COVID-19 Fact or Fiction?

[diable rouge]

A couple of months in the QAnon rabbit hole is a couple of months too long. Robbie ain't coming back...

[Robbie]

Blah Blah Wrote:

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> QAnon is a made up conspiracy theory and anyone

> with half a measure of intelligence can see that

> right away. Your ethnicity has nothing to do with

> anything in your post. So why you feel the need to

> state it in some bizarre defence of a conspiracy

> fantasy you are flirting with is baffling.

> Fundraising for political parties is not illegal.

> All parties take donations. Political activism

> similarly will align itself with one party or

> another. Why? Because lobbying that party through

> government is the only way to influence change.

> This is as true for Republicans as it is for

> Democrats. Are the NRA and KKK a front for the

> Republicans? By your logic, they must be.

I've given you a clear example with the case of General Flynn where it is fact, not theory. If you're unable, or refuse to accept this, then that's on you.

Fundraising for political parties is illegal in America.

https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/who-can-and-cant-contribute/

Churches and other charitable organizations

-------------------------------------------

Incorporated charitable organizations?like other corporations?are prohibited from making contributions in connection with federal elections. Unlike most other corporations, charities face additional restrictions on political activity under provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

Black Lives Matter is a registered charity under the name of ActBlue, which you can clearly see when you access the donate area.

https://blacklivesmatter.com/

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Federal Election Commission data for the 2020 election cycle shows ActBlue expenditure as follows:

Contributions to federal candidates - $1,057,598,402

The top 2 were:

Bernie 2020 - $186,780,034

Biden for President - $119,253,857

https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/expenditures.php?cmte=C00401224&cycle=2020

Facts again, not theory.

[JohnL]

It all goes back to Luther Blissett from what I can tell and playing for AC Milan :)

https://qz.com/1349858/what-does-qanon-have-to-do-with-leftist-italian-authors-wu-ming/

[snowy]

The basic tenets of qanon are that there is a global elite who kill babies to harvest adrenochrome as an elixir.

That?s just the start of it, it includes flat earthers, people who believe JFK is still alive, general anti semitism, snake oils, that the ?cure? for cancer has been found but big pharmaceutical is hiding it, that mass arrests of deep state agents are *always* just about to happen but never do. The latest is that covid doesn?t exist and it?s all an attempt to prevent trump?s reelection.

It?s a con, a grift to make money for its advocates exploiting vulnerable people.

Robbie - can I ask what you feel when you read about it?

[snowy]

And act blue isn?t what you think it is - it?s the fundraising portal for all Democratic Party donations.

[TE44]

ActBlue is a PAC as well as being a non prfit making charity. This seems contradictory.

Taken from Robbies link above fec.gov Political action committees

Separate segregated funds

SSFs may make contributions to candidates and to their authorized committees.

Learn more about contributions from SSFs to candidates

Nonconnected PACs

Generally, nonconnected PACs may make contributions to influence federal elections, subject to the Act?s limitations and reporting requirements.

As nonconnected committees that solicit and accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, labor organizations and other political committees, Super PACs and Hybrid PACs do not make contributions to candidates.

[TE44]

https://support.actblue.com/donors/about-actblue/why-is-actblue-considered-a-pac/

https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?cycle=2020&strID=C00401224

[snowy]

What are you trying to say?

Do you understand US Law on 501c3 status organisations?

Sadly I do as it?s part of my job, but just randomly googling and posting selected excerpts and making incorrect interpretations as Robbie did to support some preconceived wrong just makes it look a bit tin foil hat territory.

[TE44]

Snowy, great maybe you can explain in laymans

Terms what 501c3 status means and why a charity could be involved in politics, thanks.

[Siduhe]

I don't have snowy's level of knowledge but there are ways that charities can contribute to the election of a candidate in the US - just particular ways they go about it which aren't seen to infringe the letter of the law. For example, a charitable organisation can run an ad campaign which supports their charitable interests and highlights that a particular candidate has the same views, but without making a donation to the candidate themselves. They can also specify how any funds are used in a way that supports their charitable purposes (e.g. funding volunteers to drive certain categories of people to the polling station).

The rules are a bit stricter in the UK but political activity is still allowed so long as it supports the charity's purpose. There's some detailed guidance on this but the highlights are:

There may be situations where carrying out political activity is the best way for trustees to support the charity?s purposes. A charity may choose to focus most, or all, of its resources on political activity for a period. The key issue for charity trustees is the need to ensure that this activity is not, and does not become, the reason for the charity?s existence.

Charities can campaign for a change in the law, policy or decisions (as detailed in this guidance in section 2.4) where such change would support the charity?s purposes. Charities can also campaign to ensure that existing laws are observed.

Legal requirement: however, a charity cannot exist for a political purpose, which is any purpose directed at furthering the interests of any political party, or securing or opposing a change in the law, policy or decisions either in this country or abroad.

Legal requirement: in the political arena, a charity must stress its independence and ensure that any involvement it has with political parties is balanced. A charity must not give support or funding to a political party, nor to a candidate or politician.

A charity may give its support to specific policies advocated by political parties if it would help achieve its charitable purposes. However, trustees must not allow the charity to be used as a vehicle for the expression of the political views of any individual trustee or staff member (in this context the Charity Commission means personal or party political views).

[TE44]

Thanks sidhue, here is a link to status 501c3, I neither have knowledge and recognise the number of wayswe may learn, It is easier to hear from someone who wishes to simplify there knowledge or understanding for people who may struggle, thank you. I will try to read the link I've posted later when it may make more sense.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/501©(3)_organization

[snowy]

TE44 Wrote:

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> Snowy, great maybe you can explain in laymans

> Terms what 501c3 status means and why a charity

> could be involved in politics, thanks.

hi, will do but have some work to do now. In short - there?s no direct equivalencies esteem a uk charity and a US not for profit (501 registered).

The history behind that starts with Henry VIII so it?s not a short answer.

The main point is that BLM is not Act Blue as Robbie said.

[TE44]

Thanks Snowy, I can see its related with tax exemptions, made me laugh the history going back to HenryV111. I would find it more interesting why BLM chose ActBlue to organise there charity, it seem to me thats what they do, then charities alone bring up a whole different discussion.

[snowy]

Ah I?ve not been clear - act blue is a fundraising portal- a bit like just giving here in the UK.

It specialises in donations from individuals.

[JohnL]

snowy Wrote:

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> Ah I?ve not been clear - act blue is a fundraising

> portal- a bit like just giving here in the UK.

>

> It specialises in donations from individuals.

Really why write your own fundraising portal for what you do when off the shelf ones that can be trusted exist I guess

[Robbie]

snowy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The basic tenets of qanon are that there is a

> global elite who kill babies to harvest

> adrenochrome as an elixir.

>

> That?s just the start of it, it includes flat

> earthers, people who believe JFK is still alive,

> general anti semitism, snake oils, that the ?cure?

> for cancer has been found but big pharmaceutical

> is hiding it, that mass arrests of deep state

> agents are *always* just about to happen but never

> do. The latest is that covid doesn?t exist and

> it?s all an attempt to prevent trump?s

> reelection.

>

> It?s a con, a grift to make money for its

> advocates exploiting vulnerable people.

>

> Robbie - can I ask what you feel when you read

> about it?

I looked into it as a result of watching a documentary about child trafficking, but only really follow it now because of the case of General Flynn because nowhere is reporting what has been uncovered.

It's the equivalent of the Labour party conspiring with MI6 to create false criminal charges against Boris Johnson, with the BBC ITV and SKY News all constantly pushing the narrative. Now they have been caught with their trousers round their ankles, and information is slowly being made public with the declassification of documents. Technically it's treason and will probably have grave consequences for those convicted.

All the other alleged stuff, whilst not beyond the realms of possibility has not captured my interest as of yet. Although I do recall a few years ago Mel Gibson being quoted backstage at the Graham Norton show mentioning the baby blood stuff and how rife it was in Hollywood.

[Blah Blah]

Bill Gates is not a dangerous person.

The Bill Gates Foundation has been donating huge amounts of money to pay for vaccination programmes in countries that have no government paid for access to such. Epidemiolgy is a key area in that planning and those behind things like QAnon, seem to forget that Ebola, Mers, Zika and Swine Flu were all recent pandemics, which had to be contained using exactly the same procedures the world is using now to deal with this one.

Contact tracing has been a key part of battling pandemics for decades. There are companies, organisations, and community networks that specialise in exactly that. It makes perfect sense for someone, who has expertise in app and os technology, that could be applied to contact tracing, to be developing technology and strategies and pitching for government contracts.

What is at play here is Western arrogance. Because none of those outbreaks became global pandemics thankfully, there is an assumption that we are only facing a pandemic because of some conspiracy to create one. Asia and Africa know differently. There is and was never any conspiracy to unleash a global pandemic. In fact, the opposite is true. Bill Gates has been part of a group of organisations dedicated to trying to avoid that very scenario. That some people now try to paint his dedication to healthcare as some kind of globalist conspiracy, is ignorant and offensive.

[Blah Blah]

And let me guess Robbie, you were watching a documentary about Pizzagate? That is what led you to QAnon?

[Robbie]

Blah Blah Wrote:

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> And let me guess Robbie, you were watching a

> documentary about Pizzagate? That is what led you

> to QAnon?

No I can't recall the name of the one I saw, but I have seen one that covers pizzagate and the John Podesta / Hillary Clinton emails in detail. As a parent, it's hard to digest that this sort of thing could be going on at the level and frequency that it is purported to be. But the evidence of known paedophilia code is alarming.

RE: Bill Gates, as I said in an earlier comment I would be cautious. However this theory about him wanting to force a vaccine chip or whatever is one I would actually support, but for limited reasons. Mainly tracking / locating for criminal activity, and a global digital currency using blockchain technology. See patent WA/2020/060606 filed by Microsoft.

https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2020060606

[ianr]

JohnL wrote:

-------------

> snowy wrote:

> ------------

> -----

>> Ah I?ve not been clear -

>> act blue is a fundraising

>> portal- a bit like just giving here in the UK.

>> It specialises in donations from individuals.

>

>

> Really why write your own fundraising

> portal for what you do when off the shelf ones

> that can be trusted exist I guess

"ActBlue is a nonprofit organization that builds tools Democrats count on to run their own small-dollar fundraising programs." https://secure.actblue.com/donate/supportactblue

[TE44]

https://www.gavi.org/our-alliance/about

I believe the choice to refuse vaccines might still be there but like face mask you will be limited on what is available for you.This has always been my concern. This us an industry that is so corrupt, whilst convincing people there own immune system is unable to work, without a vaccine our survival is under threat. An industry that has paid millions of pounds after found guilty of false advertising.does this mean everyone in the industry is corrupt, no.

The swine flu has been mentioned, I believe that was a farce although then the internet was not policed as it is today. A divide has been encouraged over the years to the point people are discouraged and banned from questioning from another point of view. We have government officials giving out information on statistics of virus then in same breath saying the figures may include people who havent been tested. Welcome to the new norm antisense.

[Robbie]

Blah Blah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> QAnon is a made up conspiracy theory and anyone

> with half a measure of intelligence can see that

> right away. Your ethnicity has nothing to do with

> anything in your post. So why you feel the need to

> state it in some bizarre defence of a conspiracy

> fantasy you are flirting with is baffling.

> Fundraising for political parties is not illegal.

> All parties take donations. Political activism

> similarly will align itself with one party or

> another. Why? Because lobbying that party through

> government is the only way to influence change.

> This is as true for Republicans as it is for

> Democrats. Are the NRA and KKK a front for the

> Republicans? By your logic, they must be.

FYI - The KKK were founded by Democrats in the Southern United States in the late 1860s during Reconstruction. It sought to overthrow the Republican state governments in the South, especially by using violence against African-American leaders.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Confederate_General_Becomes_Secretary_of_the_Senate.htm

[Blah Blah]

Robbie, Pizzagate is nonsense. It led to some gun toting Trump supporter going to a Pizza restaurant convinced there was a child pedophile ring there. THAT is the real cost of these false conspiracies and allegations.

And no, the KKK being founded by Democrats is also a distortion of truth, designed to shore up present day Republican support and paint Democrats as the real racists. It was created in Pulaski, Tennessee, by Confederate veterans: Frank McCord, Richard Reed, John Lester, John Kennedy, J. Calvin Jones and James Crowe. These were former Whig Party supporters. But you gave up on truth a long time ago. You have cited so many alt and far right mistruths and conspiracy theories on this thread that you are the perfect example of how dangerous this stuff is. It is your choice to be gullible and not fact check, but don't be surprised when people who do know about science and history call it out.

[JohnL]

I don't mind a good conspiracy theory as long as it's not mainstream it reminds me of alt.alien .visitors on usenet before anyone else got on the net - good times :)

But looks like QAnon are going to get their first congressional seat so there is a danger here.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2020/06/10/a-qanon-follower-may-win-this-us-congressional-seat/#f73c9b43d02c

[diable rouge]

Enjoy the fuckwittery of your average conspiracy theorist...