February 19-24, 2016::End of the day round-up

An Op-Ed by David Bernstein centered around Justice Robert Jackson's one-year leave of absence from SCOTUS to serve as chief prosecutor at the war crimes trials in Nuremberg.

Temporarily having an eight-justice Supreme Court is not ‘sacrificing a single interest of importance’

I came across this article not long after listening to the following episode of TRC. Turns out, this is the article referenced in the pod,,,

Melting Greenland ice changing ocean circulation, Earth's gravitational field

The melting of the Greenland ice sheet due to climate change is having an impact on ocean circulation and rising sea levels, according to new studies from university researchers across North America.

"It was well known that Greenland's ice was melting, it was well known that that melting was accelerating, and it was well known that extra melting was changing the salinity of the North Atlantic Ocean," said Tim Dixon, a Canadian professor in the department of geophysics at the University of South Florida, who recently co-authored a study published in Nature Communications.

Dixon said that when ice melts, it deposits fresh water into the ocean that dilutes the salt in the North Atlantic. "What was not known is what effect if any that would have on ocean circulation," he said.
 ,,,
 "In the extreme case of a breakdown in this global ocean circulation pattern, equatorial regions could become much hotter than they are today and polar regions could become much colder than they are today, and significant fractions of the globe might become unlivable."
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Colgan said that just like the moon pulls tides around the Earth with its gravity, by being relatively massive, Greenland pulls water towards it. As Greenland gets smaller, the ocean water flows farther away towards the equator, in what is called a gravitational far-field.

I know I have posted concerning the so-called conspiracies surrounding Scalia's death. This one take the cake, it's NPR for god's sake. The Jones Effect in full force,,,


Scalia And Leonard Nimoy: Justice's Death Spurs Conspiracy Theories

In the world of conspiracy theories it's hard to separate the parody from the true believers. But if you believe these notions are all sound and fury signifying nothing, think again. They eventually compelled Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara to make public Scalia's private health information as told to her by the justice's doctor, Rear Adm. Brian Monahan. The doctor told her Scalia had a history of heart disease and high blood pressure so significant that surgery to repair an injured shoulder couldn't be risked.

This may be why his family was not interested in an autopsy, simply grateful for the peaceful circumstances of his demise.

Subaru recalls 77,000 Tribecas

Subaru is recalling 77,000 Tribeca SUVs due to a defective hood latch that can open unexpectedly while driving. The recall affects 2006 - 2014 models.

Help Chassé Overcome Challenges by Vyckie Garrison - GoFundMe

The only good that can come from this, PA tax payers won't have to pay for his care. I have no sympathy for this man or his family in regards to his conviction and jail time.

Judge orders cable company founder released from prison

Prosecutors says Rigas suffers from bladder cancer that has advanced to his lungs, making it unlikely he’ll live more than six months.

Blood moon has some expecting end of the world - CNN.com

I have briefly posted concerning the "Blood Moon" craze, but as the alleged date of doom draws closer, I thought it be interesting to shed some light on this money making shtick.

Long before John Hagee, the current well-heeled purveyor of this crap, there was Hal Linsdey's (the list is quite long actually but these are two I am most familiar with) Late Great Planet Earth?.  To borrow from Wiki, Late Great Planet Earth? was a "premillennial, dispensational eschatology, comparing end-time prophecies in the Bible with then-current events in an attempt to broadly predict future scenarios leading to the rapture of believers before the tribulation and Second Coming of Christ to establish his thousand-year (i.e. millennial) Kingdom on Earth."  During Lindsey's run of popularity, only three books of the Bible existed, or so would think, "focsing on key passages in the books of Daniel, Ezekiel and Revelation,"

So End-Time predictions are not new, they have been with a long time (like, first century long time).  But what many may not be aware of, is that Hagee's "Blood Moon" bullshit isn't new either.  In 2008, Mark Biltz was interviewed on Prophecy in the News by the late J. R. Church and Gary Stearman; Later that month WorldNetDaily.com did an article summarizing the interview.

A minister who promotes the Old Testament roots of Christianity suggests a rare string of lunar and solar eclipses said to fall on God’s annual holy days seven years from now could herald what’s come to be known as the “Second Coming” of Jesus.

“God wants us to look at the biblical calendar,” says Mark Biltz, pastor of El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash. “The reason we need to be watching is [because] He will signal His appearance. But we have to know what to be watching as well. So we need to be watching the biblical holidays.”

In a video interview on the Prophecy in the News website, Biltz said he’s been studying prophecies that focus on the sun and moon, even going back to the book of Genesis where it states the lights in the sky would be “be for signs, and for seasons.”  [The URL provided does not appear to be working, but I did find this, which I believe is the original interview.  Biltz is also interviewed here in 2013.]
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Gary Stearman of Prophecy in the News noted, “When we think of the sun being darkened and the moon not giving her light, we usually think of some astronomical catastrophe – perhaps the sun sputtering and the moon being affected by all this. But maybe it’s time to rethink this a little bit and think of it as a natural cycle, the cycle of the eclipses.”

Thus, Biltz began focusing on the precise times of both solar and lunar eclipses, sometimes called “blood moons” since the moon often takes on a bloody color. He logged onto NASA’s eclipse website which provides precision tracking of the celestial events.

He noted a rare phenomenon of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a tetrad.

He says during this century, tetrads occur at least six times, but what’s interesting is that the only string of four consecutive blood moons that coincide with God’s holy days of Passover in the spring and the autumn’s Feast of Tabernacles (also called Succoth) occurs between 2014 and 2015 on today’s Gregorian calendar.

“The fact that it doesn’t happen again in this century I think is very significant,” Biltz explains. “So then I looked at last century, and, believe it or not, the last time that four blood red moons occurred together was in 1967 and 1968 tied to Jerusalem recaptured by Israel.”

What is rather odd, in that same article Lindsey is quoted as saying that Biltz's theory is “pure speculation.”

“In my 50-something years of studying prophecy, to me the greatest indication of the time of Christ’s return is based around the general things of prophecies coming together in the same time frame.”

He mentioned not only Israel’s birth as a political state in 1948, but the increase in tensions with Muslims, the rise of Russia, China and the European Union, which he says is even “calling itself the revived Roman Empire.”

“I see the whole sweep and panorama spinning together in a precise scenario,” he said.

What is interesting to note, we have the same event(s) but varying degrees of "what it all means".  While Blitz focused on the "return of Christ" in 2014/15, others like Hagee, now have the idea that the "Blood Moon" shtick  may herald the Great Tribulation or a war involving Israel or persecution against Israel. On the flip-side, others outright refute the idea because it contradicts their view as to the timing of the rapture.

Besides the obvious that Bob Seidensticker points out,

Hagee’s four blood moons refer to eclipses at the start of the Jewish festivals of Passover and Sukkot (also called the Feast of Tabernacles), twice each, all in a row.

You might think that this is an incredible coincidence, but remember that these two holidays start on the day of a full moon by definition, and lunar eclipses can only happen during full moons. There are 2.3 lunar eclipses per year out of 12.4 full moons per year. (If more than two eclipses per year sounds high, remember that they don’t last long. If the eclipse is happening during the day in your part of the world, you obviously won’t see it.)

With the caveat, 

That any particular Passover or Sukkot begins with a lunar eclipse isn’t surprising, though four of these eclipsed holidays in a row is much less common.

There are many more issues that "need" to be dealt with. 
___

FYI:  Biltz also has a book, released in 2014,on the tetrads called Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs.
Blood moon has some expecting end of the world - CNN.com

“Two million dead on the side of the patriots”: How Alex Jones’s “Jade Helm” conspiracy theory got very dangerous very fast - Salon.com

Couple the Jade Helm theory with another Jones theory about a forthcoming civil war, and it’s no wonder why angry white guys with firearms are freaking out. Just over a year ago, Jones said on his show:

“[The government] needs the police and the military to wipe out the liberty movement, and we wipe them out. […] I estimate in the civil war, 300,000 police will die. I estimate that if the military marches out against the gun owners, half a million dead. Two million dead on the side of the patriots. Won’t matter, we’ll have another 10 million where that came from. But it’ll be a real war once they start it.”

Therein lay the seeds of his Jade Helm theory. It’s all about the military and the police provoking the “liberty movement” into a shooting war. And now, a year later, shots are actually being fired. What Jones doesn’t seem to realize (or maybe he does) is that this kind of rhetoric speaks directly to the itchy-trigger-fingered militiamen and self-styled revolutionary cosplayers who believe that, yes, the government is going to attack them and seize their weapons, so they should be ready to counterattack. And this is evidently defined as “patriotic.”

“Two million dead on the side of the patriots”: How Alex Jones’s “Jade Helm” conspiracy theory got very dangerous very fast - Salon.com

ADDENDUM::Alien Jesus cult ‘has secret Loch Ness base’ - The Scotsman

The Aetherius Society, founded in 1955 by George King, is a UFO religion that came about as a result of what King described as ‘contacts with extraterrestrial intelligences’ or ‘Cosmic Masters’.
,,,

According to members of the group, the loch is home to an energy centre which could be used to help mankind in times of crisis.

Director Mark Bennett said: “Beings from other planets are the cornerstone of our beliefs. They want to help us.


Alien Jesus cult ‘has secret Loch Ness base’ - The Scotsman

Special branch agents tailed Aetherius Society founder George King for five years | UK | News | Daily Express

I'm not sure which is more bizarre, the investigation or the beliefs:

The bizarre high-level decision saw Scotland Yard’s finest infiltrating rallies and meetings of George King's secretive ‘space society’ amid fears it was a front for Russian spies.

The former London cabbie claimed he could communicate with an alien called Aetherius, who was orbiting Mars.

In another of his freakish outbursts he warned the public that space travellers from Venus were already living among them.

However, it has now emerged that detectives from the Metropolitan Police feared his zany antics may have been an elaborate front for Soviet moles.

They launched a five-year surveillance operation into his activities, which was revealed for the first time today after Scotland Yard unsealed top secret documents.
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They suspected that his bizarre antics were all part of a Communist plot to overthrow democracy and stop Britain becoming a nuclear power.

Top secret files reveal that police launched their probe after the now defunct Empire News newspaper picked up King's anti-nuclear rhetoric and linked his UFO society to Moscow.

The paper handed over copies of the society's Cosmic Voice newsletter to detectives, in which the cult leader wrote that aliens had appealed to him to stop nuclear experimentation.

Special branch agents tailed Aetherius Society founder George King for five years | UK | News | Daily Express

Rick Santorum Tells Wild Conspiracy Theorist That 'Tyrant' Obama Is Destroying America | Right Wing Watch

So,,,this is a bit "dated" but was looking through my archive for something else and it popped up.  The mind of a wannabe president can be a scary place to explore and it is disgusting, but not surprising, that Santorum failed to call her on it. Maybe he believes it, too.

For example, one attendee asked Santorum why Republicans in Congress did nothing to stop “communist dictator” Obama from “destroying my country,” mentioning the president’s executive actions on immigration and the time when “Obama tried to blow up a nuke in Charleston a few months ago.” (In case you aren’t familiar, several far-right outlets and pundits have embraced a bizarre claim that Obama tried to nuke Charleston as part of a potential false flag operation). “I want him out of the White House, he’s not a citizen and he could’ve been removed a long time ago,” she added.

As Doktor Zoom over at Wonkette pointed out at the time,

Sadly, it turns out to maybe not actually be altogether true. As in it’s all made up, except for the fact that a couple of generals really got fired within a few days of each other. But not for failing to nuke Charleston for Obama’s jollies. Yes, we know. You are astonished. See Snopes for details, we guess, but you know they’re actually run by THE JEWS…

This is at least the second time that a completely imaginary nuclear attack by Barack Obama has been foiled, and that the wingnut email network has carried the news far and wide. It’s got something to do with his plans to take all the guns and turn over the United States to the UN/Radical Islam/the Shriners or something. He is just the least competent nuclear saboteur to ever hold the position of Commander in Chief, isn’t he?

The lack of leadership you speak of Rick needs to start with you, pandering to the fringe element for votes?  How much integrity would it take to simply say, "Ma'am, that's just not true"?

Rick Santorum Tells Wild Conspiracy Theorist That 'Tyrant' Obama Is Destroying America | Right Wing Watch

The emotional roots of conspiratorial perceptions, system justification, and belief in the paranormal

As some of you may have gathered, I have some unusual interests.  In regards to people, on one end of the spectrum, there are individuals like Alex Jone; as a contrast, Steven L.Anderson comes too mind.  In the "events" or "things happening in the world  category", the so-called Truthers come to mind.  But yet the Sovereign Citizen Movement fascinates me.  For beliefs we have anything with a cultic group think, like Patriarchy and Quiverfull; but yet, at the other end are people who seem to think the Genesis 6 giants are real and still among us.

In essence, I am fascinated by what motivates people to buy into crazy worldviews. Is it a means of compensation for feeling powerless?  Is it a measure of self-worth, a meaning or purpose for life?  And one I didn't consider prior to reading the attached study, the need for order, or "structure".

So the Whitson et al. study shows,

This research has several important implications. First and foremost, our studies establish that external or world uncertainty can have the same effects as lacking control. This is critical to test and establish because uncertainty and lacking control are conceptually distinct and may, as a result, produce different effects. This research establishes that uncertainty and lacking control represent one broad construct that incites the need for structure. Furthermore, by using emotions which differ on uncertainty and valence, we are able to provide the first evidence that uncertainty alone is enough to drive compensatory control strategies, regardless of valence. Lastly, these experiments extend the literature on appraisal tendencies of emotions by establishing that emotions characterized by uncertainty appraisals don't simply lead to systematic processing. Rather, they lead to structure seeking.

What Whitson et al are saying, emotional uncertainty creates a need to compensate. Uncertainty in an emotional state – regardless of whether it is positive or negative – leads to a desire for structure and a sense of control.  So, in our attempt to achieve a sense of certainty, to make sense of things, a conspiratorial mind think or a harsh, punitive religions (like Patriarchy and Quiverfull) can become attached.

In other words, there is comfort in the conspiracy theory.  Seeing real or illusory patterns, provides an explanation for why things are the way they are. There is comfort in overbearing religious dogma or a tyrannical government, as both purport how things ought to be.  Mapping out our fates and providing predictable structure in our ever changing world.  As the authors put it,

“Whether one finds comfort in a strong government, astrological predictions, or vast conspiracies , all are responses potentially driven by the uncertain.”

Even without evidence, people faced with uncertainty or fear will gravitate move toward something that makes sense of things -- even if that something is harmful or makes no rational sense

The emotional roots of conspiratorial perceptions, system justification, and belief in the paranormal

California City Bans Chemtrails, Mind Control Rays; Everybody Obviously Cool With It | Wonkette

Seriously folk, this is real:  “International Center Against the Abuse of Covert Technologies,”

ICAACT was created to bring awareness to the general public and the legal systems around the world about serious human rights abuses utilizing remote influencing technologies. Our aim is to obtain evidence.

 

Maybe these "covert technologies" explain why my head hurts so much,,,WTF!!  

Back on May 19, the city of Richmond, California, adopted a resolution opposing the deployment of weapons in space. At first glance, it seemed like one of those nice crunchy-granola lefty leftovers from the Reagan administration, like voting for a nuclear freeze. But since the passage of the resolution, the city’s police department has been flooded with calls from people who want help with all the mind-control rays getting past their tinfoil hats.

,,,

The resolution was introduced by Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles to support a 2001 bill by then-congresself Dennis Kucinich; the bill called for the banning of space-based weapons like some of the components of the never-built Star Wars missile defense system, to “preserve the cooperative, peaceful uses of space for the benefit of all humankind.” But there’s also language prohibiting mostly imaginary “exotic” weapons systems targeting individuals on Earth, including systems:

using radiation, electromagnetic, psychotronic, sonic, laser, or other energies directed at individual persons or targeted populations for the purpose of information war, mood management, or mind control[.]

There’s even a line banning chemtrails. We haven’t researched the history of the 2001 resolution, which never passed, but if Dennis Kucinich was really pushing that, our opinion of him just went straight into the Skeptic Tank

Beckles seems to share the belief in such oddball conspiracy stuff, or at least to suffer from misdirected empathy for people whose problems are not really coming from the skies; at the City Council meeting where the resolution passed on a 5-2 vote, she said, “It is imperative that Richmond adopt this resolution in effort to stand in solidarity with residents who claim to be under assault from space-based weapons that should be outlawed by the Space Preservation Act.”

California City Bans Chemtrails, Mind Control Rays; Everybody Obviously Cool With It | Wonkette

Meet the Christian right’s new doomsday prophet — and his insane, apocalyptic “blood moon” theory - Salon.com

In 2015, there is a United States congressman who believes that the so-called blood moon prophecy determines the fate of the Middle East and, because of some more prophecy, the fate of the world, of all of us. In 2015. Common Era.

“Blood moons,” which is a gussied-up way of naming your garden-variety lunar eclipse, “have preceded world-changing, shaking-type events,” says Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia, a man constitutionally permitted to vote in one of the world’s most powerful legislative bodies. Legislation, accords, Security Council Resolutions, military aid packages — why consider this mere terrestrial ephemera when you can just go out into your backyard and consult the moon?

While the prophecy may seem fringe — like something a hooded Nostradamus type from the Dark Ages would wheeze in dim and flickering firelight — it’s gaining surprising traction in conservative media, and is being adopted as legitimate by prominent figures, including Hice in Congress and the Family Research Council, the powerful social conservative lobbying group in Washington. Mega-pastor John Hagee, the leading purveyor of blood moon prophecy talk, is powerful in Washington, able to command the attendance of influential conservative politicians to his events.

Meet the Christian right’s new doomsday prophet — and his insane, apocalyptic “blood moon” theory - Salon.com

Alex Jones Is Actually Dangerous: Why We Have to Start Taking his Paranoid Worldview Seriously | Alternet

There is a method to my madness and why I follow this man's dreck.  At least I'm not the only one,,,

In response to the Jade Helm military training exercises planned for this summer, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) will deploy the Texas State Guard to apparently serve as a shield against the Green Berets and other special operations units who, many conservatives fear, might threaten the freedom of red-blooded Americans living in the Lone Star State.

“It is important,” said Abbott, in announcing the move, “that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed upon.”

The subtext is, of course: There’s a decent chance they could be infringed upon.

And so the governor is figuratively wrapping his state in a gigantic tin-foil hat. Abbott’s unprecedented move is one more chilling sign that the gonzo ideas imagineered by radio conspiracy theorist Alex Jones are hemorrhaging into mainstream American politics and beyond.

[,,,]
That’s the dangerous thing about Alex Jones and his empire. The ludicrousness distracts from the damaging reach of the truly awful theories he sells. If it was all contained safely within its shrink-wrapped bubble, that’d be one thing. But Jones and his theories are being rapidly mainstreamed. This is a testament to his skill as a broadcast huckster, though it doesn’t require much salesmanship to transparently exploit the clinical paranoia of his audience for ratings and profit. Without saying a word, his disciples want to believe by default. Indeed, there are two key features of the InfoWars subculture: 1) absolute certitude that they and only they are aware of what’s really going on and the rest of us are mere “sheeple”; and 2) that the establishment will do whatever it has to do in order to discredit and shatter that certitude. The latter was Jones’ explanation for why he wasn’t able to appear on ABC’s “This Week” with Martha Raddatz last Sunday: ABC, he said, intentionally hoodwinked him to embarrass him.

[,,,]
Not only is he dependent upon the gullibility and activism of his listeners, but they’re also dependent upon him to confirm their worldview. Meanwhile, there’s a confluence of increasingly obstructionist small-government libertarianism and the Jones echosphere. Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and his father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), along with Gov. Abbott are perhaps the best evidence of this emerging Venn diagram.

Alex Jones Is Actually Dangerous: Why We Have to Start Taking his Paranoid Worldview Seriously | Alternet

ADDENDUM::Watch: Paranoid Texas Lunatics Harass an Army Colonel with “Texas Takeover” Conspiracies | Occupy Democrats

There is not much that I could add to this that would make much sense.  The mind-set of individuals attached to this incident, well,,, I'll let John Cleese explain:

Watch: Paranoid Texas Lunatics Harass an Army Colonel with “Texas Takeover” Conspiracies | Occupy Democrats

Walmart To Texas Wingnuts: We’re Not Building Secret Tunnels So China Can Come Kill You | Wonkette

This was just too funny to pass up,,,

High priest of the nutjob conspiracy theorists Alex Jones has utterly lost control of his congregation. He has tried to assure the Operation Jade Helm 15 truthers that a string of Walmart closings around the country have absolutely nothing to do with the TOTALLY REAL Jade Helm conspiracy, which is that a completely routine military exercise is actually a secret plot whereby President Obama may invade and conquer Texas, maybe as a way to give it to ISIS as a peace gift, or something, who can even know what Obama has up his sleeve? But the loons just won’t listen to Alex Jones, so Walmart has had to jump in and issue perhaps the most awesome press statement in the history of Walmart,,,

Walmart To Texas Wingnuts: We’re Not Building Secret Tunnels So China Can Come Kill You | Wonkette

Meet The Internet Entrepreneur Profiting Off The Anti-Vaxxer Movement | ThinkProgress

The single was written, recorded, produced and performed by Mike Adams, AKA The Health Ranger. Adams is a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement, and his website, Natural News, is a collection of eccentric content on the subject. Purported scientific proof of most every misleading and dangerous claim about vaccines can be found in an article bearing his byline. The one about vaccines containing toxic levels of mercury? He covered it. The link between vaccines and autism? Adams asserts not only that it’s proven, but that there has been “systematic suppression” of the evidence. The entire Jenny McCarthy-Jim Carrey affair, wherein two Hollywood celebrities used their platform to champion a rightfully discredited study? Adams printed and promoted their public statements. Via a press handler, Adams refused several requests to speak to ThinkProgress for this article.

Over the years, Adams has expressed a wide range of unpredictable and unorthodox views that span the ideological spectrum. His belief that poisonous vaccines are nothing more than a plot by “Big Pharma” to drum up corporate profits is joined by a conviction that 9/11 was an inside job, a faith that onions, garlic and cauliflower will cure cancer, and a confidence that the James Holmes/Aurora shooting in the summer of 2012 was staged by the FBI in order to justify a United Nations plot to disarm American citizens. Other articles published by Adams and his staff warn, “U.S. School District To Begin Microchipping Students” and “Forced Vaccinations, Quarantine Camps, Health Care Interrogations and Mandatory ‘Decontaminations’” Time and again, Adams has found a way to foster and monetize the most current fear gripping the cultural zeitgeist.


By the measure of scientific experts and historians, Adams’ views are fringe. Dr. David Gorski, Managing Editor of the website Science-Based Medicine, calls Natural News, “a one-stop shop, a repository if you will, of virtually every quackery known to humankind, all slathered with a heaping helping of unrelenting hostility to science-based medicine and science in general.” And yet, Adams is emblematic of a growing cadre of anti-science spokespeople who have cultivated significant influence and followings. How has Adams achieved this? The answer goes back nearly two decades, and highlights many of the means by which digital snake oil salesmen build their brands.


Meet The Internet Entrepreneur Profiting Off The Anti-Vaxxer Movement | ThinkProgress

ADDENDUM::Mad World NewsMichelle Obama A Transgender? Is The First Lady Actually The First Queen?

This a a bit of an addendum to a (re-surfaced) story - Solomon: Obama Is 'A Homosexual Muslim Married To A Man' - I briefly mentioned the other day. Although redundant, it fascinates me that people actually take the time to not only come up with this shit, they weave a very intricate but tangled web in the process.

I'm not going to spend the time going through and countering the claims made as Wes Williams of "If You Only News" does a good job in that department.

In case you missed it the first time around, the right wing conspiracy website, “Mad World News,” has revived the claim that was started by Alex Jones and “InfoWars” last summer that Michelle Obama is actually a man. Or transgender. Or something like that. They don’t seem to be too sure.

A somewhat less than brilliant writer named Jan Omega starts her piece by referring to the claim that Barack Obama is gay, and is a member of a Chicago bathhouse. She (he? That’s a somewhat androgynous name you have there, Jan-ster) says that “fringe” websites have reported the claim before, but so did “Western Journalism.” So, in the eyes of Ms. Omega (I’m going with the notion that Jan is female, just to make things easy on me), that makes the claims more legit. For anyone not familiar, “Western Journalism” covers the entire political spectrum, from far right to ultra-whackadoodle-nutjobbery right, so I’m sure they’re an unbiased source.

Jan laments that the video of the investigation about the president’s sexuality has been deleted, and then offers this bit of journalistic brilliance about the possible reasons for said deletion,,,

[,,,]
In the normal world, when someone thinks that something might exist, but they can find no proof of it, that person usually goes, “Well, I guess I was wrong, since I can’t find any evidence that my belief was correct.” But, in the nut job right wing anti-Obama world, absence of evidence means, of course, only one thing: “ah-HA! They hid/destroyed the evidence!”

Mad World NewsMichelle Obama A Transgender? Is The First Lady Actually The First Queen?

Only in the minds of some,,,

Activist demands congressional action on aliens — of the extraterrestrial kind

While Congress and the White House argue over illegal aliens, Stephen Bassett — founder of Paradigm Research Group and a registered lobbyist - continues to demand that lawmakers, the White House and assorted officials tell what they know about aliens. As in extraterrestrials.

The determined Mr. Bassett has already organized a “Citizen Hearing on Disclosure” last year at the National Press Club in the nation’s capital. A DVD of the 30-hour close encounter between witnesses, six former congressmen, law enforcement, experts and journalists was sent to all members of Congress on Nov. 5, as a matter of fact.

Mr. Basset now says he will “renew direct engagement” with lawmakers and has organized an aggressive social media campaign among like-minded voters who also want answers about UFO sightings, alien technology and other matters. He offers a dozen sample tweets for interested folk, a #disclosure hashtag and a mission statement: “Dedicated to ending the government imposed truth embargo regarding an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race.”

Philae comet lander alien ‘cover-up’ conspiracy theories emerge

According to an email published on the website UFOSightingsDaily.com – which does a regular trade in alien sightings – this mission is part of a European Space Agency and Nasa cover-up to disguise the comet’s true alien nature. The email, allegedly from a secret whistle-blowing employee of the ESA, accuses the agency of “blatant cover-ups” in wanting to land on the speeding comet and attaches photos which claim to reveal the “true inner workings of Comet 67P”.

It states: “Do not think for ONE MOMENT that a space agency would suddenly decide to spend billions of dollars to build and send a spacecraft on a 12-year journey to simply take some close-up images of a randomly picked out comet floating in space.”

“Comet 67P is NOT a comet,” the letter continues. “Some 20 years ago Nasa began detecting radio bursts from an unknown origin out in space. It would later be known that these had likely come from the direction of the now named comet 67P. It does show signs on its outside of machine like parts and unnatural terrain.”

Ending on an ominous note, it adds: “Whatever this object is, it did not ask to be found or scrutinised.”

More of this shit Thank you for exposing this travesty and Forensic Proof that Obama's Wife is a Man - YouTube

Solomon: Obama Is 'A Homosexual Muslim Married To A Man'

Solomon then suggested that President Obama is Muslim who is married to a man: “A homosexual Muslim married to man, I can’t imagine how Barack Obama would do if he ever ventured into a Muslim country and didn’t have 800,000 armed people around him.” (We aren’t sure if Solomon is referring to the far-right conspiracy theory that Obama is secretly married to his male Pakistani college roommate or the one that Michelle Obama is a transgender woman.)

Gun Owners Of America Chief Embraces Fringe 'Obama's Real Father' Birther Theory | Right Wing Watch

This is interesting in a bizarre kind of way,,,

,,,[T]his weekend Pratt gave an interview to a pair of Patriot movement activists who recently launched a radio show after meeting at the Bundy ranch, where he shared the bizarre fringe birther theory that President Obama is secretly the son of labor activist Frank Marshall Davis, who groomed the president from birth to destroy America from within.

The Frank Marshall Davis birther theory was invented and popularized by right-wing filmmaker Joel Gilbert, who thinks that Obama got plastic surgery in an attempt to hide his resemblance to Davis and who also believes that the president wears a secret Muslim wedding ring and could have been behind the Aurora movie theater shooting .

The “evidence” for Gilbert’s claim — laid out in detail in his 2012 film “Dreams From My Real Father” — is a series of racy photos of a woman who bears a passing resemblance to Obama’s mother (but is not) and his totally scientific opinion that Obama looks more like Davis than like Barack Obama, Sr.

Gilbert’s theory has been panned by traditional birthers, because it undermines their claim that Obama isn’t a natural-born U.S. citizen, but has taken off among those who are seeking other ways to question the president’s origins. It was most notably endorsed by Bill Armistead, the chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, who said in 2012 that he had seen Gilbert’s movie and “verified that it is factual, all of it.”

In his interview with “The Liberty Brothers Radio Show,” Pratt presented the Frank Marshall Davis theory as a plausible explanation for why Obama “hates” America.

Gun Owners Of America Chief Embraces Fringe 'Obama's Real Father' Birther Theory | Right Wing Watch

Oklahoma Hu-Man Loses GOP Primary To Android Or Replicant Or Lizard Person (Unclear)

This story line was shared by a friend who has similar interests as I. After his posting, we engaged in a lengthy conversation where we pondered the source of such delusional thinking (and I do mean delusional) and where we think it is leading humanity as a whole. Two hours later I don't think we came to any solid conclusions, though it was a fun conversation. That aside, I haven't been able to shake this story from my mind - this guy had a campaign office, ran a campaign which he ultimately lost, had supporters and donors. People can't be this dumb in real life, or can they?

Even if you remove the obvious references to sovereign citizen ideology we are left with this.

Yep. He accuses his opponents of being replicants, or perhaps zombies or golems. The exact technology hasn’t yet been identified, but they are NOT who they claim to be. See, here’s what happened:

Rep. Frank Lucas, and a few other Oklahoma and other States’ Congressional Members were depicted as being executed by The World Court on or about Jan. 11, 2011 in Southern Ukraine. On television they were depicted as being executed by the hanging about the neck until death on a white stage and in front of witnesses. Other now current Members of Congress have shared those facts on television also. We know that it is possible to use look alike artificial or manmade replacements, however Rep. Lucas was not eligible to serve as a Congressional Member after that time.

The World knows the truth and We must always display and communicate the truth. I will always share public information with the truth when honored to serve as your Representative.

[,,,]
Sadly, in Tuesday’s primary, it appears that the nonhuman replacement for the late Frank Lucas was able to fool — or hypnotize — 83% of the voters, while certified human Timothy D. Murray was only able to get 5% of the vote. The only scrap of good news here is that, with the electoral success of Lucas and apparently several other androids, the United states has clearly surpassed Japanese android technology.

One point the Wonkette story doesn't highlight,,,

Murray claims the Defense Department is in on the scheme and it isn't the first time a human political candidate has been replaced with an artificially intelligent look-alike:

This is a situation similar to the Senators’ from Kentucky situation in the 2012 election. I am contesting that this matter has happen since his election was blocked, because of the U.S. Defense Department’s use of Mr. Murray’s DNA. To my knowledge, the U.S. Defense Department has not released to the public that information, as it is their confidential information about many people. Congress is likely wanting me to state that all my DNA used will not result in benefits to people I have never had relations with of a family nature. I have been bound to protect that information unless it causes harm to The People.

And if the scenario below sounds vaguely familiar, it should. A point made by a comment over on PZ Myer's blog Pharyngula, it was part of the plot of Eddie Murphy's 1992 movie A Distinguished Gentleman. 

A Florida con man named Thomas Jefferson Johnson uses the passing of the longtime Congressman from his district, Jeff Johnson (who died of a heart attack while having sex with his secretary), to get elected to the United State Congress as a freshman Congressman, where the money flows from lobbyists. Omitting his first name, and abbreviating his middle name, he calls himself "Jeff" Johnson. He then manages to get on the ballot by pitching a seniors organization, the Silver Foxes, to nominate him as their candidate for office.

Once on the election ballot, he uses the dead Congressman's old campaign material and runs a low budget campaign that appeals to name recognition, figuring most people do not pay much attention and simply vote for the "name you know." He wins a slim victory and is off to Washington, a place where the "streets are lined with gold."

Oklahoma Hu-Man Loses GOP Primary To Android Or Replicant Or Lizard Person (Unclear)

What Las Vegas Police Killings Show About Evolving Sovereign Movement - Forbes

On June 2nd, Jerad posted a manifesto that was heavy on emotional rhetoric but had little substance. By this point, the only people responding to or “liking” his posts were his wife, a couple of family members and friends, and the campaign manager for David Lory VanDerBeek. No one suggested that Jerad seek help. No one called to warn the police. The day after the shooting, the campaign manager deleted a photo of the Millers posing with her and the candidate.

__

I haven't posted on the Las Vegas incident due to the fact that there is just so much crazy happening it got tossed to the side. This article was passed on to me from a reader and provides some interesting insights concerning the sovereign movement and some of its history. A history that shares a commonality with another interest of mine.

The story above is bursting with clues about the killers, their objectives, beliefs, and participation in the rapidly expanding Sovereign subculture. Unfortunately, many press reports and pundits seem to be relying on outdated assumptions about the Sovereign movement that don’t take into account that the shooters were young.

Sovereigns do not participate in an organized group that has a membership list or annual dues; they simply share a list of common goals, methods, symbols, and influences which can vary significantly depending on their age group.

[,,,]
Each generation of Sovereigns has its own unique trends, a kind of checklist of red flags or markers to determine how embedded they are in the mindset and beliefs of the movement.

[,,,]
If the goal is to assess the potential violent risk a person poses, this set of age-dependent markers is key. While it might seem intuitive that those who check off the most boxes on the list of Sovereign traits are the most likely to resort to violence, it’s actually the outliers that pose the greatest risk. People who experience a strong sense of community have a shared outlet for expressing their anger, fears, and frustrations. Sovereigns who don’t are desperate for attention and inclusion in the club.

Within the narrative, MacNabb briefly details age related motives for becoming involved in the movement as well as numours "markers" or characteristics:

• Twisting the law to justify breaking the law
• Political affiliation:
• Introduction to the Movement
• Million Mask March
• The Gadsden Flag
• The Call for Revolution
• Fascination with Armed Standoffs
• Racism
• Nazi Comparisons
• Tax Protest Theories
• Redemption Schemes
• Popular (or fabricated) Founding Father Quotes
• Erroneous Legal Theories
• and more including “chem-trails” and fluoride to fake 9/11 evidence and false flags events

A fascinating read!!

What Las Vegas Police Killings Show About Evolving Sovereign Movement - Forbes

Brother of ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Who Reportedly Shot BLM Ranger Traces a Loved One’s Transformation | Hatewatch

“He’s frustrated. He’d like to think that his existence matters, like all of us do, and so he gets out there on these controversies thinking he’ll be like a beacon for the rest of us. He believes he’s going to do the world good. He thinks he’s going to save the world.”

__

I have to agree that this is a "fascinating yet disturbing piece" and I think many of us have our causes that we champion (hence Havoc and Chaos).

Man is not ment to live a solitary life,,,

“He’s been up living life on his own for so long that he just doesn’t see it – that there’s rules that the rest of us follow for good reason,” Marcus Cole of Woodinville, Wash., told Hatewatch. “He’s used to just taking care of himself, and doesn’t understand why anyone wants to keep him from doing as he likes.”

Beliefs are one thing but they need to be grounded in everyday life,,,

“He got into this stuff because he has always liked being argumentative and contrary,” Marc said, adding that he doesn’t tolerate the radical talk when the two visit now. “But I figure, you know, he’s allowed to believe what he wants to believe. And he’s used to living in the outback and being that wild man.

Hits a bit too close to home,,,

“Brent lives a simple life and doesn’t have many needs,” says Marc. “If he could, he would spend all of his time surfing the Internet looking for causes to champion, and then go post about them, never leaving the house.”

Brother of ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Who Reportedly Shot BLM Ranger Traces a Loved One’s Transformation | Hatewatch

BLM Shooting Suspect Is Anti-Government Conspiracy Theorist With Pending Gun Charge

The man accused of shooting two law enforcement members in California, including a Bureau of Land Management ranger, has had at least one previous run-in with law enforcement and has described himself as the target of a massive government conspiracy.

Brent Douglas Cole, 60, was named by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office on Monday as the suspect in Saturday's shooting that also left him wounded.

Anna Ferguson, assistant district attorney for Nevada County, confirmed to TPM that Cole was also facing misdemeanor charges in Nevada County Superior Court for allegedly carrying a loaded firearm. He was charged on Jan. 26.

On Tuesday, the Union newspaper in Grass Valley, Calif., published an article that quoted from court documents in the case. The documents showed Cole believed he was the target of a massive conspiracy:

Officers acted without warrant or any probable cause to seize my person using a swat team style assault, and then started looking for something to charge me with. I was attacked and molested, unconstitutionally arrested, unlawfully incarcerated, repeatedly intimidated and coerced to plead guilty to having committed a crime, held in secret for five days, and my property and liberty taken from me since January 26, 2014. I am being persecuted for being a gun owner, and for exercising my inherent Right by unwitting or unknowing accomplices of a seditious conspiracy against rights instituted by foreign powers inimical to the United States of America.

BLM Shooting Suspect Is Anti-Government Conspiracy Theorist With Pending Gun Charge

See also: 
For a more amusing look at Cole's antics, check out Here Is Possibly (Totally) The ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Who Shot A BLM Officer And Cop, For Freedom

And this guy is a real piece of work — a chemtrails enthusiast, birther, and, according to one of his alleged legal filings, a man who’s “being persecuted for being a gun owner” by “unwitting or unknowing accomplices of a seditious conspiracy against rights instituted by foreign powers enimical [sic] to the United States of America.” We can hardly wait for the Stupidest Man on the Internet to proclaim him a “Leftist.”

In addition to “liking” the Oath Keepers, a couple of chemtrails groups, and a group that wants to expose the HAARP conspiracy, Cole has posts about gun rights (including a fake George Washington quote,) and the usual mix of anti-fluoride weirdness and of course plenty of anti-Semitic paranoia, too,,,