Just who the fuck is that Russian defending dip shit on Truthdig, named "NORMAN SOLOMON?"

[MrScorpio]

Is he some kind Putin disinformation operative? Have any of you guys read his garbage?

I just had a tussle with some suspected Russian troll farm denizens in an article he wrote there that accused MSNBC and RM of being warmongers.

The whole thing was bizarre as fuck.

[TwistOneUp]

1. RM? nt

[MrScorpio]

2. Rachel Maddow.

[TwistOneUp]

7. Ah. Tft! nt

[bettyellen]

3. Sounds like Manny! Check this out if you havent;

https://www.google.com/amp/www.newsweek.com/russia-putin-bots-linkedin-facebook-trump-clinton-kremlin-critics-poison-war-645696%3famp=1

[SidDithers]

13. Heheh...

Sid

[yardwork]

20. Long, interesting article:

We saw this happen on DU:

A key feature of the online effort was trolling, the tactic of injecting inflammatory, off-topic commentary into discussion groups and threads with the goal of defaming critics, provoking fights and chasing away thoughtful adversaries.

The verbal warfare peaked in the summer of 2016, as U.S. officials discovered Russian hackers breaking into voter rolls in California, Illinois and elsewhere. It also occurred around the time that the Moscow-backed hackers stole and promulgated embarrassing private emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton’s campaign manager, John Podesta. Such activities were designed to help Donald Trump and “undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process,” an American intelligence report concluded in January.

[bettyellen]

24. And they ganged up on long time members and got them kicked off the forum- forever changing the

quality of the conversation there. I mean damn- if never guess Linked In has a forum for Nat Sec workers/ but I guess there is one for most jobs. Crazy stuff, isn’t it? I think they hired people just to find these books and crannies in the Internet, and infest them.

[yardwork]

25. DU was infiltrated and attacked. It was impossible to have a conversation.

We now know that this was part of the effort to steal the election. It worked.

[Hortensis]

4. What we need to remember about the far left is that

if you go far enough you end up almost indistinguishable from the far right, even allied. Extremists have far more in common with each other than with most Americans. They are, in fact, frequently allied, tacitly or actively, covertly or overtly, in trying to take power by subverting the security and confidence of all those more mainstream. Which is why 100 years ago Europe's communists and fascists were busy trying to lure each others' followers away.

Note that the right has allied with its far right. If the far left ever joined them... They win.

People like those in the anti-government Koch alliance understand that extremely well.

[VOX]

9. Perfectly stated. Reminds one that Hitler AND Stalin invaded Poland in 1939.

But their “non-aggression” pact didn’t last long, obviously.

Excellent cogent summation, Hortensis.

[yardwork]

21. Authoritarianism is one of the common traits.

Many people can be persuaded to accept, even embrace, loss of personal rights and liberties in return for something they want: perceived safety, victory of ideology, feeling included.

I've seen this on the left and the right. Growing up in the 60s and 70s, I witnessed behaviors and rhetoric that pushed aside ethics in the name of a vague higher goal - ideology trumped decency.

Stalinists went down this path. So did the followers of Mao.

[Hortensis]

23. You were there too? :) My sweet boyfriend and others

just talked about how they looked forward to shooting "a senator" when the revolution came, usually through a haze of pot smoke, but others in our bigger circles were zealous types who in those days seemed ready for anything if only the bad leaders and events they were waiting for had materialized.

I assumed they were all left wing because that was the mood of the day, and certain there are left-wing authoritarians (I believe part of Sanders' appeal was an authoritarian presence), but researchers say they're far fewer compared to the right's 20-25% of all Americans. So I suspect probably at least some were young conservatives who didn't know, or admit, it yet.

Nevertheless, as you say, both have a problem with ethics, and truths, that come between them and what they imagine are higher goal. The fringes are increasingly factless territories, as we see all too often by how eagerly right wing lies are received by some here.

Of course, we don't know how much voices of real DUers are being multiplied by right-wing agents.

[Hekate]

5. Jeez. My only question: does Truthdig do any troll removal at all? I've never been there...

Thanks for fighting the good fight, though.

[MrScorpio]

8. I'm that close to removing Truthdig from my Disqus feed

Frankly, I don't need that Hillary-hating, Trump/Putin excusing shit right now.

[Demsrule86]

12. I already did. It seems they have been infiltrated.

[MrScorpio]

15. You know I follow The Hill, Politico and Mediaite

And in spite of the fact that none of them are liberal, they don’t go out their way to sound like propaganda mills. Wingers post comments there but you don’t see ultra left Hillary bashers and so call “leftists” who go out of their way to attack Dems and defend GOPrs.

I can cope with RWNJs all day, but the fuckers in the Truthdig comments remind me of Breitbarters.

I don’t think it’s a co-inky-dink.

[Demsrule86]

17. I read all of those mentioned. I can't tolerate Truthdig anymore, but I used to read it...hell

I go down to THAT website the free one...just to check up on the crazy.

[FSogol]

27. +1, Exactly. N/t

[Laurian]

6. I saw that earlier today and chose not to read it

based on the excerpts. I agree with you that it seemed a very suspect argument. My nerves are too raggedy to put myself through reading the whole thing, let alone respond to it.

Hats off to you for your strength and stamina MrScorpio!

[Demsrule86]

11. Russia attacked our elections and is still at it...today the threatened us with nukes

and shitler did nothing. Russian is a dangerous enemy, and they seek to destroy us. I wouldn't read a putin loving article like that if you paid me a million rubles. And why single out MSNBC...the only station that gives Democrats a fair shake? Certainly CNN is Fox lite...and Fox is Shitler TV...almost like the authors has an agenda...a Russian agenda.

[Cicada]

14. Threatened us with nukes? That is what mutual assured destruction is all about

For seventy years they have been able to destroy us and we have been able to destroy them. What he said is nothing new. They can blast us to hell and we can blast them to hell. Obviously he isn’t going to initiate an attack on us. Obviously he would only launch after we launched. And vice versa. Some in the US, a guy I hire as a handyman, for instance, think we can defend against missile strikes. He thinks Patriot missile systems work. So maybe Putin just wants people to understand that if we launch against them they will incinerate us. And yes, Russia is attacking us. And we need to take actions in response. I am all for tough sanctions. But I bet we have done things to get Putin overturned too.

[Gabi Hayes]

16. Did yo read about Ellsbergs true intent in publishing the Pentagon Papers?

https://thebulletin.org/daniel-ellsberg-dismantling-doomsday-machine11539

[Demsrule86]

18. It was a threat...and no president has ever not responded to such a thing.

Putin is a dictator. And he is claiming that he can breach our defenses which would blow mutually assured destruction out of the water if true. I can not believe you defend Russia after what they did in 16...did you know two members of Pussy Riot have 'disappeared' ...dead not doubt. Russian is a murderous dictatorship and a danger to the world. You equate us with Russia? Really.

[yardwork]

22. Whataboutism. /nt

[NotASurfer]

19. Maybe an anagram

Same letters as

MORAN LOONS, MON!

Makes as much sense as anything else this week

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. I started reading that article and quickly wondered, WTF is that?

I don't know if Norman Solomon is a Russian troll but he's definitely full of bullshit.