Fact Checking as a False Narrative

Aside from outright political propaganda (to use that word), its all a game of semantics, of misrepresenting facts and information, of 'spin' and the creation of a favourable impression or presentation. The 'truth' as it is said, is usually the first casualty...

"2002: Hillary passes legislation in the aftermath of 9/11 to help first responders receive the care they deserved. She pushed the EPA and Bush Administration to investigate the health impacts of air quality downtown."

Mostly True

Hillary Clinton, then New York Senator "took a leading role in investigating the health issues faced by 9/22 first responders, ultimately winning the first federal appropriations for medical monitoring of 9/11 Responders". She did not in fact "help first responders receive the care they deserved", but instead secured funding to put a monitoring network in place ostensibly for keeping track of concerns associated with dust inhalation from the 'pile'.

Whilst this may seem a sematic rebuttal (argument over differences in wording), the original statement nonetheless still misrepresents the facts.

The reality of the situation was one of a relatively newly appointed New York Senator (sworn in Jan 2001) looking to establish herself as a progressive leader, one, well before 9/11, already determined to make her way to the Whitehouse, some going so far as to suggest, reading between the lines, the 'help' offered in the form of the Legislation may have been a smokescreen for having Wall Streets' back.

The initiative is also in stark contrast to the support her career and now campaign is said to have received from Saudi Arabia through the Clinton Foundation, one of the leading Nations alleged to have been behind the 9/11 attacks, whilst simultaneously being critical of the Country and others similarly donating funds.

• • •

Counter-claim

"Trump hires an architect for Trump National Golf Club’s clubhouse—who he would go on to stiff out of more than $100,000, despite saying he was extremely pleased with the work."

Mostly True

The facts are that after the job was completed Trump engaged in "after-the-fact renegotiations" to cut costs associated with the project, not at all uncommon in business, construction especially - "Tesoro: Although I resent that he shorted me a huge amount of money, his organization does that to everybody. At the time I could see [...] all subjected to an after-the-fact renegotiation challenge. I didn’t take it personally."

Whilst this again is a sematic rebuttal it's important to recognise the tone impugned by the quoted statement, that Trump is just a bad person. Which further speaks to the themes used as a contrast and compare, that Clinton is caring and emotive (health, concerns after tragedy), Trump cold and business like (money, stiff, unfair).


Not doing any more of these, as can be seen from just this single entry from HillaryClinton.com, the rabbit hole each of these compare and contrast 'cards' opens up is a bottomless pit of manipulation, of fact spinning and misdirection of the highest order.

Zika 'outbreak' in Miami, Florida

The Florida Department of Health has gathered enough information as part of its ongoing investigation into non-travel related cases of Zika in Miami-Dade and Broward counties to conclude that a high likelihood exists that four cases are the result of local transmission. 

http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2016/07/072916-local-zika.html

Zika & FEMALE sexual transmission

The "First female-to-male sexual transmission of Zika virus infection reported in New York City" is important to note for a couple of interesting, and seemingly tangential, reasons; 1) reveals the misandrist overtones of press and media that hitherto all but 'blamed' spread of the disease on men. 2) further exposes the equally misandrist language suggesting women were previously unable to spread the disease because they don't engage in 'male' behaviours (hidden code for 'aggressive', 'warlike' and other synonyms associated with 'maleness'), rather than due to biological inhibitions. 3) that women are now openly documented as a vector of infection (although press coverage of this fact was and is limited/suppressed).

It's ALI SONBOLY, not DAVID S.

It's astonishing how many news outlets are actively and intentionally white-washing the Munich teenage "Ali Sonboly" by instead calling him "David S" (German press especially). It's a deliberate attempt to minimise what might otherwise be considered natural, if somewhat reflexive, assumptions about the boy based on his Arabic sounding name.

It's also an astonishing example of actual racism, of dehumanising, or perhaps de-culturalising the boy - a disavowal of his true name and cultural identity/roots, a kind of posthumous bullying similar to what he appears to have suffered at the hands of contemporaries when alive (the DailyMail suggest he was bullied by similarly ethnic individuals).

If ever there were a need to example the so-called progressive media caring more for narrative and issues rather than facts (individuals), this would be it.

Zika virus & Guillain-Barre syndrome

Abstract 
Zika fever, considered as an emerging disease of arboviral origin, because of its expanding geographic area, is known as a benign infection usually presenting as an influenza-like illness with cutaneous rash. So far, Zika virus infection has never led to hospitalisation. We describe the first case of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) occurring immediately after a Zika virus infection, during the current Zika and type 1 and 3 dengue fever co-epidemics in French Polynesia.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=24626205&dopt=Abstract

[EDIT] Some discussion has occurred in relation to this finding between the authors and a number of commentators, some of which can be found here in The Lancet - http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(16)30773-5/fulltext

Trump will never be President

With the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton openly admitting her running a private email server to conduct Public Office affairs was "grossly negligent" and "criminal" were it done by anyone else, her no being convicted of those crimes (and they are crimes), it means she's gotten off Scott-free.

Because of this, Trump will never be President.

Think about it.

If Trump were to be elected President what would he do first? Call for the criminal prosecution of everyone linked to things like Benghazi, Fast and Furious, 9/11, the dodgy Trade Deal with China, the list goes on. The Clinton's, and other Interests, wouldn't want that. So Headshot to Trump at or before his inauguration.

Alternatively, he does get elected, and he does call for prosecutions. Which results in a 'putsch' of sorts, a clearing of all the people whose actions and inactions caused all the troubles endemic to America today. If that happens Clinton, or someone else, may rise to power under the rationale of their being involved in a democratic counter-coup of the people, one press and media would be only too happy to get behind, resulting ultimately in Trump being removed from office, one way or the other.

Either outcome reveals the US political system being no better than a banana republic.

Free medical abortions for pregnant women with Zika

When Zika was first discovered it was considered to be no more of a risk than flu. Now, fears of Zika are reaching fever-pitch in South America and elsewhere as the demand for abortions in stricken Countries rises dramatically. Is it possible Women on the Web are adding to the fear and cashing in on the controversy by offering, ostensibly poor and uneducated women, free medical abortions.