T.A. Johnson

We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion. It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops.

It is no coincidence that Trump, Hegseth, Miller, Noem and other members of the admin continue to make inflammatory partisan political speeches to military and law enforcement. They are conditioning them now to embrace the planned war to come - their war against other Americans.

Right wingers are compelled to create fake problems to distract from the real ones. Like the class war and the imminent release of the Epstein files

The administration definitely enjoys brutalizing Portland, but this situation is only partially about Portland. They're experimenting with propaganda. They're testing techniques. They want to see if they can convince a large portion of Americans that their constructed version of reality is true.

Slice-of-Life Sunday:

I think at this point it's trivially true to say that we— either in the sense of the creators and advocates, or as in this whole society— did not properly understand or prepare for the implications of the internet.

You love to see it

If you want to understand propaganda you have to realize that what we call "reality" is really just mutually agreed upon hallucinations. Our sense of reality is easily manipulated by the creation of intersubjective hallucinations. They create "truth" that serves the interests of the propagandists.

Behold, A Pale Horse Race On elections without choice and genocide without consequence

There's an Abuser Party and an Enabler Party. They depend on this dynamic. I wrote about it here: sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/behold-a-p...

See now, I wrote this article in 2023 -- giving folks plenty of time to talk solutions. Instead, they screamed that Trump was going to prison and that Dem victory was assured and that any other view was heresy. As for "both sides" -- yes, when both sides abuse public trust, both sides are being bad.

The second someone uses “woke” as a pejorative it’s a sure sign I don’t have to take that person seriously

Tardigrade in neon rainbow colors inside a circle with the caption “Just because I can survive harsh conditions doesn’t mean I should have to”

Just because I can survive harsh conditions doesn’t mean I should have to.

Graphic: @standplaatskrk.pl

You need to know about NSPM-7: Trump’s new blueprint to police “pre-crime”

There’s no rule of journalistic neutrality that requires you to say something is “unclear” when that is objectively untrue. It would be illegal. There’s absolutely zero ambiguity about that fact. Saying it’s unclear is making a false statement in your reporting.

Agreed. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to whatever the Philippou brothers are cooking up next

Stu Phillips strikes again (and again, and again)!

I always dig the theme music. Good stuff

Please don’t share deepfake “AI” videos. Even as a joke. Not cute.

I spent some time with OpenAI's new AI video app Sora. Not just slop but ragebait, fake crimes and women splattered with white goo. The implications of all of this are horrifying.

As far-right billionaires buy up media and social media, we are going to need wealthy liberals to start throwing their money behind local and independent investigative media.

We can’t compete at scale, but we should have a goal: No news deserts where the only options are right-wing corporate crap

Oscar on set

I currently have no latitude to invest, but please tell your dad just *seeing* his work (and not just the wonderful wood-wraiths) brings me joy. I’m sure I’m not alone in that. Be well!

i assure you, the joker takes no pleasure in flooding gotham with joker gas, he has to ensure the gang places all of these tanks in the right places to poison all of gotham

See? It could be worse

The Onion Wants an Oscar for 'Jeffrey Epstein: Bad Pedophile'—Coming to a Theater Near You And Onion CEO Ben Collins knows just how to sell this 20-minute mockumentary to the Academy: “Do you like pedophiles? I don’t think you do. You know what you could do to prove it?”

Here's the whole thing:

July 24, 2024

“…since puberty.” ?!!

If you complain about being beaten we will beat you harder

This incompetent regime is escalating its campaign of intimidation and terror

They’re desperate to incite a violent response