From the bowels of the internet rises a character that is being labeled a conspiracy by every media outlet I read about it but it seems some people believe.  QAnon has existed for a while but is now started to bubble up into more mainstream reporting.  But what is going on here really?  I don't see the meat and potatoes to latch on to.  Or even for so many to address.  It seems not even well constructed.  Like as if an 11 year playing Fortnite is behind the whole thing.  I haven't seen, or read anything that adds validity to anything that has been claimed. Can someone add to this to me so I can see why people are reacting so well to this?

The Trump Group I was on in Facebook have been going on about this for ages, but they make Alex Jones look like a skeptic.

It’s a fun conspiracy that’s it.

More tin-hat conspiracy theories from an unhealthy portion of the Trump-base doing everything they can to pain him in a positive light.

It's the same old bullshit, and is likely to lead to violence and death just like Pizzagate.

See, I enjoy a good conspiracy theory. JFK and all that stuff. FYI- Great fun book. Lead me to go down the rabbit hole and read way too much about MK-Ultra

www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Conspiracies-Factoid-Books/dp/1563891867




Even Alex Jones at his best can tie together some random stuff to be quasi plausible but what I have seen out of this has been nothing. Not a fiber of evidence to hold on to. Alex Jones high and drunk on Joe Rogan can recall stuff to be googled that paints a tangled web. QAnon from what I have seen has been nothing.

Again, that’s fine if you can have fun with it. I enjoy conspiracies too.

I worry about the unstable causing violence again.

Aug 3, 2018 17:19:11 GMT theend said:

See, I enjoy a good conspiracy theory. JFK and all that stuff. FYI- Great fun book. Lead me to go down the rabbit hole and read way too much about MK-Ultra

www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Conspiracies-Factoid-Books/dp/1563891867




Even Alex Jones at his best can tie together some random stuff to be quasi plausible but what I have seen out of this has been nothing. Not a fiber of evidence to hold on to. Alex Jones high and drunk on Joe Rogan can recall stuff to be googled that paints a tangled web. QAnon from what I have seen has been nothing.

I used to enjoy watching InfoWars, and a lot of it is just discussing stuff in the news. Now it seems like he just rambles on about nothing for 99% percent of the time, and nothing actually gets discussed.

I can't hang with Infowars primarily because it is just too much content and commentary. No need to comment or make content on everything. It's a bit overwhelming. I like to keep my youtube ingestion manageable. Joe Rogan is too much too. 3 hrs every day? Not necessary.

I get there is a difference between those who enjoy and those who fixate on things.

JREClips is pretty good for cutting into short videos in regarding to each topic.

Yeah and there are only about 5 a day. That's what I end up doing.


It's all a conspiracy until it's the truth. Like MK Ultra.

Yeah ... this is gonna end badly: www.thedailybeast.com/watch-qanon-followers-try-to-explain-their-absolutely-bonkers-pro-trump-conspiracy-theory/?source=TDB&via=FB_Page

On a tangent, I love it when real life sounds like a conspiracy theory.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/16/ukraine-claims-dolphin-army-captured-by-russia-went-on-hunger-strike

While pizzagate may be rubbish; I have to say the number of pedophiles that have had millions of dollars spent hiding them is amazing. From US gymnastics, jerry Sandusky, Catholic priests, NXIVM, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_J._Spence , en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_child_prostitution_ring_allegations
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Gosch

etc. I have gone down that rabbit hole. It's a strange one. But I am not saying this is at all what the QAnon's thing believe or are preaching.

I like Joe Rogan some of the time but damn, he comes off like such a pretentious douche bag who thinks he knows everything about everything. He's fine in small doses.

Yeah that's all.

All it seems a little silly.

But the idea of 'deep state' isn't too far fetched. Particularly if you're talking about something like "military–industrial complex" having such a deeply embedded influence on the US. Yeap, that's from Wikipedia.

Aug 5, 2018 9:27:50 GMT NATH45 said:

All it seems a little silly.

But the idea of 'deep state' isn't too far fetched. Particularly if you're talking about something like "military–industrial complex" having such a deeply embedded influence on the US. Yeap, that's from Wikipedia.

The more I learn about people the more this idea is preposterous  
People are stupid, too stupid to establish an intergenerational shadow government. 

Even the smart ones: Jobs, Musk, Zuckerberg... Spend more time trying to rule their ego unsuccessfully than they have time and ability to rule the world.

I do think there are minorities that embed themselves in powerful places to further their agenda, but I wouldn't call it secret. 

Wouldn’t it make more sense for Trump to be involved in said theory? If you wanted to get any with shady stuff unnoticed, Trump is the perfect distraction with the amount of air time he takes up over simple things like drinking Fiji water in an odd manner, or the cutlery thing with Mike Pence.

Aug 5, 2018 13:07:03 GMT iNCY said:

Aug 5, 2018 9:27:50 GMT NATH45 said:

All it seems a little silly.

But the idea of 'deep state' isn't too far fetched. Particularly if you're talking about something like "military–industrial complex" having such a deeply embedded influence on the US. Yeap, that's from Wikipedia.

The more I learn about people the more this idea is preposterous  
People are stupid, too stupid to establish an intergenerational shadow government. 

Even the smart ones: Jobs, Musk, Zuckerberg... Spend more time trying to rule their ego unsuccessfully than they have time and ability to rule the world.

I do think there are minorities that embed themselves in powerful places to further their agenda, but I wouldn't call it secret. 

Tell me more about the minorities piece?

One question I always wonder when it comes to secret cabal of rich and powerful people is - how do they feel about new and emerging billionaires and their tech? Like you and you secret Rothschild, sauros, bilderbrands, etc think you got things all locked up and out comes Facebook, Google and Amazon.

Aug 5, 2018 16:51:36 GMT theend said:

One question I always wonder when it comes to secret cabal of rich and powerful people is - how do they feel about new and emerging billionaires and their tech? Like you and you secret Rothschild, sauros, bilderbrands, etc think you got things all locked up and out comes Facebook, Google and Amazon.

If there was a rich cabal ushering approval to every major decision in the world behind the scenes, how would entities like tech companies reasonably gain power without their blessing? The answer is they wouldn’t.

claim that a group has deep ties to white supremacists and no one bats an eyelash or checks to verify. CLaim that there is a deep state and every one loses their mind.

Kind of said sarcastically as I read an article.


Running a child sex ring out of a pizza joint is crazy.  How about a hollywood brothel out of a gas station?  Bet you everyone pimped through there was not above age.

www.npr.org/2018/08/05/635462094/a-sexual-underground-surfaces-in-scotty-and-the-secret-history-of-hollywood

Aug 5, 2018 13:07:03 GMT iNCY said:

Aug 5, 2018 9:27:50 GMT NATH45 said:

All it seems a little silly.

But the idea of 'deep state' isn't too far fetched. Particularly if you're talking about something like "military–industrial complex" having such a deeply embedded influence on the US. Yeap, that's from Wikipedia.

The more I learn about people the more this idea is preposterous  
People are stupid, too stupid to establish an intergenerational shadow government. 

Even the smart ones: Jobs, Musk, Zuckerberg... Spend more time trying to rule their ego unsuccessfully than they have time and ability to rule the world.

I do think there are minorities that embed themselves in powerful places to further their agenda, but I wouldn't call it secret. 

Considering the vast notability of those reportedly in Skulls and Bones, the suggestion there is a collective agenda isn't too crazy of an idea.

Or simply, the so-called 'Power Elite' - " a connected group of individuals who dominate policy making. This group includes bureaucratic, corporate, intellectual, military, media, and government elites who control the principal institutions, and whose opinions and actions influence the decisions of the policymakers. "

It's not crazy. Especially if it's in everyone's best interest to acquire wealth.

It seems many are comfortable believing the NRA and their lobbyists controlled the government. Even though they are broke I guess.

The NRA is clearly a powerful entity in the right wing. Are we really debating that?

The NRA is merely one of the many gun groups that lobby politicians. The idea of them being "clearly" powerful I would say is debatable. But we would have to agree on terms of defining clearly powerful. And then figure out a way of separating their influence from the other gun lobbys and separating their influence from the many gun owners in America that are not in the NRA or represented by any lobby group that just use their power in voting and the polls and contacting politicians.

If you can substantiate their power. Sure. But some off handed claim that they pay off politicians or spent money here or there would not convince me that they are a powerful entity.  Neither would not being able to measure the claim that they can get the most people to contact lawmakers and influence law

I personally believe America and Americans love guns. Even if there were no NRA there would be little change. That is in part where I doubt their power.

Aug 6, 2018 15:25:42 GMT theend said:

The NRA is merely one of the many gun groups that lobby politicians. The idea of them being "clearly" powerful I would say is debatable. But we would have to agree on terms of defining clearly powerful. And then figure out a way of separating their influence from the other gun lobbys and separating their influence from the many gun owners in America that are not in the NRA or represented by any lobby group that just use their power in voting and the polls and contacting politicians.

If you can substantiate their power. Sure. But some off handed claim that they pay off politicians or spent money here or there would not convince me that they are a powerful entity.  Neither would not being able to measure the claim that they can get the most people to contact lawmakers and influence law

I personally believe America and Americans love guns. Even if there were no NRA there would be little change. That is in part where I doubt their power.

So you’ve multiple times spoken about conspiracy theories, some devil’s advocate, some pretty much putting a stake in the ground.

But to gauge the NRA you need evidence of their influence, something that’s never going to be fully tangible, laid out on a silver platter.

Boy your standards shift hard depending on the topic.

Hey, if you don't want to define "clearly powerful" don't. It's fine with me.

Aug 6, 2018 19:45:43 GMT theend said:

Hey, if you don't want to define "clearly powerful" don't. It's fine with me.

I’m going to pull your approach: prove me wrong. Deal?

Unfortunately thanks to lobbyist groups we don’t get access to their donations, but given they’re one of the most prominent organizations in the Republican Party (from their scoring system to what little info we have on donations) to the fact the President speaks at their conferences on their importance ... yeah, I’m going with powerful.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/17/nra-gun-lobby-gun-control-congress

lmao

Unfortunately thanks to lobbyist groups we don’t get access to their donations

So there are no data? sounds like a conspiracy worthy of Alex Jones.

, but given they’re one of the most prominent organizations in the Republican Party (from their scoring system to what little info we have on donations)

Who is their here?  And where is the quote on this scoring system?

The only shred you pose is that the current president spoke at their annual meeting. Mind you, he was the 1st!  So the ever powerful group that controlled the gov finally got a president to speak.  I guess for the first time ever in their history they had power.  And Trump is quoted in saying they don't have power over him.



www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/17/nra-gun-lobby-gun-control-congress

This a why article not how.  You do get that right?  The only how is the notion that after spree killers that gun laws haven't been toughened.  Which is partially inaccurate as gun laws have been toughened in some areas.  The article just says it's not about the money.  So all future articles about money are contradictory.


The powerful group is losing at getting people to buy guns.  How is that for weak?
www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/29/american-gun-ownership-is-now-at-a-30-year-low/?utm_term=.c08150a1081e

And they can't capture the market of those who do buy the guns.

www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/10/15/most-gun-owners-dont-belong-to-the-nra-and-they-dont-agree-with-it-either/?utm_term=.95295bfc7997

Weak sauce

I think in order to give reference to this I would say the NRA used to be powerful.  There was a time when they were in most schools in America.  Most students learned how to fire a gun and many took riflery.  Now it is rare.  How is that for a measure of power?

I’m traveling so I’ll be limited in time for rebuttal for awhile, but this is the scoring I was referencing (grading a better term):

www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/02/15/52-senators-have-an-a-minus-nra-rating-or-higher-including-four-democrats/

I think that KJ, and theend,are both correct.
The NRA does spend a lot of money backing politicians, a lot more than the advertised 3 million and it's probably closer to 50 million when you add the super PAC's together.
But the NRA's strength comes through being a hot button issue....

It's the typical issue that causes division, the government is going to take something off you that is yours by right... "They're going to take your guns" is the emotive cry
Same way that the migrants are "taking your jobs" resounds so strongly in middle America

If you want to chew over an imponderable...
The Labor unions of the USA donated 1.1 Billion with a B dollars to the Democrats only to have their constituents vote for Trump in the most part.
What do the Unions get for that money? The Democrats don't care about them and keep pushing on with social reform such as gay marriage and transgender rights that have little to do with what is meant to be their core platform... The Unions also donate to planned parenthood and other left leaning causes and I don't see how this furthers the interest of their members.
So if money buys influence, why are minimum wages so low? Hmmm....