THE CRAZY AND THE WRONG: Trump is questioned about The Crazy!

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020

"Lack of evidence" decried by the Times:
Once in a while, you just have to laugh.

So it went this very morning when we read the New York Times' front-page report about Donald J. Trump's new remarks.

The unflappable commander-in-chief started yesterday's press event with the usual lunatic claims about how well the United States has done combating the spread of the virus.

The commander repeated recent claims about the massive outbreaks which have occurred in New Zealand and South Korea. For one limited look at the data, you might consider this:
Deaths from covid-19 in past seven days,
as of August 20:

United States: 7,150
South Korea: 2
New Zealand: 0
We haven't adjusted for population. Do you feel we need to?

(For the record, South Korea's population is about one-sixth as large as ours. When judged by the standards of carnage in TrumpLand, that nation's recent small rise in confirmed cases is very much under control.)

So goes the commander's daily flight from sanity's bounds. Yesterday, the amusement began when he fielded the day's first question:
REPORTER (8/19/20): During the pandemic, the QAnon movement appears to be gaining a lot of followers. Can you talk about what you think about that and what you have to say to people who are following this movement right now?
That was a flaccid, unfocused question, perfect for filibuster. Donald Trump started to speak:

"Well, I don’t know much about the movement other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate," the commander said. "But I don’t know much about the movement," the commander said again.

He went on to say that the QAnon crowd is upset by the violence in Seattle and Portland, and by the fact that "the Democrats can't run a city." Or at least, he said that's what he has heard about the movement's members.

The commander said he didn't know much about the movement. But then, dear God—a follow-up question! This exchange occurred:
REPORTER: The crux of the theory is this belief that you are secretly saving the world from this satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals. Does that sound like something you are behind or—

TRUMP: Well, I haven’t heard that. But is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing? I mean, if I can help save the world from problems, I’m willing to do it. I’m willing to put myself out there...
Would it really be a bad thing if the commander secretly saved the world from a satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals? Trump filibustered on from there, then called on a different reporter.

No reporter returned to this topic as the questions continued. Our press corps is dedicated to one proposition:

They wouldn't follow through on a question if their grandmothers' lives were at stake.

At any rate, the commander had gone on the record with his second statement. He's willing to save the world from a "satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals" if he can possibly do it.

More generally, the commander is willing to "save the world from problems." If some such satanic cult is one of the "problems" in question, he'll be happy to do what he can.

Alas! No one asked the commander in chief if he thinks that actually is one of the world's many "problems." In this morning's New York Times, Katie Rogers describes the QAnon movement's beliefs in a bit more detail, while possibly seeming to misstate what Trump was actually told at yesterday's press event:
ROGERS (8/20/20): When told by a reporter about the central premise of the QAnon theory—a belief that Mr. Trump is saving the world from a satanic cult made up of pedophiles and cannibals connected to Democratic Party figures, so-called deep-state actors and Hollywood celebrities—Mr. Trump did not question the validity of the movement or the truth of those claims.
In fact, the reporter at yesterday's press event didn't mention the part of the "theory" in which the pedophiles and cannibals "are connected to Democratic Party figures" and even to Hollywood stars.

No one asked Donald J. Trump if he thinks that part of the theory makes sense. After the commander filibustered and finessed yesterday's first two questions, no one else returned to the topic at all.

What does the commander in chief think about QAnon? Thanks to yesterday's scattershot "questioning," no information emerged.

Meanwhile, the Times seems to be ramping up its coverage of this deeply strange and revealing movement. But we had to chuckle at some of the ways the topic was handled this morning.

Again, let's get clear on what this movement's adherents seem to believe. According to a wealth of reporting, adherents believe that Donald J. Trump was secretly selected to defeat a worldwide cabal of pedophiles and cannibals.

This worldwide satanic cabal includes some well-known figures. This morning, Rogers says this:
ROGERS: QAnon is a larger and many-tentacled version of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which falsely claimed that Hillary Clinton was operating a child sex-trafficking ring out of the basement of a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant. In December 2016, a man who said he was on the hunt for proof of child abuse was arrested after firing a rifle inside the restaurant.

QAnon supporters often flood social media pages with memes and YouTube videos that target well-known figures—like Mrs. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the actor Tom Hanks—with unfounded claims about their links to child abuse. Lately, activists have used anti-child-trafficking hashtags as a recruitment tool.
Both Clintons seem to be part of the satanic cabal—and also, even Tom Hanks! Like others before her, Rogers links QAnon to the earlier Pizzagate lunacy, in which crazy people believed that Hillary Clinton was operating a child sex-trafficking ring out of the basement of a Washington pizza joint.

By normal reckoning, you had to be crazy to believe something like that. By normal reckoning, you have to be even crazier to believe the much wider current "theory," which holds that the commander was secretly recruited by shadowy figures to bring a much larger worldwide conspiracy to a halt.

By normal reckoning, you have to be something resembling insane to believe such crazy claims. And as we told you yesterday, the press corps has had, and will continue to have, a very hard time coming to terms with that deeply strange fact.

We almost had to laugh at times as we read Rogers' report. There's little journalistic precedent for reporting the fact that large numbers of citizens seem to be stone-cold crazy. For that reason, Rogers had to introduce a strange word, "falsely," into the passage we've just just posted.

Did people "falsely" claim that Hillary Clinton was trafficking children out of that pizza joint? We laughed at that word so we wouldn't cry. As we continued, we came upon this:
ROGERS (continuing directly): “It’s not just a conspiracy theory, this is a domestic extremist movement,” said Travis View, a host of “QAnon Anonymous,” a podcast that seeks to explain the movement. Mr. View said that Twitter and Facebook pages exploded with comments from gleeful followers after Mr. Trump’s comments.

Mr. View pointed out that the president answered the question by supporting the central premise of the QAnon theory—that he is battling a cabal of left-wing pedophiles—rather than addressing the lack of evidence behind the movement.
We don't know why View would say that the commander "supported the central premise of the theory" in what he said yesterday. There too, we'd say that Rogers may have been embellishing what actually was said.

That said, we had to chuckle at Rogers' formulation, in which View called attention to "the lack of evidence" in support of the theory:

Really? There's "a lack of evidence" behind the claim that Trump is battling a worldwide satanic cabal of pedophiles and cannibals which includes Tom Hanks? You almost have to chuckle when you see such formulations—or when you read something like this:
ROGERS: “I’m not surprised at all by [the commander's] reaction, and I don’t think QAnon conspirators are surprised either. It’s terrifying,” Vanessa Bouché, an associate professor of political science at Texas Christian University, said in an interview. “In a democratic society, we make decisions based on information. And "if people are believing these lies, then we’re in a very dangerous position.”
We agree on one basic point--it ought to be deeply disturbing to learn that millions of people seem to believe the crackpot tenets of this lunatic "movement."

But was it really a "lie" when people said that Hilary Clinton was running that sex ring out of that pizza joint? It's true that people believe lies all the time. But is that what that lunacy was?

The mainstream press has uniformly refused to discuss the commander's possible mental illness. The mainstream press is also poorly equipped for the task of discussing a matter like this.

When so many people can believe such lunatic claims, the very foundations of democratic theory are instantly called into question. That said, our highly unimpressive press corps doesn't have the skills, or the nerve, to discuss a moment like this.

Rogers did make one instant move designed to make this matter more edible. In paragraph 9, she quotes a think tank research director linking QAnon to classic anti-Semitism. When HRC was running that sex ring out of that pizza joint, was that anti-Semitism too?

At present, our mainstream culture uses two basic tools in explaining the world—racism and sexism. Anti-Semitism is a part of this limited tool kit.

For all we know, there may be elements of classic anti-Semitism mixed in QAnon's crazy brew. That said, anti-Semitism has long been a global manifestation of something resembling mental illness.

Embarrassingly and disturbingly, the QAnon movement simply reeks of The Crazy. But as crazy ideas become widely held, the Times will be inclined to view these crazy ideas as "falsehoods" or "lies," even as claims which "lack evidence."

Is Tom Hanks part of a worldwide cabal of pedophiles and cannibals who drink the blood of their victims?

There's a "lack of evidence" in support of that "theory," the New York Times now explains.

Tomorrow: Lunatic claims about Harris, plus pathways to The Wrong

43 comments:

  1. What is lunatic, dear Bob, is you 'analyzing' your goebbelsian media attempts to link Out Beloved Commander to a non-existent 'movement' -- by questioning Out Beloved Commander's sanity.

    As for various oddball theories that can be found on the Al Gore's invention -- yes, his infamous invention does produce about a million of such theories every day.

    As for the internet hypothesis of a "worldwide cabal of pedophiles", it's interesting that you, dear Bob, can pretend addressing it without mentioning the Jeffrey Epstein saga. Really, it makes us suspect that you might be somewhat disingenuous, dear Bob.

    And cannibals? Tsk, I have no idea. Are shape-shifting alien Reptilians cannibals? You tell me, dear Bob.

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    1. The US Covid tsunami hasn't even started. It will begin ravaging the country in three or four weeks.

      Get prepared for people you know having it and dying this fall. And it is all thanks to Trump's stupidity and cynicism.

      Without question he will go down as the worst president of any country in any time in all of human history. But more than a half a million Americans won't be around to witness his comeuppance, they will be dead.

      Delete
    2. ma0 ma0 * ,!, ,!,

      Delete
  2. Today, Somerby repeats falsehoods about Hillary Clinton, asking whether these were lies, without ever stating that these are untruths:

    "But was it really a "lie" when people said that Hilary Clinton was running that sex ring out of that pizza joint? It's true that people believe lies all the time. But is that what that lunacy was?"

    "When HRC was running that sex ring out of that pizza joint, was that anti-Semitism too?"

    Somerby seems to be always happy to repeat some awful thing about someone he dislikes, without refuting it.

    For the record, Hillary Clinton is not a pedophile, had no involvement with a pizza parlor, and did not then and does not now engage in sex trafficking of children.

    Why can't Somerby say that? Why does he leave the accusation lingering in affirmative statements (or repeated questions) without making it clear that this is a smear against Clinton (and other Democrats)?

    He is as bad as the Q-Anon people when he merely repeats their garbage without stating that it is untrue, and more than that, part of a conspiracy against Democrats being promulgated by the far right. Trump obviously supports it, although he can only be coy about it because it is so crazy and he has a faint idea of what gravitas accrues to the presidency, although not enough to prevent him from making a mockery of office through other words and actions.

    Somerby blames reporters for their failure to ask pointed questions, but he himself will not affirm that Hillary Clinton is no pedophile. He dances around that in much the same way as Trump does. And that makes him an asshole.

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    1. It's clear from the context that TDH is saying that the claims about Clinton are lunatic fantasies, not amenable to fact-checking like, say, claims about the size of this year's budget deficit.

      What's wrong with you?

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    2. No. Repeating this stuff is spreading disinformation. Somerby has a bad habit of fully quoting and thereby spreading negative stuff about liberals candidates. He didn't call this specifically lunatic fantasy.

      It is irritating that Somerby explicitly DOES NOT call these slurs wrong. By quibbling over whether they are lies or not, he leaves the reader with the impression that he is arguing in support of the truth of the statement -- not about the mind state of the speaker (you have to go back months to remember that discussion here about what constitutes lying). He needs to explicitly say that this is false or else it will stick in someone's mind as a criticism of Hillary, unfairly so.

      You aren't being subtle enough in your thinking. If someone says "I never said you are a thief," someone who doesn't know you well may remember later, only that someone mentioned thievery in connection with your name. The denial gets lost because it is a more difficult language construction, a denial of a sentence stated in the affirmative (you are a thief).

      Later, someone may only feel a vague dislike for you and when someone asks why, they may say "He just doesn't seem honest." That's how this works. Of course, it also relies on repetition, and Somerby does that. Coming back to the same themes over and over, the same whipping boys.

      Of course, Somerby has plausible deniability and you will always give him the benefit of the doubt, but Hillary did lose despite being arguably the best qualified candidate in a long time, male or female. Why? Because she was disliked -- for no good reason. But a coordinated campaign of media assassination works, and Somerby is doing his part. Why? Again, I don't know whether it is out of loyalty to Bernie or Trump, but either way it achieves the same goal. That's one of the problems with Bernie's campaign -- it helped Trump way too much.

      What's wrong with me? I wanted Hillary instead of Trump as my President. What's wrong with you?

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    3. You claim:

      [TDH] didn't call this specifically lunatic fantasy.

      Here's what TDH wrote:

      By normal reckoning, you have to be something resembling insane to believe such crazy claims.

      Close enough for anyone reading for comprehension.

      Here's what you demand:

      [TDH] needs to explicitly say that this [Qanon] is false or else it will stick in someone's mind as a criticism of Hillary, unfairly so.

      Who's in danger of this sticking of the mind? Why would any thinking person decide that stuff you have to be insane to believe is a criticism of Clinton?

      Your thought experiment:

      If someone says "I never said you are a thief," someone who doesn't know you well may remember later, only that someone mentioned thievery in connection with your name.

      Let's make this better. If someone says, "I never said you were a reptilian monster from outer space," would someone who doesn't know you well later connect you with reptilian monsters from outer space? Later, would that someone feel a vague discomfort for you and when someone else asks, are you likely to say "He just doesn't seem human. He seems more like a reptilian monster from outer space"?

      What's wrong with me? I wanted Hillary instead of Trump as my President.

      No, that's not it.

      What's wrong with you?

      How much time have you got? Let's do this the easy way and ask what's not wrong with me.

      I can read for comprehension.

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  3. Anyone familiar with anti-semitism will see the connection between this latest conspiracy theory about satanic pedophiles and cannibalism and the centuries old blood libel against Jews, that Jewish rituals require the blood of Christian babies, who are eaten by Jews on religious holidays. This libel is the justification for persecution of Jews throughout Europe. Now we have a highly similar libel being used against liberals/Democrats in a sinister plot about infiltration of our government and society. It is the Jewish plot all over again, and anyone familiar with anti-semitism will immediately see the connection -- except not Somerby.

    He complains that opposing Q-Anon is just another attack using a liberal "ism", this time anti-Semitism. Even though the story is obviously the same (sanitized to make it more acceptable to a broader populace) and the perpetrators are again coming from the alt-right.

    Would Somerby have us tolerate these threats to democracy in the name of eschewing "isms" until we have our own Hitlerian saviour in place and the pogroms, purges, disappearances (as in Portland), and concentration camps? Because that is where this leads. People ask why the Germans didn't keep Hitler out of power. You can look around our country today and see why. The pandemic provides the excuse and the anxieties of the people fuel belief in this conspiracy theory, and Trump is the willing rescuer, while liberals (and their Jewish friends like Soros and Hollywood celebrities) provide the scapegoats. Just like in the early 1930's in Germany.

    If there is a "Wrong" here it is Somerby. His vague language and unwillingness to ever commit himself to an idea provide the wiggle room for belief in the ridiculous, so that he winds up as an apologist for this crap, not a critic of anyone except those trying to oppose it.

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    1. Antisemitism (no hyphen, please) isn't a "liberal ism," and TDH doesn't claim that it is. Just because you're clueless doesn't make TDH "vague."

      What's wrong with you?

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    2. Here is what Somerby says:

      "At present, our mainstream culture uses two basic tools in explaining the world—racism and sexism. Anti-Semitism is a part of this limited tool kit."

      So, yes, he is claiming that anti-Semitism (you don't dictate style at this blog) is a liberal ism (to the extent that he considers whatever he means by "mainstream culture" to encompass liberals.

      Of course Somerby is vague. Where and when has he ever defined "mainstream culture"?

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    3. When TDH says that mainstream culture -- let's read that as liberals arguendo -- has racism and sexism as "two basic tools" to explain the world, he's talking about explaining the world of the Other. "They" are bad because "they" are racists and sexists. And, quibbles aside, antisemitism is a species of racism.

      This isn't a claim that liberals are racist, sexist, and antisemitic.

      [Y]ou don't dictate style at this blog.

      First of all, your churlish ignorance is noted. Secondly, I'm not trying to dictate anything. (How would that even work?) In English, the word "please" signals that somebody has made a polite request. Lastly, this isn't a matter of style; it's a small semantic and historical point that I'll be happy to explain if you're interested, and that I won't if you're not.

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  4. "When HRC was running that sex ring out of that pizza joint, was that anti-Semitism too?"

    No one ever said that the pizzas were made out of child parts or kid sausage.

    No one ever accused Hillary of being a satanist. Just of being a lesbian who murdered people.

    The children were supposedly being held in the basement, but there was no basement and no children, and Hillary was not running a pedophile sex-trafficking ring.

    But Somerby never defended her from any of that garbage, not even now.

    Somerby could be asking why no one has asked Trump about his association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who actually did sex traffic in young girls. Reporters might ask how someone who is BFFs with a pedophile can take down a pedophilia ring. But, like all conspiracy theorists, they probably have an answer to such questions, like "he was working under cover."

    Does Somerby believe that a precursor conspiracy theory disproves the anti-Semitism of the more evolved current version because the older theory wasn't about ritual cannibalism whereas the current one now clearly draws upon those anti-semitic beliefs?

    Why is Somerby gaslighting us about anti-Semitism on the right? Q-Anon is a hate group. George Soros = Jew on right wing lips. Deep state global conspiracy = Jews controlling the world. Somerby thinks the mention of Hillary and Tom Hanks makes this not the same anti-semitism dressed up in sheep's clothing, but he is wrong. Reptilians can be disguised as anyone, including Democratic Party donors.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/proud-boy-member-accused-of-murdering-his-brother-with-a-sword-4

    Does Somerby think it will be a good thing when Trump can simply accuse someone of being a Reptilian and put them in jail, much as the accusation of Jewish blood was used in Germany?

    Somerby should look at who is being targeted by this theory. Democrats (liberals) and their celebrity donors. The theory originates with the extreme right wing, on behalf of Trump and Republicans. I fully expect that as Q-Anon gains power, Republicans will transfer their fealty from Trump to Q-Anon and we will have full-blown nazis to deal with.

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  5. "When HRC was running that sex ring out of that pizza joint, was that anti-Semitism too?"

    Is it too much to ask that Somerby insert the words "people said" into this sentence:

    "When [people said] HRC was running that sex ring out of that pizza joint, was that anti-Semitism too?"

    It makes a huge difference, between affirming that Hillary was running such a ring, to just repeating the libel against Hillary without implying that it is factual.

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    1. Stating it's lunatic fantasy isn't good enough for you?

      What's wrong with you?

      Delete
  6. "Tomorrow: Lunatic claims about Harris, plus pathways to The Wrong"

    By repeating over and over the phrase "The Wrong" and associating it with liberals, does Somerby think he is softening us up to accept whatever libel against the left he will spring on us down the road? Or is it enough simply to link liberals with "wrong" so that when it comes time to vote, liberalism will be subconsciously less appealing to us through that constant linkage.

    This is how propaganda works. The question remaining is why Somerby is attacking liberals. Is it because of a misguided, lingering loyalty to Bernie, or is it on behalf of Republicans and Trump, funded by Russia or the NRA or the RNC? Or maybe Somerby is thinking about joining Q-Anon and this is his contribution to that cause. Too much Fox viewing will do that to you.

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  7. Another attack on liberal defense of civil rights as Somerby complains about Democratic Party concern with racism, sexism, and now (he complains) anti-Semitism. These aren't part of our "toolkit" as Somerby alleges, but a fundamental plank in our party platform, because a multicultural society requires tolerance and protection of the rights of all citizens to ensure the democratic goals of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. We believe in these things as liberals.

    If Somerby does not, he needs to declare himself as a member of some other group. This isn't about tools, tactics, means to ends, but about those ends themselves, and a society without discrimination is one of the goals of the Democratic Party.

    Somerby neglects a few other isms that are important too: nativism (we are against it), ageism, ableism, religious discrimination any condition that interferes with opportunity for people because of their diversity. This is a national tradition because many groups came to the American colonies to seek exactly that freedom (especially from religious persecution). We fought the civil war to eliminate slavery based on race. We fought for women's suffrage, birth control, and equal pay to eliminate discrimination based on sex. This is what our Party is about now.

    There are other parties that Somerby can join, where he might feel more comfortable and not be bothered by whatever wrong he finds among Democrats.

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  8. There's little journalistic precedent for reporting the fact that large numbers of citizens seem to be stone-cold crazy. -- TDH

    Sorry, no. You need to get out more.

    “12 million Americans "know," the United States government is run by lizard people (or, to be scientifically accurate, reptilians)” --The Atlantic

    “Blood-drinking, flesh-eating, shape-shifting extraterrestrial reptilian humanoids” (Time magazine) are in charge, and it's clear that Commander Heel Spurs is using QAnon to divert the American people from the real enemy--that he is helping. More than 3 million Americans claim to have been abducted by these proctology obsessed aliens. Trump’s silence speaks volumes. Alex Jones no longer supports Trump due to his obvious complicity with our alien overlords.

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    1. In Gallup polls (see Wikipedia), Joseph McCarthy had a 50% favorable rating in 1954, his high point, the rest of the time it hovered around the same level as Trump's support.

      McCarthy proposed a widespread Communist conspiracy infecting our government and used his committee to persecute people suspected of being communists (and also homosexuals).

      While there were some communists in government (Alger Hiss for example), there wasn't a large conspiracy as McCarthy claimed and key figures such as the President (Eisenhower and Truman) were not Communists. He was responsible for The Red Scare.

      Maybe we will see a similar Reptilian Scare. Or maybe we can keep these frauds from channeling the anxieties of the people for their own benefit.

      I suppose Somerby would also object to trying to protect civil rights of LGBTQ+ people -- they were also specifically targeted by McCarthy's committee, as they were also targeted in Hitler's Germany.

      Delete
    2. The more education someone has, the less likely they are to believe this stuff.

      Somerby also seems to complain a lot about those with education and those who teach in universities and colleges. You'd think he would be encouraging the efforts of professors, who provide some inoculation against the more extreme versions of this weirdness.

      Delete
    3. Interesting that Roy Cohn, counsel to McCarthy, and later, to Trump, was a virulent anti-Communist.

      Also:
      “Cohn and McCarthy attempted to enhance anti-Communist fervor in the country by claiming that Communists overseas had convinced several closeted homosexuals employed by the US federal government to pass on important government secrets in exchange for keeping their sexuality secret. Convinced that the employment of homosexuals was now a threat to national security, President Dwight Eisenhower signed an executive order on April 29, 1953, to ban homosexuals from working in the federal government.”

      Cohn was gay. He died of AIDS.

      This is dramatized in Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America.”

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  9. Interfering with postal service is going to affect all of the local candidates of both parties because their mailers won't reach prospective voters. I wonder if Trump considered that.

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  10. “But was it really a "lie" when people said that Hilary Clinton was running that sex ring out of that pizza joint?”

    Somerby essentially chastises the press for not using the word “crazy” when describing QANON, or Trump, or the pizza parlor sex ring.

    He would presumably argue that a lie is told by someone who knows the truth, and lies anyway.

    But it is likely that lying is involved. Sean Hannity and others at Fox pushed the pizza parlor story. It is likely that they knew it to be false. They know their audience consists of gullible rubes who have been conditioned by years of right-wing propaganda to believe the vilest possible lies about liberals. Their view of liberals is similar to the view of Jews pushed by the Nazis. That is the desired goal of republican elites. The GOP is actively supportive of the QANON candidates.

    But is he correct when he says : “By normal reckoning, you had to be crazy to believe something like that.”?

    A person who is otherwise sane can still believe an ostensibly crazy idea. Christianity could be described as “crazy”, or at least containing ideas that seem crazy. But there are plenty of devout Christians who aren’t crazy, and would not be diagnosed as such by any psychiatrist.

    This notion, that anyone spouting supposedly crazy beliefs is just a crazy person in the grip of mental illness, is ultimately dangerous in that it overlooks the cynical, nefarious ways that this so-called craziness is deliberately unleashed by malevolent forces.

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    1. There have been psychological studies of people who believe in odd things, such as that they are spirit mediums who can communicate with the dead, or that they have been abducted by aliens, and such people have been found to be entirely normal outside of their encapsulated delusional beliefs.

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  11. In February of 2019, Somerby quoted Andrew Sullivan, noted supporter of the Iraq War:

    Now look at Omar. She didn’t just push back on AIPAC’s distortion of American foreign policy, she reiterated a classic anti-Semitic trope...”

    Somerby was quick to criticize Sullivan’s rush to the “anti-semitism” card, you say?

    Nope.

    “We rarely miss the chance to be wrong. We stampede after gossip and fictions. We love our loathing of Them.”

    Phooey.

    (Sullivan rattles the long and the short!
    http://dailyhowler.blogspot.com/2019/02/sullivan-rattles-long-and-short.html)

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    1. Has Rachel ever discussed all the looting in American health care?

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    2. Bernie was on her show talking about universal health care. Does that count?

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    3. No, of course not. Don't be stupid.

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    4. Why not? That was Bernie's topic on her show. It is the proposed cure for the looting.

      Delete
  12. Somerby complains about reporters today, but he doesn't mention that Trump gave press credentials to a Gateway Pundit reporter who has promoted Q-Anon conspiracy theories, including that the Clinton Foundation is controlling the FBI and preventing it from investigating sex trafficking and the murder of Seth Rich.

    Gateway Pundit is a right-wing blog site that disseminates disinformation. Not a peep of criticism from Somerby about that.

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  13. Here is a rundown on Q-Anon and anti-Semitism by someone who has been following conspiracy theories for decades:

    https://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2020/08/q-and-the-ancient-smear.html

    Somerby's ignorance is showing when he tries to suggest that there is no connection between Q-Anon and past conspiracy theories, especially those of the alt-right.

    You should also look at Neiwert's book on the alt-right and Donald Trump:

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT2KCB2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

    You cannot be as ignorant as Somerby, without playing into the hands of these dangerous people.

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    1. Somerby: "For all we know, there may be elements of classic anti-Semitism mixed in QAnon's crazy brew."

      Deranged commenter: " Somerby ... tries to suggest that there is no connection between Q-Anon and past (anti-Semitic) conspiracy theories.

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    2. Read the material at the links I cited before you call me deranged.

      Delete
  14. Is NYT reporter Katie Rogers just pretending to be dumb and humorless? When Trump responded to a ridiculous question by asking if would be good or bad to save the world from a satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals, he was making fun of the question. Rogers reported Trump's comment as if it were serious. I think she knew that he was joking.

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    1. He didn't say that the theory was ridiculous. He went along with it, pretending to be the saviour (joking or not). Of course Rogers reported it straight. She doesn't know whether he was joking, any more than you do.

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    2. "Rogers reported Trump's comment as if it were serious."

      Let me guess, you like Trump Because he tells it like it is.

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    3. It is what it is. —DJT

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    4. When Trump responded to a ridiculous question by asking if would be good or bad to save the world from a satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals,...

      She did not ask him that question, you fucking lying sack of shit.

      "I don't know much about the movement other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate,"

      "I've heard these are people that love our country and they just don't like seeing it."

      Would any normal sane person argue that a cult which claims that our government is ruled by a "deep state" working in tandem with governments around the globe to engage in child sex abuse. loves our country?

      Unfortunately, your hero, Donald J Chickenshit is too much of a sniveling coward to stand in front of the American people and the world and exhibit the courage to call these kooks out.

      Yo! Semites!

      Delete
  15. Am Laura Mildred by name, i was diagnosed with Herpes 4 years ago i lived in pain with the knowledge that i wasn't going to ever be well again i contacted so many herbal doctors on this issue and wasted a large sum of money but my condition never got better i was determined to get my life back so one day i saw Mr. Morrison Hansen post on how Dr. Emu saved him from Herpes with herbal medicine i contacted Dr. Emu on his Email: Emutemple@gmail.com we spoke on the issue i told him all that i went through and he told me not to worry that everything will be fine again so he prepared the medicine and send it to me and told me how to use it, after 14 days of usage I went to see the doctor for test,then the result was negative, am the happiest woman on earth now thanks to Dr. Emu God bless you. Email him at: Emutemple@gmail.com Whats-app or Call him: +2347012841542

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  16. I have been suffering from a deadly disease (Hsv) for the past 3 years now, I had spent a lot of money going from one places to another, from churches to churches, hospitals have been my home every day residence. Constant checks up have been my hobby not until this faithful day, I was searching through the internet, I saw a testimony on how Dr Onokun helped someone in curing his (Hsv) herpes disease, quickly I copied his email which is Dronokunherbalcure@gmail.com just to give him a test I spoke to him, he asked me to do some certain things which I did, he told me that he is going to provide the herbal cure to me, which he did, then he asked me to go for medical checkup after some days after using the herbal cure, behold I was free from the deadly disease, he only asked me to post the testimony through the whole world, faithfully am doing it now, please brothers and sisters, he is great, I owe him in return. if you are having a similar problem just email him on : Dronokunherbalcure@gmail.com

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  17. Am Laura Mildred by name, i was diagnosed with Herpes 4 years ago i lived in pain with the knowledge that i wasn't going to ever be well again i contacted so many herbal doctors on this issue and wasted a large sum of money but my condition never got better i was determined to get my life back so one day i saw Mr. Morrison Hansen post on how Dr. Emu saved him from Herpes with herbal medicine i contacted Dr. Emu on his Email: Emutemple@gmail.com we spoke on the issue i told him all that i went through and he told me not to worry that everything will be fine again so he prepared the medicine and send it to me and told me how to use it, after 14 days of usage I went to see the doctor for test,then the result was negative, am the happiest woman on earth now thanks to Dr. Emu God bless you. Email him at: Emutemple@gmail.com Whats-app or Call him +2347012841542 

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  18. WOW...What a Great Testimony....I am by name Maria Gusto from USA, i want to use this opportunity to thank the Great DR.balbosa for helping in getting my Ex husband back to me, i have been in great pains until the day i contacted DR on, balbosasolutionhome@gmail.com or TEXT on WHATSAPP +2347048047728.he gave me a lasting solution and told me to wait for just 12 hours so that my Ex husband will call me and i did according to the instructions given to me by him and surprisingly, before 12 hours, my Ex husband really called me and started apologizing for all he had caused me.I am the happiest Woman on earth today because Dr.balbosa has done wonderful deeds in my life and I will continue to share this testimony, you can contact him also for help on his Email: balbosasolutionhome@gmail.com and WHATAPP Number on +2347048047728.Good Luck...

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    Hello all my viewers, I am very happy for sharing this great testimonies,The best thing that has ever happened in my life is how I win the lottery euro million mega jackpot. I am a Woman who believe that one day I will win the lottery. finally my dreams came through when I email believelovespelltemple@gmail.com and tell him I need the lottery numbers. I have spend so much money on ticket just to make sure I win. But I never know that winning was so easy until the day I meant the spell caster online which so many people has talked about that he is very great in casting lottery spell, . so I decide to give it a try.I contacted this great Dr Believe and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among winners. I win 30,000 million Dollar. Dr Believe truly you are the best, all thanks to you forever

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