These days no matter where you look there are a lot of unhappy people. Some are mad about the political climate which prevents people from having civil discussions.

There are serious divisions about the wars in Israel and Ukraine. But few if any of the pugilists are aware of the fact that there are outside forces stoking the flames of dissension.

Since the year 2000, both Russia and China have been using all of their technological talents to get American citizens angry at each other.

Their weapon is either Twitter (now X), Facebook, Instagram and any other outlet that they can spill their poison into.

From time to time the federal government highlight these efforts, but that has not stopped our worldwide adversaries from cranking out whatever vitriol they have in their arsenal.

At the conclusion of the contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the FBI produced a comprehensive report outlining how China, Iran and Russia were spreading propaganda in behalf of candidate Donald Trump.

Trump was confronted with this proof and made it clear that he was more than happy to accept any outside help. Those countries will be active again this year.

The continuing rise in anti-Semitic propaganda can be traced to those countries, plus American political forces that are funded to spread as much hatred and division that they can concoct.

These forces know how to use social media and use it effectively. They will take a serious incident such as the July 28 Florida synagogue shooting, and twist it into a story praising the shooter. Police shootings of minorities are natural opportunities for the racist network to stir up trouble and encourage public divisions.

The October massacre of 1,500 innocent Israeli civilians in Israel has been silenced by forces talking only about Hamas residents.

The pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses may be generated by young protesters, but both China and Russia have jumped into the controversy with a series of social media blasts that are meant to cause even more dissension.

The recent activities by former President Trump’s lawyers, allegedly leaking videos of potential trial witnesses to the media, is another example of how social media can be utilized to undermine the public’s view of the criminal cases that have yet to go on trial.

The leaking of these witnesses’ statements is considered a way to taint the potential jury pool. Whether that will affect any juror’s thinking is yet to be determined.

There are other ways that media sources try to twist public opinion.

Recently, the New York Times published a series of daily photographs showing destruction in Gaza but refrained from using any photos showing the destruction on the Israeli side.

I have always thought that criticism of the Times was a little overblown, but their daily reporting is slanting only in favor of people in Gaza

The vast majority of our readers have never heard of the expression “dog whistles.” That may be a way to call your favorite pet, but it is a way that politicians seek to curry favor with some of the worst elements of society.

There is no greater user of dog whistles than former President Trump.

Mr. Trump uses his social media site and the major media, to reach out to those factions that can be energized in his favor. His first well-known outburst followed the Charlottesville rioting that resulted in one death. He stated that there “are good people on both sides.”  It was a hint to the bigots that he is on their side.

His 2020 debate with Joe Biden gave him a chance to provide comfort for the Proud Boys. In response to hate group allegations by Mr. Biden, Trump stated “stand back and stand by.”

That is the motto of the Proud Boys and a dog whistle to a dangerous group that played a major role in the January 6 attack on the nation’s capitol.

Like it or not, there are multiple factions and individuals who are seeking to influence your opinion on countless issues. It is wise to be aware how much false information is out there waiting for gullible people to hear it and make it their opinion.

So let the public be alerted to these tactics and be prepared to rebuke them.