WAMU 88.5’s Post

In our second part with the eminent Colin Copus, we discussed the constitutional standing and status of local government. We explored why we need to emphasise the ‘government’ in local government more – the sorts of freedoms, powers and autonomy that is commonplace to local government across the globe, but lacking here and why.

"Searching for News in an Era of Propaganda: Randy Mayeux and Ed Bark, on the changing nature of news coverage" -- That was the presentation that I shared with Ed Bark, former TV critic of the Dallas Morning News (who also covered politics, and especially political conventions) . With great stories and insights from Ed, to insights from a great book by Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, on propaganda, and the classic Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, which warned of the danger of "news as entertainment," this presentation dealt with information and misinformation, disinformation, propaganda... In other words, a really timely presentation. We may give this presentation another time or two. I think it addresses the need of the era. Here are Ed and Randy at CC Young, were we made the presentation.

The combination of oligarchy with platforms is lethal for civilization and democracy.

Our adversaries continue to come up with new ways to disseminate disinformation and misinformation. The article linked below shows how Russia is using websites, disguised as legitimate news outlets, to propagate deceptive news articles. These sites appear to be genuine, when reposted to social media sites, further allowing propagation of false narratives and incorrect information. Please review any articles before reposing them on social media to prevent spreading misinformation and taking part in disinformation campaigns. “While Russia has long sought ways to influence public discourse in the United States, the fake news organizations — at least five, so far — represent a technological leap in its efforts to find new platforms to dupe unsuspecting American readers. The sites, the researchers and officials said, could well be the foundations of an online network primed to surface disinformation ahead of the American presidential election in November.” https://lnkd.in/gGxpvKH5

Regardless of your politics, this is a worthwhile read. https://lnkd.in/eTTBhQEp

Fellow political cartoonists Ted Rall, from the left, and Scott Stantis, from the right, have a lively discussion of issues facing the world. First up-President Joe Biden breaks with the long tradition of the United States being a stedfast ally of Israel. In a recent statement, Biden has said the United States is pausing sales of arms to Israel hoping to prevent Israeli forces from invading Rafah in Gaza. This has sparked outrage in pro-Israel circles not to mention a little outrage on this podcast. Second, Trump on trial. Is this a legitimate prosecution? And what will the eventual outcomes be? Scott and Ted lend their observations and discuss their own jail experiences. Lastly, it's still the economy, stupid. With many economic indicators pointing towards a steep downturn what can, or should, be done to prevent it? The DMZ America Podcast is recorded weekly by political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis. Twitter/X: @scottstantis and @tedrall

Election fatigue is real – but so are work frustrations, burnout, and everyday stress. Whether you're tired of relentless ads or just overwhelmed by what's on your plate, you're not alone. Join my friends and colleagues, Mark Rovner, PCC, JD and Rebecca Scott ACC, for a 45-minute webinar on October 8 at noon ET. It’s a chance to take a breather and pick up practical skills you can use to feel more centered and prepared – not just for the election, but for any stress life throws your way. This session may be focused on navigating the political season, but the tools you'll gain can help you find calm in all areas of life. And it's completely free. 👉 Register here: https://bit.ly/four-tools Feel like you could use some calm right now? Share this with someone who might need it too.

We bring to you Techniche Tuesdays:your monthly news recap. Join us on the first Tuesday of every month for concise and engaging news recaps,so you don't miss out any of the latest update. Stay tuned for more!! #dailynews #news #TechnicheIITG #latestnews #newsupdate #currentaffairs #dailyupdates #upsc #covid #worldnews #politics #linkdein #dailycurrentaffairs #ssc #newstoday

I wish I lived in a world where more people would think for themselves instead of letting professional TV and internet liars feed them garbage. Imho, we owe it to ourselves to be more discerning about what we believe. It's hurts to think that otherwise intelligent people allow themselves to be manipulated. If enough footage existed, any of us could be made to look foolish. I took a film-making class at Manatee Community College in 1993 and learned: It's about the EDITING. Anybody can be made to look foolish. It doesn't mean they're a fool. Fox "news" for example. They're a defamation machine that churns out lies and exaggerations 24/7/365. Fox paid nearly $900M for lying about the Dominion Voting machines. Show me another network caught lying like this. You can't. Fox makes $15B/yr, so it's a small price to keep their viewers happy. They have to keep the 'narrative' going or they lose ground to OAN, etc. There was a time in the USA where people actually debated on a politician's worthiness by looking at: 1) Their policies; 2) Their track record; 3) What sort of person they are; 4) Etc. Are they experienced and serious people? Before social media, most people used data/info to form their opinions. It wasn't about their hairstyle, but their policies. I try to judge people on their ACTIONS more than their WORDS. That works out most of the time. These days there's all these 'Bad Faith Actors' (aka professional liars on TV and the internet) who spend all day defaming their political opponents. They use 10% reality w/90% garbage to smear people. When you hear "Many people are saying....", that's not a fact, it's conjecture (aka a bunch of lies). Sean Hannity and others said for the last few yrs that Joe Biden took bribes. Turns out their "evidence" comes from a Russian operative ( https://lnkd.in/e8gnK2VJ ) I'm not going to let a murderous dictator like Vlad Putin tell me what to think. Will Sean apologize? Of course not! If you're good at being a Bad Faith Actor, like Sean Hannity, you can make $45M/yr w/out a college degree (he's a former bartender + construction worker, we have that in common!). Sean is worth $250M (a real "regular guy", huh?) and when pressed about his lies/lack of credentials, he says "Oh, I'm not a journalist, I'm just giving my opinion." See how that works? Of course "the media" isn't "liberal". The media is almost entirely owned by huge, transnational corporations. The media is owned by a bunch of billionaires. Those billionaires decide what most of us think by controlling CONTENT. If you think Joe Biden is ______, I say "Make up your own mind." I watched his entire State of the Union speech. I liked his message. He makes a LOT of sense. Did he stumble a few times? Sure. He's an older gent w/a lifelong stuttering problem. Judge him for yourself. You're too smart to let other people tell you what to think. https://lnkd.in/e_Gmm9SJ

Fellow political cartoonists Ted Rall, from the Left, and Scott Stantis, from the Right, conduct a lively discussion of issues facing the world. First up: President Joe Biden breaks with the long tradition of the United States being a steadfast ally of Israel. In a recent statement, Biden has said the United States is pausing sales of arms to Israel, hoping to prevent Israeli forces from invading Rafah in Gaza. This has sparked outrage in pro-Israel circles, not to mention a little outrage on this podcast. Second: Trump on trial. Is this a legitimate prosecution? And what will the eventual outcome be? Scott and Ted lend their observations and discuss their own jail experiences. Lastly, it's still the economy, stupid. With many economic indicators pointing towards a steep downturn, what can, or should, be done to prevent it? The DMZ America Podcast is recorded weekly by political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis. Twitter/X: @scottstantis and @tedrall