Reading time: 1,777 words, 7 pages, 4 to 7 minutes.
Updated July 9, 2014
This is my 25th Anniversary being TV-free. Having unplugged from the Matrix so long ago has given me a unique perspective and that’s what this blog is all about. Having developed alternate news sources, I’m happy to share their web links with you below.
What Mark Twain said about newspapers applies to all Main Stream News (MSN), “If you don’t read the newspaper you’re uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you’re misinformed.”
Away from home I’ll sometimes catch the occasional TV program and I’m blown away that anyone would willingly destroy their brains with the ass media’s propaganda. Talking with MSM news junkies, I sometimes feel like a recently arrived Martian wondering what on earth people are talking about. Why do they waste their time and their lives on such crap?
When I tell people how long I’ve been TV-free they sheepishly try to make excuses for their boob-tubing and say they “hardly” watch TV and then recite an endless list of shows they watch. It’s worse than an addiction; it’s perversion. Real addicts KNOW they’re addicted although they may not like to admit it (Hey, smokers!)
There’s two kinds of people; those who DO and those who WATCH. I’ll let you decide which the winners and losers are.
The trouble with TV as well as radio and podcasts is they bypass the critical thinking part of our brains. They feed right into our “monkey brains” without analysis. Unlike text which we can speed up, slow down, stop, re-read and critically analyze; the media is a constant barrage of one-sided information designed to influence our thinking, ideas and beliefs to further the political, religious and commercial agenda of the Power Elites to their advantage and to our disadvantage. The real power of propaganda is not the lies it tells but the truths it conceals.
Most of our modern media and especially TV is ALL mind-warping propaganda whether it’s sports or so-called news or so-called reality shows or Discovery or Shopping or Music or entertainment or the History channel (that one is PURE, unadulterated propaganda). Trash your stupid TV, liberate yourself from the Matrix and get a real life because that’s why you were born, not to be enslaved by mindless propaganda.
The same can be said for YouTube documentaries. YouTube watchers won’t want to hear this because they are as addicted as TV watchers. If the video documentary doesn’t provide text, attribution, references or any documentation then, rest assured, it’s unmitigated CRAP no matter how good it appears. For more detail, read Dr. Gary North’s How to Evaluate a Conspiracy Theory Video. Disregard the “Conspiracy” part because what he says applies to ALL documentary videos, not just conspiracy videos.
Here’s an interesting view of the danger of TV.
CIA Agent “NEVER watch television”!!
Click HERE to see my post, “This is Your Brain on TV” for a fuller, scientific explanation why the boob-tube (and most videos) are stealth brain-killers.
I get most of my news from the alternative news blogs listed below. The list is by no means exhaustive. There are many more you can discover for yourself by simply searching for “alt news blogs”. However, like anything else, there’s good and there’s crap. And, the more you do it, the better you’ll get at sorting the fly shit from the pepper.
Note: just because a blog link is listed here does NOT necessarily mean I agree with it. Some are over the top junk science and some I disagree with but I track them to keep tabs on opposing views. Read my descriptions for details.
In alpha – numeric order they are
All American Gold – web links to pertinent MSM news articles – yes, the ass media occasionally carries useful information. It also has links to informative ‘doom & gloom’ commentary.
Armstrong Economics – Martin Armstrong was one of Amerika’s longest serving prisoners for contempt of court. He was so accurate in his forecasting for so long that the American Fascist government threw him in jail for refusing to divulge his methods. How’s that for a recommendation? I used to read the stuff smuggled from prison. Thankfully he’s out now and his work continues.
Before Its News – This is the internet’s “National Inquirer” tabloid with over-the-top alternate news covering junk science, conspiracy theories, UFO’s, Illuminati… you get the idea. You can subscribe for free daily email links but take with a large grain of salt. It’s a good way to keep track of the tinfoil-hat crowd. Free subscription.
Black Listed News – carries a wide range of current news stories. I follow this one daily and pick articles selectively.
Brasscheck TV – Alternate news videos. Beware: remember what I said about undocumented YouTube documentaries. Mostly crap but occasionally interesting. Free subscription for daily link.
The Burning Platform – Jim Quinn’s commentary is carried on numerous other blogs and well worth reading. I selectively pick from his latest posts part way down his blog on the right side.
Casey Research – The irascible Doug Casey has a team of hard-money writers that cover a wide range of topics. I subscribe to several of his paid newsletters but he also has excellent publicly available articles. I highly recommend.
Clusterfuck Nation– very left-leaning James Howard Kunstler is a modern day Luddite who can’t wait for the complete collapse of the modern world so we can go back to a “World Made by Hand”, the title of one of his books. Socialist positions are basically dishonest. Case in point: his story is interesting but he cheats by wrapping it up with the introduction of the supernatural.
Conservative Gary North calls Kunstler a “foul-mouthed leftist.” He says, “Matt Taibbi is also a foul-mouthed Leftist, but he is one of the best investigative reporters in America, and his target is usually the fascist state. He ferrets out corrupt deals between big-money special interests and the state. So, I hold my nose when I read him, but I read him… Kunstler is a whiner who brings nothing to the intellectual table but some slightly updated form of medieval oligopoly “
I read Kunstler’s posts because he’s an excellent wordsmith and to keep track of idiot socialist thinking. I don’t always agree with him but he’s ‘mind-candy’ – sweet but brain-rotting.
Daily Bell – Swiss based, daily updates. Free subscription (bottom of their page) and they’ll send you links to their latest articles. If you want to learn about the ‘memes’ (dominant social themes) that the Power Elites are pushing on us through their propaganda, this is the one to read.
Daily Reckoning – one of the “hard money” blogs with 8 or 9 different writers with varying specialties. Careful: heavy marketing designed to entice you into paid subscriptions.
Darryl Robert Schoon – “Moving Through the Maelstrom” and a student of A.E. Fekete has a strong spiritual bent but hard-hitting commentary and links to other analysts
Economic Collapse Blog – articles written by Michael Snyder (of Black Listed News above). The title says it all.
Ed Steer’s Gold and Silver Daily – Canadian Ed Steer is part of the Casey Research team and provides a free daily subscription that covers precious metals as well as pertinent MSM articles. The top of his blog covers precious metals while the rest has brief descriptions and links to other worthwhile articles. I read Ed daily.
End the Lie – a collection of various interesting alt news blogs.
Financial Armageddon – Michael Panzer’s astute financial and geopolitical commentary. The title says it all.
Gary North – Dr. North’s public archives are carried on Lew Rockwell. James Howard Kunstler (“Clusterfuck Nation” above) calls Gary North an extreme right-wing, hyper-patriot blogger and “Christian Reconstructionist”. Although I’m not religious, I’ll read anyone that J.H. Kunstler hates. Dr. North was Ron Paul’s staff economist. He often writes for the Austrian School economists and the Mises Institute. I highly recommend.
The Greater Fool – daily article written by Garth Turner whose Canadian real estate analysis is excellent. He’s snarky and tends to belittle those who write him and I don’t always agree with his other financial analysis but he’s worth reading for Canadian real estate.
G. Edward Griffin – he’s the author of The Creature from Jekyll Island: a Second Look at the Federal Reserve and a critic of much modern economic theory. Free subscription. Email sent 4 times a week to his blog linking various alt news stories.
There’s a YouTube video 1:47:19 of one of his lectures below.
Global Research – Canadian-based but covers world-wide events. Left-wing bias but thought-provoking, whistle-blowing articles. Free daily subscription.
Jim Sinclair – Jim is as old as dirt and has been a life-long gold investor. His website is updated daily with a wide variety of current news links. I also read Jim daily.
The Keiser Report – Max Keiser is full of himself but he’s worth the annoyance with his hard-hitting exposés, articles and videos.
Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis – Mike Shedlock is a prolific writer of short, hard-hitting articles. That he’s carried on numerous other blogs speaks well
Paul Craig Roberts – having been Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration, he has an insider’s perspective and hard-hitting analysis. His posts are archived on Lew Rockwell.
RT News – RT stands for Russia Today News. Provides a non-American perspective. Critiques the U.S. and Nato but does NOT criticize Russia. Good counterpoint to Stratfor below
Stratfor Global Intelligence – stands for STRATegic FORecast –covers global stories. Run by so-called ‘former’ CIA (Hint: nobody leaves THE Company) so this is the news from an American perspective. You can subscribe for email brief stories or a paid subscription for more detailed analysis. Good analysis and good counterpoint to RT News above.
The Tea Party Economist – brainchild of conservative Gary North. See Lew Rockwell above. Also free subscription.
USA Watchdog – Greg Hunter’s news analysis. His own plus others’ articles. Obviously, an Amerikan perspective.
Washington’s Blog – hard hitting commentary. Every post has reference links indicating reliable news and providing further leads. I highly recommend.
Wolf Street – formerly “Testosterone Pit”, Wolf Richter changed his blog’s name to Wolf Street with daily, hard-hitting analysis.
Zero Hedge – Pseudonymous Tyler Durden’s hard hitting analysis is my daily must-read.
24H News – gold-based as well as numerous financial articles. I read daily, selected articles.
321 Gold – gold-based as well as numerous financial articles. I read daily, selected articles.
If you have good alt news links, feel free to leave a comment below.
Gerold
March 17, 2013
Updated June 7, 2014
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Gerold's Blog 
Good list of sites. Quite a few I wasn’t aware of.
One thing I will say, though, while I agree with your opinion of Before It’s News (ie. trashy) name calling all those who read it as the “tin hat crowd” isn’t helpful whatsoever. Those of us who say anything marginally negative against the current government are called it regularly.
I didn’t realize I touched a raw nerve with the “tin hat crowd”. Fact is, I occasionally I read it and watch a bit of a few videos because they sometimes (one in a hundred maybe) have something believable.
But, for the most part I shake my head and wonder how anyone could believe most of it. It’s for TV viewers and conspiracy theorists lacking any common sense or an iota of skepticism.
If you want to see what TV and videos do to you brain read this:
As for conspiracy theories, read this:
Gerold.
Not really a “raw nerve” to be honest and I certainly wasn’t shouting “I’m offended!”. More of an irritant when trying to make a legitimate argument against a government action and the only response you get back is “Conspiracy theorist!”.
Anyway, I think I have read Before It’s News a couple of times but it really is trashy. My personal point of call is the Lew Rockwell blog and a couple of other non “Buzzfeed”-esque sites.
Re: “This is Your Brain on TV” – excellent article.
Re: “The Basis of Conspiracy Thinking” – I will reread this article when I have more time. Looks interesting.
You’re right, calling someone a “conspiracy theorist” or any other name is nothing more than an “Ad Hominem” fallacy. Personnel attacks indicate the poverty of a position. When someone doesn’t have a leg to stand on, they resort to personnel attacks. This is especially true, as you say, by those trying to defend idiotic government actions against legitimate criticism.
And, unfortunately a lot of comments I read on popular websites are nothing more than a bunch of idiots flaming one another. It’s quite pathetic. It’s a reminder that there are two kinds of people; there are those with something to say, but they don’t know how to say it and there are those with nothing to say and they keep saying it.
Yes, I agree the Lew Rockwell blog is worthwhile reading especially most of Gary North’s own articles.
By the way, there’ll come a time when people like us will have to shut it down, disappear and keep quiet. Soon, any critic will be labelled a “domestic terrorist” and dealt with summarily. That pathetic British PM, Tony Blair is already making such noises about 9/11 and 7/11 “truthers”. Just as in wartime, critics will be considered traitors.
– Gerold
Have you read much on the US and UK governments “infiltrating” alternative news websites?
Here are two articles (sorry for the Prision Planet one but the point is in there)
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Sunstein#.22Conspiracy_Theories.22_and_government_infiltration
2. http://www.prisonplanet.com/government-think-tank-calls-for-infiltrating-conspiracy-websites.html
I’m now pretty confident I’m seeing their work on the big name alternative news websites as well. The big warning sign was when the MSM and Alternative News Websites were singing the same tune over Putin, the western propaganda over Ukraine and ISIS/ISIL (ie. the way to invade Syriua with public support this time)..
I don’t know Gary North by name but I’ll look up his articles. I’m sure I’ll recognise his work.
I’d say that time is on us. It’s just a matter of time now until something concrete is drafted into law. Have you seen some of the laws that Australia are looking to implement? Anything anti-government will label you a terrorist.
Whatever agenda is going on is now moving so quickly it’s insane.
Jim, thanks for two excellent links. I’m not surprised that Propaganda Czar Sunstein is proposing infiltrating websites. I already smell a lot of government trolls commenting on popular blogs. And it’s good to know about Demos being a British government group. I’ll keep an eye out for them.
You’re right, it is moving fast. I can foresee not renewing my WordPress subscription for this blog next summer or even shutting it down sooner. That’s one reason I’ve been controlling my readership to a select literate few with long articles and avoiding cute graphics and videos, but even that has a limited shelf life.
– Gerold
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Great piece Gerold … thanks for sharing !
Thanks, Fred.
I benefit more from the research I do writing these posts than just gathering the news. It forces me to think clearly and helps retention. It’s like making a shopping list; once done I hardly have to refer to it.
Yes…can relate !