The malevolent nature of this secretive organization is expressed by this terrifying part of their expressed mission via the PropOrNot website:
Isn't this just McCarthyism?!
No. We are not accusing anyone of lawbreaking, treason, or "being a member of the Communist Party". We fiercely believe in the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of the press, and have no interest in seeing anyone punished for exercising them. Quite to the contrary.
However, when outlets and individuals echo, repeat, and refer their audience to Russian propaganda, we're going to highlight it. They have the right to do that, and we have the right to call them on it. We are also encouraging others to help us research this further, and we are calling for formal investigations by the US government, because we think the American people have the right to know when foreign governments are trying to mess with them.
Also, the kind of folks who make propaganda for brutal authoritarian oligarchies are often involved in a wide range of bad business. We strongly suspect that some of the individuals involved have violated the Espionage Act, the Foreign Agent Registration Act, and other related laws, but determining that is up to the FBI and the DOJ.
The rounding up and prosecution of people on trumped up charges is not exactly a hallmark of a society that values freedom and diversity and through this expression of sentiment it is clear that PropOrNot has little use for traditional American values.
A quick review of the organization's website is scarce on details as to the identity of that " nonpartisan collection of researchers with foreign policy, military and technology backgrounds" that was touted by the WAPO.
BUT
There is a link to this: "Russia and the Menace of Unreality" by Peter Pomerantsev who is treated as the penultimate authority on the alleged Putin efforts to destabilize the U.S. via social media and sowing disinformation. Right around the time that Putin thwarted furious neocon efforts to force President Barack Obama's hand by attacking Syria over the still unresolved Sarin gas attacks on civilians in Ghouta, this guy Pomerantsev partnered with notorious neocon propagandist Michael Weiss to publish a paper that has enormous currency within high official circles entitled "The Menace of Unreality: How the Kremlin Weaponizes Information, Culture and Money" which was published by The Interpreter.
Now here's what is really interesting. The Interpreter is the house organ of a think tank called The Institute of Modern Russia (IMR) which happens to headed up by Pavel Khodorkovsky, the son of Mikhael Khodorkovsky one of the Russian oligarchs who grew wealthy during the Boris Yeltsin era and an arch-enemy of Vladimir Putin.
So a lot of this Kremlin fifth column hysteria may be getting funded (at least indirectly) by Putin foes who are taking advantage of our corrupt domestic media as well as on-the-take politicians and the neocons who a were big part of Hillary's government in waiting.
What would be totally ironic is if the same group that is now threatening alternative media writers with being hauled in front of tribunals as agents of a foreign power is in essence acting on behalf of one itself albeit a post-Putin government in exile.
It's just a wild-assed conspiracy theory of mine but hey, they are the ones posting the guy's articles not me and one must ask cui bono? Perhaps someone who is a far better researcher than I could do a bit of digging into the alliance between Russian foes of Putin and American neocon/neoliberal regime changers of the type that specialize in color revolutions.
Whoever is behind PropOrNot is a menace to us all as well as an affront to all that is still decent in this country - like free speech and free association. The key is to fight these vile bastards tooth, fang and claw because the survival of what remains of a free and open society depends on it.
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