Is This Animal Farm?

Threat Against Democracy (TAD).  I just reread Animal Farm by George Orwell.  I know a lot of people are talking about his book 1984, but I thought I’d start with Animal Farm.  

If you’re not familiar with the story or have forgotten, here’s some of what happens.  The animals overthrow their human owner and take over the farm establishing total equality for all animals.  Two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, become the thought leaders.  Using threats and thugs Napoleon runs Snowball off and becomes the totalitarian leader of the farm.  Pigs get special treatment and impose harsh conditions on the other animals.  Napoleon has another Pig, Squealer, who acts as his apologist, twisting the facts to try to hide the oppression of the other animals and the truth that the farm is failing.   Squealer makes up false crop reports and lies about Napoleon’s actions.  Dissent is dealt with brutally.  Snowball is blamed for all problems and lies are told about him trying to undermine Napoleon and the farm.  Life gets worse and worse for the animals while the pigs cozy up to their sworn enemies, the humans.  You get the idea.

Much of what we’re seeing today is frighteningly similar to the descriptions in Animal Farm.  To name just a few: Michael Flynn’s and Jeff Sessions’ attempts to deny the fact about their contacts with Russia and all the other Russia-Trump intrigue and cover-up.  Napoleon Trump blaming Obama, Hillary, Democrats in general, the judiciary, and the press for his problems. Trying to make it appear that Obama personally ordered wiretapping of the Trump Tower.  Squealer Spicer making demonstrably false statement after demonstrably false statement.  Administration officials contradicting one another.  Claims that vandalism of Jewish cemeteries could be false flag operations.

I was very concerned that the Nixon White House was a threat to the very foundations of our democracy.  I’m much more concerned about the Trump cabal.  Way more than just a TAD.

Animal Farm.  Read it.

Please share if you are concerned, too.

Lies or Falsehoods?

Threat Against Democracy (TAD). Last week NPR had a segment in which it explained why it is referring to administration statements as falsehoods rather than lies. The rationale is simple.  The word “lies” implies intent to deceive whereas Falsehood leaves open the possibility that the speaker does not know that what is being said is wrong.  Seems simple enough, right? 

Let’s take a look at one of last week’s controversies through the lens of falsehood or lie.

Kelllyanne Conway, counselor to Trump, made headlines this week when she claimed that (1) there was a massacre in Bowling Green, (2) it was masterminded by two radicalized Iraqis and (3) that President Obama instituted a six month ban on the Iraqi refugee program as a result.  We all know that none of these things happened.  Lies or Falsehoods?  Conway seems to say they were the latter.  Her explanation was that “mistakes abound.”  What does that mean?  Is it a reference to the abundance of untrue statements not only from her, but also from others in the administration or is she just saying “everyone makes mistakes sometimes?”

It matters.  If she really made an honest mistake, she has an obligation not just to admit it, but also to take steps to keep such mistakes from happening in the future.  Lots of people make lots of mistakes, but Kellyanne and the rest of the administration have a different responsibility to ensure their statements aren’t false.  Their honest mistakes can result in great harm to individuals, organizations, this country and others, and can lead to economic disarray and even war.  If she made an honest mistake, she has a responsibility to understand where the misinformation came from, why it wasn’t verified before she repeated it in public and what she’s going to do to ensure that additional errors don’t occur in the future. So does everyone in the administration  And we have a responsibility to demand that they do that and explain the new procedures in public.

And what if she and others in the administration are lying?  Well, the consequences to individuals and others here and around the world are similar to those I listed above.  However, the likelihood of their occurrence might be higher since there is some motive behind the lies.  They may not intend those outcomes, but the seeds are being sown nonetheless.

I understand the distinction NPR was making, but it seems to me that, in many ways, it’s a distinction without a difference.  What’s worse, an administration that has a policy of lying to attain its goals at all costs or one that is so bent on attaining those goals regardless of the cost that it is unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood? 

Either way it’s a TAD.

Do you think this topic is important?  If so, please share.

State Sponsored Intimidation of the Press?

Threat Against Democracy (TAD). Fake news is an insidious and dangerous thing.  When a man takes a weapon to a pizza shop and fires because he believes a fake news story claiming there was a child sex ring operating there we should all be concerned.  But, when the president-elect attacks the main stream media with assertions of fake news over stories that depict him poorly, it is much more serious.  That begins to look like state-sponsored propaganda aimed at intimidating and undermining the press and even the right to free speech.  This should cause all of us to take notice.  More than just a TAD.