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I recently received a free copy in my mailbox, along with an envelope to subscribe. I try to avoid news sources as much as possible; as they tend to slant the truth. However, the front page headline looked interesting; so I decided that I would take a look at the paper, before I used it to light my fireplace.
Here is an excerpt from that article:
The number of homeless people in Pueblo, Colo., has increased since 2014 when retail marijuana was legalized in the state. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)
US Features
The True Cost of Marijuana: A Colorado Town That Went All-In
By Charlotte Cuthbertson
October 27, 2020 Updated: October 30, 2020
Print
PUEBLO, Colo.—It’s a common story across America: A city loses its main employer, usually a manufacturing company with well-paying, blue-collar jobs (that often go to China). The city’s economy crumbles, and those who can move out, do.
Decades later, and looking peeling-paint tired, the city hasn’t managed to recover, but drugs have found a permanent home.
The True Cost of Marijuana: A Colorado Town That Went All-In
This sparked my interest; but the paper sits here in my living room, unread. It came to my attention that The Epoch Times is produced by a Chinese religious cult; and that Conservatives are their target audience. This just very recently came to my attention; and today I looked down next to my fireplace, only to realize that I had been targeted myself.
Here is what I have on the subject:
Political involvement
The Epoch Times and Shen Yun
Main articles: The Epoch Times and Shen Yun
The performance arts group Shen Yun and the media organization The Epoch Times are the major outreach organizations of Falun Gong.[10] Both promote the spiritual and political teachings of Falun Gong.[23][24][25] They and a variety of other organizations such as New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD) operate as extensions of Falun Gong. These extensions promote the new religious movement and its teachings. In the case of The Epoch Times, they also promote conspiracy theories and far-right politics in both Europe and the United States. Particularly during the 2016 United States presidential election, The Epoch Times has been promoting conspiracy theories and extreme right-wing political views.[21]
According to a 2020 report by the Los Angeles magazine:
Both Shen Yun and Epoch Times are funded and operated by members of Falun Gong, a controversial spiritual group that was banned by China's government in 1999. [...] Falun Gong melds traditional Taoist principles with occasionally bizarre pronouncements from its Chinese-born founder and leader, Li Hongzhi. Among other pronouncements, Li has claimed that aliens started invading human minds in the beginning of the 20th century, leading to mass corruption and the invention of computers. He has also denounced feminism and homosexuality and claimed he can walk through walls and levitate. But the central tenet of the group’s wide-ranging belief system is its fierce opposition to communism.
In 2000, Li founded Epoch Times to disseminate Falun Gong talking points to American readers. Six years later he launched Shen Yun as another vehicle to promote his teachings to mainstream Western audiences. Over the years Shen Yun and Epoch Times, while nominally separate organizations, have operated in tandem in Falun Gong's ongoing PR campaign against the Chinese government, taking directions from Li.
Despite its conservative agenda, Epoch Times took pains until recently to avoid wading into partisan U.S. politics. That all changed in June 2015 after Donald Trump descended on a golden escalator to announce his presidential candidacy, proclaiming that he "beat China all the time." In Trump, Falun Gong saw more than just an ally—it saw a savior. As a former Epoch Times editor told NBC News, the group's leaders "believe that Trump was sent by heaven to destroy the communist party."[24]
Falun Gong extensions have also been active in promoting the European alt-right.[22]
The exact financial and structural connections between Falun Gong, Shen Yun and The Epoch Times remains unclear. According to NBC News:
The Epoch Media Group, along with Shen Yun, a dance troupe known for its ubiquitous advertising and unsettling performances, make up the outreach effort of Falun Gong, a relatively new spiritual practice that combines ancient Chinese meditative exercises, mysticism and often ultraconservative cultural worldviews. Falun Gong’s founder has referred to Epoch Media Group as "our media," and the group’s practice heavily informs The Epoch Times' coverage, according to former employees who spoke with NBC News. The Epoch Times, digital production company NTD and the heavily advertised dance troupe Shen Yun make up the nonprofit network that Li calls "our media." Financial documents paint a complicated picture of more than a dozen technically separate organizations that appear to share missions, money and executives. Though the source of their revenue is unclear, the most recent financial records from each organization paint a picture of an overall business thriving in the Trump era.[102]
Falun Gong - Wikipedia
My copy will be going in the fireplace; where it can be of the most practical service.
Here is an excerpt from that article:
The number of homeless people in Pueblo, Colo., has increased since 2014 when retail marijuana was legalized in the state. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)
US Features
The True Cost of Marijuana: A Colorado Town That Went All-In
By Charlotte Cuthbertson
October 27, 2020 Updated: October 30, 2020
PUEBLO, Colo.—It’s a common story across America: A city loses its main employer, usually a manufacturing company with well-paying, blue-collar jobs (that often go to China). The city’s economy crumbles, and those who can move out, do.
Decades later, and looking peeling-paint tired, the city hasn’t managed to recover, but drugs have found a permanent home.
The True Cost of Marijuana: A Colorado Town That Went All-In
This sparked my interest; but the paper sits here in my living room, unread. It came to my attention that The Epoch Times is produced by a Chinese religious cult; and that Conservatives are their target audience. This just very recently came to my attention; and today I looked down next to my fireplace, only to realize that I had been targeted myself.
Here is what I have on the subject:
Political involvement
The Epoch Times and Shen Yun
Main articles: The Epoch Times and Shen Yun
The performance arts group Shen Yun and the media organization The Epoch Times are the major outreach organizations of Falun Gong.[10] Both promote the spiritual and political teachings of Falun Gong.[23][24][25] They and a variety of other organizations such as New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD) operate as extensions of Falun Gong. These extensions promote the new religious movement and its teachings. In the case of The Epoch Times, they also promote conspiracy theories and far-right politics in both Europe and the United States. Particularly during the 2016 United States presidential election, The Epoch Times has been promoting conspiracy theories and extreme right-wing political views.[21]
According to a 2020 report by the Los Angeles magazine:
Both Shen Yun and Epoch Times are funded and operated by members of Falun Gong, a controversial spiritual group that was banned by China's government in 1999. [...] Falun Gong melds traditional Taoist principles with occasionally bizarre pronouncements from its Chinese-born founder and leader, Li Hongzhi. Among other pronouncements, Li has claimed that aliens started invading human minds in the beginning of the 20th century, leading to mass corruption and the invention of computers. He has also denounced feminism and homosexuality and claimed he can walk through walls and levitate. But the central tenet of the group’s wide-ranging belief system is its fierce opposition to communism.
In 2000, Li founded Epoch Times to disseminate Falun Gong talking points to American readers. Six years later he launched Shen Yun as another vehicle to promote his teachings to mainstream Western audiences. Over the years Shen Yun and Epoch Times, while nominally separate organizations, have operated in tandem in Falun Gong's ongoing PR campaign against the Chinese government, taking directions from Li.
Despite its conservative agenda, Epoch Times took pains until recently to avoid wading into partisan U.S. politics. That all changed in June 2015 after Donald Trump descended on a golden escalator to announce his presidential candidacy, proclaiming that he "beat China all the time." In Trump, Falun Gong saw more than just an ally—it saw a savior. As a former Epoch Times editor told NBC News, the group's leaders "believe that Trump was sent by heaven to destroy the communist party."[24]
Falun Gong extensions have also been active in promoting the European alt-right.[22]
The exact financial and structural connections between Falun Gong, Shen Yun and The Epoch Times remains unclear. According to NBC News:
The Epoch Media Group, along with Shen Yun, a dance troupe known for its ubiquitous advertising and unsettling performances, make up the outreach effort of Falun Gong, a relatively new spiritual practice that combines ancient Chinese meditative exercises, mysticism and often ultraconservative cultural worldviews. Falun Gong’s founder has referred to Epoch Media Group as "our media," and the group’s practice heavily informs The Epoch Times' coverage, according to former employees who spoke with NBC News. The Epoch Times, digital production company NTD and the heavily advertised dance troupe Shen Yun make up the nonprofit network that Li calls "our media." Financial documents paint a complicated picture of more than a dozen technically separate organizations that appear to share missions, money and executives. Though the source of their revenue is unclear, the most recent financial records from each organization paint a picture of an overall business thriving in the Trump era.[102]
Falun Gong - Wikipedia
My copy will be going in the fireplace; where it can be of the most practical service.
