Thanks so much my.........I went out on a limb.......it is time for us to use more than a pillow to fight back against Maga. Suprisingly...got pushback.....sooooo listen up now........
When First Lady Donald Trump comes afte pushback people's medicade, Obamacare,social security.....what pillow will you use to fight back....the sofa, bedroom or carseat pillow???
So,,,,,why do you even read this content? If you are so full of anger and hate for the people on this thread, why engage? Really curious from an intellectual point of view. Did you feel better after you typed that foul message? Well, I suppose I will see you in church on Sunday. Bless your heart.
Whoosh! Their comment wasn't directed at "this content" or the people on this thread (aside from Peter) ... did you even read "this content"? You sure don't pay much attention for someone who is "really curious from an intellectual point of view".
And you will find no answers in church.
P.S. And then along comes some other jerk with poor reading comprehension ... Denise responded to WJB Motown, NOT to Peter, who didn't even comment in this subthread.
Anyway, we all have more important things to do and more important fights than this ... so I'm muting this thread. Bye all.
Hey Denise!! Way to totally miss the point! Maybe your delicate senses aren’t going to mesh well in the coming decades when we all see religion for what it really is. Might want to raise your vibration so you don’t get hurt.
Peter is a bot. The grammar and syntax aren't english. Just collapse the comment and don't waste your energy. (Although I highly approve the sentiment!)
Does this rhetoric feel good and healing and inclusive to you, Mr Motown. This kind of language is what we are all trying to heal from...it so sounds like MAGA to me
Really??? Just because someone's angry and uses swear words doesn't mean they have to be maga. I swear alot, mainly because of the fucking idiots who voted for The Felon. BTW, there are a lot of studies out there which point to the use of swear words indicating the user has a bigger vocabulary than many others.
Really??? Sometimes, it gets a bit frustrating to when the Magas come for people they do not like.....#1...Nothing happens ...using a pillow to fight back gets nowhere fast.
Yup.....I decided to use their own medicine to blast back at them!!! And look what happens!!! OMG.......Major pushback.....I did this on purpose to see what would happen....Do I regret doing this...NO......Do you not get tired of being pushed around?? Sounds like a NO!!! ..........Ms Mercer.....feel better now projecting your almighty ,perfect, squeeky clean......whatever.....at me???
Stick to your plan Meidastouch! Do not let big money donors take control of our Meidas Mighty movement.
You, Brett and Jordy have started a movement that billionaires detest because they know without every American on board, their plan to make the rest of us no more than a basket of submissive beggars, won’t work!
The fact that MTN is a network of truth founded by a team dedicated to freedom and truth is why I am here. Thank you for your reassurance. You are speaking for we who seek and value freedom and truth. Deep gratitude!!! Happy New Year!!
As much as I agree with you, I would watch out for that word "truth." It is still an opinion, a bias, a way of observing and parsing reality. Not necessarily the truth, a word that has a lot of meaning.
When Ben is expressing an opinion, he says so. Usually he is just explaining the facts with no opinion attached. He tells us what's happening now and how it relates to things in the past. It's the truth. A perfectly apt word to describe Meidas Touch.
Agreed, there is truth, buit the opinion part is not truth, it's opinion. I disagree with a number of things he has said in the past, and I also disagree with his focusing on some almost random negative comment. Also in the tone, but that is not a question of truth or not.... The danger here is that we once again are creating monster communities that can not move intellectually, because it's all about thumbs up or down, sort of like the Colosseum way back before there was Christmas.
I apologize, if I don't possess that puritan vein that either loves or hates. I reserve those two sentiments for very special people.
If you think this group cannot move forward intellectually, perhaps this is not the space for you. Sit with your zen and reflect on your criticisms. They seem nothing but argumentative and a bit holier than thou.
Are you another person who out of hand rejects any critique? You have just proven the point that many are making: A large part of the Democratic base is incapable of even accepting an alternative view. Exactly like the Trump base. Or how am I to understand your snide comment? Is that really how you approach problem solving?
No one is holding you here. That Ben and his highly qualified team use opinion and facts, makes this is well-rounded source. I very rarely disagree, they speak in legal terms and common sense. You can fact check anything, have at it. Just because you don't agree does not mean it is not accurate. Maybe you aren't up for this fight.
No one is holding me here, indeed. But I am here. You know, water gets mossy and smelly when it sits around. Throwing a few stones in it can help it get moving... I hear all my "soon to be former) Democrat friends whining and going haywire because they lost a perfectly winnable election. So: Use some critical skills, and if you don't have any, don't reject people who think a little differently.
I will continue using my free speech until Ben himself cancels me.
Dualities are sometimes mere paradoxes... I am reading the delightful Tao Te Ching with the commentary by an acquaintance... It sort of "What is there is also what is not there..." A potter uses clay to make space...
Yes, there's a lot of cult thinking here. While I appreciate what the Meiselas clan has achieved, Ben is a propagandist with a quite skewed presentation. But at least it's truth-*based*, which is not the case with the right wing's propaganda, which is wall-to-wall lies wrapped around a few intentionally distorted facts.
Ron Filipowski, who edits the MTN, points out a lot of the stuff the right-wing ecosystem does and with success, including Trump, who retweats any crap like mad (and gets yelled yt by the left for doing so)... And this thread is glaring evidence of why we are losing that battle....But don't DARE get involved even constructively, don't DARE suggest any alternative, don't DARE use your critical faculties, your experience, your learning, to maybe contradict the narrative... the grouthinkers will attack you like rabid dogs...
That is precisely why quite a few voters went to the Trump camp, because they are sick of being told what to do and how to think... just don't call them deplorables or garbage, with all the moral superiority of a Puritan schoolmarm. This attitude is an absolute disaster for the Democrats... If it continues, the midterms will be a hecatomb for them... I even suspect they are falling into an expectations trap.
Thanks for the balanced reply. Yes, the MT uses facts to come to certain valuable conclusions, which is why I sought them out (and will continue to do so in spite of the rabid, outraged, reactions by the red-faced guardians of the grail obviously been triggered by my failure to bow down 100% to these commentators.
But again (why is this so difficult to understand?), those facts upon which opinion and comment are based need to be gathered first, and for that you need people on the ground, you need people whose mind is not necessarily clouded by opinion. This is one of the dangers of the citizen journalist. And, alas, everything being visual, alas, that is expensive and not necessarily the best way to gather news. The difference with the Trump propagandists is that they don't need facts, they invent them as they go along.
But the groupthink is the same on both sides. And the group on the right was bigger. But on the so-called left, the group has an extra portion of obnoxiousness, read the reactions to my very light critique: It's the deep-seated moralism, the legacy of 400 plus years of puritanism. You either either become a member of the cult, or you're out. That's why change in the nation is about as easy as turning a tanker around in a drydock.
Truth is defined as a fact or belief that is accepted as true. Beliefs vary from person to person, but facts are facts. MTN reports on facts, not heresay or opinion and when they discuss facts. I appreciate having the facts they present, as well as their well informed opinions (backed by facts).
I certainly am sure that Trump lies almost every time he opens his mouth...and that's been well documented.
"Truth is defined as a fact or belief that is accepted as true." Close. But a belief is true for a person or a group when it fits their perceptions, attitudes, belief systems. For the scientists, facts are accepted according to existing data and have to be reconsidered once new data has been found, which is why researchers keep plowing away at oftentimes strange experiments. When we realized that lightening was not god throwing a tantrum (thx to Franklin and others, like Thomas-F. Dalibard in 1752) , a lot of things changed in the collective consciousness, though it did not change immediately. So truth appears as something changeable. And therefore rejecting any additional input is not a reason to crucify, vilify, insult and cast out the miscreant. This is one reason why the ad hominem attack is considered a fallacy. Because it is irrelevant and, to be direct about it, stupid.
I really don't know. It's like what St.-Augustine said about time, you know what it is, but you can't describe it to others.
Many really fine thinkers have tried to nail The Truth down (I'm still trying to wrap my head around Wittgenstein) ... I keep a book with notes, and here is Nietzsche's definition: "Truths are illusions of which one has forgotten that they are illusions, metaphors that have become worn out and sense-perceptively powerless, coins that have lost their image and can now be considered as mere metal, no longer as coins.” Note: He says truths... not truth...
It's a really difficult concept.
Anyway:
I didn't mean to bother anyone's comfortable space of despair, nor raise their inner anti-intellectual warrior... But at least it proves what is really plaguing the country as a whole, left and right: groupthink of sorts. Bella up there, did a good turn... Reminded me why I left the USA (liberal Massachusetts, of all places, during the reign of error of Ronald W Reagan, the pre-Trump Trump). Where I live, you can still have honest and productive exchanges with people, even with conservatives.
"Business ethics" is an oxymoron. Meidas is obviously solvent. What is the present and future value of the enterprise?
You don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I don't know what Peter has in mind. Is he offering to buy a minority stake?
Do the brothers have 501 c4 charity status? They obviouly advertise. I figure I spend more on them than I used to spend on NYT and WAPO combined. If they are as "successful" as depicted, do we deserve dividends?
Should people like me be offered a piece of the action?
I think the brothers should consult people from the FCC bar. At present, they are limited to just "social media" which is unregulated and as can be seen by Musk et al and the Russiaan psy ops interference campaign is easily corrupted.
The Soros family recently has been acquiring FCC licenses. Would they be willing to partner? Are there networks that might deal? MSNBC?
The way social media works, site owners are paid by advertisers based on the number of "clicks" to the web page.
I remember in undergrad studying political history realizing that pure capitalism is in direct conflict with democracy.
I left that class categorizing functional democracy without predatory capitalism is fine… but predatory unbridled capitalism is not good for any community.
We seem to have a lot of people thinking predatory capitalism for inelastic goods is an opportunity to bleed people dry.
"Pure" capitalism has never existed. Just a theory.
The thing that US regulators miss about the big corporations is they are multinational -- and their ethos may be conflicted.
IMHO we have been undermined by our "allies" like OPEC since 1973. They fix production to set prices and their members include Iran and Russia that are fighting proxy wars against us and the Saudis, who have control of some of "our" biggest companies like Exxon. Trump is their man.
Although I was personally in the "professional class" I came from a long line of petit burgois capitalsts, most put out of business with the advent of big box like Walmart -- which majors in cheap foreign made goods.
The broadcast media is regulated by the FCC and is supposed to give the public info -- as opposed to entertainment. Broadcasters aren't supposed to spread lies. But Republicans refuse to regulate and enforce existing rules. Same goes for election laws.
Social media, which is unregulated, is out of control. But for Russian psy ops, Democrats would have swept the elections.
The Lorax is super pissed at all of us right now. Let's make sure we do good by him. We know what this means for the trees and the rest of the planet if we don't step up. Here's to working together in 2025.
I worked at and lived in an Ivy League University town. They like to hire their own grads, the Ivy league that is. Then they run the university like a tax free hedge fund. The small city that hosts this one in western NY suffers from a lack of stable jobs and seems to believe that everyone should be accepting venture capitol.
I was in a masters in organizational leadership at Chapman university where several courses in ethics were required. I was a distance learner but those courses required student to go to the campus to take them in person.
My military assignments did not work with that so I abandoned that degree with only 6 credit short. I am so embarrassed Eastman was a professor at their law school.
Then when I got my MBA at UC Davis it was also required as a major portion of organizational behavior. I was a finance and fraud focused MBA. Davis was clear about social responsibility in their program. I really liked that.
I like that ethics is required where I went but wish it was everywhere
Subscriber here! Cannot afford much as I am disabled with a chronic illness and cannot walk but I have no problem with taking what little I have and pushing forth the truth! Thank you for your content! It gives hope in a very dark world!
I'm in the boat next to yours. I'm on a fixed income as well. Everything I spend money on means there is something else I can't spend money on. I have enough to get by on, but have to be careful. There are several sub stacks I want to support, but MTN is the one I choose for this coming year.
Well spotted Bill. "Peter" is a typical troll. Typical AI grammar.
Just to give you my current situation with subscriptions for 2025:
I have cancelled The Economist; ditched CNN, MSNBC.
I am now subscribing to: Substack, The MeidasTouch, The Atlantic (both paid), The Bulwark, The Lincoln Project, Podcast America, That Trippi Show; BlueSky and sez.us.
Best Regards
RodneyDT
I am also a volunteer field worker for #DemCon.
It appears many liberal minded people are taking the same path to combat the ruthlessly effective right wing media platforms and networks.
Peter, YOU don't get it. Can't you see how billionaire-controlled media are folding like cheap suits?! Do you not see that he who has the purse strings controls the message? We NEED independent media. Venture capitalists care only for profit. We need truth.
It is a bit of a stretch for me to subscribe to this organization, but it’s worth it for my peace of mind. MTN supports the truth, and that doesn’t happen when an oligarch steps in and takes over.
It’s a stretch for me too… but well worth supporting. To fund it, I just have to wait for digital library books instead of buying them- not a huge sacrifice. 💙💙
I do mostly digital books now too because of the cost. But I tell you, I do miss the sensory part of paper books. The feel ruffling pages, the smell of the paper, the look of print on paper, ECT. A friend loaned me her copy of The Women (excellent), but I can always visit the library when I need a printed book fix.
You know, Peter, if you didn't swear and come off as a "know it all", people might be more inclined to listen to what you have to say. And it's a Substack, not a blog. Given that you have started a substack yourself, it might behoove you to understand the difference.
Well, Peter's semi-literate, know-it-all rant did one good thing today. I upgraded to a paid subscription after a couple of months deciding whether I can afford it on a retiree's income.
Bottom line...it's a hard no from Meidas. Most subscribers support their decision, which is why we are subscribers in the first place. You seem to think your subscription gives you more of a voice here, which demonstrates why any type of sponsorship is a bad thing in the current "news" climate. If you are so unhappy here, and cannot appreciate ad-free content that is not "sane washed" for consumption, you are free to go elsewhere.
I don't know about you, but I spend too much on Substacks. I have one, but I don't need to work, and I would not charge for my opinions. Besides that, the software sucks.
The highest earning email newsletter on Substack was Heather Cox Richardson, "Letters from an American", with implied minimum earnings of five million in overall subscriber revenue. I subsribe to her, Thom Hartmann, Robert Reich, and many of the Meidas subgroups. I assume all of the above have other revenue streams.
Why can't I just get a pass? I've asked this previously.
If Meidas wants market share, the cost has to be competitive.
Nor, do most people (especially those on the right) understand how much Federal and State funding sports stadiums receive - look, I like you am very frustrated no matter the issue - but, in regard to the business/news model the MTN chooses it is niche in that it has proven in the numbers to be effective without diminishing integrity - understanding your thoughts about opinion vs news there is blurred line, that's a given, however, the detail is in the delivery of same - thanking you in advance for a lively discussion, these are important to sustain a pro-democracy community.
Peter, if you think the Meidas business model is so bad why don't you show us how it is done. Start your own independent news organization and get venture capital to back you. When you surpass MeidasTouch in subscribers and views you can come back here and gloat. I am not holding my breath.
You sir, are the one who does not get it. I find it hilarious that you think I would do something like that. I’d never waste my money on an organization that pays above average talent people millions of dollars to throw a ball. I’d rather give that money to an organization that helps people or the environment. Professional sports need a limit on their salary just like a CEO. They deserve to be capped at a normal pay rates like 200k max. No need for any living person to make millions for doing nothing especially entertainment. Scientists and people who actually better the planet and society deserve the huge pay rates.
I refuse to support to a millionaire/billionaire unless it’s raising their taxes to the golden era tax rate. They are out of touch with reality and have no clue what it’s like to live as a normal person. From Cuban to Swift to Felon 45 to President Musk. Restore the golden era tax rate! America was golden for that reason! We didn’t bow to oligarchs. We treated them like everyone else.
Go pay corporate media to continue to lie to you. No one likes corporate media due its refusal to report on the truth. Independent media reports the truth.
I get your point, perhaps from a larger, more distant perspective. MT has principles, however, and that is often the last thing one hears before everything goes dark.
Peter, you are rambling. As you may have noticed, some of us work at these universities. Hell yes, I'll pay for those tickets, but even at the highest ranked schools, the fee is nowhere near your ridiculous, pulled out of your ass number. I support the programs and the school. You can choose to stay misinformed or you can come along for the ride and enrich yourself.
Peter! We only see those who spread false narratives, blatant bald face lies, and those who, let me put it in words you understand. I gotcha! I fucking understand what your fucking saying...we all do. What were saying is the MTN wants to be free of influential bias from the wealthy who obviously are all oligars that obviously back the orange clown. They dont understand what the truth, ethics, and morality even means as in respects to what is spoon fed to them!
Ben, stay the course! The word "truth" and moral ethics are your course and it will bring respect through even the darkest times in the next 4 years. We need that!
I was asked what my information came from and what influencer, I listen to. I had to stop and think, am I being spoonfed the wrong information, it was a quick NO I am not. I've have done research on everything I'm told and th MTN is ALWAYS on track. I take honor in being a Meidas Mighty. I stand strong in their convictions.
Yet you probably voted for a rapist felon who wants to deport innocent people just because they immigrated here. They hate gay people, women, anyone who is not hetero and white. Go away troll
Peter needs to go back to watching right wing cable shows and stop trying to bother the grownups with his blather. Private equity money is the death knell of everything it touches and that would include Meidas if they got involved. Keep the Meidas Touch independent and keep doing what you're doing. My subscription money is being well spent.
You have yet to make a response that was not hostile. We are done with that. If you don't like how you are being addressed or characterized, perhaps you should sit back and read what you've said. You came in guns blazing amd you don't expect a response in the same tone? You're not talking to low ed, weak-minded or easily influenced patrons. Of course we would defend our stances and our choices- including MTN.
I’m glad that you guys are independent and not run by billionaires…you are 100 percent right that they would want a say in what you’re able to say and report. Peter doesn’t understand that. That’s exactly why MSNBC, CNN, etc, are losing subscribers.
Keep that channel independent. Love getting the facts.
Yes- my S/O MSNBC addict- is in recovery!! It’s been almost totally off (I expect recovery might take a minute)! I’m hoping eventually he’ll realize there’s good stuff on MTN YouTube, Bluesky & Substack….
He leaves a lot of digital info unexplored…but strangely finds a few good things on FB- my algorithm must be wildly different 🤔
If he can turn off MSNBC- I suspect the crowd leaving is bigger than they admit!!
Facebook is probably messing with the algorithm since Zuckerberg has been hanging out at MAL. Meidas posts on all Social Media so he would see it. MSNBC is bleeding subscribers, viewers since they went to MAL. I wish I can unsubscribe from all these channels from my TV package which would really show them how bad they screwed up but you can’t so I just fly right by them. Your S/O will get over it once the orange messiah gets in and President Leon and him starts in with their crazy agenda. Or at least tries to.
I think peter meant CNN and MSNBC are losing subscribers to conservative outlets, but that doesn’t make sense. CNN and MSNBC are just losing viewers period. Their viewers aren’t going to Fox, if they’re anything like me, they’re fleeing to Substacks such as this.
I watched a clip of Dana Bash interviewing a Republican congressman. She asked him if Musk was in charge or Trump and he gave a blah blah answer. She just moved on. Why doesn't CNN, MSNBC hold the weasel's feet to the fire. Make them squirm? Hold them accountable? MTM should get some interviews going with Republicans and Democrats. Not friendly interviews, interviews with hard, tough questions.
And there it is... thank you for proving every point made in this discussion. All MSM is losing viewers. All of them. The only difference you may see is maga gravitating to the other networks to round our their new echo chamber. We couldn't care less what Fox viewers do. They most all a lost cause. You may have some hope yet but as this topic goes on, you prove yourself unable to control your bias and make more unsubstantiated opinions.
So, you decided to result to petty insults, rather than consider what people are saying. May you receive the exact same energy you put in the world; tenfold.
Medias Touch has made it thus far without the puppet strings of billionaires and will continue to grow.
You got billiions Peter?? If you are so concerned about Meidas Touch Network being a "community bulletin board" then stop jacking your jaw and put your money where your mouth is! Become a subscriber.
Peter sounds more like someone from the other side as hard as he was pushing. Methinks this is just another MAGA supporter afraid you will upset his fearless leader. More than he already is...
Not everything or everyone can be bought or bought off. Some of us still have values, morals, integrity and can see the truth and the way! Our community speaks for itself, and in volumes! 💙🇺🇲🗽💪
I believe in your mission, Ben. Finally, someone "gets" those of us who believe that people really do have a voice when they stick to their guns for what they believe (and exercise their rights). Thanks for what you and your cohorts have accomplished so far and for what's yet to come. Truly an amazing, worthwhile adventure in truth and justice.
The fact that this is indeed a COMMUNITY that is not controlled by billionaires is why we are here and why this community continues to grow. Peter, just relax, we’ve got this.
Several well known folks on Substack rely entirely on subscriptions. They are independent voices who are not beholden to "sponsors" or boycotts thereof. Meidas is doing the right thing. Seems if Peter is unhappy with things here, he can certainly join X where he can release his stream of profanity into the abyss.
If the MBA course was on business ethics they would certainly support the Meidas approach to true content.
Not everything is about cash. It makes me sad that so many in the US think cash is the answer to everything.
Rock on Meidas Mighty!!
You are so right. Corporate greed (among other things) is what has gotten us into this mess in the first place.
Hey Peter.......LIsten up asshole.........GO FUCK YOURSELF
You said it for me thanks
Thanks so much my.........I went out on a limb.......it is time for us to use more than a pillow to fight back against Maga. Suprisingly...got pushback.....sooooo listen up now........
When First Lady Donald Trump comes afte pushback people's medicade, Obamacare,social security.....what pillow will you use to fight back....the sofa, bedroom or carseat pillow???
Peter's a jerk but he's not MAGA.
"Maga-Lite-troll" is my take ..... not backing down a single diet coke or Big Mac.
So,,,,,why do you even read this content? If you are so full of anger and hate for the people on this thread, why engage? Really curious from an intellectual point of view. Did you feel better after you typed that foul message? Well, I suppose I will see you in church on Sunday. Bless your heart.
Whoosh! Their comment wasn't directed at "this content" or the people on this thread (aside from Peter) ... did you even read "this content"? You sure don't pay much attention for someone who is "really curious from an intellectual point of view".
And you will find no answers in church.
P.S. And then along comes some other jerk with poor reading comprehension ... Denise responded to WJB Motown, NOT to Peter, who didn't even comment in this subthread.
Anyway, we all have more important things to do and more important fights than this ... so I'm muting this thread. Bye all.
Denise W's comment was aimed at Peter. NOT what was in the thread. And the church comment is called irony.
You're (obviously) wrong on both counts.
Don’t go to church. Don’t like church do not like organized religion whatsoever.
Me too!
I know it's still early. Go get some coffee, take a deep breath, and read the article again. The comment was not directed at Ben, or MT's content.
I don't care who it's directed at. They could be yelling at the moon.
Intelligent people with integrity care.
Agree. I do not suffer fools easily. I have no tolerance for bigmouth SOB's like Peter. (Mrs. G. here) 😅
Right! Peter The Punk has shown up in the wrong place. As a mom of five (5) adult children (3 men, 2 women) I'm mad as a wet hen at his stupidity.
The audacity to show up here telling MTN and The Meidas Mighty what we should do and what we did wrong burns my bacon. Peter can KMA.
Hey Denise!! Way to totally miss the point! Maybe your delicate senses aren’t going to mesh well in the coming decades when we all see religion for what it really is. Might want to raise your vibration so you don’t get hurt.
Well, although I am not a prude, and I like the f…word, I don’t think this is a useful response to Peter. Anger is too easy for people like him.
Peter is a BOT promoting the selling of “(s)ad space.
Ditto
Peter is a bot. The grammar and syntax aren't english. Just collapse the comment and don't waste your energy. (Although I highly approve the sentiment!)
Kick bot-Peters Maga-ss instantly is the way to go..........Never do things like
Merrick Garland and lose the entire battle.
😂😂😂 Yeah what he said..!!! 😂😂😂
Does this rhetoric feel good and healing and inclusive to you, Mr Motown. This kind of language is what we are all trying to heal from...it so sounds like MAGA to me
Really??? Just because someone's angry and uses swear words doesn't mean they have to be maga. I swear alot, mainly because of the fucking idiots who voted for The Felon. BTW, there are a lot of studies out there which point to the use of swear words indicating the user has a bigger vocabulary than many others.
Really??? Sometimes, it gets a bit frustrating to when the Magas come for people they do not like.....#1...Nothing happens ...using a pillow to fight back gets nowhere fast.
Yup.....I decided to use their own medicine to blast back at them!!! And look what happens!!! OMG.......Major pushback.....I did this on purpose to see what would happen....Do I regret doing this...NO......Do you not get tired of being pushed around?? Sounds like a NO!!! ..........Ms Mercer.....feel better now projecting your almighty ,perfect, squeeky clean......whatever.....at me???
Peter's a jerk but he's not MAGA.
You can swear all you like as far as I'm concerned. Fuck those who think only maga swear.
No, it's fucking not fucking language that we are fucking trying to heal from ... get a fucking grip.
Stick to your plan Meidastouch! Do not let big money donors take control of our Meidas Mighty movement.
You, Brett and Jordy have started a movement that billionaires detest because they know without every American on board, their plan to make the rest of us no more than a basket of submissive beggars, won’t work!
The fact that MTN is a network of truth founded by a team dedicated to freedom and truth is why I am here. Thank you for your reassurance. You are speaking for we who seek and value freedom and truth. Deep gratitude!!! Happy New Year!!
As much as I agree with you, I would watch out for that word "truth." It is still an opinion, a bias, a way of observing and parsing reality. Not necessarily the truth, a word that has a lot of meaning.
When Ben is expressing an opinion, he says so. Usually he is just explaining the facts with no opinion attached. He tells us what's happening now and how it relates to things in the past. It's the truth. A perfectly apt word to describe Meidas Touch.
Agreed, there is truth, buit the opinion part is not truth, it's opinion. I disagree with a number of things he has said in the past, and I also disagree with his focusing on some almost random negative comment. Also in the tone, but that is not a question of truth or not.... The danger here is that we once again are creating monster communities that can not move intellectually, because it's all about thumbs up or down, sort of like the Colosseum way back before there was Christmas.
I apologize, if I don't possess that puritan vein that either loves or hates. I reserve those two sentiments for very special people.
If you think this group cannot move forward intellectually, perhaps this is not the space for you. Sit with your zen and reflect on your criticisms. They seem nothing but argumentative and a bit holier than thou.
Are you another person who out of hand rejects any critique? You have just proven the point that many are making: A large part of the Democratic base is incapable of even accepting an alternative view. Exactly like the Trump base. Or how am I to understand your snide comment? Is that really how you approach problem solving?
No one is holding you here. That Ben and his highly qualified team use opinion and facts, makes this is well-rounded source. I very rarely disagree, they speak in legal terms and common sense. You can fact check anything, have at it. Just because you don't agree does not mean it is not accurate. Maybe you aren't up for this fight.
No one is holding me here, indeed. But I am here. You know, water gets mossy and smelly when it sits around. Throwing a few stones in it can help it get moving... I hear all my "soon to be former) Democrat friends whining and going haywire because they lost a perfectly winnable election. So: Use some critical skills, and if you don't have any, don't reject people who think a little differently.
I will continue using my free speech until Ben himself cancels me.
Enjoy.
Although I don’t like to think/act in dualities, I like what you have to say.
Dualities are sometimes mere paradoxes... I am reading the delightful Tao Te Ching with the commentary by an acquaintance... It sort of "What is there is also what is not there..." A potter uses clay to make space...
Yes, there's a lot of cult thinking here. While I appreciate what the Meiselas clan has achieved, Ben is a propagandist with a quite skewed presentation. But at least it's truth-*based*, which is not the case with the right wing's propaganda, which is wall-to-wall lies wrapped around a few intentionally distorted facts.
Just for the hell of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxrkZLWshzU
Ron Filipowski, who edits the MTN, points out a lot of the stuff the right-wing ecosystem does and with success, including Trump, who retweats any crap like mad (and gets yelled yt by the left for doing so)... And this thread is glaring evidence of why we are losing that battle....But don't DARE get involved even constructively, don't DARE suggest any alternative, don't DARE use your critical faculties, your experience, your learning, to maybe contradict the narrative... the grouthinkers will attack you like rabid dogs...
That is precisely why quite a few voters went to the Trump camp, because they are sick of being told what to do and how to think... just don't call them deplorables or garbage, with all the moral superiority of a Puritan schoolmarm. This attitude is an absolute disaster for the Democrats... If it continues, the midterms will be a hecatomb for them... I even suspect they are falling into an expectations trap.
Thanks for the balanced reply. Yes, the MT uses facts to come to certain valuable conclusions, which is why I sought them out (and will continue to do so in spite of the rabid, outraged, reactions by the red-faced guardians of the grail obviously been triggered by my failure to bow down 100% to these commentators.
But again (why is this so difficult to understand?), those facts upon which opinion and comment are based need to be gathered first, and for that you need people on the ground, you need people whose mind is not necessarily clouded by opinion. This is one of the dangers of the citizen journalist. And, alas, everything being visual, alas, that is expensive and not necessarily the best way to gather news. The difference with the Trump propagandists is that they don't need facts, they invent them as they go along.
But the groupthink is the same on both sides. And the group on the right was bigger. But on the so-called left, the group has an extra portion of obnoxiousness, read the reactions to my very light critique: It's the deep-seated moralism, the legacy of 400 plus years of puritanism. You either either become a member of the cult, or you're out. That's why change in the nation is about as easy as turning a tanker around in a drydock.
Truth is defined as a fact or belief that is accepted as true. Beliefs vary from person to person, but facts are facts. MTN reports on facts, not heresay or opinion and when they discuss facts. I appreciate having the facts they present, as well as their well informed opinions (backed by facts).
I certainly am sure that Trump lies almost every time he opens his mouth...and that's been well documented.
"Truth is defined as a fact or belief that is accepted as true." Close. But a belief is true for a person or a group when it fits their perceptions, attitudes, belief systems. For the scientists, facts are accepted according to existing data and have to be reconsidered once new data has been found, which is why researchers keep plowing away at oftentimes strange experiments. When we realized that lightening was not god throwing a tantrum (thx to Franklin and others, like Thomas-F. Dalibard in 1752) , a lot of things changed in the collective consciousness, though it did not change immediately. So truth appears as something changeable. And therefore rejecting any additional input is not a reason to crucify, vilify, insult and cast out the miscreant. This is one reason why the ad hominem attack is considered a fallacy. Because it is irrelevant and, to be direct about it, stupid.
Great point. What is the truth?
I really don't know. It's like what St.-Augustine said about time, you know what it is, but you can't describe it to others.
Many really fine thinkers have tried to nail The Truth down (I'm still trying to wrap my head around Wittgenstein) ... I keep a book with notes, and here is Nietzsche's definition: "Truths are illusions of which one has forgotten that they are illusions, metaphors that have become worn out and sense-perceptively powerless, coins that have lost their image and can now be considered as mere metal, no longer as coins.” Note: He says truths... not truth...
It's a really difficult concept.
Anyway:
I didn't mean to bother anyone's comfortable space of despair, nor raise their inner anti-intellectual warrior... But at least it proves what is really plaguing the country as a whole, left and right: groupthink of sorts. Bella up there, did a good turn... Reminded me why I left the USA (liberal Massachusetts, of all places, during the reign of error of Ronald W Reagan, the pre-Trump Trump). Where I live, you can still have honest and productive exchanges with people, even with conservatives.
Ditto to everything you just said❣️
"Business ethics" is an oxymoron. Meidas is obviously solvent. What is the present and future value of the enterprise?
You don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I don't know what Peter has in mind. Is he offering to buy a minority stake?
Do the brothers have 501 c4 charity status? They obviouly advertise. I figure I spend more on them than I used to spend on NYT and WAPO combined. If they are as "successful" as depicted, do we deserve dividends?
Should people like me be offered a piece of the action?
I think the brothers should consult people from the FCC bar. At present, they are limited to just "social media" which is unregulated and as can be seen by Musk et al and the Russiaan psy ops interference campaign is easily corrupted.
The Soros family recently has been acquiring FCC licenses. Would they be willing to partner? Are there networks that might deal? MSNBC?
The way social media works, site owners are paid by advertisers based on the number of "clicks" to the web page.
I remember in undergrad studying political history realizing that pure capitalism is in direct conflict with democracy.
I left that class categorizing functional democracy without predatory capitalism is fine… but predatory unbridled capitalism is not good for any community.
We seem to have a lot of people thinking predatory capitalism for inelastic goods is an opportunity to bleed people dry.
"Pure" capitalism has never existed. Just a theory.
The thing that US regulators miss about the big corporations is they are multinational -- and their ethos may be conflicted.
IMHO we have been undermined by our "allies" like OPEC since 1973. They fix production to set prices and their members include Iran and Russia that are fighting proxy wars against us and the Saudis, who have control of some of "our" biggest companies like Exxon. Trump is their man.
Although I was personally in the "professional class" I came from a long line of petit burgois capitalsts, most put out of business with the advent of big box like Walmart -- which majors in cheap foreign made goods.
The broadcast media is regulated by the FCC and is supposed to give the public info -- as opposed to entertainment. Broadcasters aren't supposed to spread lies. But Republicans refuse to regulate and enforce existing rules. Same goes for election laws.
Social media, which is unregulated, is out of control. But for Russian psy ops, Democrats would have swept the elections.
The Lorax is super pissed at all of us right now. Let's make sure we do good by him. We know what this means for the trees and the rest of the planet if we don't step up. Here's to working together in 2025.
I worked at and lived in an Ivy League University town. They like to hire their own grads, the Ivy league that is. Then they run the university like a tax free hedge fund. The small city that hosts this one in western NY suffers from a lack of stable jobs and seems to believe that everyone should be accepting venture capitol.
I just finished my MBA, and hardly ever got any sort of discussion on ethics in any of my classes. Just weak passing mentions.
I was in a masters in organizational leadership at Chapman university where several courses in ethics were required. I was a distance learner but those courses required student to go to the campus to take them in person.
My military assignments did not work with that so I abandoned that degree with only 6 credit short. I am so embarrassed Eastman was a professor at their law school.
Then when I got my MBA at UC Davis it was also required as a major portion of organizational behavior. I was a finance and fraud focused MBA. Davis was clear about social responsibility in their program. I really liked that.
I like that ethics is required where I went but wish it was everywhere
The fact that it is not is really telling.
Agree
Subscriber here! Cannot afford much as I am disabled with a chronic illness and cannot walk but I have no problem with taking what little I have and pushing forth the truth! Thank you for your content! It gives hope in a very dark world!
Mary you are a jewel!! Thank you for the sacrifice you are making to help keep Meidas Touch independent ❤️
Me too- except I’m sort of mobile. Thank you for seeing it’s important for us to band together!💕🤗
I'm somewhat in the same boat. I'm still working, but... Definitely not wealthy. But truth and reliable news and analysis is too important
And thank you. In the same boat ⛵.
I'm in that same boat.. but MTN is worth it & is needed to protect our democracy from the controlling oligarchs!
Mary, I am right there with you.
I'm in the boat next to yours. I'm on a fixed income as well. Everything I spend money on means there is something else I can't spend money on. I have enough to get by on, but have to be careful. There are several sub stacks I want to support, but MTN is the one I choose for this coming year.
Ditto to what you and others have said!
My take is Peter has no clue what it’s like to be a free thinker. He enjoys whatever the tv spouts without second guessing or fact checking.
Peter is a troll — grammar, tone, and idiomatic screw-ups suggest Russian Troll.
Yep. “You people see everybody as enemy”. Oopsie
Are you mistakenly referring to drumpf 🤔
No. I’m citing Peter’s trollish English phrasing.
Well spotted Bill. "Peter" is a typical troll. Typical AI grammar.
Just to give you my current situation with subscriptions for 2025:
I have cancelled The Economist; ditched CNN, MSNBC.
I am now subscribing to: Substack, The MeidasTouch, The Atlantic (both paid), The Bulwark, The Lincoln Project, Podcast America, That Trippi Show; BlueSky and sez.us.
Best Regards
RodneyDT
I am also a volunteer field worker for #DemCon.
It appears many liberal minded people are taking the same path to combat the ruthlessly effective right wing media platforms and networks.
Agree. Grammar is telling.
Or is he one of the "uneducated" that Rtump loves? 🤷♀️
Yes and he's probably a Trumphumper too. What an idiot.
Peter.....Go Fuck Yourself!!!
Peter, YOU don't get it. Can't you see how billionaire-controlled media are folding like cheap suits?! Do you not see that he who has the purse strings controls the message? We NEED independent media. Venture capitalists care only for profit. We need truth.
It is a bit of a stretch for me to subscribe to this organization, but it’s worth it for my peace of mind. MTN supports the truth, and that doesn’t happen when an oligarch steps in and takes over.
It’s a stretch for me too… but well worth supporting. To fund it, I just have to wait for digital library books instead of buying them- not a huge sacrifice. 💙💙
I do mostly digital books now too because of the cost. But I tell you, I do miss the sensory part of paper books. The feel ruffling pages, the smell of the paper, the look of print on paper, ECT. A friend loaned me her copy of The Women (excellent), but I can always visit the library when I need a printed book fix.
I read on my Kindle Fire because I have arthritis in my thumbs from holding books open. I’m 84, and have been an avid reader since I was a child.
You know, Peter, if you didn't swear and come off as a "know it all", people might be more inclined to listen to what you have to say. And it's a Substack, not a blog. Given that you have started a substack yourself, it might behoove you to understand the difference.
Well, Peter's semi-literate, know-it-all rant did one good thing today. I upgraded to a paid subscription after a couple of months deciding whether I can afford it on a retiree's income.
I’m in the same boat with you! I subscribed a few weeks ago and am SO glad I did. Welcome to the river! (We are not on a pond…we keep moving:)
Same here!! Social security is not much but I’m finding a way to stay informed. I have to! I need to know the truth!!
Good for you! It will be well worth it, I promise!
Troll school not good school you
Huh?
🤭😆
Bottom line...it's a hard no from Meidas. Most subscribers support their decision, which is why we are subscribers in the first place. You seem to think your subscription gives you more of a voice here, which demonstrates why any type of sponsorship is a bad thing in the current "news" climate. If you are so unhappy here, and cannot appreciate ad-free content that is not "sane washed" for consumption, you are free to go elsewhere.
I feel like one of Trump's marks.
I don't know about you, but I spend too much on Substacks. I have one, but I don't need to work, and I would not charge for my opinions. Besides that, the software sucks.
The highest earning email newsletter on Substack was Heather Cox Richardson, "Letters from an American", with implied minimum earnings of five million in overall subscriber revenue. I subsribe to her, Thom Hartmann, Robert Reich, and many of the Meidas subgroups. I assume all of the above have other revenue streams.
Why can't I just get a pass? I've asked this previously.
If Meidas wants market share, the cost has to be competitive.
Nor, do most people (especially those on the right) understand how much Federal and State funding sports stadiums receive - look, I like you am very frustrated no matter the issue - but, in regard to the business/news model the MTN chooses it is niche in that it has proven in the numbers to be effective without diminishing integrity - understanding your thoughts about opinion vs news there is blurred line, that's a given, however, the detail is in the delivery of same - thanking you in advance for a lively discussion, these are important to sustain a pro-democracy community.
I don’t like your tone, boy! You come across as angry, arrogant, and closed-minded. If you have a point to make, the F-bombs don’t help you make it.
You’re makin’ my point!
Peter, if you think the Meidas business model is so bad why don't you show us how it is done. Start your own independent news organization and get venture capital to back you. When you surpass MeidasTouch in subscribers and views you can come back here and gloat. I am not holding my breath.
You sir, are the one who does not get it. I find it hilarious that you think I would do something like that. I’d never waste my money on an organization that pays above average talent people millions of dollars to throw a ball. I’d rather give that money to an organization that helps people or the environment. Professional sports need a limit on their salary just like a CEO. They deserve to be capped at a normal pay rates like 200k max. No need for any living person to make millions for doing nothing especially entertainment. Scientists and people who actually better the planet and society deserve the huge pay rates.
I refuse to support to a millionaire/billionaire unless it’s raising their taxes to the golden era tax rate. They are out of touch with reality and have no clue what it’s like to live as a normal person. From Cuban to Swift to Felon 45 to President Musk. Restore the golden era tax rate! America was golden for that reason! We didn’t bow to oligarchs. We treated them like everyone else.
Go pay corporate media to continue to lie to you. No one likes corporate media due its refusal to report on the truth. Independent media reports the truth.
I get your point, perhaps from a larger, more distant perspective. MT has principles, however, and that is often the last thing one hears before everything goes dark.
Idiot.
Peter, you are rambling. As you may have noticed, some of us work at these universities. Hell yes, I'll pay for those tickets, but even at the highest ranked schools, the fee is nowhere near your ridiculous, pulled out of your ass number. I support the programs and the school. You can choose to stay misinformed or you can come along for the ride and enrich yourself.
No it's YOU that doesn't get it.
"I suppose you would pay 676 dollars for a football ticket. You do not think that is supporting corporate America?"
Take a course in logic because that is seriously fallacious rhetoric. And you just come off as a crude jerk ... no wonder Ben called you out.
Peter did you proofread your original comment for spelling errors before you hit send?
Peter! We only see those who spread false narratives, blatant bald face lies, and those who, let me put it in words you understand. I gotcha! I fucking understand what your fucking saying...we all do. What were saying is the MTN wants to be free of influential bias from the wealthy who obviously are all oligars that obviously back the orange clown. They dont understand what the truth, ethics, and morality even means as in respects to what is spoon fed to them!
Ben, stay the course! The word "truth" and moral ethics are your course and it will bring respect through even the darkest times in the next 4 years. We need that!
I was asked what my information came from and what influencer, I listen to. I had to stop and think, am I being spoonfed the wrong information, it was a quick NO I am not. I've have done research on everything I'm told and th MTN is ALWAYS on track. I take honor in being a Meidas Mighty. I stand strong in their convictions.
Yet you probably voted for a rapist felon who wants to deport innocent people just because they immigrated here. They hate gay people, women, anyone who is not hetero and white. Go away troll
Call it a substack, sir. Sorry about your hernia 😔
Peter needs to go back to watching right wing cable shows and stop trying to bother the grownups with his blather. Private equity money is the death knell of everything it touches and that would include Meidas if they got involved. Keep the Meidas Touch independent and keep doing what you're doing. My subscription money is being well spent.
Don’t ever change! ❣️ We need truth from journalists not scripted stories controlled by oligarchs!
Peter who? All onboard with Ben! Team Ben Team Meidas forever! So, bye Peter!
You have yet to make a response that was not hostile. We are done with that. If you don't like how you are being addressed or characterized, perhaps you should sit back and read what you've said. You came in guns blazing amd you don't expect a response in the same tone? You're not talking to low ed, weak-minded or easily influenced patrons. Of course we would defend our stances and our choices- including MTN.
What you're saying is exactly what trump says. We aren't the morons. We actually use our brains maybe you should do the same.
We get it, Ben. And we are very grateful for you and the magnificent team. We will keep telling people about MTN!
I’m glad that you guys are independent and not run by billionaires…you are 100 percent right that they would want a say in what you’re able to say and report. Peter doesn’t understand that. That’s exactly why MSNBC, CNN, etc, are losing subscribers.
Keep that channel independent. Love getting the facts.
Hope your holiday was great. 💙🇺🇸
Yes- my S/O MSNBC addict- is in recovery!! It’s been almost totally off (I expect recovery might take a minute)! I’m hoping eventually he’ll realize there’s good stuff on MTN YouTube, Bluesky & Substack….
He leaves a lot of digital info unexplored…but strangely finds a few good things on FB- my algorithm must be wildly different 🤔
If he can turn off MSNBC- I suspect the crowd leaving is bigger than they admit!!
Facebook is probably messing with the algorithm since Zuckerberg has been hanging out at MAL. Meidas posts on all Social Media so he would see it. MSNBC is bleeding subscribers, viewers since they went to MAL. I wish I can unsubscribe from all these channels from my TV package which would really show them how bad they screwed up but you can’t so I just fly right by them. Your S/O will get over it once the orange messiah gets in and President Leon and him starts in with their crazy agenda. Or at least tries to.
If people are leaving Meidas Network for conservative outlets, were they ever even liberals? It’s about core values, not production values.
I think peter meant CNN and MSNBC are losing subscribers to conservative outlets, but that doesn’t make sense. CNN and MSNBC are just losing viewers period. Their viewers aren’t going to Fox, if they’re anything like me, they’re fleeing to Substacks such as this.
CNN lost me with their attempts to be more like Fox. MSNBC lost me when they began obeying in advance with Mika and Joe’s trip down to Mar-A-Lardo.
Yes same with me. Although I’ll watch Rachel on Monday if I’m not too depressed and I do miss Nicole Wallace. Love Mar-A-Lardo 😅
I watched a clip of Dana Bash interviewing a Republican congressman. She asked him if Musk was in charge or Trump and he gave a blah blah answer. She just moved on. Why doesn't CNN, MSNBC hold the weasel's feet to the fire. Make them squirm? Hold them accountable? MTM should get some interviews going with Republicans and Democrats. Not friendly interviews, interviews with hard, tough questions.
Totally agree.
I think peter is just…wrong. We do still have critical thinking where facts can be actually proofed.
If it doesn’t make sense-that’s a big clue.
(There are not alternative facts-that’s just using more words for “lie”.)
And there it is... thank you for proving every point made in this discussion. All MSM is losing viewers. All of them. The only difference you may see is maga gravitating to the other networks to round our their new echo chamber. We couldn't care less what Fox viewers do. They most all a lost cause. You may have some hope yet but as this topic goes on, you prove yourself unable to control your bias and make more unsubstantiated opinions.
So, you decided to result to petty insults, rather than consider what people are saying. May you receive the exact same energy you put in the world; tenfold.
No one is forcing you to stay. Your ranting is sounding like a spoiled child who didn't get his way.
Medias Touch has made it thus far without the puppet strings of billionaires and will continue to grow.
You got billiions Peter?? If you are so concerned about Meidas Touch Network being a "community bulletin board" then stop jacking your jaw and put your money where your mouth is! Become a subscriber.
So what are you doing here? No one gives a shit about your opinion.
Your intellect lags far behind your confidence in your opinions.
This attack gave the push to become a paid subscriber
YAY!! 🤗
Yay Nan!!! ❤️
Peter sounds more like someone from the other side as hard as he was pushing. Methinks this is just another MAGA supporter afraid you will upset his fearless leader. More than he already is...
Peter can shove his fools gold plate sneakers up his Orange Ass and Fc#k himself
Check yourself maybe? When you point fingers, 3 come back at you pal
Not everything or everyone can be bought or bought off. Some of us still have values, morals, integrity and can see the truth and the way! Our community speaks for itself, and in volumes! 💙🇺🇲🗽💪
It's none of your business, troll.. what about you? What drugs are you on??
STFU Peter Another Brainless Maga
I believe in your mission, Ben. Finally, someone "gets" those of us who believe that people really do have a voice when they stick to their guns for what they believe (and exercise their rights). Thanks for what you and your cohorts have accomplished so far and for what's yet to come. Truly an amazing, worthwhile adventure in truth and justice.
We get it!! Thank for no compromising your ethics and our community.
The fact that this is indeed a COMMUNITY that is not controlled by billionaires is why we are here and why this community continues to grow. Peter, just relax, we’ve got this.
Several well known folks on Substack rely entirely on subscriptions. They are independent voices who are not beholden to "sponsors" or boycotts thereof. Meidas is doing the right thing. Seems if Peter is unhappy with things here, he can certainly join X where he can release his stream of profanity into the abyss.
" release profanity into the abyss" That's the only reason I still have an X account. 😂
🤣🤣🤣👍