A time for misinformation and disinformation
The United States of America is not at war.
Not now.
Yet.
Unless, of course, you count those ever-persistent political skirmishes.
That never stops.
There are no American troops on the ground in Ukraine.
You wouldn鈥檛 know that if you only listened to some of the crowing that蘑菇视频 going on these days.
Sen. John Kennedy (not that one; the one who currently represents the great state of Louisiana) fashions himself as some sort of folksy cross between Barney Fife and Will Rogers.
He enjoys making his naked political pronouncements while trying to not sound like the Harvard grad he is.
He蘑菇视频 the Foghorn Leghorn of Congress.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 support the president蘑菇视频 position,鈥� he said the other day on Fox News.
That蘑菇视频 no revelation. He蘑菇视频 a Republican. If he ever publicly agreed with President Biden, that might be a first.
He was being asked about the possibility of a Biden-led no-fly zone put in place in Ukraine.
First, Kennedy wanted to make sure he was clear about one thing. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to win this war militarily, or economically until we cut off President Putin蘑菇视频 money,鈥� said Kennedy.
Nobody at Fox was willing to interject a simple fact: WE ARE NOT AT WAR WITH RUSSIA.
That might take place later. I hope it doesn鈥檛, but it might.
Kennedy was ignoring the obvious fact that Russia isn鈥檛 our stated enemy.
He was engaging in bluster.
North Carolina蘑菇视频 wild-eyed Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn, has a knack for making hyperbolic statements that are sure to ignite both controversies and campaign cash, I suppose.
鈥淚 will just tell you honestly, both governments in both Russia and Ukraine are incredibly corrupt and very vile,鈥� Cawthorn recently said after calling Ukraine蘑菇视频 government 鈥渧ery vile.鈥�
Cawthorn must not have a television.
And if he does, maybe he hasn鈥檛 tuned to all of those stations that show the brutal attacks being staged by Russians against those innocent people of Ukraine.
Those people aren鈥檛 鈥渧ile.鈥� They鈥檙e the victims of extreme cruelty.
Mr. Cawthorn should probably find another country or country蘑菇视频 government to attack these days.
Political commentator Candace Owens (no relation) on the other hand, has another problem.
She claims that it蘑菇视频 鈥渁bsolutely appalling the way Russians are being treated in America and abroad.鈥�
Really?
She concluded her tweeted tirade with 鈥淩ussian lives matter.鈥�
If you pay much attention to the news, you鈥檒l find there蘑菇视频 no shortage of bizarre points of view out there.
Surprisingly, Fox News has a national security correspondent, Jennifer Griffin, who蘑菇视频 gaining quite a reputation as somebody at the network who蘑菇视频 knocking down false claims that have been made there.
Last week she went into some detail about the fiction by the Russians that the United States is developing biological weapons that can be used in the war in Ukraine.
There are bio labs in Ukraine, and several countries around the world, that have been developed for biomedicine 鈥� but not for weapons.
Yet, Russia appears to be getting its false information about the supposed bioweapons from a familiar source 鈥� Tucker Carlson.
Carlson spent two segments on his nightly Fox News show discussing those bio labs to the extent that Russia took note.
He took a statement at a congressional hearing by Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland completely out of context to make his point. 鈥淰ictoria Nuland just confirmed that the Russian disinformation they鈥檝e been telling us for days is a lie, a conspiracy theory, and crazy and immoral to believe is, in fact, totally and completely true. Whoa,鈥� Carlson proclaimed.
The result meant that, according to a report in Mother Jones, there蘑菇视频 a leaked Kremlin memo about directing Russia蘑菇视频 TV stations to make use of Tucker Carlson蘑菇视频 uniquely pro-Russian remarks.
鈥淚t is essential to use as much as possible fragments of broadcasts of the popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sharply criticizes the actions of the United States (and) NATO,鈥� that memo says in part.
Or, as one online commenter wrote: 鈥淭ucker Carlson is number one in his time slot again!!! On Russian state television.鈥�
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.