Maybe it sounds paranoid, but I can’t help but there is a coordinated effort to silence voices that have become too hard to control.
Was this what was behind the Dominion Lawsuit that would eventually push out Tucker Carlson? I’d like to know the real story behind that, but that seems the most plausible, considering there continues to be a widespread, coordinated effort by the 65 Project to threaten and intimidate and even charge any lawyers who might dare to help Trump or those indicted for helping Trump.
Why do you take your best ratings-getter off the air like they did at Fox? They’ve never returned from that and are now doing numbers slightly better than MSNBC.
Russell Brand has been building quite a large following with his thoughtful, open-hearted videos.
But he has never made a secret of his past. He has always said he was a sex addict, along with drugs and alcohol, and that it was difficult to get sober and change his life. But that meant there would likely be a trail of casualties — when you are that famous and that careless, the boundaries become blurred, no one holds you to account, and women throw themselves at you. The same was likely true - minus drugs and drink - of Trump in the 1980s.
Times change. People change. The Me Too movement never has and never will account for that change. It’s once accused, forever guilty. But it’s more than just potential crimes. It’s a complete destruction of character, and there is no coming back from it, whether it’s Armie Hammer, Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey or now Russell Brand, the court of public opinion decides your guilt and that is that.
But Brand has flown too close to the flame. Here are just a few of his YouTube clips, sent out to his 6 million followers of late:
Five years after #MeToo they finally went after Russell Brand, and the question is why? At its height anyone could be accused of anything and their careers would be destroyed. They would get nothing but support from the activists — so why now? Well, because someone wanted to get this story and target him, for obvious reasons.
I’m not saying it’s specifically about politics or the vaccine or Big Pharma - it’s simply about control of voice. It’s about silencing as many dissidents as possible heading into the election. This is just the beginning of the ways they will attempt to rig the election in their favor, as they did in 2020. It’s easy to do when they have such a willing hive mind of Twitter hungry for the next bad guy.
Of the charges against Brand, at least to me, only the allegation of rape by his friend, who visited a rape crisis center afterward and talked it all out with Brand after he apologized. To me, the courts should perhaps handle that to render adequate sentencing and punishing. But that isn’t what they’re after. They want to do to Russell Brand what they’re attempting to do Trump — if they can’t silence him completely, they will destroy his credibility as much as possible.
He’s a rapist! They will say now. He’s a sex offender! So, nothing he says will be considered legitimate. They will add it to their long list of people they say are “disgraced.”
Disgraced Tucker Carlson. Disgraced Donald Trump. Disgraced Russell Brand.
That’s how they play the game. Brand, they hope, will be seen as someone evil to his core, a really bad guy. The truth doesn’t matter when you’re talking about “spectral evidence.”
I’ve never been a fan of any of this madness - not a fan of convicting people in the court of public opinion. I believe in forgiveness and redemption.
This an example of why it took such courage for Sasha Stone to leave the hive; they hate us because we’re undereducated and overly successful Deplorables only good for war cannon fodder and to pay taxes, but they actively persecute and stalk those that left their cult because they are an unacceptable example to others that escape can be survived. It’s a Mafia practice.
What's up with women waiting ten, fifteen, twenty years and then suddenly claiming, "He raped me."?? In my opinion, any claims of sexual misconduct that are not made in, say, the first month after the alleged crime/misdeed, should be ignored.
How is any defense possible years after the "fact"? It becomes pure character assassination. Is the best Brand's opponents can come up with? It's pathetic.
Well said, er, written, Sasha. I think the haters will stop at nothing to control our voices. Sadly, these kinds of tactics squelch the voice of those of us who have healed from past trauma and are just finally getting the courage to speak. The story of my life. Ugh!
I will continue to love Russell. He has done well to heal from his addictions and be transparent—walk his talk.
Hypocrisy is now cool. How did that happen? Remember the “sexual revolution”? Free for all, express yourself, if it feels good, do it, don’t be uptight like a Victorian. President Clinton’s Lewinsky dalliance (and countless others) were evidence of his “love of life”; none of the public’s business, not a black mark at all. “A politician’s private life is just that, private. Look at his record of success”.
But power and money corrode our moral compass and everything else. We’re seeing the consequences of the pursuit of power at all costs. There is no Truth, just narratives.
.I will NEVER forget nor forgive what the Democratic Party did to Bret Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing. A lifelong family man of decency with an impeccable judicial history in one week was reduced by the Democratic Party and their media sycophants to an alleged gang rapist, sexual predator and alcoholic with anger management issues. All fabricated just to destroy him and subsequently his chances of being confirmed to the Supreme Court. Although he was narrowly confirmed, the Left still boasted about having placed an asterisk beside his name I.e. he’s permanent damaged merchandise. A third world tactic. I knew then we’re not dealing with people of good will toward America, but rather predatory sociopaths who have no problem destroying anyone if it embellishes their inexhaustible lust for power. At this point this behavior characterizes the megalomania of the Left and is par for the course.
When Jordan Peterson toppled, I knew Russell Brand was next. His extravagant flamboyance and "bad boy" persona play into these accusations. Sadly, no one knows what happens between two people, but if rape is actually actionable, I wonder why the silence until now.
At the very least, the timing of this is highly suspicious.
I don't know who this Karen is in the video, but she is woefully oblivious to the reality that all this hate she's attempting to drum up directed at Russel Brand will only embolden both him and his audience. Exactly the same as it has for Trump and Tucker.
What is obvious above all is the desperation on the Left. They sense that a reckoning is coming.
The Guardian is so disgusting. They’ll never write an article about Hunter Biden’s misogyny, will they? They don’t give a damn about Biden Senior’s groping of women and girls, either, do they? Both Bidens get deferential treatment, along with other Dems. Look what they did to poor Julian Assange—meaning the left, from Sweden to UK to US. These people are beyond stupid and their bias is obvious. I despise these ghoulish articles seeking to revel in someone else’s destruction. How is this any difference from putting someone in the stocks for public humiliation, whipping, etc ?
Same thing they did with Matt Gaetz. Smeared him in the court of public opinion and it turned out they had nothing. But the slander has a major impact on the jaded types who the cathedral relies upon to enforce the norms.
If the situation was truly nonconsensual, she should go to the police. Otherwise it is between her and Brand. By this standard Tara Reade should have buried Joe Biden's chances of becoming president, but the media wouldn't touch it. So, yes, this is an attack to "cancel" Brand. They don't care about the women. Brand is inconvenient.
I'm not buying it. Why wait all this time to bring it up? Why are four of the five accusers anonymous? At least that was the situation the last time I looked.
To me, anonymity destroys credibility. If you aren't willing to put your name on it, then keep your mouth shut.
I picture these people in dark rooms late at night, combing the internet for someone to attack. When they find the next victim, and then have the inevitable apology, they seem to get back to work looking for the next one. It's the apologies! As Bill Mahr said, if people stop apologizing, maybe the harassment will stop?
Equality is created by ethics; Equity is created by envy. While no one should ever be abused, I cannot help but remember that 'Sour Grapes make Good Whine'.
This madness is not restricted to the high profile cases. I worked for a very large tech company where one person accused a high level manager of being a misogynist in the company chat room. She encouraged all women to 'come forward' with dirt on this guy. Part of her reasoning was that he's a white Christian, therefore, by association, a misogynist, racist, homophobe and the company must get rid of him and those like him. She openly challenged HR to 'do something'. She encouraged all women to come forward with stories about all white Christian males in order to purge them from the organization. There was no response from HR or the executives in the chat room but this guy was quietly released from the company.
This is a zero sum game. If the left was given all they want they would have nothing remaining but to destroy each other. I am reminded of a New Yorker cartoon - four wolves in sheep hides standing in a circle. 'Now what?' one of them asks.
Challenging the establishment is ok until your following becomes too big.
They are scared of him. This is obvious.
It is also obvious that someone gave the order to bring him down. Find women from his past and coerce them into speaking now. In this circumstance, hindsight is not 2020. It’s bullshit.
Ben Shapiro said that they made a documentary/dramatization. They hired actresses to play the women’s roles. Does it get any worse than that? The accusers get to be anonymous. Haven’t we learned not to believe all women yet?
I’m sick of so-called feminists telling young women that the way to gain power is through victimhood. How weak. And they buy it because it works. I really can’t think of anything less empowering. Why can’t women be strong enough to say I made a mistake and learn from it.
If the one woman was truly raped, she should’ve come out publicly at the time. She chose not to. I understand why. That’s OK. But somebody’s twisting her arm now and I don’t go for it.
Rewriting history is getting really old.
Russell’s book on addiction and recovery is used at Betty Ford. That ought to tell us something.
He is a very spiritual/religious person, sober for a good amount of time. He has undoubtedly helped thousands of people directly and indirectly.
He’s a multifaceted human being, and going up against the establishment is just one aspect of who he is.
I don’t think this will take him down, but I wonder if he’ll ever be able to be his beautiful, unguarded, authentic, vulnerable, loving self publicly again. I hope so because he’s helping a lot of people in various ways.
To answer your question, Sasha, I am all for redemption and forgiveness.
Is there anyone here that is proud of everything they ever did?
That’s exactly what it is. Just like the Trump prosecutions magically appeared for full impact during the election. Coordinated and choreographed.
Once we understand that none of this is about justice, accountability, or creating a better society -- but about pure, naked power. Destroying others through the promiscuous use of public shame - Scarlet Letter style. It is war. Pure and simple. As Reese said to Sarah Connor - “Listen and understand. That Terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity or remorse or fear. And it absolutely will NOT STOP, ever, until you are dead”.
Talk about conspiracy theories! That woman would have you believe that Brand’s very popular, and labor intensive podcasts are the result of his grand plan to convince everyone that the media is corrupt. Well, we don’t really need Brand to convince us of that.
Just got out of court with the same charges levelled against my person... From a Columbian national that I barely knew. Though the case was dismissed because it was a fukin lie. Still the change remains on my record. If the court would hold those who abuse the Judicial system accountable. Lock up a few of these pretenders... This page of mischief would soon be pulled from their playbook.
Sasha Stone is spot on yet again; her point in theme is clear and irrefutable. It's so refreshing to me that there are still a few deeply brave journalists that remain in the "Rome of the Potomac" - where the fundamental right of Free Speech was once observed - or even treasured, no less - and made our country different, far better in fact. Where without it, all the rest of our rights quickly collapse and along with it any semblance of a free society; i.e., the pursuit and/or the very meaning of happiness, not to mention opportunity and prosperity. Sasha is right up there with Glenn Greenwald, Tucker Carlson, and Naomi Wolf. She is one of the few special ones remaining to observe, and if we don't I deeply fear the consequences. Yet more so, I too fear it's not too late, as the authoritarians have taken firm hold for now. Finally, it's funny how it's all flipped, the D party and ant-Trumper's are now the very definition of authoritarianism and fascism, where right side of the political spectrum once carried that dark mantle - in perception at least - not all that long ago. God Bless Sasha, I just hope she is not silenced too.....
Why not at say five or four or three or two or one million followers?
Why not at the time of the Kavanaugh moments, Brand was famous then, and the #MeToo was peaking?
As a libertarian whatever is consensual between adults is consensual and whatever is not is not.
It is the latter that is verboten, violence.
Is Brand the rotten rogue being claimed?
What we can be certain of however is that we should not be so naïve to think that it would be conspiratorial gumff to consider that this is a targeted operation to take Brand down.
That is very possible and also very probable.
And whether fair or not, the outcome will be that Brand will be greatly diminished.
That will be the reality, regardless of whether or not it is a deserved one.
Brand’s voice will have been successfully curtailed.
Greenwald was subject to a smear operation, I have intelligent, creative friends who still think he is a paedophile!!!
Glenn Greenwald, one of the most important voices for democracy around!!!
What is important is that voices like those of Greenwald, Shasha herself who is insightfully remarkable, Kim Iversen, Jimmy Dore and others of the same capacity keep going …
Let’s see how this will play out . This is a cancel culture attack . There are choreographers behind this attack to be sure . Others like Kavanaugh , Trump , Peterson and even Elon Musk are targets of the Left if they don’t get want . The strategy of the left is the same tool the right can use to counter the cancel poison . Impeaching Biden is long overdue. Take down the left’s Icons . There are many ready to fall . Subvert their own strategy and watch the dust start to settle as the other side realizes the sword has 2 sharp sides not just one that can cut deep.
We live in an age where David Brock and John Podesta can work full time to attack and discredit the opposition with unlimited funds. The ways in which this can corrupt both Brock and Podesta are astonishing. Ruining lives becomes well paid bloodsport. Partisan activists are rewarded handsomely. When you earn the undying loyalty and respect from one side of the aisle for doing scurrilous and scandalous work it elevates the horrendous. It provides a respectable aura to the foul and awful. And it expands into an industry where the Lincoln Project, the 65 Project, and all manner of partisan PACs can smear, denigrate, and ruin and retain social respect.
And the horrible truth is the only way to fight back is to create your own well funded opposition that surveilles Brock and Podesta and the leaders of the Lincoln Project digging and digging for dirt. It becomes a zero sum game. They destroy one of ours, we take theirs.
Too much money in politics creates debase conduct of the worst order.
We must remove Brock and Podesta et al from the stage. We must find a way to penalize the partisan behavior.
What is interesting to me is how they manage to separate who they attack from who they protect. Is Russell Brand more of a degenerate than Hunter Biden? And Tucker, they made a huge mistake including him as part of the Dominion settlement. They gave him his freedom and check out his numbers. These people are dumb and incompetent. The evidence is everywhere we look. We need to stop pointing out the obvious to each other and start to discuss how to stop them.
This is what I said out loud following a C.K. Louis performance in Portland Oregon .. the show ended with a C.K. as only he can, having led the progressive audience do cheer clapping on one point that built logically upon the last, and the meta joke was that the audience caught itself cheering against abortion .. he had taken us full circle .. which was lesson in seeing through the eyes of your opposition (by being tricked into doing so) and more important it was genuinely funny .. and to an audience outside the bubble .. and made my premonition before #METOO that he would be taken down. Anyone who was famous and young in the 60's on had groupies .. and by #METOO standards that makes every past rock star, except maybe Donnie and Marie Osmond, succeptible to extortion.
If these women were raped or assaulted by Russell Brand, they have my sympathies. If they’re lying about Russell Brand, he has my sympathies. You know who I KNOW has my sympathies? His wife, who’s heavily pregnant with their third child.
Anyone who has the balls to face their own demons, & then commit to healing themselves, is somebody I respect.
And then, if they decide to take what they've learned from their pain, and do something meaningful on this planet, that's even more amazing!
Russell Brand is such a person, & for that reason, it looks like he is the new sitting duck for the woke possy.
And sadly, RfkJr, as I write this, is confronted with this same lynch mob.
There's nothing new about a woke possy. We had plenty of righteous wokists in the Wild West, but who could have dreamed that we would see a resurgence of ignorant & blood- thirsty vengefulness in the 21rst century?😳
I was intrigued by the angry woman in the video. Her theory is bizarre. Brand evolved; he didn't consciously create an entirely new persona just to have a group of supporters around when his naughty deeds were uncovered. He has been very open regarding his many indiscretions, and real victims of sexual assault should go to the police immediately. Waiting 17 years to whine about how one was "groomed," or actually raped doesn't ring true. He was a star of films & TV shows, and could have been toppled way back when, but they all waited until now, when he is challenging the narrative every day. I call BS.
Funny how people care more about an entertainer who is a self-confessed flawed person and has owned up to his less than stellar past, but embrace and cover for politician deviants like Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.
These allegations are clearly fugazi. And besides: Who cares what Brand did?
I have always believed that Dominion had evidence that FOX News was an active player in the rigging of the 2020 election and was going to use it in court. Nothing else can come close to justifying the insane amount of money paid to Dominion plus fire the guy making you lots of money. The terms of the settlement are secret but the evidence they hold is still subject to discovery should Dominion end up in court again. Just my beliefe.
A side note about how these attacks are highly coordinated by powerful leftists: Roberta Kaplan, the current lawyer for E. Jean Carroll, was also involved in trying to take down Kavanaugh. She represented a former off and on girlfriend of Mark Judge who wanted to talk to the FBI. She is a cofounder of Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. I really don’t get the whole Carroll -Trump-Bergdorf Goodman situation. It seems completely crazy that she gets $5 million for claiming that Trump sexually assaulted her decades ago and there are no witnesses—how does that happen?
In 1989 my buddy and I snuck up to view the E. German border. There was our counterpart holding a rifle guarding a minefield on HIS side of the fence. No difference here; you want to leave the plantation we make it very painful.
My take: I am a BIG believer in our system that includes innocent until proven guilty(beyond a reasonable doubt). As I said about Al Franken, the voters will choose come election time and that is the way it should be. It is very dangerous for the exact opposite to be happening.
Another blessing the Trump phenomena gives us: transparency to what the Left(and est. republicans) is really up to. Our conservative antennae were out once we heard Obama's 2004 convention speech and we quickly found out he favors communism and it has been a very tough job trying to even talk to democrats about how their party was being hijacked,. I am very grateful for this space... Brand... Taibbi... et al. YOU ALL have the credibility that is needed by others leaning Left.
I think it is highly dangerous that the Left routinely attacks people instead of propositions. What kind of people get all turned on by that? People who want to have a pretext to harm other people. The witch-hunters ye shall have always with you. It's been a rough few centuries. But now their time has come again. They've heard their master's call.
The only thing Marxists understand is violence against bodies and property and reputations. Brand has money so he can afford a defamation suit, but that's not enough. This Marxist revolution is well funded by the globalist money printers, funding mob defamation attacks, threats, and assaults. They have bought the courts and will reimburse legal fees and pay a few thousand to any slut who has no shame in lying about being raped during his or her groupie whoring days. The way I predict defenders of freedom will stop these lawless tyrants is for very skilled lone wolf avengers to carefully and methodically Follow the Money and Destroy the Perpetrators all the way up the line. The tyrants need to learn there is a price to pay for persecution and terror. A very dear price.
Perhaps the most identifiable characteristic of ideological capture is 'pre-hate', the 'first strike' mentality. See if your adopted philosophy includes a list of those that you are required to hate in order to be a member of the tribe. We can all spot 'hate speech' and do not let it affect us. That is why we should not ban 'hate speech'; it helps you spot those you want to avoid, and protects you from becoming one of them. But the Woke do not just hate 'hate speech', the Woke hate speech itself. For the Woke, Censorship, the prevention of the perception of reality, is the only way to prevent Sensorship, the enhancement of the perception of reality. Hate is the Speech of the Blind, and there are none so Blind as those who will Not See. Sasha, you have proven time and again that you will never become a 'Not See'
Like you I believe in forgiveness and redemption. I believe in taking full responsibility for one's life. I believe in playing neither victim, nor martyr. I believe in figuring out our deeply felt truths and standing for them. I appreciate Russell's commitment to speaking his and hope he keeps doing so.
Leaving aside the specific person of Russell Brand who I don't even know much about, just in general it is obvious that there is a mentality out there that does not seek reasoned discourse but seeks suppression of any viewpoint but their own, and that those pushing this mentality are getting ever more brazen in their tactics and ever more powerful.
I am skeptical of all rape claims at this point, if the "victim" never bothered to go to the police. 10 to 17 years later, it's a bit difficult to prove -- or disprove -- much of anything. Apparently some of the "victims" were prompted to speak now because media approached them, and because they didn't like some of Brand's YT videos. For all we know, they were also "compensated" for "sharing their stories."
This is simply the workings of the establishment media and political class flexing their perceived might to maintain their grip on power. Think of all the useless people being employed whose "job" it is to rake up muck on their political foes. Then create useless political hit ads every election cycle to maintain perceptions. Entire campaigns are essentially psy ops. No wonder they love the CIA. They're just like them. It's all a machine and another industrial complex. I'm sure the Order 66, sorry, 65 Project losers are making a lot of money to further the dregs of humanity.
Why does no candidate question why billions of dollars are spent on campaigns that could be better spent just about anywhere else in society?
First off, Sasha, remember what they say..."Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you."
As for Russell, the really sad thing is that because "they" have used the Me Too movement time and again to try to "get" those with whom they disagree, they have succeeded in diminishing the impact these sorts of accusations used to have. Without hearing any of the women, without knowing their stories, I find myself immediately suspect that these women are being used to silence a very contrarian, and very legitimate voice in today's world. It may not be fair to the women involved, but we've seen too much of these antics not to suspect that "they" are, once again, up to no good!
It is clear to most by now that there is nothing "they" won't do, no depths to which they won't descend, no lives they won't eagerly ruin in furtherance of their agenda. To these people, the ends justify the means, and there are no means they will not use to achieve their ends!
Gaby's quote is a perfect example of the leftist state of mind: nothing exists without the state allowing it. The state is all powerful, and should be all powerful.
No establishment, old or new, gave Brand his influence. His voice, his words, his message, his hard work did. I know leftist hate that. We all need to understand that the left is working tirelessly to get everyone to accept the futility of individual effort and to therefore rely on the all powerful state.
These people, and the woman in this video, hate themselves, hate life, hate everyone around them, are filled with hate - and they want to drag every single person and the whole wide world with them into the black hole of their hate.
Russell Brand is a treasure. He really put himself out on the line--sharing his observations that are blatantly obvious except to those who suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. I am optimistic that these tactics over-used in such a short span of time will be too ridiculous and obvious to the general public. I hold hope. In the meantime, here comes the parade of accusers! WHAT A SHOW! Better than Game of Thrones, but sadly altogether similar.
This an example of why it took such courage for Sasha Stone to leave the hive; they hate us because we’re undereducated and overly successful Deplorables only good for war cannon fodder and to pay taxes, but they actively persecute and stalk those that left their cult because they are an unacceptable example to others that escape can be survived. It’s a Mafia practice.
What's up with women waiting ten, fifteen, twenty years and then suddenly claiming, "He raped me."?? In my opinion, any claims of sexual misconduct that are not made in, say, the first month after the alleged crime/misdeed, should be ignored.
How is any defense possible years after the "fact"? It becomes pure character assassination. Is the best Brand's opponents can come up with? It's pathetic.
Well said, er, written, Sasha. I think the haters will stop at nothing to control our voices. Sadly, these kinds of tactics squelch the voice of those of us who have healed from past trauma and are just finally getting the courage to speak. The story of my life. Ugh!
I will continue to love Russell. He has done well to heal from his addictions and be transparent—walk his talk.
You can tell who’s over the target by who’s taking flak.
Hypocrisy is now cool. How did that happen? Remember the “sexual revolution”? Free for all, express yourself, if it feels good, do it, don’t be uptight like a Victorian. President Clinton’s Lewinsky dalliance (and countless others) were evidence of his “love of life”; none of the public’s business, not a black mark at all. “A politician’s private life is just that, private. Look at his record of success”.
But power and money corrode our moral compass and everything else. We’re seeing the consequences of the pursuit of power at all costs. There is no Truth, just narratives.
.I will NEVER forget nor forgive what the Democratic Party did to Bret Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing. A lifelong family man of decency with an impeccable judicial history in one week was reduced by the Democratic Party and their media sycophants to an alleged gang rapist, sexual predator and alcoholic with anger management issues. All fabricated just to destroy him and subsequently his chances of being confirmed to the Supreme Court. Although he was narrowly confirmed, the Left still boasted about having placed an asterisk beside his name I.e. he’s permanent damaged merchandise. A third world tactic. I knew then we’re not dealing with people of good will toward America, but rather predatory sociopaths who have no problem destroying anyone if it embellishes their inexhaustible lust for power. At this point this behavior characterizes the megalomania of the Left and is par for the course.
When Jordan Peterson toppled, I knew Russell Brand was next. His extravagant flamboyance and "bad boy" persona play into these accusations. Sadly, no one knows what happens between two people, but if rape is actually actionable, I wonder why the silence until now.
At the very least, the timing of this is highly suspicious.
I don't know who this Karen is in the video, but she is woefully oblivious to the reality that all this hate she's attempting to drum up directed at Russel Brand will only embolden both him and his audience. Exactly the same as it has for Trump and Tucker.
What is obvious above all is the desperation on the Left. They sense that a reckoning is coming.
The Guardian is so disgusting. They’ll never write an article about Hunter Biden’s misogyny, will they? They don’t give a damn about Biden Senior’s groping of women and girls, either, do they? Both Bidens get deferential treatment, along with other Dems. Look what they did to poor Julian Assange—meaning the left, from Sweden to UK to US. These people are beyond stupid and their bias is obvious. I despise these ghoulish articles seeking to revel in someone else’s destruction. How is this any difference from putting someone in the stocks for public humiliation, whipping, etc ?
Same thing they did with Matt Gaetz. Smeared him in the court of public opinion and it turned out they had nothing. But the slander has a major impact on the jaded types who the cathedral relies upon to enforce the norms.
If the situation was truly nonconsensual, she should go to the police. Otherwise it is between her and Brand. By this standard Tara Reade should have buried Joe Biden's chances of becoming president, but the media wouldn't touch it. So, yes, this is an attack to "cancel" Brand. They don't care about the women. Brand is inconvenient.
I'm not buying it. Why wait all this time to bring it up? Why are four of the five accusers anonymous? At least that was the situation the last time I looked.
To me, anonymity destroys credibility. If you aren't willing to put your name on it, then keep your mouth shut.
I picture these people in dark rooms late at night, combing the internet for someone to attack. When they find the next victim, and then have the inevitable apology, they seem to get back to work looking for the next one. It's the apologies! As Bill Mahr said, if people stop apologizing, maybe the harassment will stop?
Equality is created by ethics; Equity is created by envy. While no one should ever be abused, I cannot help but remember that 'Sour Grapes make Good Whine'.
This madness is not restricted to the high profile cases. I worked for a very large tech company where one person accused a high level manager of being a misogynist in the company chat room. She encouraged all women to 'come forward' with dirt on this guy. Part of her reasoning was that he's a white Christian, therefore, by association, a misogynist, racist, homophobe and the company must get rid of him and those like him. She openly challenged HR to 'do something'. She encouraged all women to come forward with stories about all white Christian males in order to purge them from the organization. There was no response from HR or the executives in the chat room but this guy was quietly released from the company.
This is a zero sum game. If the left was given all they want they would have nothing remaining but to destroy each other. I am reminded of a New Yorker cartoon - four wolves in sheep hides standing in a circle. 'Now what?' one of them asks.
Challenging the establishment is ok until your following becomes too big.
They are scared of him. This is obvious.
It is also obvious that someone gave the order to bring him down. Find women from his past and coerce them into speaking now. In this circumstance, hindsight is not 2020. It’s bullshit.
Ben Shapiro said that they made a documentary/dramatization. They hired actresses to play the women’s roles. Does it get any worse than that? The accusers get to be anonymous. Haven’t we learned not to believe all women yet?
I’m sick of so-called feminists telling young women that the way to gain power is through victimhood. How weak. And they buy it because it works. I really can’t think of anything less empowering. Why can’t women be strong enough to say I made a mistake and learn from it.
If the one woman was truly raped, she should’ve come out publicly at the time. She chose not to. I understand why. That’s OK. But somebody’s twisting her arm now and I don’t go for it.
Rewriting history is getting really old.
Russell’s book on addiction and recovery is used at Betty Ford. That ought to tell us something.
He is a very spiritual/religious person, sober for a good amount of time. He has undoubtedly helped thousands of people directly and indirectly.
He’s a multifaceted human being, and going up against the establishment is just one aspect of who he is.
I don’t think this will take him down, but I wonder if he’ll ever be able to be his beautiful, unguarded, authentic, vulnerable, loving self publicly again. I hope so because he’s helping a lot of people in various ways.
To answer your question, Sasha, I am all for redemption and forgiveness.
Is there anyone here that is proud of everything they ever did?
That’s exactly what it is. Just like the Trump prosecutions magically appeared for full impact during the election. Coordinated and choreographed.
Once we understand that none of this is about justice, accountability, or creating a better society -- but about pure, naked power. Destroying others through the promiscuous use of public shame - Scarlet Letter style. It is war. Pure and simple. As Reese said to Sarah Connor - “Listen and understand. That Terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity or remorse or fear. And it absolutely will NOT STOP, ever, until you are dead”.
This is what awaits us.
Talk about conspiracy theories! That woman would have you believe that Brand’s very popular, and labor intensive podcasts are the result of his grand plan to convince everyone that the media is corrupt. Well, we don’t really need Brand to convince us of that.
Just got out of court with the same charges levelled against my person... From a Columbian national that I barely knew. Though the case was dismissed because it was a fukin lie. Still the change remains on my record. If the court would hold those who abuse the Judicial system accountable. Lock up a few of these pretenders... This page of mischief would soon be pulled from their playbook.
Sasha Stone is spot on yet again; her point in theme is clear and irrefutable. It's so refreshing to me that there are still a few deeply brave journalists that remain in the "Rome of the Potomac" - where the fundamental right of Free Speech was once observed - or even treasured, no less - and made our country different, far better in fact. Where without it, all the rest of our rights quickly collapse and along with it any semblance of a free society; i.e., the pursuit and/or the very meaning of happiness, not to mention opportunity and prosperity. Sasha is right up there with Glenn Greenwald, Tucker Carlson, and Naomi Wolf. She is one of the few special ones remaining to observe, and if we don't I deeply fear the consequences. Yet more so, I too fear it's not too late, as the authoritarians have taken firm hold for now. Finally, it's funny how it's all flipped, the D party and ant-Trumper's are now the very definition of authoritarianism and fascism, where right side of the political spectrum once carried that dark mantle - in perception at least - not all that long ago. God Bless Sasha, I just hope she is not silenced too.....
I find it quite interesting that the media sought these women out and THEN they came forward. Not the other way around
Why now at six million followers?
Why not at say five or four or three or two or one million followers?
Why not at the time of the Kavanaugh moments, Brand was famous then, and the #MeToo was peaking?
As a libertarian whatever is consensual between adults is consensual and whatever is not is not.
It is the latter that is verboten, violence.
Is Brand the rotten rogue being claimed?
What we can be certain of however is that we should not be so naïve to think that it would be conspiratorial gumff to consider that this is a targeted operation to take Brand down.
That is very possible and also very probable.
And whether fair or not, the outcome will be that Brand will be greatly diminished.
That will be the reality, regardless of whether or not it is a deserved one.
Brand’s voice will have been successfully curtailed.
Greenwald was subject to a smear operation, I have intelligent, creative friends who still think he is a paedophile!!!
Glenn Greenwald, one of the most important voices for democracy around!!!
What is important is that voices like those of Greenwald, Shasha herself who is insightfully remarkable, Kim Iversen, Jimmy Dore and others of the same capacity keep going …
Let’s see how this will play out . This is a cancel culture attack . There are choreographers behind this attack to be sure . Others like Kavanaugh , Trump , Peterson and even Elon Musk are targets of the Left if they don’t get want . The strategy of the left is the same tool the right can use to counter the cancel poison . Impeaching Biden is long overdue. Take down the left’s Icons . There are many ready to fall . Subvert their own strategy and watch the dust start to settle as the other side realizes the sword has 2 sharp sides not just one that can cut deep.
We live in an age where David Brock and John Podesta can work full time to attack and discredit the opposition with unlimited funds. The ways in which this can corrupt both Brock and Podesta are astonishing. Ruining lives becomes well paid bloodsport. Partisan activists are rewarded handsomely. When you earn the undying loyalty and respect from one side of the aisle for doing scurrilous and scandalous work it elevates the horrendous. It provides a respectable aura to the foul and awful. And it expands into an industry where the Lincoln Project, the 65 Project, and all manner of partisan PACs can smear, denigrate, and ruin and retain social respect.
And the horrible truth is the only way to fight back is to create your own well funded opposition that surveilles Brock and Podesta and the leaders of the Lincoln Project digging and digging for dirt. It becomes a zero sum game. They destroy one of ours, we take theirs.
Too much money in politics creates debase conduct of the worst order.
We must remove Brock and Podesta et al from the stage. We must find a way to penalize the partisan behavior.
Frankly it's our only hope of survival.
What is interesting to me is how they manage to separate who they attack from who they protect. Is Russell Brand more of a degenerate than Hunter Biden? And Tucker, they made a huge mistake including him as part of the Dominion settlement. They gave him his freedom and check out his numbers. These people are dumb and incompetent. The evidence is everywhere we look. We need to stop pointing out the obvious to each other and start to discuss how to stop them.
This is what I said out loud following a C.K. Louis performance in Portland Oregon .. the show ended with a C.K. as only he can, having led the progressive audience do cheer clapping on one point that built logically upon the last, and the meta joke was that the audience caught itself cheering against abortion .. he had taken us full circle .. which was lesson in seeing through the eyes of your opposition (by being tricked into doing so) and more important it was genuinely funny .. and to an audience outside the bubble .. and made my premonition before #METOO that he would be taken down. Anyone who was famous and young in the 60's on had groupies .. and by #METOO standards that makes every past rock star, except maybe Donnie and Marie Osmond, succeptible to extortion.
If these women were raped or assaulted by Russell Brand, they have my sympathies. If they’re lying about Russell Brand, he has my sympathies. You know who I KNOW has my sympathies? His wife, who’s heavily pregnant with their third child.
Anyone who has the balls to face their own demons, & then commit to healing themselves, is somebody I respect.
And then, if they decide to take what they've learned from their pain, and do something meaningful on this planet, that's even more amazing!
Russell Brand is such a person, & for that reason, it looks like he is the new sitting duck for the woke possy.
And sadly, RfkJr, as I write this, is confronted with this same lynch mob.
There's nothing new about a woke possy. We had plenty of righteous wokists in the Wild West, but who could have dreamed that we would see a resurgence of ignorant & blood- thirsty vengefulness in the 21rst century?😳
I was intrigued by the angry woman in the video. Her theory is bizarre. Brand evolved; he didn't consciously create an entirely new persona just to have a group of supporters around when his naughty deeds were uncovered. He has been very open regarding his many indiscretions, and real victims of sexual assault should go to the police immediately. Waiting 17 years to whine about how one was "groomed," or actually raped doesn't ring true. He was a star of films & TV shows, and could have been toppled way back when, but they all waited until now, when he is challenging the narrative every day. I call BS.
Funny how people care more about an entertainer who is a self-confessed flawed person and has owned up to his less than stellar past, but embrace and cover for politician deviants like Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.
These allegations are clearly fugazi. And besides: Who cares what Brand did?
I have always believed that Dominion had evidence that FOX News was an active player in the rigging of the 2020 election and was going to use it in court. Nothing else can come close to justifying the insane amount of money paid to Dominion plus fire the guy making you lots of money. The terms of the settlement are secret but the evidence they hold is still subject to discovery should Dominion end up in court again. Just my beliefe.
A side note about how these attacks are highly coordinated by powerful leftists: Roberta Kaplan, the current lawyer for E. Jean Carroll, was also involved in trying to take down Kavanaugh. She represented a former off and on girlfriend of Mark Judge who wanted to talk to the FBI. She is a cofounder of Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. I really don’t get the whole Carroll -Trump-Bergdorf Goodman situation. It seems completely crazy that she gets $5 million for claiming that Trump sexually assaulted her decades ago and there are no witnesses—how does that happen?
In 1989 my buddy and I snuck up to view the E. German border. There was our counterpart holding a rifle guarding a minefield on HIS side of the fence. No difference here; you want to leave the plantation we make it very painful.
My take: I am a BIG believer in our system that includes innocent until proven guilty(beyond a reasonable doubt). As I said about Al Franken, the voters will choose come election time and that is the way it should be. It is very dangerous for the exact opposite to be happening.
Another blessing the Trump phenomena gives us: transparency to what the Left(and est. republicans) is really up to. Our conservative antennae were out once we heard Obama's 2004 convention speech and we quickly found out he favors communism and it has been a very tough job trying to even talk to democrats about how their party was being hijacked,. I am very grateful for this space... Brand... Taibbi... et al. YOU ALL have the credibility that is needed by others leaning Left.
I think it is highly dangerous that the Left routinely attacks people instead of propositions. What kind of people get all turned on by that? People who want to have a pretext to harm other people. The witch-hunters ye shall have always with you. It's been a rough few centuries. But now their time has come again. They've heard their master's call.
The only thing Marxists understand is violence against bodies and property and reputations. Brand has money so he can afford a defamation suit, but that's not enough. This Marxist revolution is well funded by the globalist money printers, funding mob defamation attacks, threats, and assaults. They have bought the courts and will reimburse legal fees and pay a few thousand to any slut who has no shame in lying about being raped during his or her groupie whoring days. The way I predict defenders of freedom will stop these lawless tyrants is for very skilled lone wolf avengers to carefully and methodically Follow the Money and Destroy the Perpetrators all the way up the line. The tyrants need to learn there is a price to pay for persecution and terror. A very dear price.
Perhaps the most identifiable characteristic of ideological capture is 'pre-hate', the 'first strike' mentality. See if your adopted philosophy includes a list of those that you are required to hate in order to be a member of the tribe. We can all spot 'hate speech' and do not let it affect us. That is why we should not ban 'hate speech'; it helps you spot those you want to avoid, and protects you from becoming one of them. But the Woke do not just hate 'hate speech', the Woke hate speech itself. For the Woke, Censorship, the prevention of the perception of reality, is the only way to prevent Sensorship, the enhancement of the perception of reality. Hate is the Speech of the Blind, and there are none so Blind as those who will Not See. Sasha, you have proven time and again that you will never become a 'Not See'
Like you I believe in forgiveness and redemption. I believe in taking full responsibility for one's life. I believe in playing neither victim, nor martyr. I believe in figuring out our deeply felt truths and standing for them. I appreciate Russell's commitment to speaking his and hope he keeps doing so.
They claimed Kavanaugh was a rapist.
Leaving aside the specific person of Russell Brand who I don't even know much about, just in general it is obvious that there is a mentality out there that does not seek reasoned discourse but seeks suppression of any viewpoint but their own, and that those pushing this mentality are getting ever more brazen in their tactics and ever more powerful.
Spot on, Sasha! Here's my input: When are they going to believe Tara Reade?
I certainly believe it’s an attempt to silence him. Why come forward with accusations now? There should be a statute of limitations imo
I am skeptical of all rape claims at this point, if the "victim" never bothered to go to the police. 10 to 17 years later, it's a bit difficult to prove -- or disprove -- much of anything. Apparently some of the "victims" were prompted to speak now because media approached them, and because they didn't like some of Brand's YT videos. For all we know, they were also "compensated" for "sharing their stories."
This is simply the workings of the establishment media and political class flexing their perceived might to maintain their grip on power. Think of all the useless people being employed whose "job" it is to rake up muck on their political foes. Then create useless political hit ads every election cycle to maintain perceptions. Entire campaigns are essentially psy ops. No wonder they love the CIA. They're just like them. It's all a machine and another industrial complex. I'm sure the Order 66, sorry, 65 Project losers are making a lot of money to further the dregs of humanity.
Why does no candidate question why billions of dollars are spent on campaigns that could be better spent just about anywhere else in society?
First off, Sasha, remember what they say..."Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you."
As for Russell, the really sad thing is that because "they" have used the Me Too movement time and again to try to "get" those with whom they disagree, they have succeeded in diminishing the impact these sorts of accusations used to have. Without hearing any of the women, without knowing their stories, I find myself immediately suspect that these women are being used to silence a very contrarian, and very legitimate voice in today's world. It may not be fair to the women involved, but we've seen too much of these antics not to suspect that "they" are, once again, up to no good!
It is clear to most by now that there is nothing "they" won't do, no depths to which they won't descend, no lives they won't eagerly ruin in furtherance of their agenda. To these people, the ends justify the means, and there are no means they will not use to achieve their ends!
Gaby's quote is a perfect example of the leftist state of mind: nothing exists without the state allowing it. The state is all powerful, and should be all powerful.
No establishment, old or new, gave Brand his influence. His voice, his words, his message, his hard work did. I know leftist hate that. We all need to understand that the left is working tirelessly to get everyone to accept the futility of individual effort and to therefore rely on the all powerful state.
These people, and the woman in this video, hate themselves, hate life, hate everyone around them, are filled with hate - and they want to drag every single person and the whole wide world with them into the black hole of their hate.
Ms Stone, make sure you pay your taxes and don’t be seen harming puppies or kittens of they will get you as well. Best of luck and stay safe.
Russell Brand is a treasure. He really put himself out on the line--sharing his observations that are blatantly obvious except to those who suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. I am optimistic that these tactics over-used in such a short span of time will be too ridiculous and obvious to the general public. I hold hope. In the meantime, here comes the parade of accusers! WHAT A SHOW! Better than Game of Thrones, but sadly altogether similar.
What is it with the left? If you aren't a racist you're a rapist? McCarthy would be so proud.
Yes, why now?