Cute but dangerous in its ignoring of actual weaponization.
The" nuclear "countries of the world,together, spend over 120 BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY on nuclear forces and weapons.That is over 300 MILLION DOLLARS DAILY for world destroying weapons,which we pretend will preserve peace.
All "WEAPONIZED" PUBLIC FUNDS stolen by corrupt politicians through deceptive patriotism and fearmongering ,on behalf of the international military industrial complex and their global parasitic financiers..........are a major source of intolerance,conflict,poverty and most economic and social instability in the world.
Trumps proposal ,to appease the weapons mongers and their investor financiers with a "gift of 62 billion in public funds, "to strengthen the military and keep Americans safe".............while slashing,environmental,educational, and social funding...............is a prime example of "WEAPONIZED POLITICIANS" blatantly wasting and "WEAPONIZING PUBLIC FUNDS" !!!
All "WEAPONIZED" PUBLIC FUNDS stolen by corrupt politicians through deceptive patriotism and fearmongering ,on behalf of the international military industrial complex and their global parasitic financiers..........are a major source of intolerance,conflict,poverty and most economic and social instability in the world.
Trumps proposal ,to appease the weapons mongers and their investor financiers with a "gift of 62 billion in public funds, "to strengthen the military and keep Americans safe".............while slashing,environmental,educational, and social funding...............is a prime example of "WEAPONIZED POLITICIANS" blatantly wasting and "WEAPONIZING PUBLIC FUNDS" !!!
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In the simplest sense, a weapon is something to causes harm. Further, weaponization means, I think, utilizing something to be a weapon and cause harm to anyone not possessing it. As such, can't the current budget proposal be considered a weaponized document? An example taken from entertainment: in My Fair Lady, when referring to certain some national characteristics having to do with speech, Higgins observes how how one group "use the science of language more the blackmail than to teach". Don't we now see speech being weaponized, constantly, every day?
What's happening in India is not mere ordinary weaponization but as deadly as the nuclear one.
It's indeed true that “Owning a News entity has become a practical necessity for political parties in India,”
This is particularly evident in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where regional politicians and their family members have launched television channels that are used for political purposes. Channels like Sun TV, Kalaignar TV, and Makkal TV, which all launched since 2000 and which are owned by local politicians or their families, have used news broadcasts to provide favorable coverage to one party or another. Some of these channels have also refrained from coverage of issues that may cast the party with which they are affiliated in a negative light.
The cable distribution systems that telecast the channels are also coming under political control. Nearly 60 percent of the cable distribution systems in India are owned by local politicians it is reported.. Cable distribution systems block telecasts of channels carrying information deemed politically unfavorable. While Sun and Kalaignar were omitting coverage of events in Sri Lanka, Makkal TV, which is owned by a rival politician, was providing robust coverage of the events. But politicians who controlled Sumangali Cable Vision, the dominant cable distribution system in the state, blocked telecasts of Makkal at the time.
It's indeed true that “Owning a News entity has become a practical necessity for political parties in India,”
This is particularly evident in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where regional politicians and their family members have launched television channels that are used for political purposes. Channels like Sun TV, Kalaignar TV, and Makkal TV, which all launched since 2000 and which are owned by local politicians or their families, have used news broadcasts to provide favorable coverage to one party or another. Some of these channels have also refrained from coverage of issues that may cast the party with which they are affiliated in a negative light.
The cable distribution systems that telecast the channels are also coming under political control. Nearly 60 percent of the cable distribution systems in India are owned by local politicians it is reported.. Cable distribution systems block telecasts of channels carrying information deemed politically unfavorable. While Sun and Kalaignar were omitting coverage of events in Sri Lanka, Makkal TV, which is owned by a rival politician, was providing robust coverage of the events. But politicians who controlled Sumangali Cable Vision, the dominant cable distribution system in the state, blocked telecasts of Makkal at the time.
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In high school, we could re-engineer clic-style ball point pens into tiny missile launchers capable of firing their components a few feet from our desks. Hardly dangerous, but so much fun against boredom.
Was a clever metaphor ten years ago; now a marker of lazy writing.
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Metaphor is not an equivalent. Enough said.
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It is true we can weaponize just about anything, especially our 'words', innocent otherwise...until we shoot them to somebody or something we hate or disagree. And weapons they are, even when fake, especially if used often enough, like the constant lies and insults, made 'true' by sheer repetition, and catapulting, for instance, a crooked Trump to the White House. The lack of words may also be weaponized, like in the silent roar of complicity of an entire group, witness the republican party's tacit endorsement of Trump's hysteric "Birtherism", and leading to the eventual assault of the presidency by a politized and racist populist, charlatan Donald.
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A weaponization that is to be severely feared:
It seems obvious that the Trump administration, with the complicity of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is intent on weaponizing the Department of Justice. The DOJ will be the first line of defense if and when the GOP chairs of "investigative" committees find it necessary to seek out the truth behind the Trump-Russia connection, Trump's loans from Deutsche Bank, and other likely conflicts of interest.
Over two centuries ago, John Adams warned American citizens:
"[A]varice, ambition, [or] revenge . . . would break the strongest cords of our constitution as a whale goes through a net."
It seems obvious that the Trump administration, with the complicity of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is intent on weaponizing the Department of Justice. The DOJ will be the first line of defense if and when the GOP chairs of "investigative" committees find it necessary to seek out the truth behind the Trump-Russia connection, Trump's loans from Deutsche Bank, and other likely conflicts of interest.
Over two centuries ago, John Adams warned American citizens:
"[A]varice, ambition, [or] revenge . . . would break the strongest cords of our constitution as a whale goes through a net."
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Wonderful article. Use of the term appears to have potentially harmful outcomes, so please limit your use of the term press/media people...accountability.
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if a person's or a corporation's (they are people, after all, according to the Supreme Court) actions, whether intentional or not, cause harm to another person, persons, or property, those actions must be seen as causations of harm.
At that point, it is up to the courts to parse the intentional from the unintentional and the grave harm from the petty.
The courts would then be able to mete out punishment accordingly.
At that point, it is up to the courts to parse the intentional from the unintentional and the grave harm from the petty.
The courts would then be able to mete out punishment accordingly.
This started long before Trump and Twitter - consider the Grey Lady's favorite - the 'micro-aggression' which inevitably leads to magical racism - you can't measure it, you can't detect it, and you can't see it but we really... really know it must be present.
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I remember talking with coworkers at the office about the box cutters that the 9/11 terrorists used. I gave them a magic marker, pushed the tip out about an inch, told them that this was just as though experiment, and then I picked up an office chair. I told them that I would be braking bones and crushing skulls when I hit them, and they had to consider who would prevail. Yes, many things can be weaponized, mundane things. ANFO is ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, which most associate with the Oklahoma City bombing of the federal building, but it was also used in the bombing of the math center at the University of Wisconsin by the left wing.
Some like to try to control things and seem to believe that things somehow make people do things that they would otherwise not do. Decades of FBI data show that more people are killed by hands and feet than even the weapon used by the devil himself, assault weapons. This is typically not acknowledged as it challenges the notion that instead of things it is actually people who commit violence. Weapons concentrate and/or project force, but people wield them.
We use to be content in our small worlds, unaware of what was happening around us. Being aware of what is going on makes us realize that there is constant struggle between nations, regions and people, and that many objects are used in an attempt to gain an advantage. We really aren’t that far removed from the natural world in this respect.
Some like to try to control things and seem to believe that things somehow make people do things that they would otherwise not do. Decades of FBI data show that more people are killed by hands and feet than even the weapon used by the devil himself, assault weapons. This is typically not acknowledged as it challenges the notion that instead of things it is actually people who commit violence. Weapons concentrate and/or project force, but people wield them.
We use to be content in our small worlds, unaware of what was happening around us. Being aware of what is going on makes us realize that there is constant struggle between nations, regions and people, and that many objects are used in an attempt to gain an advantage. We really aren’t that far removed from the natural world in this respect.
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I have taken the word "Weaponized" as making something typically benign into a malignant force. This can be in the literal sense, like von Braun described, as his early work for the US Army was to make their missiles capable of delivering warheads over a long distance. Von Braun weaponized Army missiles creating the Redstone IRBM.
It is no surprise that we have found ways to "weaponize" non-military related areas like Social Media. The cultural wars we fight have became weaponized because those involved sought a "victory" for their cause. Instead of an evidence-based debate of the facts, our public forum is a place where people promote their specific narrative to help them accomplish their goals. Even facts have become weaponized into "post-facts" and "alternative-facts" that aren't based in reality. It's hard to find an area now that hasn't become weaponized in our increasingly polarized society.
It is no surprise that we have found ways to "weaponize" non-military related areas like Social Media. The cultural wars we fight have became weaponized because those involved sought a "victory" for their cause. Instead of an evidence-based debate of the facts, our public forum is a place where people promote their specific narrative to help them accomplish their goals. Even facts have become weaponized into "post-facts" and "alternative-facts" that aren't based in reality. It's hard to find an area now that hasn't become weaponized in our increasingly polarized society.
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Use whatever metaphor you want, but at the end of the day there is truth, partial truth, misrepresentation of truth, and fabrications.
For a long time American political discourse has been mostly partial truths and some misrepresentations. Team Trump has moved the needle where fabrications and misrepresentations are their go-to strategies.
The majority of Americans can tell the difference and won't stand for it.
For a long time American political discourse has been mostly partial truths and some misrepresentations. Team Trump has moved the needle where fabrications and misrepresentations are their go-to strategies.
The majority of Americans can tell the difference and won't stand for it.
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