Wednesday, April 27, 2016

New Yort Times Truth Censor

***STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL***

Note to all New York Times Writers:

We are the newspaper of record, so we bear a heavy responsibility to decide what is and what is not accepted as true by mainstream America, and especially by our advertisers. We acknowledge most of what actually happens and has happened, but there are some occurrences that would be too shocking for our readers and too disturbing to our advertisers if reported with complete accuracy, which is often at variance with the official US Government explanation. We must avoid giving these versions of events our imprimatur of Truth at all costs. Those reporters not conforming to these restrictions will be terminated (see Chris Hedges and Seymour Hersh).

Accordingly, in all your stories you will observe the following:

Stick closely to the official US Government accounts of the 9/11 attacks and for that matter the JFK Assassination.

Never refer to the arms industry as a motive force in our foreign policy, notably our aggressive actions abroad, including but not limited to drone strikes, attempts at regime change, targeted assassinations, the fight against ISUL. Never connect a congressperson’s position on an issue to contributions received from lobbyists.

Avoid reporting on the activities of the CIA, especially when they run counter to the stated goals of our government, e.g. supporting the Taliban or ISUL. Never mention any possibility of false flag operations, and avoid mention of Israeli attempts to influence US public opinion or foreign policy and especially any Mossad operation.

Never make any mention of illegal attempts to alter election results, including but not limited to computer hacking, computerized voting machine alteration, flipping votes, or the so-called “red shift” adjustments purportedly used by exit-polling organizations. Stick with aboveboard attempts to limit voting by voter ID requirements, closing polling places, deleting or changing registrations, eliminating early voting. We deplore such measures, which are all instituted by partisan and/or ill-conceived laws. We do not acknowledge, much less investigate the surreptitious alteration of vote totals, no matter the evidence, since this could lead to libel suits, and in the worst case, assassinations of reporters. Accordingly, never refer to Mike Connell’s death or assassination in any way. Leave Karl Rove out of all discussion, and never mention CIA efforts to influence elections abroad.

Soft pedal the racism in attacks against President Obama and the obstructionist attitude of the Republicans in Congress. Never pose the questions of how so many were elected, despite their being a minority party, or else always blame it on Democratic voter apathy and Republican excess zeal.

Focus political reporting whenever possible on the outrageousness of Trump and Cruz. Do not draw attention to Hillary Clinton’s connections to big money, whether it’s in the defense industry or Wall Street. It is permissible to repeat her detractor’s accusations of same, but do not offer any corroboration.

(This is, of course, satire—JSS)

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Open Letter to Deborah Lusignan, the Sane Progressive, on Election Integrity

 Note: Deborah Lusignan has posted an important video on Youtube on outrageous practices in the Wyoming primary, where over 600 absentee votes materialized out of nowhere in Laramie County to swing its caucus to Hillary, after Bernie was winning decisively:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTEKSbvb57g&ebc=ANyPxKrYw8_4dAKbvwBL6GGf-DIbmof9ra3Q3AYbH3bF4K2rX4kMUoyqnXOFm2QCFYKPs8EU9woyFw8G5ECS7nAVUYEOfVT6rQ&nohtml5=False

Hi Deborah,

    I’m so glad to discover your strong voice.

    I’ve been following the issue of computerized election theft since November 2014, when I heard Jonathan Simon interviewed on WBAI/KPFA’s Guns and Butter with Bonnie Faulkner. I got his book, Code Red: Computerized Election Theft and the New American Century and organized a Left Forum panel on the subject last year. This year we’re back at the LF but with a better spot and bigger room.

    Meanwhile, I’ve been rattling the cage of one of the managing editors of The Nation (which I read regularly) to do an article on the subject, or even a whole issue devoted to election integrity. He’s demurred, and finally, I believe, brushed me off. Jonathan said, in effect, what did you expect? Mark Crispin Miller is similarly skeptical about getting the left wing press to acknowledge this huge problem. I’m also in contact with Bob Fitrakis, who, with Harvey Wasserman, wrote the book on the stealing of the 2004 election in Ohio (and he was Kerry’s confidant at some point). The Progressive Democrats of America, namely Mimi Kennedy is also on board, along with some financial angels in NY and San Francisco.
    I’ve been talking about the rolling coup d’état, viz. GOP takeovers of statehouses and the US Congress, but it’s more and more obvious that the Dems use the same techniques, though probably not on as wide a scale—yet.

    So now there seems to be a groundswell of popular protests against the rigged election system. This is fantastic. The ultimate goal is to increase the heat so much that (1) candidates like Bernie can take up the cry without sounding like a winer or a “conspiracy theorist” (a very loaded term, never to be used at face value by those of us who try to unearth the “secret history” of this country), and (2) that the left wing and magari the mainstream media will call for a serious investigation.

    Since both parties seem to be relying on these dirty techniques to keep their respective establishments in power, it will have to be a loud demand, something akin to a demand for investigating the CIA (and the last one of these resulted in the Pike Report of 1977—and was resisted by the CIA and most Republicans).

    Meanwhile, Bernie needs some toughness and fast to shed light on the very practices that you thunder against in your video. Kathleen Campbell sent me the link last night. She’s fought a valiant fight in the NW corner of North Carolina against election crooks.

    So let’s be on each other’s action lists.

    My next strategy is to arouse the international investigative press about our corrupted elections through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the ICIJ. I’ll let you know if I get anywhere.

    Yours in solidarity and outrage, as a fellow activist says,

    Joel Simpson