By Judi McLeod —— Bio and Archives February 6, 2017
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“In a video message last year encouraging Americans to vote, De Niro described Trump as “a punk”, “a dog”, “a bozo”, “a pig”, “a con”, “a mutt who doesn’t know what he’s talking about”, “a bullshit artist” and “an embarrassment to this country”. He went on to say: “He’s an idiot. Colin Powell said it best: he’s a national disaster… He talks how he’d like to punch people in the face… Well, I’d like to punch him in the face.”After Trump’s victory, De Niro compared his feelings to that which he felt after 9/11. Now he has said on The View: “Of course I want to punch him in the face.” Problem is that it’s not celebrities getting punched in the face, but people wearing Trump baseball caps or using Trump lighters. And they don’t just get punched in the face but knocked out unconscious. Tweets calling for Trump’s assassination have now reached 12,000 with no authority unduly concerned.
“According to sources, radical social media accounts are using photos of Nawar al-Awlaki, the 8-year-old daughter of cleric Anwar al-Awlaki who was killed in the U.S.-led raid in Yemen on Sunday, to recruit members. That’s just the latest in a plethora of social media strategies and campaigns created by extremists to recruit and spread their jidhadi message. “Recruitment has many forms, and sharing the news of her death and her picture can be seen as a motivation to some to join the jihadi cause,” a spokesperson for the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) told Fox News. “MEMRI’s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor has observed many accounts, both jihadi and non-jihadi, discussing the killing of Nawar al-Awlaki and displaying her picture.” “Companies like Twitter and Facebook have been hit with a slew of civil lawsuits the past year alleging that the companies are liable for the deaths of those killed in terror attacks by ISIS and organizations that have used social media platforms to spread their message. Among those suing are the families of the Pulse Nightclub victims, who filed a lawsuit against Twitter, Facebook and Google alleging the companies provided “material support” to ISIS and helped radicalize the shooter. “A Facebook spokesperson told Fox News that terrorist activity is not allowed on the platform. “Facebook has zero tolerance for terrorists, terror propaganda, or the praising of terror activity,” a spokesperson for Facebook told Fox News. “We work aggressively to remove it as soon as we become aware of it.” "But the social media giant relies heavily on the Facebook community, of almost 1.7 billion users, to report activity that violates community standards and shows any traces of extremism. Facebook, then, confirms the account of interest, immediately removes it from the platform, and then attempts to identify related material through accounts with associated activity. “But critics say this isn’t a reliable way of tracking accounts of those individuals who have hijacked their profiles to promote propaganda. “Social media sites and applications have been propaganda multipliers, allowing them to connect with potential followers across countries, cultures and languages,” House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul wrote in a counterterrorism strategy report released last fall. “Social media companies are on the virtual frontlines of the fight and must be proactive in removing terrorist content—they should ensure that their terms and conditions expressly prohibit such material and that takedowns are done quickly to prevent extremist messages from spreading.” "Twitter officials, who did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment regarding its strategy, shut down hundreds of thousands of accounts for threatening or promoting terrorist attacks since mid-2015. Facebook said it has teams around the globe to review reported content 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "But still, small technology companies feel there is more that could be done. “Users don’t know what they’re looking for –you need to be schooled,” Eric Feinberg, founding member of Global Intellectual Property Enforcement Center, told Fox News. “Some of these things aren’t in English –you can’t rely on people who don’t know what to look for.”Words have meanings, elections have consequences and propaganda is changing the world into one where outrageous lies masquerade as truth. Meanwhile, Obama’s legacy of hate is just beginning to show its hideous face. The worst is yet to come.
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Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience in the print media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared on Rush Limbaugh, Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com.