By JW August / Special to OB Rag
It’s not a book banning or burning but it is the equivalency of it in the age of the internet. Another word for it is censorship.
I learned E&E (Energy and Environment) News by Politico, an online newspaper, is banned from U.S. Federal agencies. My source “S” works in a federal agency that has a full agenda of responsibilities but right now the work of the agency is distracted, agitated by the Trump administration’s latest “burn down.”
The source believes that “the ban” is occurring at other agencies as well. Workers are not allowed to receive E&E, subscribe to it, and it’s “not allowed to come into the building.”
On the website www.eenews.net is this invitation: “A new Washington is taking shape. Stay informed with E&E News.”
And while there are other options to get accurate information, at least for now, this is a vindictive move and no democracy can allow its government to decide what is appropriate reading for its workers. This reeks of 1984, George Orwell’s book, and the use of Doublethink, which means the ability to accept two contradictory beliefs as true at the same time.
The memo sent to employees said in part:
“I have received direction from the White House via OPM that the attached contracts with Politico must be terminated for the convenience of the Government. This must occur immediately. Please coordinate with your staff towards completing this task today.” [OPM is Office of Personnel Management.]
The agency used this form, but I am reluctant to share the entire document because it reveals the agency “S” works at. However I can share the form used:
OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)
Sponsored by GSA
FAR (48 CFR) 53.110
I reached out to Cyril Zaneski, Executive Editor at eenews.net to get a reaction to what has happened. He has not responded.
“S” is a long-time trusted source of mine. He/She works in a senior administrative position for a large federal agency and is sharing what can be shared safely about the turmoil and anger.
A second order stated:
Employees have been told to remove all “Trigger Words” from agency forms, both internal and external. They are to “update forms” to remove references to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“S” says the agency has thousands of forms that a team of personnel will be going through and removing or changing.
News outlet Politico got dragged into the USAID chaos. Turns out, government workers have a $16 million habit of reading premium political news
see: https://www.yahoo.com/news/news-outlet-politico-got-dragged-120700040.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
They can read Politico at home. And do work at work. Small potatoes.
Chris despots have started slowly in the past; might start with banning a book but they move on from there….
That was one point of the story
” while there are other options to get accurate information, at least for now, this is a vindictive move and no democracy can allow its government to decide what is appropriate reading for its workers. This reeks of 1984, George Orwell’s book, and the use of Doublethink, which means the ability to accept two contradictory beliefs as true at the same time.”
Constructing groupthink narratives using doublethink to reinforce your comments on doublethink?
Ironic that you quote Orwell to facilitate your own wildly fantastical doublethink construct JW.
By your own admission you have OK’d, excused and condoned the “Party’s” obfuscate, obscure, disguise, & launder $16,000,000 payouts to a “news” organization through USAID; (which at one time had been our country’s most noble bi-partisan attempt at empathetic global compassion) By your standards, or your article’s complete lack of standards, that is acceptable; because it’s “your party, your guy, your team.”
Need we remind you that with majority in hand Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schummer engaged in a constitutional carve-out, and lavished executive powers on the Executive branch contrary to their constituents, including their supporter’s, wishes?
Now those same expanded, overreaching executive powers are being exploited, manipulated and abused by the current administration. Go figure.
USAID had 10,000 employees. In those terms whether they wanted it or not staff received a “POLITICO Pro” subscription mandate to the tune of about $1600/subscription.
I subscribed to The Rolling Stone for 3 decades before the beautiful publication was put to death in a merger with CondeNasty. My subscriptions barely eclipsed a couple of hundred dollars in aggregate.
Ironicall, the very doublethink definition you’ve cited includes the example in context, below which by the way you have curiously omitted:
Doublethink: The acceptance of or mental capacity to accept contrary opinions or beliefs at the same time, especially as a result of political indoctrination: “it is telling that he engages in doublethink to make his points.”
I’m sorry, they are at work expected to produce something meaningful connected to the scope of their job. Not sitting on their ass reading anything under the sun. Goodbye.
I agree Chris, 16 million is small potatoes. Government ought to be focused on bigger issues like keeping private citizens from being able to spend a quarter of a Billion dollars, (that’s $250, 000,000 USD) buying access and favors from a political candidate or, in this case, the President of the United States!
Bush, Cheney, and Rice hoodwinked America by manipulating the Sunday morning news shows quoting investigations done by “sources at the New York TImes” that was in fact reprinting manufactured, planted, anonymous sourced, baseless innuendo to justify an invasion Iraq. The New York Times carelessly ran with unvetted, supposedly “leaked” information and irresponsibly printed it. They propagated a known falsehood that cost over a quarter million lives of innocent civilians to justify the invasion of Iraq. And the blood and treasure of American men and women of the military.
The boardroom at Politico has used this same grift as a business model to transact in curried favor since it’s inception. I am a liberal and I couldn’t tolerate their equivalent to modern day BuzzFeed BS.
Gouging USAID for $16 million for BS “Politico Pro” magazine subscriptions small potatoes? Gimme a break! $16 million? In magazine subscriptions?
I’ll bet Editor Dude and the OB Rag wouldn’t consider subscriptions totaling $16 million small potatoes.
You and Chris should be able to scrounge up them $16 million in small potatoes, just rummaging through the cushions of your couch right? Well? Then lay them 16 million duckets down at the feet of the OB Rag.
Thank you Frank, for providing some equilibrium.
A “Free Press” is the only specified entity explicitly protected by the United States constitution. Buying influence is propaganda, not a “free press”. One bad apple spoils all. Corrupting the Free Press does all of the global society a catastrophic disservice.
96% of the global media is controlled by 5 Mega Media Corporations, Book publishing, newspapers, local news channels, cable news channels, radio, satellite radio, internet service providers, internet news outlets, record labels, film studios, all of it.
My couch has more than 16 mil but I’d bet Frank would love 16 mil in subscriptions?