With the patience of a much more mature individual (not unusual for this prodigy) a perfect retort nearly a year later
Using the exact text of a facetious and immature tweet, typical for Trump, Greta has the last word with an entirely appropriate, if sarcastic, tweet of her own.
We must all hope, that with Trump’s Twitter account finally silenced for good, we will see and hear more from Greta and the extremely important movements that she led. Instead of making snide comments about her and her cause, as Trump so often did, we can expect that the Biden administration will do its best to face the, very real, challenges of climate change head on and bring together many from around the world to find solutions. Or at least begin the process of admitting the scope of the dangers and begin to address them.
The sheer volume of actual news, and the various perspectives is daunting and exhausting
Since the most recent phase of the post election chaos, created by Trump and his absurd and unhinged rejection of the reality that he lost to President-elect Joe Biden, reached crisis status due to the terrorist mob attacking the U.S. Capitol, the development of the various threads of the story have exploded exponentially.
With various legal cases and developments in the search for accountability, for numerous individuals including Trump himself, and with his ongoing defiance of his own guilt and the fate that awaits him, it feels like there are bombshell headlines nearly every hour.
In addition to all of those serious and important threads are the reactions of the famous and the infamous, some trying to deflect or obfuscate, even to make light of the carnage, and the outrageous nature of the crimes. Others are grappling to give voice to the outrage that the vast majority feel, on many different levels at what has happened, and what continues to happen. Most of all: what might happen next.
Below are various headlines from the last 24 hours, some of which encapsulate the horror and the confusion, as well as the attempts to find clarity in this massive, ongoing and developing story:
”GOP Rep. Peter Meijer says he is ‘considering’ Trump impeachment after Capitol riot”
-USA Today
“Jim Jordan repeatedly refuses to say Biden fairly won election”
-CNN
”New terror threat points to plot to surround Capitol, lawmaker says”
— CNN
”Trump Threatens Violence If He’s Impeached for Inciting Violence”
-New York Magazine
”Analysis: The bonkers Republican logic on why Trump shouldn’t be impeached”
-CNN
”Deutsche Bank won’t do any more business with Trump”
-CNN
“Pro-Trump Attorney Lin Wood Not of ‘Sufficient Character’ to Practice Law, Decides Judge”
-Newsweek
”Was the Capitol Attack a Last Gasp of MAGA Violence or the Beginning?”
-Vanity Fair
”Texas officials worry Trump’s trip could turn violent”
-Politico
”There Will Be No ‘Unity’ Until Republicans Give Up Voter-Suppression as a National Policy”
-Esquire
”Don Lemon: Trump ‘the biggest snowflake of them all”
— The Grio
”Trump Expresses No Contrition for Inciting the Capitol Mob.”
-The New York Times
”Democrats have a new tool to undo Trump’s ‘midnight rule-making.’ But there’s a catch.”
-NBC News
“Facebook Removes ‘Stop The Steal’ Content; Twitter Suspends QAnon Accounts”
-NPR
“Extremists move to secret online channels to plan for Inauguration Day in D.C.”
-NBC News
”How to stop an Insurrection Caucus: These reforms could reduce GOP extremism and save our democracy”
Suffice it to say for the moment: He deserved it and it’s about time. The fact that his account was re-activated after a short pause was a strange choice by the platform. At least they made the right one in the end. Here’s the official tweet
Below the full text from the official Twitter bog explaining, in detail the action taken and why:
After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.
In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action. Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open.
However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence, among other things. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement.
The below is a comprehensive analysis of our policy enforcement approach in this case.
Overview
On January 8, 2021, President Donald J. Trump tweeted:
“The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”
Shortly thereafter, the President tweeted:
“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”
Due to the ongoing tensions in the United States, and an uptick in the global conversation in regards to the people who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, these two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks. After assessing the language in these Tweets against our Glorification of Violence policy, we have determined that these Tweets are in violation of the Glorification of Violence Policy and the user @realDonaldTrump should be immediately permanently suspended from the service.
Assessment
We assessed the two Tweets referenced above under our Glorification of Violence policy, which aims to prevent the glorification of violence that could inspire others to replicate violent acts and determined that they were highly likely to encourage and inspire people to replicate the criminal acts that took place at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
This determination is based on a number of factors, including:
President Trump’s statement that he will not be attending the Inauguration is being received by a number of his supporters as further confirmation that the election was not legitimate and is seen as him disavowing his previous claim made via two Tweets (1, 2) by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Dan Scavino, that there would be an “orderly transition” on January 20th.
The second Tweet may also serve as encouragement to those potentially considering violent acts that the Inauguration would be a “safe” target, as he will not be attending.
The use of the words “American Patriots” to describe some of his supporters is also being interpreted as support for those committing violent acts at the US Capitol.
The mention of his supporters having a “GIANT VOICE long into the future” and that “They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” is being interpreted as further indication that President Trump does not plan to facilitate an “orderly transition” and instead that he plans to continue to support, empower, and shield those who believe he won the election.
Plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021.
As such, our determination is that the two Tweets above are likely to inspire others to replicate the violent acts that took place on January 6, 2021, and that there are multiple indicators that they are being received and understood as encouragement to do so.
The day after it would have helped, better late than never
After more than four years of tyrannical abuse of social media and the eCommerce hawking of propaganda trinkets, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even Shopify have put blocks on Trump accounts.
Particularly in the case of Facebook, the timing is somewhat unsatisfying. Facebook, as many can recall, has supported Trump “fake” and misleading advertising since before the 2016 election. Those ads were, according to many, a very big reason that he was elected at all. This was a huge mistake of history, one might say, and the mistake started at Facebook.
Naturally, being “arbiter of the truth” or not, is an entirely different issue, because it is the warlord-like raking-in of millions upon millions, if not billions of dollars, by blindly allowing lies, hate, racism and worse be propagated as political advertising, that has been the clear “wrong” that Facebook allowed and profited from.
So, it’s ,at least somehow, a belated comfort that, at least for the moment, ads fomenting violent overthrow of the imaginary “deep state” or sales of MAGA hats that finance said ads, are no longer running in tandem like some kind of dystopian fascist nightmare machine.
At least the media, much of the government and now a lot of big tech and social media are united in one simple thought: Trump is simply a criminal and aiding him in any way make you and your company one also. So, yes, shut it down, now.
Shopify
Shopify, the multinational e-commerce company that hosted shops that relate to Trump’s campaign products as well as Trump’s personal brand have both been taken down. Those who attempt to go to TrumpStore.com or shop.donaldjtrump.com, known for selling the official Trump MAGA merchandise will be meet with error messages as the sites were taken down Thursday morning.
A spokesperson for the company released the following statement following the terminated stores affiliated with Trump:
“Shopify does not tolerate actions that incite violence. Based on recent events, we have determined that the actions by President Donald J. Trump violate our Acceptable Use Policy, which prohibits promotion or support of organizations, platforms or people that threaten or condone violence to further a cause,”
Twitter also added that “Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.”
Trump has since deleted the three tweets that led to the temporary suspension of his account. Trump’s account will remain locked for an additional 12 hours after the deletion. It is not clear the exact timing of when the tweets were deleted and when Trump will be allowed to post again, he has yet to tweet. According to CNBC, the lock could be removed around 3 p.m. ET.
Facebook
Trump’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts have both been locked due to policy violations. Facebook Newsroom released a statement via Twitter starting on January 6 at 8:36 p.m. ET, stating that Trump’s account would be blocked for 24 hours. On January 7th, they updated its statement to explain the extent of the block would be “indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.”
CEO and founder, Mark Zuckerberg also released his own statement on the matter:
“The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden.
His decision to use his platform to condone rather than condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building has rightly disturbed people in the US and around the world. We removed these statements yesterday because we judged that their effect — and likely their intent — would be to provoke further violence.
Following the certification of the election results by Congress, the priority for the whole country must now be to ensure that the remaining 13 days and the days after inauguration pass peacefully and in accordance with established democratic norms.
Over the last several years, we have allowed President Trump to use our platform consistent with our own rules, at times removing content or labeling his posts when they violate our policies. We did this because we believe that the public has a right to the broadest possible access to political speech, even controversial speech. But the current context is now fundamentally different, involving use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.
We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great. Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.”
We believe the risks of allowing President Trump to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great, so we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks. pic.twitter.com/JkyGOTYB1Z
New bill is a joke for those struggling, unhappy, viral memes abound
A second stimulus package has been in the works for months now, supposedly. The current version of the proposed stimulus bill, which would, if passed, be the second Covid-19 relief package since the start of the pandemic, is still under discussion.
However, if granted, it would contain only about half of the first round of cash assistance compared to the previous bill which had $1,200 individual payments. The new bill would provide a direct payment of only $600 to $700 per person for those that qualify.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter asking followers to respond to a poll which asked if the $600 would be enough, under the current dire circumstances, and the responses, well, are laughable
The congresswoman has been fighting to get more help to Americans overcome their financial difficulties that have only gotten worse during the first, and now second, waves of the pandemic. The options provided in the poll, as possible answers to the question “Is $600 for a second COVID check enough”, included: Yes, No, and Hell No. Hell no received a whopping 62% while a simple “No” got 32.8%. Apparently 94.8% are not happy with the sum.
The bill has yet to be finalized and representative Ocasio-Cortez made it clear to her followers that she was not in agreement with the proposed lower payment amount.
Democrats have continued to demand at least $1,200 for stimulus checks and restoring the $600 “increase” for unemployment benefits as well as continued rent and mortgage protections.
“PLEASE CALL YOUR MEMBER if you have any doubt whatsoever on what their stance is, And if you don’t want your member to vote for a $600 deal, you really need to tell them that. Don’t think ‘oh I voted for a Dem, we’ll be fine.’ No. If there’s an amount that’s too little, or any other red line that you want them to vote NO on, then you need to tell them that.”
Check out the memes that resulted from AOC’s poll, while they will not help if the $600 is approved, can definitely provide a bit of levity in the meantime!
Early, Monday morning, Ivanka Trump decided to share a picture of her father during his visit to the historic Mount Rushmore back in July of this year. The positioning of Trump’s head alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, was according to the caption of Trump’s daughter… “amazing”.
Back in August, Trump was quick to call reports from the NYT “Fake News” that he had inquired with the South Dakota governor about getting his face carved upon the iconic rock face, yet he also somehow thought it was “good idea”.
This is Fake News by the failing @nytimes & bad ratings @CNN. Never suggested it although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3 1/2 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me! https://t.co/EHrA9yUsAw
Ivanka’s tweet went viral with immediate reactions on Twitter, proving those on the internet felt the opposite of amazed, with majority of users, quick to mock her decision and timing of the shared post.
Check out the reaction posts below and some alternative versions of a Mt. “Trump-more”
Above:Content Discovery App – River video Clip Introduction
An Unlikely Holy Grail: User Sophistication and the Will to Exist Online
In late 2018 a small firm was looking into opportunities in organizing an online co-op for small businesses (CSSinc), similar to the co-ops created by farmers during the great depression. Where else to start than a trade show of more than 1000 small businesses in Las Vegas. In an informal test, they checked all the web sites listed in the show directory as an indicator of the state of web sophistication among the participants.
Naturally the 10% that were functioning, a few of which at a high level, were all the largest companies attending the show. With costs to set up, and even designing a company web site, at an all time low, why would so many pass up the opportunity to make use of this powerful tool?
‘This is Water’ and the internet dilemma that has swallowed the world
In 2005, David Foster Wallace addressed the graduating class at Kenyon College with a speech that is now one of his most read pieces.
In it, he argues, gorgeously, against “unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.” He begins with a parable:
There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What the hell is water?”
This oft quoted passage is about how the world around us can be easily misunderstood by lack of awareness. And, maybe, by the lack of any perceived need to notice what’s really going on.
The two most shocking things about the anecdote above, regarding 90% of small businesses lack of internet presence (or sophistication), are how this could be the case after more than 20 years of the internet being at the center of commerce and, well, life, and what it says about the “water” we are all swimming in.
2020 is the year that the internet became even more important for all our lives. Less obvious is that it is also the year that the problems and obstacles are more important than ever to overcome, and that starts with seeing the water we are all swimming in.
In this acclaimed documentary (available on Netflix) a lot of both problems and solutions focus on the dangers of the current giant-tech dominated internet environment on the “end-user” and the general public.
While that sphere of influence is a serious and growing problem, it is the control and domination by a few massive companies, to the virtual exclusion of smaller businesses, that, to a large degree caused the sick, twisted inequitable and unfair system in the first place.
The relative size imbalance is literally so massive that it is rendered incomprehensible, and, like water to the fish mentioned above, invisible.
A happy shiny logo of, say, coca-cola, looks just as harmless (or menacing, depending on the perspective) as that of Amazon or Facebook, who may be hundreds of times larger in market-cap than the soft-drink giant with long history as a “big” American company. Size of this magnitude is impossible to conceive of by most of us.
But the perception of the giants that control the internet as harmless, or even beneficial and to be admired, is rapidly changing. Therein also lies the potential for probably the only hope of positive change for small business and for society in the US and across the globe.
A Revolution of Perception is Required and already Underway
Part of the problem, one that is growing, admittedly, every day, is the sheer scale of the inequity and corruption. Why even try, as a small business, to go up against the giants that “own” the water we swim in?
Ultimately what is necessary is a sea-change (forgive the continued metaphor) within overall population, both consumers and small businesses. And that starts with the perception that it is the “people” that decide how and what the internet will be who will be “permitted” to interact. An Algorithm own as proprietary secret software by an internet behemoth? Or a decentralized more kaleidoscopic solution that was an inherent promise from the initial days of the internet’s creation?
The signs of change are all around. The “direct to consumer” trend that has produced massive success stories also paved the way for the emerging system of smaller companies being able to reach out directly and actually do business with customers with, sometimes, minimal involvement of the giants.
The signs that this can work are gradually being seen – shopify’s success in offering software and services to businesses wanting to establish a direct connection to buyers is a growing trend. There are many other companies that have recognized the trend and are trying to ride this wave toward a different method of communication between businesses and so-called consumers.
Here are some examples of companies that are taking a new approach to the way we communicate and interact online:
However, the ultimate driver of positive change in the internet will be the increased sophistication of users, both professional and at the individual level.
User Sophistication and Trust: an unlikely but all-important Grail
Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, TikTok and more have all embraced direct in-app-shopping as a way to expand beyond content. Even Google has started a program to allow buyers to purchase from search results without leaving the platform. While these initiatives are all coming from the giant tech firms themselves, they are, ultimately, sowing the seeds of their own demise.
They are, in essence, teaching buyers to forego the now standard system of choosing between Amazon and “the rest” in online shopping. This choice, helped along by billions in losses to subsidize “impossibly low” prices plus free shipping paid for by Amazon’s loss-leader strategies, was never a fair or realistic one and created the massive, unsustainable imbalances in online commerce we see today.
The massive and very real paranoia of the giant companies is based on the clear and deep understanding that the competition is always “1-click-away”, which is the unfulfilled promise of the internet in the first place.
D.L.
The greatest obstacle has never been the massive price-dumping schemes or even the sell-at-a-loss free shipping concept that kept buyers from having a second choice in e-commerce. It has been the lack of user sophistication of the sellers and the buyers in the online forum which prevented easier movement from one online option to another.
The massive and very real paranoia of the giant companies is based on the clear and deep understanding that the competition is always “1 click away”, which is the unfulfilled promise of the internet in the first place.
So called “moats” and systems to block users from initiating and exercising choice are built-up and keep getting deeper and more complex. But sophisticated users can, and eventually will, easily just opt-out at any time, when alternatives that they prefer begin to proliferate.
And there is a growing and invisible ocean that already exists all around us. As far-fetched as it may seem “the ocean we swim in” will one day be in no way similar to the deeply problematic one we swim in today and a thorough a change from the bottom up as well as the top down will, finally, bring about a new era in online communication and commerce.
Twitter has been called “hell on earth” and too fast to follow, yet is exciting and addictive for many. The opportunity to vent without a filter and gain some kind of digital revenge surfaced last night when POTUS and FLOTUS announced that they had tested positive for covid-19.
The outpouring of every emotion, slant and convolution of logic or fantasy has been epic, monumental and, well, big, very big.
There are so many intense, shocking reactions, as if the initial news they are reacting to is not extreme enough, many took it to the next level. Where to start?
Without measuring scientifically, the “anti-Trump” category was huge. Running the gamut from the Ghanaian Pall Bearer faction to the dead-Trump happy dancers, this grim and tasteless group hit hard and fast.
Not to be outdone the Right & GOP got to work, in a familiar manner
Next came the right-wing wackos and conspiracy nuts. It didn’t take long for a Republican Senator to decide that this was a Chinese conspiracy, and hell, it’s a “chinese virus” anyway, etc. Followed up by the not-to-be-outdone Republican that decided, instantly, that the Democrats supposedly in charge of his microphone planted the virus on it in order to intentionally infect the president. I kid you not.
I’m just going to say what we’re all thinking.
Trump was fine until the debate, where they set up microphones & podiums for him.
Incubation period is usually 2-3 days.
He tests positive a couple of days after the debate.
Next: out of the woodwork crawled even more tasteless observations – welcome to Twitter
Then, on the “independent” political side there was the wannabe lawmaker who repeatedly tweeted that he hopes both trump and biden will die. His logic is that they are equally bad and beholden to corporate bribes. wow.
Finally a form of sanity appears to be emerging, if you can call it that
Starting Friday there have been more measured and thoughtful tweets. An illuminating thread is one started by Rachel Maddow when she tweeted “civil” condolences and singled out the disease itself as the enemy. This was countered by a series of replies, pointing out all the clear and irrefutable reasons why Trump has not earned that kind of kindness or sympathy, not even in this extreme case.
This sort of traditional political “civility” will be weaponized against us by these far-right fascists. I don’t want anybody to die or be in pain, but there’s no reason to spend your energy sending positive vibes to the culprits when we have the true victims to worry about.
Before sanity could prevail, however, the left-style conspiracies exploded
Finally, in the last couple of hours, a new theme has emerged from the more liberal side: why should we believe that Trump really does have the virus? Well, if he tweets in a week or so from Moscow, sitting in a room with Putin and Snowden, then you’ll know it was, to use Trumpian phraseology: “a hoax”.
This news was confirmed by POTUS medical staff and there is great concern now for any symptoms, particularly in light of his age and physical condition. This is a breaking news story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Sean Conley, White House physician released a memo confirming the positive tests, and said the president and first lady were doing well and were planning to remain at home:
“Rest assured I expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering, and I will keep you updated on any future developments,” wrote Sean Conley, physician to the president.
As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together.
The hashtag #TrumpHasCovid is, naturally, trending on twitter, and many posted tasteless tweets pointing out the irony, considering that POTUS played down the virus and was, for all intents and purposes “anti-mask” up until this news was announced.
As follows a relatively tasteful example:
the man who wouldn’t wear a mask, played down the virus, called it a hoax, held big rallies, made fun of joe biden for his small campaigns and huge masks, has covid. karma. #TrumpHasCovidpic.twitter.com/B8xUTKpZW0
Stock market futures appear to be reacting to the news, the E-Mini S&P 500 Future Continuous Contract dropped at around midnight EDT and is down nearly 2% as of this writing. Although there have, as of yet, not been any reports of symptoms, although Trump’s closest aide, Hope Hicks, was reported to have been showing symptoms, CNN citing “a source” who stated that she was “feeling achy and pretty bad”.
With election day only 32 days away, this could not come at a worse time for POTUS. The October lead up to the election would be strenuous for anyone, let alone a 74 year-old man who has contracted covid-19 and has at least one underlying health condition.
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After a failure to disavow violence in Wisconsin, Trump settles on Soup as a Target
Cans of Soup? Or is it Bags? Which is it? And are bricks too heavy to throw or lift? For whom? And how are paintball guns and bear spray “defensive”? The Soup Fascist has all the answers. Or does he? Trump is devolving and becoming increasingly demented before our very eyes.
Does anyone know what this is all about? Reading from a script? Did Kellyanne Conway go mad also? Or Stephen Miller? He may look like Goebbles but his skill is not on that level. What is going on here? Watch the clip to find out 😉
Naturally all of this is no laughing matter. This man’s tendencies to try and use whatever nonsense suits his purpose is a dangerous tick for a man with a nuclear football. On the other hand if, after the year we’ve all had, there’s no help from the land’s highest office, we deserve at least a laugh at this ridiculous paranoid nonsense. And perhaps thereby reassure those of us who have not lost our minds, yet, that there is some common sense left.
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Above: NEWST AD BY THE LINCOLN PROJECT ” I’M BEGINNING TO REGRET”
Provocation bulls-eye as the Mooch taunts Trump on Fox
The Lincoln Project consists of anti-Trump republicans, led by George Conway, husband of Kellyanne, and their disgust with the current occupant of the White House seems to grow daily. Though perhaps the best known Republican organization devoted to removing Trump, the Right Side PAC, also founded by Republicans including Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director, along with Republican Voters Against Trump aka RVAT are also concentrating on working to consolidate the anti-Trump vote among Republicans, specifically.
All in all this has recently made for some interesting fireworks in the twittersphere and there have been some truly classic anti-Trumps ads produced, some of which we have featured recently (see the newest, above).
One successful strategy employed by all of the groups mentioned above, that appears to be working, is to attempt to “hit a nerve” and provoke a reaction, since, ultimately, Trump is the absolute best at making Trump look bad.
Above: Photo by Pauley Teeks via Twitter
The overall plan of elephants vs. their own appears to have legs…
This plan appears to have hit the motherlode in a recent exchange that produced a typically trashy Trump reaction and some amazing replies – a “mano a mano” tweet-war cage-match exclusively among Republicans on either side of the great Trump divide. After this it will be a canyon.
Scaramucci was interviewed Sunday night on Fox, on the show “The Next Revolution”, a pro-Trump Fox news staple, hosted by Steve Hilton. As could be expected, Trump was apparently glued to the tube as the show aired live and couldn’t resist tweeting a personal attack tweet directed at Scaramucci.
.@Scaramucci, who just made a fool of himself as he got taken apart by @SteveHiltonx, only lasted 11 days in his favorite of all time Administration, before being fired for, again, making a fool of himself. Anthony is a loser who begged to come back. I said “No Thanks”.
You could almost hear the chorus of “gotcha” from the Trump baiting pros as they responded with biting and incisive clarity and started an avalanche of critics and observers:
The Loser is you: 162,000 dead, 40 million American jobs lost on your watch. We are tired of all of the losing. We wanted you to succeed but you are an abject failure. Thankfully it will be over on 11/3. America will heal and rebuild. https://t.co/zRvJQzJo6k
After a Wild Memorial Day of Beach Parties, BBQ and Pools Gone Wild is the 2nd Wave Coming?
Anyone who’s seen the stories or noticed what’s been trending on twitter knows by now that the extended holiday weekend was a scene for the ages. It appears that our patience with lockdowns and quarantines is not just running out, it has literally exploded into its opposite.
The video above, of a pool party sans distancing, in the area made famous by the Netflix series “Ozark” is just one of many examples of a wild weekend that seems to have surpassed even pre-pandemic levels of reveling and rioting.
In Los Angeles, perhaps due to the aversion to flying to out-of-town destinations during a pandemic, the beaches were mobbed like it was 4th of July 2018. Photos of Venice beach circulated twitter on Saturday and the whole weekend appeared to have elevated traffic levels above what is traditionally seen on otherwise sleepy holiday weekends.
This out-come was generally feared by the medical experts, and it appears that other than professionals and medical front-line personnel no-one was considering the 1918 pandemic experience where a too early loosening of quarantine controls resulted in a powerful second wave of the flu epidemic a month or so later.
From Sea to Shining Sea hardly a mask to be seen…
Not only on the West Coast, but all the way on the other side of the country in North Carolina, crowds gathered to celebrate. The video below shows a NASCAR crowd whooping it up to the whining engines, shoulder to shoulder with no mask in sight. There appears to be an “instinct” and a feeling among the US population that there’s no longer any need to pay any attention to the coronavirus or contagious diseases of any kind. Let’s hope that feeling is “magical” cause, if not, June is going to be a blowback party of the wrong sort.
The scary part, if you are among those that actually believe the scientific studies, is that the highest level of contagion is during the asymptomatic phase of a person that has contracted the virus. This would imply that any one of these healthy looking folks could be an asymptomatic carrier and could transmit to dozens, hundreds or even thousands as they come in contact. Can’t help but think of the choir in Washington State that shared the infection at a practice session at a rate of almost 90%. 2 died within 14 days.
So let’s hope that this is the day we all get a “pass” from above and that it is not the beginning of any new wave of cases or, worse. Let’s just enjoy the sunshine, our youth and some burgers and brews. And hope for the best.
Four years ago, Russia played an illegal hand in deciding the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, using social media to spread misinformation, disenfranchise voters, and contribute to the Trump campaign in ways that reaped obvious results. Following the election, social media and tech moguls behind companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and more have been called into question, pressed by politicians to provide greater cyber security and proactively catch instances of foreign powers trying to infiltrate American politics.
While actual amendments made by these social media companies have appeared lackluster and hollow—changes in leadership, marketing ploys, logo changes, etc.—Facebook and Twitter did recently find and suspend several accounts that were linked to Russian operations.
Feb 26, 2020: Twitter suspends all accounts associated with EBLA office in Ghana
– CNN
These accounts, ran by people from Ghana, were targeting African/Black American constituents, making radical posts about liberation, identity, and rebellion. Although the posts did not show preference for any specific candidate, they were unambiguously voicing a political message and attempting to influence the American populace at this integral time.
The Ghanaian-based group that ran these accounts was dubbed EBLA online. Across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the group had over 150 pages and accounts, and over a quarter-million followers. It also had a false headquarters location of Charleston, South Carolina to appear authentically American.
March 12, 2020:Facebook removes 49 accounts, 69 pages and 85 Instagram accounts associated with the troll farm. Twitter removes 72 EBLA accounts.
– CNN estimate based on multi-month investigation
Obvious Inauthentic Behavior Masked by Human Trolls
Tech company personnel, AI security software, and a few active users noticed the conspicuous aspects of these page’s posts and flagged them. Further analysis eventually ousted them as inauthentic. Oddly enough, however, the investigation revealed that the posts were not created by bots (which is typical for such scams), but by actual people in Ghana. Thus, it took real digging along with some cross references with Russia’s previous posts to realize that EBLA was tied up and led by Russian operations. The Ghanaian representatives were essentially a ploy, an extra layer of protection for Russia to carry out its sneaky offenses
In the end, EBLA got the boot from social media, kicked off of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. While EBLA never endorsed or even mentioned a 2020 candidate, this seemed like an appropriate precaution on the social networks’ behalves, for the foreign accounts were clearly attempting to sway the American political climate.
Ever since its social media exile, EBLA has gone silent and reporters have been unable to reach anyone involved in with the suspicious organization. In the digital age, disappearing becomes quite easy. Such is why social network users have to be all the more vigilant, critiquing false information and halting suspicious online behavior before it overtakes the truth this election year.
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Another batch of Fraudulent, pro Trump Social Media Manipulators are Identified and Removed, for now
In blog posts from Twitter and Facebook the removal of a large number of fake accounts and actors were announced. On Twitter the number of accounts was nearly six thousand which were part of a larger network of 88,000.
The announcements were detailed and each provided data on the techniques used, including the use of A.I. generated photos. The Twitter accounts were also confirmed to be Saudi-Backed and propagated by a social media “marketing” company called Smaat that was operating on behalf of the Saudi State.
All related parties have been banned, although it is hard to imagine that it will be difficult for them to resume a similar campaign behind a different front. The blog posts appear to be an effort, at the least, to show that the companies are attempting to monitor this kind of dangerous propaganda.
“We exist to serve the public conversation around the world. To this end, we’ll continue to take strong enforcement action against any state-backed information campaigns which undermine our company’s mission, principles, and policies.”
– Twitter blog Post
As for Facebook and Instagram, the “Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior” that was removed was said to originate in Vietnam, Georgia and the U.S. Georgia, of course is the former Soviet republic that Trump was in negotiations with, around 2012, to build an eponymous tower (with help, allegedly, from Russia).
Vietnam, on the other hand, is the communist country alleged to be a likely cover for Chinese and Anti-Chinese actors. In this case Facebook has linked the activity to a company called BL which Facebook connected to the Epoch Media Group. These groups manipulated content using coordinated inauthentic behavior, spam and misrepresentation as well as other activities that violate Facebook and Instagram policies.
All parties involved have been permanently banned. In total, again according to the blog post, the various parties in each network spent approximately $10 million on advertising, using various currencies, including $US, Korean Won, Vietnamese dong, Indonesian rupiah, Australian dollars, the New Taiwan dollars and Canadian dollars.
It has become clear, in part through investigations during the Trump Impeachment hearings, that international interference in U.S. politics, far from being on the wane after the Russian pro-Trump interference in the 2016 elections, is set for a potential explosion into 2020.
The concept that appears to be going through the minds of nefarious actors across the globe is: “if it worked once, why not continue and expand”. Regardless of a provable, direct connection to Trump, there are many interested international parties that have agendas that allign with a Trump victory in 2020.
Deeper Issues Arise as this Example is Likely Just the Tip of the Iceberg
As many have pointed out, Trump faces possible prosecution and incarceration if he fails to win the 2020 election, so the stakes are very high indeed. That, combined with an obvious disregard for rules or laws of political campaigns, let allow social media, there will undoubtedly be many more instances of fraud and “inauthentic behavoir” from here on out.
This is exactly the issue that Democrats pointed during the impeachment process and which made impeachment not only necessary but a requirement. Based on the circumstances clearly indicating that Trump is likely to repeat or attempt to repeat the same actions and behaviors, including high crimes and misdemeanors, and encourage, if not engage in actions such as the Russian interference that got him elected in 2016.
“Shall the man who has practiced corruption & by that means procured his appointment in the first instance, be suffered to escape punishment, by repeating his guilt?”
— GEORGE MASON IN A DEBATE ALSO ATTENDED BY JAMES MADISON, JULY 20TH, 1787
Now, the billion dollar question is, if social media companies doing voluntary self-policing, turning down tens of millions of dollars (if not far more) in advertising revenue, and spending on departments and programs dedicated to monitoring this fraudulent spam and worse, can be counted on to do all of this and more for our benefit?
After Facebook refused to take down a political ad, paid for by Trump backers, known to be false, and not significantly different from the bogus content that Facebook reported today by foreign actors, can they be trusted to thoroughly and adequately monitor such massive networks and remove offenders before more damage has been done?
And what of the life of lies, such as imaginary “investigations” that keep cropping up against Democratic candidates that are potentially running against Trump in 2020?
The example posted by Facebook invents an investigation into Elizabeth Warren and another related to Nancy Pelosi, goes on even after the accounts are deleted and banned. I had seen the anti-Warren fabrication on twitter and, disregarded it, as it seemed superficial and implausible, yet now it is also proven be not only fake and fabricated but posted by foreign criminal actors with a pro Trump agenda.
This brings up the larger issue, one of reader and prospective voter sophistication. The huge question that arises over and over, as the Trump lies and crimes are cataloged and ajudicated, is how anyone could believe this man, let alone believe in him.
The answer is, unfortunately, sad and depressing for our future. Just as Hitler was accepted and even loved by most of the German population before he ultimately led them and himself to a dead end, the blind belief and naive “loyalty” of people can never be overestimated.
Those ridiculous stories about Ukraine conspiracies spread by Putin and propagated by Trump himself and then on to his various followers, themselves both imaginary and some real (but hypnotized and deluded), will likely still be quoted by fools and evil, self-serving sycophants for years to come.
That is, unless the 180 million plus Americans, and their allies around the world, who know better and see the danger that Trump represents in all its horror, find a way to drown the lies in an even larger deluge of real news. And, once rid of this would-be dictator, never let apathy and social media fraud control another election. 2020 preview or fantasy from neverland?
The Six Thousand Accounts were part of a Larger Spam Network of 88,000
On casual observation, there appears to be a surge in bogus accounts attempting to manipulate on Twitter recently and now this has been confirmed, partially, with six thousand accounts deleted with Twitter disclosing the inauthentic behavior and violations as well as the State-backed Source (Saudia Arabia) in its blog today.
The disclosure shows some very interesting tricks that various bad actors are using to try and mask their true intent in order to “survive” longer on the platform without having their accounts deleted.
According to the Twitter blog the Saudi Arabian government backed accounts were engaging in retweeting, liking and replying, using automation, in order to mask tweets with a political agenda favorable to Saudi Interests.
The method of masking the true goal of an account that is an automated spam bot is becoming more common based on our observations of the platform. Accounts favorable to Trump, that appear inauthentic (robots) will retweet and even retweet liberal content, such as tweets favorable to AOC, to mask their intent. Then, if the account is followed, pro-Trump spam is sent via private direct messages, for example.
As the Tricks get Deeper and the Stakes Higher, Twitter must also Evolve in its Response
It appears that , with this report on the eighty-eight thousand account take down, Twitter is learning and following as these attempts to avoid detection are created, developed and implemented.
Twitter also disclosed that a social media marketing and management company based in Saudi Arabia called Smaat was behind the platform manipulation. The company has also been “permanently” banned from using Twitter due to the activity. In an interesting additional action, the accounts of senior executives of the company were also deleted and the persons banned.
The company used third party automation services to produce high volumes of activity related to non-political content. This, based on the content, is not necessarily against Twitter policy as such amplification of non-political content in allowed. In this case, however, the high volume of activity was used to mask the political content that was interspersed in the “storm” of activity.
Here is the quote from Twitter that serves as a comment on the action and what they intend for future cases:
“We exist to serve the public conversation around the world. To this end, we’ll continue to take strong enforcement action against any state-backed information campaigns which undermine our company’s mission, principles, and policies.”
Tweeting from Space – Starlink Makes Significant Strides
Elon Musk just posted from his twitter using a SpaceX launched Starlink satellite. The message, which could be seen by his 28.8 million followers highlights the steps towards making space-based internet service a real possibility on Earth. Perhaps this will be like Edison’s “Watson come here I want to see you”. Seems like “Whoa, it worked”, would be more appropriate in both cases!
The Starlink project has been set in motion and is making good progress in launching a network of broadband satellites to provide connectivity globally, most notably to include areas that lack reliable access to high speed internet connection. The first part of the internet network launched May 2019, deploying 60 Starlink satellites.
SpaceX has recently made a request of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to launch an additional 30,000 satellites into orbit (bringing the total to 42,000), which is a significant hike from the previously planned number of 12,000 already approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The Boring Company’s Las Vegas Convention Center Loop Project in Full Construction Phase
The contract between the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Board of Directors and The Boring Company to design and construct a twin-tunnel loop system for the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) has entered its full construction phase.
Currently, it’s on schedule to be refined and ready for the Consumer Electronics Show at LVCC in 2021. Upon completion, the LVCC Loop will provide fast and convenient transportation for convention attendees across the campus through autonomous electric vehicles (AEVs), like Tesla Model X and Model 3 vehicles, at up to 155 miles per hour. Essentially, this shortens a typical 15 minute walk time to as little as 1 minute via the loop transportation system.
Another interesting feature of the site is its ground-level passenger stations, which are designed without elevators. This means that although there won’t be any elevators transporting the AEVs up and down as they transport people, therefore the LVCC loop itself should be much more efficient to build.
Additionally, although The Boring Company has been quite transparent about their project details, what they’ve left up to speculation is the kind of tunnel boring machine (TBM) they’ll actually be using to dig the tunnels. So far, the TBM in question has been transported to the site in segments, so its full assembled identity lies in wait. Will it be a Godot, a conventional TBM tested at Hawthorne, a Line-Storm, a super-fast, hybrid TBM that Musk previously teased us about, or a Prufrock, a noiseless, electrically powered TBM with zero carbon emissions?
Photo / Lynxotic
Tesla is UK the Car of the Year
Tesla Model 3, the electric, four-door sedan is the most affordable of the Tesla electric vehicles, and it’s recently won four awards from the Parkers Car Price Guide, a well known automative magazine in the UK for “Car of the Year”, “Best Electric Car”, “Best Company Car” and “Best Safety” Award for any vehicle on the market.” Musk recently retweeted about the award.
Tesla Model 3 wins ‘Car of the Year’ award from prestigious UK auto magazinehttps://t.co/jVHvDpLRtu
Despite lots of (questionable) negative stories in the media, Elon Musk and his various companies and projects continue to amaze, amuse and innovate as the 3 mini-stories above clearly show. Stay tuned for more on these and other Musk projects soon.
New Trailer is a hit on YouTube and Twitter: Fans are Talking Oscars…
Joaquin Phoenix's performance in #JokerMovie is nothing short of Oscar-worthy. He fully commits to the role mentally and physically. Todd Phillips delivered a game-changing comic book film, and I cannot wait to see it again. #Jokerpic.twitter.com/cnrL9bsdR2
First, there was a Standing Ovation that clocked-in, reportedly, at over eight minutes. Now, tweets and reviews are gushing out with nothing but raves for the film, it’s director and star. It appears that the promise that could clearly be seen in the two trailers released so far (see above and below) has carried over, with a big bang, into the reaction to the full length film.
As one surveys the two trailers, so far released for the upcoming “Joker” origin-story from Warner Brothers, there is a sense that this is an epic not easily categorized within the Comic-Book movie genre.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix (Oscar nominee for “Walk the Line”, “The Master” and “Gladiator”), directed and co-written by Todd Phillips (“Borat” and “The Hangover Trilogy”) and with Robert De Niro (as TV host Murray Franklin), the focus on how Arthur Fleck becomes “Joker” screams a muted, uneasy tension, that’s oozing from every pixel revealed so far.
In “Joker”, Batman’s Gotham City is a cesspool of dirt and depravity where Arthur appears doomed to live and die encircled with nothing but depression and humiliation. Mentally Ill and mercilessly tortured by the “sane” members of society all around him, he finds some respite in his chosen career of clown-for-hire and hopeful comedian wannabe by night.
We are all Clowns, Echoes of Antifa and Guy Fawkes
The potential for the story to transcend the genre of Comic book heroes and villains is hinted at in the placard with the words “we are all clowns” scrawled on it, that can be seen in a flash, about halfway through the new trailer (above).
Followed by scenes showing mobs of clown-mask-wearing demonstrators / rioters (shades of anonymous, Guy Fawkes, Antifa and Hong Kong), there’s an implication that an anti-social movement is growing up around, and identifying with, the anger and twisted humor of the emerging “Joker” super-villain character.
Joker (2019)Reviews:
IGN: 10/10 Variety: 5/5 Hollywood Reporter (THR): 4.5/5 Empire Magazine: 10/10 Total Film Magazine: 10/10 Collider: 9/10 Forbes: 10/10 L.A Times: 4/5 Guardian: 5/5 Daily Telegraph (UK): 5/5#Joker#JokerMoviepic.twitter.com/YqWn2H1o4Z
The real life parallels in the fictional world of Gotham City and the way many could relate, after having suffered similar fates to those that produced the madness into which Arthur descends, are scary, already in previews, and could portend a film that is, not only horrifically entertaining, but thought provoking when seen in the shadows of current events and today’s zeitgeist.
In the wake of so many “uplifting” but heavily computer assisted films where Comic book superheroes battle cartoon villains (and each other) the emphasis on live action grit and human emotions and failings is, at first look, refreshing and terrifying (in an interesting way), an that seems to have hit a nerve with the general public, well before the first public screening of the film.
Once the reviews flood out this weekend, after the Venice Film Festival World Premiere, the question of, to what degree the full length feature will live up to the promise encapsulated in these first two trailers, will have at least a provisional answer.
There will be before Joker. And there will be after Joker. I don't know if the world is ready for this movie. Or maybe it is? It is GNARLY. It is crazy. It is audacious. It doesn't hold back. Wow. I can't believe it exists. But it does. And it's coming.
In the meantime we can just watch and re-watch these tender tidbits and prepare for October 4, 2019, when the film will see wide release across the USA.
Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren recently made a point, and then proved that point with the “help” of Facebook. The Massachusetts Senator posted an ad calling for the “break up” of tech giants Facebook, Google and Amazon. The video advertisement was removed by Facebook. Their reasoning for the removal was that the ad was in breach of Facebook’s advertising and copyright policy (the Facebook logo was used in the ad). The removal was reversed by Facebook based on a stated policy of wanting to allow a “robust debate”. The ad wasn’t expensive. It was only $100, but proved in the end to make an invaluable point.
The ensuing bru-ha-ha was worth many times the original sum by bringing more attention and focus to the very issue the ad was meant to highlight:
Curious why I think FB has too much power? Let's start with their ability to shut down a debate over whether FB has too much power. Thanks for restoring my posts. But I want a social media marketplace that isn't dominated by a single censor. #BreakUpBigTechhttps://t.co/UPS6dozOxn
The Democrat Senator served as Barack Obama’s Director of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She’s also an aggressive opponent of “big banks” and unlawful practices committed by Wall Street. Warren’s argument was contextualized by antitrust law violations by Microsoft in the 90’s. Warren also explained how these laws lead to the opportunity for websites and tech companies to flourish. Yet, these (aforementioned) tech giants aren’t playing by the rules.
Opposing Monopolists: a rising trend among Democrats
Warren acknowledged the invaluable place that these companies play in our lives, during her speech at SXSW. She also affirmed that they need to be “broken up” in order to promote innovation.
“Facebook, Amazon, and Google. We all use them. But in their rise to power, they’ve bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field in their favor.
It’s time to break up these big companies so they don’t have so much power over everyone else.
Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren
The Senator isn’t the only high profile Democrat taking big tech companies to task, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was a voice of opposition in the recent Amazon HQ to Queens deal.
