Q and A from Scenes from the Evolution
Episodes 13 and 14
As I said, I take comments from viewers very seriously. As such, I wanted to reply to the comments from the live streams I did with Jeff and Tori on November 30, 2022, and December 7, 2022. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time for the comments, and I do not want viewers to think I am ignoring them.
On to the comments:
Episode 13
Yes, Paul. I do skim the New York Times and Washington Post headlines each day. I get summary emails from them, along with various other sources. I also take input from Reuters, Yahoo News (major propaganda), Sputnik, RT, WION, AlJazeera, and other foreign publications. I follow a bunch of analysts on Twitter and YouTube, like Scott Ritter, Judge Napolitano, and Douglas MacGregor, and I take great humor from Jack Devine. Finally, you can find some good independent journalists on my substack channel.
Since I am close (within striking distance) to the conflict zone, I can talk to the people and experience what is happening.
Coupled with my line of work, this is where I get ideas for what to write.
What makes me an analyst is that I have experience in the cyber and information warfare spaces. I was recruited by a contractor for a US Air Force "Blue" cyber team (defense) back in 2009 and worked on systems the United States uses for information warfare. In addition, I have a degree in pre-law and electronics engineering and have worked in software engineering and business analytics.
In the 100's of personality tests I have taken, I am constantly an unusual mix of red and blue (typically, people are diagonal opposites on the charts – I am a vertical opposite). You can see my combination of characteristics in the chart below. I have a knack for seeing the big picture.
What I learned to tell people in a Dale Carnegie course was "Nickel" + "is he" – but I prefer Michel(ob)+( P)izz(a)-ee.
Neutral reporting has issues since they give both sides of a story without fact-checking. A better option is objective reporting. Objective reporting gives no side of an argument an advantage but holds both sides to the facts. Unfortunately, objective reporting is seen in the industry as outdated in today's world. Mainstream media no longer does investigative reporting but reports what their funders want.
Investigative journalism has become the realm of independent reporters, and if you can also find an independent who is objective, you have struck gold. But unfortunately, they have a tough time, as those that do not agree with them label them as propagandists.
My advice is to find a few independent sources you trust, look at both sides, and weigh everything together.
Yes. It is a CTSO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) shirt from China. I am an equal opportunity shirt wearer.
Some Russians lean towards the Ukrainian people (not the government), and some Ukrainians lean towards the Russian people. They can both sympathize and empathize with people on both sides. My wife and I do not take sides in the conflict, as we have family members and friends in Ukraine and Russia. My wife is 50% Ukrainian and 50% Russian ethnicity, a typical mixture from Soviet times.
In Russia and Ukraine, yes, both still have Twitter. But unfortunately, the Russian government has had Twitter block some things from Russian users. As retribution for the hate speech Meta allows against Russians, both Facebook and Twitter are blocked. But most people bypass them with a VPN.
Eva was on with Scott on the 29th. You can find the replay here:
Scott Ritter Extra Ep. 25: Ask the Inspector
Yes, Paul. The DoD runs training out of CyberCom.
Troll farms all have real people doing postings through fake accounts. The only difference between the standard troll farm and the CyberCom trolls is that CyberCom automates the creation of many fake accounts and disseminated content. They can automatically watch public perception on the internet and use that information to decide what to post to "adjust perception."
WION is good, and they do some investigative journalism. However, they've kind of softened their point of view on the western side since YouTube blocked them when they published a statement by Sergei Lavrov. RT is pretty objective in most of its reporting. But if you watch their stories enough, you will see the apparent slants.
It depends on if you want to access Chinese sites from outside of China or access sites outside of China from within the country. Getting into China requires a VPN with a Chinese server, which are hard to find. To be inside China and get out on VPN can also be done, but connections depend on many factors. Your mileage may vary.
Correct. And if you do not have time, find dependable analysts that spend their days doing this and weigh what they say against each other. Everyone is biased to some degree.
Yes. Pedophile accounts fall under "illegal actions," Elon Musk said he would continue to block. Redacted is good, and I also watch them, but I see flaws in their reporting.
Yes, Jeff! Have Kevin on more!
Episode 14
As Elon Musk said, it depends on context. When discussing in the context of historical discussions, no, swastikas are not inciting violence. But using them to incite reactions out of people, or to promote violence, is questionable.
What speech is or isn’t allowed is a call that Twitter must make to stay within the boundaries of what the various countries they operate in require to avoid being de-platformed. But I already see a big difference in what is being allowed.
Correct. Because mainstream media is in the government's pocket, the government doesn't want people to know about the back doors. I agree that Elon likely did not know about the back doors until they dug into the files.
Well, we are on at 3:30-4:30 am my time, so I understand. But I guess you could call the 2020 elections in the USA a soft coup. It was undoubtedly election interference, and I believe the Democratic party should be taken to task by the Republicans and the public.
Two things. The Democrats and his mouth.
If Putin says he will do something, he will do it. The West often forgets this. If you watch enough of his interviews and speeches, he is exceptionally knowledgeable and articulate and never uses cue cards. Unlike US politicians, Russia has career politicians who graduated from one of the political academies.
They are a troll farm in the true sense. Twitter doesn't appear to be removing them, but at least Twitter isn't pulling the opposing voices anymore. So NAFO is getting what they dish out. I don't know what Twitter's view of this is.
They have a tough row to hoe, especially since they will be subscription based. And I dislike their beta promo. Unless you are big-time, there's no way to evaluate the platform now.
I said, "Scot is intense," and it is "one of his charming qualities." So, yes, I guess I did.
Yes. Many people got caught on one side or the other. Despite the Ukrainian government having US intelligence on the special military operation, they told the public it would not happen. I know many people on one side or the other – some are scared, some are working against the side they are on, and some are quietly doing their own thing, whatever that may be.
I have my reasons for not voicing one side or the other, though I do have a personal opinion on the matter. Nobody knows what the "silent ones" may or may not be doing.