As IF Times

Source: The Daily 202: Trump’s pick to run DOJ criminal division worked for Russia bank – The Washington Post

Nine months after the shocking national election that ushered Donald Trump into the White House, the media are stuck in the mental loop of Russia, Russia, Russia, unable to focus on any other issue other than the impossibility of a Trump election without outside help.  Since then, it’s been comical as every person in the Trump corner is connected in some way to the Evil Empire a la Kevin Bacon, by six degrees of separation.   In fact, the fascination has become an unhealthy obsession even as the general public’s eyes glaze over at the newest Russia revelation link.

It’s as if we were exposed to the painful My Pillow commercials on a continuous loop.  But even though the commercials are as annoying as small children on airplanes, they must sell enough of the pillows to justify the constant running of the ads.  The same goes for the Russia story.  As much as the entire narrative has been all hat and no horse from the get go, there must be some willing consumers of this on-going onslaught of peoples’ intelligence.

It appears to be following the strategy employed by the Global Warming crowd: if you repeat it enough times, it will gradually acquire the stature of truth. No hysteria or hyperbole is too fanciful for the purveyors of the narrative.  Rational conclusions are discarded in favor of beliefs akin to a cult like fervor.  Even though CNN has been exposed and discredited for fostering fake narratives, the Washington Post continues their drumbeat of anti Trump articles, so much so, that it has become a one topic source…like the cartoon network.

The on going incredulity of the Trump win is reminiscent of the conspiracy theories surrounding the Seahawks’ loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl a few seasons ago.  Was it rigged? Who got paid off?  How could a sure win turn into a deflating loss?  As a Hawks fan, I’m over it and have moved on.  For the Trump conspiracy crowd, they should do the same.

Source: Facebook changes mission statement to ‘bring the world closer together’ | TechCrunch

Not content to be a cyber bulletin board for voyeurs, exhibitionists and lonely cat people, Facebook has reaped a financial bonanza by generating income from advertisers and marketers of all types selling to their addicted  audience.  When people sign on to peek enviously at the lifestyles of their wealthy buddies, they are also treated to a steady dose of ads for financial services and other miscellaneous junk. Increasingly, they also get treated to free political sanctimony and propaganda offered as suggested ‘likes’.  And because people want to be inclusive, they are encouraged to ‘like’ these not so subtle blurbs so as to be with the cool kids.  Here are some recent gems:

To most thinking people, this is annoying spam and could be tolerable if we found similar ‘like’ suggestions for trolling stories on left leaning personalities; you know, the whole fair and balanced thing.  Shockingly, it doesn’t happen.  With the target rich material offered up everyday by left leaning people and their causes, we never get treated to opinion pieces on them to like and pass on.  No pink hat wearing Ashley Judd pieces, no crazy eyed Nancy Pelosi slamming President Bush, no black professors banning whites in the name of inclusivity.

While this flotsam and spam is an affront to sane people who just want to ogle their buddies, it’s nothing less than a recruitment tool for leftist influencers to capture naïve and malleable minds.  This is the methodology that’s been used for eons by advertisers and opinion shapers to create a subtle but persuasive version of ‘normal’.  For example, if we watch enough TV,  we may think that man buns and beards are normal although these are really just affectations of a very small group of fashionistas.  Those inspired by this fad no doubt feel that they are expressing their individuality … in a me too kind of way.  In reality, it mostly comes off like Michael Moore wearing skinny jeans trying to be cool.

We imagine that this is the same technique that ISIS probably employs in their social network recruiting programs wherein ads for matches,  blow up dolls and vests are popular.  While Mohammed is checking up on his pal Mohammed, a suggested article pops up on the latest suicide vest fashion. Of course, they’re encouraged to “like” it.  Next thing ya know, everyone wants a vest.

Those who don’t believe the effectiveness of this type of coercion are rejecting over 100 years of work by the advertising industry.  Facebook’s not so subtle campaign of political coercion has been on-going unabashedly since well before the Trump election.  They’ve been doing their bit to convince  regular people into man buns and skinny jeans.  But now, the new mandate is to “bring people closer together” after long being advocates for partisan segregation and identity politics.  It’s the equivalent of North Korea announcing that their new credo is “college students welcome”.