In an essay posted on the Hannah Arendt Center website at Bard College, Arendt scholar Roger Berkowitz writes, “Hannah Arendt argues that the distinction between truth and lie can be eroded, over time, by ‘continual lying.’ When political leaders, institutions, the press, and respected figures habitually and continually state alternative facts, their lies—even if they are neither intended to be believed nor are believed—attack the very foundations of what Arendt calls the common world.”
As for the Biden admin not making this a priority. They increased the reward multiple times & one year had a big push, putting out a video with more info, etc.
At least Marjorie Taylor Greene can breath a sigh of release.
This reminds me of an old New Yorker cartoon where everyone blamed everything on the Atom Bomb including that the cat had kittens. Another other seniors who remember that one?
We don't really need to look at her past; it's been less than a week since she claimed Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted. She's getting her pension, she doesn't see any need to stick around and actually do her job.
I have to say, my first thought upon seeing the headline about arresting a suspect was suspicion. They cultivated this lack of mistrust and now we're here.
Joyce, you have articulated a feeling I’ve been struggling to name. I absolutely trust our institutions — but not fully, not anymore. I’m 80 years old, and I feel like a huge chunk of the rug has been pulled out from under me. Naming it helps.
Way more than that. I just turned 83, and determined to hang on long enough to do my bit to see these con artists GONE and our country on the road to recovery. I just plain refuse to die before I feel that my grandchildren will have a foundation of trust and fairness to build on,
My first reaction to reading about this today was skepticism. I don't believe a word of it and won't until there's evidence brought forward. Her press conference was yet another attempt at distracting us from the Epstein file fiasco, the Patel fiasco, the Hegseth crimes, and the president's rapidly declining mental state. It's a shame that today's DOJ (and any of the other federal agencies for that matter) has become a laughing stock. An unbelievable laughing stock.
"Her press conference was yet another attempt at distracting us from the Epstein file fiasco, the Patel fiasco, the Hegseth crimes, and the president's rapidly declining mental state"
EXACTLY - we are NOT DEMENTED & DELUSIONAL...the picture is in clear focus with this ORANGE TOXIC WASTE and its clown care of CONVICTS, SEX OFFENDERS, PEOPHILES, etc!!!
They all looked so smug & joyful at their press conf! Even old Judge Jeanine was all smiley! I was afraid her plastic face would crack! And Bondi carrying on all giddy about "live bombs"! They are truly a revolting bunch!
Yeah, my reaction to their posturing was that they knew enough to nab the guy but waited until it could be the "shiny thing" that would take some shine off all the many daily fiascos and crimes.
I hadn't realized that Pam Blondie uses an American flag to tweet her self-serving nonsense and hide her lies behind.
Long ago, I learned to distrust people who use props. They generally have a lot to hide and are almost never up to any good. Every word out of her lying mouth is some direct, open assault on truth, designed to protect her criminal, demented, vicious, deceitful, lying boss from real accountability. I don't believe a word she says even before it comes out of her foul mouth.
It is enough for to see her face to know that LIES are coming! Anyone in the felon’s cabinet could appear in the dictionary next to the word sycophant, also known as a flunky!
These guys can't go one day without blaming Biden and the Dems for something. BONDI: "Bondi at the press conference: “Today’s arrest happened because the Trump administration made it a priority.” She says it “languished” under the Biden administration for four years, and that her team sifted through pre-existing evidence to indict it."
I wonder if it's possible for this weaponized Justice Department to just back off; to start crediting good old fashioned investigating and then to stop right there? Does blaming Biden somehow soothe their tender egos? Make them feel like bigger shots?
Blaming Biden definitely soothes one man's delicate ego, which only repeated flattery can sustain. Trump's constant, pathetic bragging and bullying is a sign of his inner insecurity. He finds it essential to demean all of his predecessors to feel better about himself.
Anarchist are most definitely not Democrats. In fact the anarchist are people like Peter Thiel, Mark Andreesen and and other billionaires who are building an island off the coast of Honduras called Prospero. I mentioned this in some earlier comments on another column. They’re doing that because they want to have it run by a corporation which they run. And it will not have laws per se. It’s set up to be anarchical. So look no further than the billionaire tech class if you want to look for anarchists, if you look at Project 25 that’s what it amounts to. This whole business of these billionaires liking anarchy should be another big story. I think it was Krugman who wrote that bit the other day.
Having watched a chunk of the "press conference" Joyce writes about, I too am skeptical on many levels. One, it appears timely to take the focus off the recently released report prepared by former/current FBI agents' report revealing how Patel and Bongino are flailing/failing at the FBI and professional FBI agents' sinking morale. It is also a distraction from the Hegseth "double tap" disaster, Trump's sleeping through the recent Cabinet meeting, etc, etc, etc. Two, I note none of the press took the opportunity to ask about the status of the Epstein files due for release in about 10 days; in fact, based on the press questions I doubt any serious journalists were called on. Three, my learned distrust of anything coming out of this DOJ and Administration. It would not surprise me if they arrested the wrong person simply to have this press conference.
I did note it took four Trump sycophants and the DC Police Chief to make this announcement. I contrast that with Jack Smith's announcement of his indictment of Trump on charges related to January 6, 2021. Mr. Smith presented his indictment and that was it. No press questions taken. No other individual spoke. No praise of Attorney General Merrick or President Biden.
There is no greater danger, as Joyce Vance notes, to the integrity of our civil institutions than the distrust of them sewn by lies. These lies are a metaphysical infestation of termites eating away at the supports of our administrative way of life, the successful functioning of which requires user confidence. It may take decades to repair the damage the Trump administration has wreaked.
And it's consistent across the government now. CDC is a case in point, but no matter which agency you look at the lies are endemic. I'm almost at the point where, whenever I hear a statement from any of them, I assume the opposite is true.
And it is that "assumption of doubt" that is real damage. As you point out, this doubt begins to infect any statement made by the Trump administration. Ask yourself how long it will take for you to regain confidence in what any Trump official says and what is involved in that.
Certainly an increased skepticism, now adopted as a method for scrutiny of all statements is a plus. It is a knowledge stance we all should take toward any administration. The worry is that continued extreme distrust can lead to a self-destructive cynicism in which bruised minds become completely turned off politics and government institutions altogether. And the point of turned cynicism is different for everyone.
Its damage, like termite damage, can be very difficult to ascertain.
Confidence in any Trump administration statement will never be regained, ever. We'll have to wait until the next administration to see if they, whoever they might be, will give truth a chance.
I don't expect I'd ever trust anything anyone who had/has any connection at all with this administration ever says. They kind of turn the saying inside out: trust that they are lying, and verify the particulars. Like everything else they do, they force a healthy skepticism beyond its outer limits. And, as you say, in the process damage the entire society and everyone in it.
You are absolutely correct. The philosopher Immanuel Kant was very strict about not lying for the very reasons you point out. It destroys social trust at all levels.
There is a further problem with lying, I think, and that is for the liar. After a while, the liar may no longer know when they are lying, and this can lead to self-deception, where one can no longer trust oneself, creating a pretty good route toward self-destruction.
These questions go right to the heart of the possibility of having a reasonable mind.
That's very perceptive. And again, it endangers all of us. If reasonable minds can differ, but some aren't reasonable because they don't even know anymore that they're lying, the ones that are left are in danger of thinking we're always right...and then we may end up in the same place. I wonder what all of us, the liars and the lied-to, will have left when (if🤞) this administration is over...
Long ago, the SS came to the door of a Protestant pastor in Holland, and asked the pastor’s wife if there were any Jews staying in the house. Informed as she was of Kant’s categorical imperative, she could not lie, and said “yes.”
All I would say about that is that the pastor's wife failed to understand the surrounding conditions of the rule against lying -- those conditions being under the normal circumstances of everyday life. Life under Nazi rule is anything but normal circumstances. I think most people understand that.
I believe that, and in the same circumstance, confronting Nazi SS, I would lie as effectively as was possible to protect those whose lives I was harboring.
Good grief Joyce. The corruption and twisted perspective in service of the demented dangerous Regime is astounding and shameful— thank you for your clarity
The fact the questions are being asked is a problem. The fact that the questions need to be asked is an even bigger problem. This DOJ is perfectly capable of railroading a plausible suspect without making sure they have sufficient evidence of actual guilt. They are also capable of lying about what evidence they have and how they obtained it. They care more about using this as a political opportunity than they care about whether or not they have the right guy. While it is most likely that they did get the bomber, it's far too early to just assume that.
While questioning everything about this DOJ is necessary, the damage is long-term. The next DOJ is going to have a very fine line to walk. They will need to reestablish their non-partisan status while being in a position where they also need to prosecute a significant number of people from the previous administration.
I don't trust them to even have a plausible suspect. They're perfectly capable of grabbing someone to charge without worrying about evidence. We'll see what happens if they ever get to court with this guy. The DOJ, like CDC and pretty much every other agency as far as I can tell, has purged and hollowed out its professional core and only has incompetent sycophants left. See, e.g., Lindsey Halligan. This is especially chilling with the military - Admiral Bradley's apparent order to murder shipwrecked non-combatants tells us that the rot has spread even there.
Definitely keeping my powder and opinion on this “arrest” for a while. It will be interesting to see if there is anyone in this DOJ who can even get an indictment.
Sad to say but I do not believe anything said by the moral slum that is the tRump regime. From job numbers to lie Social posts everything they say is bull shite.
Yeah, i don’t trust this DoJ & FBI.
As for the Biden admin not making this a priority. They increased the reward multiple times & one year had a big push, putting out a video with more info, etc.
At least Marjorie Taylor Greene can breath a sigh of release.
I'm not sure anyone in this administration is capable of making a statement that doesn't blame Biden for something.
This reminds me of an old New Yorker cartoon where everyone blamed everything on the Atom Bomb including that the cat had kittens. Another other seniors who remember that one?
I've heard about a few Japanese people who share this view.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/31/atomic-people-review-surviving-hiroshima-documentary-bbc
RE MTG - the jury is still "OUT" on how much we can trust her!!!
We can’t trust her if past is prologue. She’s still the Qanon Jewish space lasers personality. But currently substantially wealthier
We don't really need to look at her past; it's been less than a week since she claimed Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted. She's getting her pension, she doesn't see any need to stick around and actually do her job.
Ha! So I wasn't the only one who was convinced that MTG was the culprit!
I have to say, my first thought upon seeing the headline about arresting a suspect was suspicion. They cultivated this lack of mistrust and now we're here.
Joyce, you have articulated a feeling I’ve been struggling to name. I absolutely trust our institutions — but not fully, not anymore. I’m 80 years old, and I feel like a huge chunk of the rug has been pulled out from under me. Naming it helps.
That makes two of us.
That makes three of us. I'm 83 and I know the clock is ticking down. I have to live to see this bunch voted out and get their comeuppance.
At 78 gives me incentive to keep eating right and exercising. No damn way I am kicking the bucket on this watch.
I’m with you, sisters! As is my mum (age 92)
sounds like a plan...I 74 and feel the same way.
Also 74, and I agree.
Keep HOPE ALIVE friends .....we WILL PREVAIL!!!!
Way more than that. I just turned 83, and determined to hang on long enough to do my bit to see these con artists GONE and our country on the road to recovery. I just plain refuse to die before I feel that my grandchildren will have a foundation of trust and fairness to build on,
Three!
Agree a 100%
My first reaction to reading about this today was skepticism. I don't believe a word of it and won't until there's evidence brought forward. Her press conference was yet another attempt at distracting us from the Epstein file fiasco, the Patel fiasco, the Hegseth crimes, and the president's rapidly declining mental state. It's a shame that today's DOJ (and any of the other federal agencies for that matter) has become a laughing stock. An unbelievable laughing stock.
BINGO.....distract distract DISTRACT
"Her press conference was yet another attempt at distracting us from the Epstein file fiasco, the Patel fiasco, the Hegseth crimes, and the president's rapidly declining mental state"
That’s what it is! A distraction.
EXACTLY - we are NOT DEMENTED & DELUSIONAL...the picture is in clear focus with this ORANGE TOXIC WASTE and its clown care of CONVICTS, SEX OFFENDERS, PEOPHILES, etc!!!
They all looked so smug & joyful at their press conf! Even old Judge Jeanine was all smiley! I was afraid her plastic face would crack! And Bondi carrying on all giddy about "live bombs"! They are truly a revolting bunch!
This is all another way to divert attention from what really counts and the epstein files..and probably the fishing boat killings
Yeah, my reaction to their posturing was that they knew enough to nab the guy but waited until it could be the "shiny thing" that would take some shine off all the many daily fiascos and crimes.
I hadn't realized that Pam Blondie uses an American flag to tweet her self-serving nonsense and hide her lies behind.
Long ago, I learned to distrust people who use props. They generally have a lot to hide and are almost never up to any good. Every word out of her lying mouth is some direct, open assault on truth, designed to protect her criminal, demented, vicious, deceitful, lying boss from real accountability. I don't believe a word she says even before it comes out of her foul mouth.
It is enough for to see her face to know that LIES are coming! Anyone in the felon’s cabinet could appear in the dictionary next to the word sycophant, also known as a flunky!
These guys can't go one day without blaming Biden and the Dems for something. BONDI: "Bondi at the press conference: “Today’s arrest happened because the Trump administration made it a priority.” She says it “languished” under the Biden administration for four years, and that her team sifted through pre-existing evidence to indict it."
I wonder if it's possible for this weaponized Justice Department to just back off; to start crediting good old fashioned investigating and then to stop right there? Does blaming Biden somehow soothe their tender egos? Make them feel like bigger shots?
Yeah. It’s pathetic.
Blaming Biden definitely soothes one man's delicate ego, which only repeated flattery can sustain. Trump's constant, pathetic bragging and bullying is a sign of his inner insecurity. He finds it essential to demean all of his predecessors to feel better about himself.
This Administration, the Clown Car Cabinet, are going to spin this and say it's one of the dreaded "Antifa" members. In other words, they'll lie
Anarchist are most definitely not Democrats. In fact the anarchist are people like Peter Thiel, Mark Andreesen and and other billionaires who are building an island off the coast of Honduras called Prospero. I mentioned this in some earlier comments on another column. They’re doing that because they want to have it run by a corporation which they run. And it will not have laws per se. It’s set up to be anarchical. So look no further than the billionaire tech class if you want to look for anarchists, if you look at Project 25 that’s what it amounts to. This whole business of these billionaires liking anarchy should be another big story. I think it was Krugman who wrote that bit the other day.
Having watched a chunk of the "press conference" Joyce writes about, I too am skeptical on many levels. One, it appears timely to take the focus off the recently released report prepared by former/current FBI agents' report revealing how Patel and Bongino are flailing/failing at the FBI and professional FBI agents' sinking morale. It is also a distraction from the Hegseth "double tap" disaster, Trump's sleeping through the recent Cabinet meeting, etc, etc, etc. Two, I note none of the press took the opportunity to ask about the status of the Epstein files due for release in about 10 days; in fact, based on the press questions I doubt any serious journalists were called on. Three, my learned distrust of anything coming out of this DOJ and Administration. It would not surprise me if they arrested the wrong person simply to have this press conference.
I did note it took four Trump sycophants and the DC Police Chief to make this announcement. I contrast that with Jack Smith's announcement of his indictment of Trump on charges related to January 6, 2021. Mr. Smith presented his indictment and that was it. No press questions taken. No other individual spoke. No praise of Attorney General Merrick or President Biden.
That routine extolling of the greatness of the little orange man is so tiresome.
Just the freakin facts, Pam Fake Blondi.
There is no greater danger, as Joyce Vance notes, to the integrity of our civil institutions than the distrust of them sewn by lies. These lies are a metaphysical infestation of termites eating away at the supports of our administrative way of life, the successful functioning of which requires user confidence. It may take decades to repair the damage the Trump administration has wreaked.
This is how real evil works in the world.
And it's consistent across the government now. CDC is a case in point, but no matter which agency you look at the lies are endemic. I'm almost at the point where, whenever I hear a statement from any of them, I assume the opposite is true.
And it is that "assumption of doubt" that is real damage. As you point out, this doubt begins to infect any statement made by the Trump administration. Ask yourself how long it will take for you to regain confidence in what any Trump official says and what is involved in that.
Certainly an increased skepticism, now adopted as a method for scrutiny of all statements is a plus. It is a knowledge stance we all should take toward any administration. The worry is that continued extreme distrust can lead to a self-destructive cynicism in which bruised minds become completely turned off politics and government institutions altogether. And the point of turned cynicism is different for everyone.
Its damage, like termite damage, can be very difficult to ascertain.
Confidence in any Trump administration statement will never be regained, ever. We'll have to wait until the next administration to see if they, whoever they might be, will give truth a chance.
I don't expect I'd ever trust anything anyone who had/has any connection at all with this administration ever says. They kind of turn the saying inside out: trust that they are lying, and verify the particulars. Like everything else they do, they force a healthy skepticism beyond its outer limits. And, as you say, in the process damage the entire society and everyone in it.
You are absolutely correct. The philosopher Immanuel Kant was very strict about not lying for the very reasons you point out. It destroys social trust at all levels.
There is a further problem with lying, I think, and that is for the liar. After a while, the liar may no longer know when they are lying, and this can lead to self-deception, where one can no longer trust oneself, creating a pretty good route toward self-destruction.
These questions go right to the heart of the possibility of having a reasonable mind.
You just described Trump perfectly.
That's very perceptive. And again, it endangers all of us. If reasonable minds can differ, but some aren't reasonable because they don't even know anymore that they're lying, the ones that are left are in danger of thinking we're always right...and then we may end up in the same place. I wonder what all of us, the liars and the lied-to, will have left when (if🤞) this administration is over...
Yes, but.
Long ago, the SS came to the door of a Protestant pastor in Holland, and asked the pastor’s wife if there were any Jews staying in the house. Informed as she was of Kant’s categorical imperative, she could not lie, and said “yes.”
All I would say about that is that the pastor's wife failed to understand the surrounding conditions of the rule against lying -- those conditions being under the normal circumstances of everyday life. Life under Nazi rule is anything but normal circumstances. I think most people understand that.
I believe that, and in the same circumstance, confronting Nazi SS, I would lie as effectively as was possible to protect those whose lives I was harboring.
I'm afraid I simply don't listen to, or read, anything members of this regime say. My assumption is that they're lying.
So they've arrested someone who they say planted a bomb at the DNC.
Already suspect.
Good grief Joyce. The corruption and twisted perspective in service of the demented dangerous Regime is astounding and shameful— thank you for your clarity
The fact the questions are being asked is a problem. The fact that the questions need to be asked is an even bigger problem. This DOJ is perfectly capable of railroading a plausible suspect without making sure they have sufficient evidence of actual guilt. They are also capable of lying about what evidence they have and how they obtained it. They care more about using this as a political opportunity than they care about whether or not they have the right guy. While it is most likely that they did get the bomber, it's far too early to just assume that.
While questioning everything about this DOJ is necessary, the damage is long-term. The next DOJ is going to have a very fine line to walk. They will need to reestablish their non-partisan status while being in a position where they also need to prosecute a significant number of people from the previous administration.
I don't trust them to even have a plausible suspect. They're perfectly capable of grabbing someone to charge without worrying about evidence. We'll see what happens if they ever get to court with this guy. The DOJ, like CDC and pretty much every other agency as far as I can tell, has purged and hollowed out its professional core and only has incompetent sycophants left. See, e.g., Lindsey Halligan. This is especially chilling with the military - Admiral Bradley's apparent order to murder shipwrecked non-combatants tells us that the rot has spread even there.
Definitely keeping my powder and opinion on this “arrest” for a while. It will be interesting to see if there is anyone in this DOJ who can even get an indictment.
If true, this is just another guy for Trump to pardon, maybe “pre-pardon?”
Pre-pardon indeed! He can barely wait.
Sad to say but I do not believe anything said by the moral slum that is the tRump regime. From job numbers to lie Social posts everything they say is bull shite.