Friday, August 25, 2017

Friday 8/25 Call to Action

Friday
The “Fake News” Movement
Brennan Gilmore, a UVA grad and a Charlottesville resident had the unfortunate luck to be present and filming at the very moment James Fields drove his car into a crowd of people, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Mr. Gilmore shared the video clip of the incident with the police first and then the public. It seemed to him (and was in truth) a clear case of violence perpetuated by a racist hate group. Mr. Gilmore’s decision to release this video and state the truth of what happened has created troubling consequences for himself and his family. This article outlines the almost instant and severe backlash he has received from hate groups. This article also points out that Sean Hannity (Fox), Alex Jones (Info Wars) and even elected officials have twisted this story and spout conspiracy theories that blame Mr. Gilmore, anti-racist protesters, Democrats, and Antifa for violent acts like the one in Charlottesville. Here’s a quote from the article:
“Over the past week, I’ve seen personally the very real damage that these conspiracy theories have on our public discourse. The danger is not necessarily that a large number of people will believe them in their entirety. Instead, it’s that they muddy the waters on issues that should be about right and wrong. This is truly dangerous. If we are to get beyond this current acute manifestation of the cancer of American racism and begin to heal, the right must join with the left to excise the malignancy of white supremacy from our politics and society. Conspiratorial thinking and confusion on what is real make this much harder.”
Here’s a recent interview with Mr. Gilmore on NPR: http://www.npr.org/…/charlottesville-rally-videographer-on-…
This story is not an isolated incident. This tactic of twisting the truth has become rampant in current political discourse. Late last night, Congressman Jason Lewis was testing the waters of disinformation on his “unofficial” Twitter account and Facebook page. He posted this message along with a Fox News article about “well-oiled”, paid left-wing activists. Read below:
Not all of these folks behave this way--but good to see the facade finally being lifted on the ones who do. https://t.co/cJLVM3ZpGD #MN02
How has it come to pass that a large portion of our population cannot discern the truth? How can members of the media and elected officials get away with telling lies? This is an important challenge that we must face head on. Your call to action today is to learn more about this and gain some tools for battling these harbingers of disinformation.
The Science of Blue Lies. There’s a Reason Trump Supporters Embrace his Alternative Facts: http://www.salon.com/…/the-science-of-blue-lies-theres-a-r…/
What causes fake news, and what are its solutions? Journalists from NPR, CNN and the founder of PolitiFact weigh in (an article to read and a round table discussion to watch) http://www.poynter.org/…/what-causes-fake-news-and-…/458582/
Do you have any suggestions or ideas on how to battle the “anti-truth” movement? Please join in the discussion in the comment section. When your done, feel free to give Rep. Lewis a comment or a phone call.
Don't forget your Republican party job evaluation.
Do you have a Republican elected official working for you (state or federal)? Today is your chance to evaluate their job performance!
https://www.change.org/p/chair-mngop-com-mn-republican-part…
Franken-202-224-5641
Klobuchar-202-224-3244
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/
Congressional District 2 residents: Check out this website for information about groups and events in your area. mn02progressiveactionnetwork.com
Out and About
August 28th 6-8 pm
CD2 Town Hall
Burnhaven Library
1101 County Road 42 W, Burnsville, Minnesota 55306
Thursday, August 31st 5pm
RebStock 2017 Picnic
Blackhawk Park Pavilion
1629 Murphy Pkwy, Eagan, Minnesota 55122

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