Posts Tagged ‘homeland security’

By John Ruberry

While calling public figures “Orwellian” goes back decades, usually it’s an exaggeration. 

Not so with the new Misinformation and Disinformation Governance Board, whose existence was revealed by the soulless hack Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden’s secretary of Homeland Security. The board’s executive director is Nina Jankowicz, a misinformationist. 

Among other things, Jankowicz in 2020 called into question the veracity of the Hunter Biden laptop revelations.

George Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth” in 1984 of course propagandized lies. 

The Democrats’ Orwellian attacks on their opponents began during Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, when he created groups such as “The Truth Squad.” 

This morning on Twitter, former Democratic member of Congress and 2020 presidential candidate, Tulsi Gabbard, pointed her finger at the instigator on the Dems’ obsession with “disinformation,” Joe Biden’s former ticket-mate.

“Biden is just a front man,” Gabbard Tweeted. “Obama, April 21: social media censors ‘don’t go far enough,’ so the government needs to step in to do the job. Six days later, Homeland Security rolls out the ‘Ministry of Truth’ (aka Disinformation Governance Board).”

Obama’s “Truth Squad” made its first appearance in during the 2008 Democratic primaries. It was ramped up for the general election. A KMOV-TV St. Louis anchor reported that fall, “Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is asking Missouri law enforcement to target anyone who lies or runs a misleading TV ad during the presidential campaign.”

“Prosecutors and sheriffs from across Missouri are joining ‘The Barack Obama Truth Squad,'” reporter John Mills added, he then named Jennifer Joyce, St. Louis circuit attorney, and Bob McCulloch, the prosecutor for St. Louis County, as members.

Mills continued, “They will be reminding voters that Barack Obama is a Christian who wants to cut taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 a year.” 

What about those prosecutors?

“If they’re not going to tell the truth,” McCulloch told KMOV, “somebody’s got to step up and say, ‘That’s not true. This is the truth.'”

Jim Geraghty of National Review summed up the Missouri threat concisely at the time, “While the report never quite comes out and says that anyone running an ad saying those things would be subject to prosecution, that certainly is the message implied.” 

Truth, like knowledge, is nearly never a settled construct, especially in the political arena. 

Leftists, like Barack Obama, undoubtedly disagree with me. Rather, under the cloak of “truth,” they now label criticism of their policies, as well as reports that harm their side, such as the revelations from the Hunter Biden laptop, as “misinformation” and “disinformation.” The Obama quote referenced earlier comes from a Stanford University conference about “misinformation” held in April. Earlier that month, longtime top Obama campaign aide, David Axelrod, was a co-host of the “Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy” conference at the University of Chicago.

Obama, ironically, was the recipient of PolitiFact’s “Lie of the Year” award in 2013. That’s the truth.

Informers are an integral part of any un-free society. In 2009, an Obama administration media flack, Macon Phillips, under the guise of–wait for it–fighting “disinformation,” asked Americans to rat out any who disparaged ObamaCare. “If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy,” he said, “send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.”

In 2012, the Obama-Biden campaign launched “the Truth Team.”

Never forget, the Democrats war on what they call “disinformation” began with Obama.

John Ruberry, and this is certainly the truth, regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

The Biden Regime is too ignorant, obtuse, and corrupt to comprehend that the First Amendment specifically prevents the federal government from infringing on the free speech of anyone in the United States. 

Last week, Biden’s Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin that tramples on the First Amendment more thoroughly than any law, executive order, proclamation, or edict ever issued by any branch or agency of the federal government.  Here is the opening paragraph of that nauseating pile of refuse.

The United States remains in a heightened threat environment fueled by several factors, including an online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis- dis- and mal-information (MDM) introduced and/or amplified by foreign and domestic threat actors. These threat actors seek to exacerbate societal friction to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions to encourage unrest, which could potentially inspire acts of violence. Mass casualty attacks and other acts of targeted violence conducted by lone offenders and small groups acting in furtherance of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances pose an ongoing threat to the nation. While the conditions underlying the heightened threat landscape have not significantly changed over the last year, the convergence of the following factors has increased the volatility, unpredictability, and complexity of the threat environment: (1) the proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions; (2) continued calls for violence directed at U.S. critical infrastructure; soft targets and mass gatherings; faith-based institutions, such as churches, synagogues, and mosques; institutions of higher education; racial and religious minorities; government facilities and personnel, including law enforcement and the military; the media; and perceived ideological opponents; and (3) calls by foreign terrorist organizations for attacks on the United States based on recent events.

This odious pile of excrement is stuffed full of far more disinformation, mistruths, half-truths, and outright lies than anything I’ve ever encountered on social media.  This mound of manure specifically targets those on the political right, who are for the most part peaceful, and ignores the true purveyors of violence, the political left, with their ANTIFA and BLM.

Those of us on the political right are only guilty of disseminating the truth on social media.  The truth we spread conflicts with the nonsense spread by Democrats and their cohorts in the mainstream media, the so called medical experts, and those who run social media.

There is no misinformation exception to the First Amendment.  Thanks to the First Amendment, the federal government can play no role determining what is the truth or disinformation.  Stopping the spread of outright lies is not even something the federal government has the authority to do.

In the Additional Details section of this garbage, Biden’s Homeland Security offers a pack of lies to defend this unconstitutional edict.

The primary terrorism-related threat to the United States continues to stem from lone offenders or small cells of individuals who are motivated by a range of foreign and/or domestic grievances often cultivated through the consumption of certain online content. The convergence of violent extremist ideologies, false or misleading narratives, and conspiracy theories have and will continue to contribute to a heightened threat of violence in the United States.

Wrong, it was BLM and ANTIFA, and the rest of the leftist clowns who were doing all of the rioting, looting, and other violence

Key factors contributing to the current heightened threat environment include: The proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions: For example, there is widespread online proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding unsubstantiated widespread election fraud and COVID-19. Grievances associated with these themes inspired violent extremist attacks during 2021.  Malign foreign powers have and continue to amplify these false or misleading narratives in efforts to damage the United States.

This paragraph declares those of us who spread the truth about the Wuhan Flu, the carnage and suffering caused by mandates and lockdowns, the clot shot, and the theft of the 2020 election from President Trump are domestic terrorists.

Continued calls for violence directed at U.S. critical infrastructure; soft targets and mass gatherings; faith-based institutions, such as churches, synagogues, and mosques; institutions of higher education; racial and religious minorities; government facilities and personnel, including law enforcement and the military; the media; and perceived ideological opponents:

Is there proof that any of this happened? No !!

 Foreign terrorist organizations and domestic threat actors continue to amplify pre-existing false or misleading narratives online to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions. Some of these actors do so to encourage unrest, which could lead to acts of violence against the facilities, individuals, institutions, and organizations cited above. 

What a load of horse hockey

As COVID-19 restrictions continue to decrease nationwide, increased access to commercial and government facilities and the rising number of mass gatherings could provide increased opportunities for individuals looking to commit acts of violence to do so, often with little or no warning.

The Biden Regime is declaring that ending all of these liberty destroying mandates and lockdowns will lead to an upswing of terrorism.   What a joke !!!!

Meanwhile, COVID-19 mitigation measures—particularly COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates—have been used by domestic violent extremists to justify violence since 2020 and could continue to inspire these extremists to target government, healthcare, and academic institutions that they associate with those measures.

What violence?  There has been no violence, only peaceful protests, and nowhere enough of them.

Domestic violent extremists have also viewed attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure as a means to create chaos and advance ideological goals, and have recently aspired to disrupt U.S. electric and communications critical infrastructure, including by spreading false or misleading narratives about 5G cellular technology.

Even questioning the safety of 5G will get you labeled a domestic terrorist.

Some domestic violent extremists have continued to advocate for violence in response to false or misleading narratives about unsubstantiated election fraud. The months preceding the upcoming 2022 midterm elections could provide additional opportunities for these extremists and other individuals to call for violence directed at democratic institutions, political candidates, party offices, election events, and election workers.

Yup, anyone who posts the truth about Democrats stealing the election from Trump is a domestic terrorist.

A small number of threat actors are attempting to use the evacuation and resettlement of Afghan nationals following the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan last year as a means to exacerbate long-standing grievances and justify attacks against immigrants.

Even joking about Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal will get you labeled a domestic terrorist.

The How We Are Responding section contains clear violations of the First Amendment

DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis established a new, dedicated domestic terrorism branch to produce the sound, timely intelligence needed to counter related threats. The Department expanded its evaluation of online activity as part of its efforts to assess and prevent acts of violence, while ensuring the protection of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.

The Biden Regime is using the Intelligence Agencies of the United States to spy on the American People.

DHS is working with public and private sector partners, as well as foreign counterparts, to identify and evaluate MDM, including false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories spread on social media and other online platforms that endorse or could inspire violence.

DHS has officially deputized Facebook, Twitters, and other social media sites.  They will gladly comply just like they gladly complied when the Biden Regime asked them to silence those of us who spread the truth on their platforms.

This egregious violation of the First Amendment calls for mass non-violent protests and mass non-violent civil disobedience.  Oh yeah, issuing this odious proclamation is a High Crime, making it an impeachable offence.  Spineless Republicans however will do nothing about it.

Stuff like this is just plain funny:

I’ll sleep better tonight, because Napalitano reminded viewers that “thousands of people are working 24/7, 364 days a year to keep the American people safe.”

Hey maybe it’s a red herring, maybe its a trap because on that 365th day we have hundreds of thousands of people working!, meanwhile we are joking about it:

Napolitano didn’t specify which day was the Homeland Security “off day,” which of course helps to keep our terrorist enemies off guard. After all, if they don’t know the magic day when all are defenses are down, how can they plan an attack? Is it New Year’s Eve? (Perhaps too obvious) Flag Day? Is it that National Cupcake Day? Can we agree to make it a day when I’m out of town?

Hotair is more nuanced:

A nuanced treat from the same tough-minded security mind who looked upon the near-destruction of Flight 253 and declared, “The system worked.” In fact, now that I think of it, didn’t the Flight 253 plot go down last year on Christmas Day? Well, then, there’s your answer to why DHS missed so many red flags at the time: They had Christmas off.

Yeah yeah I know she misspoke we all do, but consider if this was said by Sarah Palin it wouldn’t it be the top story everywhere?

BTW a shout out to Morning Joe for leading with this in the 1st hour. (BTW Mika wasn’t there with that first hour, and now she is there and they didn’t lead with it at 8 a.m. coincidence?)

Tucker Carlson (who still hasn’t hired me) has launched his new Daily Caller site. One story caught my eye at once because it would never be a big deal in the MSM The Michael Yon story:

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport officials recently interrogated and handcuffed Army Green Beret-turned-reporter Michael Yon because he refused to tell them how much money he makes.

Ten days after the underwear bomber’s foiled attack aboard Flight 253 to Detroit, the award-winning war correspondent was detained by U.S. Customs Border and Protection after having spent most of the last 12 months reporting from the front lines of Afghanistan.

Naturally this is a story known in the blogosphere and we’ve mentioned it here but it’s good that it gets exposure on day one since this is the day he will get the most MSM hits, back to the story:

Yon said the incident seemed neither contrived nor politically motivated. “It was more like spontaneous incompetence,” he said, adding that in his travels to more than 50 countries he had never been treated so badly. Moreover, Yon has written about undue harassment at the border before, and said he doesn’t believe this was a result of increased security in the wake of the Christmas day incident.

“I am a U.S. citizen. If a cop on the street asked me how much money I make, I wouldn’t answer him either,” he said. “I wish they would just release the tapes so we could be done with this.”

The sad thing is Yon has been producing first class reports on the War on Terror for years and hasn’t been noticed. (Well we’ve noticed him). If he was known half as well as he should be, he would never have been stopped.

One of my biggest regrets was missing a chance to interview him on the HiWired blog about 3 years ago, we exchanged e-mails but we just kept missing each other.

And Tucker just a reminder: $800 a week, I’d even be willing to start at $650 on a trial basis and you can have me full time.