What It REALLY Means When The Government ‘Shuts Down’

Due to the inability of elitists to come to a conclusion on how to spend money they don’t have, the United States government “shut down.” But, the hard truth is that during a “government shutdown” only about 25% of the government actually shuts down.

Only “non-essential” functions are actually shut down. Of course, that begs the question: why are there non-essential government functions to begin with?  Nonetheless, on the whole, the majority of the government is open.

According to Joe Joseph from The Daily Sheeple, “even with the government shutdown, it would take a long time before it really starts getting ugly.” So basically, people are panicking for no reason.

 “Don’t get me wrong, those 25% [of civil servants] who are affected, I’d hate to be in their shoes right now,” Joseph continued. “But I have to say that the majority of Americans that live in this country deal with a measure of instability when it comes to employment that civil servants don’t normally or are not subjected to.”  Be that as it may, politicians are the problem here.  This isn’t right or left, it’s politics and corruption that is fueling discussions and arguments about how to spend money they don’t have.

“I hate politcians. I just do. I mean, I’m sure some of them are very well intentioned, don’t get me wrong. But on the whole, you’ve gotta be a really shady, sneaky, snake to be a politician. A lot of people wonder why don’t men and women of honor ever run for office. It’s because they don’t wanna be caught dead around that place because of how corrupt and how bad it is and how much of a risk it would be for them to become corrupt if surrounded by a bunch of corrupt crocks and thieves and criminals. And that’s what they are! Let’s be totally and completly clear.”

Joseph also explained that government and civil servants are held to a much lower standard than those who choose to live their lives as freely as possible.

“We get villified, raked over the coals for the smallest things by government and by law enforcement and these people get awat with literal murder. Their decesions have profound effects on the lives of millions of Americans and they just don’t care.”

But to understand the shutdown, one should understand what type of person makes up “the government” and the many different types of money involved.  It would take so long to make any sort of impact because funds have already been appropriated.  So all the fear mongering is simply that and nothing more.

“This shutdown shouldn’t scare anybody. If anything, this is what’s SUPPOSED to happen when there is disfunctionality within governemnt. This is what’s supposed to happen when you don’t see eye to eye on things. You’ve gotta negotiate. Sometimes it can get nasty. But, I can tell you that this government shutdown and others like it, have been hyped in the past and it takes months before you really start to feel the pinch.  Before you really start to feel that burn.”

All of this is true.

Mainstream Media’s Cannabis Fear Campaign Debunked as Anti-Pot Propaganda

Corporate media are once again creating scary headlines about the supposed dangers of cannabis — and, as usual, their hype amounts to the proverbial ‘nothingburger.’

CNN recently blared the headline: “133% leap in children admitted to ER for marijuana, study finds.” The article referred to a study in France of children under six being admitted to the ER for cannabis ingestion over an 11-year period, as well as the number of calls to poison control centers.

“From 2004 to 2014, 235 children were admitted to ERs with cannabis intoxication, and there was a 133% increase in the admissions rate for it. The number of calls to poison control centers related to cannabis exposure in children increased by 312% in the same period.”

This represents an average of 21 children every year going to the ER, in a country with a population of 66 million people. This is not to downplay the danger of a child becoming temporarily comatose after eating a piece of hash. However, the rate of occurrence is so low that it does not warrant fear-mongering. Nor does it justify halting the progress toward freedom to use a plant people have known for thousands of years.

France’s population was about 61 million in 2004 at the beginning of the study timeline, growing to 65 million in 2014 — meaning that we would expect more ER visits and poison control center calls with more population growth. But CNN makes no mention of a statistical correction for population growth.

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Parents should do all they can to keep any kind of psychoactive substance or drug out of the hands of children, but the actual numbers relating to cannabis do not justify being trumpeted as fodder for prohibitionist paranoia.

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Cannabis remains illegal in France, so any uptick in ER visits there – regardless of degree – have no relevance to legalization efforts in the U.S. and elsewhere.

In a legal framework, cannabis products are more likely to be packaged to deter accidental ingestion, and manufacturers are putting more effort into this. Unsafe, nondescript packaging is another dangerous product of the black market, caused by prohibition.

The ominous tone of CNN’s article is even more absurd when we consider that other common household items pose a far greater threat to children – including crayons, diaper paste, toothpaste and energy drinks.

If the MSM wants to make people aware of real dangers, it should focus on that fact that 160 children go to the ER every day after accidentally overdosing on prescription drugs, pain relievers or vitamins. That’s 60,000 kids every year.

Risk of cardiovascular death in adults?

Last week, media seized on a study linking cannabis use to an increased risk of death from hypertension. One site even suggested “Marijuana ‘may be worse than cigarettes for cardiovascular health’” in its headline.

The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, did not rely on any clinical or experimental research. It was simply a comparison of data from the 2005 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and mortality data from 2011 for the same group of people.

Authors looked at who said they had “ever used” cannabis from the 2005 study, then compared their mortality to those who said they had never used cannabis. They controlled for high blood pressure but did not take into account diet and exercise. They also assumed “that those who said they had used marijuana in 2005 continued to do so,” and that most of the pot was smoked.

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Hardly a model of scientific rigor.

As Paul Armentano of NORML wrote:

“Those participants who fessed up to having engaged in past pot use were then automatically classified by the study’s researchers as current users of the drug, despite the fact that no evidence exists to corroborate this claim.

Even more problematically, to calculate the estimated duration of each subject’s marijuana use, researchers simply subtracted the age participants first reported trying pot from their current age.”

Armentano goes on to reference other, more comprehensive longitudinal studies contradicting the alleged link between cannabis use and declined cardiovascular health. Somehow these studies didn’t bear mentioning in other media articles.

Corporate media may claim they are doing their due diligence in reporting on studies such as the two described above, but they fail to provide context or proper analysis. In doing so, MSM allows those with vested interests in prohibition to keep on spouting disinformation.

Fear-Mongering Following Saturday Night London Incident

Theresa May

It’s unknown if what happened was terrorism by lone wolves, a false flag or something else.

It’s well-known how the aftermath of these type events play out. State-sponsored war OF terror follows or escalates at home and abroad, facilitated by fever-pitch fear-mongering, media scoundrels part of the scheme.

Their reports repeat official accounts of what happened, suspects like three alleged lethally shot London assailants considered guilty by accusation, unable to explain their side of the story.

Headlines are used to influence reader opinions more than content following them. Here’s a sampling from Western media broadsheets:

The NYT: “ ‘Enough Is Enough,’ “Prime Minister Says After Terrorists Kill 7 in Heart of London”

The NYT: “It was Utter Horror”

The neocon/CIA-connected Washington Post: “London attack toll rises to 7 dead as Theresa May insists ‘things need to change’ “ – ignoring the treat her government represents, what needs changing most of all.

WaPo: “London Bridge will never fall down”

WSJ: “Seven Killed in London Terrorist Attack – Theresa May says more must be done to stop radicalization; police arrest 12” – likely having nothing to do with what happened. Expect lots of witch-hunt injustice to follow.

WSJ: “In Just Eight Minutes, Early Summer Revelries Are Shattered”

Chicago Tribune: “London terror attack – 12 arrested in London as May says Britain must contain extremism” – failing to explain its epicenter is at No. 10 and neocon-infested parliament.

Los Angeles Times: “ ‘You won’t break us. You won’t break us, ever.’ London defiant as police arrest 12 (patsies) in bridge attack”

Reuters: “ ‘Enough is enough,’ says May as London recovers”

AP News: British Police Arrest 12 as Londoners Recall Night of Terror”

AP News: “The Latest: Police Confident All London Attackers Shot Dead” – state terrorists remain around, active, menacing populations at home and abroad

Al Jazeera: “May: UK election to go ahead despite London attack”

Al Jazeera: “ ‘Evil, evil people:’ Panic and horror at London Bridge”

London Guardian: “London Bridge attack: seven dead and 21 more victims in critical condition”

London Guardian: “ ‘They were stabbing everyone’ – Witnesses describe horror of attack”

London’s Independent: “Terror strikes Britain again: Seven killed and 48 in hospital after London attack”

London Daily Mail: “Terrorist in an Arsenal shirt and his hooded jihadi accomplices were filmed sauntering into Borough Market moments after mowing down pedestrians in attack which killed seven and injured 48”

London Daily Mail: “BREAKING NEWS: Member of public caught in police crossfire as officers fired ‘unprecedented 50 rounds of bullets’ at attackers they thought were wearing suicide vests.”

London Telegraph: “They shouted ‘this is for Allah,’ as they stabbed indiscriminately’ – How the London terror attack unfolded.”

All we know so far is the central London incident happened Saturday night, reports indicating seven deaths, 48 others injured, many seriously, and the alleged assailants lethally shot by police.

Official reports about these type incidents are suspect. Believe none of them at face value. Perhaps more will be known later on.

It’s always important to ask who benefits? Clearly not ordinary Brits or people abroad UK forces attack in cahoots with Washington.

There’s lots more to fear following Saturday’s incident – from state sponsors of terrorism, the most ruthlessly dangerous of all.

As US Bombs Syria, Americans Forgot Govt Used Chemical Weapons to Kill Children in Texas

Americans are up in arms over the alleged gas attack in Syria. Although there was no investigation, and many high-profile individuals have called it a sham, the US has pinned the blame on Syrian president Bashar Al Assad. So, we thought it would be a good idea to remind our fellow Americans of an occasion where the federal government got away with gassing its own people, an action which, consequently, led to the deaths of 86 men, women, and children.

Our source material comes from the FBI’s own vault, which contains two files on the case against Vernon Howell, also known as David Koresh. Koresh was the leader of the “Branch Davidians Seventh Day Adventists.” According to the FBI case file, Koresh was believed to have been holding people against their will at his compound in Waco, Texas, potentially guilty of “involuntary servitude and slavery” charges.

In 1992, Child Protective Services (CPS) was called in to investigate the accusations. After a thorough investigation, CPS concluded no one was being held at the compound against their will, nor any child abuse, and the federal prosecutor, who reviewed the report, saw no reason to prosecute Koresh. On October 16th, 1992, the FBI closed the case against Koresh and the allegations he was abusing children and holding his followers against their will.

Still, however, the FBI proceeded with investigating other allegations the Branch Davidians had converted semi-automatic AR-15 (assault) rifles into fully automatic ones, a violation of federal law. Also alleged was that the group was planning a mass suicide. The FBI concluded, “no information has been developed to verify the accuracy of the allegations.” Still, the FBI put local law enforcement on notice.

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Despite having no concrete evidence Koresh, who some have said was delusional, had violated anyone’s civil rights, or abused any children, the investigation into the weapons violations continued. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives pursued the allegations the group was stockpiling weapons and explosives. According to the ATF,  the bureau found:

136 FIREARMS, INCLUDING ASSAULT RIFLES AND HANDGUNS

700+ MAGAZINES FOR THOSE FIREARMS

200,000+ ROUNDS OF VARIOUS AMMUNITION

110 UPPER AND LOWER RECEIVERS FOR AR15/M16 RIFLES

GRENADE-LAUNCHER ATTACHMENTS FOR AR15/M16 RIFLES

400+ EMPTY M31 RIFLE GRENADES, ALONG WITH BLACK POWDER AND OTHER

EXPLOSIVE CHEMICALS

Wishing to further investigate the compound’s armory, the ATF secured a search warrant and attempted to raid the compound on February 28th, 1993. The Davidians, possibly feeling they must protect their home, property, and persons from the intruders, opened fire on the federal agents, an action which led to the deaths of several ATF agents and compound members.

FOUR ATF AGENTS (SA TODD MCKEEHAN, SA CONWAY LEBLEU, SA ROBERT WILLIAMS AND SA STEVEN WILLIS) WERE KILLED; 20 ATF AGENTS WOUNDED FROM GUNSHOTS OR SHRAPNEL AND 8 SUFFERED OTHER INJURIES. SIX DAVIDIANS WERE ALSO REPORTEDLY KILLED AND FOUR WOUNDED FROM GUNSHOTS, ALTHOUGH THIS COULD NOT BE FORENSICALLY PROVEN BECAUSE OF THE LATER DESTRUCTION (BY FIRE) OF THE COMPOUND.

The raid initiated a 51-day standoff with the ATF as well as the FBI. Koresh released 24 members from the compound, who were mostly children, and continued the stand-off with authorities which was broadcast daily across the country until day 51 arrived. On that day, the government brought in heavy equipment and penetrated the compound with a tank-like machine which pumped the compound full of CS Gas. What happened next, in the minds of many who saw it, can only be likened to a horror film.

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The compound became ablaze with a roaring fire. The all-consuming inferno killed 76 people who were huddled inside. Later, it was determined many of those who’d perished were also shot by firearms. Researchers, who later investigated the incident, concluded federal agents were observed shooting from the compound’s grounds into the building already set ablaze by fire. While the official government narrative is those individuals committed suicide, the researchers were able to demonstrate they were likely killed by automatic weapons fired by federal agents, possibly killed as they were attempting to flee their burning compound.

To this day, the ATF maintains the fire was, “set by cult members, as law enforcement attempted to force them out by introducing tear gas into the building.” And for years, following the fiery destruction of the compound, the FBI maintained the same story line. That was until 1999, when then-Attorney General Janet Reno made the following admission, “I am very, very troubled by the information I received this week suggesting that pyrotechnic devices may have been used in the early morning hours on April the 19th, 1993, at Waco. At this time, all available indications are that the devices were not directed at the main wooden compound, were discharged several hours before the fire started, and were not the cause of the fire. Nonetheless, it is absolutely critical that we do everything humanly possible to learn all the facts as accurately as possible and make them available to the public and Congress.”

Those facts, according to some of the survivors of the fire, who were inside at the time the fire broke out, are undeniable. They are convinced the government used incendiary devices to set ablaze the tear gas which had been pumped into the building. And they’re not alone. According to CBS News, “Independent filmmaker Michael McNulty came upon some evidence that appeared damaging to the government. He found a shell casing from a certain type of tear gas round that could start a fire – a device the Justice Department had denied using for more than six years – publicly and to Congress.” That shell casing led to Reno’s acknowledgment, but the government still has not taken full responsibility, as Reno denied the devices were used to penetrate the building. Questions still remain as to why they would be used at all.

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Even though it was later determined Koresh had, indeed, molested children, and was by all intents and purposes a pedophile of the worst kind, the fact remains. The government used gas on its own people which either directly or indirectly led to the deaths of 76 people. There was no international outcry. Foreign governments did not threaten to retaliate against the ATF and the FBI. Russia did not feel compelled to launch guided missiles into the Waco, TX airport. And neither should the United States.

The U.S. has no business in the affairs of Syrians. And just like in Waco, it may take years to know precisely who was responsible for gassing and killing 83 Syrians in the Idlib Province. But go ahead and believe the official government narrative if you’d like. Here at TFTP, we prefer to deal with the facts.

Rioters Take to Streets & Social Media, Demand Assassination of President Trump

United States — Has America gone mad? Judging by the altogether hypocritical response to Donald Trump winning the election, the answer is inarguably Yes — and it needs to be addressed, post haste.

Fury that the nation elected a snidely racist, misogynist, bombast might not be misdirected — indeed, it’s understandable. But flooding the streets to burn public and private property, vandalize the same, and simultaneously bombard social media with vociferous, naked summons to assassinate an elected president — by unabashed gun-control liberals, no less — take hypocrisy to a whole other level.

well the riots have already begun on my campus they"re all chanting "fuck Donald Trump" pic.twitter.com/QyaXmTUX9X

— Joanna (@JoannaStilinski) November 9, 2016

@ERINJEEN So Trump is mocked for not accepting a loss in the election but everyone else can lose their minds if he wins? #DoubleStandard

— Peter (@PeterB_512) November 9, 2016

Liberal America, you need to come to terms with the bed you’ve made — including the election to president of a gauche, cocksure misanthrope with zero qualifications for office other than his not being Hillary Clinton.

Viewing from a computer screen the sheer gall of hypocrites storming cities nationwide because their team didn’t win, is a mind-numbing mental battle between comedy and tragedy — but, unlike theater, no one triumphs. This is sore-loserism at its worst, given the object of scorn — and his failed rival — garnered the lowest approval from the electorate, possibly ever in the history of U.S. politics.

This, worsened by the exact shameless violence scaremongered by the now-enraged mere days before, is a most embarrassing rebuke of responsibility for political partisanship. Liberals, rather than berating the Democratic establishment for nominating a candidate they knew faced unlikely victory against Trump, instead decided not to acknowledge the predicted outcome — directing anger against the exact consequences recently-leaked emails warned was coming.

Had the Democratic National Committee not pledged fealty to Clinton against the screams of Bernie Sanders ‘revolutionaries’ to whom it owed an ear, perhaps a billionaire reality TV host would not be ascending to office in January. Neoliberal establishment politics-as-usual, and decades of failed economic, domestic, and foreign policy, thus bear the brunt of blame — not fed-up, if perhaps misguided, Trump voters.

Clintonite Democrats colluding with corporate media presstitutes and the DNC, years of godawful neoliberal economic policy, topheavy and bellicose government, and failure to properly remedy stratification of wealth and social ills, made Trump a reality.

Gullible voters, blindly buying a campaign amounting to at least this one isn’t that one, made Trump a reality.

Oppression through free speech-quashing political correctness did this. Entitlement did this. Lesser-evilism did this. Expensive, confusing, mandatory Obamacare did this. Bombing seven countries, and countless others unofficially, for hegemonic imperialism and theft of natural resources — and resultant refugee crisis — did this.

An expansive, invasive, privacy-robbing surveillance state did this. Facilitating the foreign outsourcing of jobs through laughably-titled free trade agreements — and ignoring the disappearance of the middle class — did this.

Continuing the drug war, refusing to fix the injustice system, unfair taxation, a defense policy permitting the U.S. government to kill its citizens, lack of congressional term limits, an appalling veterans healthcare program, a crooked and anachronistic Federal Reserve, and ignoring everyone decrying these issues, did this.

Swaths of the populace, quietly deciding they’d had their fill of all the aforementioned, did this — they voted for Trump because the system failed them, and Obama and Clinton Democrats willfully ignored their pleas.

And that’s where rampaging liberals have it all wrong.

Trump voters on the whole aren’t woman-hating racists — they’re ordinary Americans whose voice too long fell on deaf ears.

Social media and the streets of at least 25 cities are in full meltdown. Rioters, apparently incapable of seeing the mediocrity and hypocrisy of their actions, point fingers of blame at everyone but the responsible: the Democratic establishment, of course, but also themselves.

Understandably, a backlash has ensued, but tellingly not of a parallel magnitude. Trump voters, rather than gloating in a fashion Clintonites almost certainly would have, erupted in mockery at the duplicity of this madness. Had Democrats once again reigned, and Trump backers reacted this way, those rioting now would be appalled. Propaganda claiming it would happen foretold as much.

Indeed, it’s difficult not to laugh at the Second Amendment-denigrating leftists begging for the assassination of an elected official and imploring all-out revolt when three days ago they expressed terror about Trump supporters doing the same.

And the hypocrisy only darkened on Twitter. Deciding the forcibly-trended hashtag #NotMyPresident didn’t sufficiently encapsulate their wrath, sanctimonious liberals then started the brazen trend, #AssassinateTrump — and the tweeters did not bother cloaking their desire for literal murder.

Despite this inane insanity, Trump voters and others remained largely level-headed, responding in what could be best summarized as a collective Get Over Yourselves. Many, astonished there was protest at all, noted the rioting would only hinder diplomacy between Republicans and Democrats, the former appearing more than willing to hammer out differences for the good of all wherever possible.

They make a good case.

Eschewing personal responsibility for the election of Trump and refusing to come to grips with that reality won’t advance any of us further toward a better-functioning system. Rioting blows indignant hot air, proving only dissatisfaction and laggard reluctance to put in actual work to solve grievances.

Although the prospect of President Trump nauseates many, it is our reality now. It’s time to stop this misguided blaming, scrutinize the failings landing us in this position, and together ensure the nation doesn’t devolve into total chaos. Complete harmony might not be possible, but seeing one another’s common ground will go far to prevent future issues similar to those gifting us President Trump.

Before that can happen, the absurdity has to end.

Angry liberals, the entire planet understands you didn’t want this man as president, but you need to get over it. Summon the unity you claim to desire.

This shameless display of hypocritical dichotomous partisan bullshit must stop. All of us — supporters of Trump, supporters of Hillary, and those wise enough to support neither — can make lemonade of this lemon. But only when cooler heads prevail.

When Good People Share Bad Things — Here’s Why You Need to Fact Check Before You Click Share

Disinformation. Misinformation. Propaganda. Outright lies. Purposeful distractions. Misleading bias. All tools of the government and close ally, corporate media, to keep the public unwise to the depth and breadth of imperialistic actions taking place around the world — and ever-encroaching surveillance and police states inside the borders of the United States.

Perhaps you have been fortunate enough to begin pulling back the curtain on the inner workings of the government — the tandem dealings by politicians, regardless of party affiliation — to exploit the public in as many ways possible for the profits of elite politicians, corporations, industries, and banks.

And what frequently starts as a trickle of paradigm-shifting new information, quickly forces open the floodgates — as the realization things aren’t at all as they hammered into your psyche for years through State-sponsored indoctrination of public education. It can be overwhelming — and you likely want to ‘wake up’ others to this reality — but there are pitfalls in doing so, marked by the same tactics the State employed to fool you in the first place.

Disinformation. Misinformation. Propaganda. Outright lies. Purposeful distractions. Misleading bias.

Sound familiar?

With the sheer amplitude and magnitude of corruption exposed on a daily basis in the lead-up to the November 8th presidential election, alerting friends and family could seem more imperative than ever — but the aforementioned traps should and must be avoided at all costs — even when it comes from outlets posing as an answer to the mainstream. Let it be noted, that is not to decry credible, consistent independent and alternative media outlets — but it’s crucial to employ critical thinking and a bit of research to separate those with integrity from the mendacious and misleading.

Spreading misinformation, false reports, and surreptitious propaganda does nothing to further the cause of truth — and, in fact, serves more to harm the credibility of legitimate reports in opposition to the dominant State narrative. Social media, however, has provided plenty of dry tinder for faulty info to spread like wildfire — either by the haplessly unaware, or by those with motives to ensure it quickly disseminates to cast doubt in the public mind.

But there are a number of ways to divine authentic, genuine information from that meant to distract, divide, discredit, and delegitimize.

Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary defines ‘disinformation’ as “false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth.”

So common is disinformation, those familiar with it will destroy said item with facts before it gains traction in public forums — but rumors being rumors, sometimes take on a life of their own. Checking whether or not a new report has any basis is usually as easy as a web search for secondary reports from known credible sources parroting the same claim — indeed, one surefire clue a report might be false, or even satire, is a lack of hyperlinks to other sources.

Misinformation, on the other hand, can present a trickier issue in that it can have at least a kernel of truth at its core — but the packaging, which can include blatant lies or opinion misconstrued as fact, intends to mislead.

Political and elections polls tilt public opinion, and — when convincing — can even dissuade people from voting on candidates and issues they might otherwise deem critical. In fact, selectively cherry-picking a sampling pool — or crafting targeted questions — will dramatically and sometimes ridiculously fit results to glean a desired answer. Zero Hedge, for example, caught ABC News and the Washington Post in the act over the weekend, after their joint poll showed Hillary Clinton with a double-digit lead over Donald Trump — despite increasingly heated controversy from John Podesta’s leaked emails.

Every government on the planet employs propaganda to garner favor for policy and legislation — and more subtly to inculcate the citizenry into hollow feelings of nationalism, which serves little purpose other than fueling separation and pride based on the arbitrary geopolitical happenstance of one’s birth. Although the most cunning propaganda is virtually imperceptible, this year’s narrative of Russian aggression couldn’t be more patently obvious if it tried.

However, that’s not to say the same idea of a Russian threat hasn’t also crept into reports from supposed ‘analysts,’ as well. A number of generally credible outlets, rather than presenting analysis with open-ended outcomes, have taken the government’s cue to warn of impending nuclear war at Pres. Vladimir Putin’s behest — despite a lack of evidence to back the claim. Fearmongering, it should be noted, is a common tool of propagandists worldwide.

Outright lies and deliberate distractions go hand-in-hand when it comes to parsing truth from fiction — and an unfortunately growing number of tabloid-esque outlets peddle absurd lies as truth in the interest of getting clicks. Notably, differentiating tabloid sites from credible alternative sources can be the most difficult to the newly ‘awakening’ truth-seeker.

A fine line exists between attention-grabbing headlines topping truthful articles and head-turning captions screaming wholescale lies. Indeed, considering the populace-at-large now champions an attention span less than that of a goldfish, convincing readers to venture past the first two sentences of a legitimate article can be the most frustrating facet of the job of independent media journalist. Scammers and profit-seekers capitalize on the fact most will share a link without ever bothering to view its contents — no matter if the work constitutes so much garbage.

Although it isn’t an absolute guarantee, a wise axiom to follow stands the test of time: If it sounds too good or too absurd to be true, it probably is. If you’re still uncertain, ask someone you trust, seek a second and third and fourth source, and, above all, do a little digging — after all, the Internet puts the world at everyone’s fingertips.

Journalism is not meant to be devoid of bias — on the contrary, good journalism persuades. However, bias can be employed in the extreme, easily bordering on misinformation. A topic proffered by FOX News and MSNBC will never be reported the same way — each has clear political bias and an agenda to push. Bias doesn’t have to be quite so flagrant to be effective.

So-called political pundits are a common tool used by corporate media to subtly infuse bias by appealing to the public trust of a putative ‘expert’ in the particular topic of discussion — and pundits are usually just political or party insiders, ex-government employees, and others with a vested interest in ensuring public opinion sways in a certain direction. Also, pundits and experts nearly always receive compensation for their input.

A stellar recent example of a biased opinion presented as expert assessment came from former assistant FBI director James Kallstrom — a known devotee of presidential candidate Donald Trump — who castigated the Clintons for being a “crime family.” While that point is debatable, the fact Kallstrom appeared as a former official of the government connoted insider knowledge — an appeal to his ostensible authority — and his diatribe went viral nearly immediately for its incendiary nature. It isn’t so much that his opinion didn’t deserve to be shared, but that it needed to be considered in light of his political desires — his characterization of the Clintons directly feeds Kallstrom’s desire for Trump to win the White House.

While each of these topics could and have filled tomes, hopefully this provides a gentle reminder to be wary of believing everything you read. As any journalist worth their salt will say, if you don’t believe what’s written, research it on your own. Follow links provided. Seek new information. Open your mind to new ideas and be willing to part with indoctrinated thoughts that no longer serve you.

But don’t be fooled — and it behooves all of us not to spread the sort of faulty information that discredits the general movement to expose the government’s innumerable lies.