Controlled opposition smothers real dissent

SB

I know going into this piece that not too many readers are going to be familiar with the two men in this photograph, Tom and Dick Smothers. This goes way back in time to a television series that was cancelled in early 1969, months before the Manson/Tate hoax slammed the door on the anti-Vietnam War movement of that era.  I enjoyed the boys, even as I recognized the only true comedic chops belonged to “Tommy” on the left. Dick on the right was a man with a light sprinkling of talent, a bass player who could sing, but not very well. He was used as Tommy’s straight man. He also, later in his career, took a shot at acting. He was not very good at that either.

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The real reason for taxation

A fellow named John in the post below linked us to a blog, Mike Norman Economics, that linked to a Bloomberg piece on “MMT,” or Modern Monetary Theory. Economics has never been my thing, but I did at one time follow Australian economist Steve Keen, who wrote the book Debunking Economics, which I enjoyed. I loved seeing the dreary science torn apart, as even without expertise I noticed that economists are usually wrong about all things, all the time. As JFK is said to have said, when his economic advisers screwed up he had to take the fall while they merely moved on to new advice. Since presidents are just actors, that is BS, but still a nice quote.

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How to detect the difference between shit and apple butter.

We are all engulfed in the great sea of propaganda. Some of us are able to spot bullshit long before we step in it, others wear it with pride. I ran across an article recently that gets into the gears of the reality-processing game. For many POM readers this remedial exercise seems redundant. Others, including newcomers to our little site, may learn a thing or two that is useful. So, if you’ve mastered propaganda 101, please let everyone catch up, using reason, fact-based investigation, and the gut instincts God gave everyone (before it was neutralized).

prop·a·gan·da/ˌpräpəˈɡandə/noun

  1. 1.information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.”he was charged with distributing enemy propaganda”synonyms:information, promotion, advertising, advertisement, publicity, advocacy; More
  2. 2.a committee of cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church responsible for foreign missions, founded in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/51286.htm

“The tactics deployed to exploit technical vulnerabilities in reality-processing are the same tactics that are deployed in all major propaganda offensives. So once you recognise them, you will be equipped to spot a serious propaganda campaign, such as Russiagate, a mile away.”

Trust no one, and if you’re confused, the last one to trust is an authority (talking head) figure placed in your face and at your feet by any and all corporate media.

A non-MSM account of France’s Yellow-Vest protests

https://thesaker.is/inside-the-yellow-vests-what-the-western-media-will-not-report/

There is something going on in France that the U.S. MSM is working hard to avoid. This obsessive denial always makes me that much more curious. What could the problem be? May I humbly suggest a brief “look under the hood” for yourself. The worst that could happen is the chance one might gain some supplemental context. Reading Ollie Richardson’s piece this morning before coffee gave me a little better understanding of what is happening in cities all across France. Fascinating, I think. I hope others will have a similar experience. Enjoy.

Big Wilderness in the NYT

This op ed is something I’ve been working on with Mike and Carole for several months. Say what you will about the New York Times, but the editors have been more than up to the task, and the map/graphics people are top drawer. Enjoy this rare chance to read about “fly-over” country in the Big Apple’s pride and joy.

The middle name game

I mentioned this show in the comments in another thread, saying that after I watched it I felt another project was in the works. However, I leave it all to others. It involves genealogy, twins, and a very unlikely story about how Carol Burnett made her way to stardom. I will give you the exact time at which the interesting events in this show occur so that you don’t have to sit through it or go searching.

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