Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was working on the Space Station Freedom program and one of my co-workers frequently spoke about free energy and other fantastic topics. He carefully used the copy machine to pass along information to a few of us whom he was sure would not rat him out to management. I was not a confirmed believer in his handouts and took the information with a grain of salt. After all, if someone had a free-energy machine, whip it out and show me. Of course, the ‘powers that be will not allow it’ was the excuse I heard and eventually he retired. He never produced any evidence and yet he still believed.

Later, I came across the claims of an individual claiming to have perfected an interstellar drive mechanism. He said his great mathematical and engineering skills had brought the technology to fruition, but where was the proof? Around the time of the first Iraq War there was the claim that the nations of the world had ships circling an unspecified location hoping to retrieve a StarGate (just like the one in the movie and the TV series because ‘everybody’ knows that is how we get to know these things are real.) Subsequently, the CIA must have snatched the StarGate because details leaked out the young President-to-be Barack Obama was known to have used it to travel to Mars to aid his fellow CIA operatives.

I have also come across claims dressing up old anti-Semitic stereotypes (and backed by “real data.”) Anyone who uses the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion“ or the “L’Élue du Dragon (The Elected of the Dragon)“ as references to secret societies bent on taking over the world or committing Satanic sacrifices of children is a hate monger. These and other publications of their ilk are repugnant and used by unscrupulous individuals for nefarious purposes – maybe they use it to defame another candidate or an entire class of people. Their claims could be updated to today’s circumstances and only reference the anti-Semitic documents buried deep in a footnote; however it is the same old hatred and some people believe it is real. For instance, a similar story evolved in 2016. According to a Twitter post, the wiki-leaks leaked data from John Podesta email was interpreted to be code words for pedophilia and human trafficking. They also provided the name of a business where the children were kept and the Satanic Rituals held. The news spread like wildfire. The owners and staff received hundreds of death threats and one person drove from North Carolina to Washington DC and discharged a firearm at a storage room door due to the information. Despite not finding any evidence of Satanic rituals or enslaved persons, some people still believe.

Such claims are not restricted to only one political affiliation. For instance, claims about President Trump being a racist for his remarks about Charlottesville are false. On the other hand, the idea there was a media conspiracy against President Trump is true.

Another case where the facts became meaningless was recorded in 1993 in the local newspaper. The mention is not aimed at denigrating any religious faith, it is simply another example of where someone’s reality loses touch with the real physical world. As recorded in the newspaper, twenty folks ranging in age from one to sixty-three years old were convinced the devil was after them and if they didn’t leave their homes, their town would be destroyed. After leaving in five or six cars, they eventually all ended up naked in a single car in the next state where they crashed.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. An accusation that someone is a pedophile and/or engaged in Satanic child sacrifices should be accompanied with solid evidence. Just because it is repeated by several people does not make it true. It just shows they repeat fantastic claims to garner more attention (and perhaps income.)

I ran across this meme on social media:

One is encouraged to believe Republicans are guilty of these things; however, the truth is much different.

Republicans hate women
Actually, of all the major political parties, the Republican party chose the first woman (Sarah Palin) to be on the ballot for Vice-President in 2008 – eight years before the Democratic party selected Hillary Clinton to run for President in 2016.

Republicans hate minorities
The Republican party was formed in 1854 by abolitionists to eliminate the spread of chattel slavery. On the other hand, the South (controlled by the Democratic party) ceded from the United States when the first Republican president (Abraham Lincoln) was elected. Eventually, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and freed all the people in bondage.

Republicans hate the poor
The Republican party does not believe in unregulated handouts and does believe in the value of an honest day’s work. This provides an opportunity for every individual to succeed and make as much money as they are willing to earn. On the other hand, Democratic policies provide handouts for food and shelter so the individuals taking advantage of these benefits become dependent on the government for their monthly check and subsidized housing.

Republicans are homophobic
The first openly gay member of a Presidential cabinet was Richard Grenell. Nominated by Republican Donald Trump, Grenell also served as US Ambassador to Germany.

Republicans don’t believe in science
Absolute nonsense. Such an unbounded declaration is meaningless – certainly Republican doctors, scientists and engineers believe in science or how would they be able to continue to perform their jobs?

Republicans are traitors
This statement is an affront to everyone who has served in the US military. If you want to keep your teeth, you might not want to repeat this in front of veterans. Politics is the absolute last thing on your mind when bullets are whizzing by – keeping yourself and your comrades alive (no matter their color, religion, or political affiliation) is the main goal.

Since the title probably grabbed your eye, let me first state I have no opposition to what people do with their lives. I draw the line at my nose. If I believe I have unalienable rights, then everyone else has the same unalienable right to decide how to live their life or I am a hypocrite.

My thought on gender identity is there are two – basically male and female. Whatever you do with your body is your own choice.

For millennia, human beings have paired up as male and female to procreate and create families. The benefits of the family unit allow the children to learn and grow from both parents as well as create bonds of trust and life-long meaningful relationships. However, these relationships get in the way of some people’s agendas.

Enter gender dysphoria – defined as “psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.“ Obviously it has been around a while without having to mention it to children, but now some folks have the impression children need to know about it. I always thought there were school counselors and parents to discuss the issue with their children when there was a need; however, why on God’s green earth would it be necessary to discuss the issue with children that do not have an issue with their gender? Every parent knows children test their boundaries and if you provide them another stick to poke the bear with, they will use it eventually.

Nuclear families are a stick in the mud for authoritarian regimes because the familial bonds are stronger than bonds between individuals and the regime. Blood is thicker than water. If children can be fooled into thinking they have gender dysphoria where it didn’t exist before, the parents can be blamed for ‘withholding’ information and a wedge is placed in the family. All the outsiders need do is wait for the teenage years for the rebellious behavior to kick into high gear.

When non-traditional gender roles are assumed, the idea of a nuclear family is usually thrown out the window. This removes a big headache for potential dictators as now they have eliminated the familial bonds of trust and love. The regime can now rely on children to report the thought crimes of their caretakers and reduce opposition to their rule.

As I said in the first sentence, it doesn’t matter to me what you do with your life. I still treat everyone with dignity and respect until they provide a reason not to. When I write ‘everyone’ I mean no matter what your skin color, national origin, sexual proclivities, or opinions.

btw, follow this search link “elimination of the nuclear family“ to see there are folks out there advocating the abolition of the nuclear family. One example follows:

What is the “nuclear family” or so-called “traditional” family? In short, it’s a social unit used as an instrument of oppression on the succeeding generation. Outmoded and often racist ideas are passed from one generation to the next via the so-called “traditional family”.

Sounds like some folks are afraid of familial bonds and think the State should be in charge of raising/indoctrinating children. I rest my case.

I am continually shocked at the online vitriolic hatred aimed at conservative voters. Not only Republicans, but Libertarians are now portrayed as racists, white supremacists, and Nazis on an ongoing, continual basis. And it doesn’t matter what your skin color is – California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder was labelled as the “black face of white supremacy” as only one example.

These constant attacks take the place of well reasoned proposals for their agenda. No suggestions to make life better for American citizens, just increasingly caustic rhetoric to attack their ideological opponents. Rather than elucidate plans to effect their agenda (or even identify their agenda,) the voting public receives a constant stream of innuendo and accusations about the ‘other party.’

Where do the talking heads think this hateful rhetoric will take us? The New York Times accused former Alaska governor Sarah Palin of being responsible for the shooting of Gabby Gifford and six others and the death threats toward her started. The Republican Party is called an “Existential Threat” from former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and CNN provides “analysis“ with the same conclusion. These are just two examples of the attacks against conservatives.

Despite his promises to bring the people of our country together, President Joseph Biden has recently decided to “rethink efforts to reach across the aisle” and has also recently claimed, “he no longer recognizes the GOP, which he now views as an existential threat to the nation’s democracy.”

It amazes me that threats made against people with conservative views are explained away as ‘deserving’ due to their hateful rhetoric, racism, Nazism, or whatever the script is for that day. It is perfectly fine to threaten members of the United States Supreme Court and raise hell outside their homes. The law against the attempted intimidation of judges (18 U.S. Code § 1507 – Picketing or parading) is not even being enforced.

On the other hand, the fact conservatives voice their opinions is now considered ‘hate speech’ and not-only-extremists are emboldened to take action to silence the threat posed by people with different opinions.

How about everybody dialing down the real hate speech before people get hurt and recognize our shared human existence. Nobody is perfect and everyone should be entitled to their own opinion – even if doesn’t match your opinion. That way, there will be room to present ideas and allow people to make a choice between viewpoints instead of demonizing the opposition as the only campaign strategy.

Recently a former US President decried the spread of ‘misinformation.’

He didn’t mean the hundreds of people who lied over two years every night about fake “Russian collusion.”
He didn’t mean the correspondents who called the 2020 summer riots ‘mostly peaceful.”
He didn’t mean the multitude of constant lies and accusations (never proven) about the 45th POTUS.
He didn’t mean the 51 former and current intelligence officials that called Hunter Biden’s laptop “Russian disinformation.”
He didn’t mean the folks who characterized the Florida bill as “Don’t Say Gay.”
He didn’t mean the folks who promote Critical Race Theory lying about the contents of school text books.

He did mean the increasing number of people talking about the evidence of harmful side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines.
He did mean anything challenging the absolute authority of the Federal government for lockdowns, mask mandates, etc.
He did mean any information indicating the Biden family is engaged in criminal behavior.
He did mean anything inconsistent with his narrative.

As though American citizens are incapable of thinking for themselves, they believe someone must decide for them.
This is an example of ‘thought control.’ It is used in authoritarian regimes to control the population, such as the People’s Republic of China and Russia.
Russian and Chinese leaders control the media in their countries and if somehow something slips through their net, prison time or worse is accorded to the offender. Control over the media is not yet complete here, but calls for the non-conforming information sources to be silenced are frequently heard. Social media companies routinely remove content not matching their narrative and remove repeat offenders from their platforms.

If their narrative is so flimsy as to be incapable of standing up to criticism, it is obvious what the game plan is.
Fortunately, we have elections to toss the authoritarian wannabes out of office and I vote.