03-03-2017, 10:37 AM
Quote:Yes, and over-zealous analysis in pursuit of an edgy story is bad journalism. My referenced story covered that too. The question: is this just a case of pushing the envelope or more a case of creating something out of whole cloth. Spinning is a lot less egregious than outright lying, and that seems to be the state of the alt-press ... to say nothing of social media news, which is not only unsourced but totally unhinged.
Oh, so you do remember, then? I dunno, Dave, I can't help but feel that grossly distorted news stories in a "deeply respected" outlet have more potential for harm than a Facebook post about the pope endorsing Trump cooked up by some kid in Skopje.
Quote:This is politics, and he handed them a sledgehammer to beat him with, to misquote a poorly worded anecdote. FWIW, he gets the same consideration any other lawyer would get. He's expected to know the law in great detail, and this was an exercise in stupidity only matched by Bill Clinton's denial of carnal relations.
Sure, it was a stupid move. We'll see what comes of it. It's not really something I am interested in litigating (not being a lawyer and all).
Quote:The intel community is united in their analysis.
We've heard that one before.
Quote:The Russians interfered in our election, and did so with some degree of success.
By leaking Podesta's emails, or the DNC's? This is a casus belli now? I love how the approved phrasing continually implies that the Russians actually changed vote totals or something, rather than simply releasing embarrassing information (at least hypothetically). Weren't the Russians accused of this BEFORE the election? Were the voters somehow unaware of this?
Quote:What's the right answer if not to raise an alarm. In normal times, subtlety might work just fine, but these are far from normal times. I don't see the Russians pushing this to the point of open war with NATO, because they are already weak economically and don't need the massive drain a large war would entail.
That segments of our society are coming unglued has deeper roots than this. With a uniquely loose cannon at the top and the dispersed rumor mongering (see above), we're at risk. Is this worse than the Red Scare period of the 1950s? Arguable. We were war weary then and are again, but this time, we lack a huge base of veterans with direct experience of war. So yes, it's scary.
Still, are the PTB ready to start the draft, because that's going to be part of any large war. I don't see the Millennials going quietly to their doom, nor do I see parents investing their sons and daughters in a war, unless Russia invades an ally ... at a minimum. Putin sees a losing effort there, so we may be better off than we think.
One, this sort of thing has deeper roots than just the election. Two, your notion of how wars get started and escalated doesn't really hold water with me. I don't think most people in the government have a conscious plan for mobilizing a draft and invading Russia, or vice versa. I am more concerned with brinksmanship intended primarily for domestic consumption getting out of hand, of each side's fundamental misunderstanding of what the other side's red lines actually are. Once the ball gets rolling, these things can have a logic all of their own.