Punching Blindly
Who can answer the most important question of all: now what?
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From its founding, Scragged has viewed itself as a web-magazine. This may seem pedantic or pretentious, but it has a very real meaning.
A blog is generally a publication of an individual, mostly revolving around their personal views. Some blogs can be highly intelligent, others trite. Some may involve deep knowledge or even research. The modern blog can be viewed as "journalism" in the classic sense, that is, someone who thinks he has something to say going ahead and saying it, for whatever audience might be found to listen. But Scragged has always included multiple authors and different, even dissenting voices, so it's not really a blog.
A newspaper reports on current events, written by what we today call "journalists" who used to inform us of their personal observations or investigations of events they saw. That's why great papers would send war correspondents overseas to watch what went on and write back, and investigative journalists to dig into files and interview witnesses to report truth about corruption or other matters of public relevance. Scragged isn't that, either - we don't interview people, travel the world (more's the pity), or dig into file cabinets.
No, Scragged has always far more resembled the classic newsmagazines of yore, like Time, Newsweek, even Life, or at our (and their) best, The Economist. We offer pieces based on heavy research, light philosophy, editorial opinion, even occasional satire or polemics.
As with all products of human minds, we have a distinct point of view. As with the perspective of any intelligent human mind, it can change over time, as circumstances or evidence indicate.
But this identifies a key weakness of Scragged in particular, and almost certainly, for just about every one of our readers: we are dependent on what we read.
Now, as seekers of truth, we make every effort not to rely on any single source of inherently-biased information. Naturally, we read other conservative opinion-writers and news sources. We can't help but be aware of mainstream media reporting. We also seek out the writers of the far left, who complain bitterly about the centrist corporatism of MSNBC and the New York Times. The theory has been that seeking out various perspectives and correlating them, will allow greater accuracy in determining the actual truth.
We are noticing to our dismay and horror, that this method is breaking down in potentially crippling ways.
For example: what, exactly, happened at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday?
Lies On Every Side
To watch the mainstream media report, the "Stop the Steal" protest was the second coming of the KKK. Were there vast, angry throngs? Sure there were.
Was there destruction? It would seem so - we've seen pictures of smashed windows. We've heard reports of deaths by heart attack, but was that caused by deplorables or by donuts? Apparently one police officer was murdered with a fire extinguisher, and if this is accurate, we hope the murderer is speedily brought to justice.
How does this compare to the hundreds of BLM riots that the media and Democrat officeholders applauded all summer? Was the Capitol burned to the ground? Was it ransacked? It would seem not.
Yes, there were individual acts of theft, most notoriously the pilfering of Nancy Pelosi's podium. We'll be glad to see the thieves in court - every bit as glad as we'd be to see the countless thousands of BLM rioters who waltzed off with everything under the sun from any number of businesses large and small. Nobody cares about them, though, because they support Democrats.
As far as we can tell, this was, quite literally, a "mostly peaceful" protest. The actual damage done appears to be the tiniest fraction of one of the hundreds of BLM riots nationwide that have now been memory-holed and perpetrated by a handful of the thousands who attended.
But we do not know.
We've seen reports that there were Antifa instigators in the crowd. With a crowd that size, it seems hard to imagine that there weren't. But, there are photos that are claimed to be of known Trump stalwarts, committing obvious acts of criminal mischief. Do we know, though, that they've been correctly identified? How would we?
The FBI has announced that there was no Antifa involvement - a handful of hours after the events took place, and knowing that their new boss says Antifa is merely an idea. Apparently the throngs of black-clad anarchists were a figment of our imaginations? For all that law enforcement cares about them, they might as well be. No, by the mere fact that the FBI made such a dogmatic statement so rapidly that they could not possibly know it to be true, we know they cannot be trusted in this matter.
Of course, the news media cannot be trusted, we've known that for years. But, then, neither can the conservative blogs, which either condemned all the participants with the same broad brush as did the media, or rolled out the hoary old No-True-Scotsman fallacy that anyone committing violence was by definition not a real Trump supporter. Both are obvious nonsense, corrosive to credibility in the eyes of any sane, rational observer.
Truth and Consequences
If there was ever any doubt, there cannot be now: we are being actively driven in the direction of armed conflict by evil liars who wish us, and all Americans, ill.
For four years, the organs of the Left - basically, America's entire political, media, and academic establishments and everybody with a national platform save the President himself - bellowed that Trump was literally Hitler. What did they think was going to happen? If you were an election officer, and literally Hitler was on the ballot, wouldn't it be your moral obligation to cheat to ensure he lost?
Of course, there are multitudes of Americans who devoutly believe that Donald Trump is not literally Hitler, ourselves among them. Instead, we see a widespread, possibly-coordinated but possibly self-organizing effort of Democrat operatives and Republican squishes in many key states to, yes, steal the election for Joe Biden.
Once again, though, we weren't actually in Fulton County watching suitcases full of ballots being pulled out from under tables after Republican poll watchers were thrown out - or, as the case may be, ordinary vote-counting proceeding using ordinary equipment in the usual way. How could we possibly know, when we do know we can't trust anyone to tell us the truth?
It does seem to us that the mathematical coincidences are simply overwhelming, beggaring belief that Joe Biden actually won overwhelmingly in just the essential cities and nowhere else. It seems to us absurd that, when counting ballots, Republican totals could actually go down.
Perhaps there's some rational, fair, just explanation. Perhaps. It doesn't seem likely.
And, for millions of Americans who watched a national election be stolen live on TV, and then waited patiently for any American institution to register a peep of protest, only to see every single court door slammed shut in their faces - well, in the immortal words of AOC, which one day will be engraved on the frontispiece of a scholarly work explaining the origins of the Second American Civil War and/or the Fall of the American Republic:
I believe injustice is a threat to the safety of all people. Because once you have a group that is marginalized and marginalized and marginalized.once someone doesn't have access to clean water, they have no choice but to riot.
OK, the MAGA-ites do have access to clean water, but to justice? Every single Constitutional institution has not merely failed them, but gleefully and vindictively kicked them as they take them down. At this point, who would, could, or should they - or we - trust to ensure that justice, whatever that might be, is seen to be done?
We know we're being lied to on all sides. For a long time, polls have shown that most Americans know this too. Does it matter anymore? With what tyrants of both parties have gotten away with for a year, is there anything left they cannot do, to you, to your family, your church, your business, your friends?
Your humble correspondent has been repeatedly asked, "But what will you do about it?" We've discussed that in these pages multiple times, and still, we have no good answer - we know not what to do, other than writing what seem even to us to be increasingly plaintive and facile bleats. Knowing who to disbelieve is helpful, but to take action, you must believe in a direction - and for that action to accomplish anything good, it must in fact be the right direction.
Truth exists - of that we have no doubt. Either Donald J. Trump was literally Hitler, or he is the victim of gross injustice and criminal malfeasance. Either Joe Biden duly won the election and is properly our President, or he is a usurper, an imposter, and a thief. They can't both be true, and the difference between them determines who is the criminal traitor and who is the white-hatted patriot.
Can we find it, though? How would we know if we did? And then what?
If we don't find an answer, and fast, it won't matter anymore.
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What does Chinese history have to teach America that Joe Biden doesn't know?
Seeing the violence in DC and hearing/feeling all the rage against the conservative half of America, sure feels like a kick in the nuts.
Parler is a free speech version of Twitter. You can actually be a Republican on Parler, and not have your account blocked, or have warnings placed on your tweets. Parler is taking thousands of accounts away from Twitter every day. How do tech giants react to free speech competition?
Parler was removed from the Google Play store on Friday by the tech giant and Apple threatened to remove it as well unless the company introduced stronger moderation practices.
For the unitiated, "stronger moderation practices" means political censorship.
Perhaps you didn't realize it, but you voted yourself into Hong Kong, behind the Great Firewall of China.
Douglas Proudfoot
B52programmer.com
What to do about it?
This really grieves me to say this, but the answer is protest and protest. Peacefully of course, but we must protest every Biden speech, every Pelosi speech. Every single time. The left really only understands power. Reasoning doesn’t work.
Biden won. Get over it!
You advance opinion and hope some of it will be taken as fact.
You say we can't trust the media so what makes you think we can trust you?
You attack your institutions which undermines democracy.
Your bias is that of the right so please do not pretend impartiality.
It makes me laugh when people refer to themselves and others as "patriots" as though that makes them holier than others and justifies their actions.I doubt if they understand the word and its connotations.
"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." Samuel Johnson
The picture is rather clear, actually.
Both squishy RINOs and Democrats want independent thinking conservative-minded folk disarmed, and disconnected. We are in the way of the globalists assuming additional control.
Trump and crew were in their way. Trump brought us together and that scared the poop out of the beltway. The lack of racial animosity from Trump also scared Dems. Trump was cutting into their cartels.
Brainwashed idiots working for their their Dem and Republican field-bosses stole the election. Many are quite exposed.
A preponderance of malfeasance falls on swing state Republican legislators that were rolled by Marc Elias and Dems. Republicans allowed the steal. Those reps are antithetical to statesmanship. They don't need no stinkin' Constitution...
Per Geralds other posts on Scragged, he claims he is a pro-mask wearing Aussie who has drank the kool-aid and will comply with whatever the little cnn man on the screen tells him to comply with.
Thank you, may I have another? Why yes Gerald, have another.
And here he is criticizing us and telling us what conservatism and patriotism really is per him, and all the while, he’s not even an American.
Rico B,
Another of your meaningless rants. Here in Australia we believe our health experts and so follow their advice which is to wear a mask and use social distancing. I'd be interested in your knowledge of epidemiology or is it that you chant what others have told you to say?
You are right I'm not American but I'm exercising my right to freedom of speech. Anything wrong with that?
JR Lynch,
Your post makes me laugh. Before the election Trump was saying that if he lost then the election would be rigged. His myrmidons filed lawsuit after lawsuit claiming election fraud and all were thrown out by the Courts. He did not bring the nation together he divided it. He played to the White racist groups.
I chuckle when I see how you have been brainwashed by a conman, a thief and a liar He served one term and lost both houses. I suppose in that respect he is now making America great again.
Trump could not run a bath let alone a country
@Gerald Richards
You are a fraud, a liar, and a troll.
Firstly, if you are not an American, I am uninterested in your opinion concerning American politics. Put a sock in it.
Secondly, to insist that this election was free and fair and that Joe Xiden* won outright is to insist that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself. Moreover, no court has actually heard any evidence, of which there is a great deal.
Third, if you feel like going around with a sock on your head the rest of your days, fine, but your Australian forefathers would hang their heads in shame.
Brother John,
Hahahaha. You make me laugh. You really do.
So you don't agree with freedom of speech unless the content agrees with your thinking? I hope you don't pride yourself with having an open mind.
On many an occasion Giuliani made a fool of himself presenting "evidence" that was dismissed because it had no merit.
Your "Moreover, no court has actually heard any evidence, of which there is a great deal" so show me the evidence.
And talking about evidence please supply it appertaining to your outlandish claim that I am a fraud, a liar, and a troll. You and your ilk seem fond of name-calling and attempting to denigrate others and advancing an opinion which you then deem as fact. If you have to vilify others to make you feel good then I feel sorry for you. But, there again, Trump does that all the time so I suppose that's where you learnt it
I don't think my Australian forefathers will hang their heads in shame because I'm from England.
Gerald Richards: Just because you live in a carefully curated news bubble, it doesn't mean you know much. Quite the opposite. There were US Senate hearings and several state legislative hearings on vote fraud, all of which presented reasons to believe vote fraud occurred. The content, and even the existence, of these hearings were carefully suppressed because Biden's legitimacy was at stake. You can look for articles covering the evidence, but there aren't many. For example, search for Jesse Binnall. For another famous case, look for Nahshon Garrett. Use DuckDuckGo. Google has well known political bias in their search results, and will have few hits for vote fraud.
No court actually considered evidence because:
1. Plaintiffs had no legal standing to sue.
2. Plaintifs should have sued before the election. It's too late now.
3. Even if all of the evidence proffered were accepted, it's insufficient to show the election outcome was changed by vote fraud.
Please note that none of the above rulings say there was no vote fraud. At best they say there wasn't enough vote fraud, that can be proven, to make a difference. In other words, Biden would have won without whatever vote fraud there was.
Let's explain how this works. Jesse Binnall analyzed public data and found let's say 82,000 illegal votes cast in Nevada, dead people, non residents, non existent addresses, non citizens and people who voted more than once. (I don't remember the exact figure.) The court said that Binnall couldn't prove that any of them were votes for for Biden, case dismissed. That ruling didn't say no evidence of vote fraud. It said no evidence that the large amount of vote fraud Binnall found changed the outcome of the election.
Blog: B52programmer.com
As I said in my comments under the article Pondering Philosophy from a Seat of Lies a few days ago here on Scragged re: Gerald the Aussie.....
he will continue to argue, challenge and ignore any and all evidence presented to him here that contradicts what the little cnn man on the tv screen has proclaimed is the truth. If you look outside and see it’s daylight and post your observation here, but the little cnn man says it’s “dark out”, Gerald will deny what his own eyes see and argue with you to show him the proof and evidence that it is light outside during daytime hours. Because if little cnn man says it’s dark, then it must be dark. And nothing you can say will change Geralds mind. Nothing.
It’s kind of funny, but also sad. The main stream media, schools, colleges, and woke parents, have created an entire generation of sheep who have been programmed to follow. And follow they do. And their goal is to force each and every one of us to become sheep just like them, where we talk, dress and act exactly the same with absolutely no push back against what the little cnn man says. No “thinking” allowed. And no need to think. Just do what the little cnn man on the screen says.
He doesn’t understand that “we”... actual moral, Christian, conservative US citizens, are trying to understand and get to the truth. And how we do that is by scrutinizing and analyzing available information. But when the media and big tech prevent the open availability of facts and info, it becomes much more difficult to understand reality. Which I believe is the goal. Keep the masses afraid, unsettled and wondering. Do whatever is necessary to prevent the curtain from being pulled back to expose the little weasels. But the curtain has been pulled back far enough for us to see. And like Aldous Huxley said in regard to naysayers like Gerald... “FACTS DO NOT CEASE TO EXIST BECAUSE THEY ARE IGNORED”
So I’ll pose a question to Gerald.... if I’m wrong Gerald, and you’re not a closed eyed sheep regurgitating whatever bs little cnn man says, prove it. Because everything I’ve seen you post here is in direct conflict with the majority of what the people posting here think and believe. Seems most people are uncertain and trying to understand while you and you alone claim to “know”. Statistically, that shouldn’t be possible. And let’s not ignore the fact that you’re not an American and therefore you can only “imagine” what an American might actually feel or believe.
I’m looking forward to your thoughtful response.
In case one is looking for (or has) evidence of electoral fraud, here is a central clearinghouse website that has been collecting it:
https://hereistheevidence.com/