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Question: Without mainstream media reversing its roll as the propaganda outlet for the government is there any chance of saving democracy? How does independent media reach the same level of exposure as mainstream media?

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That's what everyone is asking. No one thing will fix this, but everyone contributing bits and pieces will push us in that direction. Trump's coming landslide won't directly fix anything, but should break some of the stranglehold. (Sending anyone from the swamp to jail might be too much to hope.) Elon's takeover and exposure of the Twitter files will help. Tucker is working on it too. Chris Hedges, Caitlin, Alex Jones... a bunch of people are spelling it out from different perspectives and to different audiences. It's all about the narrative. We need to get over the tribalism and accept that we’re essentially on the same side, even if we say it in different languages.

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If mainstream media is not involved, how will the message be amplified? No one in mainstream media covered the twitter files, talked about Missouri v Joe Biden (2023) will challenge the notion that hate speech and disinformation is a problem on social media. It's there excuse to squash dissent. The establishment needs to control the narrative. And they are winning.

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Mainstream media isn't mainstream anymore, it's legacy, since most people get their news from other sources now and very few people watch or read any of the formerly mainstream publications.

They are all bleeding money, as well as viewers, readers, and subscriptions. They have no control over the narrative anymore and are almost entirely irrelevant, with their only audience being some older people who haven't moved on, as well as the elites themselves like Joe Biden who watches Morning Joe on MSNBC every morning. That's why they are panicking and more eager to support censorship, suppression of dissent, and totalitarian measures than ever.

The Establishment is losing, and they know they are struggling, even if they still wrongly think they can hold on to power the same way all tyrants in history think they can, and do until the very end when they're finally ruthlessly discarded by the general population the moment they decide they're done putting up with them. If you doubt their fear, look back to earlier this year when there were endless headlines about the threat the demos poses to democracy this year due to it having more elections worldwide than any year before, a fear best exemplified in the WEF's assessment of the greatest global risks of 2024 where number one was "misinformation and disinformation," meaning non-state narratives that threaten their power.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/01/global-risks-report-2024/

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The main reason mainstream media- especially print- began losing money was because they no longer could attract the huge advertisers as in the past. There were too many alternatives, too many platforms for companies to choose from. That in turn led to the reductions in staff. Advertising has always been the predominant source of revenues. The NYT was swimming in advertising cash. Don't kid yourself. Mainstream media has the greatest reach and heavily dominates the discourse.

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there is no such thing as democracy. rinse and repeat as often as necessary

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Question: Russia and Putin have issued stark warnings that if long range missiles hit their targets inside Russia they will determine who manufactured it and then respond in kind to similar assets of the US, UK and France anywhere in the world. Putin said the U.S. then has to decide how far are they willing to escalate from there. How do we get this message out. Mainstream media in the west and here do not cover this. The American people have a right to decide whether they want a direct war with Russia. We need to vigorously debate whether we want a war against China. Tell us what China has done wrong to the American people.

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Bently, you write that : ”The American people have a right to decide whether they want a direct war with Russia.” They haven’t run out of proxies in Ukraine, let alone elsewhere such as the UK where I live at the ground zero of your choice, that is, anywhere remote from the continental U.S. Other than those of the the lifestyle mercenary soldiers and the special forces testing the weapons for the brochure, Americans won’t put boots on the ground, thank God, as even the administration understands that the costs of war to the nation may finally overmatch the profits to their corporate sponsors. In any case, “the American people” won’t get to decide; the corporate business opportunities will determine the strategy. As General Butler said, war is a racket. So far, the US has exported a bunch of refugees awaiting their coked up husbands around Europe and cut off our gas supply while turning Ukraine to rubble, just to get another market for arms from the former Eastern Bloc, the Maidan Coup of 2014 being the starting gun for the inevitable conflict provoked by it.

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I'd like your ideas on how to better organize and reach out to the MAGA and Democrats, so we might get more people to support Jill Stein or other alternatives? We have to rid this country of the fascists or we are doomed. Thanks.

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Hi Chris: Will we ever be able to vote for a major party candidate like George McGovern ever again? I think not. A bomber pilot during World War II, a war hero (though he'd reject the honorific), he wanted to cut the Pentagon budget by 30%, cancel the B-1, and reinvest in America while reforming the tax system to make it equitable for workers.

He was a true "Prairie Populist." Which leads me to a related question: How has the term "populist" become so degraded that it's used without irony by some for Trump?

Thanks.

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Do we submit questions in advance?

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author

You can submit questions in advance here or on this X post: (https://x.com/ChrisLynnHedges/status/1797672549289230815)

You can also submit questions live when we are streaming. Hope to see you there!

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I think it’s absurd and sad that Stein and West haven’t joined hands. I’d hoped earlier on that if they joined campaigns they could perhaps have united with other largely aligned figures like Marianne, Bernie, AOC etc. It seems like a no brainer for folks thinking beyond their own interests. To your knowledge, were there attempts to get these folks to coalesce or perhaps are there even ongoing efforts? A unified group could present publicly to the DNC that they would accept the Dem nomination. And that if the nomination was not forthcoming they’d unite behind whatever party or parties have the most ballot access and run to the end taking the progressive lefts’ votes leaving Biden without enough support to win. It’s obviously a hail mary but, assuming it fails, it will take the mask fully off the Dems as being actually concerned about another Trump presidency.

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I know. I feel terrible about the election of Adam Schiff. If only Barbara Lee or Katie Porter had dropped out, letting the other get more votes, it might have been different. I do think it's an ego thing, and it makes me sad. Oh, and the AIPAC money. Yeah. Not forgetting about that.

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Didn’t finish commenting- Dr. West left the Greens & the opportunity to be on ballot in almost all 50 states! Thus that means Dr. Jill Stein - who has the knowledge, courage & integrity to stand up to the Duopoly & against Genocide will have my vote & my gratitude. No wonder Kennedy doesn’t want to debate her…

Question: I know you & Dr. West are dear friends - would you consider voting for Dr. Jill Stein given she shares Dr. West’s values & has more of a chance to win? Also - are you willing to openly encourage others to do the same?

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Chris are you involved with the Cornel West presidential campaign?

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I have a question that reflects the signs of the times. The only independent/third party candidate who has a meaningful chance of challenging the political duopoly is RFK Jr. Given RFK Jr’s ruinous support of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the race becomes the lesser of three evils. On that basis, if RFK Jr. proves viable by the general election do you think electing an independent overrides his tragic flaw?

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In addition to your long and valuable international experience, terrific journalism and common sense, you have demonstrated a deep spiritual understanding in some older interviews. I wonder whether you might bring that perspective increasingly to your perspective on the many current critical events.

For instance, what is at the core of so much human distress, inequality, scandalous political nonsense, etc? Why throughout human history has there been such struggle among people? Aren’t we rapidly approaching a time when our survival requires deep and honest contemplation of these questions? Does our highly conditioned belief in existing as entities separate from each other and the world drive levels of human distress now more dangerous than ever? Is developing a better understanding of current troubling issues you write about truly enough? Is it increasingly essential that an introspective contemplation of the core human struggle be encouraged? Of course this must be in conjunction with your very helpful clarification of dark and dangerous forces inevitably present in human experience.

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In his recent interview, George Galloway referred to Hedges as a "saintly educated man" ...

Yup, Hedges said the constitution "remains a sacred document" ... but then refused to stand with us against the illegal and unconstitutional mandates and passports ...

Hedges pushed the "safe & effective" narrative on us just 30 days after the explosive, court-ordered FDA FOIA release that proved the jab was not "safe & effective" ...

Hedges called those of us who question the motives and tactics of our elected officials "members of the lunatic fringe" and "conspiracy theorists" ...

Yup, a real saint!

Thanks for nothin' St Chris, with friends like you ...

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So Chris Hedges gets fooled sometimes. Who doesn't in this world of false authority. All we can do is to go on what we are led to believe.

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Jun 3·edited Jun 4

YOU have got to be kidding! ...

On NOV 17, 2021 it was reported the defense attys for the FDA asked the court to grant their request to block the release of Phizer's trial data for 75 years ... and on DEC 2, we learned why ... in the first 10 weeks of the COVID vax trial, 1,223 people died and over 34,000 reported vax-related injuries ... on AUG 27, 2021 Hedges did an interview with Jimmy Dore in which said he believed big pharma works hard to "bury the negative data" ... but he still pushed the "safe & effective" narrative on us anyway ...

Here's the details with links to his words, not mine ...

Hedges was not "fooled", he deliberately misled us and here's the proof!

---------------------------

BACKGROUND

Chris Hedges has deserted the U.S. working class! ...

HEDGES: "Let us stand up and resist so future generations will at least say ‘they tried.’ We cannot do this alone ... together we have a chance" ...

https://scheerpost.com/2022/04/11/hedges-the-pimps-of-war/

But he has refused to comment on THE GREAT RESET, The World Economic Forum and the proposed tyrannical amendments to the WHO Pandemic Treaty ...

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On DIVISIVENESS

Chris Hedges is divisive and he obviously has no problem with it ...

Just listen to what he says here is his otherwise terrific AMERICAN SADISM speech as he calls those of us who question the motives of our elected officials as "members of the lunatic fringe" and "conspiracy theorists" ...

Go to the 44:32 mark:

https://scheerpost.com/2021/06/29/chris-hedges-speaks-on-american-sadism/

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ON THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

He says all the right things here:

“We cannot be paralyzed by fear. We will be stripped, if we do not resist, of our few remaining rights. To resist, while there is still time, is not only the highest form of spirituality but the highest form of patriotism. It is, if you care about what is worth protecting in this country, a moral imperative."

And on another occasion: "The Constitution remains a sacred document."

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ON THE MANDATES & PASSPORTS

But then, after the lock downs ...

He threw us AND the Constitution under the bus with COVID in an interview with Jimmy Dore ... just listen him equivocate and watch him dance to avoid a direct answer when asked about the illegal and unconstitutional mandates and passports before sheepishly blowing it off by saying: "that was a decision that I made."

AUG 27, 2021 ...

Go to the 8:12 mark ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NusQH0pnX7Y&t=509s

Jimmy: “I’d like to get your thoughts on the vaccine mandates and passports”:

Hedges: “So I got the vaccine … the fact is these things were rolled out without proper vetting, that’s real … but I understand how people are weary about it, because they were turbo-charged … but that was a decision I made to get it … I am quite certain, in the history of pharmaceuticals that they work very hard to bury the negative consequences … that was a decision that I made”

TRANSLATION: He temporarily suspended his principles because things just got too hot in his kitchen.

And on USEFUL IDIOTS on SEP 21, 2021

Go to the 1:50 mark ...

Another less-than-passionate, half-hearted response ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7ZGT8raQS8

“It’s a hard question, I guess”

Thanks for nothin' Mr Hedges. With friends like you ...

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ON THE COVID VAX

On DEC 2, 2021 ...

The FDA was compelled by a court ruling to release Phizer's vax trial data that revealed 1,223 post-jab deaths and 34,762 adverse events in the first 10 weeks of its trial ... The FDA attempted to delay the full release of this data for 75 years!

https://yandex.com/search/?text=FDA+FOIA+release+1223+deaths+phizer+covid+vaccine+december+2%2C+2021&lr=21504&search_source=yacom_desktop_common

and then, just 30 days later ...

On JAN 1, 2022 ...

Chris Hedges made this comment on the Krystal Kyle & Friends Podcast (Episode #54):

Go to the 1:08:47 mark:

https://krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/p/episode-54-audio-chris-hedges#details

"I don't think we're going to stop the pandemic and mutations until everybody gets vaccinated" ... Chris Hedges DID NOT have to take sides on this issue ... He could have said it's a personal decision, but no ... Most people would never tell another person to "walk the plank" if they knew better, but that's exactly what Hedges did here ... he knew the VAX was rushed to market after only one year (the average is 10 years), he knew about the explosive FDA FOIA release and he had to have seen the many videos of vax-injured people ... but he chose to push the "safe & effective" narrative anyway! ... and then about 2m after making that same comment during the interview above, Hedges openly admitted that he "does not trust Moderna or Phizer" ... clearly, this man did not give a hoot about the consequences ...

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It was a very upsetting and emotional global situation. Not everyone was thinking properly, even those accustomed to fear. I can't say Hedges said those things but I am sure your saying then because you witnessed them. There are no saints and anyone saying it so for another, does not correct the misjudgments anyone makes who is inferred as the saint. Hedges after all is human like you and I and made a mistake. His writing however continues to speak volumes for those who seek to know beyond the narratives that are imposed. Nevertheless, only we can be the ones to make our own bodily independent choices and live with the consequences.

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His actions since the lock downs speak volumes much more loudly than his words ... I dare you to read my reply above ... it's all there St Chris betrayed his oath to us ...

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I can't argue with you on the evidence you show. He's not a medical expert and never was. Yet, I find it generalizing to day he threw you all under the bus. Thank you for documenting all this.

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Oh but he did Carlos ...

If you followed him as closely as I have for the decade+ ...

Many times he had promised to be here to fight the good fight with us when the time came ... he had opps to stand with us on the issues of vax-related bodily autonomy and climate change and chose to take the safe side with TPTB instead ...

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So, can you confront him on these issues in the Q&A? I think they're valid. I never take sides with writers, I simply inform myself from them and move. Certainly giving anyone authority is a mistake.

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Right. Like I said, hardly anyone is immune to fear.

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Yes, true ...

But he urged us many times to have no fear by directly confronting tyranny and fascism, but he's done the opposite since the lockdowns ...

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Chris Hedges barely ever even said anything about the vaccines, and you must be the only one who ever even paid attention when he apparently said something about them years ago, since I guess you are the only person in the world who gets their medical advice from him.

He constantly questions elected officials and power, so you must be taking something he said out of context with the alleged latter remarks, since it obviously makes no sense to call people who do so "lunatics" when that would include himself.

I've seen you go on about Hedges and vaccines, etc, in his comments lots of times before. It seems personal given your bizarre persistence. What is wrong with you? Did you decide to get a dozen clot shots after Chris Hedges made a comment once, and you're still mad at him today over it?

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Jun 4·edited Jun 4

Nothing - absolutely nothing was taken out of context! ...

And I got a question for you: what do you think of the tactics of the pro-Palestinian protesters? ... do you support their decision to stand on the property of these college campuses and demand they divest in Israel? ... do you? ... I certainly do and I'm essentially doing the same thing here by protesting Hedges' tactics since the lock downs right here on his blog ... I've simply bench-marked his exact verbatim quotes against his actions to demonstrate how he has abandoned "HIS" U.S. working class since the lock downs ... I should not have to remind you that it is in fact MY first amendment right to take matters personally ... you do it, I do it, we all do it ... I've posted links above, why don't you listen ... and no, I have not and will not get that vax ... we now know it's killing and injuring people ... I dare you to listen to some of the things he said ... I once loved this man ... but I followed him so closely for the past decade that it was impossible not to notice a dramatic change in him ... you're simply not interested so your only recourse here is to smear me by suggesting that something is wrong with me ... and I'm telling you that you obviously cannot find fault with him because you don't really know him ...

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11:00 pm where I'm located. Will it be available to paid subs later?

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author

Yes, the episode will be available to everyone during and after the stream.

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This seems a bit out of date. Why am I receiving it now?

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Dennis Kucinich just posted an article informing us that an amendment was quietly attached to the Pentagon budget that re-institutes the draft and it automatically signs up all males aged 18-26. Under the law, "undocumented immigrants, between the ages of 18 and 26, numbering at least 1.5 million, could also be conscripted." It also makes possible conscription of young women of the same age.

I don't recall reading that in the NYT.

America Prepares for Global War and Restarts the Draft for 18-26 year olds

Dennis Kucinich

Jun 13, 2024

https://denniskucinich.substack.com/p/america-prepares-for-global-war-and

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An old friend of mine is a strong supporter of the genocide. He dreams of the extermination of the Arab people. There is a simple reason for this. He fears for the safety of his grandchildren. In my experience fear leads to hatred and violence. Thus I find it surprising that you view fear as the royal road to peace and justice. The road to peace and justice must be love, and perfect love casts out fear. You ascribe your conversion to Machiavelli to Ralph Nader, but is not a more likely candidate Harvard Divinity School?

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Hello, How do I submit a question for the Live Q & A?

One of the biggest problems is the money in politics. Candidates are bought outright, or they have to continually worry about fund-raising and must make appeal after appeal for funding. So the question is, how do we get money out of politics since the people voting for laws that would limit the amount of money candidates must raise are themselves beholding to someone? There should be public funds available for candidates running for office. How would that be put in place?

It seems to me that the whole system is corrupt.

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