Brief meditation on weaponized use of language: “DEI” and “disinformation”

Tools to dangle us with.

I’m not quite sure why the “equity” in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) has suddenly become a hot topic in the conservative punditry.  It seems to have erupted in the last 72 hours.

But the eruption is a nice opportunity to drop a few observations on the use of language entailed in the DEI formulation.  I had occasion to tweet this weekend about the same use of language with the term “disinformation,” as it is deployed by Western cultural planners today, so I’m including that in the discussion.

I commend to you the discussions of others. Continue reading “Brief meditation on weaponized use of language: “DEI” and “disinformation””

Two pings: On POTUSes with classified docs, and the riddle-wrapped mystery of George Santos

Strangely paced and muffled moves.

These are going to be short(-ish) pings.  OSINT research is all over the place right now – God bless us, every one – and my intention is to focus.  So I’m not going to do a comprehensive treatment.

Conservatives are justifiably disgusted with the media for double-standard coverage on the reportedly recent discovery of classified documents loosed upon the world by former Vice President Biden when he left office in January 2017.  The documents have been somewhere for the last six years; in November, we’re told, some of them turned up in a search by Biden’s “personal” lawyers of his one-time office at the digs of the Chinese-funded (U.) Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington, D.C.  In December, more were found at a “separate location” where Biden had office space.  And In January, another discovery was made in Biden’s Wilmington garage, where his vintage Corvette lodges.

Update:  More material was reportedly (14 January) just found Continue reading “Two pings: On POTUSes with classified docs, and the riddle-wrapped mystery of George Santos”

TOC Ready Room 7 Jan 2023: Border disorder, Project Censorship, Church redux

What’s wrong and right with the world.

Back from a Christmas “break,” and I’m still tired of politics.  What a silly method of dealing with human affairs.

A few random updates for the TOC squadron.

Readers probably won’t be surprised to learn that in December, the House Democrats adopted a rule that the J6 Committee materials they were going to send to the National Archives must be sequestered from release for 30 years.

It’s now being reported, Continue reading “TOC Ready Room 7 Jan 2023: Border disorder, Project Censorship, Church redux”

TOC Ready Room 16 December 2022: Censorship, gas lights, and Russia-Iran missile/drone adventure

What’s wrong and right with the world.

A phenomenon has been developing in recent weeks that should raise our level of concern about the nature of public discourse, especially as brokered by the media.

It’s more than what the media, per se, are doing, however.  It has to do with “news” that purports to be coming from government, but is backed by no actual evidence, and is unverifiable in terms of whether it came from government at all, much less could be held accountable in any way.

We’ll have some examples below that clarify what I’m talking about.  To start with, however, a tweet exchange for orientation to the topic: Continue reading “TOC Ready Room 16 December 2022: Censorship, gas lights, and Russia-Iran missile/drone adventure”

TOC Ready Room 22 November 2022: Drive-by edition; Poland missile impact, Biden FBI/Israel, Special Counsel and other Trump

What’s wrong and right with the world.

Increasingly, I agree with those who say we need an “audit” of U.S. support to Ukraine.  I put “audit” in quotation marks because a mere audit of the tens of billions flowing to Ukraine – and to military contractors – won’t get the job done.  What’s needed is a wholesale policy scrub of the Biden administration’s handling of the problem.

As always, I begin by affirming that the U.S. needs to support a fight to reverse and end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  The U.S. shouldn’t have direct military engagement in the fight, nor should NATO.

But it matters what strategy we’re supporting and how military assistance to Ukraine is executed.

It matters at least as much how the fight in Ukraine is affecting NATO’s security conditions, posture, and unity. Continue reading “TOC Ready Room 22 November 2022: Drive-by edition; Poland missile impact, Biden FBI/Israel, Special Counsel and other Trump”