[SEKYFAN]

This lady hit the nail on the head with this take!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/d...260d&ei=15

You also have to look at the conspiracist mindset that says the mainstream media is the enemy of the people, the government is controlled by the Deep State, and scientists are on the take, because it’s what makes people turn away from consensual reality.

CBS correspondent Leslie Stahl once asked Donald Trump why he constantly attacked the press. “I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you,” Trump replied.

Another reason why conspiracism and totalitarianism are closely connected is that conspiracy theories take away our ability to have good-faith debates. If everything you don't like becomes evidence of your opponent's plot to destroy you, you can't discuss anything rationally. Human-caused climate change is a fact. But conspiracism takes the debate out of the realm of evidence and into the realm of character assassination of scientists and their supporters. It paints us as hoaxers and saboteurs. Vaccines have saved hundreds of millions of lives, but instead of debating their merits based on evidence, anti-vaxers portray their opponents as agents of a nefarious coverup to kill children. And it's completely irrefutable within their conceptual framework. When scientists or the government or journalists come forward with evidence that vaccines save millions of lives and prevent untold suffering, the conspiracist answer is: Well, that's what conspirators to kill our children would say.

There’s a much-needed movement afoot to fix our media ecosystem, but we can’t do that until we address the conspiracist mindset that predisposes people to believe Trump’s lies.

[Old School Hound]

Good thread, SEKY . I've said this for years. They discredit science , evidence and rational thought in favor of conspiracies(Gibson), Deep State(Plant Man). and personal attacks on MSM like Maddow(Jetpilot). You simply cannot have a good faith debate with these fools.

The only thing I would add is their profound obsession with turning the country into a Christian nationalist state, led by their Cheeto Jesus cult leader. They fear rational thought. They loathe rational thought. They want their children to be distanced from rational thinkers. They are content to live in their little bubble of superstition and magic , cultism , and religiosity bullsh!t. They are gonna fail bigtime, in the end. People like me and SEKY , all around this country, will continue to expose them for the insecure little conspirators and haters of rational thought that they are. History will record their "contributions" to society in the same paragraphs as Jonestown, Waco, and Heavens Gate. They are nuts, and they will be remembered as such.

Thanks for the topic, SEKY. Five stars from Old School.

[Hoot Gibson]

This lady hit the nail on the head with this take!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/d...260d&ei=15

You also have to look at the conspiracist mindset that says the mainstream media is the enemy of the people, the government is controlled by the Deep State, and scientists are on the take, because it’s what makes people turn away from consensual reality.

CBS correspondent Leslie Stahl once asked Donald Trump why he constantly attacked the press. “I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you,” Trump replied.

Another reason why conspiracism and totalitarianism are closely connected is that conspiracy theories take away our ability to have good-faith debates. If everything you don't like becomes evidence of your opponent's plot to destroy you, you can't discuss anything rationally. Human-caused climate change is a fact. But conspiracism takes the debate out of the realm of evidence and into the realm of character assassination of scientists and their supporters. It paints us as hoaxers and saboteurs. Vaccines have saved hundreds of millions of lives, but instead of debating their merits based on evidence, anti-vaxers portray their opponents as agents of a nefarious coverup to kill children. And it's completely irrefutable within their conceptual framework. When scientists or the government or journalists come forward with evidence that vaccines save millions of lives and prevent untold suffering, the conspiracist answer is: Well, that's what conspirators to kill our children would say.

There’s a much-needed movement afoot to fix our media ecosystem, but we can’t do that until we address the conspiracist mindset that predisposes people to believe Trump’s lies.

Musk has provided proof that the federal government was weoponized to defeat Trump in 2020 and to attempt to prevent him from running in 2024. Documents were forged, millions of taxpayer dollars were paid to the media for censoring the truth about the crooked Biden administration, millions of dollars were paid to the BLM terrorist organization at a time when they were inciting riots, arson, looting, and murder, and you label Trump supporters as delusional. 

I would say that you can't be serious, but the sad fact is, I believe that you are serious. I am not sure that any amount of proof is going to change your mind. You are searching in all the wrong places for delusions.

[SEKYFAN]

Good thread, SEKY . I've said this for years. They discredit science , evidence  and rational thought in favor of conspiracies(Gibson), Deep State(Plant Man). and personal attacks on MSM like Maddow(Jetpilot). You simply cannot have a good faith debate with these fools.

The only thing I would add  is their profound obsession with turning the country into a Christian nationalist state, led by their Cheeto Jesus cult leader. They fear rational thought. They loathe rational thought. They want their children  to be distanced from rational thinkers. They are content to live in their little bubble of superstition and magic  , cultism , and religiosity bullsh!t. They are gonna fail bigtime, in the end. People like me and SEKY , all around this country, will continue to expose them for the insecure little conspirators and haters of rational thought that they are. History will record their "contributions" to society in the same paragraphs as Jonestown, Waco, and Heavens Gate. They are nuts, and they will be remembered as such.

Thanks for the topic, SEKY.  Five stars from Old School.

I would venture to guess that Trump is barely more religious than you.

[jetpilot]

Good thread, SEKY . I've said this for years. They discredit science , evidence  and rational thought in favor of conspiracies(Gibson), Deep State(Plant Man). and personal attacks on MSM like Maddow(Jetpilot). You simply cannot have a good faith debate with these fools.

The only thing I would add  is their profound obsession with turning the country into a Christian nationalist state, led by their Cheeto Jesus cult leader. They fear rational thought. They loathe rational thought. They want their children  to be distanced from rational thinkers. They are content to live in their little bubble of superstition and magic  , cultism , and religiosity bullsh!t. They are gonna fail bigtime, in the end. People like me and SEKY , all around this country, will continue to expose them for the insecure little conspirators and haters of rational thought that they are. History will record their "contributions" to society in the same paragraphs as Jonestown, Waco, and Heavens Gate. They are nuts, and they will be remembered as such.

Thanks for the topic, SEKY.  Five stars from Old School.

I would venture to guess that Trump is barely more religious than you.

All you do is guess, and you're not good at it.

[jetpilot]

Good thread, SEKY . I've said this for years. They discredit science , evidence  and rational thought in favor of conspiracies(Gibson), Deep State(Plant Man). and personal attacks on MSM like Maddow(Jetpilot). You simply cannot have a good faith debate with these fools.

The only thing I would add  is their profound obsession with turning the country into a Christian nationalist state, led by their Cheeto Jesus cult leader. They fear rational thought. They loathe rational thought. They want their children  to be distanced from rational thinkers. They are content to live in their little bubble of superstition and magic  , cultism , and religiosity bullsh!t. They are gonna fail bigtime, in the end. People like me and SEKY , all around this country, will continue to expose them for the insecure little conspirators and haters of rational thought that they are. History will record their "contributions" to society in the same paragraphs as Jonestown, Waco, and Heavens Gate. They are nuts, and they will be remembered as such.

Thanks for the topic, SEKY.  Five stars from Old School.

I would venture to guess that Trump is barely more religious than you.

I am militantly anti-religion but deeply spiritual, in the sense that I feel a oneness with nature and with the Universe. While there is not one single iota of evidence for the sky man, we can see the wonders of nature and the beauty and awesomeness of the Universe. And, as Hawking and Dawkins said, none of that required a sky fairy. Science is a must; religion is a disease, with opiate-like symptoms. It requires you to suspend rational thought.  You are right about their Cheeto Jesus, he is not religious and , unlike me, he doesn't have a spiritual cell in his body. He is the very embodiment kind of person that his cult should detest. But, because he validates their hate , phobias, and bigotries, they adore him. Validation of long-held bigotries is a powerfully intoxicating drug.

LOL! thanks for that. I just spit my sandwich all over my screen!

[Old School Hound]

Good thread, SEKY . I've said this for years. They discredit science , evidence  and rational thought in favor of conspiracies(Gibson), Deep State(Plant Man). and personal attacks on MSM like Maddow(Jetpilot). You simply cannot have a good faith debate with these fools.

The only thing I would add  is their profound obsession with turning the country into a Christian nationalist state, led by their Cheeto Jesus cult leader. They fear rational thought. They loathe rational thought. They want their children  to be distanced from rational thinkers. They are content to live in their little bubble of superstition and magic  , cultism , and religiosity bullsh!t. They are gonna fail bigtime, in the end. People like me and SEKY , all around this country, will continue to expose them for the insecure little conspirators and haters of rational thought that they are. History will record their "contributions" to society in the same paragraphs as Jonestown, Waco, and Heavens Gate. They are nuts, and they will be remembered as such.

Thanks for the topic, SEKY.  Five stars from Old School.

I would venture to guess that Trump is barely more religious than you.

I am militantly anti-religion but deeply spiritual, in the sense that I feel a oneness with nature and with the Universe. While there is not one single iota of evidence for the sky man, we can see the wonders of nature and the beauty and awesomeness of the Universe. And, as Hawking and Dawkins said, none of that required a sky fairy. Science is a must; religion is a disease, with opiate-like symptoms. It requires you to suspend rational thought.  You are right about their Cheeto Jesus, he is not religious and , unlike me, he doesn't have a spiritual cell in his body. He is the very embodiment kind of person that his cult should detest. But, because he validates their hate , phobias, and bigotries, they adore him. Validation of long-held bigotries is a powerfully intoxicating drug.

LOL! thanks for that. I just spit my sandwich all over my screen!

[Image: https://i.etsystatic.com/39594363/r/il/4...5_44vh.jpg]

[jetpilot]

It doesn't get any dumber than Lesley Stahl lol. You guys are like the Jr. High kid who is too lazy to do his homework so he just googles something, cuts and pastes it and turns it in. Lazy and ignorant. Enjoy the next 8-12 years and maybe even longer. MAGA!

BTW, every "conspiracy theory" as TV propagandists called them has been proven true. You know somebody has no argument when they use that term. By dumb people for dumb people.

https://x.com/sabback/status/1887565878050308302

[Old School Hound]

And the piece continues tp prove itself true. When you have no ammunition, attack the "real enemy" ---the media. All our conservatards and conspiratards can do is attack the great Lesley Stahl and Rachel Maddow. These turd muffins want an America that resembles North Korea. I would love to see them residing permanently in North Korea.

[jetpilot]

And the piece continues tp prove itself true. When you have no ammunition, attack the "real enemy" ---the media.  All our conservatards  and conspiratards can do is attack the great Lesley Stahl and Rachel Maddow.  These turd muffins want an America that resembles North Korea. I would love to see them residing permanently in North Korea.

Trump was right and liar and midwit Stahl was either ignorant again or lying again. Probably both. MAGA isn't going anywhere, they are making the country great again. So be ready to scream and cry for the next 8-12 years or more.

And any nine-year-old with an IQ over 65 knows the N. Korea reference is idiotic...but it's all you've got...

[Hoot Gibson]

Media outlets that are paid for favorable coverage and to censor political enemies of the party in power are enemies that must be reckoned with. 

The fact that liberal media outlets have been paid to do the Democrat Party's dirty work is no conspiracy theory  - thanks to Elon Musk and the DOGE, it is now a matter of public record.

For liberals to continue to pretend that multi-million dollar payments to Politico, the New York Times, Black Lives Matter, and George Soros organizations are conspiracy theories just make them look stupid and dishonest. 

Of course, liberals want to focus on people who have lost their jobs and hungry children because the truth about the Democrats' corruption of our federal government is devastating. Liberals have become irrelevant almost overnight. Normal Americans are not interested in hearing anything they have to say.

[jetpilot]

^^^Totally nailed it

[Hoot Gibson]

And the piece continues tp prove itself true. When you have no ammunition, attack the "real enemy" ---the media.  All our conservatards  and conspiratards can do is attack the great Lesley Stahl and Rachel Maddow.  These turd muffins want an America that resembles North Korea. I would love to see them residing permanently in North Korea.

Trump was right and liar and midwit Stahl was either ignorant again or lying again. Probably both. MAGA isn't going anywhere, they are making the country great again. So be ready to scream and cry for the next 8-12 years or more.

And any nine-year-old with an IQ over 65 knows the N. Korea reference is idiotic...but it's all you've got...

Leslie Stahl is an intellectual lightweight. Legacy media does almost no investigative reporting these days The alphabet networks are not that much different than liberals who post online. They repeat the propaganda that the Democrats feed them.

The real investigative reporters now work independently online and make much less money than the celebrity news readers on TV do.

[SEKYFAN]

And the piece continues tp prove itself true. When you have no ammunition, attack the "real enemy" ---the media.  All our conservatards  and conspiratards can do is attack the great Lesley Stahl and Rachel Maddow.  These turd muffins want an America that resembles North Korea. I would love to see them residing permanently in North Korea.

Thomas Jefferson: "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost"

George Mason: "The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments". 

John F. Kennedy: "Freedom of the press is not just important, it is imperative for a functioning democracy".

Hannah Arendt: "The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen".

[Hoot Gibson]

And the piece continues tp prove itself true. When you have no ammunition, attack the "real enemy" ---the media.  All our conservatards  and conspiratards can do is attack the great Lesley Stahl and Rachel Maddow.  These turd muffins want an America that resembles North Korea. I would love to see them residing permanently in North Korea.

Thomas Jefferson: "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost"

George Mason: "The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments". 

John F. Kennedy: "Freedom of the press is not just important, it is imperative for a functioning democracy".

Hannah Arendt: "The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen".

Do you think a press that is bought and paid for by a renegade federal agency is "free?" Deep down, I'm pretty sure that you know how silly it is to advocate for a free press, while you refuse to condemn the payments to the New York Times and Politico by USAID.

You also refuse to acknowledge or condemn the censorship that hid the corruption of the Biden administration for four years.

None of the individuals who you quoted would have approved of the federal government making secret payments to the press. That is the exact opposite of a free press.

[jetpilot]

And the piece continues tp prove itself true. When you have no ammunition, attack the "real enemy" ---the media.  All our conservatards  and conspiratards can do is attack the great Lesley Stahl and Rachel Maddow.  These turd muffins want an America that resembles North Korea. I would love to see them residing permanently in North Korea.

Thomas Jefferson: "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost"

George Mason: "The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments". 

John F. Kennedy: "Freedom of the press is not just important, it is imperative for a functioning democracy".

Hannah Arendt: "The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen".

Do you think a press that is bought and paid for by a renegade federal agency is "free?" Deep down, I'm pretty sure that you know how silly it is to advocate for a free press, while you refuse to condemn the payments to the New York Times and Politico by USAID.

You also refuse to acknowledge or condemn the censorship that hid the corruption of the Biden administration for four years.

None of the individuals who you quoted would have approved of the federal government making secret payments to the press. That is the exact opposite of a free press.

Deep down, I'm pretty sure he doesn't know anything.

[Hoot Gibson]

I did some research on this author and her employer. SEKYFAN might as well be citing passages from the Communist Manifesto. I have stopped worrying about using conservative news sources in my links. These clowns could not care less about the fact that they routinely resort to linking to far left wing propaganda sites. 

The author of the opinion piece cited in the OP is employed by the Sidney Hillman Foundation. Sidney Hillman was a top advisor under FDR and was one of the founders of the CIO (as in the AFL/CIO union). The editorial is full of factual errors, with its main assumptions being that people voted for Trump because they 1) did not realize that the inflation rate had returned to a historical "normal" level, 2) did not realize that the crime rate was not at a historical high, and 3) did not realize that border crossings were down under Biden. Those who realized these "truths" voted overwhelmingly for Harris.

Talk about delusional! SEKYFAN and OSH are the twin poster boys of delusion.

[TD Hounds]

And the piece continues tp prove itself true. When you have no ammunition, attack the "real enemy" ---the media.  All our conservatards  and conspiratards can do is attack the great Lesley Stahl and Rachel Maddow.  These turd muffins want an America that resembles North Korea. I would love to see them residing permanently in North Korea.

Weren’t you on here a couple months ago self proclaiming to be a communist?  So who is it that really wants an America that resembles a communist state?

[SEKYFAN]

I did some research on this author and her employer. SEKYFAN might as well be citing passages from the Communist Manifesto. I have stopped worrying about using conservative news sources in my links. These clowns could not care less about the fact that they routinely resort to linking to far left wing propaganda sites. 

The author of the opinion piece cited in the OP is employed by the Sidney Hillman Foundation. Sidney Hillman was a top advisor under FDR and was one of the founders of the CIO (as in the AFL/CIO union). The editorial is full of factual errors, with its main assumptions being that people voted for Trump because they 1) did not realize that the inflation rate had returned to a historical "normal" level, 2) did not realize that the crime rate was not at a historical high, and 3) did not realize that border crossings were down under Biden. Those who realized these "truths" voted overwhelmingly for Harris.

Talk about delusional! SEKYFAN and OSH are the twin poster boys of delusion.

Having an open mind is not a bad thing...

[Hoot Gibson]

I did some research on this author and her employer. SEKYFAN might as well be citing passages from the Communist Manifesto. I have stopped worrying about using conservative news sources in my links. These clowns could not care less about the fact that they routinely resort to linking to far left wing propaganda sites. 

The author of the opinion piece cited in the OP is employed by the Sidney Hillman Foundation. Sidney Hillman was a top advisor under FDR and was one of the founders of the CIO (as in the AFL/CIO union). The editorial is full of factual errors, with its main assumptions being that people voted for Trump because they 1) did not realize that the inflation rate had returned to a historical "normal" level, 2) did not realize that the crime rate was not at a historical high, and 3) did not realize that border crossings were down under Biden. Those who realized these "truths" voted overwhelmingly for Harris.

Talk about delusional! SEKYFAN and OSH are the twin poster boys of delusion.

Having an open mind is not a bad thing...

Being in a constant state of delusion is not having an open mind. Neither is posting a constant stream of left-wing propaganda.

I am a conservative. Trump is a populist, but I have no trouble agreeing with his actions when they coincide with my beliefs. I am also willing to keep an open mind in areas like tariffs, an economic tool that many conservatives including myself find questionable. I believe that Trump will fine tune tariffs to avoid negatively impacting the economy in a major way. He is not married to any political ideology, IMO, but he is a pragmatist. 

I find it hilarious that dedicated left-wingers such as yourself claim to be open-minded. Nothing could be further from the truth. You cannot even bring yourself to condemn obvious kickback schemes and a vast Democrat money laundering operation in federal agencies.