Tag: wrongthink

Not Funny: The Onion Buys Infowars In Bankruptcy Auction

The leftist-satirical rag The Onion announced on Thursday that it had won a bankruptcy auction to acquire Infowars – the website founded and operated by Alex Jones since 1999.

On Wednesday, Jones said that the auction’s trustee could choose any bidder it wanted – not necessarily the high bidder. Jones announced the sale on X Thursday morning.

“I just got word 15 minutes ago that my lawyers and folks met with the U.S. trustee over our bankruptcy this morning and they said they are shutting us down even without a court order this morning,” he said. “The Connecticut democrats with The Onion newspaper bought us.”

The Onion told the NY Times that the bid was sanctioned by the families of the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, who won a $1.4 billion defamation lawsuit against Jones.

The Onion did not disclose the price it paid for Infowars and its assets, including Jones’ production studio and supplement business.

Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion parent company, Global Tetrahedron, says he plans to relaunch Infowars in January as a parody of itself, mocking “weird internet personalities.”

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Section 12 means British police are treating their own officers as terrorists now

A police officer has been arrested by counter-terrorism police in Gloucester over social media posts regarding Israel and Palestine. It’s no longer just journalists and social media users that police are targeting, it’s their own officers now.

The officer is suspected of “supporting Hamas” in breach of Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Police have explained they’re going through the officer’s devices for analysis and say we should not jump to conclusions.

This is fair enough, and given the details are sparse, I’m not going to discuss the ongoing investigation, or the officer’s potential guilt or innocence. I am, however, going to discuss how police have handled similar cases in which they appear to have overstepped the mark because there are concerns to be addressed. Those concerns involve whether the law is being followed in this and similar investigations.

Police recently visited the home of journalist Asa Winstanley and took his devices for analysis, even though he was not under arrest. It seems they wanted to look through his devices to find the excuse to arrest a journalist.

If police were correctly applying the law in this instance, this would tell us that our laws are authoritarian. If they were not correctly applying the law, this would tell us they are acting in an authoritarian manner. Either way, we would be witnessing a form of authoritarianism. It is therefore reasonable to ask in each case if police are correctly applying the law. We need clarity because we have the impression our rights are under attack. This is obviously unacceptable in a so-called free society.

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FEMA Employee Fired For Bypassing Homes With Trump Signs Says She Was Following Agency Protocol

An employee who was terminated from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for ordering government workers to bypass homes of Trump supporters said she was simply following standard operating procedure.

On Friday, the Daily Wire reported that FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington had instructed staff to “avoid homes advertising Trump” while “they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida to identify residents who could qualify for federal aid” after Hurricane Milton tore through the region in early October.

“Government employees told The Daily Wire that at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were skipped from the end of October and into November due to the guidance, meaning they were not given the opportunity to qualify for FEMA assistance,” the outlet reported. “Images shared with The Daily Wire show that houses were skipped over by the workers, who wrote in the government system messages such as: ‘Trump sign no entry per leadership.’”

Washington was promptly fired from the agency, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell condemned the conduct as “a clear violation of FEMA’s core values & principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.”

“This was reprehensible,” Criswell said. “This employee has been terminated and we have referred the matter to the Office of Special Counsel.”

Washington, however, who was also terminated from her private sector job at a property management company, said in an interview with the Black Star Network published late Monday night that she was just following FEMA’s standard operating procedure.

“FEMA always preaches avoidance first and then de-escalation,” Washington said. “This is not isolated. This is a colossal event of avoidance, not just in the state of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas. Senior leadership will lie to you and tell you that they do not know.”

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Telegraph Journalist Gets “Hate Incident” Visit From Police Over Year Old Tweet

A journalist with the London Telegraph has been visited unannounced at her home by police in the UK who told her they are investigating a “non-crime hate incident” over a tweet she posted a year ago.

Yes, really.

Allison Pearson relates what happened on Sunday in an article, noting that police will not tell her which post is the subject of the investigation, nor will they tell her who her accuser is or what they feel offended about.

The only detail given was that it is some sort of accusation of “racial hatred”.

The police also made it clear that she should refer to her accuser as a “victim”.

The Telegraph notes that Essex Police said on Tuesday night that officers had opened an investigation under section 17 of the Public Order Act 1986 relating to material allegedly “likely or intended to cause racial hatred”.

A police spokesman said “We’re investigating a report passed to us by another force. The report relates to a social media post which was subsequently removed. An investigation is now being carried out under section 17 of the Public Order Act.”

Pearson charges that the visit is “living proof of a two tier justice system,” and describes the incident as “Kafkaesque.”

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FEMA Official Ordered Relief Workers To Skip Houses With Trump Signs

A federal disaster relief official ordered workers to bypass the homes of Donald Trump’s supporters as they surveyed damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida, according to internal correspondence obtained by The Daily Wire and confirmed by multiple federal employees. 

A FEMA supervisor told workers in a message to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida to identify residents who could qualify for federal aid, internal messages viewed by The Daily Wire reveal. The supervisor, Marn’i Washington, relayed this message both verbally and in a group chat used by the relief team, multiple government employees told The Daily Wire. 

The government employees told The Daily Wire that at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were skipped from the end of October and into November due to the guidance, meaning they were not given the opportunity to qualify for FEMA assistance. Images shared with The Daily Wire show that houses were skipped over by the workers, who wrote in the government system messages such as: “Trump sign no entry per leadership.”

It is unclear whether the same guidance was issued elsewhere in the country. The employees were part of a Department of Homeland Security surge capacity force team, meaning they volunteered from other DHS agencies to help an understaffed FEMA as it dealt with a second major hurricane in a span of just a few weeks.

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Inside the Push for Police-Run “Misinformation” Units

Lexipol, a private consultancy geared towards providing services to law enforcement in the US, has come up with a recommendation to law enforcement to set up a “Misinformation/Disinformation Unit.”

A piece published on the company’s platform, Police1.com, asks its client police departments whether they are “prepared (for) the battle against mis/disinformation.”

Coming from Lexipol, this is no ordinary question, as the firm is said to have contracts with more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies, and is consequently considered to be a key player in what is known as “privatized police policymaking.”

According to Lexipol’s own statements, its reach in March 2020 extended to 8,100 agencies that used the company’s services and manuals (a year earlier, reports said that these agencies were located across 35 US states).

From that position, Lexipol is now making recommendations to its “subscribers” in the law enforcement community to establish a unit that would not only tackle supposed misinformation and disinformation, but also “collaborate with tech companies and civil society organizations to develop early-warning systems and identify harmful content in real time.”

This can be read as brazen defiance of the ongoing efforts, including in the US Congress, to put an end to just such “collaboration” between private and government (here, law enforcement) entities – investigated in one instance as government-Big Tech collusion.

But Lexipol’s write-up plays on fears that it is “disinformation” that might increase public hostility toward police officers and put them at greater risk.

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‘I’m definitely upgrading my security’: Leftist German Magazine Der Spiegel Calls Elon Musk ‘Enemy Number Two’ – Tech Billionaire Comments on the ‘Vitriolic Hatred’

With his electric cars and rockets, Elon Musk was once a very well-liked figure in liberal circles.

But his work for free-speech on social platform X and his ‘all-in’ support for Donald J. Trump’s Presidential campaign have put him in the crosshairs of the planetary leftist hatred.

Now the leftist German Magazine Der Spiegel has crystalized this hatred in a strong cover story: ‘Elon Musk, Enemy Number Two’. Elon Musk: Staatsfeind Nummer Zwei – DER SPIEGEL (behind a paywall).

This took the internet by Storm, especially the X social media platform.

On Sunday (20), during town hall discussion in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Musk commented on the ‘vitriolic hatred’ by the left, and said that he planned to upgrade his security after the Der Spiegel quite literal hit-piece.

On his event in support of Donald Trump’s candidacy, the talked about the heightened political atmosphere.

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Biden-Harris DOJ Announces It Will ‘Monitor’ Voting in Ohio County Due to Sheriff’s Immigration Comments

An Ohio sheriff’s comments have triggered the Justice Department to proclaim that it will monitor one Ohio county for potential voter intimidation.

The fuss began on Sept. 13 when Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski issued a post about Vice President Kamala Harris on his personal Facebook page, according to USA Today.

“When people ask me…What’s gonna happen if the Flip – Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say…write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards,” Zuchowski wrote in the Facebook post, which no longer appears on his personal Facebook page. “Sooo…when the Illegal human ‘Locust’ (which she supports!) Need places to live…We’ll already have the addresses of their New families…who supported their arrival!”

The NAACP immediately began squawking about voter intimidation.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced its response, saying it will “monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in Portage County, Ohio, during the early voting period and on Election Day,” according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

“Voters in Portage County have raised concerns about intimidation resulting from the surveillance and the collection of personal information regarding voters, as well as threats concerning the electoral process. Attempted or actual intimidation, threats or coercion directed toward any person for voting and related activities or urging or aiding others in voting is prohibited by Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” the news release said.

As noted by the Associated Press, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio claimed the comments were an unconstitutional, “impermissible threat” against people displaying yard signs.

Freda J. Levenson, legal director of the ACLU of Ohio, alleged many residents believed the post was a “threat of governmental action to punish them for their expressed political beliefs” and took their signs down in fear.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine called Zuchowski’s comments “unfortunate” and “not helpful.”

The Ohio secretary of state’s office shrugged off the fuss.

“Our office has determined the sheriff’s comments don’t violate election laws,” said Dan Lusheck, a representative of  Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

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California Democrats Block SpaceX Launches, Citing Elon Musk’s Support For Donald Trump

California officials are actively blocking Elon Musk’s SpaceX from launching rockets in the state because of his support for Donald Trump.

According to The Los Angeles Times, members of the California Coastal Commission, a state agency controlled by Governor Gavin Newsom, made no secret of the fact that their decision was based on Musk’s support for Trump and the Republican Party’s platform.

The report stated:

SpaceX’s plans to launch more rockets from the California coast were rejected by a state commission this week, with some officials citing Elon Musk’s political posts on X and raising concerns about the billionaire’s labor record at his companies.

The plan to increase the number of rocket blasts into space up to 50 a year was rejected by the California Coastal Commission on Thursday despite assurances from Space Force and Air Force officials that they would increase efforts to monitor the effects that rocket launches have on nearby wildlife.

The military also vowed to mitigate the reach of sonic booms that often span across 100 miles of coastline, an issue that has caused controversy. Members of the California Coastal Commission commended Space Force and Air Force representatives for reaching an agreement, but some cited their concerns about Musk, the owner of SpaceX, before rejecting the plan.

Among the issues raised were Musk’s decision to insert himself in the presidential race, his spreading of conspiracy theories, the labor record of his companies and derogatory comments he has made about the transgender community.

“We’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race,” commission Chair Caryl Hart said.

The commission’s decision is also likely a retaliation for Musk’s decision to pull most of the company’s operations out of California.

Back in July, Musk said that the passage of a California law preventing from making rules requiring parental notification if a child identifies as transgender was the “final straw,” and he would be moving the company out of the state.

“This is the final straw,” Musk wrote at the time. “Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas.”

“I did make it clear to Governor Newsom about a year ago that laws of this nature would force families and companies to leave California to protect their children,” he later followed up.

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Israel Jails American Journalist for Reporting on Iranian Missile Strikes

Jeremy Loffredo, an American journalist for The Grayzone, has been arrested by the Israeli military for his reporting inside Israel.

Loffredo was jailed just a few days after releasing a report on Iranian missile strikes in Israel, information the Israeli military has been trying to censor. According to the Israeli news site Ynet, because of the report, Loffredo faces charges of “aiding the enemy during wartime and providing information to the enemy.”

Representatives from the US embassy attended a hearing on a police request to extend Loffredo’s detention, but so far, the US government has been silent and has not publicly called for his release.

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