and probable cause case and a detailed statement of charges and specific laws that are alleged to be violated.

The article says 363 defendants have entered guilty pleas. It's not clear to me how many of these defendants are "locked up". It's hard to argue a lack of transparency here.

[glennds]

He didn't ask for a link, just whether or not it was true. Anyway here you go, one of many:

Why are some still in jail 10 months after the fact?


Pug, the link you provided is an op ed.

I wasn’t at the Capitol on January 6th. I don’t know and have never met Ms. Greene or any of the people still held in the DC prison. I know nothing of the individual cases or the evidence against any of them. I am simply a citizen who has watched events unfold these past 10 months. I observed a fence erected around the Capitol, removed after six months, and then put back up for the July 4th festivities.......

But I am concerned, nay, I’m shocked by the ongoing stories of prospective defendants who have been arrested and deprived of their livelihoods; confined in solitary confinement with little or no reasonable access to the outside world, their families or adequate legal counsel; and denied formal charges levied against them without bail and in contravention to their right to a speedy trial.....

If you follow the link to the database I provided, you can see the Complaints and formal charges against each Defendant. Search it yourself, it's all meat. The evidence gathering is pretty significant. Your quoted op ed is basically Gerber baby pudding.
You can't have your pudding if you don't eat yer meat.

[barrett]

That article you linked to Pug was from 11/10/21. I wonder if this has been resolved by now. From the link:

"Clearly, the Capitol was inadequately defended by the civilian leadership and uniformed law enforcement. But once the tragic events had occurred, it was not surprising that many arrests were made. To this day, almost 700 people have been arrested and charged, the vast majority of whom have been released and had their cases disposed of in varying ways.

But in his television show this past Monday, Fox News’s Tucker Carlson highlighted a trip by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to the Washington, DC prison where she spoke with some January 6th detainees who, to this day, 10 months after the fact, are still in jail."

Maybe it just takes time to work through 700 cases and the detainees mentioned above have long since been let go. But, yeah, obviously everyone everywhere here in the US deserves due process.

[vnatale]

I'm talking about locking up Jan 6 epople without charging them or giving them a trial,

I'm asking this question in all seriousness. Is there any proof that any of the insurrectionists have actually been locked up without due process?

Yes

Link?

He didn't ask for a link, just whether or not it was true. Anyway here you go, one of many:

I’m shocked by the ongoing stories of prospective defendants who have been arrested and deprived of their livelihoods; confined in solitary confinement with little or no reasonable access to the outside world, their families or adequate legal counsel; and denied formal charges levied against them without bail and in contravention to their right to a speedy trial. This past summer, I spoke with an employee at the federally appointed Public Defender’s Office who told me that they were not even representing any of these folks.

Where is the ACLU? Where are the “civil rights” defenders who should be screaming from the rooftops about this flagrant denial of due process?

Why are some still in jail 10 months after the fact?

Read the article which raises some questions / observations

1) Article date - November 10, 2021 - over 9 months ago. Hardly a current update.

2) Obvious bias here by the writer of the article - "The sole victim intentionally killed that day was Ashley Babbitt, a US veteran whose misfortune was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. "

She was a veteran who was an idiot for putting herself in danger. She should have known better. She was no "victim". Just as the "free speech" advocates seem to want it with no consequences to their "free speech" .... once she went through that window she had to be willing to accept the consequences of doing so.

3) "To this day, almost 700 people have been arrested and charged, the vast majority of whom have been released and had their cases disposed of in varying ways."

Why was this so for the "vast majority" but not for the vast minority? What was the reason for the selective, intentional bias here? In other words, who was behind yet another seemingly conspiracy? Who on the left to blame for this one?

4) "But in his television show this past Monday, Fox News’s Tucker Carlson highlighted a trip by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene "

Obviously two highly objective, unbiased people we should give the utmost credence to?

5) "where she spoke with some January 6th detainees who, to this day, 10 months after the fact, are still in jail."

How many precise is "some"? Are there not many other people who have been arrested for various crimes in this country who are still in jail and not gone to trial 10 months after the alleged crime?

6) "I wasn’t at the Capitol on January 6th. I don’t know and have never met Ms. Greene or any of the people still held in the DC prison. I know nothing of the individual cases or the evidence against any of them."

Here he is admitting that he has no special information than any of us would have access to.

7) "But I am concerned, nay, I’m shocked by the ongoing stories of prospective defendants who have been arrested and deprived of their livelihoods; confined in solitary confinement with little or no reasonable access to the outside world, their families or adequate legal counsel; and denied formal charges levied against them without bail and in contravention to their right to a speedy trial."

Yes, "stories". How much is fact? How much is fiction?

Finally what is the definition of "due process"?

From scanning this it is not clear to me what currently constitutes "due process" in this country:

https://constitutioncenter.org/interact ... lauses/701

[Mountaineer]

That article you linked to Pug was from 11/10/21. I wonder if this has been resolved by now. From the link:

"Clearly, the Capitol was inadequately defended by the civilian leadership and uniformed law enforcement. But once the tragic events had occurred, it was not surprising that many arrests were made. To this day, almost 700 people have been arrested and charged, the vast majority of whom have been released and had their cases disposed of in varying ways.

But in his television show this past Monday, Fox News’s Tucker Carlson highlighted a trip by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to the Washington, DC prison where she spoke with some January 6th detainees who, to this day, 10 months after the fact, are still in jail."

Maybe it just takes time to work through 700 cases and the detainees mentioned above have long since been let go. But, yeah, obviously everyone everywhere here in the US deserves due process.

.

I wonder why they weren't let go until their trial (or whatever) like the thousands upon thousands at the southern border that are part of a huge backlog and let go before their proceedings and told to come back?

.

[Mountaineer]

My apologies in advance if this isn't a good thread to post this in.

May I suggest that you read "The Harbinger" by Jonathan Cahn if you have not. Fascinating read and so many connections of events. Very well written and entertaining even if you don't believe the events that prompted his story. It's been around for 10 years or so and was a best seller but I just read it yesterday.

Discovered that I have a copy of it. Will let you know what I think if it gets to be read by me at some point.

Decided to start it now. Some fairly big endorsements here. Let's see how they and the book stand up with 11 years of hindsight after its publication.

Am now 45% of the way through the book. Here are some comments so far.

1) After reading the first page I sent that first page to friends with the following:

"How would you rate this writing?

To me it represents typical superficial fiction writing that does not come close to the excellent writing I will come across in a good history book."

2) The book clearly represents a point of view held by the Chrisitan Evangelical Right. I don't think it was sway anyone to these beliefs who don't already share them. Its many logical inconsistencies prevent it from swaying anyone capable of critical thinking.

3) The book tries to make the case that God is going to un+bless America the same way He un-blessed Israel because He has so blessed America and America has not honored those blessings. Begs the questions of why He will not treat other countries the same or worse who are far worse countries than ours in terms of honoring God, e.g., Russia, North Korea or those who have similar societies to ours, e.g., England. This whole aspect of the book is thoroughly un-persuasive.

4) Many of the same Christian Evangelical Right have embraced the belief that Trump was America's God's chosen leader. In this book the rebuilding of the Twin Towers is cited as The Grabd Defiance of God. And, that darling (Trump) of the Christian Evangelical Right is cited as one of those Americans who is part of that Grand Deviance of God!

“So too it came out in the words of those attempting to rebuild Ground Zero. One of the nation’s most prominent real estate magnates said this of the proposed project:

“…we should have the World Trade Center bigger and better.18

18. MSNBC.com, “Trump Calls Freedom Tower ‘Disgusting’ and a ‘Pile of Junk,’” transcript of Hardball With Chris Matthews, May 13, 2005, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7832944/ns/ ... -pile-junk (accessed June 17, 2011).


As I said this book is not going to persuade anyone who did not already hold all the beliefs espoused in this book.

I will finish it. It is obviously a quick read. But I don't think it'd going to get a better grade than C- from me. Just gives me another reason to stay away from fiction and stay with my non-fiction books.

.

Vinny, cool that you decided to read it. If you have the time or inclination, I'm interested in your, and others who read the book, take re:

1. What do you think the main theme and purpose of the book are?

2. What do you think of the significant events mentioned that correlate with some of the 9/11 and aftermath happenings?

3. If you were to develop an excel spreadsheet to aid your analysis, what would be on the x and y axis? What would that analysis show? I only ask this because I perceive you are extremely analytical and unbiased more than most.

4. Why do you think the book was so popular (I think over 100 weeks on NYT best seller list)?

5. What does your answer to Number 4 say about a Trump reelection bid? (thread topic).

FWIW, my very brief comments in no particular order of the book are: Spooky. Very engaging and a quick read. I'm somewhat reminded of Dan Brown books that are fiction but have sufficient facts to be head scratchers for many. I'm also reminded of denominations (mostly Evangelicals in the current use of the term) that base a lot on Israel and the Temple being rebuilt to their former glory. I thought the descriptions of how America has fallen away from God were pretty accurate. I had forgotten the location of the first US capitol. I fact-checked many of the events discussed; they are accurate.

.

[dockinGA]

I'm talking about locking up Jan 6 epople without charging them or giving them a trial,

I'm asking this question in all seriousness. Is there any proof that any of the insurrectionists have actually been locked up without due process?

Yes

Link?

He didn't ask for a link, just whether or not it was true. Anyway here you go, one of many:

I’m shocked by the ongoing stories of prospective defendants who have been arrested and deprived of their livelihoods; confined in solitary confinement with little or no reasonable access to the outside world, their families or adequate legal counsel; and denied formal charges levied against them without bail and in contravention to their right to a speedy trial. This past summer, I spoke with an employee at the federally appointed Public Defender’s Office who told me that they were not even representing any of these folks.

Where is the ACLU? Where are the “civil rights” defenders who should be screaming from the rooftops about this flagrant denial of due process?

Why are some still in jail 10 months after the fact?

I had already found the article you reference, and as others have pointed out it's an op ed. I read enough to realize this person was using info from MTG (who happens to be my representative, sadly), which was enough for me to just stop reading. Anything that clown says is pure political performance.

We have to reach a point in society where we're all getting reliable news from reputable sources. The fact that both sides of the aisle are getting their news from their own largely unreliable news sources is a huge issue. And then those of us without a dog in the fight as far as the two clownshow parties are concerned are left refusing the drink the koolaid from either side, scratching our heads trying to piece together what's legit and what's not.

[Mountaineer]

Vinny, cool that you decided to read it. If you have the time or inclination, I'm interested in your, and others who read the book, take re:

1. What do you think the main theme and purpose of the book are?

2. What do you think of the significant events mentioned that correlate with some of the 9/11 and aftermath happenings?

3. If you were to develop an excel spreadsheet to aid your analysis, what would be on the x and y axis? What would that analysis show? I only ask this because I perceive you are extremely analytical and unbiased more than most.

4. Why do you think the book was so popular (I think over 100 weeks on NYT best seller list)?

5. What does your answer to Number 4 say about a Trump reelection bid? (thread topic).

FWIW, my very brief comments in no particular order of the book are: Spooky. Very engaging and a quick read. I'm somewhat reminded of Dan Brown books that are fiction but have sufficient facts to be head scratchers for many. I'm also reminded of denominations (mostly Evangelicals in the current use of the term) that base a lot on Israel and the Temple being rebuilt to their former glory. I thought the descriptions of how America has fallen away from God were pretty accurate. I had forgotten the location of the first US capitol. I fact-checked many of the events discussed; they are accurate.

I'm not Vinnie, obviously, but just jumping in to say that I generally discount narratives that try to draw parallels between Ancient Israel and the U.S. It's not a biblically-logical comparison. As you mentioned, it's tempting to place ourselves (or our country) in the center of Bible stories, but it can result in some pretty incorrect conclusions.

In personal finance discussion, for example, I often see Jeremiah 29:11 cited. It's unfortunate to see.

Indeed! Those citations are likely by the Prosperity Gospel adherents (and talk about popularity, Jonathan Cahn would likely be in second place ...... ). It's remarkable, well probably not, that so many get mesmerized by promises of man (thread topic?) rather than the promises of the One who counts.

[dockinGA]

I had already found the article you reference, and as others have pointed out it's an op ed. I read enough to realize this person was using info from MTG (who happens to be my representative, sadly), which was enough for me to just stop reading. Anything that clown says is pure political performance.

We have to reach a point in society where we're all getting reliable news from reputable sources. The fact that both sides of the aisle are getting their news from their own largely unreliable news sources is a huge issue. And then those of us without a dog in the fight as far as the two clownshow parties are concerned are left refusing the drink the koolaid from either side, scratching our heads trying to piece together what's legit and what's not.

I agree with much you've posted in this thread, but I don't agree that the spectrum of news sources available is equally unreliable. No media source is infallible, but there are reasonably trustworthy sources that are far superior to the noise at the extremes.

I agree mostly, and was being a little bit facetious. But I'm curious (and feel free to share in a PM), which news sources do you rely on? I tend to mix and match some from all parts of the spectrum, always making sure to double check things that I read to make sure the stories aren't made up out of whole cloth. The most depressing part of this process is usually seeing the different spin that different articles/sites try to put on things. The best example that has stuck out the most to me was Trump's retweet of the 'White Power' video. I think I saw this mentioned first on a left leaning site, under headlines that would make one think the world was ending and that Trump said 'white power' himself. I went to a right leaning site, expecting that it couldn't be as bad as the left-leaning site made it seem, and it was surprisingly an article on the site, but buried 3/4 of the way down the page and treated as an afterthought type story. The truth was, of course, somewhere in between being the end of the world and being something mentioned along with viewership numbers for last night's big basketball game. Trust, then verify..... Except I usually just skip the Trust part.

[joypog]

On my end, I generally trust the Dispatch as a fair opinion source. And since I trust that their opinions are based upon facts, they've become my primary news source as well.

I don't trust Fox or MSNBC as far as I can throw them but since we don't have cable, there is little risk of me coming across their work. For a while I followed the Bulwark, but I think they are too far on the "republic is falling" alarmism. I also used to read Kevin Williamson's Tuesday newsletter until NRO paywalled it. When bored, I'll reflexively visit Huffpo, even though I know their headlines are trash and I don't click through to the articles.

I know its a bad habit, but the Huffpo front page headlines do give a good sense as to what's the hot newsbutton topic of the day. If I really wanted to dig further into a story, (which I rarely do) I'd generally trust APnews and Reuters as being reasonably fair arbiters of what's going on. However, I'd just as often pop onto Twitter and check out pundits for their thoughts - Jonah Goldberg, David French, Charlie Sykes, Jonathan Rauch, Matt Yglesias. I can always pop onto FB for my liberal friends opinions / echo chamber.

[Kbg]

Speaking of news sources...

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/14/10925807 ... defendants

There's some serious irony here...

But after NPR's reporting, a group of inmates organized and contacted NPR. In all, a dozen current and former inmates of C2B said they wanted the Patriot Freedom Project to be more transparent.

So what did I learn? Yep, there's some folks who have been held for quite a while. Most likely, deservedly so.

[Kbg]

On my end, I generally trust the Dispatch as a fair opinion source. And since I trust that their opinions are based upon facts, they've become my primary news source as well.

I don't trust Fox or MSNBC as far as I can throw them but since we don't have cable, there is little risk of me coming across their work. For a while I followed the Bulwark, but I think they are too far on the "republic is falling" alarmism. I also used to read Kevin Williamson's Tuesday newsletter until NRO paywalled it. When bored, I'll reflexively visit Huffpo, even though I know their headlines are trash and I don't click through to the articles.

https://thedispatch.com/p/when-toxic-fl ... r-the-news

Speaking of dispatch...this.

[joypog]

What's the word on Al Jazeera news? Is it considered at all credible? Or is it basically a middle eastern version of CCTV 4?

[I Shrugged]

It might be worth considering if staying all hyped up on news isn't just playing into the hands of the media, the parties, and the crazy group of the week.

I mean yes, we are going to hell in a handbasket, but politics isn't going to lead us out of it. Civilizations go down the drain. Make your own life, and make it better by not giving importance to all the political clowns.

[Kbg]

What's the word on Al Jazeera news? Is it considered at all credible? Or is it basically a middle eastern version of CCTV 4?

Interestingly...not a bad source, except for Middle Eastern/Islamic stuff.

Given the thread has turned to news sources, I find foreign sources are more factual about US happenings because I suppose they have less in the game than US news sources...ergo more facts and less spin. They also still tend to have more of a wall between reporting and editorial than US news.

Actually, I really have gotten into Twitter this past year. I wouldn't recommend it for pure news, but there are some really, really good and insightful posters (I tend to finance and foreign affairs...so can't speak to quality outside those two topics.)

You will really hate it if you can't stand the occasional poster demolishing something you thought or thought you knew.

However, it takes a while to figure out where posters are coming from and who is good/experts.

Downside...it is really easy to waste a lot of time if you aren't careful. Sorta like here. ;-)

[dockinGA]

It might be worth considering if staying all hyped up on news isn't just playing into the hands of the media, the parties, and the crazy group of the week.

I mean yes, we are going to hell in a handbasket, but politics isn't going to lead us out of it. Civilizations go down the drain. Make your own life, and make it better by not giving importance to all the political clowns.

This is far and away the best advice I've seen on this forum. Ive cut back immensely over the last 10 years or so and I'm much happier as a result. Maybe I should learn a lesson from that and cut out the little bit that's left....

Yes, both parties are stupid and need to be held to account, but there's really not a cotton pickin thing I can do about it.

[I Shrugged]

It might be worth considering if staying all hyped up on news isn't just playing into the hands of the media, the parties, and the crazy group of the week.

I mean yes, we are going to hell in a handbasket, but politics isn't going to lead us out of it. Civilizations go down the drain. Make your own life, and make it better by not giving importance to all the political clowns.

I do agree with this, 100 percent. I'm trying to find a semi-happy medium between being hyped up on all the latest drama, and being completely cynical and uninformed. I think it's worth staying informed, but that doesn't require daily doses of outrage porn.

I'm probably in about the same place. Right now I'm cynical and informed. I don't know, cynical and uniformed might not be so bad. Content and uninformed could be nice.