Tag: QAnon

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News Round-Up: March 3, 2021

Woofy Dr. Yazan

Woofy Dr. Yazan
Dr. Yazan Abou-Ismail (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • Out: A transgender woman has filed a lawsuit against staff at the Michigan Department of Corrections where she was imprisoned, claiming she was raped after staff forced her to share a cell with a convicted rapist and murderer. She was raped a second time by another inmate after staff forced her to share a cell with him (another convicted rapist) following her return from the hospital. • Greg In Hollywood: Today marks the 12th anniversary of the longtime LGBTQ blog run by the awesome Greg Hernandez. In recognizing the date, Greg says he’s going to take some time off – but not permanently – before heading into his next year of celebrity/entertainment news. • The Hill: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), a Trump ally and fiscal conservative, says he plans to force the Senate clerks to read aloud the entire $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill on the Senate floor, which could slow it down by as much as 10 hours. It’s worth noting a wide a majority of Americans support the legislation: a new Morning Consult poll shows 77% of Americans support the bill.

• Washington Post: The House of Representatives will not be in session on Thursday as planned after officials warned of credible threats of violence circulated by right-wing extremists that March 4 is the “true Inauguration Day” when former president Donald Trump will be sworn in for a second term. • CBS News: Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York addressed the mounting sexual harassment allegations against him Wednesday. “I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it and, frankly, I am embarrassed by it.” Cuomo said he will “fully cooperate” with the attorney general’s investigation, adding he’s “learned an important lesson.” • InstaHunks: Woofy Dr. Yazan Abou-Ismail (top photo) is giving you serious furry goodness. He also has a fun sense of humor.

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Did You Hear The QAnon Theory That COVID Vaccines Make You Gay?

A stunned man staring at his cell phone
A stunned man staring at his cell phone
(image via Depositphotos)

The nutjobs who voraciously grasp at all things QAnon are now buying into the wild conspiracy theory that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine turn people gay.

I kid you not…

QAnon is the highly discredited conspiracy theory that claims a secret cabal of Democratic politicians, government officials, and celebrities are Satan worshippers who operate a global child sex-trafficking ring.

Seriously…

Shayan Sardarizadeh, an investigative reporter for the BBC, recently shared on Twitter that two major QAnon channels on Telegram have “endorsed the baseless conspiracy theory that vaccinating children increases the probability of them identifying as homosexual or transgender at a later time.”

Among those pushing the crazy concept is an Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Abbas Tabrizian, who told his Telegram followers, “Don’t go near those who have had the COVID vaccine. They have become homosexuals.”

Another QAnon account shared Tabrizian’s statement in agreement writing, “IMO he’s not far off. This is why we have gender confusion among our youth. Research how they put in hormones and alter DNA with their vaccines. Then pump our kids full of 50+ vaccines from birth!”

The Jerusalem Post reports the radical Tabrizian, who has nearly 210,000 Telegram followers, has a history of derogatory opinions about Western medicine.

Sheina Vojoudi, an Iranian dissident who led the country due to repression, told the Post many clerics in Iran relate perceived shortcomings to sexuality.

“The clerics in Iran are suffering from lack of knowledge and humanity,” said Vojoudi. “Actually, his goal of spreading nonsense is to try to scare people [out] of getting vaccinated, while the leader of the regime and other officials got Pfizer, and they don’t provide it for the people with the excuse that they don’t trust the West.”

LGBTQ activist Peter Tatchell adds that “Tabrizian combines scientific ignorance with a crude appeal to homophobia” in order to demonize both the vaccines and LGBTQ people.

The Post notes that since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Iranian government has executed somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 gay and lesbian people.

For the record – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has definitively concluded there is no such connection between vaccines and turning people gay or causing other issues like autism. Over on Twitter, folks shot down the silly conspiracy theory tying vaccines and turning people queer.

 

 

 

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QAnon Rep. Greene Removed From Committee Assignments

In a bipartisan vote of 230-199, QAnon-related Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been removed from her committee assignments by the House of Representatives. Eleven Republicans voted for her removal. From the New York Times:

The House on Thursday took the extraordinary step of ousting a lawmaker from two congressional committees, exiling Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia for endorsing the executions of Democrats and spreading dangerous and bigoted misinformation even as her fellow Republicans rallied around her.

In a move without precedent in the modern Congress, the House voted 230 to 199— over near-unanimous Republican opposition — to remove Ms. Greene from the Education and Budget Committees.

The move effectively stripped Ms. Greene of her influence in Congress by banishing her from committees critical to advancing legislation and conducting oversight.

Greene’s past statements include saying the Parkland and Sandy Hook school shootings “false flag” staged events, calling 9/11 an inside job, claiming the California wildfires were started by Jewish lasers shot from space, and showing support for executing Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in social media posts. It’s worth noting that the Republican caucus met last night and could have chosen to handle the issue within their own party, but instead did nothing. That cowardice left the matter in the hands of the full House.

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House To Vote On Removing QAnon Rep From Committee Assignments

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
House Democrats will hold a vote Thursday on whether to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) from her committee assignments after Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) declined to do so. From the New York Times:

The House will vote on Thursday to strip Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments, a top Democrat announced, forcing congressional Republicans to take a public stand on the Georgia freshman who endorsed conspiracy theories and calls to execute Democratic politicians before she was elected.

House Democrats, incensed by a series of social media posts made by Ms. Greene before she won her seat in November, threatened earlier this week that they would take the unusual step of moving unilaterally to remove Ms. Greene from the education and budget committees if Republicans themselves did not take action. Party leaders generally have authority over who represents them on committees.

The resolution to remove Greene from her committee assignments only requires a simple majority vote. It’s worth noting that over in the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told reporters the “loony lies and conspiracy theories” embraced by Greene represents a “cancer” on the Republican Party. For her part, Greene is digging in saying she has nothing to apologize for. In an interview with far-right loon Sebastian Gorka, Greene shrugged off responsibility for her statements.

“I was one of those Americans that was supposed to never get elected to Congress; the elites don’t want me here. I’ve never done drugs. I’ve never been arrested. The only thing bad I’ve done is probably gotten a speeding ticket.

“But you know what, just like every single other person, yeah, I have said things I shouldn’t say at some time or another, but I don’t think I have anything to apologize for.

“For refusing to believe Trump-Russian collusion conspiracy theories, and looking things up on the internet and asking questions about it on Facebook, big deal. Just because I posted things on Facebook back in 2018 doesn’t mean that I should be removed from my committees here in Congress.”

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Pelosi Angry Over QAnon Rep. Assigned To House Education Committee

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (screen capture)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is furious the Republican leadership of the House has assigned freshman QAnon Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to the Among other things, Greene has claimed that the killing of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax. Greene has had herself recorded as she chased and berated 17-year-old survivor of the Parkland shooting, David Hogg, and then celebrated her behavior by posting it on social media. She’s also publicly endorsed violence against elected officials. From the Washington Post:

Top Democrats in Congress on Thursday blasted congressional Republicans for assigning to the House education committee Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — who has identified with the QAnon cult and called deadly school shootings “false-flag” operations.

On Wednesday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) condemned the Republican leadership for giving her the committee assignment.

“What I am concerned about is the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives who is willing to overlook, ignore those statements,” she said. “Assigning her to the education committee when she has mocked the killing of little children at Sandy Hook Elementary school. When she has mocked the killing of teenagers in high school at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

“What could they be thinking — or is thinking too generous a word about what they might be doing. It’s absolutely appalling.”

Read the full report at the Washington Post. In related news, Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) has announced that he will introduce a resolution to expel Greene after recent news reports revealed that Greene had previously called for violence against Democrats on social media. A two-thirds majority is required to expel a member from the House, meaning Gomez’s resolution is almost certain to fail in a chamber where Democrats hold a razor-thin majority.

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QAnon/GOP Rep Publicly Supported Violence On Dem Politicians

QAnon/GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (screen capture)
A review of hundreds of Facebook posts by freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) reveals repeated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019 before being elected to Congress. From CNN:

In one post, from January 2019, Greene liked a comment that said “a bullet to the head would be quicker” to remove House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In other posts, Greene liked comments about executing FBI agents who, in her eyes, were part of the “deep state” working against Trump.

In one Facebook post from April 2018, Greene wrote conspiratorially about the Iran Deal, one of former President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy achievements. A commenter asked Greene, “Now do we get to hang them ?? Meaning H & O ???,” referring to Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Greene replied, “Stage is being set. Players are being put in place. We must be patient. This must be done perfectly or liberal judges would let them off.”

There’s much more at the link. I encourage you to read the full article. When asked about the comments, Greene posted a statement to her Twitter account that read, in part, “Over the years I’ve had teams of people manage my pages. Many posts have been liked. Many posts have been shared. Some did not represent my views.” Oh, I see…it’s not her fault. She’s not to be held responsible for what occurs on her own social media accounts. It’s ‘other people’ to blame.

CNN also found footage of Greene harassing David Hogg, one of the survivors of the deadly Parkland shooting. Greene reportedly spread a conspiracy theory that Hogg was a “bought and paid little pawn” in calling for commonsense gun control measures. She also called the mass shooting a ‘false flag’ event. This is from before her time in Congress, but is this what she did with her time? Follow and harass a high school student? This video was recorded just weeks after the shooting incident.

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News Round-Up: January 20, 2021

lawn boy with no Donald Trump yelling

A photo of the meme lawn boy with no Donald Trump yelling (but the Proud Boys are turning on Trump) Some news items you might have missed: • New Day: I thought a lot about the right image to lead this news round-up today. After years of the popular meme of the lawn boy being yelled at by Donald Trump, today – no yelling. #AndExhale #PoofHesGone • LGBTQ Nation: Antony J. Blinken, Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in his confirmation hearing that he will enact policies that will allow American embassies to support and protect LGBTQ rights around the world by flying the rainbow flag. • LA Times: The FBI raided the Huntington Beach apartment of openly-gay far-right extremist Kristopher Dreww, who boasted on social media about attending the invasion of the U.S. Capitol. No arrest took place but undisclosed items were removed from the residence. • Meidas Touch: Bette Midler has a message for Donald Trump. I’m so happy to wave ‘so long dearie’ to the Trump years in the White House, but how could I not post this?

• Washington Post: Donald Trump had imagined a showy military send-off, however only a modest crowd of a few hundred loyalists showed up at Joint Base Andrews to see him off. The event had more of a feel of a county fair than a big-budget extravaganza. In a Trumpian twist, the music that played as he ended his remarks was the Village People’s “YMCA,” a singalong staple from his boisterous political rallies. • New York Times: The Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group who were staunch supporters of Donald Trump, have begun to turn on the Trumpster calling him “weak” and “a total failure.” • The Daily Beast: As it became clear that Trump was not, in fact, going to suddenly appear and order the arrest of all the Democrats, QAnon believers – like the Proud Boys – also began to wonder if they had been tricked.

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News Round-Up: January 14, 2021

Seigfried died at the age of

Illusionist Siegfried Fischbacher died at the age of 81 due to pancreatic cancer
Siegfried Fischbacher
Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: Las Vegas illusionist Siegfried Fischbacher, of Siegfried and Roy fame, has died at age 81. Fischbacher died Wednesday night at his home in Vegas due to pancreatic cancer. Roy Horn, his partner in life and work, died last May of COVID-19 complications at age 75. • Defense One: The Pentagon, in a break with recent tradition, will not host an Armed Forces Farewell tribute to President Donald Trump. Trump will leave office in disgrace, one week after the House voted a second time for his impeachment, two weeks after his supporters staged a deadly siege in the Capitol Building, six months after he dragged his Joint Chiefs chairman into a political firestorm, and after four years of nonstop assaults on truth. • Broadway Cares: Beloved stars from All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital will reunite for ABC Daytime: Back on Broadway, a one-night-only streaming concert benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The free streamed event can be watched at broadwaycares.org beginning at 8 pm Eastern on Thursday, February 11.

• Business Insider: GOP elected officials lost thousands of Twitter followers over the weekend, as the company cracked down on QAnon accounts in the aftermath of the Capitol Hill riots. Rep. Jim Jordan’s followers took the biggest dive with nearly 150,000 purged or defected. • ABC News: Amazon Web Services has responded to Parler’s lawsuit against it with a series of screenshots of hateful content – loaded with threats of violence and racial slurs – that allegedly spread on the platform. One screenshot of a Parler post features a slew of racial slurs about Michelle Obama and another states, “The only good democrat is a dead one.” • Variety: Lady Gaga is set to sing the national anthem for the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Jan. 20. Film and recording star Jennifer Lopez will perform as well.

 

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QAnon Horned Shaman Arrested For Capitol Invasion

Jacob Chansley, aka the QAnon Shaman, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the Jan 6 Capitol Building invasion

Jake Angeli, QAnon horned shaman
Jacob Anthony Chansley, a.k.a. Jake Angeli (screen capture)
Jake Angeli, the QAnon horned shaman aka Jacob Anthony Chansley, has been arrested for his part in the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol this week. From the Department of Justice: Jacob Anthony Chansley, a.k.a. Jake Angeli, of Arizona, was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Chansley was taken into custody today. It is alleged that Chansley was identified as the man seen in media coverage who entered the Capitol building dressed in horns, a bearskin headdress, red, white and blue face paint, shirtless, and tan pants. This individual carried a spear, approximately 6 feet in length, with an American flag tied just below the blade. The ATF and FBI continue to urge the public to report suspected use of explosive devices, or violent, destructive acts associated with the recent unrest. Anyone with information can call 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), email ATFTips@atf.gov or submit information anonymously via ReportIt.com.

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Parler’s Popularity Plummets With ‘No Libs To Own’

(MAGA hat in shadows – photo: R Nial Bradshaw/LLC license)
Parler, the conservative/uncensored alternative to Twitter, is having some issues after breaking out of the gate to much fanfare. The new social media platform was the shizzle for a second as it was the most downloaded app in the US in the beginning of November. A month later, the app had fallen to #587 according to App Annie.
(screen capture via App Annie)
From Vice:

A month later, the app’s popularity has plummeted as downloads and daily active user numbers have fallen off dramatically — and now even some of the most influential figures in the QAnon community are criticizing it.

The company announced on Nov. 12 that its membership had almost doubled since the election a week earlier, from 4.5 million to 8 million.

But once people got there, they found that it wasn’t really much fun.

The platform bills itself as “a non-biased, free speech social media focused on protecting user’s rights,” but in reality, it has become an echo chamber of right-wing ideologies and extremist views. Many conservatives have grown tired of Parler because there’s no one with an opposing point of view to argue with.

Additionally, there’s a reported influx of pornography because the app’s lax moderation policies make it easy for adult entertainment folks to bombard the users there.