Observing the news - Jan. 21

Is it NEWS or is it PROPAGANDA?

NO LONGER WANTS TO BE THE OTHER “JOE” IN D.C.?

In America’s only popular vote, there was a landslide approval of Joe Biden’s social program. So then how does one Democrat senator, Joe Manchin, buck his party and the bi-partisan electorate for his private agenda. Debt and inflation? He never met a defense bill he didn’t like. His coffers? Look no further than the energy companies and industrial polluters who contribute to his swelling campaign funds, which BTW become personal wealth when he leaves the Senate. Could he be planning an early exit from the Senate and a cushy retirement? He’s worth a paltry $5 million and already spends most of his free time on his $250,000 yacht. Or does he have his eyes set on a bigger political prize that will require some GOP support?

RUSSIAN INTENTIONS IN PLAIN SIGHT

There are two sovereignties on Russia’s western border, the EU and NATO/U.S., and neither can figure out who’s in charge. One wants to co-opt the independence of former Soviet states and the other wants to smother the Russians under a blanket of armaments and missiles. The pre-supposition that Russia is planning an attack on the West is not supported by facts. The Russian military remains at about one-fourth the size of the Soviet Cold War levels. While there has been strategic movement of Russian forces toward hot spots like Donbass and Belarus, there are nowhere near the numbers to invade and occupy. That leaves long-distance combat with drones and missiles which would mean many civilian casualties, and if turns atomic, ashes to ashes. Diplomacy is the only way out, except the West lacks a leader to match the competence of Vladimir Putin. Everyone must be wary that the U.S. military policy includes a first-strike atomic option if it fears similar from an adversary. Has the American moral compass swung around since it double nuked Japan at the end of WW2?

America’s secret weapon - unpredictability:

A Dam in Syria Was on a ‘No-Strike’ List. The U.S. Bombed It Anyway.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/us/airstrike-us-isis-dam.html?referringSource=articleShare

IT TAKES A PATRIOT TO GET VACCINATED

The Omicron mutation has the world in a tizzy. And the media’s grasping at straws has done little to enlighten us. The anti-vaxxers seem vindicated by the numbers of breakthrough infections, and their violent opposition to any form of sequestration continues unabated. But soon their ranks, thinned by death, may grasp the inevitable truth and close their ears to the importunes of false demi-gods with a political agenda. One thing is certain, we cannot go back to square one every time a new mutation pops up. The old playbook isn’t working. Time to recalibrate based on the social reality that has emerged through the first two phases of the pandemic. Just as the virus will always be with us, so will those won’t vaccinate. This is a moral issue, not an ideological one, and religious leaders dedicated to the common good need to unite with a single message.

THE MEDIA’S WAR PLAN

Worse than fake news is fake “news analysis,” which is opinion masquerading as facts. These tend to be speculative stories about all the scariest possibilities involving an unresolved situation. Pandemic reporting is a prime example. The most egregious example appeared in The Daily Mail, a British tabloid, as it drummed up Western support for taking a tough stance against Russia. Using graphics makes a war seem inevitable. Take a peek:

https://www.rt.com/russia/546575-putins-plans-ukraine-invasion-msm/

RUSSIAN VACCINE PROVING BEST

Italian scientists in a joint study with Russian scientists have reported that the Sputnik vaccine outperforms Pfizer. Most important, it is designed to deal with more variations, such as Omicron. Yet EU politics prevents access to Sputnik V. Nor will Russians be allowed to travel abroad unless they get Western vaccines. Italy has self-interest in the issue because of heavy Russian tourism to that country. In addition, the micro nation of Monaco, completely landlocked in Italy, has used only Sputnik V to control the effects of the Covid virus. Since such information is not reported in Western media, here is a complete report:

https://www.rt.com/russia/546659-sputnik-v-more-effective-than-pfizer/

PROPAGANDA FOR ALL

All news is propaganda when it’s intent is persuasive - even for a good cause like vaccination. When the source is a government, company, religious or non-profit organization, it’s definitely propaganda. It becomes news when a professional journalist processes it to reveal side effects and unintended consequences of the information, plus adding info from those in disagreement. Citizens of one country consider all news from an adversarial country as propaganda, when they really mean it’s untrustworthy or lies - as opposed to the always truthful propaganda from their own country. Your homework is to decide which of the above stories are propaganda, and here’s a link to what the American Historical Association says:

https://www.historians.org/

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