Former Vice President Dick Cheney recently suggested President-elect Donald Trump’s social media skills meant that the American people no longer needed the news media.
Which is why the Bitemaster has posted a list of reliable Hard News websites in the right column of this blog.
Source: Dick Cheney tells CNN reporter: Trump’s Twitter account means ‘we don’t need you guys anymore’
An interesting but troubling story in today’s SF Chronicle about students, although internet savvy, can’t distinguish fake news stories from the real facts. You can read it at http://tinyurl.com/zpow9ye
An excerpt:
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When presented with a big, colorful chart sponsored by the oil company Shell versus a screenshot of an article from the Atlantic, high school students overwhelmingly argued that Shell’s post was the more reliable of the two “because it provided more data and information” than the article did. Only about 15 percent of students noticed the paid post
was sponsored by Shell and said the science article was the more trustworthy source.
This inability to evaluate information persists even after students are accepted to major colleges and universities — including Stanford, Wineburg said.
The “great majority” of college students tasked with evaluating information from the American College of Pediatricians, a conservative advocacy group that has been named a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its vehement opposition to women’s and LGBT rights, were unable to suss out the group’s bias, even when given the chance to independently check the group’s credentials. Some even cited the professional-looking website of the organization as reason to trust its pseudo-science.
Donna Brazile, a former CNN commentator and current interim Democratic National Committee chair, appears to have informed Hillary Clinton’s campaign about a question to expect at a primary debate that the network was hosting in Flint, Michigan, the following night.
The email, which WikiLeaks posted Monday, is the second released this month indicating Brazile may have tipped off the Clinton campaign about questions they could anticipate coming up at CNN events during the primary fight against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Brazile apparently sent an email to campaign chairman John Podesta and communications director Jennifer Palmieri on March 5 with the subject heading, “One of the questions directed to HRC tomorrow is from a woman with a rash.”
Leaving aside whether it’s not cricket to leak the questions to one side of a debate, doing so in an email is just plain stupid.
Source: Donna Brazile Appears To Have Sent CNN Debate Question To Clinton Campaign | Huffington Post
Congress recently passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) over President Obama’s veto. Senator Chuck Schumer was the Senate co-sponsor of the bill; Jerry Nadler was the co-sponsor in the House. The bill would allow Americans hurt by the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for damages.
Within a few days, Congress came to its senses and realized that the bill sucked — it would undermine the “sovereign immunity” that protects all governments including ours from being sued for the stupid stuff they do.
But did Congress say, “Whoops, we screwed up big time” ?
No way, Jose! They blamed Obama for not stopping them. Ha ha! The White House over and over warned Congress of the pitfalls of the bill and offered to work with Congress to fix it. But Congress was having none of it. Even after the Obama veto, our congressional geniuses didn’t rethink JASTA. They overwhelmingly overrode the President’s veto: the Senate override was 97 in favor, Harry Reid against, Tim Kaine and Bernie Sanders not voting; the House voted 348-77 to override.
From Abrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary:
OPPOSITION, n. In politics the party that prevents the Government from running amuck by hamstringing it.
The King of Ghargaroo, who had been abroad to study the science of government, appointed one hundred of his fattest subjects as members of a parliament to make laws for the collection of revenue. Forty of these he named the Party of Opposition and had his Prime Minister carefully instruct them in their duty of opposing every royal measure. Nevertheless, the first one that was submitted passed unanimously. Greatly displeased, the King vetoed it, informing the Opposition that if they did that again they would pay for their obstinacy with their heads. The entire forty promptly disemboweled themselves.
“What shall we do now?” the King asked. “Liberal institutions cannot be maintained without a party of Opposition.”
“Splendor of the universe,” replied the Prime Minister, “it is true these dogs of darkness have no longer their credentials, but all is not lost. Leave the matter to this worm of the dust.”
So the Minister had the bodies of his Majesty’s Opposition embalmed and stuffed with straw, put back into the seats of power and nailed there. Forty votes were recorded against every bill and the nation prospered. But one day a bill imposing a tax on warts was defeated–the members of the Government party had not been nailed to their seats! This so enraged the King that the Prime Minister was put to death, the parliament was dissolved with a battery of artillery, and government of the people, by the people, for the people perished from Ghargaroo.
The Bitemaster says it’s time that we embalm and stuff the Democrats in Congress.
Apparently Manhattan D.A. thinks that the Police Department will administer a finer brand of justice to protestors against the police.
Fuck him.
Source: Judge: NYPD can act as prosecutor in Black Lives Matter cases
Katrina Pierson, Trump’s national spokesperson, claimed that Obama invaded Afghanistan.
Now Rudy Giuliani claims that there was no successful radical Islamic terrorist attacks in U.S. before Obama’s presidency.
The Bitemaster must point out that there was no Zika virus before Donald Trump began his campaign for the presidency.
In a vitriolic message emailed to his supporters, Catholic League President Bill Donohue celebrated the defeat of the Child Victims Act that would have made it easier for kid sex abuse victims to seek justice. He blasted the legislation as ”a vindictive bill pushed by lawyers and activists out to rape the Catholic Church.”
There are reasonable arguments to be made both in favor and against extending the statute of limitations in such cases, but Donohue can bite me.
Source: Catholic League President celebrates defeat of Child Victims Act – NY Daily News
Ted Cruz’s father, Rafael Cruz, announced last year that Ted had decided to run for president after God spoke to Ted’s wife, Heidi.
Ha ha! God was only fooling!
It turns out that the Almighty wants Donald Trump to be the Republican candidate and maybe — God help us — President.
As for Hillary and Bernie, it looks like God is still undecided.
Source: Ted Cruz’s Dad: My Son Ran for President After God Sent His Wife a Sign | Mother Jones
“O God, puhleeze let Dick Cheney bring his shotgun to Quicken Loans Arena (where the Republican convention will be staged) so he can shoot some more Republican donors.”
Source: Thousands want GOP to let angry voters bring guns to Republican convention in case of ISIS attack
Rudy Giuliani Says Hillary Clinton ‘Could Be Considered A Founding Member Of ISIS’
Sure, why not? Of course Giuliani could be considered the Godfather of al-Qaeda, since their greatest victory was achieved while Giuliani looked on. For that matter, the Bitemaster could be considered a Ponzi schemer since he was in New York City on the day that Bernie Madoff was arrested. And the Easter Bunny could have been responsible for the 1916 Easter Rebellion.
In the past, the Bitemaster was actually overheard saying the occasional nice thing about Giuliani. He is so ashamed.
Source: Rudy Giuliani Says Hillary Clinton ‘Could Be Considered A Founding Member Of ISIS’