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Baked Potato

(7,733 posts)
Sun Dec 1, 2019, 08:54 PM Dec 2019

Beware the Attacks on the Military and Veterans. "Divide and Conquer" is the Goal.

The end game is division. The trolls aren’t trying to promote Trump or his policies. Not in these forums. The trollers on these forums must align with Democrats in order to post and be believable. These trolls are sowing the seeds of division, confusion, apathy, and turmoil. The trolling is clever and sophisticated.

The trolling can start with posting an anecdote, such as a criticism of a group of American people, organization, or system. These groups can include the Military, Police, Firefighters, and their families, organizations and systems supporting them.

The trolling poster has done his/her homework and knows their audience. They know Democrats aren’t monolithic in their politics, rightfully so. There are deeply held opinions and differences, especially in the areas of Military and Police.

But, the well-informed trolls know Americans come together in times of need, and the trolls are fully aware of this particular moment in time, regarding world problems and domestic politics. They know Democrats are united in getting Trump and his corrupt cronies out of government. And, that unity is a tough challenge for them.

So, their job is to learn as much history of America they can. To be an effective instigator, they must sound sincere. They must sound authentic. And, they must cause people to engage them.

Please use care when having conversations concerning our Military and our Veterans. After all, they are human beings and can be heroes on one day and just be doing their jobs the next day. Some times we hear about them, but most of the time we don’t. For whatever their reason, they chose to wear the uniform of the United States of America and assume the important demands and immense responsibilities of the job. They need our support and honor even in times in which the Commander In Chief is dishonorable.

******************************

Why the Kremlin Targets Veterans
November 8, 2019

“This Veterans Day, as Americans across the country prepare to honor the brave men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces, foreign adversaries will target and exploit service members with a variety of online predatory behavior. From creating fake social media accounts to spread disinformation within and about veteran communities to outright scamming veterans with solicitations for personal information and money, bad actors have been unrelenting in their targeted operations.”

“The ultimate objective of this divide and conquer strategy is to have large portions of the population lose faith in the democracy—and disengage altogether.”

“In addition to infiltrating, or in some cases creating, online pages and posting group-reinforcing narratives, Kremlin-sponsored trolls have routinely promoted divisive content meant to instigate veteran resentment toward the government or other groups within the democracy.”

https://www.csis.org/analysis/why-kremlin-targets-veterans

*****************************

The Kremlin’s Strategy for the 2020 U.S. Election: Secure the Base, Split the Opposition

Clint Watts May 2019

Divide and Conquer

“Populists on the political right were the primary focus of Kremlin influence heading into 2016, with the political left getting the remainder. This formula will likely reverse in 2020.”

“Moving forward, the Kremlin’s strategy will be to identify, highlight and empower the unwitting and the like-minded on the political left.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-kremlins-strategy-for-the-2020-us-election-secure-the-base-split-the-opposition

10 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Beware the Attacks on the Military and Veterans. "Divide and Conquer" is the Goal. (Original Post) Baked Potato Dec 2019 OP
Divide and Conquer elleng Dec 2019 #1
Same with Police. California_Republic Dec 2019 #2
The US Military is absolutely blameless beyond criticism samir.g Dec 2019 #3
Yup! ArtTownsend Dec 2019 #7
What makes anyone think they STOPPED after the election ? Haggis for Breakfast Dec 2019 #4
The reality of our military. Eko Dec 2019 #5
Thanks for your input Baked Potato Dec 2019 #6
RW powers learned from their giant New Deal era setbacks: Hortensis Dec 2019 #8
Criticism of the MIC and criticism of a culture of racist/violent policing... Garrett78 Dec 2019 #9
K&R for visibility crickets Dec 2019 #10

Haggis for Breakfast

(6,831 posts)
4. What makes anyone think they STOPPED after the election ?
Sun Dec 1, 2019, 11:53 PM
Dec 2019

This has been an on-going tsunami of division, enabled by that parasitic, opportunistic disease in the Oval Office.

If it doesn't pass the smell test, folks . . .

Eko

(7,342 posts)
5. The reality of our military.
Mon Dec 2, 2019, 12:01 AM
Dec 2019

Grew up in a military town, one of the largest. One of my buddies in the military would sleep at least 6 hours on his shift. His sacrifice was monumental. I remember calling a listing for a house to rent and I asked about the deposit, they asked if I was military. I said no but asked why they were asking that and they replied the deposit was $300 if you were in the military and $2700 if you were not. Probably at least a half dozen I know have retired by their mid 30's yet never saw any action. Every year the military would come to the store I worked at to buy more gear and they would trade in the gear they got last year. They had to do it or they would loose the funding they were given even though the gear they traded in was still in great shape and usable for a long time. On the flip side during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan you would have guys come in with casts on their legs, arms, body casts, in wheel chairs or with prosthetics. The reality is that most people in the military will never see combat at all but for the ones that do it is life changing. I never tell someone thank you for your service, the ones that saw war dont need mealy mouthed words to make them feel better and the ones that didn't used the system to gain. Nothing wrong with that, they did a job and get the rewards, but they dont deserve me idolizing them at all. They got paid for what they did. The other ones, they deserve our humanity and not a stupid slogan.
Eko.

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
8. RW powers learned from their giant New Deal era setbacks:
Mon Dec 2, 2019, 05:17 PM
Dec 2019

DIVIDE THE ELECTORATE. Their successful efforts to do that over the past 50 years and more, heavily focused on subverting conservatives, are very well documented.

Weaponizing the conservative right against the left, so we couldn't unite against them, was easy pickings compared to the left. But they're working away on the much harder nut to crack: our nation's liberals, the liberal-dominated Democratic Party, and what has become a redoubtable power monolith -- AA voters; and of course other minorities they want to believe have no place to go.

Garrett78

(10,721 posts)
9. Criticism of the MIC and criticism of a culture of racist/violent policing...
Mon Dec 2, 2019, 06:12 PM
Dec 2019

...need to be part of the Democratic Party platform. General Smedley Butler and even Eisenhower were far more critical of the MIC than most Dems are today.

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