They no longer deny censoring. They have shifted tactics. Now they defend censorship as a policy in the national interest. They are merely stamping out disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation—strange words applied to any thought or idea disliked by government.
And they are furious that a federal judge in Louisiana has called them out, issuing an injunction to stop all contacts between government agencies and social media companies. They are livid about this because they had come to believe that the First Amendment was a dead letter already.
What do we mean by all these plural pronouns? The “them” and “they” in this case consist of the unelected bureaucrats at agencies and their mainstream media mouthpieces. All the usual suspects have come out swinging while condemning the remarkable injunction from Missouri v. Biden as nothing more than a conservative plot.
They keep telling us that the judge was appointed by Trump (therefore a bad guy), that his grievances mostly concern “conservatives” (who are deplorable and have no rights), that “right-wing” groups have been kvetching for years that their voices in social media platforms have been silenced (and right-wing complaints are always unmerited). The barrage of caricature, smear, innuendo, and ad hominem has been relentless.
Just consider the headline from the Washington Post yesterday; remember that the paper was a huge champion of lockdowns, mandatory masking, jabs, and the entire pandemic response that massively boosted the stock and industrial rise of its owner’s own company Amazon. The Post is deeply alarmed: “State Dept. cancels Facebook meetings after judge’s ‘censorship’ ruling.”
See the scare quotes around censorship? The point is that the paper thinks it is a wonderful thing to stop the dissemination of ideas that are contrary to its chosen party line. And it’s extremely weird too. How many Americans do you suppose are upset that the State Department is no longer ringing up Facebook to tell them which accounts to ban and what content to take down? Maybe 0.0001 percent?
Indeed, the American people have been getting an earful for days now. I’m guessing that most people did not know that their favorite social-media plaything, the tool that gives them pics of grandkids and birthday cakes, is actually just a stalking horse of Deep-State interests. That’s what it has been for years and never more so than during the COVID years. And the Post is hopping mad that this might be coming to an end.
Why might this be true? Here we get to the bigger picture and the real story behind all of this. Social media was invented to give voice to everyone in order that they might have an impact on public opinion. It was a means by which opinion monopolies would be broken down. Regular people have been for the first time in a position to publicly object to and correct mainstream media narratives.
This is what Big Media despises. This is what they wanted shut down. You see, for decades now the mainstream press has been amplifying government priorities in every area of life. The Deep State and Big Media have long learned how to use each other to their mutual benefit. The foreign policy desk at the New York Times takes its marching orders from the State Department. The transportation desk reports whatever the Department of Transportation wants reported.
The reporters and Deep State bureaucrats are besties and have been for decades. They are people who don’t get kicked out in the next election. They are the permanent class at the FDA, CIA, HUD, HHS, NIH, Justice, State, FTC, and every other bureaucracy. They hang out at the same parties and swirl and whirl in the same social milieu. The path to success for a successful reporter is to cultivate these contacts. That’s how both sides like it.
Social media has been an annoyance for these people for a long time. The wartime footing of the COVID response was the perfect opportunity to shut down the competition. The mainstream media was faithfully echoing government-generated baloney day after day. Their problem was that Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and so on, had people on there who weren’t buying it.
That’s when government acted, calling up these companies and developing deep relationships based on compulsion. They instructed them daily about which posts to take down and which accounts to throttle and ban. There is no question that this was happening constantly.
Here is the Washington Post’s description:
“Leading U.S. social media companies began coordinating regularly with the federal government in 2017, following revelations of a Russian campaign to sow discord among Americans during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Partnerships between Silicon Valley and Washington on what the tech companies call ‘content moderation’ deepened and broadened during the pandemic, when platforms such as Twitter, Google’s YouTube, and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram became hotbeds for conspiracy theories about the virus and opposition to public health guidance.”
Are you rolling your eyes? I sure am. For two and a half years, those of us who have been fighting this stuff—merely seeking the right to speak truth in a time of egregious lies—have been trying to document what we suspected to be true. Our side has filed hundreds of FOIA requests and written thousands of articles that connect the dots.
And now after all this time, the Post flat-out admits it: yes, the collusion has been going on all along. No one doubts it. The spin we are getting from the major national media is simple: this is a good thing and must continue.
They don’t even pretend to have respect for the First Amendment that gave rise to the national media in the first place. They now seek a monopoly of opinion and interpretation. Their motives here are darkly cynical and deeply threatening to every postulate of a free society. But at least now they admit it. They are admitting now what we have long suspected. They don’t want you to have free speech rights. The right to speak belongs to them and only them.
This is why the judge’s order focuses entirely on social media. Nothing about the injunction stops the pharmaceutical desk at the New York Times from taking its marching orders from the FDA, which in turn is owned by the companies themselves and thus forming one big cartelized racket of lies. The judge’s order only prevents the FDA from dictating to social media how it must control the opinions of its users.
The Biden administration has already appealed the judge’s order. And think what that means: the existing regime is coming to the defense of their right to shut you up. That is to say, they do not believe in the rights they are charged with protecting. Please let that sink in.
The same administration is still appealing the Florida mask decision that emancipated you from being forced to wear a stupid piece of cloth on your face while on planes, trains, and buses. Now we know the deeper meaning of the mask: it was a symbolic means of shutting you up.
Notice that Mark Zuckerberg released his competitor to Twitter merely one day after the decision of Missouri v. Biden. They despise Elon Musk at Twitter for having fired all the embedded government agents and letting the user base speak. Facebook’s new “Threads” is an attempt to take back social media from its users and put it back in the hands of the Deep State. This is the essential battle of our time. Users need to beware.
Article cross-posted from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.
Coffee the Christian way: Promised Grounds
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
