TDT: American Free Press Under Attack
Also: X goes pro-pronoun, an alcoholic crisis, plus much more!
If this is allowed to stand, the fallout will reverberate for generations and - to be blunt - I doubt we will recover from it.
Welcome to this edition of the Three-Dot Tablet [TDT], a weekly news-digest where I seek out the headlines others may not be covering (or not covering well), and - with healthy doses of passion, common sense, and brevity - discuss them with raw, unfiltered commentary. Oh, and I also have some fun, too!
Let's get to it…
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Three-Dot Tablet | V. 02.09 | March 3, 2024
Prime Cut…
Biden DOJ prosecuting journalist 'for his J6 reporting'
WND
When Liberty is not protected for all law-abiding citizens, it is protected for none. Case in point…
A report from The Blaze reveals that one of its reporters, investigative writer Steve Baker, has been arrested and shackled by the FBI for "his J6 reporting."
The arrest, which occurred Friday, sent shockwaves through independent media, even though it has been expected for weeks. The shady way the Federal Bureau of Intimidation [FBI] handled the process - the demand for self-surrender, the request that he wear sandals and shorts for said-surrender (to Baker’s credit, he donned a sharp suit and tie), the shackles on wrists AND ankles - was designed to inflict maximum humiliation.
Psyop of Fear: If you cross the almighty power of the federal government with your reporting, this is how you will be treated. Add this to the disgusting decision by a judge to hold former FoxNews and CBS News journalist Catherine Herridge in contempt for not divulging sources (once considered a sacred writ of investigative journalism), and the message becomes glaringly clear…
They are trying to frighten non-compliant journalists into compliance… into silence. A bold assertion, yes, but to me an obvious one.
For example, here are the charges leveled against Baker…
- Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
- Disorderly conduct in a capitol building
- Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building
Yet - and this is proof of the above-assertion - the charging documents show that they knew Baker was acting exactly as a journalist is supposed to act…
FBI charging documents describe Baker working as a journalist while at the US Capitol on Jan. 6. The documents state that Baker had been video recording the event and providing commentary as to what had been occurring inside and outside the Capitol building.
If they are aware that he was fulfilling his duties as a journalist - as they clearly are - then this arrest violates every tenant of the first amendment’s free-press clause. The FBI is utterly out-of-control (which has been true since Ruby Ridge), and must be held accountable for this gross overreach of power.
Indeed, if this is allowed to stand the fallout will reverberate for generations, and - to be blunt - I doubt we will recover from it. Any reporters who catalogue information which counters the narrative which the Powers-That-Be wishes to establish will be arrested, and treated as an outlaw… an enemy of the State.
Truth will become criminalized legally and - as far as journalism is concerned - our once-great Republic will become no better than Soviet Russia…
News-Mag
Headline bullets from the week that was
X Says It Will Reduce the Visibility of Posts That Purposely Ignore a Person’s Preferred Pronouns
Reclaim The Net
Still engaged in X? Still believe in its ‘free speech’ mantra? Yeah, you’re wasting your time…
For some reason quietly, X has started enforcing revised rules, detailed in its platform guidelines for users – among other things, adding a section to the “Abuse and Harassment” that concerns the use of pronouns, and speech referring to persons “transitioning” (in terms of transgenderism).
At least they keep reminding us what they mean by ‘freedom of speech but not reach,’ so you know… silver linings.
Look, Elon Musk can rail against ‘wokeness’ all he wants, but if the company he owns fails to practice what he himself preaches ? He is a conman - a fraud and a liar - and should be not be trusted…
Eric Adams demands New York walk back 'sanctuary city' status so criminals can be deported
Post Millennial
And in today’s edition of ‘What one sends out will return to them”…
During a town hall event on Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that New York's sanctuary city status does not provide the ability for officials to deport illegal immigrants and asylum seekers who are found guilty of criminal acts. Adams said there should be more options for lawmakers when it came to deporting illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
‘Sanctuary City’ looks good as an empty signal of virtue; it presents theoretical compassion, and lets one archly believe they are superior to the backward ‘others.’
However, when they are confronted with actually living by their own standards - as southern governors bussing ‘immigrants’ to those cities have been forcing them to do - and when they have to face the horrific human tragedy those governors have been struggling with for years… tragedy created by the ‘virtuous’ policies they insufferably embraced?
Suddenly - and quite predictably - ‘virtue’ goes right out the window…
Federal Judge Upholds Ariz. Law Requiring Voters To Provide Proof Of Citizenship
One America News
Well, slap my backside and call me Mildred…
A federal judge has ruled in favor of a new Arizona state law requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. The ruling… found such requirements in House Bill 2492, which adapts stricter voting requirements… are not discriminatory and that the state has a legitimate interest in preventing voter fraud.
Seriously folks, how is this - in any way - controversial? If you are going to vote in America you should be - wait for it - an American; in no other nation on Earth would this even be a question.
It is not a done deal yet, of course - the decision will certainly be appealed - but at least for the moment? Common sense has prevailed…
America's alcohol epidemic: 500 dying per DAY from booze in latest figures... more than COVID now!
Daily Mail [UK]
So was it driven by COVID… or the COVID response?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that from the start of 2020 through 2021, 178,000 Americans died from conditions caused by alcohol, the highest tally since 1999. Causes of death included liver failure and cancer, or by more direct causes such as alcohol poisoning or drunk driving.
To be fair, over two-thirds of the alcohol-related deaths were from long-term imbibing, so blaming COVID is hardly justified in such cases. Still, there is no doubt that binge-drinking rose over the last few years, so it is valid to ask how much of that was driven by twisted COVID policies which tore families apart, destroyed small businesses, and increased stress for millions of individuals.
Is it really surprising people turned to the bottle?
If history is written honestly - not holding my breath on that one - it will record the last few years of draconian government-dictating as one of the darkest periods on record. And will anyone in power ever be held to account for these authoritarian actions?
Again, no breath-holding here…
It’s Official: We Can Pretty Much Treat Covid Like the Flu Now
Wall St. Journal
Speaking of COVID lies and manipulations…
A case of Covid no longer means isolating for five days,… [y]ou should now follow the same precautions with Covid as you take with the flu, according to new guidelines from the CDC.
But COVID is more deadly than deadly, so you run right out and load up on them boosters… because ‘science!’
They knew, folks - they have always known. They told billions of people world-wide to ‘trust the science’ - and they knew.
Evil…
Your guide to every state voting on Super Tuesday
PBS
“Super” - really?…
With contests in 16 states and American Samoa, the Super Tuesday primaries next week will be the largest day of voting of the year outside of the November election. Just how “super” it is may be a matter of perspective
There is no perspective, from any angle whatsoever, that can justify the word ‘super’ being used in this context. Period.
Look, we know what is going to happen; Biden will win the Democrat nods, Trump is going to sweep the Republican sides. Chattering spin-doctors in the media will create narratives about how really really important the margins are, how it reflects what the American people are thinking (as if they have any idea!), and how it enhances either’s chances of ‘winning’ come November.
Wake me when it’s done.
Unless you have local issues withstanding, I would skip this dog-and-pony fiasco altogether. After all, the hype here is all for justifying the existence of the ‘national media’… and why feed the propaganda machine that is trying to destroy us?
I can only speak for myself, but I honestly have MUCH better things to do…
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Shot of the Week
Earthcam grabs, from around the world…
Sunday WX…
Remember me mentioning in last week’s TDT the potential for “funky bumps” over the forthcoming week? Funny story about that: Tuesday afternoon at 16:00 Central Natural Time it had reached 80°F; when I woke the next morning, it was 19°F.
Funky, indeed…
At any rate, let us discuss today’s forecast. A powerful winter storm is tearing up the west, with heavy mountain snows, strong winds, and (in lower elevations) heavy rains; this is impacting parts of the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin (California), and the northern half of the Rockies.
In the southeast part of the nation rains and thunderstorms are likely (with pretty much all of Florida getting drenched), while parts of the central plains will be facing ‘critical fire warning’ threats, as dry conditions and high winds keep things tinderbox-ready.
Here are your forecast maps for today, my birthday, the 3rd of March. Oh, and don’t stress about the influx of purples and dearth of reds; they did their seasonal color-shift of temperature values at the National Weather Service this week, so what was once -10°F is now 10°F, with 70°F is now being 90°F…
[Maps Source: National Weather Service]
And Finally…
So I found this headline to be most curious…
Now, don’t trip - I am NOT a writing a ‘Donald Trump’ article. I’ve made a commitment to myself to avoid presidential politics (and most pure-politics in general) as much as possible in this space, and I intend to stay true to that.
Besides, I have concluded that emotional investment in national politics - and their oft-useless ‘polls’ - is a dead-end distraction for commoners like myself, and while writing about it may drive clicks and attention from the rage-mob? I would rather take stock in what I believe really matters: Local matters.
So why am I mentioning this story at all? Because this was posted by Newsweek… friggin’ NEWSWEEK! I’m sure their normal audience read this and was like, “Who is letting orcs have writing implements?! What is going on in this world?!” After all, the news-site is not exactly celebrated as a bastion of ‘MAGA’ thought, yet here they are… writing this.
So what is happening?
I have actually been watching Newsweek closely over the past few months, and while much of it is still left-leaning, it is not entirely ‘Globalist’ either. Their opinion pieces are becoming much more balanced, and they now include a “Fairness Meter” on the straight-news pieces, allowing readers to rate whether a story is biased on not.
For the record? The linked story above carries a current rating of “Right Leaning / Unfair.” Again… on a Newsweek article.
So if you are like me, and occasionally want to step out of the information echo-chambers for fact-based, relatively-unbiased news? You may want to give Newsweek a gander. It’s not perfect, no, and discernment is still needed, but compared to the other MSM offerings - including Fox News - you may find it to be a breath of fresh air.
And in the current, relentless gassing of toxic propaganda we endure? A little fresh air might just be good, for both the mind and the soul…
And that is all for this edition of the Three-Dot Tablet. Have a great week ahead, and as always… stay frosty!
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Notes…
-- Unless otherwise credited, all images were generated using Substack’s AI tool.
As before, for me your TDT is THE place to go to for a recap of what really matters in terms of news without the addition of ‘juicy’ details or - heaven forbid - TS BS.
Thanks as always for brevity and matter of fact.
I was watching CBS News the other night—it’s a rarity for me to watch any news—and I saw them casually slip in the new Wuhan Guidelines right before commercial break in a 10-second read. What an absolute joke. But we’re “extremists” and “science deniers.”