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The ‘anti-imperialism’ of idiots
Once more the western ‘anti-war’ movement has awoken to mobilise around Syria. This is the third time since 2011. The first was when Obama contemplated striking the Syrian regime’s military capability (but didn’t) following chemical attacks on the Ghouta in 2013, considered a ‘red line’. The second time was when Donald Trump ordered a strike […]
The ‘anti-imperialism’ of idiots
The Good, The Bad, The Unqualified: Jill Stein 2/2
Continued from part 1
Supposing for a moment Jill Stein defied all political expectations and actually was elected as the first woman president, would she be prepared for the job? What is her political experience that makes her qualified to lead the nation’s armies and economy?
Um, she was a doctor and a professor at Harvard Medical. Not really legislative or executive experience, is that? She has no economic plan with numbers and her “platform” on domestic policy is full of nice ideas with no steps to achieve them like “end homophobia”.
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Even Reagan Would Have Been Appalled
Absolutely Unpresidential
The extremism on display at the GOP debate would have horrified anyone who’s actually been president.
Yikes.
I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat after the last Republican debate. I had a vision of President Ronald Reagan sitting in the front row at his library watching the debate. Alongside him were fellow Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Gerald Ford and even Richard Nixon.
Very quickly the blood drained from their faces. They began to fidget, to shift awkwardly in their chairs. They began to look around for the exits. These men who had led our nation, made difficult decisions and participated in politics their entire lives were appalled at what was going on before them.
Sure, they were shocked at the nastiness and vitriol among…
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Misrepresenting Stats, Misleading Presentation of Issues, & the Problem of Irresponsible ‘News’ Outlets in America….
I get the point that this graphic is making here, that the number of white people killed by police was higher than the number of black people.
This is FOXnews attempt to discredit claims that there’s a disproportionately higher amount of black people being killed by police in America, & that this is an issue our nation needs to recognize & deal with. And taking it at face value, to the average viewer, it would appear that the numbers support the narrative FOX is espousing here.
But apply some critical thinking to the info they’re sharing in this graphic, & it becomes clear that the numbers on the screen tell us nothing in regards to the overall narrative – that those figures alone do not either support or refute any claims about the issue they’re discussing.
In order for these stats to be accurately assessed.. In order to determine whether or not the claim that blacks are killed more often by police.. These stats need to be framed in the proper context by including a few more figures. For example:
● white people = 72.4% of our population, & black people = 12.6%
● also, the actual REAL crime rates of each group (all crime that occurs, not jst criminals who are caught & convicted)
The picture that OReilly’s stats paint re: the prevelance of people killed by police in each race changes dramatically after factoring in those numbers.
Unless population & crime rates are even-steven between blacks & whites (which they aren’t), the individual amounts dont really actually tell us anything on their own that justifies either argument (that the prevelence of black people being killed by police IS or IS NOT higher then that of white people) because there’s not enough data to form a ratio & thus make an accurate comparison.
● Here’s an example to illustrate what I’m explaining:
There could be 3000 whites killed, & only 10 blacks killed.. BUT, if the population numbers were 1,000,000 whites & only 50 blacks, then the data would indicate that yes police do in fact kill blacks at a higher rate, even though the number of deaths of whites is larger.
Why/How? – Because the stats prove that the odds of a black man getting killed during an incounter w/ police are far higher then they are for a white man.
● And re: crime stat analysis….
If the percentage of arrests & convictions is reasonably close to the percentage of actual crime that individuals in both groups are really engaging in, then that would indicate that the police show little to no bias & all is good. BUT, if the arrests & convictions to real crime taking place ratio is off balance then clearly there’s some bias involved – one group is being suspected/targeted/& punished far more often than the other.
Basically what Im saying is CONTEXT COUNTS.. And cherry-picked data can skew perceptions & cause people to reach inaccurate conclusions, as FOX was intentionally attempting to do here. (If someone really wants to, they can present a couple choice stats or facts to back jst about any theory or opinion or viewpoint they like.. And Roger Ailes, the guy who runs FOX, excels in doing this far more than most. – But then again, he WAS a professional political spin-doctor for nearly 3 decades, & even managed to make Nixon look good.. So clearly the man has talent, & is a master at his trade.)
And while my initial intent in this comment was to simply shine some light on how the figures of this graphic are misleading & can cause people to form inaccurate perceptions, jump to false conclusions, & create a general misunderstanding of the issue.. There is actually a larger issue involved, & that issue is the responsibility of news outlets to present the news & discuss issues accurately & factually.
And so I suggest that anyone who watches, likes, & trusts FOXnews should take a moment & think about something…. Do you want the news you watch to give you information which can help you to become properly educated & accurately informed about important topics & events which impact our nation & the world, regardless of whether or not you like the information, the facts, that are shared .. Or do you simply want to hear an editorial narrative about this stuff which you find agreeable, or which bolsters & justifies the views & opinions you already have..??
Do you want to be treated like adults who can handle being told the truth & given the facts, & then form your own educated opinions & ideas.. Or do you want to be treated as children who are told fairytale versions of the news that are pleasing, yet horribly misleading & not representative of reality, & have the views & biases of Roger Ailes inputted into your heads doing the thinking for you..??
Because FOXnews gives you the latter.. And that’s what they are doing.
Here is the article which initially got me going on this.
Research Reveals An Alarmingly High Rate Of Illiteracy Within The Tea Party
THE CABIN ANTHRAX, MURPHY, N.C. (CT&P) -New research conducted by the Center for Sanity in Politics has revealed that over 40% of Tea Party members are functionally illiterate and a significant percentage of the rest of party exhibit the reading comprehension skills of third graders. The inability of many of the right-wing political organization’s activists to manufacture even the most simple signage was once thought to be an aberration resulting in a humorous display of “Teabonics.” But tragically it now seems to be representative of the group as a whole.
“What we found was truly shocking,” said Dr. Frank Black, director of research at CSP. “However, with the advantage of hindsight I suppose we really should have expected these results.”
“After all, the Tea Party appeals to the basest of mankind’s instincts. You can’t expect a political party based on a Frankenstein’s monster stitched-together from debunked economic theories, irrational xenophobia…
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Little Desert Flower 