Prickly City by Scott Stantis for June 30, 2020

Still wondering about the Trump Disciples’ “explanation”.

Trump denies knowledge of the Russian bounty for Afghans killing American troops.

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So, for Trump Disciples:

1. Do you believe him?

I mean, not that he would ever LIE about anything, especially about something that would cause American troops to be killed.

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2. If you believe him, it’s perfectly OKAY that he didn’t know because he’s way smarter than the generals and those intelligence people are not worth listening to anyway.

or,

3. If you don’t believe him and figure it’s OKAY that he lies because what’s good for Trump is good for the country, how many American deaths in Afghanistan are acceptable?

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In short, is America better off if The Messiah knew about the bounties of if he did not?

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In either case, Trump is still a Traitor.

#TraitorTrump

I still like “Ocean Eyes”…

Real conspiracies do exist. Volkswagen conspired to cheat emissions tests for their diesel engines.

The U.S. National Security Agency secretly spied on civilian internet users.

The tobacco industry deceived the public about the harmful health effects of smoking. We know about these conspiracies through internal industry documents, government investigations, or whistleblowers.

✁

Why are conspiracy theories popular?

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Feeling of powerlessness:

People who feel powerless or vulnerable are more likely to endorse and spread conspiracy theories. This is seen in online forums where people’s perceived level of threat is strongly linked to proposing conspiracy theories.

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Coping with threats:

Conspiracy theories allow people to cope with threatening events by focusing blame on a set of conspirators.8 People find it difficult to accept that “big” events (e.g., the death of Princess Diana) can have an ordinary cause (driving while intoxicated).

A conspiracy theory satisfies the need for a “big” event to have a big cause, such as a conspiracy involving MI5 to assassinate Princess Diana.

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Explaining unlikely events:

For the same reason, people tend to propose conspiratorial explanations for events that are highly unlikely. Conspiracy theories act as a coping mechanism to help people handle uncertainty.

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Disputing mainstream politics:

Conspiracy theories are used to dispute mainstream political interpretations. Conspiratorial groups often use such narratives to claim minority status.

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Social media amplifies conspiracy theorizing:

Social media has created a world in which any individual can potentially reach as many people as mainstream media.

The lack of traditional gate-keepers is one reason why misinformation spreads farther and faster online than true information, often propelled by fake accounts or “bots. ✁

https://www.climatechangecommunication.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ConspiracyTheoryHandbook.pdf

24 outlandish conspiracy theories Donald Trump has floated over the years.

…Ted Cruz’s father’s potential ties to President John F. Kennedy’s assassin.

… President Obama’s birth certificate.

…a former Bill Clinton aide’s suicide.

…whether Syrian refugees are ISIS terrorists.

… whether an ISIS-linked terrorist attempted to charge at Trump on stage.

… Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death.

… whether childhood vaccines cause autism.

…whether Muslims in New Jersey were cheering after 9/11.

…whether wives of 9/11 hijackers fled to Saudi Arabia before the attacks.

…the legitimacy of climate change.

…whether asbestos is a “great con.”

…Marco Rubio’s presidential eligibility.

…Fox News being owned by a Saudi billionaire.

…legitimacy of the “Access Hollywood” tape.

…Joe Scarborough killed one of his interns.

…Obama had wiretapped Trump’s phone.

…voter fraud in the 2016 election cost him the popular vote.

…Retweeting anti-Muslim conspiracy videos.

…Claims 3,000 people didn’t die in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and that Democrats inflated the death toll.

…Claims windmills cause cancer.

…Claims the Clintons killed Jeffrey Epstein.

…Claims former vice president Joe Biden was corrupt in his dealings with Ukraine during the Obama administration.

…Claims a cybersecurity company named Crowdstrike framed Russia for election interference.

…Claims Ukraine may be hiding Hillary Clinton’s missing emails.

https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-conspiracy-theories-2016-5

i for one like billie eilish

So, as pretty much usual these days, Stantis fails to pin the tail on the primary donkey, the right-wing populists.

Billie Eilish is a brash and outspoken kid, but she’s a SMART brash and outspoken kid, and that can scare the hell out of some people. Just ask Greta.

Maybe Scott is just taking a poke at “these kids today and their rock an roll and hip and hop,” but the reference seems kind of gratuitous. A lot of Billie’s Twitter followers can vote.

Late in the day, but let me just wish everyone a fine one, and pre-emptively state that anyone who disagrees with me is stupid and evil… and overly sensitive, if they take offense at any of my gentle observations!

Seems like the Georgia boys are not commenting on the bounties. Nor are the other Trump Disciples.

And, it looks like one of them has maybe been found out — not an exhaustive search, but it looks like all his comments have gone back to that other Georgia.

Hey, jblaw. No crowing about how great GA is doing after reopening so early? Hmm, wonder why? maybe 2,207 new COVID cases YESTERDAY? Or maybe its the 2,784 deaths which makes GA 17th in deaths(You have broken into the top 20 I am sure those death numbers will climb, maybe enough to get GA into the top 10)