You know it’s out there, but even the strongest minds can still get caught up in fake news on occasion. These aren’t all of the fake news stories to hit the mainstream recently, but they are the most important.
North Korea Madness
If you haven’t noticed yet, North Korea is one of the left’s last remaining boogiemen. This isn’t meant to underplay the true level of danger North Korea can and does represent, but mainstream media has been suggesting that Trump’s presidency has been on the verge of pushing us to nuclear war for almost two years. Think about that. He’s been in office for one year, but he’s been inciting nuclear war for two. That’s how the media of the left works these days.
This particular story was posted by the New York Times at the start of February. It claims that there is a deep divide between strategists in the White House and the Pentagon. According to the Times, the yes men in the White House want an overly aggressive military strategy to use against North Korea. Opposing them are the level heads of the Pentagon, lead by Mattis, and they want a diplomatic, non-aggressive strategy. You can already see how over the top this representation is, but the real story broke when Mattis read the article.
When he was asked about it in a press conference, his response was pure laughter. The New York Times consistently protests against claims that they promote fake news and lies to advance their political agenda, and yet here we have yet another proof positive of them doing just that. As for Mattis, he had this to say about the article, “I could not find any relation to what’s actually going on.”
Military Vet Deportation
You’ve probably seen this one, but you might not know the whole story yet. A viral tweet claims that Trump ordered ICE to deport a military vet. Some sharing the tweet added to it that he is a father of two and was wounded in combat. It would appear that this single action is a complete reversal on everything Trump has said and everything conservatives believe. The most frustrating part of this story is that there is a nugget of truth buried deep beneath the lies.
Miguel Perez is the vet in question. He was brought to the U.S. illegally when he was eight and was protected by DACA. He enlisted in the military to try to streamline his citizenship, but he never actually filed the paperwork. He did serve and see combat, and he was even diagnosed with PTSD after returning home. Sadly, all of that predated a drug addiction that eventually had him arrested and convicted. After serving his eight-year sentence, he was transferred to ICE to await his deportation.
So far, it sounds like the story could still withstand scrutiny, and the left could simply argue that we’re trying to dehumanize or vilify a victim. Here’s the final kicker: Perez was transferred to ICE in 2016. His deportation was ordered under Obama. Every aspect of the narrative this story tells is a fabrication. It exploits a real veteran who has faced real struggles to try and demonize Trump and Republicans. It’s sick.
The Old Dixie Highway
The last story in this roundup is less severe. It has circulated social media for about two weeks now. Before we get to the story, we need to set the stage. In 2015, a Florida highway was renamed from “Old Dixie Highway” to “President Barack Obama Highway.” The move was met with the level of outrage and protest you might expect, but it still happened.
The fake news story claims that when Trump learned of the highway’s renaming, he threw a fit and ordered its name to be changed back to Old Dixie Highway. There is exactly zero evidence that this happened, and it’s worth noting that the highway is still named after Obama. We might wish that Trump had actually made the order, but he clearly has bigger fish to fry.
The biggest problem with this story is that it tries to paint Trump as a racist. While those efforts are pretty normal at this point, the mechanism merits scrutiny. The idea that Trump wouldn’t want a highway named after Obama is assumed to be motivated by racism.
No one considers that we shouldn’t name things after a president who committed multiple war crimes, funded terrorists and armed Mexican cartels. Instead, any dissent against Obama is still immediately branded as racism. That is a truly dangerous mindset, and it is what led us to the storm of trouble we’re still fighting to clear today.
~ American Liberty Report
