6 ms·

It started with the Boston marathon bombing, four years ago. University of Washington professor Kate Starbird was sifting through thousands of tweets sent in

It started with the Boston marathon bombing, four years ago. University of Washington professor Kate Starbird was sifting through thousands of tweets sent in the aftermath and noticed something strange. “There was a significant volume of social-media traffic that blamed the Navy SEALs for the bombing,” ... Same thing after the mass shooting that killed nine at Umpqua Community College in Oregon: a burst of social-media activity calling the massacre a fake, a stage play by “crisis actors” for political purposes. I have noticed that infowars.com, when I have checked, has aligned with the Russian narrative. I have observed it casually but it has been too noticeable to just ignore it.

colemickens 10y ago
And keep in mind that our President has appeared on Alex Jones's (infowar) show, showers him with praise, and talks to him with some frequency [1]. [1] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-alex-jones-calls-phone-advice-infowars-conspiracy-theorist-far-right-sandy-hook-a7595136.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trum...
- mirimir 10y ago
  Our President made his name in Reality TV! That's no worse than The Gipper, I know. But somehow "Death Valley Days" doesn't seem so bad.
  - justaman 10y ago
    This isnt true. He was very popular before reality tv was a thing.
  - tzs 10y ago
    Reagan was governor of California for eight years between his acting career and becoming President. That gives considerable relevant experience for the Presidency. Trump's got nothing like that in his background.
    - giardini 10y ago
      So his years as a business executive count for nothing?
      - tptacek 10y ago
        They count for experience in business.
      - tzs 10y ago
        Being governor of a state, especially a state with a very large economy that spans most sectors, a large and diverse population, and a very diverse geography gives direct experience in a large fraction of what a President does. All that is really missing is commanding a military and making agreements with foreign governments. Being a businessman doesn't give anywhere near that level of relevant experience.
        dragonwriter 10y ago
        > Being governor of a state, especially a state with a very large economy that spans most sectors, a large and diverse population, and a very diverse geography gives direct experience in a large fraction of what a President does. All that is really missing is commanding a military and making agreements with foreign governments. Well, except that governors make agreements with foreign governments [0] and command militaries [1]. [0] http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ln-climate-change-agreement-mexico-california-jerry-brown-signs-20140728-story.html http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ln-climate-chan... [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Military_Department https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Military_Departme...
        giardini 10y ago
        So is there no businessman whom you would consider suitable for President of the USA? And would _any_ past governor of California be a good candidate for President of the USA? What states would you consider suitable training-grounds for governors who wish to transition to POTUS? Is there _any_ job, civilian or military, other than state governor, that you would consider as suitable preparation for POTUS? As a reference point: "I would rather be governed by the first two thousand people in the Boston telephone directory than by the two thousand people on the faculty of Harvard University." - William F. Buckley, Jr.
fwn 10y ago
That must mean they are evil spies, no? ...or just idiots. Not all unfortunate behavior is an intentional attempt to manipulate.
- hubert123 10y ago
  or maybe the russian narrative happens to be right. I know, UNTHINKABLE! How can russians ever be right on any topic on anything?
  - mirimir 10y ago
    Well, Russia has been repeatedly invaded. Overrun by the Mongols. The French, the Germans, the British, the Germans again. And threatened with nuclear attack by the US, after Japan surrendered. So they're paranoid, perhaps understandably.
    - varjag 10y ago
      About every nation in Europe has been repeatedly invaded, this is hardly unique with Russia. At least they didn't lose their statehood for a couple centuries like Poland or got a third of population exterminated like Belarus or got starved off into cannibalism like much of Ukraine.
      - rijrjrgyg 10y ago
        Russia lost 20 million people in WWII you dumb fuck, a loss they've never really recoverd from. How many people died in your country during world war 2? Fuck HN and their shit commenters.
      - giardini 10y ago
        rijrjrgyg says: "Russia lost 20 million people in WWII." While rudely stated, The factual content of rijrjrgyg's post is an undeniable outrage of history "Losing statehood" would, in comparison, be a walk in the park. "World War II casualties of the Soviet Union": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties_of_the_Soviet_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties_of_the...
geowwy 10y ago
Infowars is anti-globalist. The Russian state is anti-globalist. Not really surprising that they'd have similar talking points. Peter Hitchens does a good job of explaining why conservative anti-globalists like Russia – "Why I Like Vladimir Putin" https://youtu.be/UeO44STvnJw https://youtu.be/UeO44STvnJw
- giardini 10y ago
  And What is "anti-globalist"? Paul Samuelson's paper shows that the simple models free trade and globalism are based on are both incorrect and especially not all sunshine and flowers for the USA: "Where Ricardo and Mill Rebut and Confirm Arguments of Mainstream Economists Supporting Globalization" by Paul A. Samuelson http://www2.hawaii.edu/~noy/362texts/samuelson.pdf http://www2.hawaii.edu/~noy/362texts/samuelson.pdf from the paper: "Act II, however, deals some weighty blows against economists’ oversimple complacencies about globalization. It shifts focus to a new and different kind of Chinese technical innovation. In Act II, China’s progress takes place (by imitation or home ingenuity or . . . ) in good 1, in which the United States has previously had a comparative advantage. (High I.Q. secondary school graduates in South Dakota, who had been receiving from my New York Bank wages one-and-a-half times the U.S. minimum wage for handling phone calls about my credit card, have been laid off since 1990; a Bombay outsourcing unit has come to handle my inquiries. Their Bombay wage rate falls far short of South Dakota’s, but in India their wage far exceeds what their uncles and aunts used to earn.) What does Ricardo-Mill arithmetic tell us about realistic U.S. long-run effects from such outsourcings? In Act II, the new Ricardian productivities imply that, this invention abroad that gives to China some of the comparative advantage that had belonged to the United States can induce for the United States permanent lost per capita real income—an Act II loss even equal to all of Act I(a)’s 100 percent gain over autarky. And, mind well, this would not be a short run impact effect. Ceteris paribus it can be a permanent hurt." That phrase, "...an Act II loss even equal to all of Act I(a)’s 100 percent gain... " is haunting.
- seppin 10y ago
  > The Russian state is anti-globalist lol they are anti-globalist in that they can't play a significant role globally anymore, so they want to bring down everyone that does / can.
imron 10y ago
> I have noticed that infowars.com, when I have checked, has aligned with the Russian narrative Damn ruskies are everywhere! > but it has been too noticeable to just ignore it. Just like US spending on science, space, and technology correlates almost identically with suicides by hanging, strangulation and suffocation: http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
bordercases 10y ago
It's worth comprehending that there are other adversaries to the US other than the Russians. US OpSec sucks, it's punctured by not just the Russians but the Chinese, Israelis, Saudi Arabians, Syrians, Scientologists, Mormons, American communists and anarchists... the media is liable to focus on Russia because it's an easy target, not because it's the real one (or ones).

colemickens 10y ago

And keep in mind that our President has appeared on Alex Jones's (infowar) show, showers him with praise, and talks to him with some frequency [1]. [1] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-alex-jones-calls-phone-advice-infowars-conspiracy-theorist-far-right-sandy-hook-a7595136.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trum...

mirimir 10y ago
Our President made his name in Reality TV! That's no worse than The Gipper, I know. But somehow "Death Valley Days" doesn't seem so bad.
- justaman 10y ago
  This isnt true. He was very popular before reality tv was a thing.
- tzs 10y ago
  Reagan was governor of California for eight years between his acting career and becoming President. That gives considerable relevant experience for the Presidency. Trump's got nothing like that in his background.
  - giardini 10y ago
    So his years as a business executive count for nothing?
    - tptacek 10y ago
      They count for experience in business.
    - tzs 10y ago
      Being governor of a state, especially a state with a very large economy that spans most sectors, a large and diverse population, and a very diverse geography gives direct experience in a large fraction of what a President does. All that is really missing is commanding a military and making agreements with foreign governments. Being a businessman doesn't give anywhere near that level of relevant experience.
      - dragonwriter 10y ago
        > Being governor of a state, especially a state with a very large economy that spans most sectors, a large and diverse population, and a very diverse geography gives direct experience in a large fraction of what a President does. All that is really missing is commanding a military and making agreements with foreign governments. Well, except that governors make agreements with foreign governments [0] and command militaries [1]. [0] http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ln-climate-change-agreement-mexico-california-jerry-brown-signs-20140728-story.html http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ln-climate-chan... [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Military_Department https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Military_Departme...
      - giardini 10y ago
        So is there no businessman whom you would consider suitable for President of the USA? And would _any_ past governor of California be a good candidate for President of the USA? What states would you consider suitable training-grounds for governors who wish to transition to POTUS? Is there _any_ job, civilian or military, other than state governor, that you would consider as suitable preparation for POTUS? As a reference point: "I would rather be governed by the first two thousand people in the Boston telephone directory than by the two thousand people on the faculty of Harvard University." - William F. Buckley, Jr.

fwn 10y ago

That must mean they are evil spies, no? ...or just idiots. Not all unfortunate behavior is an intentional attempt to manipulate.

hubert123 10y ago
or maybe the russian narrative happens to be right. I know, UNTHINKABLE! How can russians ever be right on any topic on anything?
- mirimir 10y ago
  Well, Russia has been repeatedly invaded. Overrun by the Mongols. The French, the Germans, the British, the Germans again. And threatened with nuclear attack by the US, after Japan surrendered. So they're paranoid, perhaps understandably.
  - varjag 10y ago
    About every nation in Europe has been repeatedly invaded, this is hardly unique with Russia. At least they didn't lose their statehood for a couple centuries like Poland or got a third of population exterminated like Belarus or got starved off into cannibalism like much of Ukraine.
    - rijrjrgyg 10y ago
      Russia lost 20 million people in WWII you dumb fuck, a loss they've never really recoverd from. How many people died in your country during world war 2? Fuck HN and their shit commenters.
    - giardini 10y ago
      rijrjrgyg says: "Russia lost 20 million people in WWII." While rudely stated, The factual content of rijrjrgyg's post is an undeniable outrage of history "Losing statehood" would, in comparison, be a walk in the park. "World War II casualties of the Soviet Union": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties_of_the_Soviet_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties_of_the...

geowwy 10y ago

Infowars is anti-globalist. The Russian state is anti-globalist. Not really surprising that they'd have similar talking points. Peter Hitchens does a good job of explaining why conservative anti-globalists like Russia – "Why I Like Vladimir Putin" https://youtu.be/UeO44STvnJw https://youtu.be/UeO44STvnJw

giardini 10y ago
And What is "anti-globalist"? Paul Samuelson's paper shows that the simple models free trade and globalism are based on are both incorrect and especially not all sunshine and flowers for the USA: "Where Ricardo and Mill Rebut and Confirm Arguments of Mainstream Economists Supporting Globalization" by Paul A. Samuelson http://www2.hawaii.edu/~noy/362texts/samuelson.pdf http://www2.hawaii.edu/~noy/362texts/samuelson.pdf from the paper: "Act II, however, deals some weighty blows against economists’ oversimple complacencies about globalization. It shifts focus to a new and different kind of Chinese technical innovation. In Act II, China’s progress takes place (by imitation or home ingenuity or . . . ) in good 1, in which the United States has previously had a comparative advantage. (High I.Q. secondary school graduates in South Dakota, who had been receiving from my New York Bank wages one-and-a-half times the U.S. minimum wage for handling phone calls about my credit card, have been laid off since 1990; a Bombay outsourcing unit has come to handle my inquiries. Their Bombay wage rate falls far short of South Dakota’s, but in India their wage far exceeds what their uncles and aunts used to earn.) What does Ricardo-Mill arithmetic tell us about realistic U.S. long-run effects from such outsourcings? In Act II, the new Ricardian productivities imply that, this invention abroad that gives to China some of the comparative advantage that had belonged to the United States can induce for the United States permanent lost per capita real income—an Act II loss even equal to all of Act I(a)’s 100 percent gain over autarky. And, mind well, this would not be a short run impact effect. Ceteris paribus it can be a permanent hurt." That phrase, "...an Act II loss even equal to all of Act I(a)’s 100 percent gain... " is haunting.
seppin 10y ago
> The Russian state is anti-globalist lol they are anti-globalist in that they can't play a significant role globally anymore, so they want to bring down everyone that does / can.

imron 10y ago

> I have noticed that infowars.com, when I have checked, has aligned with the Russian narrative Damn ruskies are everywhere! > but it has been too noticeable to just ignore it. Just like US spending on science, space, and technology correlates almost identically with suicides by hanging, strangulation and suffocation: http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

bordercases 10y ago

It's worth comprehending that there are other adversaries to the US other than the Russians. US OpSec sucks, it's punctured by not just the Russians but the Chinese, Israelis, Saudi Arabians, Syrians, Scientologists, Mormons, American communists and anarchists... the media is liable to focus on Russia because it's an easy target, not because it's the real one (or ones).