Old saw: “Democracies elect the governments they deserve.”

I’m with those invested in the “checks and balances” of our Democracy and hope that neither legislature nor judiciary cave to Administrative fiat in actions or policies inimical to an authentic political freedom.

Of course, I’m going to dig Moscow for the other kind of “freedom”.

🙂

The not-so-secret secret about politics anywhere / any context / any time: if or when it is discovered that it stinks, people will walk away from it.

The powerful of the Fourth Estate have proven time and again their tenacity for getting at the truth given sufficient import for motivation, so more will continue to emerge as regards the character of Trump’s Administration and the way he works it. The opposed public may have to accept his earnest goodness; his supporters may be forced to reconsider how they made their choice.

As noted elsewhere in this thread, WE have all got to tackle how we ourselves accept, evaluate, and redistribute / repackage information. Despite the hip claims, the world is not “post-fact”: the world may be bamboozled, confused, and driven toward extremes by its own continuous bombardment by or consumption of information, but we have also the opportunity to slow down, reflect, and research what ails us as we get down the road together.

One more cliche that I’ve come to call “Pogo Effect”: “We have met the enemy, and it is us.”

If Americans hew to traditional true ideals and values and then read and write responsibly themselves, then, indeed, the system will survive whatever gets up in the cab and tries to jam its gears.

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We’re all a little nervous about who’s getting up in the cab of the big freight liner “America”.

🙂

It’s not only President Elect Trump’s detractors that have cause for worry — and they certainly know their own worries — but Trump’s fans now have an investment in Trump’s defending their own best traditional American ideals, principles, and values, and if they find their own assumptions and freedoms, much less other interests, chipped away by the new president, those in the President’s middle ranks will also start to back away from any proto-fascist display of character that comes to pass.

However, as I type, nothing has come to pass in relation to a Trump Presidency.

The President Elect is not quite there yet (be patient) and all bets are off.

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Senior Justice Writer for The New York Daily News Shaun King has had the following posted to his Facebook page since January 11, 2017:

I want you to view this video from 4 years ago in 2013 in light of recent events.

In it, Trump calmly, cooly, and confidently states that he has a relationship with Vladimir Putin. Then, it gets very weird. Trump then confidently states that Putin is following his every move, was likely even interested in the conversation they were having, and would likely be watching it later.

How did Trump know all of that?

See, this was off of the campaign trail, long before Trump announced his intentions to run. This was before he felt the pressure to say 6 different times “I don’t know Putin” and “I don’t know anything about Putin.”

This seems to be a clearer version of the truth. What’s going on here?

Posted by Shaun King on Wednesday, January 11, 2017

BackChannels regulars may wish to check out yesterday’s “Trust Putin?” post, where the same has been posted as an addendum.

Addendum: Additional Reference

Fandos, Nicholas.  “White House Pushes ‘Alternative Facts.’ Here are the Real Ones.”  The New York Times, January 22, 2017.

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