How the QAnon conspiracy is infesting the WH and the link of this theory to the appalling decision to destroy nation wide testing for the Conavirus.
First the QAnon Conspiracy, a LONG article, but necessary. about 36% of it, the text of this article, the first part has been placed in PULSE. You can see the rest of it, by looking at the provided LINK as to this article
Secondly, a comment as to how the Trump WH has people using it.
Three the shameful details as to how Jared Kushner, using paranoia, sabotaged a national testing program for the Conavirus in America which would have cut deaths to 5 - 10% of their present level, and that actions tie into QAnon theory, i.e. sacrifice American Blue states due to QAnon paranoia.
It all ties in together.
Why this last datum is connected with QAnon theory. I.e. the WH using QAnon theory was involved in a scorched earth attack upon Blue State America using the horrid meme in the Vietnam war that "we had to destroy the Village in order to save it " mentality as a way to justify inaction leading to over 155 thousand American deaths. All due to the infestation of QAnon
First the QAnon conspiracy article
https://ctc.usma.edu/the-qanon-conspiracy-theory-a-security-threat-in-the-making/
The QAnon Conspiracy Theory: A Security Threat in the Making?
JULY 2020, VOLUME 13, ISSUE 7
Authors:
AMARNATH AMARASINGAM, MARC-ANDRé ARGENTINO
Categories:
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Abstract: The QAnon conspiracy theory, which emerged in 2017, has quickly risen to prominence in the United States. A survey of cases of individuals who have allegedly or apparently been radicalized to criminal acts with a nexus to violence by QAnon, including one case that saw a guilty plea on a terrorism charge, makes clear that QAnon represents a public security threat with the potential in the future to become a more impactful domestic terror threat. This is true especially given that conspiracy theories have a track record of propelling terrorist violence elsewhere in the West as well as QAnon’s more recent influence on mainstream political discourse.
Generally speaking, law enforcement and public policy attention with respect to terrorism and political violence in North America tends to focus on jihadi or far-right extremism.1 At first glance, QAnon, the bizarre assemblage of far-right conspiracy theories that holds that U.S. President Donald Trump is waging a secret war against an international cabal of satanic pedophiles seems to present a far lesser threat to public security. However, QAnon has contributed to the radicalization of several people to notable criminal acts or acts of violence. In light of these events, this article attempts to take stock of the violence this bizarre set of conspiracy theories has engendered thus far and asks whether it should be seen as a security threat in the making.2
Though less organized than jihadi or far-right extremists, the authors argue that QAnon represents a novel challenge to public security. This is consistent with a May 2019 report by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, which details the increasing influence of anti-government, identity-based, or fringe political conspiracies, including QAnon, on motivating criminal or violent activity. The report, as presented by Yahoo News, claims that “based on the increase volume and reach of conspiratorial content due to modern communication methods, it is logical to assume that more extremist-minded individuals will be exposed to potentially harmful conspiracy theories, accept ones that are favorable to their views, and possibly carry out criminal or violent actions as a result.”3
Further, the report emphasizes that the internet allows for a “crowd-sourcing” effect wherein “conspiracy theory followers themselves shape a given theory by presenting information that supplements, expands, or localizes its narrative.”4 This effect appears particularly salient with QAnon, where followers are directed to take interpretation and action into their own hands, rather than at the explicit direction of the anonymous user (known only as Q) behind the movement. QAnon is thus markedly different from other far-right extremist groups and jihadi groups, as it lacks both a clear organizational structure and a centralization of interpretive duties.
In this article, the authors provide further context on the emergence of QAnon, a summary of five criminal cases with a nexus to violence motivated by QAnon, including one case that resulted in a guilty plea on a terrorism charge. The data presented here was collected by the authors from various sources from 2018 to the present, including QAnon community messaging pages, social media pages of individuals radicalized to criminal or violent activity, and publicly accessible news reports.
What is the QAnon Conspiracy?
The QAnon conspiracy5 emerged on Saturday, October 28, 2017, on 4chan’sa /pol/ (politically incorrect page) in a thread called “Calm Before the Storm,” when an anonymous user signing off as ‘Q’ stated that “Hillary Clinton will be arrested between 7:45 AM – 8:30 AM EST on Monday – the morning on Oct 30, 2017.”6 Q’s nom de plume is in reference to “Q” clearance, a clearance level in the United States Department of Energy.
However, QAnon finds its origins a year prior in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory,7 which alleges coded words and satanic symbolism purportedly apparent in John Podesta’s emails, hacked during his tenure as chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, point to a secret child sex trafficking ring at a pizza restaurant in Washington, D.C., called Comet Ping Pong. Pizzagate came to a head in December 2016 when Edgar M. Welch (whose case is discussed in detail below) traveled from North Carolina “to the popular DC pizzeria Comet Ping Pong with a handgun and an assault rifle to ‘self-investigate’ the validity of the 4chan conspiracy.”8 QAnon, beginning in 2017, thus originated out of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, retaining the central belief that a cabal of powerful elites control the world, using their power to covertly abuse children.
Q’s claim on 4chan to have special government access and that he/she is part of a wider “anon genre” of government officials with top secret information is not entirely novel. Before Q, several 4chan posters asserted they had special government access, including FBIAnon9 and HLIAnon10 in 2016, and CIAAnon11 and WHInsiderAnon12 in 2017. QAnon devotees, many of whom may be familiar with this “anon genre,” thus are familiar with Q’s apparent need for anonymity and presumably take it as a sign of credibility.
In July 2020, nearly three years following Q’s emergence, there remains no consensus on who the original Q was and who manages the account today. However, there is a fair amount of evidence that demonstrates how QAnon grew to prominence from the narrow confines of 4chan and 8chan.b According to a 2018 NBC News investigative report, the original Q post “would have gone mostly unnoticed if not for three people – Tracy Diaz, a YouTube vlogger, and 4chan moderators Pamphlet Anon, identified as Coleman Rogers, and BaruchtheScribe, a South African man named Paul Furber.”13 NBC News reported that Rogers and Furber reached out to Diaz, asking her to leverage her large YouTube following to promote the first ‘Q’ posts. Without sharing the 4chan thread with Diaz’ viewership, QAnon may never have grown beyond its small following on the image board site.
The authors have observed that QAnon supporters purport that their claims are empirical and do not ask that their assertions be taken at face value. The QAnon community is guided by the oft-repeated maxim, “do your own research.”14 Imitating source citation and evidence presentation in academic scholarship, QAnon followers regularly engage in elaborate presentations of evidence to substantiate their claims. In this vein, they often self-identify as investigative journalists or conspiracy researchers.15
QAnon also represents a militant and anti-establishment ideology rooted in an apocalyptic desire to destroy the existing, corrupt world to usher in a promised golden age.16 This position finds resonance with other far-right extremist movements, such as the various militant, anti-government, white nationalist, and neo-Nazi extremist organizations across the United States. In February 2020, Omega Kingdom Ministries, in effect a QAnon church, was established in the United States and other countries where the QAnon conspiracy acts as an interpretive lens for the Bible and vice versa, and in which adherents are subjected to formalized religious indoctrination into QAnon.c QAnon followers share roots with conspiracy theories that have fed other anti-government movements, such as the 90s militias that feared the “New World Order,” or the anti-government apocalypticism and religious fervor of the Branch Davidians.17
Recent criminal cases with a nexus to violence involving QAnon followers show how QAnon has contributed to the radicalization of ideologically motivated violent extremists (IMVE).18 According to the FBI, QAnon and other fringe conspiracy theories could “very likely motivate some domestic extremists, wholly or in part, to commit criminal and sometimes violent activity” and noted that “one key assumption driving these assessments is that certain conspiracy theory narratives tacitly support or legitimize violent action.”19 Below, the authors provide a chronological summary of five criminal cases with a nexus to violence motivated, in part at least, by QAnon radicalization. They start with the aforementioned Edgar Maddison Welch, whose armed search of the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria predated QAnon but represents an ideological precursor to other QAnon-motivated actions.
A QAnon flag is held by a protester at the Governor’s Mansion, in Salem, Oregon, on April 25, 2020, during a rally against economic-closure efforts aimed at minimizing the impact of COVID-19. (John Rudoff/Sipa USA/Sipa via AP Images)
QAnon is not destined to remain on the periphery of political discourse either. CNN reported that former national security adviser Michael Flynn posted a video on July 4, 2020, which showed him and a group repeating an oath of office before saying the common QAnon phrase, “Where we go one, we go all.” The post also included the hashtag #TakeTheOath, apparently referencing a social media trend by QAnon users from earlier in the week.97 Flynn’s lawyer Sidney Powell told The Washington Examiner, “The slogan comes from an engraved bell on JFK’S sailboat—acknowledging the unity of mankind. The oath is obvious—the federal oath in support of our Constitution. He wanted to encourage people to think about being a citizen. Don’t read anything else into it.”98
Further, as reported by Alex Kaplan at Media Matters as well as in The New York Times,99 more than 60 candidates who have run for Congress in 2020 appear to have expressed some degree of support for QAnon (mostly Republicans and Independents; two of the 66 were Democrats), and Marjorie Taylor Greene,i a QAnon follower running for a Georgia seat in the House of Representatives, is favored to win the Republican nomination as well as the general election.100 Jo Rae Perkins, a QAnon follower,j recently won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Oregon, though she appears likely to lose in the general election.101
Already, then, QAnon supporters are trying to have an increased impact on mainstream discourse in the United States. With this mainstreaming, as well as the impending presidential election that seems likely to only increase QAnon’s salience, an increasing frequency of criminal or violent acts by QAnon supporters seems possible, even likely.102 While the aforementioned criminal acts seem largely motivated by QAnon, only Matthew Philip Wright has been charged with a terrorism offense. However, the 2020 Hanau shisha bar attack presents one example of how conspiracy theories can help propel larger-scale terrorist attacks.103 If more individuals with greater organizational skills and operational acumen seek to pursue QAnon’s agenda, it could eventually lead to more significant threats to public security and become a more impactful domestic terrorism threat, though this potential development appears, at present, to be far on the horizon.
However, the threat to public security that QAnon presents is not exclusive to the movement and the cases described above, but rather, is representative of broader currents in the American information landscape. The increased consumption and circulation of misinformation on social media, as well as its negative consequences, is evinced especially by QAnon, but its effects on public safety are not limited to it. The emergence of future (related or unrelated) conspiracy theories that may be effective at radicalizing individuals to terrorist violence should thus not be ruled out as threats to public security.
Regulation of QAnon content by social media companies, activity which would be guided and governed by the adherence of QAnon supporters to respective platforms terms of service, may present one pathway to decreasing the likelihood of individual radicalization to violence.104 This could operate similarly to Facebook and Twitter regulation of jihadi content by the Islamic State and al-Qa`ida affiliates. On July 21, 2020, Twitter announced105 that it will be taking action against QAnon in light of “coordinated harmful activity.” Already Twitter has suspended 7,000 accounts and will be limiting 150,000 more.106
However, regulation of QAnon content could simply result in platform migration and further reinforce QAnon’s cosmology that sees a cabal of pedophiles lurking behind every corporate or governmental decision.107 This is to be considered carefully, based on the authors’ observation of QAnon activity on Telegram, there is a growing overlap between QAnon channels and more extremist channels affiliated with the proud boys,108 paramilitary groups, and white supremacists.109 Additionally, the law enforcement community and researchers need to consider the growing transnational dimensions of QAnon.110 QAnon is arguably no longer simply a fringe conspiracy theory but an ideology111 that has demonstrated its capacity to radicalize to violence individuals at an alarming speed. CTC
Amarnath Amarasingam is an Assistant Professor in the School of Religion at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, and an Associate Fellow at the Global Network on Extremism and Technology. His research interests are in radicalization, terrorism, diaspora politics, post-war reconstruction, and the sociology of religion. Follow @AmarAmarasingam
Marc-André Argentino is a PhD candidate in the Individualized Program at Concordia University, Montreal (in Theological Studies, the Centre for Engineering in Society and the Institute of Information System Engineering). Marc-André is an associate fellow at the Global Network on Extremism & Technology and an associate researcher at the Centre d’Expertise et de Formation sur les Intégrismes Religieux, les Idéologies Politiques et la Radicalisation. Follow @_MAArgentino
Substantive Notes
[a] According to News Guard, which rates the credibility of news and information sites, “4chan is an anonymous— users never need to make an account or pick a username, even a pseudonymous one— image board.” From a functional perspective, “it is broken up into threads where users can discuss different topics; moderation on the platform is virtually non-existent. 4chan is rife with pornography and other posts that many would consider shocking or inappropriate, such as violent imagery and racial imagery.” “https://www.dhirubhai.net/redir/general-malware-page?url=4chan%2eorg,” News Guard Tech, Accessed July 2020.
[b] According to News Guard, which rates the credibility of news and information, “8chan bills itself as ‘the Darkest Reaches of the Internet.’” Furthermore, “anyone can anonymously post text, videos, images, and other files as well as links to external websites. Content appears on ‘boards,’ which anyone can create.” “https://www.dhirubhai.net/redir/general-malware-page?url=8ch%2enet,” News Guard Tech, Accessed July 2020. In 2019, 8chan was used to announce deadly attacks at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand; a synagogue in Poway, California; and a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. In March 2019, as the New Zealand gunman live-streamed his rampage, 8chan allowed the grisly footage to reach millions. Subsequently, 8chan was taken down in August 2019. 8chan returned as 8kun in November 2019, with several boards dedicated to QAnon. Benjamin Goggin, “8chan — the website connected to mass shootings and conspiracy theories — has relaunched as 8kun,” Business Insider, November 3, 2019.
[c] Omega Kingdom Ministries (OKM) is part of a network of independent congregations (or ekklesia) called Home Congregations Worldwide (HCW). It has online services at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. OKM, however, has central hubs in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Australia where in-person meetings and trainings take place. Its infrastructure is different than a traditional church as the services in non-pandemic times take place in the home of a leader with 10 to 12 other individuals. During these services, the first hour is dedicated to a liturgy where QAnon conspiracy theories are reinterpreted through the Bible. In the second hour, during an analysis of Qdrops, QAnon serves as a lens to interpret the Bible itself. Marc-André Argentino, “The Church of QAnon: Will conspiracy theories form the basis of a new religious movement?” Conversation Canada, May 18, 2020.
[d] The inclusion criteria for selected cases is whether there is a nexus to violent crime. See “Violent Crime,” National Institute of Justice. The authors have excluded criminal cases where this was not apparent. Jessica Prim, though not charged with a violent crime, was included due to the apparent threats she made in her livestream against presidential candidate Joe Biden.
[e] Welch also allegedly hit and seriously injured a 13-year-old with his car in 2016, though the authors were not able to determine whether the investigation, which remained open during his arrest for the Comet incident, resulted in charges. Jonathan Drew and Tom Foreman Jr., “DC pizza shop gunman regrets actions, still believes fake Hillary Clinton child sex ring story,” Global News, December 8, 2016.
[f] Q and QAnon influencers hyped up the OIG report in question with the belief it would reveal incriminating evidence that would bring down the Democrats. QAnon adherents were thoroughly disappointed when the report was released, as it did not contain the revelations they expected. ‘Q’ responded to the OIG report, claiming there were multiple versions of the OIG report but the one that had the incriminating evidence was not the one that was publicly released. Will Sommer, “QAnon, the Crazy Pro-Trump Conspiracy, Melts Down Over OIG Report,” Daily Beast, June 19, 2018.
[g] The indictment of Wright from 2018 remains sealed.
[h] Her social media accounts were operated under a pseudonym, but the authors were able to establish that the accounts very likely belonged to her because she referred to herself by her real name and broadcast video of herself on them. See also Marc-André Argentino, “29/ According to Prim God had awakened her to the fact that she is …,” Twitter, May 1, 2020.
[i] According to reporting from Media Matters in 2018, Greene posted on Facebook about an “awesome post by Q.” See “Marjorie Taylor Greene Facebook QAnon2,” Media Matters. She has posted the QAnon slogan on Facebook (see “Marjorie Taylor Greene Facebook QAnon 1,” Media Matters) and on Twitter (see “Marjorie Taylor Greene Twitter QAnon 2,” Media Matters), the latter in response to a tweet defending the legitimacy of “Q” where she also wrote, “Trust the plan” (another catchphrase QAnon supporters use). Greene also has tweeted the QAnon-connected hashtag “#GreatAwakening” to far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. She has also appeared in a video where she discussed following QAnon, calling “Q” a “patriot” and “worth listening to.” See Travis View, “Marjorie Taylor Greene, candidate for congress, also happens to be a QAnon follower,” Twitter, June 6, 2020. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Greene “has posted a series of tweets defending QAnon, including one”—now deleted—”encouraging her followers to message her with questions so she can ‘walk you through the whole thing.’” Jim Galloway, Greg Bluestein, and Tamar Hallerman, “The Jolt: When industry and neighborhoods mix, trouble often follows,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 2, 2019.
[j] According to reporting from Media Matters, “Perkins has repeatedly tweeted in support of QAnon and posted the QAnon slogan on Twitter, and both her personal and campaign Facebookpages. See Jo Rae Perkins, “The MG Show -236- 5/1/20 ‘Information warfare.’ Imagine that …,” Twitter, May 4, 2020, and Jo Rae Perkins, “Congratulations to @laurenboebert We need more #Patriots like Lauren …,” Twitter, July 2, 2020. Perkins has also said she follows the “Q team.” See “Jo Rae Perkins January 2 Facebook video,” Media Matters. See also Alex Kaplan, “Here are the QAnon supporters running for Congress in 2020,” Media Matters for America, updated July 23, 2020.
Citations
[1] Jim Bronskill, “Canada adds right-wing extremist groups to terrorist list,” National Observer, June 27, 2019.
[2] Amarnath Amarasingam, “The Impact of Conspiracy Theories and How to Counter Them: Reviewing the Literature on Conspiracy Theories and Radicalization to Violence,” in Anthony Richards, Devorah Margolin, and Nicolo Scremin eds., Jihadist Terror: New Threats, New Responses (London: IB Taurus), pp. 27-40.
[3] Jana Winter, “Exclusive: FBI document warns conspiracy theories are a new domestic terrorism threat,” Yahoo News, August 1, 2019. The FBI document was presented within this Yahoo News article.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Adrienne LaFrance, “The Prophecies of Q American conspiracy theories are entering a dangerous new phase,” Atlantic, May 15, 2020.
[6] Authors’ tracking of pro-QAnon online postings.
[7] Cecilia Kang, “Fake News Onslaught Targets Pizzeria as Nest of Child-Trafficking,” New York Times, November 21, 2016.
[8] Fruzsina Eordogh, “With Pizzagate, Is Cybersteria The New Normal?” Forbes, December 7, 2016.
[9] “FBI Anon on 4chan – Just the Q&A,” Imgur, July 5, 2016.
[10] “High Level Insider,” 4chan/Pol/, July 10, 2016.
[11] “CIAAnon 4chan AMA,” 4chan /pol/, January 30, 2017.
[12] “WH Insider Anon,” 4chan /pol/, October 29, 2017.
[13] Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins, “How three conspiracy theorists took ‘Q’ and sparked Qanon,” NBC News, August 14, 2018.
[14] Authors’ tracking of pro-QAnon online postings. See also Rose See, “From Crumbs to Conspiracy: Qanon as a community of hermeneutic practice,” senior thesis, chapter 3, Swarthmore College, 2019.
[15] Travis View, “How Conspiracy Theories Spread From the Internet’s Darkest Corners,” Washington Post, September 18, 2018.
[16] Anti-Defamation League, “QAnon,” ADL Backgrounders.
[17] John R. Hall, Apocalypse Observed: Religious Movements and Violence in North America, Europe and Japan (Oxford: Routledge, 2000); Chip Berlet and Matthew Lyons, Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort (New York: Guilford Press, 2000).
[18] “CSIS Public Report 2019,” Canadian Security Intelligence Service, May 20, 2020, p. 11.
[19] Winter. The FBI document was presented within this Yahoo News article.
[20] Justin Holgate, “USA v. Edgar Maddison Welch,” Affidavit, December 12, 2016, para. 5.
[21] Ibid., para. 7.
[22] Keith Alexander and Susan Svrluga, “Alleged ‘pizzagate’ gunman’s parents ‘stunned’ by news,” Washington Post, December 13, 2016.
[23] Holgate, paras. 22-30.
[24] Ibid., paras. 23, 28-31.
[25] Ibid., para. 32.
[26] Ibid., para. 7.
[27] Ibid., paras. 9-13.
[28] Ibid., para. 28-31.
[29] “North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Charges in Armed Assault at Northwest Washington Pizza Restaurant,” United States Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, March 24, 2017.
[30] “North Carolina Man Sentenced to Four-Year Prison Term For Armed Assault at Northwest Washington Pizza Restaurant,” United States Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, June 22, 2017.
[31] Jonathan Drew and Tom Foreman Jr., “DC pizza shop gunman regrets actions, still believes fake Hillary Clinton child sex ring story,” Global News, December 8, 2016.
[32] Richard Ruelas, “QAnon follower who blocked bridge near Hoover Dam pleads guilty to terrorism charge,” Arizona Republic, February 11, 2020.
[33] Stephanie K. Baer, “An Armed Man Spouting a Bizarre Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory Was Arrested After A Standoff At The Hoover Dam,” BuzzFeed News, June 17, 2018.
[34] AnneClaire Stapleton and Steve Almasy, “Man who blocked traffic on Hoover Dam bridge wanted release of government report,” CNN, June 16, 2018.
[35] Ibid.; “READ: The Justice Department IG report on Clinton’s email,” CNN, June 14, 2018.
[36] Baer.
[37] Ibid.
[38] Richard Ruelas, “Plea deal rejected for QAnon follower who drove armored vehicle onto bridge near Hoover Dam,” Arizona Public, June 1, 2020 (and updated June 3, 2020); Henry Brean and Dave Hawkins, “Suspect in Hoover Dam standoff writes Trump, cites conspiracy in letters,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 13, 2018.
[39] Brean and Hawkins.
[40] Ibid.
[41] Ibid.
[42] Rio Lacanlale, “Henderson Man’s Motives in Standoff Near Hoover Dam Still Murky,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 16, 2018.
[43] Ruelas, “Plea deal rejected for QAnon follower.”
[44] “Inmate Search,” Mohave County Arizona, accessed June 22, 2020.
[45] William K. Rashbaum and Ali Watkins, “What We Know About the 24-Year-Old Accused of Killing Frank Cali, a Gambino Mob Boss,” New York Times, March 17, 2019.
[46] Ali Watkins, “A Conspiracy Theorist, Anthony Comello, and a Mystery Motive in Gambino Murder,” New York Times, March 22, 2019.
[47] Ibid.
[48] Ibid.; Bobby Allyn, “Lawyer: Shooter Wasn’t Trying To Kill A Mob Boss. He Was Under ‘QAnon’ Delusion,” NPR, July 22, 2019.
[49] Rashbaum and Watkins.
[50] Ibid.
[51] Ali Watkins, “A Conspiracy Theorist, Anthony Comello, and a Mystery Motive in Gambino Murder,” New York Times, March 22, 2019.
[52] Ali Watkins, “He Wasn’t Seeking to Kill a Mob Boss. He Was Trying to Help Trump, His Lawyers Say,” New York Times, July 21, 2019.
[53] Ibid.
[54] Ibid.
[55] Ibid.
[56] Ibid.
[57] Timothy Johnson, “Alleged QAnon-inspired murdered was obsessed with Fox News,” MediaMatters, July 22, 2019.
[58] Watkins, “He Wasn’t Seeking to Kill a Mob Boss.”
[59] Ali Watkins, “Accused of Killing a Gambino Mob Boss, He’s Presenting a Novel Defense,” New York Times, December 6, 2019.
[60] Frank Donnelly, “Alleged mob-boss killer found mentally unfit to stand trial,” SILive.com, June 3, 2020.
[61] Christopher Weber, “Feds: Engineer intentionally derailed train near Navy hospital ship,” Washington Times, April 1, 2020.
[62] Brianna Sacks, “A Man Admitted To Trying To Crash A Train Into The USNS Mercy Over Coronavirus Suspicions,” Buzzfeed News, April 1, 2020.
[63] Douglas Swain, “Statement of Probable Cause A. Moreno Derails Train at the Port of Los Angeles Near USNS Mercy,” April 2020, paras. 5-7.
[64] Ibid., para. 10b.
[65] “Train Operator at Port of Los Angeles Charged with Derailing Locomotive Near U.S. Navy’s Hospital Ship Mercy,” U.S. Department of Justice, April 1, 2020.
[66] Ibid.
[67] Post no. 8537514, March 23, 2020, archived at qanon.news.
[68] Post no. 8600954, March 28, 2020, archived at qanon.news.
[69] Swain, para. 10a.
[70] Ibid., para. 6d.
[71] Post no. 8601061, March 28, 2020, archived at qanon.news. This observation was first made by the reporter Mike Rothschild. See Mike Rothschild, “I don’t know if the man arrested for trying to ram a train into USNS Mercy, Eduardo Moreno, is a QAnon believer …,” Twitter, April 1, 2020.
[72] Swain, para. 13a.
[73] See, p. 13.
[74] Post no. 8601001, March 28, 2020, archived at qanon.news.
[75] “Train Operator at Port of Los Angeles Charged with Derailing Locomotive Near U.S. Navy’s Hospital Ship Mercy,” U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, April 1, 2020.
[76] Bryan Rolli, “Women arrested with car full of knives after threatening Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton,” Daily Dot, April 30, 2019; “Peoria woman facing drug, weapon charges after confrontation with NYPD officers; says ‘I’m the Coronavirus,’” WMBD News, May 2, 2020.
[77] Will Sommer, “A QAnon Devotee Live-Streamed Her Trip to N.Y. to ‘Take Out’ Joe Biden,” Daily Beast, April 30, 2020.
[78] Ibid.
[79] Thomas Tracy and John Annese, “Unhinged woman whose Facebook posts threatened Biden caught with knives near USS Intrepid,” New York Daily News, April 29, 2020.
[80] Sommer, “A QAnon Devotee Live-Streamed Her Trip.”
[81] Ibid.; authors’ tracking of Jessica Prim’s social media posts and livestreams.
[82] Authors’ review of Jessica Prim’s social media postings.
[83] “The Extremist Medicine Cabinet: A Guide to Online ‘Pills,’” Anti-Defamation League, November 6, 2019.
[84] Chris Klomp, “Janet Ossebaard: miljoenen views voor kwalijke onzin,” chrisklomp.nl, May 1, 2020.
[85] David Emery, “Is a Hillary Clinton ‘Snuff Film’ Circulating on the Dark Web?” Snopes, April 16, 2018.
[86] Author tracking of Jessica Prim’s social media postings.
[87] Tracy and Annese.
[88] Authors’ tracking of Jessica Prim’s social media postings.
[89] Authors’ tracking of Jessica Prim’s social media postings.
[90] See Marc-André Argentino, “33/ In all of this turmoil Prim latches onto QAnon and the child …,” Twitter, May 1, 2020.
[91] Andrew Blankstein, Tom Winter, and Brandy Zadrozny, “Three men connected to ‘boogaloo’ movement tried to provoke violence at protests, feds say,” NBC News, June 2, 2020.
[92] Blyth Crawford and Florence Keen, “The Hanau Terrorist Attack: How Race Hate and Conspiracy Theories Are Fueling Global Far-Right Violence,” CTC Sentinel 13:3 (2020).
[93] Ibid.
[94] Ibid.
[95] Ibid.
[96] Mackenzie Sadeghi, “Fact check: Ellen, Oprah, many others are not under house arrest for child sex trafficking,” USA Today, June 18, 2020.
[97] Marshall Cohen, “Michael Flynn posts video featuring QAnon slogans,” CNN, July 7, 2020.
[98] Jerry Dunleavy, “Michael Flynn recites oath of office using slogan associated with QAnon,” Washington Examiner, July 5, 2020.
[99] Alex Kaplan, “Here are the QAnon Supporters Running for Congress in 2020,” Media Matters for America, July 15, 2020.
[100] Lisa Lerer, “The QAnon Caucus,” New York Times, June 18, 2020.
[101] Lerer.
[102] Winter.
[103] Amarasingam, “The Impact of Conspiracy Theories and How to Counter Them,” pp. 27-40.
[104] Winter.
[105] See Twitter Safety, “We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to …,” Twitter, July 21, 2020.
[106] Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny, “Twitter bans 7,000 QAnon accounts, limits 150,000 others as part of broad crackdown,” NBC News, July 21, 2020.
[107] Marc-André Argentino, “How QAnon Will Fight Back Against Twitter’s Ban And What Happens Next,” Observer, July 22, 2020.
[108] Will Sommer, “Qanon-Believing Proud Boy Accused of Murdering ‘Lizard’ Brother With Sword,” Daily Beast, January 9, 2019.
[109] Based on authors observation of QAnon followers and channels on Telegram.
[110] Some recent examples are Carol Schaeffer, “How Covid-19 spread QAnon in Germany,” Coda Story, June 19, 2020, and Jaime D’Alessandro, “Perché Bill Gates diventa il bersaglio preferito di tutti i complotti,” Repubblica, May 27, 2020.
[111] Marc-André Argentino, “In the Name of the Father, Son, and Q: Why It’s Important to See QAnon as a ‘Hyper-Real’ Religion,” Religion Dispatches, May 28, 2020.
Secondly, Now, who in the Trump WH is using this fake theory?
A. Donald Trump.
B. Steve Bannon
C. Stephen Miller
D. Jared Kushner
E. Dr. Navarro
F. Mike Pompeo
G. Mike Pence
We can attest that in Portland that up to 20% of the DHS goons attacking the wall of Moms and others, with rubber bullets were \festooning elements of their uniforms with QAnon memorabilia (yes that happened) but the players above were in the White House.
All these WH based individuals have used elements of it, and/or believe the essence of the QAnon theory
Finally, Three, why is this important ? The sickening case of Jared Kushner and sabotaging a national testing program for Conavirus, in N. America, Hawaii, and Alaska
Quote
FRI, JUL 31ST, 2020 BY DARRAGH ROCHE
Trump Administration Didn’t Want National Coronavirus Plan Because Blue States Were Hardest Hit
The Trump administration didn’t think a national approach to fighting Coronavirus was needed because the worst affected states were Democratic strongholds, a new report claims.
In an extensive article about President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his handling of the pandemic, Vanity Fair cites an expert who worked with the pandemic team.
“Most troubling of all, perhaps, was a sentiment the expert said a member of Kushner’s team expressed: that because the virus had hit blue states hardest, a national plan was unnecessary and would not make sense politically,” the article says.
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“The political folks believed that because it was going to be relegated to Democratic states, that they could blame those governors, and that would be an effective political strategy,” Vanity Fair quotes the expert as saying.
The article goes on: “That logic may have swayed Kushner. ‘It was very clear that Jared was ultimately the decision maker as to what [plan] was going to come out,’ the expert said.”
This chimes with other reporting that claims Trump didn’t start to really care about the virus until it was explained to him that the pandemic would affect his supporters.
“In the past couple of weeks, senior advisers began presenting Trump with maps and data showing spikes in coronavirus cases among ‘our people’ in Republican states, a senior administration official said,” the Washington Post reported this week.
“They also shared projections predicting that virus surges could soon hit politically important states in the Midwest — including Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, the official said.”
End of quote
FTR
Why this last datum is connected with QAnon theory. I.e. the WH using QAnon theory was involved in a scorched earth attack upon Blue State America using the horrid meme in the Vietnam war that "we had to destroy the Village in order to save it " mentality as a way to justify inaction leading to over 155 thousand American deaths. All due to the infestation of QAnon
Sebastian Lukács Gorka is the GO to guy in the extended contact list of mercenaries , in the WH as to curating QAnon but he cannot be called PART of the WH, in any official capacity. The WH acolytes as of A, to G above are, and they have weaponized QAnon as a death cult
This QAnon curating and sponsorship by the present White House is the primary home based terrorist network in the USA today and needs to be suppressed, much as the KKK was for its violence and death dealing in N. America today
Andrew Beckwith, PhD