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KatK

KatK's Journal
KatK's Journal
May 19, 2021

Alternet: The decades of deceit behind the 'Big Lie'

"Since the 2020 presidential election, the phrase "The Big Lie" has been deployed to describe the former president's undermining of American democracy. This phrase has its roots in authoritarian propaganda, most notably in Adolf Hitler's assertion that if you tell a lie often enough, it will become truth in the minds of your audience.

Trump's own "Big Lie" began with a refusal to concede electoral defeat. This deceit was then formalized in frivolous lawsuits and it ultimately inspired an insurrection on January 6, 2021. Since then, members of the GOP have either explicitly endorsed Trump's "The Big Lie" or tacitly allowed it to flourish in the consciousness of their voters, such that 60 percent of Republicans now believe the 2020 election was stolen.

However, Trump's own "Big Lie" is not actually a singular falsehood; rather, it is the culmination of a long attack on our shared reality. The undermining of the democratic process itself is only possible due to the decades of disinformation that preceded it.

Where did the Republican lies begin? The assault on Medicare is a good starting point...

[snip]

The Republican Party followed Reagan's lead. It didn't take long before all government programs were called "socialism" and were framed as inherent threats to freedom...

[snip]

After the 1960s, the GOP's attack on truth began to encompass not just antipathy towards government, but a broader rejection of institutions. Consider the issue of climate change...

[snip]

The "Big Lie" is, in fact, the "Long Lie": the generational priming of minds to reject all evidence and view any authority—from the government to scientists—with hostility and distrust. From lies about Medicare to lies about Obama's birthplace, this project has been long in the making. The entire GOP is responsible."

~ by Magdi Semrau https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/the-big-lie/

I don't know if I "snipped" correctly.

Ms. Semrau's article does an excellent job of laying out the broad strokes of the story of the Republican attack on consensual reality.

April 22, 2021

Bodycam shows Michigan cops punching Black man in the face after stop for littering

Source: Raw Story

Bodycam footage was released after a violent arrest in Grand Rapids, Michigan in which a Black man was punched several times by police after the car he was in was stopped for littering, TMZ reported, citing police Chief Eric Payne. The incident happened March 26, but the video was just released showing Diabate Hood, who was pulled over with two other men in the car. Hood refused to step out of the car.

Hood reportedly jumped into the passenger seat, which police took as an attempt to flee. The video shows Hood being held down by three police officers, and one punches him several times in the face. Hood can be heard screaming as officers shouted "stop resisting." Officers then held him down and Hood can be heard yelling, "I can't breathe."

...

"This is the police work that I expect from my personnel," said Chief Payne. The department then claimed that they searched the car and found four weapons, which they're using to charge Hood with felonies. Hood has also been charged with attempting to disarm a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon and resisting arrest.

Lawyer Tyrone Bynum is representing the men in the car. In a statement, he said, "What I saw in the video was another George Floyd." He noted that the alarming part came from officers who can be heard saying that Hood was "lucky he's not dead."

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/grand-rapids-police-abuse-littering/



Amplifying that officer at the March 26 scene said 'He's lucky he's not dead'. No words.
April 21, 2021

Police fatally shoot Black father after he 'started to drive away' - his family says he never carrie

Source: Raw Story

A North Carolina man was shot and killed by police this Wednesday after deputies executed a search warrant, 8News reports.

Andrew Brown, 40, was reportedly shot and killed by police when he got in his car and tried to drive away. According to neighbors, they heard anywhere from six to eight shots.

Brown, who is Black, is the father of 10 children. His family says he never carried a gun.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/cop-fatally-shoots-black-father/

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