The Machinations of Propaganda

Fair Use

Is this the Boston Globe or the Onion?

Can't say I'm surprised as the Boston Globe rises to the journalistic standards of the National Inquirer.  If anyone had any doubts as to whether the Globe was nothing more than a propaganda rag those doubts are gone now.

From headlines of Market Crashes, Deportations, Military Revolt, and Libel Changes the paper gives one (perhaps a few) staffers view of their coming apocalypse.  Not really the function of a major urban newspaper. Opinion is opinion but opinion disguised as news is something else entirely.  This is the material of The Onion, Mad Magazine, and related publications, not normally found in serious journalistic outlets.  Remember these are the same people who think millions are too stupid to figure out how to get a government photo ID, what do they really think of these millions ability to discern the difference between satire and news published in bold headlines with full color photos?

"This is Donald Trump’s America.

What you read on this page is what

might happen if the GOP front­runner 

can put his ideas into practice, his words 

into action. Many Ameri­cans might find this 

vision appeal­ing, but the Globe’s editorial 

board finds it deeply troubling"

 
Meanwhile, Obama deploys B-52's to the Middle East and all is hunky dory.

I have to admit I dislike Trump and like satire, and this is funny, no doubt about it, but does it belong in the Boston Globe? Is this humorous satire or dark political propaganda?  Either way, The Onion is funnier.

Billionaire reading name in the Panama Papers, 

totally forgot he had money in the Seychelles. 

Clinton campaign Treasurer crushed to death

after stack of campaign funds topples over.

But it was a good spoof/great stunt... can't wait to see next Sunday's Hillary Clinton issue... oh, wait...

He's Black?

A Hate Crime investigation was launched following a string of seven church fires in the St. Louis area in which the congregations were predominately black.  Police have charged David Lopez Jackson in 2 of the seven fires and he remains a suspect in the other five.

Liberals left baffled and confused! 

An ATF spokesman was quoted as saying "There appears to be no indication of a hate crime or sign ... any one particular Christian denomination or ethnic group was being targeted, to be honest I'm completely stumped! I don't know what to think." 

One local leader said he was relieved that he was caught and now that he knew he was black, hopefully he would get some help, but you know... we were kind of hoping we were going to get to string up a honkey! As he walked off he was heard yelling at the top of his lungs:

"NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE". 

Seriously though folks, isn't it kind of racist jumping to the conclusion that the Perp was some angry white guy? Sometimes an arsonist is just an arsonist.

Although to give our liberal friends some hope, maybe it was a hate crime, maybe he hates religion and churches were the only thing conveniently at hand.  Oh wait, that would make him eligible for a leadership position in the DNC. 

Freedom of Speech and of the Press

These are foundational principles upon which this great nation was founded.  It is not mainstream speech that needs protection, saying what everyone else is saying, doing what everyone else is doing, and believing what everyone else is believing is fairly safe, it is only the speech of the outliers, the obnoxious, those swimming against the stream that require the protections offered by the first amendment.

Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, these are the things that put the David Dukes and Westboro Baptist Churches of our world on your evening news.  The man in funny shoes, hat, and a dress (Pope Francis) says "You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others, You cannot make fun of the faith of others."  That's funny, considering his primary job is to preach the gospel of a man that was provocative and insulting to the powers that be, It's not readily documented but I'm pretty sure he made fun of the Pharisees too.  Under the rules outlined by the Pope I'm sure Jesus would have been jailed for "hate speech", he certainly would have been jailed today for vandalizing the money-lenders in the temple.  I certainly found it surprising that the #1 disciple of Jesus today would (half-jokingly) punch you for insulting his mother, but he's Latin American so culturally I suppose we need to forgive him for his machismo.

But this isn't a post about religion, it's a poach about speech.  I wonder if those of you willing to restrict the speech of those offending Islam would be willing to toss Arne Niklas Jansson and the members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti monster in jail?

Fair Use: (c) Arne Niklas Jansson

Are they not making fun of someone's religion?

The Creation of Adam: Michelangelo

I made fun of the Pope above, should I be jailed? My speech restricted?  Is it a hate crime?  I certainly don't hate the Pope or the Catholic Church. Now my intent is certainly different from Charlie Hebdo, I poke my fun good-naturedly, their intent is to ridicule, to expose as farcical not only Islam but the aforementioned Catholic Church, and all religion. Many Christians found this offensive, to the point of vandalism and death threats.

Piss Christ: Andres Serrano

Indeed many Christians found this next film offensive and it was banned in Ireland, Norway, and by several UK town councils. 

What is offensive is quite relative, I find none of the works displayed here offensive, I'm sure some of you will find some, or all of them offensive. Are you willing to ban them? 

There is a fine line between Freedom of Speech and oppression.

SLATE

 

Don't be a Virist!

You can't condemn an entire form of life (?) based on the behavior of a radical few malcontents like Ebola, Variola, or EV-D68.  You need to shed your anthropocentric biases and embrace our little viral friends.

The photo above illustrates the friendly legions of viruses resident in your oral mucosa coming to your defense and attacking an unwanted bacterial invader.  While this behavior occurs naturally among our viral friends, phage therapy as a medical treatement was developed in the Soviet Union in the 1920's and is only currently approved for use in Russia and Georgia, but...

In 2006 the US FDA approved the use of ListShield  a product developed by Intralytix for spraying on meat to combat Listeria monocytogenes, so yes there is a virus in every bite.

Mmmm... Cowpea Mosaic Virus

Thomas Splettstoesser

Not only that but viruses, of which there are about a million in a teaspoon of seawater, are responsible for removing 3 Gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere a year.

So don't be a Virist!

Age of Incompetence

Cascading crises, serial gaffs followed by serial apologies from Palooka Joe Biden...

Everybody is talking about Ebola.  It's so serious that it has almost pushed the outbreak of nude celebrity selfies out of the news.

Meanwhile, ISIL rolls on, and the news isn't good...

President Barack Obama has called on the United Nations to endorse a US mandate that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, better known as ISIL, drop the word "Islamic" from its name.

"Muslims everywhere," insisted the president, "explicitly, forcefully and consistently reject the state's characterization as Islamic.  I have directed my UN ambassador, Samantha Power, to put forward in plenary UN assembly a binding resolution demanding the organization drop the word Islamic from its name."

Secretary of State John Kerry added that Muslims need to "reclaim Islam," and White House Spokesman Josh Earnest "strongly encourage(d)" the White House press corps to refer to the terrorist organization as simply SIL, insisting that using the old name was reinforcing anti-Muslim stereotypes.

But not all Muslims are applauding the Obama Administration's efforts. Many have written blog posts and created social media campaigns to criticize what they see as the US government's knee-jerk instinct to unfairly connect faraway atrocities to local Muslim communities.

"Why have they not stripped the word "Democratic" from North Korea's official title?" Abdul-Malik al Shababbi said as he stood in front of the White House with a group of peaceful protesters that included women in hijab and men in traditional Islamic attire.

Vice President Joe Biden met the protesters on the sidewalk and tried to diffuse the tension by suggesting they all go out for kebabs and falafel.

Tempers flared when the Vice President suggested the imam leading the peaceful protest go "relax, pop open a Penthouse magazine and have a relaxing shave" at the Vice President's favorite barber shop in Bethesda, where, according to Mr. Biden, "the staff is all babes, and man are they hot!"

An unnamed White House staffer told gathered reporters that an official apology would be forthcoming.

EPA Cartel Hits Wyoming Billboards

Satire by Hugh Farnham

CHEYENNE, Wyoming -- State police are investigating  a mysterious billboard vandalism that appeared just off I-25, with a suited mannequin hanging from a noose.

The Clean Coal billboard was defaced sometime Friday night, said Lt. Testerberg of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.  "We have strong leads pointing to the EPA" the investigator said, puffing on a tobacco pipe.  

When reminded of the recent EPA decision to give the Wyoming city of Riverton to an Indian tribe, he remarked "Oh, there's plenty of motive and opportunity to go around.  Remember what EPA's "Caesar" Armendariz said, 'Like Romans, we march into town and crucify the first five capitalists we find.  After that, industry there is pretty easy to manage.'"

 

"This isn't new.  Last year Guns 'N Gear had their billboard defaced with a spray painted slogan  - 'Give Up Yer Guns - Or We'll Kick Down Yer Door!'" He paused to take a puff on his pipe.  "The paint can traced to a government GSA catalog buy, and then to the ATF, right here in town.  Unbelievable."

"We issued warrants, but the ATF cartel transferred the members to Connecticut.  They're worse than MS-13.  The Federales have gang chapters in every major city.  And their crime lord, "El Tio" Obama, is 1,500 miles away in the cartel-protected enclave of D.C.  Sometimes I feel like I'm playing whack-a-mole."

Plata O Plomo - Silver or Lead

"I follow the money with these crimes." He continued.  "Usually it is a protection racket.  They use regulations to squeeze some industry or capitalist, then quietly offer the deal.  Give us your silver or get the lead treatment.  Their 'silver' ends up as DNC campaign donations."

"But unlike MS-13, the Federales pump out reams of crime evidence.  I don't even need to go to the crime scene - I can Google all the evidence I need right here at my office computer, and so can you."