At the time of writing, the Jewish world is less than one week away from Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year. Rosh HaShana starts a period known as the 10 days of repentance, which culminates in Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Elul, the Jewish month leading up to Rosh HaShana, is a time for reflection and preparation for this holy period.

The month of the Jewish calendar is significant because it is in Elul that there have been attacks against the LGBTQ community by Orthodox Jewish organizations. These include Yeshiva University (YU) and Agudath Israel of America. In this time of year where one, according to Judaism, is supposed to prepare to stand in judgement before their creator, these religious organizations have taken it upon themselves to instead themselves stand in judgement against both their fellow Jews and the LGTBQ community.

Yeshiva University refuses to recognize an LGBTQ club for students and, in an effort to avoid the horror of gay Jews meeting on campus, has appealed to the United States Supreme Court. This club would provide important resources and support to LGBTQ students who are routinely marginalized in the Orthodox Jewish community.

On September 7, 2022, the Agudath Israel of America put out a statement where they, “urge members of the United States Senate to reject H.R. 8404, the “Respect for Marriage Act.” This statement is deceptive and uses religious belief to discriminate against the LGBTQ community.

Living over 20 years as an Orthodox Jew and as a graduate of Yeshiva University, I am aware of the Torah prohibitions regarding male homosexual acts. However, I do believe there are other principles in Jewish law that would allow YU and Agudath Israel, even if they did object to this law, to at least remain silent on this matter. However, despite this, Agudath Israel has decided to issue a public statement. As they have done so, this opens them up to alternative views.

To be clear, I respect the right of every American to believe and practice as they wish, so long as that does not impact the rights of other human beings. I am not a lawyer and am not speaking from a legal perspective on these matters.

As a straight male in a heterosexual marriage, I am not under threat by the recent actions of the Supreme Court and the possibiliy that rulings such as Obergefell v. Hodges, which allowed the equal protection of marriage to homosexual couples, could be reviewed. However, growing up Jewish and learning about the Holocaust taught me the importance to speak up about the rights of others. As Martin Niemöller famously wrote, “Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak.” When we see the liberties of our fellow citizens come under attack it is our duty to speak up.

Eric Hoffer writes in The Passionate State of Mind, “that to know a person’s religion we need not listen not to his profession of faith but must find his brand of intolerance.” In their statement regarding H.R. 8404, the “Respect for Marriage Act.”, Agudath Israel have, sadly, illustrated the truth in this statement. The LGBTQ community has been a constant target of religious hatred.

Many horrors throughout history have been done in the name of religion. Belief was used to justify slavery in the United States. As Frederick Douglas said, “The church of this country is not only indifferent to the wrongs of the slave, it actually takes sides with the oppressors.” Over the ages, religion has been shown to be an incredibly useful tool in service to the bigotry of human beings. We see this today in the threat to our rights coming from religious organizations.

Clearly, there are people of faith who do treat their fellow humans with respect and dignity, but there can be little doubt that, in certain religious communities — including Orthodox Judaism — religion is used as a form of social control to keep people in line.

We continue to see religion used a means of control and to cover for horrific acts such as child sexual abuse. Yeshiva University, Agudath Israel, and the Orthodox Union are all being sued in New York Courts under the Child Victims Act. These organization used religious means to coerce victims of sexual abuse not to report to appropriate law enforcement. There have been other religious groups, such as the Catholic Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that have also used scripture to silence people in their communities that speak out about child sex abuse. Indeed, many religious organizations such as Agudath Israel and the Catholic Church objected to the passage of the Child Victims Act.

The Nazis used what they called the “traditional family structure” as a model for authoritarian control. The philosopher Herbert Spencer taught that “despotism in the home leads to despotism in the state.” The LGBT community under the Nazis was forced to wear pink triangles and many died alongside Jews in the concentration camps.

Willem Arondeus was an openly homosexual man who was part of the Dutch Resistance Movement. He saw the connection between the Nazi goal of ending homosexual activities and there extermination of the Jews, and chose to step up to help both groups. Arondeus and his fellow resistance members issued thousands of forged identity cards and bombed an empty registration office with the original identity cards so that the fake ones couldn’t be matched against them.

Let’s look at some of the specific parts of the letter from the Agudath Israel.

According to Agudath Israel, “…controversy continues to swirl around how same-sex marriage affects family stability and child development, leaving many troubling questions unanswered.”

“Troubling questions”? Unfounded accusations such as these have been used to justify antisemitism throughout the centuries. Most studies show that love and respect in the family are the most important aspects of raising children, both things that can exist in a same-sex household and can be absent from a religious one.

Jewish law and Christian texts are used in the US and elsewhere to justify things such as corporal punishment of children, which is recognized by all research as a form of abuse and detrimental to child development. As mentioned above, the Agudath Israel is currently named in lawsuits in connection with placing a known child sex predator above the safekeeping of children.

If Agudath Israel seeks to improve family life within their communities, there are women in Orthodox Judaism that are in abusive relationships and have husbands refusing to provide them a divorce (women in Orthodox Judaism are not allowed to initiate divorce). I would argue that this also impacts family stability and child development.

According to Agudath Israel, “It is not our intention to impose our religious views on others.”

This is exactly what Agudath Israel is doing with this statement. There is no moral, philosophical, or scientific reason to oppose same-sex marriage. The objection to same-sex marriage and the opposition it has faced in America and other countries is precisely because of the discrimination by religion.

Similar to the statement issued by the Agudath Israel following the Supreme Court decision in Dodd v. Jackson, Agudath Israel ignores key aspects of the ruling to fit their agenda and that of Evangelical Christianity. Their statement on Dodd mentions the priority of the mother’s life, but they then remain silent while women in many states in this country are being denied medical treatment due to abortion laws.

“This is what our Torah teaches and what Jews have faithfully adhered to for millennia.”

The Torah is a religious text and, as such, should not be a source of law in the United States of America. There is no evidence that the Torah, or any religious book, is of divine origin. Individuals are free in America to believe as they wish about the provenance of their religious texts, but the rest of us aren’t under that obligation.

Agudath Israel claims to want to defend traditional marriage “as it has been practiced for millennia.” This statement ignores both historical and biblical reality. When we look at marriage within the Torah, we see cases of polygamy, concubines, women sold into marriage without their consent, and even a famous story of a marriage under false pretenses. Many of the ideas of marriage, such as polygamy, taught in the Torah aren’t even observed under modern Jewish law.

Religion is based on faith. Faith is a belief without evidence and not a method by which laws should be established in the United States in the 21st century.

“This does not deny anyone’s humanity or dignity. This is based neither in bigotry nor invidious discrimination.”

This is a bigoted statement. Simply saying that you aren’t denying someone their humanity does not make it so. Marriage in the United States provides specific legal protections that no other entity is entitled to.

As we have seen with COVID-19, being legally married can mean that Important life decisions, which default to a spouse, are able to be handled by the person the patient wishes. Partnerships without marriage leave same-sex couples without rights or protection.

Preventing someone from being with their loved ones in critical moments does in fact deny their humanity and dignity. This is the case even if you claim that’s not what you intended.

Same-sex marriage does not threaten the institution of religion. Judaism, together with many other religions, has its own marriage ceremony and does not recognize civil marriages in a religious context. The Respect for Marriage Act or similar legislation does not infringe on the rights of these religious groups to continue to maintain their religious marriage ceremonies, and their practice of denying those marriages to same-sex couples. Therefore, it does not impact the free exercise of religion.

When we look at the suicide rates among LGBTQ youth within the Orthodox Jewish community, it is higher than the general population. One could speculate that the attitudes displayed recently by Orthodox institutions such as YU and Agudath Israel are at least partially to blame.

“We are deeply saddened that Jewish organizational supporters of RFMA have chosen to falsify the values they claim to represent.”

110 Jewish organizations in America have signed a letter in support of the RFMA. Agudath Israel attempts to discredit those who disagree with them, as if somehow they are the final arbiters of what is and isn’t a correct Jewish opinion. Agudath willfully chooses not to recognize that support of the law is a complex issue even through the lens of Jewish law. This black and white thinking is contrary to traditional Jewish scholarship, which is rich in nuance and disagreement.

When we look at how Hillel answered the question of describing the Torah while standing on one foot, he famously replied, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this — go and study it!” This is the principle that should be in play here. It would be hateful to the Agudath Israel if they were told their marriages were questionable; same-sex couples deserve that same respect.

Willem Arondeus, the Dutch Resistance member, was executed in 1943 and in 1986, Yad Vashem added his name as a Righteous Among the Nations. His final message to the world was “Let it be known, homosexuals are not cowards.” The LGBTQ community has shown tremendous courage through the centuries. Every time they have made progress, it has been in spite of superstitious beliefs such as Agudath Israel’s that insist their “lifestyle” is wring.

The writers of the U.S. Constitution purposefully did not include God in the document. They understood that to put God in would take man out. As God is not in the Constitution, the rights of the individual must take precedence over the hundreds or thousands of beliefs that exist in this country.

Ultimately, none of us know for sure if there is or isn’t a God. It is possible that our time on earth is the only time we will have. Why not focus on trying to find common ground instead of creating differences. Let’s take the words of Hillel and not do what is hateful to our fellow humans on this planet.

You can have your beliefs, you can avoid certain practices, but until the existence of God can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, let HaShem deal with his offenses and leave him out of the American legislative process.

Please clap and share the article so that this message spreads.

If you are looking for resources for LGBTQ+ Orthodox youth you can visit https://www.eshelonline.org/

For information on equality for LGBTQ+ Jews you can learn more at Keshet

For resources for LGBTQ youth visit The Trevor Project.

If you have thoughts of hurting yourself and need help reach out to 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline.

Thoughts from a former Orthodox Jew on becoming a non-believer

Fear and lies have been part of my life for the last 10 years. Fear of other people’s reactions, fear of losing my identity, and lies because I didn’t want to confront the truth. The fears were not because I questioned if I was wrong; they were due to how others would view me.

I will no longer live in silence and hide who I am. I can no longer remain quiet because it is convenient. I don’t believe that there is a god, an invisible creator of the world that controls everything. I also no longer believe the laws or standards of any organized religion are of divine origin.

I have respect for the history and culture of the Jewish people. I feel that these traditions are important. I understand that in the past, there were many sacrifices made to keep these traditions alive. However, I choose to respect those sacrifices and keep the history without living a life based on mythology. Because of this, I will practice holidays and customs in a personal way. To be clear, this is from a cultural perspective, not because I believe there is a divine command to do so.

Some people, reading this, may assume I am seeking an easier life than that of an Orthodox Jew. They may think that I want to be free from the Sabbath or be able to eat cheeseburgers. This is not the case. I have defended my religious beliefs in many situations. I was the only person to wear a yarmulke on the trading floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange for several years. The first night in basic training, I explained to a screaming Sergeant about my Tallit and Tefillin. I conducted a Seder in the barracks at Fort Knox and another, alone, on a cot on a hilltop in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan.

If I wanted an easier life, the choice would be to remain silent and pretend I believe. Why do I speak out? Why not go along and live with the lie? Or just quietly go with being a non-practicing believer?

The reason is that, in my opinion, organized religion is a threat to freedom and democracy around the world.

Research into persuasion, manipulation, and brainwashing has taught me that the techniques that brought me closer to religion are the same ones used by cults. While the intention of the people that used the tactics was sincere, this is the reality.

The proofs used to show the Torah is a divine document use logical fallacies and faulty reasoning. The manipulation of words, translations, and definitions is the same practice used by missionaries in other religions. The assumption that these religions must be based on truth because of their longevity is faulty. We see people rewriting history that happened six months ago in front of cameras — it is easier now than ever before to see how the history of these religions evolved.

Faith and religion are separate from morality. We see many horrors, such as child sexual abuse, by clergy in all major religions, and we see atheists giving charity, helping others, and contributing to society. You don’t need to be religious to be a good person.

Some people point to countries such as North Korea and the USSR as examples of what happens to places with no religion. However, these are countries that created their own religion. They have turned nationalism into a belief structure and their leaders into gods. We saw this happen here, too, in the United States as Evangelical Christians and Orthodox Jews turned to idol worship. They made a man into a deity that they still bow before. They treat every word from his mouth as if it was of divine origin. They refuse to accept reality because it contradicts the will of their god.

Even if religions have moral teachings, those teachings don’t seem to apply to all of humanity. We hear of the importance of human life, but that doesn’t apply to African-Americans killed by the police. Without stating it openly, they believe that the value of some human life is worth less.

It is said that it takes religion to make otherwise good people do horrible things. I know this is true, because I was one of those people. As a believer, I diminished the value of some lives because they were born into a different religion. I still see this continuing in the religious community.

If religion was something practiced and observed in private, I would keep my words private. However, we see the effects of religious belief everywhere. It is in laws used to oppress minorities, control women, and prohibit others from the freedoms promised to them in the United States Constitution.

Religion has no place in modern society to determine which adults can marry and whether women can make their own decisions about their healthcare. We see people argue, in complete seriousness, that the 2nd Amendment is granted to them by god.

The idea of Sharia law is mocked by many in the United States, but these same people who do so dream of a theocracy in America under Judeo-Christian values. They advocate for “free-thinking,” but that thinking is based, not on facts or evidence, but on what they’ve been told by clergy. Over the past 18 months, we have seen thousands taking medical advice from them instead of actual physicians.

Could I be wrong? Could there be some kind of divine power? Yes, of course. But, if that’s the case, there is as much evidence that Zeus and Thor are running things as “God.”

I used to say, what was the downside if I was wrong about religion and lived my life according to the laws of the Torah? I now see that downside. I see that my children wouldn’t be free to be who they are. I would view the world with blinders, constricting me to an outdated perspective.

Religion does have positive benefits, such as community and support systems. However, it is also used as a way to train people for compliance and to blindly follow authority. It is that training that allows dictators to rise to power.

I know most people do believe what they are doing is right. People are practicing their faith with the best of intentions, but it is still a threat to others. There are things we crave answers for and an invisible creator does that, but that doesn’t make those answers true.

I am not a fan of labels for people and have objections to the idea of being atheist, an identity tapped into opposition. The word suggests that theism is the default. But my views on a deity do align with that community.

Religious people often say that we shouldn’t judge others; that it is for god to judge. As I choose not to stay silent about my beliefs, I will advocate for people to think logically and for church and state to be truly separate. If you do believe that, then you will respect my decision, as I respect yours to practice your faith, to the extent that it doesn’t impact me or others.

For those who wish to attack me for my words, this is a risk I understood when I posted this. However, you should know that this further demonstrates the dangers I see of religion. While I agree we must respect people’s choices to believe how they wish, it is past time that we also respect the choice not to believe.

How you can learn to identify lies and defend yourself.

Rob Williger

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We hear a lot about propaganda and we think we understand what it is but there are many aspects to it that have a direct impact on our lives so it is important to gain a better understanding of it.

Dictionary.com defines propaganda as, “information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc…”

Edward Bernays, who wrote a book titled Propaganda, wrote in his earlier work Crystalizing Public Opinion, “the only difference between ‘propaganda’ and ‘education’ really, is the point of view. The advocacy of what we believe in is education. The advocacy of what we don’t believe in is propaganda. Each of these nouns carries with it social and moral implications.”

Eric Hoffer wrote in The True Believer, “The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new; no can it keep people persuaded once they have ceased to believe. It penetrates only into minds already open, and rather than instill opinion it articulates and justifies opinions already present in its recipients.”

When looking at what is propaganda and how to deal with it we need to keep in mind that people will have different views on what may or may not be propaganda. Also, just as an advertisement will have a different impact on different viewers. Many of the people spreading propaganda online are doing so as it validates their worldview.

Propaganda can be broken down into white, black, and gray propaganda.

• White propaganda comes from an identified source and the message will usually be accurate. Government efforts to rally citizens behind a war effort would be white propaganda.
• Black propaganda is used to spread completely false information and the source is kept secret or is fabricated.
• Gray propaganda as you would guess falls in the middle area between white and black. The information may be sourced and the accuracy is not verified.

Propaganda can include a wide range of items with different levels of credibility and purpose.

The Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA) was an organization in the United States started in the late 1930s that was trying to educate the public about how to identify propaganda. They published several guides to understanding propaganda and encouraged people to form groups to discuss and learn more.

In the book, The Fine Art of Propaganda, they outline the seven ABC’s of propaganda analysis.

• Ascertain the conflict element in the propaganda you are analyzing. All propaganda contains a conflict element in some form.
• Behold your own reaction to this conflict element. It is important to take into consideration our own opinions with regard to a situation that we feel strongly about.
• Concern yourself with today’s propagandas associated with today’s conflicts. These are the things that directly impact your income, health, and other aspects of life.
• Doubt that your opinions are “your very own.” Our opinions usually reflect the conditioning we had in our homes, schools, workplace, religious organizations, etc.
• Evaluate, therefore, with the greatest care, your own propagandas. We must learn clearly why we act and believe as we do.
• Find the facts before you come to any conclusion. Once we recognize it we can best deal with it by suspending our judgement until we have time to learn the facts and the logic or trickery involved in the propaganda in question.

The questions we can ask are:

• Who is the propagandist?
• How are they trying to influence our thoughts and actions?
• For what purpose do they use the common propaganda devices.
• Do we like their purposes?
• How do they use words and symbols?
• What are the exact meanings of their words and symbols?
• What does the propagandist try to make these words and symbols appear to mean?
• What are the basic interests of this propagandist?
• Do their interests coincide with the interests of most citizens, of our society as we see it?

Guard always, finally, against omnibus words. They are the words that make us the easy dupes of propagandists. Omnibus or carryall words are words that are extraordinarily difficult to define. They carry all sorts of meanings to the various sorts of people.

The best test for the truth or falsity or propaganda lies in specific and concrete definitions of the words and symbols used by the propagandist. Sharp definition is the best antidote against words and symbols that carry a high charge of emotion.

This last point is extremely relevant to our current situation. While some of these steps are harder with how quickly information is coming at us compared to when this was written this is something we see with words like socialism and deep state.

They also identified seven tricks of the trade used by propagandists. While the means of spreading these have changed we still see these today.

The Tricks of the Trade are:

• Name Calling
• Glittering Generality
• Transfer
• Testimonial
• Plain Folks
• Card Stacking
• Band Wagon

Name Calling — giving an idea a bad label so that we reject and condemn the idea without examining the evidence.

Glittering Generality — associating something with a “virtue word” is used to make us accept and approve the thing without examining the evidence.

Transfer — carries the authority, sanction, and prestige of some respected to something else to make that thing acceptable. Or it can use authority, sanction, and disapproval to cause us to reject and disapprove something the propagandist would have us reject and disapprove.

Testimonial — would be having a respected or hated person say that a given idea, program, product, or person is good or bad.

Plain Folks — in this method the speaker attempts to convince his audience that he and his ideas are good because they are “of the people,” the “plain folks.”

Card Stacking — the selection and use of facts, falsehoods, illustrations, or distractions, and logical or illogical statements in order to give the best of the worst possible case for an idea, program, person, or product.

Band Wagon — with this scenario everybody, or at least all of us, is doing it, so the propagandist is trying to convince us that all members of a group to which we belong are accepting his program and that we must follow our crowd and “jump on the band wagon.”

Knowing these techniques can help us separate these portions of a message so that we can analyze the core idea and look at it on the merits. When you take away the tricks that they are using, ask yourself, what are they trying to sell us and is it something that we want.

I am sure as you read through the list you were able to picture examples of where you have seen these techniques in action. In future articles, I will go into the different techniques in more details and show where they are being used. Some of these techniques are easier to spot than others but the key element is to take a moment and analyze the information you are seeing.

As Walter Lippmann said, “There can be no liberty for a community which lacks the means by which to detect lies.” The United States just saw great threats to the democracy on the basis of lies. Learning to detect propaganda and stopping the spread is something that everyone can do to help protect our democracy.

Below are some infographics to help you spread the word as the more people are familiar with propaganda techniques the stronger we all are.

Lee, Alfred McClung, and Elizabeth Briant Lee. The Fine Art of Propaganda: A Study of Father Coughlin’s Speeches. Institute for Propaganda Analysis. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co, 1939.

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The Moscow Midterms | FiveThirtyEight — fivethirtyeight.com
How Russia could steal our next election.

Doxing. What Is It? How to Dox? How to Protect Yourself from Doxing? — medium.com
Being so used to live their lives on the internet, people usually don’t consider the after-effects of sharing the most intimate and private details.

The Road to Cybersecurity Is Paved With “Extraordinarily Basic Things” — Behavioral Scientist — behavioralscientist.org
To an untrained ear, Andy Ozment’s comments probably sounded like standard conference-panel fare. This was late 2014, and Ozment, the assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications at the Department of Homeland Security, was answering a question posed by an audience member at a New York University cybersecurity conference. The question was, Would the DHS continue to emphasize “elementary” security advice?

Want to change Facebook? Don’t delete your account — use it for good — qz.com
In “Hated in the Nation,” an episode of the dystopian TV series Black Mirror, social-media users seek vengeance on individuals who have violated social norms by using the hashtag #DeathTo.

Tool of the Week

ProtectedText is a simple tool for online note taking. While not as robust as many other applications if you need a simple place to store text online ProtectedText is a great solution.

With ProtectedText there is no account or registration. You add something to the url www.protectedtext.com/whatever you want to call your notepad. You then set a password for it and that is it.

Notes are encrypted and there is no way for the admins to read your data. You can save the webpage to have an offline version. There is also an Android app to manage and create notes from your phone.

ProtectedText — Free online encrypted notepad — Save your text online — www.protectedtext.com
Free online encrypted notepad. Simple, no registration, no ads! Our unique security approach makes ProtectedText.com the most secure way to store notes online. Easy to use secure notepad that just works!

Tip of the Week

Security continues to make headlines with news of a breach from Under Armour affecting 150 million user accounts.

On Dark Web Your Facebook ID is worth $5.20 & Gmail ID just $1 — medium.com
Recently we reported about a massive data breach scandal that hit Facebook and led to the exposure of private data of 50 million users. The data is reportedly is available on the Dark Web for pretty…

The Facebook Privacy Breach: What It Can Teach Us About Privacy Threats Before GDPR — Security Boulevard — securityboulevard.com
The Facebook/Cambridge Analytica situation has almost everyone re-evaluating several important cybersecurity issues including, what constitutes a data breach?

Encryption 101: Decryptor’s thought process — securityboulevard.com
This article is intended to help give a malware analyst a starting point for which to build off of in order to reverse and break ransomware encryptions.

Firefox has a clever workaround for Facebook users worried about privacy — qz.com
Mozilla is really taking advantage of Facebook’s latest troubles. First, in a splashy PR move, the company behind the Firefox internet browser pulled its advertising from Facebook. Now it’s also offering its users a way to bypass the social network’s controversial data collection practices.

Fight back against Facebook overcollection with EFF’s free Privacy Badger plugin — boingboing.net
Privacy Badger is EFF’s free privacy plugin; it blocks trackers and ads from companies that practice “non-consensual tracking,” in which your browser’s “do not track” instructions are not honored.

11 Tell-Tale Signs Your Accounts and Devices Have Been Hacked — fieldguide.gizmodo.com
No one likes getting hacked, and it’s generally true that the quicker you can spot something has gone awry, the better your chances of minimizing the damage. These are the main warning signs to look out for, what they might mean, and some quick pointers about what you should do next.

Tool of the Week

Cryptomator is a free and open source encryption tool I have been using for several months now. What I like about Cryptomator is that it is cross platform with apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux as well as for Android and iOS.

Cryptomator allows you to create encrypted vaults on cloud apps such as One Drive, Dropbox, and Google Drive. This is important if you are going to store sensitive documents there you must have them encrypted.

Cryptomator: Free Cloud Encryption for Dropbox & Others — cryptomator.org
Free & Open Source client-side encryption for Dropbox, Google Drive, you name it. Protect your cloud files. Free software. No accounts, no backdoors.

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Don’t be a cheap resource to Facebook

It is well known that if you don’t pay for a service you are the product.

I hope the recent news about Facebook is bringing this to more people’s attention.

I would love to say goodbye to Facebook but it does have two main purposes that keep me around.

First, is that it is a great way to get in touch with people I may not maintain regular contact with but do want to reach out to.

Second reason is for groups. Too many organizations rely on Facebook as the way to communicate with members. I am hoping the listserv comes back to replace Facebook.

Not to say I don’t scroll down the news feed when I am there to see what updates my friends post but that is secondary.

Steps to cut the information I am giving away to Facebook:

* I use a separate browser to going to Facebook. Currently, I use [Brave](https://www.brave.com/) built in blockers for ads and tracking. A side benefit is spending less time on Facebook. Now I only waste time on Twitter :)

* Do not use Facebook on the phone. I would delete it but unfortunately my phone does not give me that option. But, I am not logged in and do not have Messenger. I do not need Facebook tracking my location or anything else.

* I scrubbed the likes and groups I was part of. This has the added benefit of reducing clutter in the news feed.

* Removed personal data such as religion and political preference from my page.

* Take a look at your friends list, make sure you actually know the people there.

If you were only to do one thing, I would suggest scrubbing the groups and pages you have on your profile. Ask yourself, “is the benefit you get from that group worth the privacy you are giving up.”

Most of us are not going to give up Facebook. We can take steps to limit the information they get for free.

Learn more about Virtual Self Defense by subscribing to my no cost weekly newsletter The Fortress.

Senator: On Cyberwarfare, Russia Has The U.S. “Behind The Eight Ball” — www.fastcompany.com
Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, thinks U.S. cyberdefense is stuck in the 20th century, while the Russians are way ahead.

Edward Snowden: Facebook is a surveillance company rebranded as ‘social media’ — www.washingtonexaminer.com
This story was updated at 10:37 p.m.

Five things to know about Russian attacks on the energy grid | TheHill — thehill.com
Trump administration officials on Thursday accused the Russian government of staging a multi-year cyberattack campaign against the energy grid and other elements of critical infrastructure in the United States.

Tip of the Week

Time to do a scrub of your Facebook Likes, Groups, and Friends. Look at everything and really decide if the information you are providing is worth the trade off of the benefit you get from that group.

Don’t be a cheap resource to Facebook

It is well known that if you don’t pay for a service you are the product.

I hope the recent news about Facebook is bringing this to more people’s attention.

I would love to say goodbye to Facebook but it does have two main purposes that keep me around.

First, is that it is a great way to get in touch with people I may not maintain regular contact with but do want to reach out to.

Second reason is for groups. Too many organizations rely on Facebook as the way to communicate with members. I am hoping the listserv comes back to replace Facebook.

Not to say I don’t scroll down the news feed when I am there to see what updates my friends post but that is secondary.

Steps to cut the information I am giving away to Facebook:

• I use a separate browser to going to Facebook. Currently, I use [Brave](https://www.brave.com/) built in blockers for ads and tracking. A side benefit is spending less time on Facebook. Now I only waste time on Twitter :)
• Do not use Facebook on the phone. I would delete it but unfortunately my phone does not give me that option. But, I am not logged in and do not have Messenger. I do not need Facebook tracking my location or anything else.
• I scrubbed the likes and groups I was part of. This has the added benefit of reducing clutter in the news feed.
• Removed personal data such as religion and political preference from my page.
• Take a look at your friends list, make sure you actually know the people there.
• Do not use social sign in. While it is simple and convenient you are giving all of those apps access to your information.

If you were only to do one thing, I would suggest scrubbing the groups and pages you have on your profile. Ask yourself, “is the benefit you get from that group worth the privacy you are giving up.”

Most of us are not going to give up Facebook. We can take steps to limit the information they get for free.

Learn more about Virtual Self Defense by subscribing to my no cost weekly newsletter The Fortress.

Could we stop saying that they’re just words?

We make decisions every day based on words.

When people swear an oath, it is with words.

Michelle Carter is on trial right now for words in a text message that the State alleges led someone to suicide.

Wars start and end with words.

Yet, every day, we encounter excuses for the offensive things people say, such as:

• Locker room talk
• New York Talk
• Guy talk
• We were joking (I mean, “swear to God” is a great punchline)

When you say something, you own it. This isn’t political correctness. It’s reality.

Billy Bush lost his job because of the words said in a conversation he was part of because we hold television hosts to higher standards than other jobs.

This is about people taking responsibility for what they say.

We hold people accountable for other actions, even when unintentional. But somehow people expect everything they say to quickly forgiven.

The Google search for “Trump I have the best words” results in around 60,200,000 results. Everyone makes excuses for him: That it is just how he talks. He doesn’t mean it. But then we hear how he is keeping his promises. He is a man of his word.

Something doesn’t add up here.

If you do say something that could be misunderstood, the time to clarify that is then or as soon as possible. When it comes out later it is too late.

If you are making jokes about people being on the Russian payroll, that is something you want everyone to know is a joke before the conversation ends.

Politicians and public figures know and understand this. They pretend that the American public doesn’t. They have teams of speechwriters and legal teams to write and review documents. But as soon as they get caught, the excuse is something like, “I didn’t mean that.” How come they never respond with what they actually meant?

We need to hold our leadership accountable and not accept excuses that a child wouldn’t get away with in school.

There will be people who won’t read or share this article because of one word in the headline.

That fact alone shows that a single word can matter.

Learn more about how to use words positively by signing up for my weekly email here.

Almost daily, I read in an email, hear in a podcast, or read in a blog post something like, “Wow, I have PTSD from all these emails.” Or,”I think my startup pitch gave me PTSD.”

For some reason, it seems that PTSD is the mental illness that everyone likes to throw around.

Before anyone starts yelling about political correctness, this isn’t about that. It is about showing some human decency for a very real condition, that affects a lot of people.

The media portrays PTSD sufferers as individuals who are going to flip out at any moment at the slightest provocation. Yes, increased irritability is a symptom of PTSD, but it doesn’t mean that everyone who has experienced trauma is going to go on an armed rampage.

Like other physical and mental illnesses, people with PTSD can come across as “totally normal” while quietly dealing with their condition.

Some people may not even realize they are dealing with it. We all respond to things differently, so what may affect one person doesn’t bother another.

Here are the things people with PTSD deal with on a daily basis, for years after the trauma that caused the condition.

• Waking up drenched in sweat from a nightmare of being back in the situation.
• Jumping or ducking every time they are surprised by a loud sound.
• Fear of being in a crowded place, or if they are, instead of enjoying the concert or film or whatever, constantly scanning for threats.
• Not being able to enjoy movies or TV shows that remind them of their traumatic experience.

Many of the people who deal with PTSD are, among other things, fighting for our freedom, protecting the public, or rescuing people from burning buildings. They have seen or experienced things that no person ever should.

They may or may not know they are dealing with PTSD and, if they suspect, are afraid to speak up about it so that it doesn’t damage future career opportunities.

Maybe before throwing around a term like PTSD, take a moment to actually think about what it means.

And, on a side note, if your email is causing these types of issues, then you probably should seek professional help.

Please hit recommend and share on your favorite social networks to spread the message. I look forward to reading your responses here or on Twitter.

PTSD is not a f***ing expression. was originally published in Mission.org on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.