Has anyone noticed the sudden presence of new members, generally lacking any profile information, posting blatantly false information, claiming myths
as “FACT”, and even going so far as to make unfounded accusations against other members critical of the Barack Obama administration and its
policies?
Obama’s Attorney General, Eric Holder, has apparently hired a cadre of left-wing, Democrat campaign bloggers to troll through the Internet
looking for news stories and blog posts that denigrate the Obama agenda. After such websites are found it is the job of these secret lefty bloggers to
leave comments that come to the support of Obamaism in the comments sections. It seems that Eric Holder has created his own little propaganda unit
in a valiant effort to become the Bloggi Riefenstahl of the Obama era.
“The Obama Justice Department’s Secret Blogging Team… Is it Illegal?”
rightwingnews.com...
Is the Department of Justice engaging in fraud, or is it simply trying to hide its propaganda? Those of you wondering how DOJ uses your tax
dollars to enforce our nation’s laws might be interested to learn that Eric Holder has apparently hired former Democratic campaign bloggers to work
at the department in what appears to be a secret propaganda unit. According to a story at The Muffled Oar website, the bloggers are housed in the
Office of Public Affairs (the press office). Their job is to place “anonymous comments, or comments under pseudonyms, at newspaper websites with
stories critical of the Department of Justice, Holder and President Obama.” One of the bloggers is former DNC and John Edwards staffer Tracy
Russo, whose name was featured prominently on the department’s introduction of its new website on October 1.
At the same time that DOJ was refusing to answer questions about its outrageous dismissal of the voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther
Party and apparently paying government employees to post anonymous or pseudonymous comments or comments under false names attacking critics of the
administration, the department declared that it was launching its new website “to increase openness and transparency in government.” In fact,
Russo claims it is “just the first step towards creating the most open, accessible, and transparent Justice Department possible.” If that is true,
how can DOJ justify these anonymous/pseudonymous postings? The misrepresentation is clearly material or DOJ wouldn’t go to such lengths to engage in
it.
“The Most Transparent Administration Ever? Not at DOJ”
corner.nationalreview.com...
Often, the same claims or statements are made over and again in different threads, and never backed up when challenged. You will sometimes see the
posters just drop out of a thread, only to reappear elsewhere, after taking a series of “pot shots” at the OP and the author.
A common trait among them is the refusal to respond to direct questions, refusal to provide authority or cites to authority, and ad hominem or straw
man responses: “All the people who …” or “Everyone knows …” are typical bases for their positions.
Even when clearly, and often very easily, refuted by multiple members with long and open histories at ATS, these agents’ “FACTS” persist and
repeat. Sometimes, the posters do little more than repeat themselves without actually responding to challenges for support and citation to
authority.
“Anonymous DOJ Blogger Campaign Attacks Media and Critics”
Friday, October 2, 2009
muffledoar.blogspot.com...
Not only is the Department of Justice Blog Squad going to reach out to nontraditional media like TPM Muckraker or the Muffled Oar, but
they are also tasked with fostering anonymous comments at conservative leaning blogs such as the Free Republic. They are also tasked with
fostering anonymous comments, or comments under pseudonyms, at newspaper websites with stories critical of the Department of Justice, Holder and
President Obama. … We’ve seen a change in the pattern of anonymous emails we receive and comments posted at our paper’s webpage.”
One shivers at the thought of a team of Department of Justice Bloggers anonymously trolling the web to spin the message of a President. It is
particularly terrifying when those same anonymous government employees at the Department attack media outlets and newspapers anonymously. How much
longer before the Blog Squad operates in the open to intimidate political opponents and critics?
As it happens, not only are they penetrating and influencing blogs, they’re actively policing and monitoring them:
“America's Internet police: FTC gets ready to investigate bloggers”
www.washingtontimes.com...
If a regular person says something online that an FTC official finds fishy, the agency can investigate. To do that, the rules say, feds will have
to check out individuals' finances, examine what they've received in the mail and review what they've posted on the Internet for evidence of
corporate taint.
We’ve seen this coming on ATS for a while now, as well:
“Gov't Admits Spying on Blogs and Forums”
www.abovetopsecret.com...
“Government Proposes Massive Shift in Online Privacy Policy”
www.abovetopsecret.com...
One definite trait among them is the inability to selectively quote, or parse, an argument to which they are opposed. You’ll see a huge quote,
followed by a repetition of previous assertions, or newly-minted others, non-responsive and frequently completely off-topic.
I know I’ve seen it. I’ve been called a “disinfo agent” myself despite the fact that I’ve made about as much known of myself without
violating the “personal information” T & Cs. Of course, the accusers have no such info or make outlandish and inconsistent representations about
themselves.
I know what I've seen. Anyone got a better explanation?
Jw
