Probably like you, I’ve been reading a lot about “fake news,” propaganda, Russian hacking and so on. And possibly like you, I’ve got to let off some steam.

Let’s see: the CIA is not even in full agreement about the supposed Russian interference in our general election, with some in the agency, as well as the FBI, openly acknowledging that they have no evidence of a direct link to Russia — yet the mainstream media, with the help of government officials, is framing the story as “fact.” And since government sponsored propaganda — as opposed to “alternative” journalism — is not to be questioned, we’re supposed to swallow this one whole. (By the way, can I just mention the how absurd it is that the public is being asked to trust the CIA’s “assertion” about anything ?— much less a story that involves two of the CIA’s best loved hobbies: red-baiting and election-hacking. Can you remember a time when this heinous agency ever stood for anything resembling “truth”? Didn’t think so — I can’t either.) As illogical as this story — and some of the stories circling around it — may be, the premise that those naughty Russians have messed up our democracy is in perfect keeping with other recent government ploys, as well as with the large-scale mind-bending so well practiced by our champion of deceit and corruption: the CIA. Someone’s got to take the blame for Hillary’s loss, so why not make it something they can work with?

Now here’s where the logic is hiding — and it’s here that we need to pay attention, because there’s an awful lot at stake. Ready? Ok: These Russian Hacking (etc.)/“Fake News” stories function brilliantly as a justification for some of the recent — and scary-as-hell — congressional moves to legalize the censorship of pretty much anything that the government doesn’t want us hearing about. That is, anything that goes against the grain of the US corporatist narrative. But unless you read a lot of alternative news (ie. the stuff they want to censor), you probably haven’t heard much about “The Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act” (S. 3274), which passed in the Senate only yesterday; HR 6393, which was passed a couple weeks ago; or the new “interagency center” (ie. our very own Ministry of Truth) which will, among other things, work to “advance narratives that support US...interests.” Among all the various, anxiety-provoking political gestures we’ve seen lately, this is the one that should be inspiring a frenzy of activism. Really. (Another piece on this, coming soon — as well as some petitions against them.)

The anti-Russian hysteria — first initiated by Clinton in response to the DNC leaks — also brilliantly fulfills a couple of other governmental “must-do’s.” Namely, an excuse for the US’s recent (and again, utterly Clintonesque) renewal of Cold War hyperbole and our much-needed justification for ramping up our proxy war in Syria. In fact, the USGov/corporate media’s use of Kremlin-phobia reminds me of a media stunt played earlier this year, when a CNN anchor shamelessly lied to his viewers, warning them not to read Wikileaks because to “possess” (ie read) the content “is illegal.” Then as now, the leaked content (DNC, Wikileaks) is obliterated by USGov/corporate media’s purposefully intimidating message: Do not touch.

Make no mistake: the current anti-Russian hype gives both the government and the corporate-owned media something they want quite badly — and as we saw in the Democratic primaries, that’s not democracy; it’s the power to censor. (Oh, and maybe convincing the Electoral College that to vote for Trump would be akin to treason. That’s pretty darn handy too.) So please don’t fall for the notion that our right to free speech should take a backseat to anyone’s agenda, no matter what excuse they offer — this is the one right that all the rest depend on.

Stay Savvy. Keep Dissenting.

For further reading:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/house-quietly-passes-bill-targeting-russian-propaganda-websites/5560100

This one includes the clip from Hillary’s recent speech, where she claims censorship will “[save] the lives of ordinary people”: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-08/hillary-reemerges-slams-dangerous-epidemic-fake-news