Tag: politics

Red Flags: Recognizing the Signs of Political Manipulation

When you hear politicians speak, you’re often not hearing the full truth—you’re hearing what they want you to believe. Their speeches, press conferences, and interviews are carefully crafted to make you feel a certain way or see an issue from their perspective. But what happens when those messages twist facts, hide agendas, or manipulate emotions?

The good news is this: you can spot political manipulation if you know what to look for. Whether it’s an empty promise, a misleading statistic, or an attack meant to distract you, there are clear red flags you can identify to protect yourself from being misled. Here’s how.

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Elon Musk’s AfD Endorsement Triggers EU Push for Stricter Censorship Under Digital Services Act

Elon Musk’s endorsement of Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has sparked significant controversy, particularly among European political figures concerned about the potential for what they call “foreign interference” in Germany’s upcoming elections.

Musk, the CEO of X, voiced his support for some of AfD’s policies following a deadly terror attack in Germany. His comments have raised alarm among EU officials, prompting calls for increased scrutiny of the X app and its compliance with the EU’s stringent censorship laws.

Thierry Breton, the European Union’s former Commissioner, took to X to express his outrage over Musk’s support for AfD. In a tweet posted on December 21, Breton accused Musk of being involved in “foreign interference” in Germany’s electoral process, especially given the timing of his comments around the tragic attack in Magdeburg.

Breton, who has been an advocate for strict censorship of social media platforms, and even threatened Elon Musk for over his interview with President Donald Trump, also called for the immediate application of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) to combat what he described as “double standards” when it comes to regulating speech online.

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Top Democrat on House Oversight Committee Promises ‘Trench Warfare’ Against Trump’s Agenda

The incoming House Oversight Committee Democrat Ranking Member has promised to carry out “trench warfare” against Donald Trump’s political agenda.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who narrowly defeated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to serve as the head Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement that he would go all out to try and quash Republican reforms.

“We know what the Republican playbook will be,” Connolly wrote in a statement following his victory. “We’ve seen it before. They have demonstrated that they are willing to traffic in debunked conspiracy theories and enable the worst abuses of the Trump administration.”

“This will be trench warfare. Now is not the time to be timid,” he continued. “I promise the American people that our Committee Democrats will be a beacon of truth and prepared from Day One to counter Republican gaslighting.”

“We will be disciplined. We will be laser focused in getting results on the kitchen table issues that affect the American people the most. We will stand up for our democracy and for truth. And we will protect the tremendous and historic progress we have made as House Democrats.”

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Mental Illness In the Political & Media Class

In one of Cicero’s letters to a friend, he references Pompey the Great’s decision to divorce his wife, Mucia. Cicero attributes it to Pompey’s discovery that she was having an affair with Julius Caesar. Cicero believed that Caesar had many affairs with the wives of Roman patricians, and he perceived this as a sign that Caesar was a dangerously aggressive man.

Pompey apparently didn’t take the matter too seriously, and according to Suetonius, he humorously called Caesar “Aegisthus,” the name of a Greek mythological character who was known to have seduced a king’s wife. It’s likely that Pompey later regretted not taking it seriously when Caesar waged war against him and defeated him in the so-called “Caesar’s civil war.”

It takes a lot of energy, drive, and ambition to get ahead in this competitive world, but I’ve often wondered if these advantageous traits are sometimes—or perhaps even frequently—combined with mental disorders.

In recent years I have watched many prominent figures in the public forum say and do things that strike me as expressive of a mental disorder.

According to the NIH National Institute of Mental Health:

Mental illnesses are common in the United States and around the world. It is estimated that more than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (59.3 million in 2022; 23.1% of the U.S. adult population). Mental illnesses include many different conditions that vary in degree of severity, ranging from mild to moderate to severe. Two broad categories can be used to describe these conditions: Any Mental Illness (AMI) and Serious Mental Illness (SMI). AMI encompasses all recognized mental illnesses. SMI is a smaller and more severe subset of AMI. Additional information on mental illnesses can be found on the NIMH Health Topics Pages.

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NYC Mayor Eric Adams Stuns Lefty Reporters By Going Full MAGA 

New York City mayor Eric Adams continued his recent pivot away from the Democratic Party and toward the incoming administration by declaring in a press conference that he will not provide any sanctuary for criminal illegal aliens.

Adams met with President Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan Thursday and made remarks afterwards to the press that stunned reporters into silence. 

“We’re not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes against innocent migrants, immigrants and long-standing New Yorkers,” Adams said after the meeting.

He continued, “From what I heard from the incoming head of ICE is that we have the same desire to go after those who are committing violent acts, repeated violent acts among innocent New Yorkers and among migration asylum seekers.”

“That’s what I heard from him. And I was pleased to hear that, because we share the same desire,” Adams urged.

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The Fight for Economic Freedom and the Lessons of Roger Ver

The system thrives on coercion, fear, and the risk of choice. At its core, this structure relies on convincing you that compliance is your only option. This is why I refuse to pay income taxes—not just because they are theft and robbery, but because allowing the state to take what is rightfully mine means actively participating in their destruction. Income taxes are the lifeblood of war, systemic violence, and the machinery that suppresses individual freedom. Every dollar taken from you funds the gears of oppression, ensuring the system thrives while your autonomy withers.

When you truly understand what your income tax dollars fund—bombs dropped on innocent civilians, campaigns of violence masquerading as diplomacy, and the erosion of basic liberties—it becomes impossible to remain moral and complicit. You cannot claim to value freedom while funding its destruction. The state counts on your obedience, not just through physical coercion but through psychological manipulation. By paying taxes, you’re not just a victim; you’re an enabler.

People like to argue that they have no choice. But there is always a choice, even if it comes with risks. This is where the state’s true coercion lies—not in the absence of options, but in the consequences of defiance. Fear of punishment keeps people compliant, locked in a cycle of obedience that prioritizes survival over ethics. Choosing to opt out means accepting those risks and reclaiming your autonomy. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. The alternative is to remain shackled, perpetuating the system that thrives on violence, control, and exploitation.

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Democracy Is Dead: A Coup Against Right Wing Movements Is Underway In Europe

In the past, progressive elites were not generally threatened by the campaigns of the old center and center-right parties because those groups have long been managed by fake conservatives with no intention of disturbing the deviation of the Overton Window to the radical left.  But of course, times have changed.  Legitimate opposition to the far-left is rising in the form of political parties fighting for secure borders and anti-wokeness initiatives, and the progressives are furious.

They’ve had a taste of near total power, and though they claim to be the patron saints of Democracy they are openly adopting authoritarian ideals in order to keep that power.  

In the US the far-left has been pursuing an all out propaganda war and has abused the legal system for years as a means to stop conservatives from returning to government.  The lawfare tactics utilized against Donald Trump were unprecedented, but ultimately failed.  In Europe, though, leftists are finding more success.

In Germany the establishment is attempting to ban the increasingly successful AfD Party on the grounds that they represent a “return to fascism”.  Over 100 legislators backed the resolution, though it is unclear if a vote will be taken.  The AfD is the second most popular party in Germany and has recently put a candidate forward for chancellor in the upcoming February elections. 

All other political parties in Germany are variations of the progressive spectrum.  Leftists say that if the AfD gains any significant governmental power they will refuse to work with them, preferring to leave the German government in a state of limbo rather than accept the will of the voters.  It should be noted that Germany’s coalition government is already collapsing and the country is in crisis.

In France, the increasing success of Marine Le Pen and her National Rally Party has been met with extreme derision by the progressive elites.  The establishment under Emmanuel Macron engaged in political chicanery after the National Rally won the first round of the French elections.  The centrists established a coalition with the radical leftists as a way to prevent the right wing from taking power.  The move was technically legal, but considered by many to be an immoral effort to deny conservative French voters a voice.

The elites are also attempting to use lawfare against Le Pen, conjuring charges of misuse of EU funds with the intent to ensure she can’t run in the 2026 elections. As in Germany, it should be noted that the very coalition that was put in place to keep the right wing out of government has now collapsed under a no confidence vote of Prime Minister Barnier and France is currently in crisis. 

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Weakness, Not Wokeness, Plagues US Generals

“The military is run by civilians, but the politics are supposed to stay outside,” one currently serving Army lieutenant general told Military.com. “It could be very hard to do our job if we have to constantly be making sure we’re appeasing someone on a political or partisan level.”1

 An active duty three-star general gave this anonymous quote published in military.com in mid-November 2024 reflecting fear and frustration amongst US generals with the coming analysis of American generals and a board to decide which ones are fit to continue to serve. Ironically, this general’s statement sums up EXACTLY why US generals deserve scrutiny and why many deserve the pink slip. First, the general spoke anonymously, reflecting a lack of personal courage and conviction to put his/her name on the record. Second, the comment about “appeasing” betrays what generals have been doing for decades. Generals, like leaders in any industry should be strong willed and confident enough to speak up to correct a wrong, regardless if it is politically unpopular and/or puts their career at risk. Unfortunately, modern generals with this quality are tragically few and far between. Instead, the legion of generals behave like meerkats, banding together like the comical safari documentaries about the animals. An exploration of exactly why the generals deserve scrutiny and termination for failure to perform their duty follows:

FRAUD

When budgets get extremely inflated, it is very easy to ‘lose money’ through acts of commission or omission by Pentagon leadership. Stories such as these are not uncommon:

(2024): “Raytheon to pay $950m over fraud, bribery, schemes.” The fraud scheme was from 2000 to 2020. Recall that the current SECDEF was an executive at Raytheon 2016-2020 during the height of the fraud…2

(2023): “‘This was not a surprise:’ Pentagon again fails annual audit of $3.8Trillion in assets.”3

(2021): “The Pentagon has Never Passed an Audit. Some Senators Want to Change That.”4

Waste

 In the author’s 15 years of active-duty service, the US Army went through the following uniform changes at the expense of billions of taxpayers’ dollars:

3 physical fitness uniforms

  3 everyday/combat uniforms

  3 formal uniforms

  3 dress uniforms

None of these uniform changes contributed in any way to victory in America’s longest war. The only benefactors were the companies that made the uniforms and associated apparel (military industrial complex). Silence from the US generals.

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Some Questions to Ask on Thanksgiving

What if the government’s true goal is to perpetuate its own power? What if the real levers of governmental power are pulled by agents, diplomats, bureaucrats, donors, central bankers and arms manufacturers? What if they have power no matter who is elected president or which political party controls either house of Congress?

What if the frequent public displays of adversity between Republicans and Democrats are just a facade? What if both major political parties agree on the fundamental issues of our day?

What if the leadership of both political parties believes that our rights are not natural to our humanity but instead are gifts from the government? What if those leaders believe the government that gives gifts to the people can take those gifts away?

What if the leadership of both parties gives only lip service to Thomas Jefferson’s assertions in the Declaration of Independence that all persons “are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” and that when the government assaults our natural rights, we can “alter or abolish” it?

What if the leadership of both parties quietly dismisses those ideas as Jefferson’s outdated musings? What if Jefferson’s words are core American values that all in government have sworn to uphold?

What if the leadership of both political parties believes that the constitutional requirement of due process somehow permits mothers to hire doctors to kill babies in their wombs, out of fear or convenience? What if the leadership of both political parties believes that the president may lawfully kill any foreigner out of fear, because due process is an inconvenience?

What if the last four presidents — two from each political party — have used high-tech drones to kill innocent people in foreign lands with which America was not at war and claimed that they did so legally, relying not on a declaration of war from Congress but on erroneous and secret legal arguments that claim American presidents can kill with impunity?

What if the Constitution requires a congressional declaration of war or due process whenever the government wants anyone’s life, liberty or property, whether convenient or not, and whether the person is American or not? What if due process means a fair jury trial, not a secretly ordered killing?

What if most members of Congress from both political parties believe in perpetual war and perpetual debt? What if the political class believes that war is the health of the state? What if the leadership of that class wants war so as to induce the loyalty of its base, open the pocketbooks of the taxpayers, gain the compliance of the voters and enrich its benefactors? What if the government has been paying for war by increasing its debt?

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