The Russian Are Coming, the Russian Are Coming. And these are not the nice ones from that movie who only wanted to return home safely. These Russians had an agenda, false identities, and they saw success.
The Russians were here, not only on Facebook and posting lunatic comments almost like Americans, but in person, on the phone, via Twitter, from Russia and more locally, calling people to rallies and reminding us again and again that Trump was the answer to everything that ails our nation.
From the NYT: “In written answers to questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee, Facebook said some 338,300 people saw the announcements of rallies promoted by the bogus pages — and 62,500 said they planned to attend one. Those numbers are modest against the background of the entire presidential campaign, but they show that the Russians were able not just to attract Americans to their ersatz groups but actually manipulate their actions. . . .
“A glance at the Russian posts supports the idea that they focus on candidates. Heart of Texas ran an unflattering portrait of Mrs. Clinton with the tag ‘Pure Evil’; posted a fake photo of her shaking hands with Osama bin Laden; and paired her with Adolf Hitler as a supporter of gun control. Mr. Trump was shown surrounded by police officers wearing Trump hats and grinning outside a fake cage with Mrs. Clinton inside.
“While most of the Americans duped by the Russian trolls were not public figures, some higher-profile people were fooled. The indictment mentions the Russian Twitter feed @TEN_GOP, which posed as a Tennessee Republican account and attracted more than 100,000 followers. It was retweeted by Donald Trump Jr.; Kellyanne Conway, the president’s counselor; Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser; and his son, Michael Flynn Jr.
“They have expressed no regret that they were apparently taken in by the Russian operatives. Instead, since Friday’s indictment, Donald Trump Jr., like his father, has pointed mainly to the fact that it did not accuse the president or his associates of assisting the Russian operation.”
Of course, retweeting Russian propaganda does assist the Russian operation.
People do not like to believe they are influenced by commercials and slogans, but we are. Billions are spent annually to promote products we didn’t know we wanted. These companies have done the market research. They are not in business to waste money.
BETTER NEWS*
To change the subject entirely: Rice was brought by slaves to the New World, and it was likely a slave woman who taught Americans how to grow it. I cook brown Jasmine rice grown organically in California, but there are other entirely different strains.
Rice traditionally grown in West Africa and once promoted by Thomas Jefferson because it can be grown in fields with flooding (and malaria), grown by slaves in America, and presumed lost, has been found in Trinidad. Francis Morean, a Trinidadian ethnobotanist, identified the grain.
“The fat, nutty grain, with its West African lineage and tender red hull, was a favored staple for Southern home cooks during much of the 19th century.”
Recently tried by the chef at Junebaby, a Seattle restaurant, and perhaps on the menu in future. What once was thought lost, is found.
*A little sweet at the end.
IMPERFECT PATIENCE 