Dear Paul,

I have so many happy memories of America, as well as
some that were not so happy that we experienced and
saw. After a decade spent there we decided to come
home. We don't regret doing that and we can see from
our children that we made the right decision.

The harm that is being done today will take years to
fix. America may never recover from some of it.

I don't want to continue talking about the US President.
It's too stressful and depressing.

See you on another discussion.

Take care.

.

Dear mhaze,

.

You wrote :

« you poo-poohed the message based upon the messenger. I've never accepted that type of thinking »
.

Media credibility and trustworthiness are crucial in today's information-driven world, mhaze.

Credibility doesn't only apply to traditional news outlets. It also applies to social media influencers and bloggers who have gained a following based on their perceived reliability.

People tend to agglomerate around media they perceive as reflecting their own interests and opinions. It’s a very comfortable, protective cage in which they voluntarily enclose their minds and unconsciously become brainwashed.

I agree with you when you write :

« But I guess that when you dedicate yourself to only reading one side of the story, you finally convince yourself that there is only one side to the story »

Misinformation and disinformation are rife in the media.

Even videos can be rigged.

.

"Media credibility and trustworthiness are crucial in today's information-driven world, mhaze."

No argument there. But I was merely using the Bongino site as a vector to show you the Pelosi tapes. What Bongino said about the video was entirely irrelevant to my point. But you relied on it to try to dismiss the video.

"Even videos can be rigged."

Yes. But this wasn't.

"Misinformation and disinformation are rife in the media."

Yes. And that's been the case for quite some time. The most egregious example was the way the legacy media and social media worked assiduously to disavow and then hide the Hunter Biden laptop story and the contents therein. (72% of USians now think that Trump would have won in 2020 had the truth about the laptop and Biden's corruption not been suppressed).

The legacy media are now aware of their lack of credibility and that it is one of the major reasons for their declining audience. Again they colluded to hide the mental decline of Biden from their viewership and have been exposed in a way that is irrefutable. Heads are rolling and the legacy media are trying to reorient themselves back to the ideals of a free press, ideals which they've abandoned for the past 30 years.

The most consequential event here was Musk's purchase of Twitter (now X) and the subsequent breaking ranks with the censorious media. With the release of the so-called Twitter Files and revelations about collusion between the deep state, the White House and the media (the very definition of fascism) eyes began to open. Musk reversing policies that shadow-banned some and straight up excluded others has made X a truly open, uncensored town square. There is lots of rubbish and rubbish claims on X but the combination of Community Notes and open ended critiquing of posts means that rubbish is identified as rubbish with alacrity.

That Facebook is also headed down the same path is massive in terms of the US regaining what had been lost - a free and unbiased press. Hopefully the same will happen to TikTok

I have just read an article by someone called Charles Moore.

Mr. Moore thought that the President would have his style cramped by the indoors inauguration, but found the “rhetoric” far more exciting than it would have been outdoors.

“Poor Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and behind them the Clintons shrank in their places, like captives paraded in ancient Rome after a military triumph”.

Love it! I suppose it's a bit nasty to enjoy the humiliation of some of the worst politicians ever, but, hey, how nasty were they!

As Moore pointed out: it takes “a right-wing white president to restore the idea of Martin Luther King that people should be judged not by the colour of their skin but the content of their character”. Among other things that the US has been lacking since Trump's last Presidency.

That really must hurt the “anti-racist” Democrats and Left wing virtue-signallers world wide.

Trumpster,

Nothing to say about your man Donald releasing violent criminals (his supporters) from jail. That's right the justification is; "not all murderers go to jail", well what a crock of sh!t, isn't that a dandy!

Sensibly, there is now a three month freeze on America's $60 billion foreign aid program so that it can be properly investigated. Another hint for Dutton if he gets to be PM, and cracks down on Labor-lites in his we-really-don't-know-what-we-stand-for party.