So the U.S. government is officially accusing Russia, and President Putin, of interfering in the U.S. presidential election.

One week ago the Washington Post breathlessly ran a story with the headline “Russian hackers penetrated U.S. electricity grid through a utility in Vermont, U.S. officials say." But that was not the truth.

"The text indicates the social and political factors driving the resort to authoritarianism. It complains that the “financial crisis and the advance of new forms of digital media have posed serious challenges for quality journalism, leading to a decrease in critical thinking among audiences, thus making them more susceptible to disinformation and manipulation..”

Restrictions on free speech are all the craze now in Western Democracies (Demockrazies?). In the US, we’ve got the various “protect the people from fake news” initiatives. Of course, the self-appointed and designated “protectors” are Corporate and Government entities, mixed with billionaires who think they are as good and wise as Buddha, Solomon, and all the Saints. (Said blessing comes with one’s first billion dollars, apparently.)

The Senate version of H.R. 5181 passed this week inside the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference Report.

If you're on the Facebook feed of a bunch of Clinton critics you have perhaps seen this Atlantic piece by Derek Thompson:

The Dangerous Myth That Hillary Clinton Ignored the Working Class