As of this writing, the tragedy in Sutherland Springs is not yet three hours old and it’s already in use by Russian trolls on social media to tear people apart.
The best way to honor the dead is to do what we can to stop their use in a vicious enemy’s cynical game.
My prayers for Sutherland Springs are not to God, but to my fellow citizens: I pray that we Americans will unite as a community and work together to exercise our rights with wisdom and common sense.
I pray that we once again value our common heritage and vision
as Americans.
Not as liberals.
Not as Conservatives.
As Americans.
Below is a video from the New York Times about the problem of Russian propaganda and how it affects the quality of our lives.
How Russian Bots and Trolls Invade Our Lives
Update: 8:10PM PST
From Adam Schiff:
Update: 8:46PM PST
From Adam Schiff
Update: 11/06/17 10:56AM
There is no evidence 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley was affiliated with the so-called ‘left wing’ or connected to the so-called ‘antifa movement.’
From the New York Times:
According to The San Antonio Express-News, Kelley served in the Air Force but was court-martialed in 2012 and guilty of domestic violence. He’d assaulted his wife and young child, the court-martial found, and sentenced him to 12 months of confinement and gave him a “bad discharge” from the Air Force. In 2014, Kelley appealed the ruling but lost, The New York Times reported. “He assaulted his stepson severely enough that he fractured his skull, and he also assaulted his wife,” retired colonel Don Christensen, who was the chief prosecutor for the Air Force, told the Times. “He pled to intentionally doing it.”
Yet, this morning, Russian State Media, Russia Today, is playing gaslight with Facebook readers with lies about the shooting in Sutherland Springs:
According to every credible news outlet the gunman was violent toward his wife and child and sent a threatening text to his mother-in-law before the shooting.
Facebook is still letting Russian State Media use its platform to spread frightening and divisive lies.
Why?
Update: 11/06/17 2:54PM
Russia Today retracts its story that the Sutherland Springs shooter had leftist ‘antifa’ connections:
“We got it wrong and will do our best to provide you verified information in dynamic breaking news circumstances.”
Russia Today
Is this more recent story about Twitter based on ‘verified information’?
Despite Igor Koske’s fervent gratitude to Russia Today for providing a Russian citizen with an alternative to America’s Cable Network News, this RT Twitter fiction doesn’t exist beyond Russia’s fog of fake right-wing news outlets.
Rob Goldstein 2017
Thank you.. such a sad state we are in..
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You’re welcome – and thank you for the comment. 🙂
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My pleasure 😊
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I don’t believe it to be a lack of courage that may hinder a number of citizens in the U.S. The unknown, the lack of reliable and trusted information creates hesitation, doubt and more questions as it should. The startling difference between the present vs. the 1960s & the 1970s is the lack of elected government officials fighting for the people within the government.
To walk your talk, to stand up and speak out against one’s fellows in the government can be a possible or probable death sentence, but it seems to be/it is the necessary ingredient to peacefully lead, direct and sustain the power of all our voices together.
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Thank you for reading the post and leaving a comment.
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So sad, so very sad.
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I update this post as more information comes about about the shooter and his background. The fact that Russian State Media is using Facebook to spread lies about this tragedy is deeply offensive.
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Absolutely shocking news, and has not hit the airwaves here Geelong yet . And the Russian Trolls situation is horrendous
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It’s horrible. Putin’s sock puppets argue both sides of the issue in a way that makes it look as if we can’t possibly find a compromise.
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Is there anyway for the government to block this propogander
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The paradox of an open democracy is that we can’t shut down an obvious propaganda network like Fox News because we have the right to free speech. The solution in the 50’s and 60’s was the equal time rule. When a news station took an opinion on policy it had to give equal time to the opposing opinin. That rule was tossed in the 80’s after the election of Ronald Reagan. So much of what plagues the U.S. has its roots in the Reagan Administration.
An informed public is the best safeguard.
People who know what to look for can tune out inflammatory rhetoric and divisive lies.
In my opinion anyone who frames a public policy debate as a Left vs. Right dichotomy is playing gaslight.
We’re not as divided in the United States as Putin and Trump wants us to think we are.
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I see that it’s very hard, and of course some people are easily led, and some want to believe the worst. It’s a pity they don’t have that equal time rule anymore.
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We either choose democracy and make the kind of personal sacrifices made by previous generations of Americans who worked preserve our freedoms; or we lose them.
The survival of our species may depend on whether average Americans have the courage to wake up and put a stop to Putin and Trump.
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Yes it takes solidarity to achieve change.
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It’s criminal to come this far as a civilization only to turn ourselves over to a global gossip monger who splits people into factions because that’s the only way he can stay in power.
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I’m feeling your frustrations.
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I’m especially frustrated at the moment. People are literally dying from Trump’s arrogance and stupidity.
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Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
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Thank you.
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Were it not for your blog, I would have known nothing about this latest mass shooting, so I thank you. Since moving from USA, I have stayed away from most USA news…..but I am glad I saw your post. This makes my heart break and tears flow with no control from me able to slow them.
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I think the most offended I’ve ever been in my life was when I saw that troll’s tweet. Thank you for your visits and re-blogs.
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Trolls do what they do and we must ignore what they do because they do what they do for attention and a response. Ignoring trolls makes them null & void.
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I agree with you. But to ignore them we need to learn to recognize them. People still mistake them for Americans and they assume that they’re open to reason. I’ve already seen a dozen topics derailed by these sons of bitches. I tag and block them. I think it’s important to push back in a way that shuts them down and exposes them.
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Thats one way of handling them.
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I’ve read that some of the people in the Ukraine organized online bot fighters to shut down Putin’s trolls. Unfortunately I can’t find the source. But that’s what gave me the idea. You can’t be lied to by someone you know is lying. Branding the account as a troll account neutralizes it. Yes, they have to open new ones but the idea is to push back in a way that asserts reality.
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Twitter is famous for their trolls.
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They’re everywhere. There are a surprising number of troll accounts on WordPress, and Zuckerberg has no problem selling ads to Russian operatives inviting his users to click ‘like’ to help ‘Jesus’ win the election.
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Why do people do that? It doesn’t help anything!
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I think most of them are doing it because they get paid. A hired propagandist is like any other professional
with a job. They aren’t emotionally invested in our political debates. Trolls don’t believe what they write
and bots don’t know what they write.
America’s problem is learning to recognize these guys so we can stopped letting them control our national discourse.
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