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A Tale of Vladimir Putin's Revenge, or Space Aliens Abduct Donald Trump

It happened on a blustery evening at his sprawling Mar-a-Lago retreat. The occasion was a weekend getaway. Having won the 2016 race for the USA presidency, Donald Trump was elated. He could not believe that he had pulled off the political upset of the century. He kept pinching himself as if his victory were not real. Suddenly, he felt like celebrating. He decided to take a joyous victory stroll on the grounds of his Mar-a-Lago retreat.

Mar-a-Lago

During the stroll, he clenched his arm into the air as he ferociously thumped his chest and exclaimed, "Yes, I did it!" He took a celebratory leap of joy into the air. He was elated.

It hit him like a ton of bricks. After spending years sitting on the sidelines critiquing, assailing, belittling, praising, applauding, and judging others, suddenly, he was in the hot seat. The spotlight was now on him. He was the center of attention. It was his turn to step into the ring and perform. He had talked the talk, and now it was his time to walk the walk. He, Donald Trump, was the man. He was the President of the United States of America. He was the most popular human on Earth, and simultaneously he was the most powerful human on Earth. He was Number One as Patrice Rushen's tune jingled in his head.

sport references

While walking and celebrating, Donald Trump noticed a dazzling blaze of light in the sky. He observed a whirling cloud of wind. He could not believe his eyes. Was it what he thought he saw? Was it an alien spacecraft? Was it a close encounter of the fourth kind. To his horror and amazement, the spacecraft quietly descended and landed close to where he was standing.

Lenticular cloud over the Fort Stanton Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area (New Mexico, USA)

Several space aliens emerged from the spacecraft. The space aliens telepathically assured Donald Trump that they were not there to harm him. The space aliens informed him that they had traveled from a planet far, far away. They had been monitoring USA television signals from afar in deep space. The space aliens told Donald Trump that, on their alien planet, everybody thought that the 2016 USA presidential election would be a cinch for Hillary Clinton to win. On their alien planet, everyone was in a state of shock. Everyone was dumfounded, stupefied, and catatonic. Feelings of delirium permeated the air on their planet. A malaise had overtaken their planet. Everyone's head was spinning. The space aliens intimated to Donald Trump that, on their alien planet, they, too, could not believe it when he pulled off the most improbable upset political victory.

The space aliens telepathically explained to Donald Trump that it was not their style to interfere into the affairs of other planets. Due to the crisis on their planet, the space aliens made an exception and decided to pay Donald Trump a personal visit. Inquiring minds on their home planet wanted answers. They unanimously voted to dispatch a team of investigators to Earth. They came to Earth to find out firsthand how did Donald Trump manage to emerge victorious. They decided to make an interstellar journey to Earth so that they could examine Donald Trump's brain. The space aliens journeyed all the way across interstellar space to Earth to discover what was Donald Trump's secret recipe for success. They needed to restore a state of normalcy to the discombobulated, restless souls of the citizens on their home planet.

Venus Atmospheric Maneuverable Platform (VAMP)

After carefully examining Donald Trump's brain, the space aliens discovered the answer. They discovered that, contrary to their initial premise, the secret of Donald Trump's success was not the art of the deal. The space aliens discovered that Vladimir Putin was Donald Trump's secret recipe for success. Donald Trump's election victory was nothing more than a simple case of Vladimir Putin's revenge. The space aliens discovered that despite most polling data pointing to an inevitable Hillary Clinton victory, it was Vladimir Putin's revenge that led to the ascension of Donald Trump to the USA Presidency.

The space aliens telepathically discovered that Vladimir Putin had surreptitiously inserted a nanobot into Donald Trump's brain. Insertion of the nanobot occurred while Donald Trump was sleeping in his hotel room. The insertion occurred when Donald Trump traveled to Moscow to attend the Miss Universe beauty pageant. The nanobot was inserted as a type of long-term insurance policy of leverage. It was Vladimir Putin who, years later, sublimely and remotely activated the nanobot and suggested to Donald Trump that he should toss his hat into the ring for the USA presidency. Vladimir Putin had launched his secret plan of revenge; he would do everything within his power to propel Donald Trump to victory.

alien spacecraft

What was Vladimir Putin's motivation? The space aliens discovered that Vladimir Putin was still seething mad over the Russian women losing to the USA women during the 4X400m track relay race at the 2008 Summer Olympic games held at Beijing, China. The Russian women had come ever so close to victory. And, with the USA women's runaway victory in the 4X400m track relay race at the 2012 London Summer Olympic games and also with USA victories at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic games and the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic games, Vladimir Putin was beside himself. He could not take it anymore. He was yanking out the hair on his head in anguish.

The 4X400m women's track relay race was Vladimir Putin's favorite track event. Vladimir Putin was not accustomed to his team losing. Since 1988, the Russian women have reigned as the world and Olympic record holders in the 4X400m women's track relay event. Vladimir Putin had vowed that, come hell or high water, the Russian women would get their revenge against those USA women. Vladimir Putin had declared that the Russian women would bring home the Olympic gold medal by winning the 4X400m women's track relay race at the 2016 Summer Olympic games held at Rio, Brazil.

Watch (1988, Sydney Olympics women's 4x400m)

Watch (Women's 4x400m final Athens Summer Olympics 2004)

Watch (2008 Beijing Olympics 2008 Women 4X400m Final)

Watch (USA Wins 4x400m Relay Gold - London 2012 Olympics)

Watch (2016 Brazil, Sixth gold in Women's 4x400 Relay for the USA)

Watch (2020, Women's 4x400m Final | Tokyo Replays)

To Vladimir Putin's surprise, chagrin, dismay, and disappointment, the Russian women were banned from competing in the 2016 Summer Olympic games. Vladimir Putin's revenge would have to wait another 4 years for the next Summer Olympic games to arrive. Impatient to wait another 4 years, Vladimir Putin decided to take out his wrath on Hillary Clinton. So, Vladimir Putin sublimely and remotely persuaded Donald Trump to run for the USA Presidency. Vladimir Putin's plan for revenge was set in motion.

Given the pro-Russian sentiments of Donald Trump and given Donald Trump's repeated public expressions of affinity for Vladimir Putin, this reality inspired Vladimir Putin to wage an all-out, well-coordinated, and comprehensive campaign of cyberspace warfare on the USA electoral system. Vladimir Putin decided to secretly insert himself into the USA electoral process big time. Vladimir Putin proceeded to unleash upon the USA electorate a torrid campaign of fake news, leaked news, computer hacks, and a bevy of other political tricks. Vladimir Putin proceeded to push a barrage of unfavorable, anti-Hillary Clinton information to the USA electorate to the detriment of Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.

Vladimir Putin succeeded. His target of affection, Donald Trump, won the USA presidential election in what has to be characterized as one of the most stunning upset political victories in USA history. Vladimir Putin popped the bubbly, raised his glass high into the air, and gave a boisterous toast to his own success. He could not help but to take a bow as he gave himself a standing ovation for a job well done. His cyberspace election warfare operation had worked. The Americans, by and large, never knew what hit them. With Vladimir Putin's blessing, the computer experts in Russia had treated the USA democracy like a gigantic software application to be hacked. They sought vulnerabilities in the USA's democratic system of governance, and like the unleashing of a computer virus to attack a vulnerable software application, when vulnerabilities were found in the USA political process, the computer experts proceeded to clandestinely hack, attack, manipulate, and influence voter opinions about the Presidential candidates. It was all a big game; the computer experts were manipulating political passions in the USA as if the voters were puppets on a string. The hackers delighted in sitting back and watching the Americans react to the upheaval they were causing. In the end, Vladimir Putin's campaign of cyberspace election engineering was a resounding success. Vladimir Putin, finally, had gotten his revenge for those Olympic 4x400 meters relay race defeats. He was so happy.

alien

The space aliens released Donald Trump without incident. Donald Trump vowed never to utter a word about his abduction by space aliens or about the time he spent aboard the alien spacecraft. He knew that nobody would believe him. He did not want to be deemed a delusional lunatic who was not fit to serve his Presidential term in office.

During the course of their examination of Donald Trump's brain, the space aliens also discovered another starling fact about what makes Donald Trump tick. They discovered that, deeply buried in his psyche, Donald Trump was obsessed with notions of acceptance and being successful. They discovered that Donald Trump relishes attention and craves for acceptance. What could he do to receive favorable media coverage? What could he do to assure a successful presidency? Will he be able to go the 12-round distance?

The bleachers are full, the lights are bright and the crowd waits in anticipation for the III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, first-ever Boxing Smoker finals to begin in Abrams Gym on Fort Hood, Texas, March 5, 2009 | Photographer: Sgt. Alun Thomas

To throw in the towel is symbolic of suffering an inevitable defeat

The world had taken a ringside seat as it held its collective breath and bit on its collective fingernails with intrigue, apprehension, anxiety, and suspense. The space aliens discovered that Donald Trump simply wants to use the USA's military might to take the Iraqi oil so that he can pay for the border wall, infrastructure modernization, military upgrading and upsizing, tax cuts, defeating ISIS, and comprehensive health care reform without exploding the USA's total national debt outstanding, which stood at $20 trillion dollars as of January 20, 2017. Instead of making America great again, the space aliens concluded that Donald Trump was more apt to lead America over a cliff.


Watch (Trump Tells O'Reilly Tackling $21T Nat'l Debt Will Be 'Easy')

Watch (Breaking News - Trump Outstripping Obama on Pace of Executive Orders)

Dall sheep, an iconic species in Denali National Park

falling (as over a cliff)

coronavirus

The space aliens discovered one other thing about Donald Trump while examining his brain. They discovered that, deeply buried in his psyche, Donald Trump harbored a suspicious and an envious type of antipathy for Barack Obama. They discovered that Donald Trump harbored an unhealthy fixation on Barack Obama—his birthplace, his college grades, his friends and associates, his place of religious worship, his patriotism, his policies, his Nobel Peace Prize, and so on. They discovered that, if Barack Obama favored something, then Donald Trump felt compelled to oppose the same thing automatically, unreservedly, expeditiously, vigorously, and regardless of merit. They discovered that Donald Trump felt compelled to do everything within his Presidential powers to reverse, disassemble, destroy, obliterate, or otherwise vaporize all traces of Barack Obama's Presidential legacy—or somehow eclipse, overshadow, or outdo Barack Obama's Presidential legacy.

Did his negative fixation on Barack Obama mask an even deeper psychological bias he harbored against black people, in general, or did his unflattering fixation on Barack Obama simply represent nothing more than another instance of insidious and divisive party politics only this time around it had a slight "blacklash" or white backlash type of tinge to it? The space aliens could not pinpoint a precise answer to this question while inspecting Donald Trump's brain. The space aliens noted that going back to Donald Trump's outcries of guilt against the Central Park 5 and up to his embrace of and vigorously exhorting and promoting the Obama birtherism conspiracy theory, perhaps no publicly renown figure is more adept and masterful than Donald Trump at exploiting, propagating, or otherwise fanning the flames of the politics of racial prejudice except perhaps the one and only Adolf Hitler. The space aliens concluded that, when it comes to skin color, ethnicity, or race, Donald Trump probably suffers from a case of the Manute Bol/Yao Ming syndrome. Will Donald Trump's ascension to the USA Presidency prove to be the ultimate bait-and-switch job resulting in the conning of a nation? The space aliens were not sure about the answer to this question, but they did conclude that, Donald Trump most definitely was not a facsimile or clone of Honest Abe. The space aliens concluded that, in reality, Donald Trump was merely a salesperson who mastered the art of bombast, grandiosity, grandstanding, hyperbole, and hype.

The (Pre-Election) Bait: Yes, the public can see my tax returns.
Watch (Trump: I'd like to release my tax returns, but ...)
Giorgio Scapinelli's llustrated Pinocchio | commons.wikimedia.org
Wait for it…are you ready…and now…The (Post-Election) Switch: No, nobody can see my tax returns.
Watch (Trump Legal Team Sues In Response To Subpoenas For His Tax Returns | Hallie Jackson | MSNBC)

Another example of Donald Trump's bait-and-switch tactic was his unemployment allegations during his pre-2016 bid—and before—to become President of the United States. During the 2016 Presidential campaign, Donald Trump often assailed and lambasted the USA Department of Labor's unemployment reports as nothing more than fake news. His bait was how, on the 2016 campaign trail, Donald Trump variously alleged that the true USA unemployment rate was not 5% or 6% but was more akin to 18%, 28%, 29%, 35%, or even as high as 42%. He often characterized the USA Department of Labor's unemployment reports as unreliable, not credible, and phony. His switch came after Donald Trump had won the USA Presidency. For instance, in 2017 without any reservations whatsoever, Donald Trump cheerfully and wholeheartedly embraced the USA Department of Labor's unemployment reports when the Department reported that the USA unemployment rate stood at about 4.7%.

Trump used to bash jobs reports, until now
Watch (Trump used to bash jobs reports, until now)

How did the pollsters manage to get the election outcome wrong? Why did most pollsters incorrectly predict a Hillary Clinton victory? The space aliens had to do a little bit of deeper probing to find an answer to these two questions. They discovered that another piece to the puzzle for Donald Trump's improbable ascension to the USA Presidency was the James Comey connection. The space aliens concluded that the detrimental Comey effect upon Hillary Clinton's campaign was the one thing that the pollsters failed to adequately take into account or factor into their polling. As the 2016 presidential campaign was drawing to an end, the space aliens concluded that James Comey's repeated very public televised pronouncements about the Hillary Clinton email investigation had the equivalent effect of manipulating public sentiment in a disfavorable way for Hillary Clinton. The pronouncements were akin to suddenly raising the USA terror alert level from low (i.e., not a serious enough matter worthy of paying much attention to) to severe (i.e., a very serious matter of utmost national urgency) in the voting public's minds. The space aliens concluded that the adverse public-opinion effect of those James Comey email pronouncements was ruinous to Hillary Clinton's blossoming campaign momentum. The James Comey effect was to cast a dark cloud of wrongdoing over Hilary Clinton's presidential bid practically right at the eve of the election. With those last-minute email theatrics coming from the head of the F.B.I. (the premier USA law enforcement agency), Hilary Clinton's presidential campaign suddenly became tainted with an "official" stigma of suspicion, scandal, and criminality. Winds of untrustworthiness and sentiments of unending drama began whirling around and engulfing Hillary Clinton's campaign.

It was as if Hilary Clinton's blossoming political campaign had suddenly gotten drenched with a big bucket full of ice cold, freezing water to stop its momentum solidly in its tracks. Much like a braking locomotive train hurling along the tracks and suddenly encountering an 18-wheel tractor-trailer truck standing idly in its path, twice James Comey's very public and consequential interventions brought the forward momentum of Hillary Clinton's campaign to a screeching halt. Whether wittingly or not, the space aliens concluded that the James Comey effect was akin to him placing his thumb on the scale to change the political balance; he stirred up a lot of last-minute negative publicity against Hillary Clinton's campaign. The damage was done. Hillary Clinton's blossoming campaign became tarnished.

The political winds began stirring and suddenly injected fresh air into Donald Trump's presidential campaign. A more favorable political tide had risen Donald Trump's way, and there was no turning back the hands of time. The space aliens concluded that, at this instance, Hillary Clinton's political misfortune became the fuel igniting new thrust and vigor into Donald Trump's political fortune. The space aliens concluded that, for more voters, it simply boiled down to a matter of choosing between the insider, old-timer, and perceived scandal-prone "crooked Hillary" or the outsider political newcomer and deal-making billionaire business mogul who promised to "drain the swamp," "shake things up," and otherwise break the ultra-partisan rancor so prevalent in the District of Columbia. The unknown quantity about the billionaire business mogul was the extent to which his fortune was earned legitimately (i.e., through straight money and clean financial transactions) or illegitimately (i.e., through crooked money and dirty financial transactions). After all, the space aliens noted that, Hillary Clinton was transparent, honorable, and forthcoming by releasing years of her tax returns for anyone to scrutinize. The space aliens noted that, Donald Trump, on the other hand and unlike past Presidents in recent history, has steadfastly refused to release his tax returns for public scrutiny.

As the space aliens prepared to depart for their home planet, they made a final conclusion. The space aliens concluded that by virtue of the skill he exhibited in manipulating the USA electoral process and by virtue of his savvy and shrewdness in infiltrating Donald Trump's inner circle, Vladimir Putin should be awarded one-half of the USA presidency. Well played. Does this revelation mean that Mike Pence has a reason to be worried? Will Vladimir Putin push aside Mike Pence, claim his seat at the table, and take his turn running things in the USA? The space aliens also noted that much like Vladimir Putin, William Barr also was an adroit and formidable behind-the-scenes power broker to watch. And, on a final parting note, the space aliens revealed that they did watch the television program The Apprentice from afar. They thought Donald Trump and his children were brilliant on The Apprentice television program.

NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD)


The space aliens obtained the answers they sought. Like an epiphany, everything suddenly made sense to them. They were delighted and overjoyed to be taking their findings back to their home planet. And, while visiting Earth, the space aliens could not resist the temptation of taking a little bit of human music aboard the spacecraft as entertainment for their long journey home.

(Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67; 1st Movement: Allegro con brio)

Spitzer Valentine's Day


Age-Defying Star


Starfield Simulation


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Copyright © Edward E. Bruessard

DISCLAIMER: The part of the above story about space aliens visiting Earth is a complete fabrication. It is pure fiction [with a tiny dose of food for thought (or "real" news) tossed into the mixture for good measure]. The above story of President Putin's revenge was concocted as satire or as a joke. This stuff about space aliens should not be taken seriously. It was invented to poke fun at the allegedly budding "bromance" between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The point of this bit of space-alien fake news is to illustrate how some humans sit around in real life and spread all kinds of fake news stories and pranks on the World Wide Web—and yet make them seem like real news stories. Ironically, President Vladimir Putin, too, appears to know a thing or two about this particular discussion topic. (NOTE: View page source for page credits.)
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The USA News Media

Moving from satire to reality, the USA news media is prolific, intricate, varied, resolute, and rich in its depth and scope of coverage. The following web links and graphics impart a small sampling of the depth, resoluteness, and richness of the USA news media.

  1. National Newspapers and news magazines
  2. Network and cable television news
  3. Talk radio and podcast news
  4. Social media news
  5. News aggregators
  6. Web portal news
  7. News blogs
  8. Local news
Apollo 40th Anniversary Morning Television

Of the above varied news sources, television news currently reigns as the most popularly used news source in the USA as of 2017. USA news sources can be further categorized by their philosophical leanings. Say, for instance, on a scale of -3 to +3, news sources that tend to espouse extremely liberal views would be given a rating of -3 on the scale. News sources that tend to espouse neutral views would be given a rating of 0 on the scale. News sources that tend to espouse extremely conservative views would be given a rating of +3 on the scale. In reality, much like the properties of a normal distribution curve as depicted below, most new sources will tend to fall somewhere on the scale between the extremes of -3 and +3 on the philosophical spectrum.

normal distribution

categorization of news (by Vanessa Otero)

These varied news sources also can be categorized based on their reliability in reporting the news. Say, for instance, on a scale of -3 to +3, extremely subjective liberal news reporting would receive a -3 rating on the scale. Extremely subjective conservative news reporting would receive a +3 rating on the scale. Middle-of-the-road or objective news reporting would be given a rating of 0 on the scale. Again, much like the normal distribution curve, most news reporting will tend to fall somewhere in the middle of these -3 and +3 extremes. Hopefully, most news reporting will skew towards 0 on the scale to indicate greater objectivity or more balanced news reporting.

From Tabloid News to Paparazzi News to Fake News

During the 2016 USA Presidential election, the subject of fake news rose to the forefront of public discussion and debate. Let me begin by stating that, despite the above satirical concoction about President Putin's revenge, in my opinion the impact of fake news in shaping public opinion is grossly overstated. Often what passes as fake news, in reality, sometimes is nothing more than satire and juvenile-like pranks being propagated on the World Wide Web by comedians and pranksters. At the same time, it is true that fake news stories have gained in profile and prominence in terms of their public dissemination.

In the good, old-fashioned days before advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web, instead of fake news, there existed (and still exists) a phenomenon known as tabloid news. In the case of tabloid news, it represented a mixture of fiction, truth, and gross exaggerations of the truth. Published news accounts by media outlets such as the National Enquirer were characteristic of tabloid news reporting.

In the good, old-fashioned days, there was a clear distinction between real news and tabloid news. Readers knew that news outlets such as the National Enquirer specialized in gossip news. Readers knew that such tabloid news was meant to serve as a harmless form of escapism. Readers knew that the place to find gossip news would be on supermarket shelves nearby the checkout lanes. Readers knew that anything reported by the tabloid press should be taken with a grain of salt and with a heavy dose of skepticism. Readers knew that tabloid news stories were not to be accepted as the gospel truth. Nowadays, as of 2017, tabloid news is being supplanted in supermarket checkout lanes by celebrity news.

Tabloid news reporting appears to have witnessed its heyday as paparazzi-style news reporting has emerged and rose to the forefront of consumer attention. After the advent of the World Wide Web and concomitantly with the rise of social media, and much like the case of cable news beginning to encroach upon the turf of broadcast news, paparazzi-style news coverage has begun supplanting tabloid news. Paparazzi-style news coverage earned its badge of distinction by its sensationalism, pruriency, viral capacity, and its focus on celebrity, glamour, fame, wealth, and infamy. News outlets such as TMZ have come to epitomize the paparazzi-style news phenomenon.

By 2016, the new buzz word in news media circles had become "fake news." Fake news connotes misinformation and deception. The aim of "fake news" is to confuse and trick readers into thinking that a given fabricated news story is the gospel truth. abcnews.com.co, for instance, exemplifies the type of websites that have been identified as likely purveyors of fake news.

In the USA, the phenomenon of "fake news" has been transformed into something of a political football. That is to say, every piece of news has begun to be dismissed or kicked around as "fake news." For instance, if a politician views a given news story unfavorably, then he or she immediately and automatically would hail, denounce, and dismiss the news story as another instance of "fake news" even if the news story is accurate. The term "fake news" has begun to be used as something of a smear tactic against the news media in USA political circles. One possible long-term, harmful effect of categorizing all news as "fake news" would be an erosion of public trust in news reporting and the news media.

In the final analysis, politicians come and go with each election cycle, but the USA news media is an age-old institution whose independence of government control is enshrined in and protected by the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights. The public citizenry has entrusted the USA news media to use its freedom to report and its independence of operation to serve as a beacon of light for truth and accuracy. When covering and reporting the news, the public citizenry does not expect the USA news media to capitulate to compromising external forces such as those promoting threats, bribery, coercion, prejudice, slurs, and so forth, to delegitimize certain news stories or to obtain a particular spin on certain current events.

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Combating Fake News

After the 2016 USA presidential election had concluded, fake news came to be viewed as a problem in need of an urgent solution. Several approaches have emerged to combat fake news. These anti-fake news approaches remain in their infancy stages of development, are not foolproof, and have their own unique weaknesses. The main weakness is that each approach requires some form of user intervention to work, which is not always forthcoming. Some of these anti-fake news approaches include the ones outlined immediately below.

  1. Web browser add-ins or extensions
  2. Reputation checkers designed specifically to be used in conjunction with news-related websites
  3. Listings of fake news websites
  4. Public service announcements

When it comes to combating the spread of fake news, by way of analogy, if you do not wish for your computing device to become infected with a virus or malware, then the best course of action would be not to visit disreputable websites. Similarly, if you do not wish to fall prey to fake news reports, then you probably should try not to patronize disreputable news outlets. Try to stick to the better known mainstream news outlets. Websites such as lead-story.com identify some of the safer, legitimate, and mainstream sources of news reporting in the USA.

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Closing Thoughts

News gathering is not a science. News gathering lacks the exaction of science where the subjects can be placed in a controlled laboratory. News gathering is not infallible or perfect, and it is not foolproof. Sometimes new outlets do engage in overkill when covering a story (such as the occurrence of a major natural disaster or a terrorist attack). Sometimes new outlets do engage in biased reporting (especially, for instance, when the perspective on a given story is guided by an unfettered allegiance to patriotism). Members of the news media do sometimes tend to get swept away by popular fads such as paparazzi-style news coverage. Sometimes errors, misstatements, and mistakes become a part of news stories. When errors are detected, reputable news outlets immediately issue corrections and apologies.

Whether you love news organizations or hate them, one thing is certain about members of the news media, and it is this: They serve as gatekeepers to hold government officials, corporations, and even private citizens accountable for adhering to acceptable, moral, and lawful norms of conduct. Members of the news media play a vital role in investigating, dissecting, filtering, and conveying information to the general public in an easy-to-understand manner. Some events and some topics in the news are complicated, shrouded in secrecy, and fraught with nuances. The members of the news media have an uncanny knack for using their investigative skills to get to the bottom of these sometimes esoteric topics that otherwise might get swept under the rug, so to speak. In this respect, the news media provides an invaluable and unique public service—the service of nourishing and fostering an informed citizenry. Those who gather and report the news, in effect, are torchbearers who have been entrusted by the general public to continuously shed light on the pressing issues of the day. In the final analysis, an informed citizenry is expected to make wise choices when they go to polling places to elect governmental representatives.

Perhaps the greatest utility of a free and independent press is its fourth-estate role. A free and independent press tends to keep honest those who wield great power in society. By reporting on the various machinations of the society's power brokers, a free press serves as a restraint to keep power brokers from outright abusing their power. In the USA, its democratic form of government provides for three branches of government with each branch possessing the explicit ability to check the power of the other. The USA's free and independent press serves as an unofficial check on the three branches of government. It is as if the free press were a dotted-line, fourth branch of government. In USA society, its free press serves as another safeguard against the syndrome coming into fruition of "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Of course, the USA's free press covers others kinds of societal events in addition to governmental operations.

Again, perhaps one of the most effective tools for combating fake news is to stick to reading, listening to, and viewing well-vetted news sources. Mainstream news outlets typically go to great lengths to provide their readers, viewers, and listeners with accurate and reliable information, which is not to say that members of the news media do not sometimes warrant criticism. For instance, one of my biggest criticisms of mainstream news has been their tendency to adhere to similar business models whereby the same kinds of stories repeatedly get covered in similar fashions. Do certain segments of the USA news media have an agenda to push? The answer is, yes, sometimes news stories do cross the border from critique to demagoguery. But, all in all, mainstream news outlets do a good job in covering the news of the day. Despite any observed flaws in news reporting, in my opinion, the world is a better place due to the existence of a free and independent [of the government] news media even if numerous news media outlets are controlled by a handful of corporate conglomerates.

It has to be noted that some members of society are outright delusional (such as those who proclaim, say, that the Sandy Hook mass shooting never happened or that the Holocaust never happened). Other members of society seem inclined to pursue conspiracy theories (such as those who proclaim that humans never went to the Moon and that the Moon landing was nothing more than a staged back lot movie studio stunt). Still other members of society tend to seek out only those kinds of news stories that support, reinforce, and reaffirm their pre-conceived notions, agendas, and worldviews. For instance, if you are inclined to believe that former President Obama was not born in the United States, then you most likely would be inclined to seek, consume, and believe news stories that purport to prove that former President Obama was not naturally born in the USA. In conspiratorial scenarios such as these, about the only thing one can hope for is that most societal members are level-headed enough to discern and distinguish the real from the fake.

As for former President Trump's contention that former Vice President Mike Pence could have changed the outcome of the 2020 USA Presidential election, his contention is akin to the role of a sports announcer or scorekeeper for a professional, say, basketball game. Everybody watching the game could clearly see that Team 1 defeated Team 2 by a score of, say, 103 to 86. Yet, the sports announcer would proceed to announce to the audience that it was Team 2 who won the basketball game. Question: How nutty would that be? Answer: It would be very nutty. Yet, this scenario is precisely what former President Donald Trump was asking his former Vice President to do—to declare Team Trump to be the winner of the 2020 USA Presidential election contest. Former Vice President Mike Pence's sole duty or role was to officially read or announce the pre-tallied 2020 Electoral College results for the record.

announcing the final game score with scoreboard graphic by kickly.net and game announcer graphic by brgfx on Freepik.com


An Exhibit of Real News versus Fake New (Hover Mouse over Image Below):


Incidences and Consequences of Election Fraud:
Click This Button To View The Heritage Foundation's Election Fraud Database

The notable thing about the Heritage Foundation's Election Fraud Database is this: Incidences of voter fraud are not as widespread or pronounced as certain politicians proclaim them to be in the media. The database notes that, from 1982 through 2022, the Heritage Foundation has documented 1,402 proven incidences of voter fraud. When considering the fact that over 150,000,000 ballots were cast in the 2020 USA Presidential election, the 1,402 proven instances of voter fraud seem miniscule. The 1,402 proven incidences of voter fraud were not nearly enough cases to materially impact or change the outcome of the 2020 USA Presidential election. To be sure, the vast majority of those 1,402 proven instances of voter fraud occurred before the 2020 USA Presidential election occurred. Also, on average, there were far less than 100 instances of voter fraud documented each year spanning the period from 1982 to 2022. The Heritage Foundation further makes the caveat that "this database is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list."

Based on some 2023 revelations in the news media about the court case of Dominion Voting Systems versus Fox News Network, it seems that even the giant, reputable Fox News Network allowed itself to become ensnared in the web of falsehoods or unproven allegations of a rigged, fraudulent, or stolen 2020 USA Presidential election. In effect, the Fox News Network became tarnished as itself being a conduit for, and purveyor of, fake news.
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From Innuendo and Rumor to Falsehoods and Conspiracies But with An Internet-Age Twist To It—Seen It All Before:

It turns out that QAnon was the mother of all pranks, and that President Donald Trump was the father of all sore losers. President Donald Trump seemed perfectly willing to shred the USA Constitution and divide the USA population simply to cling to power and circumvent the justice system. The USA Constitution is akin to a social contract. Much like glue, the USA Constitution is the one (rule-of-law) document that binds its residents together. The USA Constitution represents a roadmap to guide USA residents down a road that leads to orderly self-governance. It is a document that sets the ground rules or parameters of expected civic and civil conduct. USA residents are expected to stay within its basic Constitutional parameters of civility. Undermining the USA Constitution is akin to breaking the social contract. Undermining the USA Constitution represents the beginning of an inexorable march down a slippery slope that leads members of society down a path of lawlessness rather than the preferred path of civility and lawful conduct.

It turns out that QAnon was the mother of all pranks, and that President Donald Trump was the father of all sore losers. President Donald Trump seemed perfectly willing to shred the USA Constitution and divide the USA population simply to cling to power and circumvent the justice system. The USA Constitution is akin to a social contract. Much like glue, the USA Constitution is the one (rule-of-law) document that binds its residents together. The USA Constitution represents a roadmap to guide USA residents down a road that leads to orderly self-governance. It is a document that sets the ground rules or parameters of expected civic and civil conduct. USA residents are expected to stay within those basic Constitutional parameters of civility. Undermining the USA Constitution is akin to breaking the social contract. Undermining the USA Constitution represents the beginning of an inexorable march down a slippery slope that leads members of society down a path of lawlessness rather than the preferred path of lawful conduct.

The rule of just law matters. The alternative to the rule of law is for citizens to submit to a societal milieu characterized by anarchy, confusion, and chaos. Thieves, robbers, looters, armed rebels, and anarchists tend to flourish in a societal milieu where pandemonium thrives. The pandemonium provides a convenient cover for them to shield and conceal their dastardly and atrocious deeds in such a lawless societal milieu. About the last thing that the USA needs is for a rude, acrimonious, malevolent force or malevolent karma to be unleashed upon and engulf the country. Any President of the United States should know better than to provoke such undesirable, ill-intentioned sentiments or vibes when citizenry unity is preferred over citizenry distrust.

History will not reflect favorably on President Donald Trump for engaging in this type of treasonous and treacherous political conduct. Looking back on his election-related shenanigans and machinations to overturn the 2020 USA Presidential election results, quite likely, President Donald Trump will go down in the annals of history not as a patriot. Instead, quite likely, he will go down in the annals of history as a manipulative demagogue, hype-meister, pathological liar, and misleader whose Presidency resulted in dire and deadly consequences for the citizens of the USA both during and after his reign as President (notwithstanding his unveiling of Operation Warp Speed to combat COVID-19, notwithstanding his innovative approach to artificial-satellite tracking and satellite-debris tracking, and notwithstanding his very warm affinity for the nuclear juggernaut known as Russia—and his affinity for nuclear North Korea—hence, significantly lessening the specter of nuclear war occurring during his term in office). To be sure, any USA Presidential contender who proposes suspending the USA Constitution (as has been proposed by ex-President Donald Trump), he or she should not be given the time of day by voters, so to speak. For President Donald Trump does not love America nearly as much as he loves himself and his own self-interests. If playing on eugenics is what it takes for President Donald Trump to win a second term as President, then he is all in.

The last thing the USA needs is to have to endure four more years of tumult, turmoil, trauma, and drama resulting from a second Trump Presidency (that is, if he is elected to a second term). USA politicians do not get anymore corrupt than one Donald Trump. Not only is Donald Trump a liar and a cheater but also he virtually is a one-person crime spree, that is to say, based on his two impeachments and based on the four indictments that he faces as of 2024—not to mention Donald Trump's many cohorts who already have been charged with, convicted of, and/or sentenced to serve time behind bars for various acts of criminal wrongdoing. Forget about notions of political or legal accountability. Where is the morality in this Donald Trump phenomenon?

The above "Extra! Extra! Extra! Read All About It!" section of this page was intended as satire. In reality, it really does appear as if Russian President Vladimir Putin got his revenge on the USA in the person of Donald Trump. It appears as if Donald Trump has turned out to be President Vladimir Putin's secret weapon against the USA. It also appears as if Donald Trump's secret weapon of political success is that of tapping into or evoking an emotion known as "white pride." Yet, Adolf Hitler has already proven that tapping into the ugliest, eugenic-type aspects of human nature can lead to very tragic and very deadly outcomes in the long run—not to mention the tragic and deadly outcomes that have resulted from campaigns of ethnic, tribal, and religious cleansing throughout the world both before and after Adolf Hitler emerged on the world's stage. Adolf Hitler did not hold a monopoly on committing acts of human cruelty, barbarism, atrocities, and murder. The Trump approach to life sets forth the specter of ongoing division and strife in multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious USA society in the long run rather than fostering ongoing societal unity and harmony. So, there you have it without any assist from those feisty space aliens, that is, for those who are trying to grasp the rise of Donald Trump as a potent force on the political scene.

As a side note, a distinction should be made between so-called "white pride" and so-called "black pride." Black pride emerged from a place of socioeconomic disadvantage for black Americans. Until the Civil Rights Movement, passage of civil rights legislation, and passage of Great Society legislation during the 1950's and 1960's, racial segregation and discrimination against black Americans reigned supreme with black USA citizens generally deemed as second-class citizens. When "black pride" was a thing during the 1960's and 1970's, it was meant to connote a quest by black Americans to move up the USA's socioeconomic ladder and for black Americans to be accepted as equal citizens in USA society. The "white pride" distinction of the 2010's and 2020's is that white Americans have always been deemed as first-class citizens. White Americans have always controlled the levers of power in the USA. The notion of "white pride" seems to connote a fear of a coming non-white takeover in the USA, that is, by those white Americans who harbor such takeover sentiments. Tensions tend to rise and become particularly pronounced when there is competition for limited job opportunities. White Americans are not accustomed to being the minority. White Americans are not accustomed to taking orders from non-white Americans, in general, and from black Americans, in particular. It feeds into long-held perceptions of racial superiority and inferiority.

Political Cartoon U.S. Trump Foreign Dirt Vladimir Putin Russia Collusion | The Week

As noted in the next video, perhaps former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley summed it up best about President Trump's political transgressions during his tenure as President.

Watch (Outgoing Gen. Mark Milley takes parting shot at 'wannabe dictator' Trump at retirement ceremony)

As for those who opt to remain silent, apathetic, or acquiescent in the face former President Trump's slow but steady drift towards autocracy and fascism, it is useful to remember the following "First they came…" rumination by Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

In other words, in the above context, you just might be opting to remain silent, apathetic, or acquiescent at your own peril. In the long run, for those who opt to remain silent, apathetic, or acquiescent to former President Trump's autocratic and fascist propensities and evocations, quite possibly, they, too, could end up losing the very freedoms that they have come to enjoy and relish.

With respect to former President Trump's unending assertions of election fraud, a more simplified version of Martin Niemöller's "First they came…" rumination would be the popular expression that says:

Fool me once,
     shame on you

Fool me twice,
     shame on me

There is no honor in cheating to win. For, if there existed honor in cheating to win, then cheating would be allowed in all echelons of amateur and professional sports. Cheating would be allowed on Wall Street and in corporate board rooms. Cheating would be permitted in all echelons of education and academia. Cheating would be allowed throughout the gambling industry. Cheating even would be a permitted in political elections. Quite the contrary, societies have enacted regulations, laws, and severe civil and criminal penalties to discourage, curtail, and stop the practice of engaging in cheating to win.

A bitter irony is this about former President Donald Trump's assertions of voter fraud and a rigged 2020 USA Presidential election: Despite all of the subsequent post-election efforts to pass legislation to combat or preempt alleged incidences of voter fraud, it turns out that the only major perpetrator of attempted election fraud during the 2020 USA Presidential election was none other than President Donald Trump himself—or his surrogates acting on his behalf. Go figure. It is as if all of the across-the-board, anti-voter-fraud legislative efforts are being misdirected. For, if the truth must be told, the main source of the problem appears not to be with the voting process per se. The main source of the problem appears to be with the use of the current Electoral College system to select the USA President rather than, say, simply relying on a majority popular vote to select the USA President. To be sure, for those Presidential aspirants who are inclined to engage in political mischief, President Donald Trump has demonstrated quite vividly that the Electoral College system provides a wide-open mechanism or outlet for all kinds of shenanigans and manipulations to occur in an effort to change the outcome of a USA Presidential election.

More Fakery As Food for Thought

The theme of this page is about fake news. So, in closing, following is some more fakery for you to ponder:

Watch (Conspiracy theories go viral and raise concerns ahead of 2020 election)

Watch (10 FAILED End of the World PREDICTIONS)

Watch [Exposing Faith Healers (ABC News Report)]

Watch (Same Woman Used For Fake Miracle in Multiple Churches!)

These charlatans and their different kinds of fakery and cons are tailor-made for the gullible and the uninformed.

As a final side note, I am certain that ex-President Donald Trump's daughter (Ivanka) and his son-in-law (Jared) had the best of intentions and meant to do good jobs when they held designated positions in his Presidential administration. I am certain that their efforts to make the country better were sincere and laudable. Regrettably, they, too, became ensnared in the hyper-partisan politics of the moment, which was characteristic of an often unhinged, bombastic, and high-appointee-turnover Trump Presidency. Wasn't it Anthony Scaramucci who lasted all of eleven days in his appointed role as White House Communications Director in the Trump administration?

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