nice digits
>https://twitter.com/VICE/status/1292098304982093829
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/889kgp/terrorism-experts-say-qanon-conspiracy-theory-a-threat-to-national-security
Terrorism Experts Say QAnon Conspiracy Theory a Threat to National Security
Qanon is going mainstream and that’s bad. More than bad, it might be a national security risk. That’s the conclusion of a new report from West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) on the emergence of the conspiracy theory into daily life. The QAnon Conspiracy Theory: A Security Threat in the Making clearly explains what QAnon is, its roots in American history, and how and why some of its adherents turn violent.
The CTC is an academic institute within West Point focused on studying terrorism and ideology through research. Amaranth Amarasingam, a professor of religion at Queen’s University, and Marc-André Argentino, a PhD Candidate at Concordia University, co-authored the paper, which breaks down the threat posed by QAnon and clear and simple terms. “Though less organized than jihadi or far-right extremists…QAnon represents a novel challenge to public security,” the paper said.
QAnon can be confusing for the outside observer. It’s like the greatest hits of American conspiracy theories from the past 50 years, supercharged, and turned into a vast online roleplaying game. It’s hard to articulate what adherents believe and why those beliefs lead to violence. It has no central leader and encourages its followers to do their own research.
“QAnon is thus markedly different from other far-right extremist groups and jihadi groups,” the paper said. “As it lacks both a clear organizational structure and a centralization of interpretive duties.”
Broadly, QAnon followers believe President Trump is waging a war against a shadowy cabal of entrenched politicians who traffic children for occult and sexual purposes. It sounds strange and novel, but as the West Point paper points out, it’s a repackaged version of old conspiracy theories.
“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,” it said. “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.”
That’s one of the things that makes QAnon so viral—it’s a one size fits all conspiracy theory, compatible with existing belief structures. “QAnon followers share roots with con-spiracy 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,” the paper said.
>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/889kgp/terrorism-experts-say-qanon-conspiracy-theory-a-threat-to-national-security
Argentino and Amarasingam cited five examples of QAnon leading to real world violence. The most recent is Jessica Prim, a woman arrested in April with dozens of illegal knives in NYC. “She also livestreamed this two-day trip from Illinois to New York City and in it threatened to kill Joe Biden for his supposed involvement in a ‘deep state’ sex trafficking ring, in line with QAnon narratives,” the paper said.
Argentino and Amarasingam poured over Prim’s social media activity and built a map of her radicalization. “What stands out with this case is the rapidity with which Prim apparently radicalized to violence,” they said. “From her first contact with QAnon propaganda, apparently on April 9, 2020…20 days passed until she made threats of offline violence while in transit to New York City.”
Argentino and Amarasingam said it’s possible this will get worse as the movement gets bigger. There are currently more than 60 Congressional candidates who’ve expressed sympathy for QAnon. “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,” they said.
QAnon is indicative of how misinformation spreads online and how damaging it can be, but it’s just one example. It’s also not clear that deplatforming or regulation will work to stop the spread. As Amarasingam has pointed out before, deplatforming ISIS on Telegram gave the group something to fight for.
“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 gov-ernmental decision,” the paper said.
The big takeaway from the West Point paper is that QAnon isn’t going away and that the violence might get worse.
“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, paramilitary groups, and white supremacists,” they said. “QAnon is arguably no longer simply a fringe conspiracy theory but an ideology that has demonstrated its capacity to radicalize to violence individuals at an alarming speed.”
>“What stands out with this case is the rapidity with which Prim apparently radicalized to violence,” they said. “From her first contact with QAnon propaganda, apparently on April 9, 2020…20 days passed until she made threats of offline violence while in transit to New York City.”
>Argentino and Amarasingam said it’s possible this will get worse as the movement gets bigger. There are currently more than 60 Congressional candidates who’ve expressed sympathy for QAnon. “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,”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/new-york-attorney-general-letitia-james-files-lawsuit-dissolve-nra-n1236009
New York Attorney General Letitia James sues to dissolve NRA for 'fraud and abuse'
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the National Rifle Association and four individuals, including its chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, on Thursday, seeking to dissolve the gun rights advocacy group and accusing top executives of "years of illegal self-dealings" that funded a "lavish lifestyle."
James said the NRA, a not-for-profit organization, undercut its charitable mission by engaging in illegal financial conduct, including diverting millions of dollars "for personal use by senior leadership, awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty."
"The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law," she said.
Also named in the complaint are Wilson "Woody" Phillips, a former treasurer and chief financial officer; Joshua Powell, a former chief of staff and the executive director of general operations; and John Frazer, the corporate secretary and general counsel. They are accused in the suit of failing to manage the NRA's funds and abide by state and federal laws, contributing to the loss of more than $64 million in three years.
James alleged that the executives had used the corporation as a "personal piggy bank" and that millions of dollars from NRA reserves were used on trips for them and their families and to pay for private jets and expensive meals. LaPierre is also accused of having spent more than $500,000 on eight trips to the Bahamas over three years, securing luxury black car services, paying for hair and makeup for his wife and obtaining a post-employment contract valued at $17 million.
"Given the breadth and depth of the corruption, the illegality and the brazen attempts to evade the law," she said, it is necessary for the NRA to shut its doors for good to protect members and donors.
In a statement, LaPierre said James' investigation is "an affront to democracy and freedom."
"This is an unconstitutional, premeditated attack aiming to dismantle and destroy the NRA — the fiercest defender of America's freedom at the ballot box for decades," he said. "The NRA is well governed, financially solvent, and committed to good governance. We're ready for the fight. Bring it on."
Phillips, Powell and Frazer did not immediately respond to the lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Manhattan after an 18-month investigation and seeks fines and remuneration. None of the men have been charged with a crime, but James said the suit would be forwarded to the IRS for investigation of potential violations of tax law.
"If we uncover any criminal activity, we will refer it to the Manhattan district attorney," she said. "At this point in time, we're moving forward, again, with civil enforcement."
Also Thursday, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine sued the NRA and the NRA Foundation, its charitable arm, which is incorporated in D.C. The suit alleges that they misused charitable funds "to support wasteful spending by the NRA and its executives." The suit seeks the return of money that it says was donated to the NRA Foundation but was improperly diverted to the NRA and to ensure that the foundation is "operated independently and fulfills its charitable purposes."
NRA President Carolyn Meadows called the New York complaint a "baseless, premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedoms it fights to defend." She said the organization would "confront it and prevail."
"It's a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda," Meadows said in a statement.
The NRA filed its own countersuit against James on Thursday, claiming that the group's First Amendment rights had been violated ever since she suggested in 2018 that it was akin to a "terrorist organization" and said she would open an investigation if she became attorney general.
"Importantly, James made these promises without a single shred of evidence, nor any sincere belief, that the NRA was violating the New York Not-For-Profit Corporation Law, or any other law," the countersuit says.
It seeks a reprieve from James' investigation and a judgment declaring that the NRA is "operating in substantial compliance with New York not-for-profit law."
President Donald Trump, whom the NRA endorsed last month for a second term, defended the organization, saying a "very terrible thing that just happened."
"I think the NRA should move to Texas and lead a very good and beautiful life," told reporters outside the White House.
James confirmed in April 2019 that an investigation was underway, part of a campaign promise to dig into the NRA's not-for-profit status. James issued subpoenas, reportedly looking into its campaign finances, payments to board members and tax compliance.
The same month, Oliver North, the retired Marine lieutenant colonel who became the NRA's president in 2018, stepped down after alleging that other leaders had engaged in financial improprieties.
His departure revealed a fractured organization and an internal power struggle in which North and his supporters were reported to have tried to oust LaPierre, the CEO and executive vice president who has led the NRA and its more than 5 million members since 1991.
LaPierre, the longtime public face of the NRA, later accused North of trying to extort him. But he has also come under scrutiny from major donors worried about the group's revenue and mounting legal troubles.
After learning of James' investigation last year, Trump defended the NRA, tweeting that it was "under siege" by her and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both Democrats, "who are illegally using the State's legal apparatus to take down and destroy this very important organization, & others."
William A. Brewer III, a lawyer representing the NRA, said in a statement in December that the "financial records of the NRA and affiliates were audited and reported in tax filings, in accordance with state and federal regulations — a fact that underscores the Association's commitment to good governance."
He said James' investigation had a "partisan purpose — not an actual concern that the NRA is not effectively using its assets to pursue its members interests."
The NRA's headquarters is in Fairfax County, Virginia, but the New York attorney general has investigatory authority over its status as a not-for-profit organization because it is chartered in New York. The group remains the most powerful gun lobby in the United States, although it has laid off or furloughed dozens of employees and cut salaries during the coronavirus pandemic.
https://babylonbee.com/news/woke-polar-bear-apologizes-for-being-white
Woke Polar Bear Apologizes For Being White
A polar bear at the San Diego Zoo has apologized to black bears, brown bears, and all other mammals of color for his "problematic whiteness."
The bear "got woke" after a leftist protesting the zoo for keeping animals in captivity bravely leaped into the bear's exhibit. After eating the protester, the polar bear picked up the book on critical race theory the woman had in her pocket and devoured it, first figuratively, then literally.
"Wow," he said. "I never realized how problematic my existence was before. I really need to think about this."
Shortly after reading the book, the polar bear, whose name is Chad, held a press conference in which he apologized for his many years of not being "woke" to the struggle of non-white animals.
"I am so sorry for everyone I've hurt," he said. "I am hereby canceling myself. Please listen to black and brown bear voices." He also announced that he was donating his remaining walruses to minority bears in need. "The overwhelming whiteness of the polar bear community should give us all paws."
The bear escaped the zoo, devoured several people, and cast himself into exile on an ice floe for his crimes.
Editor's note: TikTok helps fund NPR content that appears on the social media platform.
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/08/900394707/tiktok-to-sue-trump-administration-over-ban-as-soon-as-tuesday
https://twitter.com/drawandstrike