Let's not be duped again, OK?

[MineralMan]

Last edited Mon Dec 12, 2016, 10:32 AM - Edit history (1)

When people post on DU from RT, praise people like Robert Parry, or lionize Julian Assange, Snowden or Wikileaks, let's not be fooled again into believing that such people are progressives or somehow more liberal than we are.

Instead, let's remember 2016 and the Russian-led destruction of the very fabric of this country. Let's rely instead on our own good sense and not be sold a bill of goods by some glib POS used car sales strategies.

Too many Democrats were taken in by such malicious pretenders this year, and we'll be paying the price for that deception for a long time to come. Looking forward, let's be more careful who we listen to, OK?

That's my Sunday evening rant for this week.

[revmclaren]

1. Good rant and very true. A lot of 'Nothing to see behind the big curtain

with the huge Putin and Trump pictures on it' being posted since the Russian revelation by the usual suspects.

K & R.









X1000!!!

[MineralMan]

3. Thank you kindly.

[pnwmom]

2. Don't forget the libertarian rag, the Intercept. People keep posting that garbage here.

They apparently don't realize that libertarians are against Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, aid to families with dependent children, public education, public highways, public lands, and every other form of the "nanny state."

[think]

4. So Lee Fang is now a Libertarian? Who Knew!!?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Fang

[pnwmom]

5. He's one of the reporters, and he's chosen to write for a libertarian rag.

Presumably he needs the money.

Glenn Greenwald is the "creator" (in his own words) and editor of the Intercept, so he's in much more of a position to influence its positions.

[revmclaren]

10. Just being a Clinton hater should be enough to keep his posts from here for me and other Democrats.

But of course until the 2016 Postmortem forum disappears from DU, it will be bash, bash, bash, the Democrats and excuse the Russians.











X 1000

[think]

12. Lee Fang reports on Trump, the GOP, & Libertarians also. He must hate every body.

https://theintercept.com/2016/11/04/koch-senate-hawks/

https://theintercept.com/2016/12/07/donald-trumps-epa-team-will-be-run-by-fossil-fuel-industry-advocates/

https://theintercept.com/2016/11/30/katie-gorka-trump/

https://theintercept.com/2016/11/26/laura-ingraham-lifezette/

[revmclaren]

17. Well, with that logic, CNN, FOX, etc are great sources of

news since they do report on everyone at one time or another and even fake being critical of their favorite political heart-throbs once in a while, but they really just tend to focus on who they like and support more than actually being fair. Sorry...my country is going to sh#$. not buying the excuses from non-Democrats any longer...journalists or otherwise.











X 1000

[Demsrule86]

19. I don't care if he bashes Mother Theresa and others if he bashes Democrats please

don't post it here...this is Democrat Underground...we need to work to rebuild our party not read countless OP's running it down...it is demoralizing and leads to Republicans wins in multiple elections.

[Demsrule86]

16. I don't think so. I am confident that Skinner will not permit that.

[revmclaren]

18. I trust Skinner too

but 2016 Postmortem has to go! IMHO.









X 1000

[Demsrule86]

20. I don't think it will be long before it goes.

I have trashed it repeatedly only to bring it back...it is like crack...I can't help myself!

[MineralMan]

7. Greenwald is a Parry/Assange Dupe,

Plain and simple. He is simply a pretender at being a progressive. In reality, he is a libertarian, but with no understanding beyond the surface.

His followers and sycophants are no longer here. Once discovered, they left or were banned.

A pox on The Intercept!

[revmclaren]

11. Well... Not here with the same names anyway...

Name removed, message removed is becoming VERY common these days.









X 1000

[brush]

31. I wasn't familiar with Parry so I did a quick google search

Seems he supported Gary Webb and his "Dark Alliance" reporting on the Contras and drug trade, which would lead one to think that he was at least somewhat progressive.

Was I asleep at the wheel of something because I don't recall his name coming up with Hersh, Palast, Goodman, Scahill or others.

When did his libertarian leanings become apparent?

[MineralMan]

33. When he started writing for RT.

[mythology]

6. Very true

Unfortunately I suspect the lesson won't stick.

[MineralMan]

8. Perhaps not. But we can remind people

If those folks return, under any name.

[charlyvi]

14. They're here now, MM

I had to get off last night, then again today because of all the Russia didn't do anything posts, Greenwald quotes and passive blaming of Hillary posts (one person even quoted NEWSMAX with a highly deceptive post title) because she lost. It seems like the Bob crowd is back with a vengeance trying to replay the primaries. They seem to want DU to think Hill's campaign and message were terrible, which is bullshit. A terrible campaign and message doesn't garner you 2.5 million more votes than the other guy. As usual, though. place ALL the blame on Hillary; Trump, Russia, Assange and Comey had nothing to do with it. If we only would have listened to them..........

Sickening.

[brush]

32. Exactly. Some are even defending voters who switched to Trump because Obama . . .

and the Dems didn't bring change. Repug obstructionism is never mentioned.

[mcar]

9. K&R

[boston bean]

13. I agree. And I also see snowden in a whole different light as well.

[MineralMan]

24. I never supported Snowden with his wholesale theft

and disclosure of classified information. I cannot. I worked in that Top Secret environment myself, and I cannot imagine any circumstances that would have led me to do anything like that.

I was trusted to handle extremely sensitive materials having to do with national security, but was never in any position where I felt competent to judge the accuracy or impact or risks of that material falling into the wrong hands. For me, I simply honored the agreement I signed and observed all handling rules for classified materials.

I was not some useless dweeb moving stuff around, either. I was working as an analyst with information that was highly, highly compartmentalized. Like most analysts, I had no need to know the broader perspectives of the materials I worked with. That was above my level. However, it was impossible not to see the importance of the materials I did work with.

In the cases where someone indiscriminately grabbed up everything and shipped it off to unauthorized people, I have nothing but contempt and always have felt that way. The potential for damage of such a thing is enormous.

[boston bean]

25. I was ok with him, until he sought refuge in Russia... I aint no Russian sympathizer.

John McCain is right about this, Putin is a brutal dictator and anyone who tells you any different is lying to you.

[Demsrule86]

15. Very True

Those who pretend to be friends to the Democratic Party but are really working to destroy it. They claim to have different goals than the right but ...their efforts always lead to Republicans winning....always. We must be wary of any advice they offer.

[MineralMan]

26. Pretend is the operant word.

We have had libertarians, anarchists, anarcho-syndicalists and many other splinter political philosophies representing themselves as "progressives" here. Far too many of them were allowed to engage in their splintering activities on DU for far too long. Most are gone now, at least in their original screen names.

Their goals were never to promote progressive candidates who could be elected. Their goals were always to disrupt and sow discontent and mistrust of every Democrat who was in office.

The constant attacks on President Obama by that group, beginning right after the inauguration never let up, right through both of his terms in office. Some of those semi-anonymous characters were very articulate and wrote at length, building up a following that really didn't understand what was going on.

In many ways, I believe that sabotage was their goal from the very beginning. Some have moved on and started other websites after being tossed from DU. On those websites, they are no longer hiding their goals nor engaging in subterfuge.

Make no mistake: They will be back here. Some already are.

[Demsrule86]

41. Some of them are back...and trying to prevent the healing that is need in order to have a shot

at winning in 2018.

[ismnotwasm]

21. Yes please.

That would be great

[MineralMan]

28. You are one of the people here who consistently saw through

many of those people. There are others, but I won't name them. Many were forced off the site by the fans of those anarchists, libertarians and outright pretenders, through selective alerts and juries.

Will such activities occur again on DU. I have no doubt of that. I'll continue to push back against it and try to keep from being timed out through alerts and juries. But, it will recur again and again.

Thanks for your efforts and thanks to all who have tried to alert DUers to phony posters with agendas that will harm us.

[flamingdem]

22. Yes enough of the Assange luv

not to mention Snowden, or should we leave him out of this

[Jamaal510]

23. K&R

[get the red out]

27. I agree

But I don't know what RT is, I am a bit behind the times I guess.

[MineralMan]

29. Russian Times - a totally owned house organ of Putin and

his like. Nothing you read that is sourced to RT should be taken at face value. The pro-Russian bias is subtle at times, but it's real. If DU were my site, no materials sourced from RT would be allowed. But it's not my site.

[get the red out]

30. WOW

I would think someone would instantly have major suspicions about a "news source" called "Russian Times".

[brush]

34. There's also the "Russia Today" network where some assumed progressive pundits have moved to

Hartman and Schultz to name a couple. What's your take on that?

[MineralMan]

36. Same crap. Same organization controlling it.

Both are propaganda from Putin and the Russian Federation. Neither is a reliable source, nor is Hartmann these days, or for some, really.

[brush]

37. Puzzling to me about Hartmann and why he went over. Money maybe? But with his . . .

long-time, liberal bona fides, you'd think that would be the last thing he would do?

Schultz has switched sides before so with him it looks like he just prolonged his career and took the money since MSNBC dumped him.

[MineralMan]

38. A guy has to make money somehow, I guess.

Some people's principles don't extend past that basic need. That's my assessment, frankly.

[cwydro]

35. K and r. nt

[Coyotl]

39. "... the Russian-led destruction of the very fabric of this country." Seriously?

Hyperbolic swill.

I'm awaiting credible evidence of any state action by Russia before I fall for another WMD scenario. Big Oil is who I don't trust.

[MineralMan]

40. Ah, you have an opinion about what I wrote.

Thanks for sharing it with me.

"Hyberbolic swill" is very colorful as a description, but not very informative as to why you think that. But, there it is. I appreciate the time it took for you to reply.