by JR Nyquist, jrnyquist.blog, ©2021
(Sep. 10, 2021) — “What the world really wants is flattery, and it does not matter how much of it is a lie; but the world at the same time also wants the right to disguise [the flattering lie], so that the fact of being lied to can easily be ignored. As I enjoy being affirmed in my whims and praised for my foibles, I also expect credibility to make it easy for me to believe … everything I hear, read, absorb, and watch…” —JOSEF PIEPER
Here are four requirements for selling a narrative to Americans: (1) It must be easy to grasp; (2) it should require no independent checking; (3) it must flatter existing preconceptions; and (4) it must be forwarded by celebrities.
In his little pamphlet, Abuse of Language – Abuse of Power, Josef Pieper described what happens to language when it aims at something other than the truth. According to Pieper, whoever chooses his words without being explicitly committed to the truth is not regarding other people as equal partners. “In fact,” says Pieper, “he no longer respects the other as a human person.” Communication then becomes manipulation. All conversation ceases. All dialogue comes to an end.
And behold! Where once a country existed, a madhouse appears. The people become deranged by the lies they believe in. An optimist might suppose our leaders have retained some portion of truth for their own navigation. But no, it is a case of insanity all the way around. Policy then miscarries. Consider recent events in Afghanistan where lying and bungling went hand-in-hand. Look at the COVID-19 pandemic with its useless vaccines. Again, we find that lying and bungling are the correlates of policy. Consider, as well, conservative efforts to find the truth about last year’s election.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, like a mad Jack-in-the-Box, has popped back into the picture. Recovered from the shock of his failed cyber symposium, he continues to say Dennis Montgomery’s packet captures are 100 percent reliable. He cites Dr. Shiva’s analysis and Dr. Douglas Frank’s math; yet the analysis and the math do not appear relevant to Montgomery’s alleged PCAP data. Nevertheless, Lindell presses forward because his message – (1) is easy to grasp; (2) requires no independent checking; (3) flatters preconceptions; (4) and is forwarded by a celebrity (i.e., himself).
Has Lindell been wounded by his inability to produce, as promised, his “absolute proof”? In court Lindell’s lawyers say he has suffered losses. On Lindell TV, however, the MyPillow CEO says business is good. “I’m not selling off anything,” Lindell bragged. Evidently he has hired almost 200 new workers for his company; so the media have it wrong. If this is true, then Lindell’s lawyers also have it wrong when alleging he suffered losses.
On his TV channel yesterday Lindell said he was not swindled by software designer Dennis Montgomery, that he did not buy Montgomery a $1.5 million house in Naples, Florida (as suggested by Zachary Petrizzo at Salon.com). Yet there must have been a financial arrangement between Lindell and Montgomery; especially since Montgomery is said to be unemployed and recently registered his business at the address of a newly purchased $1.5 million dollar house. Where did Montgomery get the cash for such a residence?
Given all this, how can Lindell claim that Montgomery did not swindle him? Was there no exchange of information for money? Montgomery was, after all, the primary source for Lindell’s nonexistent “absolute proof”? As everyone can see, no proofs have been forwarded despite Lindell’s high-flying promises. No authentic packet captures (PCAPs) were presented at the symposium (not even behind closed doors, according to my sources). Yet Lindell maintains that Montgomery’s data is “100 percent.” He has said that Montgomery is “golden.” He has said that Mary Fanning and Brannon Howse are also “heroes.” What kind of heroism, ten months after an election, proves so bootless? Not one shred of proof has appeared. What remains is dodgy math and a dodgy software developer. Even more curious, two weeks ago I spoke with an associate of Dennis Montgomery who alleged that Montgomery had never promised PCAP data to Lindell. All this is doubly confusing when juxtaposed to Lindell’s latest commentary, where he says: “I don’t know why they keep hammering on [Montgomery]. You know why? Because he has probably got the most … accurate captures – and stuff – ever!”
Most accurate “captures” ever? From a guy who gave the Maricopa Sheriff’s office fake data – as attested to by Thomas Drake and Kirk Wiebe, who found “evidence of an outright fraudulent con”? Since the ill-fated cyber symposium, I have spoken with specialists who were backstage during the event. They told me no authentic PCAP data were presented. To save face, Lindell’s “absolute proof” was allegedly handed over to government-connected experts for examination. In a recent speaking appearance, “Election Investigator” Douglas Frank said that FBI undercover agents were at the cyber symposium ready to arrest Lindell & Company as soon as they released the PCAPs. So, the PCAPs were never presented.
But were there really any PCAPs? My sources say there were none.
Read the rest here.