Clash of the Media Titans
Yesterday Elon Musk announced he’s filing a “thermonuclear” lawsuit against Media Matters over their report released Thursday that accused X (Twitter) of placing ads for brands next to pro-nazi and “white-pride” posts.
The report caused several massive companies to pull their ads from X, including IBM, Disney, Apple, Amazon, Oracle, Comcast/NBC Universal and more.
In the below tweet, Elon explained what Media Matters did and why he’s taking action.
In a nutshell, Media Matters created a sock account to curate the most racist timeline they could, and then kept refreshing their feed until they came up with screenshots of ads running next to questionable tweets.
MM then used these screenshots to target advertisers and warn them their ads were being promoted on racist content, causing these advertisers to pull away from X.
So Media Matters fabricated their own inorganic narrative of online toxicity in order to defame X. Although generally the perceived goal was the result of what happened, a loss in ad revenue for the site, I have to wonder if the actual motivation has more to do with targeting free speech, and the complete take-down of X.
With the events in Israel and Palestine, online content is more volatile than ever, with supporters on both sides openly calling for the “leveling” and “eradication” of the opposing nations.
But this isn’t just happening on Twitter. The hostility is alive and well on literally every other popular social media site, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.
TikTok recently had a 20 year old letter written by Osama Bin Laden trending on their platform, TikTokers were using the letter to praise OBL and justify the attacks on 9/11. 🥴
Where was MM on that one?
I could go off on the evil practices of Media Matters on a personal level as they’ve been on my jock, writing articles about me since 2020, and actively working to get me banned off of just about every social media and online commerce platform there is, including YouTube, LinkTree, PayPal and BuyMeACoffee. 😂
(a search for “Kate Awakening” on the Media Matters website)
They now target Badlands Media just as passionately. 💅 Media Matters loves to take things out of context, or completely misrepresent conversations all together, in order to paint anyone who is pro-Trump as an extremist or a deranged conspiracy theorist. And they are big sad that we crazies are out here unabashedly talking about all the topics they’ve been told to tuck between their legs and thoroughly tape up, never to see the light of day.
So it’s no surprise to me that they are actively trying to destroy X, one of the last bastions of free speech left on the web. While I’ll admit the platform still kinda sucks at this point, thousands remain shadow banned (including me), or completely banned from posting or having an account altogether, I do see Elon moving the platform slowly in the right direction. And I happen to personally believe his playing dumb is an act. I think he’s taking the smooth-brains on a journey with him from a troglodyte-level understanding of free speech to becoming absolutists of their own volition by his tactic of asking softball questions so dumb they’ll make Siri cry.
Ultimately we know there are bad actors whose objectives are actually the erosion of freedom in the name of purported justice, and they’ll stop at nothing to achieve them. Media Matters did not invent the game of “A Threat So Severe We Have To Manufacture It Ourselves So We Can Go After It.” In fact, it appears to be a common tactic of the powers that be who want to ban free speech, implement new laws or take away freedoms, to covertly create the catalyst for action themselves.
A pattern of calculated interference extends to the very fabric of online forums, where even Federal Jabronis have been caught in the act, nudging conversations deemed dangerous, ultimately leading to the complete takedown of entire platforms.
I want to tell you guys about one of my personal favorite stories I got to watch unfold back in my days of lurking on 8chan.
On April 27, 2019, a man named John Earnest carried out a deadly shooting at a California synagogue. Prior to the shooting, Earnest allegedly posted a link on 8chan to an anti-semitic manifesto written on Pastebin pretty much spelling out that he was about to carry out a heinous act fueled by his extremist beliefs.
San Diego shooting suspect posted 'open letter' online
2 days later, an application for a search warrant by the federal government on 8chan’s servers was unsealed.
Application for a Search Warrant
The FBI was attempting to use this incident to go after 8chan for being a dangerous place where white supremacy and extremism flourish and are created and provoked. Surely the blame for this monstrous attack belonged to the free speech platform this psychopath supposedly went to gloat, and not on the poor, fragile psychopath alone. (sarcasm font)
The application for the search warrant also included a request, written by FBI Special Agent Michael J. Rod, for the “IP address and metadata information about Earnest’s original posting and the postings of all of the individuals who responded to the subject posting and/or commented about it.”
Rod goes on to explain that “information suggests that Earnest was inspired and/or educated by individuals who commented on his threads.” Based on this, he also sought “IP addresses and metadata for all commenters…”
So basically, everyone who commented in the thread where the shooter allegedly posted was now to be treated as a potential suspect of conspiracy.
In his affidavit, Special Agent Rod used a series of screen shots taken from the thread on 8chan that took place the day of the shooting (it’s unclear if Earnest actually ever took part in this thread).
(a sample of the screenshots used in the warrant)
If you were someone who used 8chan and are familiar with the way the site worked, upon examining these screen shots a little more closely, something may catch your eye that is fuggin hysterical.
See it?
How ‘bout now?
😂😂😂
For those unfamiliar, 8chan was an anonymous messaging board. There were no user names or profile pics. When a user made a post, the system assigned them a unique identifier referred to as a “poster ID” or simply “ID” (highlighted in yellow below). A user participating in a discussion thread would have the same ID for all their posts in that thread.
But here’s the funny part. When a user was viewing a thread, next to “Anonymous” it would show the label “(YOU)” on the comments THEY WROTE THEMSELF, letting the user know they were looking at THEIR OWN POST.
(a test post I just made on 8kun to show you what I mean)
This (YOU) label showing up in Rod’s screenshots means that he, or whoever took the screenshots for him, was the one who was creating the posts under the ID “8f4812.”
You read that right. Some of the posts being used by the FBI to illustrate the narrative of posters egging on this dangerous thread were actually WRITTEN BY THE FBI THEMSELVES.
This means that, much like Janet Jackson in a halftime show, Special Agent Rod inadvertently exposed himself (or someone he was working with) as 8chan user ID “8f4812.”
It’s just so delicious.
But wait, there’s more…
The thread was deleted and 8chan itself was shut down not long after this. But an archived version of the more complete thread was saved to archive(.)is. If you go to the link below and do a search for “8f4812” you can find more of the posts made by this user (FED) that were not included in the report.
Here are some screenshots I took from the thread posted by ID 8f4812
In the above post, he is quoting an exchange with the alleged shooter and linking people back to the original thread, telling them to “back it up.” Keep in mind that saving a conversation like this on your device could potentially be used against you.
So not only does this FED happen to be around in the thread right when the shooter starts posting (what luck!), he’s working hard to drive attention to it, telling people to come check it out, and helping steer the narrative. Keep in mind the FBI then went on to request “the postings of all of the individuals who responded to the subject posting and/or commented about it” as well as their IP addresses and metadata.
He was also encouraging others to “back it up” and save the posts of the alleged shooter and the thread where he was posting, for “memes.”
In these posts, he tries to convince the other users that, based on his extensive usage and knowledge of the boards and the culture therein, from what he’s seen, there is “likely Russian (involvement)” in the thread. He specifically states that, again, based on his expert opinion, it couldn’t be Mossad, the CIA or the FBI, no no. It had to be Russia. 😂 So here he’s attempting to sway the narrative and start the rumor himself. He points out the timing of one of the posts made prior to the shooting by a user that appears to have prior knowledge of the shooting “correlates with Ukraine and Western Russia if you do the math.” Once again pushing the narrative that Russia was involved.
In his second post above, he’s getting cranky that other users are “sliding the thread,” which means talking about other things and derailing the topic at hand. He wants to make sure everyone is focused on discussing this.
A couple users are actually able to sniff out the behavior of this FED and begin to call him out, one of them accuses him of being Mossad. The FED responds to both by accusing them of working for Putin. He was definitely continually pushing the narrative towards Putin and Russia. (Sound familiar?)
This is by no means the only example we have of 3 letter agencies actively participating in the events they are tasked with investigating. There have been other instances where law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have been involved in controversial operations that included elements of encouragement or enticement. I’ll share some below.
The Newburgh Four:
Shahed Hussain, a Pakistani immigrant working as an FBI informant, played a crucial role in this case. He infiltrated a mosque in Newburgh, New York, and encountered James Cromitie, who expressed anti-American sentiments. The informant befriended Cromitie and eventually presented him with the opportunity to participate in a terrorist plot.
Throughout the investigation, the FBI informant provided the individuals with resources such as money, a fake missile, and inert explosives. The informant played a significant role in encouraging and facilitating the plot, and the question was of course contemplated whether the crime would have ever existed without the actions of the informant.
‘Newburgh Four’ Terrorism Case Releases Show Dire Need for FBI Reforms
The “Draw Mohammad” Shooting:
A Garland, Texas, shooting in 2015 involved an attack on a "Draw Muhammad" contest organized by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi carried out the attack, but allegations were made that the FBI had some level of involvement, with suggestions that an undercover informant may have encouraged or facilitated the attackers. Critics argued that the FBI's actions could be seen as "egging on" the assailants, raising questions about the agency's role in the events leading up to the attack.
FBI Agent Apparently Egged on ‘Draw Muhammad’ Shooter
Fast and Furious:
Operation Fast and Furious was a controversial ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) program where firearms were allowed to be trafficked into Mexico to track weapons to drug cartels. Many of the firearms sold to straw purchasers were high-powered weapons. The ATF lost track of a significant number of these weapons, and they eventually ended up in the hands of criminals, both in Mexico and the United States.
Some of the firearms involved in Operation Fast and Furious were later linked to crimes, including the killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry, in December 2010.
In the raid on the hidey-hole of “El Chapo” that recovered the drug lord himself, it was also discovered he possessed a MASSIVE .50 caliber rifle (capable of shooting down a helicopter) that originated with the ATF program as well.
Gun seized from El Chapo's hideout linked to 'Fast and Furious'
Ruby Ridge:
The Ruby Ridge incident in 1992 involved the FBI's handling of a standoff with Randy Weaver and his family in Idaho. The FBI was criticized for its use of force, and there were allegations that the agency's actions may have contributed to the escalation of the situation. Weaver, whose crime was failing to appear in court for a firearms charge, had agents surrounding his cabin where he and his family lived. This disproportionate response lead to a tense and dangerous situation, that kicked off when a Marshal hiding in the woods surveilling the Weaver’s, came across their 14 y/o son Sammy who was walking their dog. The marshal shot and killed the dog, prompting Sammy to fire at the marshal, which resulted in the Marshal firing back and killing Sammy. The next day there was a shootout between the family and law enforcement in which Weaver and his wife Vicki were also shot and killed.
Ruby Ridge Remembered Militarized Central State Versus Individual Life and Liberty
The Abscam Operation:
The Abscam operation was an FBI-led sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s aimed at investigating political corruption. Undercover agents posed as wealthy Arab sheiks offering bribes to politicians in exchange for favors. While the operation led to the conviction of several public officials, there were claims of entrapment in some cases. One notable case involved the conviction of six members of Congress, with some arguing that the FBI's tactics amounted to entrapment by creating opportunities for corruption that might not have existed otherwise. The criticism included the relentless persistence of the undercover agents. Some argued that the agents went to great lengths to convince the individuals to accept the bribes.
Jersey Hustle: The real-life story of Abscam
2010 Portland Car Bomb Plot:
In 2010, the FBI was involved in a sting operation in Portland, Oregon, targeting a Somali-born teenager, Mohamed Osman Mohamud. The FBI, using undercover agents, provided Mohamud with what he believed to be a bomb to attack a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Mohamud was arrested when he attempted to detonate the inert device. The case raised questions about whether Mohamud would have initiated such a plot without the FBI's involvement, leading to discussions about entrapment.
Oregon Bomb Plot Suspect’s Defense Challenges FBI Over ‘Grooming’
And many more such cases…
In the complex arena of the information war, a disconcerting narrative emerges—one where the pursuit of a particular agenda transcends ethical boundaries and veers into the territory of calculated manipulation. While the target is typically freedom itself, all too often the collateral damage starts with individuals used as patsies. We’re living in a clown world more akin to “IT” than Bobo.
As Elon Musk sets the legal stage for a "thermonuclear" clash with Media Matters, the unfolding saga serves as a stark reminder of psywar's dual nature—where truth and trickery coexist, and psyops are coming from both sides. I hope Musk sues the clown pants off of MM, and the trickle down economics result in less FED-thespians infiltrating our circles and performing psychodramas to frame innocent people and give legislative pukes the fodder to take away our rights.
It’ll be really fun to see which pundits, profiles and trolls start disappearing into the ether after Elon bleeds MM dry.
😉
And the fight for FREEDOM on X (aka Twitter) goes on.
Can't wait for the REEEEE when TS and X consolidate ✅😳😂