Would we have won WWII? I don’t know.
This not-so-hypothetical situation was posed by Alex Stamos, former Chief Security Officer, from Facebook in an interview this past Monday with Walter Isaacson on Amanpour & Company on PBS.
STAMOS: Just imagine Pearl Harbor happens and half the country believes it was a hoax.
There's no way we could have mobilized the homeland. And then World War II.
And that's what it feels like we are right now that we're in a place where a significant percentage of the country believes that nothing happened in 2016 and to be honest of all people in government I think Congressional Republicans have some of the most responsibility for that because they have slowed down investigations they have reduced the certainty people have and it would be very very powerful to see both Republicans and Democrats speaking with one voice that this is not something that the United States is going to allow in passing legislation to secure our elections to give the proper authorities to regulate the online ad ecosystem but they don't do it because.
Full Interview is roughly 16 minutes: www.pbs.org/…
Or if you prefer a very imperfect transcript: www.pbs.org/…
We have lost valuable time needed to officially combat the Russian cyber war AND other more base, click-bait mercenaries.
We have left this battle to private companies (like Facebook and Twitter) to combat, while Congressional Rs and Russian Asset Trumpsky continue to aid and abet through lies, confusion, contradictions, and deliberate efforts to knee-cap our own FBI and CIA efforts to both investigate and to fight outside adjudicators, foreign agents, and yes, enemy cyber combatants.
STAMOS: Yeah. You have to give the Senate Intel Committee credit that they have been able to accept the basic precept that we were attacked in 2016 and that they have to do something about it.
ISAACSON: They haven't done anything.
STAMOS: Right so I mean there is that component. We are almost two years out and there hasn't been any actual legislation that's come out and there hasn't.
I think honestly as a country what we've missed was the opportunity for something like a 9/11 Commission. We really should have had a nonpartisan nonpolitical investigation because one of the benefits we had of the 9/11 Commission is there are lots of arguments about whose fault things were.
This is yet another important reason why we must vote in 2018 and win at least the House.
Otherwise, nothing will happen to stop this from happening a second time, third time, ad infinitum.
I know I am preaching to the choir here, but we must win and win big to have the effect we need to make corrections and changes in our external systems and internal government systems. We must reclaim power to re-institute norms we used to see in all 3 branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) and codify them into law.
From Hillary’s Excellent book afterward & Atlantic article—
five main fronts of this assault on our democracy.
First, there is Donald Trump’s assault on the rule of law…
Second, the legitimacy of our elections is in doubt.
There’s Russia’s ongoing interference and Trump’s complete unwillingness to stop it or protect us. There’s voter suppression, as Republicans put onerous—and I believe illegal—requirements in place to stop people from voting. There’s gerrymandering, with partisans—these days, principally Republicans—drawing the lines for voting districts to ensure that their party nearly always wins. All of this carries us further away from the sacred principle of “one person, one vote.”
Third, the president is waging war on truth and reason…
Fourth, there’s Trump’s breathtaking corruption…
Fifth, Trump undermines the national unity that makes democracy possible...
She calls B.S. on both-siderism!
There is a tendency, when talking about these things, to wring our hands about “both sides.” But the truth is that this is not a symmetrical problem. We should be clear about this: The increasing radicalism and irresponsibility of the Republican Party, including decades of demeaning government, demonizing Democrats, and debasing norms, is what gave us Donald Trump. Whether it was abusing the filibuster and stealing a Supreme Court seat, gerrymandering congressional districts to disenfranchise African Americans, or muzzling government climate scientists, Republicans were undermining American democracy long before Trump made it to the Oval Office.
First actions to take:
First, we’ve got to mobilize massive turnout in the 2018 midterms. There are fantastic candidates running all over the country, making their compelling cases every day about how they’ll raise wages, bring down health-care costs, and fight for justice. If they win, they’ll do great things for America. And we could finally see some congressional oversight of the White House.
When the dust settles, we have to do some serious housecleaning.
After Watergate, Congress passed a whole slew of reforms in response to Richard Nixon’s abuses of power. After Trump, we’re going to need a similar process. For example, Trump’s corruption should teach us that all future candidates for president and presidents themselves should be required by law to release their tax returns. They also should not be exempt from ethics requirements and conflict-of-interest rules.
www.theatlantic.com/… [ALL bolding in mine]
This is the Hillary Rodham Clinton we love.
This is why we love her.