Jon Stewart (As Trump) Declares: ‘The New Official Language Of The United States Is Bullsh*t’

Posted by on February 1, 2017 at 10:12 am. 2 Comments :

America is going through a difficult period with uncommonly serious challenges unfolding daily. Donald Trump’s first two weeks in office have already produced unprecedented opposition with millions of citizens taking to the streets to protest his regressive agenda. Consequently, the nation has never needed the uplifting effect of biting satire more. And no one is better at it than Jon Stewart.

Jon Stewart

Perhaps sensing the hunger from a troubled nation, Stewart made a rare public appearance with his old pal Stephen Colbert. Tuesday night’s surprise visit to The Late Show (video below) was a welcome respite from the political and personal animosity emanating from Trump’s White House. Stewart strolled onto the stage wearing a ridiculously long red tie and a stuffed animal on his head. That set the scene for a segment wherein he introduced some executive orders that Trump hadn’t yet announced.

Leading off was a unique proposal for completing the wall that Trump promised top build on the Mexican border. Stewart/Trump proclaimed that he would just make China send us theirs. Of course, Mexico would bear the cost because it would be sent C.O.D. while America pretends they’re not at home.

The next executive order would demand something that seems to have already been achieved by the Trump administration. Stewart/Trump decreed that:

“I, Donald J. Lincoln Kennedy Trump III do pronounce America now finally has an official language. The new official language of the United States is bullshit. I, Donald J. Trump, have instructed my staff to speak only in bullshit. And by the way, none of that, ‘Sure, I’ll speak bullshit at work, but at home I’m using facts and real information.’ No. Bullshit all the time. Immersion – it’s the only way to be fluent.”

Judging by the comments coming from Sean Spicer, Kellyanne Conway, and other Trump mouthpieces, he’s already implemented that order. The advent of “alternative facts” makes that abundantly clear. Likewise, the ludicrous and unsupported talk of voter fraud and bogus estimates of inaugural crowd stats affirm Trump’s fluency in BS..

Add to that Trump’s belligerent behavior toward the press that he despises, his bigoted and heartless ban of refugees, and the ongoing drama surrounding his swamp-dwelling cabinet nominees, and you have the making of a toxic presidency. It’s no wonder that he has entered the office with the lowest approval ratings on record. And as Stewart observed in the segment’s poignant finale, Trump is exhausting:

“I, Donald J. Trump, do declare by executive order that I, Donald J. Trump, am exhausting. It has been 11 days, Stephen. Eleven fucking days. Eleven! The presidency is supposed to age the president, not the public. And the reason that I, Donald J. Trump am exhausting is that every instinct and fiber of my pathological self-regard calls me to abuse of power.

“I Donald J. Trump, want – no, deserve – not just your respect but your adoration. Parades with the tanks and the synchronized dancing. And why can’t they train 10,000 doves to spell out ‘Trump’ in the clouds? How hard can it be? They’re already flying.

“I, Donald J. Trump, am exhausting because it is going to take relentless stamina, vigilance, and every institutional check and balance this great country can muster to keep me, Donald J. Trump, from going full Palpatine, with the lightning coming out of the fingertips and the ‘fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate.’ We have never faced this before. Purposeful, vindictive chaos.

“But perhaps therein lies the saving grace of I, Donald J. Trump’s presidency. No one action will be adequate. All action will be necessary. And if we do not allow Donald Trump to exhaust our fight and somehow come through this presidency calamity-less, and constitutionally partially intact, then I, Donald J. Trump, will have demonstrated the greatness of America, just not the way I thought I was gonna.”

As he often does, Stewart’s faux-news persona presented a picture of current events that surpasses the efforts of the “real” media. He expressed the sentiment of a majority of the nation and their well-warranted anxiety of Trump. But most most importantly, he opened the door to let in a ray of hope. His commitment to “relentless stamina [and] vigilance,” noting that “All action will be necessary,” is just the inspiration Americans need right now. And we could also use more of Jon Stewart providing his unique insight and humor.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

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Fox News Asks Whether Jesus Was A Refugee – And Gets The Bible HORRIBLY Wrong

Posted by on January 31, 2017 at 12:23 pm. 4 Comments :

The debate over Donald Trump’s offensive Muslim ban has taken some peculiar turns. It’s already resulted in successful lawsuits rejecting his executive order as unconstitutional. And there are heartbreaking cases of heroes being refused entry after fighting alongside American soldiers in Iraq. Even a nominee for an Academy Award will be unable to attend the ceremony due to the restrictions.

Pray for Fox News

Tuesday morning the cast of Fox & Friends took up the volatile issue of refugees (video below). While intending to rebut arguments connecting current events to the life of Jesus, the Fox crew veered wildly off course. The segment led off with the “Curvy Couch” potatoes mocking a tweet by Rev. Al Sharpton:

On the surface, there isn’t anything especially controversial about that. However, to Fox News it was an abomination of the gospel and a personal attack on Trump. Co-host Steve Doocy introduced the segment and engaged in the following exchange with guest Carley Shimkus:

DOOCY: This morning a social media firestorm set off by the Rev. Al Sharpton after he slammed President Trump’s border order by calling Jesus a refugee. […] Well that’s not exactly accurate is it?

SHIMKUS: Well, according to the bible it’s really not. And a lot of people on social media had something to say about that.

Whereupon, Shimkus read two tweets replying to Sharpton. Oddly enough, they are the same two tweets posted in an article on this subject by The Daily Caller. That’s the website founded by Fox News host Tucker Carlson:

It’s notable that Fox News turned to anonymous Twitter users for their biblical analysis. And they appeared to be quite proud of themselves for having debunked Sharpton’s sacrilege. Except for one thing: They couldn’t possibly have been more wrong. A quick glance at the bible’s book of Matthew (2:13-15) reveals that Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with their infant son Jesus to avoid King Herod’s “massacre of the innocents.” That sounds like they were refugees to me. They only returned after Herod’s death:

(13) And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. (14) When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: (15) And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

This is a perfect example of the approach to journalism as practiced by Fox News. Why bother consulting religious scholars, the clergy, or even the bible, when you have Twitter for divine guidance? It obviously doesn’t matter to Fox whether the information is correct, something that’s apparent in most of their reporting. And the cherry on top was co-host Brian Kilmeade’s closing shot at Sharpton saying “Who gave him his gift certificate to be a reverend?”

No doubt Kilmeade actually believes there are such certificates. Maybe someone should ask him where he got his gift certificate to host a “news” program. And why is Fox News always making African-Americans provide certificates of authenticity, birth, etc.?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIKpZ2qPDdw


Fox ‘FAKE’ News Falsely Reported Quebec Mosque Shooting Suspect Was Moroccan

Posted by on January 30, 2017 at 6:32 pm. 1 Comments :

Another tragic instance of hateful violence was reported Sunday. This time a man entered a mosque in Quebec and shot fourteen people as they were praying, killing six of them. This massacre of innocents occurred shortly after Donald Trump signed an executive order banning Muslims immigrants and refugees from entering the United States. The measure was widely condemned as counter-productive to the fight against terrorism. And in some respect it encourages the impression of Muslims as dangerous and undesirable.

Fox News

As the facts surrounding the shooting were still unfolding, Fox News rushed out a story that falsely identified one of two suspects as Moroccan. The story has since been edited to remove that assertion, but it was never corrected. A tweet is still live on the Fox News Twitter account with the same accusation:

https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/826120752529301504
[Update 1/31/2017: Fox finally issued a statement expressing regret for their error and they deleted the tweet]

For the record, there is only one suspect. He is a white nationalist Canadian named Alexandre Bisonnette. His social media profile includes “Likes” of France’s fascist Front National leader, Marine Le Pen, and Donald Trump. There was a Moroccan individual who was briefly detained by the police, but who was later identified as a witness. That was all that Fox needed.

This is the sort of defamatory allegation that often finds a place on Fox News. If any event occurs that provides an opportunity to smear their perceived political foes, Fox News jumps on it. Therefore, Democratic protests, or Black Lives Matter rallies, are reported as assemblies of decadent liberals. And anything involving Muslims is automatically turned into a terrorist attack by radical Islamists.

The example shown here is not merely a journalistic mistake. It is representative of Fox’s deliberate intent to demonize Muslims. And that intention is getting support in the White House. Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, referenced the Quebec shooting at the morning briefing. He said that:

“It’s a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant and why the President is taking steps to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to our nation’s safety and security.”

Spicer’s comment makes the false assertion that there is a “reminder” in this shooting that relates to Trump’s policy. Of course, nothing in the Muslim ban implemented by Trump would have prevented this tragedy. That, however, didn’t stop Spicer from exploiting it. His irresponsible statement implies that there was a Muslim connection to the shooting. That falsehood can only exacerbate the bigotry that already infects the Fox News audience and Trump’s Republican Party.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

At a time when victims and their families are trying to cope with this horror, Fox News and the White House are only making matters worse. Their misinformation spreads far more quickly than any attempt to correct it, which they haven’t made. So rather than receiving the sympathy and concern that was warranted, the Muslim community was victimized again by dishonest media and a bigoted administration that is more focused on political advantage than on truth or human decency.


‘I Hope Trump Enjoys Losing’ Says ACLU Director After Donations Skyrocket

Posted by on January 30, 2017 at 12:31 pm. 3 Comments :

Last week Donald Trump issued an Executive Order suspending immigration from seven Majority-Muslim nations. The outcry was swift and furious as hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country took the streets (and airports). The public revulsion to this bigoted proposal became the latest theme for massive anti-Trump protests. Even many Republicans expressed deep disagreement with the White House. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham issued a stinging joint statement taking Trump to task. They boldly declared that “we fear this executive order may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security.”

Donald Trump

That’s an opinion shared by many national security and counter-terrorism experts. But a surprising confirmation of the widespread opposition to Trump’s ban came Sunday evening with an announcement by the ACLU. As reported by The Hill:

“The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has received more than $19 million [now more than $24 million] since Saturday, and has hundreds of thousands of new members since it took action against President Trump’s executive order […] The average it takes in per year is $3 million to $4 million, according to Reuters reporter Dustin Volz.”

So the ACLU received six times as much in donations in one weekend as they ordinarily receive in a full year. That’s a powerful demonstration of citizens voting with their pocketbooks. It all began with the ACLU filing a lawsuit to challenge the Executive Order. They argued that it unconstitutionally discriminated on the basis of religion. A federal court in New York agreed, issuing an emergency stay finding that there is “a strong likelihood of success.” That ruling prompted this deliciously snarky response from the ACLU’s national director, Faiz Shakir:

“I hope Trump enjoys losing. He’s going to lose so much we’re going to get sick and tired of his losing.”

Indeed, the sentiment against Trump is growing daily. Gallup’s tracking poll shows his net approval plunging eight points, in just five days, with fifty percent disapproving. In the first week of his presidency he has earned the distinction of having the lowest favorability of any new president on record. His own email appeals to supporters reveal that he’s “worried:”

“We thought there would be a huge influx in contributions this weekend, but we were wrong. We need a MASSIVE turnaround immediately if we’re going to hit our goal by tomorrow at midnight.”

The Trump team may suffer further disappointments going forward. The American people do not tolerate official prejudice from their government. Trump tried desperately to spin the order as a safety measure that was not directed at Muslims. However, that contradicts his campaign promise “calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” His surrogates Rudy Giuliani and Michael Flynn, Jr. similarly admitted that the order was deliberately aimed at Muslims.

The momentum is growing for Americans committed to the values to which this country has long aspired. The support for the ACLU’s actions affirms those values. And there is no reason the momentum can’t continue. Here is a link to the ACLU’s donations website. Share this article and link with your friends and family. If we remain active in protests and communications with our representatives, we can insure that Trump and his hateful agenda continue to lose, although most of us won’t get sick of it any time soon.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.


WTF? Trump Regime Mulls Making Foreign Visitors Turn Over Social Media And Cell Phone Info

Posted by on January 29, 2017 at 1:12 pm. 3 Comments :

During the presidential campaign there was considerable anxiety about the way that Donald Trump was shaping his political ideology. It seemed to be frighteningly similar to the authoritarian regimes he admires. His casual advocacy of policies that reek of dictatorship worried civil libertarians and Constitutional experts. But now those concerns appear to have been fully justified.

Refugees, Let Them In

CNN’s Jake Tapper reported Sunday that the Trump administration is considering the sort of “extreme vetting” that he threatened in the campaign (video below). Tapper’s sources revealed:

“…the preliminary idea being kicked around in the U.S. government right now. And that would be to ask foreign visitors to the U.S. to provide the names of websites and social media sites that they visit, and to provide all the contacts on their cells phones. And if a foreign visitor refuses to turn that over they would be denied entry.”

This sort of invasive screening is both ineffective and contrary to the values of a free society. Probing personal information in order to discriminate against people for their political beliefs might be done in totalitarian regimes like Russia, but not in America. What’s more, once this policy is in place, all an aspiring terrorist would have to do is get a new phone before boarding the plane. And when asked about websites and Facebook pages, provide only those without any controversial content. How hard is that?

In the meantime, every innocent traveler would be subject to this invasion of privacy and potential harassment. There is no mention of what would be done with the private data after scrutiny at customs. And a regime that would demand to see it would also be likely to store it and use it against perceived political foes. That could include diplomats, journalists, and even members of Congress.

Tapper was careful to append a disclaimer of sorts to his story. He added “Again, this is a preliminary idea being discussed by the White House and the Trump administration.” However, there are already reports of these tactics being implemented. Caroline Mortimer of the UK’s Independent reports that:

“US border agents are checking people’s Facebook pages for their political views before allowing them into the country, an immigration lawyer has claimed. […] The [American Immigration Lawyers Association] said border agents were checking the social media accounts of those detained and were interrogating them about their political beliefs before allowing them into the US.”

To reiterate, these abusive tactics are being carried out against legal residents of the U.S, with valid visas. Some have lived in the U.S. with their families for many years. So if people like this can be treated so shamefully, just imagine how refugees will be treated. People fleeing terrorism, who have already endured unthinkable suffering, will be harassed and humiliated. And following that they could still be sent back to their native country and an uncertain future. Many would be marked for death as a result of their attempt to escape.

This is not the promise of freedom that is carved on the base of the Statue of Liberty. It is a decree of oppression from the new regime in Washington that is taking its cues from Vladimir Putin. And if it is allowed to stand, the American people may soon notice their own freedoms withering away. If Trump and his politburo get away with this, what’s to stop them from doing worse in the future?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4WitvzVldg


White House Leaks Portray Trump As A ‘Clueless Child’ – His Own Tweets Prove It

Posted by on January 29, 2017 at 7:30 am. 3 Comments :

Watch Donald Trump for any length of time and you’ll see someone who exhibits traits consistent with a juvenile ego. He is obsessed with himself and his own appearances. He cannot tolerate criticism. When challenged he lashes out with insults generally favored by eight year olds. So a column by Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post that reveals White House insiders characterizing Trump as a “clueless child” may not come as a surprise. But it’s still a troubling revelation that an American president behaves this way.

Donald Trump

Cillizza writes that:

“I’ve never seen so much leaking so quickly — and with such disdain for the president — as I have in the first six days of Donald Trump’s presidency.”

Cillizza cites recent reporting that portrays Trump as lacking maturity and requiring special handling. One of the reports was from the New York Times and described Trump’s staff saying they:

“…privately worry about his penchant for picking unnecessary fights and drifting off message. They talk about taking away his telephone or canceling his Twitter account.”

Another report was in the Washington Post. It noted how easily Trump falls into tantrums during which he cannot be reasoned with:

“Over the objections of his aides and advisers — who urged him to focus on policy and the broader goals of his presidency — the new president issued a decree: He wanted a fiery public response, and he wanted it to come from his press secretary.”

This is not the sort of measured, thoughtful behavior that is expected from a responsible leader. As Cillizza said, it reflects the temperament of “a clueless child – someone who acts on impulse. […and…] needs to be managed or else he will say and do stupid things.” Clearly that assessment is on the nose.

Trump himself, though, affirmed Cillizza’s analysis. Saturday morning he took to Twitter (again) and chewed out both the New York Times and the Washington Post. The infantile invective was pure Trump:

Notice that Trump never says what he’s so angry about. He just unloads his wrath in a blind rant and expects his glassy-eyed followers to sing along. It wasn’t clear what he was referring to until Cillizza’s column pointed out the leakers’ remarks in both newspapers. And needless to say, his comments contained several outright lies (i.e. the Times subscriptions are at an all-time high).Trump’s dishonest attacks on the media are reminiscent of historical regimes that ruled with tyranny and sought to crush a free and independent press and replace it with its own propaganda mouthpiece (i.e. Fox News, Breitbart, Infowars).

Sadly, we can expect to see much more of this going forward. During the campaign Trump insisted that he could start “acting presidential” any time he wanted. Apparently he still doesn’t want to. This leads most people to conclude that he simply isn’t able to. Trump is an emotionally stunted narcissist whose ego is an existential threat to the nation. And if you need a more visual representation of Trump’s personality disorder, News Corpse has uncovered an exclusive video of Trump in his natural element and, perhaps, a clue as to how he should be dealt with:

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

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Trump’s Bigoted Muslim Ban Prohibits Oscar Nominee From Entering The U.S.

Posted by on January 28, 2017 at 12:40 pm. 5 Comments :

With a flurry of executive orders this week, Donald Trump implemented some of the unsavory promises he made during his campaign. They include a revival of the KeystoneXL and DAPL oil pipelines, a gag order on women’s health services, laying the groundwork for repealing ObamaCare, and affirming his intention to spend billions on a pointless wall along the Mexican border.

Farhadi Oscar

However, perhaps the most abhorrent of his actions is an order that reeks of bigotry directed at victims of terror. He is prohibiting refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries from immigrating to safety in the United States. Never mind that there has never been a terrorist attack in the U. S. by any refugee from these countries. Or that he inexplicably exempted countries with which he has a business relationship. For example Saudi Arabia, where most of the 9/11 terrorists came from.

Among the casualties of Trump’s callousness is Asghar Farhadi, an Iranian filmmaker. Farhadi is the director of “Salesman,” an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language film. Unfortunately, he won’t be at the awards gala due solely to his national origin.

So who really cares about whether the “Hollywood elites” get to honor a movie director for his work? Aren’t there thousands of more seriously at risk people who are also being denied entry to the U.S.?

Of course there are. The point of this is to illustrate the foolishness of Trump’s blanket ban. It punishes people based on their religion, regardless of their need. Farhadi doesn’t deserve to be barred from an honor that he earned. But Trump’s anti-Muslim prejudice lumps Farhadi in with all of the evildoers he imagines are seeking refugee status. What’s more, Farhadi’s absence will likely hurt the marketing of the film. Consequently, Americans will miss the opportunity to witness the reality of this Iranian artist’s perspective. That should delight bigoted conservatives who prefer to propagate negative stereotypes.

If people like Farhadi are barred from entry into into the U.S., think about the fate of those who are persecuted. There are Iraqis who are helping American forces to defeat ISIS who will be turned away. Some of them will likely end up dead for their trouble. And thousands of families and children whose lives are at risk will be forced to endure further hardship and death. That’s a cruel fate to impose on National Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The impact of Trump’s policy is certain to result in more personal tragedy. But it is also likely to advance the cause of international terrorists. It will affirm their argument that the U.S. harbors a hatred for Muslims. That view is validated by the language in Trump’s executive order that prioritizes aid for Christian refugees.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Apparently Trump is unaware that Muslims are the most frequent victims of terrorism by ISIS and other radical groups. Then again, he is unaware of many of the critical issues that face the nation. And his ignorance will make America, and the world, more dangerous. Specifically, his policies can only incite an increase in terrorist activity, and particularly actions aimed at Christians. So, in the end, his racist outlook could become more accurate. Nice work, Donald.


ALERT: There Are Still 5 Days To Sign Up For ObamaCare – Despite Trump’s Attempt At Sabotage

Posted by on January 27, 2017 at 1:50 pm. 3 Comments :

The Republican Party has spent six years trying to destroy the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare). Now, with Donald Trump in the White House, they have their best opportunity achieve their goal. Never mind that more than thirty million people will lose their health insurance. And despite their promises, the GOP has never proposed a viable alternative.

ObamaCare Trump

This week the Trump administration took another step aimed at crippling the popular program. With five more days left to submit applications for coverage in 2017, the White House halted all advertising and promotions to encourage last minute enrollments. According to a report in Politico:

“The Trump administration has pulled the plug on all Obamacare outreach and advertising in the crucial final days of the 2017 enrollment season, according to sources at Health and Human Services and on Capitol Hill. Even ads that had already been placed and paid for have been pulled, the sources told POLITICO.”

Politico notes that this decision came directly from the White House. And at this time there is no HHS leadership to consult for analysis and advice. But it’s well known that the last week of enrollment typically attracts a high number of consumers who spent the winter procrastinating. When they are reminded of the deadline, they rush to sign up before it passes. Many of these late enrollees are younger and healthier, a group that is important to keep premiums down and maintain fiscal sustainability. Therein lies the motives of the GOP. They are deliberately sabotaging ObamaCare to satisfy their political ambitions.

Healthcare advocates (and the Trump team) know that advertising in advance of the deadline is an effective way to reach people who actually want to sign up. So canceling ads that are known to work is part of a cynical plot to harm the program. Not to mention the millions of Americans who rely on it. In addition, they have stopped sending out emails to people who began applications but haven’t completed them. That is a measure that always produces positive results, yet costs next to nothing.

Speaking of costs, that is the excuse the administration is floating for canceling any future ads and promotions. However, as noted above, the email program is virtually free and many of the ads are already paid for. How can they argue fiscal conservatism if they are willing to let paid ads go un-aired?

Even if Trump and the GOP is determined to “repeal and replace” ObamaCare, that isn’t going to happen overnight. Consequently, undermining efforts to sign people up now will result in them being uncovered. There is no reason to place tens of thousands of people at risk while an alternative is allegedly being developed. This just proves that the Trump administration is willing to play politics with people’s lives.

For those who have not yet signed up for 2017, you still have until January 31, to do so. Just logon to Healthcare.gov if you live in a state that does not operate its own exchange. And below is a list of the state-run exchanges. Please pass this article on to anyone you know who is interested in having health insurance this year. And share it on social media and other places interested people might see it. We are going to have to do this ourselves, since our government under Trump is working against us.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.


Whistleblower’s Rights Supersede Trump’s Gag Orders – Says U.S Office Of Special Counsel

Posted by on January 26, 2017 at 5:34 pm. 3 Comments :

The past week has seen Donald Trump attempt to suppress the free speech of scientists and analysts within the government. The departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency were ordered by the White House to clam up. The prohibition on communications applied to website posts, press releases, and social media such as Twitter.

Donald Trump

These gag orders were mainly directed at agencies providing information related to healthcare and climate change. Trump has made it a priority of his administration to halt any progress on those issues. Even worse, he aims to roll back whatever was done during the Obama administration. But his path may not be all that clear.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is charged with protecting government employees who report malfeasance within federal offices. Whistleblowers often come forward to reveal official corruption or misrepresentation at significant personal risk. However, they are protected by statute from retaliation. It is the responsibility of the OSC to enforce those laws.

Consequently, the OSC responded to the news reports about Trump’s efforts to silence federal employees working on the affected issues. They released a memorandum reminding the administration, and the employees, that certain rights exist that cannot be denied. It’s title is “OSC’s Enforcement of the Anti-Gag Order Provision in Whistleblower Law” and says in part:

“The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is releasing information on its enforcement of the anti-gag order provision in the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA). The WPEA, passed unanimously in both the House and Senate in 2012, strengthened anti-retaliation protections for federal workers. Under the anti-gag provision, agencies cannot impose nondisclosure agreements and policies that fail to include required language that informs employees that their statutory right to blow the whistle supersedes the terms and conditions of the nondisclosure agreement or policy.”

This is a direct swipe at Trump’s attempts to muzzle those working on climate science and healthcare projects. It also anticipates his penchant for shackling his employees with burdensome non-disclosure agreements. The memo reminds everyone concerned that the WPEA:

“…explicitly shields employees for blowing the whistle on any effort to ‘distort, misrepresent, suppress’ or otherwise censor any government ‘research, analysis, or technical information’ that the employee reasonably believes could, among other things, pose a substantial and significant threat to public health or safety or constitute a violation of law, rule, or regulation.”

And that:

“Nondisclosure agreements and policies can chill would-be whistleblowers from coming forward. These orders must clearly state that federal employees have a right to make disclosures of wrongdoing.”

So going forward, the Trump team has been put on notice that any further attempts to suppress communications from protected parties is expressly prohibited. Furthermore, any orders that address such communications must also contain language that informs the employees of their rights.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

It seems unthinkable that a reminder like this is necessary. But in the Era of Trump there is much that would have previously been considered unthinkable. It’s good to know that there are still some dedicated public servants protecting the interests of the federal workforce and, by extension, the American people and the democracy upon which free expression relies.


WOW! Watch A Fox News Anchor Call Out Donald Trump For Lying About Voter Fraud

Posted by on January 26, 2017 at 8:58 am. 6 Comments :

It hasn’t even been a full week since Donald Trump became President of the United States. Yet he’s already managed to alienate a nation in which he didn’t even receive a majority of the votes cast. On the second day of his presidency a national protest broke all records for attendance. Meanwhile, his administration immortalized the phrase “alternative facts” (aka lies).

Shepard Smith Fox News

Joining the rush to condemn Trump’s embrace of the post-truth era was a surprising member of the fourth estate. Shepard Smith of Fox News interviewed A.B. Stoddard of RealClear Politics in a segment covering Trump’s intention to launch a “major investigation” into voter fraud. Trump revealed his intention in a two-tweet message:

[One] I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and…. [Two] even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!

Never mind that there’s no evidence of any fraud that might justify an investigation or the cost to conduct it. Or that his examples of potential fraud are nothing but ordinary instances of people moving, becoming citizens, or dying. Trump is determined to get to the bottom of a big fat nothing. And Fox’s Smith isn’t having it. He introduced the segment with a question for Stoddard:

“Continuing coverage now of President Trump’s call to launch an investigation in his unsupported claims of widespread voter fraud. […] It is the reporting of Fox News that widespread voter fraud did not happen. There’s no evidence that widespread voter fraud happened. There never has been. What is this really about?”

Stoddard responded saying that the debunked claim is something that Trump “believes.” And as Trump’s press secretary poignantly said, “he believes what he believes.” Stoddard also noted that Trump cited a Pew poll, whose pollsters deny that their work supports the voter fraud claim. In fact, they reiterated that the only thing their survey found was inaccuracies in registration records, but no fraud whatsoever. Whereupon, Smith continued his presentation of the facts and their consequences with confirmation from an unlikely source:

“John Busby from the Wall Street Journal suggests that the big picture here is start an investigation; find some instances here, there, and yon of voter fraud; get people whipped up; and then put in rules to suppress the vote across the country. A pattern that we’ve seen in state after state over the past four or five years.”

Perhaps the most startling comment from Smith was an overt acknowledgement of Trump’s casual disregard for the truth. Turning to Stoddard he said “The list of falsehoods from the President is growing. Does this have a cumulative effect?”

Stoddard replied that it was unfortunate that Trump was fixated on “crowd assessments that were demonstrably false.” Or that he sent “his press secretary out to lie on Saturday night.” And now, she said, he resumes the voter fraud nonsense. She further noted that his rambling “hinders his credibility around the world and the credibility of our democracy.”

This segment was both accurate and informative. which makes it all the more surprising that it aired on Fox News. It’s a bad sign for Trump because, if Fox News is starting to report honestly about him, his popularity is likely to descend to depths below its already record lows.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

https://youtu.be/1mRSqooPp4E