What do we DO about this, though? I saw most of the video, and I read the Palast article. I believe every word of it. What do we do with that knowledge?
Excellent question!
(1) First of all, we check and double check the salient points and facts -- just as a journalist would do. We're all busy -- and are not paid for our time as a journalist would be -- but we can all do some of this before we leap to conclusions. (I, for example, want to be much more clear about how exit polls work in these elections -- what they do and do not imply.... When I see very large discrepancies between the "official" vote and the exit polls in some states (some with a shocking 10-15% difference between these two numbers) I take this as solid reason to ask serious questions about why and how.
(2) We give serious consideration to just how profound the cognitive dissonance will be for the average news media "journalist" as well as the average citizen. It's not difficult to believe that America put a man on the moon... or that some cows and dogs have spots. It's really damn difficult for a majority of Americans to give serious consideration to possible, widespread, deliberate election fraud in the United States of America. We tend to think "We're not some sort of banana republic!" and dismiss the notion without any serious inquiry or investigation. We tend to expect that it's someone else's job to look into these matters: like mainstream media (which fewer and fewer of us trust these days, but still we want them to signal that we're not bat shit crazy by acknowledging that looking into these things doesn't mean we are wearing tinfoil hats and appear to have forgotten to take our meds.)
(3) If we remain convinced that things smell sharply of fish, we keep researching the topic.
(4) If it still smells badly of fish we begin to talk with our trusted friends about the topic, the evidence, etc.
(5) We consider joining -- or creating -- a local "support group" (and investigatory group) so we don't feel utterly alone. Little of any worth is ever accomplished by marginalized people all by themselves, alone.
(6) With the support of our supporters we encourage a widening circle of friends -- and local politicians, and news media folks ... -- to give serious consideration to the body of evidence (that there may be some fish here, 'cause it smells so much like fish after all).
(7) At some point we may need to get organized in the various ways that folks get organized -- and do something to raise the attention of a growing number of people about these fish. Or fish smells. "Why does it smell so much like fish if there are no fish? Hmm?"
(8) This could mean holding rallies, marches... or posting the fish all over Facebook... or ... or...? Who knows?! Be creative. But be honest and true. This is not a f**king joke here. This is serious stuff. It requires that we take both the available evidence, arguments ... and counter-arguments into our minds and hearts. It's the truth we're interested in here. If the mainstream media won't do their job (or the job of informing folks and asking serious questions -- as journalists should) then The People have to do the job for them.
