Suppression

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Did you see that post from yesterday? The one where I asked people not to vote if…

I am guessing probably not.

Wonder why I ask? Because I believe WordPress is suppressing it.

I can’t think of any other reason why it wouldn’t have gotten at least five times as many views (I don’t ask for much, really). Honestly, wouldn’t people be interested just to see what it is about? I click on stuff to read all the time just because I wanna know what point of view the author is coming from, even if I don’t agree. Am I the only person who does this now? Do you only read the headline and move on without giving it even another thought or shred of curiousity?

As of this morning, it only had TWO views. Of those two views, none of them were from the Reader – those people (roughly, there is a lot of spam) who actually have followed the blog. There are no views on it today yet either.

I can only come to one conclusion…it’s being suppressed because it is telling people not to vote. Well, not exactly, but essentially that is the suggestion if you can’t meet certain qualifications, most of which are pretty straight-forward and common sense.

I guess asking for people who are educated, well informed, and have common sense to vote is wrong.

Interesting. How the politics of free speech play out on social media and other platforms, right?

Please don’t vote…

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…if you take advice from celebrities or athletes on who you should vote for.

…if you only get your news from one source or one perspective.

…if you only follow the party line all the time.

…if your only research is memes about who not to vote for.

…if you don’t do your own research.

…if you only take advice from your family.

…if you can only see “the issues” in regards to yourself.

…if you can’t see or won’t accept an “issue” from more than one perspective.

…if you can’t acknowledge or understand the concerns from an different perspective than your own.

…if your vote is out of spite regarding someone else’s vote.

…if you get your information from any social media platform.

…if your vote is based on information from tv commercials.

…if you you take an “endorsement” from a media outlet as legitimate.

…if you aren’t a citizen or have a legal right to vote.

…if you haven’t payed attention at all but received a ballot in the mail.

…if you didn’t pay attention in school and don’t know how the process works.

…if you don’t value your right enough to get educated about the issues and candidates.

…if you’re too stupid to vote with some intelligence.

Anything you would add to the list?

Abyss

If you need help deciding who to vote for this year, maybe this can help. I came across this video the other day and while I don’t normally stop to watch something from the source, I was intrigued. The pillars mentioned here are powerful and can’t be ignored when it comes to making a choice for your ballot.

Are the choices we have perfect? Hell no! I would prefer that it was neither of them. But, when it comes to the things that are most important, there is a clear choice. History has proven time and again where Socialism and Communism leads, and we don’t want to head down that road.

If you have 26 minutes to listen, I think you will find this informative, powerful, and impactful.

Authenticity

Social media has a huge problem with authenticity and they actually keep making it worse.

Did you hear that one about Joe Biden and his son Hunter and perhaps some questionable behavior in the past when dealing with foreign governments?

No?

Weird. The article is from a major news outlet with huge readership and is well respected. Apparently a follow-up article is being censored too. Did you see that one?

Well, it is likely that the big tech companies (Twitter and Facebook and Google) are censoring information in order to protect a political candidate they favor. In their words, they justify such behavior out of a campaign to stop “misinformation” to have a chance to “fact check” the story. In doing so, they are actually meddling in the election and doing exactly the behavior they say they are trying to stop.

Double standard much?

There are lots of thoughts on this whole thing (here is a good article that lines it out well) but the thing that sticks out is that the policies these companies claim to use is used selectively. They use it for stories and information they don’t like, but don’t use it when it helps them or hurts someone they don’t like. Application is selective and that’s shady at best.

The best thing would let ALL INFORMATION flow and let the people figure it out for themselves. Censoring some and not others as it fits with your agenda is a bad look.

Neither of these stories showed up on the Google News Feed, except for stories that are commenting about the censorship of the original reporting. Strange? Nope. Google has as much at stake and has made MANY efforts to stem the flow of information on it’s multiple platforms and outlets.

“Houston, we have a problem.”

It will only get worse as their influence grows and they continue to control the flow of information? Remember when there was concern over that whole “net neutrality” and having ISPs and cable companies having control over the flow of traffic? Yeah, this is the same thing but at a different level. That issue involved throttling the actual data (all of it) and this is the throttling of content (all of it, or at least that which they don’t agree with).

Ever felt like your blog isn’t reaching everyone it should? I have often wondered if WordPress isn’t doing the same thing when it comes to posts that they don’t like or agree with. Could it be true? What do you think?

What do you think of the idea of censorship from tech?

Endorsement

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These have got to stop because they really mean nothing. There is no credibility in giving an endorsement to a political candidate or issue, and what it really comes down to is that it is used as political manipulation of the populace.

Newspapers, news organizations, journalists, news anchors, media outlets, etc., are all at fault. Not a single one offers any legitimacy in their endorsement because it is an opinion. Opinions have no place in the news media. Period.

Sure, it is an “editorial board” that comes up with these endorsements and is in the “opinion” section of the paper (separate from the news) but that doesn’t really matter when it comes to the endorsement. The opinion is put out there for everyone to read and is readily seen as all the definitive answer about who a citizen should vote for. So, do we really expect that a media outlet that leans one way or the other is going to endorse something out line with their political leanings? In most cases, the media is liberal so their endorsements are going to support liberal candidates.

If you are an educated and informed voter, these endorsements should mean absolutely nothing to you. If you pay any attention to them and put any weight in them, well, quite frankly, you’re not as informed as you think you are. You’re just contributing to the reason why the media continues towards a ever quicker decline in credibility.

You should be seeing them as propaganda and nothing more.

When you see something like an endorsement come out for a political candidate or an issue, ignore it. They aren’t adding anything new to the debate. If you do read it, read it with a handful of salt.

Blather

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Drivel.

Drone.

Anyone else tired of it?

There seem to be a whole lot of people talking in circles and about nothing, blathering, droning, on and on and on about drivel.

I have co-workers who do it.

I have a governor who does it.

I have family members who do it.

Political candidates are experts at it. Politicians have made a living at it.

The media does it.

Hell, my kids do it.

Anyone else just frickin’ tired of people, life, everything?

I’m over it.

Doom

Doom everywhere.

“Doom to you.”

“Doom to you as well, good sir.”

Doom to the President.

Doom to the other political party.

Doom to blacks.

Doom to whites.

Doom to athletes.

Doom to your neighbor.

Doom to government.

Doom to the police.

Doom to & from the media.

Doom to the climate and environment.

Doom doom doom.

Doom from Covid.

Doom for or not for wearing a mask and social distancing.

Doom during the day.

Doom during the night.

Doom to the United States.

Doom to other countries.

Doom everywhere.

Doom backwards is MOOD.

The mood around here is always doom.

Doom you!

Doom me!

Have you had your doom today?

If not, have a great doom today!

Very little

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I’ve been sentenced to death and I have to choose the manner of death via capital punishment. Do I choose the noose, the chair, an injection, the chamber, or the wall (yes, firing squad is still legal in the US)? It’s a tough choice because ultimately the result is death, but which one will hurt me least?

Choosing a political candidate in the US is kind of a similar choice these days. Did you watch the debate last night? My point exactly.

There has been lots of talk about the presidential debate last night. What a disaster that was! I have heard it called lots of things today: dumpster fire, hot mess, train wreck, kindergarten playground, sh*t show, etc. Honestly, it was all of that!

We learned very little last night. The only thing we learned last night is exactly what we all fear will happen every election.

Choose between the lesser of two evils.

If both are evil, then our choice is screwed either way. Which future do I fear worse? Which one will hurt me least?

For a nation that values choice, we don’t have any. We don’t even have the freedom to not choose. So, that leaves us with no good choice, except to choose a choice we don’t like.

I am tired of this.

Is there any place on earth I to go to be away from people, have freedom to live free, and have access to technology when needed?

Asking for a friend.

Double

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Double. More than double. But not for your pleasure.

A new licensing fee appeared on the renewal form for the car I drive most, a hybrid. It wasn’t there last year, but appeared this year and it more than doubled the cost of registering my vehicle. There was no mention of this fee anywhere in the media, that I can find, until after the fact that it was applied to people’s licensing fees. Surprise! The cost of registering your vehicle more than doubled!

The biggest kicker, I am paying a fee for something I don’t use, an electric vehicle charging station (and those this fee is supposedly going to build). Thus the word HYBRID, meaning it powers itself by using two different types of fuel.

I tell you, bigger government means bigger fees. Always. There is never an exception to this. Ever. The problem is that many times the fees aren’t actually used for the stated purpose, nor do they totally justify the collection of the fee in the first place.

Why is the government in charge of building charging stations for electric vehicles? Why is it that those not driving plug-in cars are paying a fee to plug in a car that won’t plug in?

The epitome of what is wrong with government. I mean there is a LOT wrong with our government, at many different levels, but this is just another fine example of why so many people dislike and don’t trust the government.

Pimpin’ Street Czar

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If all the stuff over the summer wasn’t enough to convince you that the city of Seattle was a place run by idiots and Communists, you have to take a look at this. This should be enough to convince you that spending money that this city, as a tourist or resident, is literally a waste of your resources.

This should be the last straw for anyone living in Seattle. But, it won’t be. Somehow they will still justify it. The city tries so hard to be “progressive” it is actually regressing. This only offers further proof. The city and the counsel and the mayor or anything but “woke.”

The city hired a “former” pimp to be a “street czar” so it could have street cred and to be a liaison between the people and the police.

I’m not kidding. I wish I was, but it’s true.

Who comes up with these ideas? The city counsel overrode the mayor’s veto of the proposed budget (the counsel wrote and approved) that literally defunds the police department – the the tune of actually losing policing ability. 100 officers positions will be eliminated.

Wanna feel unsafe in Seattle? Now you know what it will feel like. Doesn’t matter what color, sex, religion you are. The loss will be felt by all.

Oh, but we better make sure some lowlife, exploiter of women and criminal history with no experience or training get paid large amounts of money to do a job with no job description, defined desired performance goals, or oversight. That’s an effective way to solve problem.

I am starting to wonder if some cities in the US are actually competing to run themselves into the ground fastest. People must be waking up each morning and thinking, “What can I do today to make things worse around here?” That can be the only explanation. Really.

I am avoiding Seattle. I hope you will too.