April 30, 2022

PA State Senator Doug Mastriano Responds to Questions About QAnon and That Subpoena!

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But he also completely avoids actually answering those questions about QAnon and that subpoena!

This all happened during the GOP Gubernatorial debate this past week. You can find the video here.

At about 9 minutes in, Dennis Owens of ABC27 asked Sen Mastriano this:

Today the Philadelphia Inquirer reported you attended a conference last week in Gettysburg hosted by a couple who publicly call themselves “Prophets of QAnon.” What can you tell about that and do you consider yourself a member of that group. 30 Seconds.

To which Doug "responded" with this:

It's funny how the media likes to paint anyone they disagree with as a right, on the conservative side, as some kind of extremist.

I don't know that those two ever said that. I was there, of course, speaking to constituents and many people from across the state. And it's very unfair – and people across the state are sick and tired of being labeled as something because you disagree with them politically. 

And with great non-menace, Dennis let him off the hook with:

Ok, thank you.

Ok. So let's unpack Doug's evasion since Dennis simply moved on from it.

Here is the Philadelphia Inquirer article on Doug's attendance at that rally. And this is what they say about the Fosdicks - the hosts:

The conference was organized by Francine and Allen Fodsick, self-described prophets who have long promoted QAnon.

So they're "self-described prophets" who've promoted QAnon but the Inky did not say they called themselves "Prophets of QAnon." 

Dennis got this one a tiny bit wrong and it gave Doug a tiny loophole to avoid the Fosdick's deep QAnon connections.

The Inquirer continued:

About 25 minutes into the two-day conference, organizers played a video claiming the world is experiencing a “great awakening” that will expose “ritual child sacrifice” and a “global satanic blood cult.”

Followers of QAnon believe a global cabal of Democrats and elites are trafficking children for sex and engaged in other demonic activity — but that all of this will soon be exposed. Images associated with the conspiracy theory were on display during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

The video showed Friday featured a kind of greatest hits of conspiracy theories that have circulated for decades. It showed images of the Twin Towers collapsing on 9/11 — with the label “false flags.” It claimed John F. Kennedy was assassinated because he “knew too much” and posed a “high risk of cabal exposure,” that vaccines amount to “genocide therapy,” and that Hitler faked his death. It offered other conspiracy theories about the atomic bomb, the Spanish flu, 5G, the 2008 financial crisis — and, of course, the 2020 election.

This is how the Fosdicks promoted themselves on the Patriots Arise website advertising this QAnon rally:

Allen & Francine Fosdick are the founders of Up Front in the Prophetic Podcast and can be seen on YouTube, Rumble as well as other platforms. Their mission was, and still is today, to inform and educate on all realms of media to include Government, Business, Education, Supernatural, Family, Wellness and so much more.

 In a world that is full of noise and confusion, Up Front in The Prophetic was established to bring truth and solid biblical answers to the issues of our day.

From call-in shows to events, prophecy updates to news reports and national prayer calls, Up Front in The Prophetic is on the cutting edge to keep you, the listeners, informed. [Italics in original.]

Their website does contain a "Q" page but it's nearly empty - the videos victims of YouTube's misinformation scrubbing.

The Inquirer also has this:

Mastriano has been interviewed by the Fodsicks multiple times for their podcast. After the Fodsicks began promoting a similar event last year and listed Mastriano as a featured speaker, the senator’s spokesman said he wouldn’t be attending.

Mastriano “strongly condemns the ‘Q anon’ conspiracy theory” and “never committed to speak at this event but sadly was used to help promote it with his picture on the invite,” the spokesperson said at the time.

But that didn’t stop Mastriano from attending this time. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Mastriano’s campaign has not responded to repeated inquiries over the course of the campaign.

So while the Inquirer never said that the Fosdicks promoted themselves as "prophets of QAnon" it's hard if not impossible to see how Doug Mastriano did not know what they believed and did not know the sort of the room he was entering to "speak to his constituents."
 
They were there because they believed (or were at least very sympathetic) to QAnon. Doug had to know this. His suggesting anything otherwise is just a lie. 
 
And then there's Doug evading a question about the Subpoena. 

About 15 minutes in, Dennis the non-Menace asked:
You organized buses to the Capital on January 6, 2020. You’ve been subpoenaed to testify before the House committee investigating that day. To our knowledge, you have not responded to that subpoena. But what do you say to Republican voters tonight, specifically those who might be concerned that there are still legal issues ahead for you on that topic?

And Doug evaded with:

There are no legal issues. I'll delineate in the US Constitution that we have five freedoms delineated in the first Amendment. Freedom of Religion, Press, Speech, Assembly and Right to Redress the Government. I was there to hear my president speak and then I was invited to speak in two locations, exercising my constitutional rights. And shame on the media and the democrats for painting anyone down there as a villain. 

Barack Obama said in 2016 and this station played that. He said, “to condemn a group based on the actions of one is irresponsible and wrong.” And so condemning all those people that did nothing wrong, that's unjustice to our freedom.

Yea, Doug's leaving a lot out. For example the First Amendment says this:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. [Emphasis added.]

Did you see the adverb Doug left out?

The Committee is not investigating the peaceable assembly of Trump's mob.  It's investigating the violent assembly of Trump's mob.

From the Subpoena letter Doug evaded:

The Select Committee is investigating the facts, circumstances, and causes of the January 6th attack and issues relating to the peaceful transfer of power, in order to identify and evaluate lessons learned and to recommend to the House and its relevant committees corrective laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations. The inquiry includes examination of how various individuals and entities coordinated their activities leading up to the events of January 6, 2021.

And specifically, this is what the committee is asking of Doug:

Based on publicly available information and information produced to the Select Committee, we believe that you have documents and information that are relevant to the Select Committee’s investigation. For example, we understand that you have knowledge of and participated in a plan to arrange for an alternate slate of electors to be presented to the President of the Senate on January 6, 2021, and we understand that you spoke with former President Trump about your post-election activities.

We understand you participated in these activities based on assertions of voter fraud and other asserted irregularities and based on a stated belief that under the U.S. Constitution the “state legislature has the sole authority to direct the manner of selecting delegates to the Electoral College.” We have an interest in understanding these activities and the theories that motivated them. 

Based on your public statements, we understand that you were present during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and that you witnessed “agitators...getting in the face of the police” and “agitators...start pushing the police up the [Capitol] steps.”4 We would like to better understand these statements and expenditures, events that you witnessed or in which you participated, and communications we believe you may have had with national, state, and local officials about the outcome of the November 2020 election.

See that? Nothing about Doug exercising his constitutional rights. Nothing about his free speech rights. Nothing about anything other than the events surrounding and leading up to a non-peaceful assembly.

By evading that characterization, Doug is lying about the January 6 Committee subpoena.

On the other hand, he got the Sword of David (and a heavy swag bag!) as thanks for being a part of at that QAnon conference he willfully attended.
What's in the heavy bag, Doug?

at

April 29, 2022

(Not A Doctor) Wendy Bell Dispenses Medical Misinformation. Again.

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This is reprehensible on so many levels.

Take a look (thanks WBW for the video!):

The transcript:

You know somebody who lost a baby after getting vaccinated? How many people have?

The numbers are staggering!

Why isn't Tony Fauci talking about this?

Next, on the Wendy Bell Radio Program.

I know four people personally who were vaccinated and had miscarriages.

We'll just leave it there. The damage is done.

The noxious Wendy asks "why isn't Tony Fauci talking about" the connection between the covid vaccine and miscarriage? The clear implication on Wendy's part is that he hasn't.

But in reality, he has. Good Morning America February 2, 2022:

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, said Wednesday there is "no evidence" that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 impairs fertility.

"New data add to previous studies that indicate that COVID-19 vaccination does not negatively impact fertility," Fauci said in a briefing by the White House COVID-19 Response Team, adding that vaccination is "recommended for people who are trying to get pregnant now or might become pregnant in the future, as well as their partners." 

That's only two and a half months ago, Wendy. How did you miss it? How did your crack team of medical researchers miss it? 

Did you miss this study from the Journal of the American Medical Association, Wendy?

It contains this sentence:

Among women with spontaneous abortions, the odds of COVID-19 vaccine exposure were not increased in the prior 28 days compared with women with ongoing pregnancies. 

Or how about this statement from the American Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology?

It contains this paragraph:

Claims linking COVID-19 vaccines to infertility are unfounded and have no scientific evidence supporting them. Given the mechanism of action and the safety profile of the mRNA vaccines in nonpregnant individuals, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are not a cause of infertility. Adenovirus vector vaccines such as the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine cannot replicate following administration, and available data demonstrate that it is cleared from tissues following injection. Because it does not replicate in the cells, the vaccine cannot cause infection or alter the DNA of a vaccine recipient and is also not a cause of infertility (Evans, 2021, Morris 2021). Additionally, a growing body of data demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccines do not negatively impact fertility. In a prospective cohort study of couples trying to conceive, no meaningful association between COVID-19 vaccination in either partner with fecundability was found (Wesselink 2022). Further, a study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai investigated fertility outcomes after COVID-19 vaccination, including egg quality, embryo quality and development, pregnancy rates, and early miscarriage. The study showed no differences in rates of adverse outcomes in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated patients (Aharon 2022). Therefore, ACOG recommends vaccination for all eligible people who may consider future pregnancy. [Emphases added.]

Did you miss the science, Wendy? Or did you just ignore it?

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the difference between anecdotal (what Wendy's pushing) and scientific evidence.

The scientific evidence reflects reality the anecdotal reflects the bias of the speaker.

Wendy Bell is pushing people away from the vaccine and in doing so is putting their health at risk.



at

April 28, 2022

QAnon Doug And The Crazies In Gettysburg!

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Right Wing Watch had someone at that Patriots Arise rally this past weekend.

And the results are even more crazie than you'd expect:

Given that the event was organized by and featured a lineup full of QAnon conspiracy theorists, it was no surprise that the entire event was steeped in QAnon and other conspiracy theories right from the very start. In opening the conference Friday morning, Francine Fosdick welcomed attendees with a 6-minute promo video featuring QAnon imagery, words, and symbolism.

Yea, let's take a look at that video:

Patriots Arise Promo Video from Right Wing Watch on Vimeo.

Some highlights:

0:46: This is The Great Awakening
2:08: Spanish Flu. Pandemic Rehearsal
2:10: [Image of Titanic] False History
2:24  [Image of Hitler] Faked His Death
2:33: [Image of JFG in Dallas] JFK Knew Too Much/High Risk of Cabal Exposure
2:43: [Image of 9/11]: False Flags
3:02: Climate Change/Fear Porn
3:09: [Image of Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad] Push Technology/As The New God/ Trust Science?
3:33: Baby Harvest/Follow The White Rabbit/Baby Farms/Adrenochrome

I think that's enough to establish this as a QAnon rally, don't you?

And that's just the first half (or so)!

This is the rally that Pennsylvania State Senator (and GOP Candidate for Governor) Doug Mastriano attended.

On purpose.

RWW has some more on some of the other speakers for example Dr Elizabeth Eads:

On purpose, Doug went to that rally.

And here's what Doug himself said at that rally he purposely attended:

So you like Florida under Desantis, you'll LOVE Pennsylvania under Mastriano!

To show just how important Doug Mastriano's presence was to this QAnon rally, they gave him a special parting gift!

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported:

When candidates for public office indulge in conspiracy theories like QAnon, it’s often with a wink and a nod.

But just weeks before Pennsylvania’s May 17 primary election, such ideas are being promoted in plain sight. And high-profile Republican candidates for statewide office are treating talk of a “global satanic blood cult” like regular campaigning.

Last week in Gettysburg, a far-right Christian conference called “Patriots Arise for God and Country” drew State Sen. Doug Mastriano, a GOP front-runner for Pennsylvania governor; Teddy Daniels, a candidate for lieutenant governor; Maryland gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox; Liz Harrington, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump; and former Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis.

 Vice has this:

Mastriano gave a long speech that argued that America is a Christian nation, mocked what he called “this myth of the separation of church and state,” and promised the audience that he and they are “taking our country back.”

“We’re going to win on May 17 [Pennsylvania’s primary date], with your help. And in November we’re going to take our state back. My god will make it so,” Mastriano promised, to cheers from the crowd.

QAnon Doug. GOP Candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania.

Does he think that JFK is still alive or that he was killed because he "knew too much" about the Cabal?

Shouldn't one or more of the state's talented political reporters ask him?

at

April 27, 2022

More On Scott Perry (R-PA) From The Meadows Texts

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From CNN:

Newly obtained text messages and recent court filings fill in significant gaps about the key role a little-known Pennsylvania Republican congressman played at almost every turn in scheming to reverse or delay certification of the 2020 election.

The texts, which were among those selectively provided by Donald Trump's former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to the House select committee, show Rep. Scott Perry pushing to have the nation's top intelligence official investigate baseless conspiracy theories and working to replace the US acting attorney general with an acolyte willing to do Trump's bidding.
 
"From an Intel friend: DNI needs to task NSA to immediately seize and begin looking for international comms related to Dominion," Perry wrote to Meadows on November 12, just five days after the election was called for Joe Biden.

In the text, which has not been previously reported, Perry appears to be urging Meadows to get John Ratcliffe, then-Director of National Intelligence, to order the National Security Agency to investigate debunked claims that Dominion voting machines were hacked by China.

This is getting serious for PA Rep Perry.

 From PennLive: 

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) has been linked to meetings with former White House staff as they planned a strategy to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to a deposition transcript of Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

And:

Deposition excerpts filed by the Jan 6. select committee — part of an effort to force former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to appear for an interview — suggest that some of former President Donald Trump’s top allies in Congress were present in meetings where strategies to prevent then-President-elect Joe Biden from taking office were discussed, Politico reported. Perry was one of several members of Congress that attended those meetings either in person or by phone.

Deeply entwined in the plot it seems.

CNN also pointed out:

Last year, the Senate singled out Perry for his role in promoting Trump's election fraud conspiracies. 

That first link contains a page that looks like this:


And that second link contains this:

Perry is one of three people Senate Democrats singled out whose connection to January 6 was "particularly notable" and warranted further investigation beyond the scope of their probe. The Senate report urges the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol to take a closer look at Perry's actions in December 2020 and January 2021, when Trump considered replacing acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen with Clark after Rosen wouldn't buy into his lies about election fraud.
 
Perry and the other two officials singled out by the report, Trump campaign legal adviser Cleta Mitchell and Pennsylvania state GOP Rep. Doug Mastriano, could all have firsthand knowledge about Trump's efforts behind the scenes in the lead-up to the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Notice another prominent Pennsylvania name?

He's a State Senator from Adams County, PA. He's also running for Governor of Pennsylvania.

And he's been linked to Scott Perry and Scott Perry's been shown to be deeply embedded in Trump's plot to stop the peaceful transfer of power in January 2020.

They've both been subpoenaed by the January 6 Committee and both, so far, have declined to cooperate with that congressional committee.

Can I get a Pennsylvania political reporter to ask Doug Mastriano about his ties to Scott Perry, please?

Can I get a Pennsylvania political reporter to ask Scott Perry about his ties to Doug Mastriano, please?

 

at

April 26, 2022

Rep. Scott Perry's In It Deep (And So Is PA State Sen Mastriano)

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And by "it" I mean Trump's "not legally sound" plan to stay in office after loosing the 2020 election to Joe Biden.

My evidence for "deep" starts in the first two paragraphs of this piece from the NYTimes:

It was less than two weeks before President Donald J. Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress would have what they saw as their last chance to overturn the 2020 election, and Representative Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania, was growing anxious.

“Time continues to count down,” he wrote in a text message to Mark Meadows, then the White House chief of staff, adding: “11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to inauguration. We gotta get going!”

Perry also shows up in these paragraphs:

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Mr. Meadows, told the House committee that she recalled at least 11 members of Congress who were involved in discussions with White House officials about overturning the election, including plans to pressure Mr. Pence to throw out electoral votes from states won by Mr. Biden.

She said members of Congress involved in the discussions at various points included Mr. Perry; Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio; Representatives Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar and Debbie Lesko of Arizona; Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama; Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida; Representative Jody Hice and Ms. Greene of Georgia; Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas; and Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

 “They felt that he had the authority to — pardon me if my phrasing isn’t correct on this, but — send votes back to the states or the electors back to the states,” Ms. Hutchinson testified, adding that they had appeared to embrace a plan promoted by the conservative lawyer John Eastman that members of both parties have likened to a blueprint for a coup.

Ms. Hutchinson said that Mr. Perry, Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Gohmert were present when White House lawyers told the group that the plan to use so-called alternative electors was not “legally sound,” but that Mr. Meadows allowed it to move forward nonetheless.

They knew it wasn't legal and yet did it anyway. 

But this blog post isn't just about Rep Scott Perry. Can't be just about him. 'Cause he's not a lone wolf in these here Pennsylvania parts. No sirree Bob. Nope.

Where he goes, PA State Senator (and gubernatorial candidate) Doug Mastriano also goes.

We've already blogged about:

Can someone please put a microphone in front of Doug Mastriano's face and ask him about how deeply he's involved in Trump's attempted coup? Please? Before the election?

That would be a good journalism thing to do, doncha think?

at

April 25, 2022

Look At This! (Mastriano & The QAnons)

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From Mediamatters:

Numerous Republicans, including Pennsylvania gubernatorial contender Doug Mastriano, are scheduled to speak at a conference hosted by podcast hosts and QAnon conspiracy theorists Allen and Francine Fosdick. The Fosdicks have promoted conspiracy theories alleging Jewish people, led by the Rothchilds, have been manipulating events such as wildfires through “space weather” and lasers; aim to subjugate the human race; and have evil “bloodlines” with other prominent Jewish people.  

Allen and Francine Fosdick host the online program Up Front In The Prophetic. The Fosdicks have pushed numerous conspiracy theories over the years, including repeatedly promoting QAnon. Their website currently features numerous links promoting Pizzagate, the conspiracy theory that prominent Democrats have trafficked children through a Washington, D.C., restaurant. 

The Fosdicks announced that they are hosting a conference on April 22-23 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, featuring “conservative leaders and upcoming representatives that put America First.” The list of scheduled speakers include Mastriano, who is also a conservative commentator, state senator, and QAnon supporter; Pennsylvania lieutenant governor candidate Teddy Daniels; Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Barnette; commentator and former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis; Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington; and Maryland delegate and QAnon-supporting gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox. 

And here's a tweet advertising the event:

The Facebook Page for the event says it was hosted by Lt Gov Candidate Teddy Daniels.

As we all know both Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano and Attorney Jenna Ellis have been subpoenaed by the January 6 Committee.

But enough of that. Let's take a few minutes to look at some of the other names on that poster.

We'll start with Dr Betsey Eads:

Dr. Elizabeth Eads is on the frontline of medicine, treating patients who have been injected with the experimental CV19 so-called “vaccines.”  Dr. Eads is now seeing first-hand Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, commonly referred to as AIDS.  Let that sink in.  Dr. Eads explains, “Yes, we are seeing vaccine related acquired immunodeficiency in the hospital now from the triple vaxed. . . . It is a vax injury, and we are not really certain how to treat this.  We are kind of throwing the kitchen sink at it. . . . .We are trying to use everything we can think of to boost up the CD4 and CD8 counts and reverse this collapse or calamity of this immune collapse.  It’s very stunning.”

Dr. Eads says it is particularly bad in the double CV19 vaxed and boosted.  She calls the third injection “The Kill Shot, the Money Ball or whatever you want to call it.  It is just devastating to the immune system, and I’ll tell you why.  If you look at the recent Stanford study, and I am just going to read a couple of sentences from the Stanford study:  ‘The spike protein in the CV19 vaccines that everyone is talking about is called the Lentivirus.  The Lenti contains a combination of HIV, types one through three, SRV/1, which is AIDS, MERS and SARS.  In the Stanford study, the best-known Lentivirus is the human immune deficiency pathogen, which causes AIDS.  This is why we are seeing autoimmune and neurodegenerative decline after the Covid 19 (Vax) especially the booster. . . . It permanently changes the genome of the cell.  That is why this is so terrifying to us in the medical community.  We just don’t know how to attack this.”

Of course, this is bullshit:

A viral article from Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com claims that “millions get AIDS” from COVID-19 vaccines and features an interview with Dr. Elizabeth Eads, a frequent purveyor of vaccine misinformation. She has promoted false vaccine information on Twitter as well as other platforms. She appeared on a podcast in September 2021 to discuss the false claim that the vaccines cause “viral shedding,” a claim we have fact-checked before. 

In the interview, Eads references a Stanford study as evidence for her claim that the COVID vaccines cause “autoimmune and neurodegenerative decline.” She also claims that COVID-19 vaccines are infecting people with HIV.

And about that "spike protein in the CV19 vaccines that everyone is talking about" there's this:

Robert Garry, a Tulane University virologist, addressed many of Eads’ false claims in an email interview with The Dispatch Fact Check, calling this point “nonsense.”

Garry explained that “the C19 vaccines contain neither the SARS-Cov-2 Spike itself or mRNA that induces your cells to produce the SARS-coV-2 Spike.” Furthermore, there “are no retroviruses or lentiviruses in any of the C19 vaccines in use.” Some scientists “have suggested using lentivirus vectors to deliver the SARS-Cov2 spike as a vaccine” but “none of the approved vaccines use this approach.”

Then there's Pastor Shane Vaughn:

Pastor Shane Vaughn criticized Christians who wear masks for living their life in fear, not faith, and said God told him COVID-19 is "never leaving" until people "get that faith."

Vaughn, the co-founder of First Harvest Ministries in Mississippi, said on Sunday that God spoke to him about COVID-19, calling it the "spirit of the antichrist." He called it a test for "God's weak, anemic church," and advocated for people to stop wearing masks, trust in God and not vaccines and not be afraid of dying of COVID-19.

Then there's Teddy Daniels himself:

Looks like Teddy Daniels got closer to Trump's insurrection than even Doug Mastriano did!

Oh, Doug endorsed Daniels to be his running mate in January.

On the Fosdicks themselves and about their previous Patriots Arise event, there's this from the ADL:

Allen and Francine Fosdick: Run a pro-QAnon religious podcast “Up Front in the Prophetic” and hosted a QAnon-oriented event, Patriots Arise: Awakening the Dead!”, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in June. In a July 16 Telegram post for their show, they focused on the COVID-19 vaccine, writing, “They are trying to stop the message of the truth about the experimental jab, saying it’s misinformation! They are panicking! Keep spreading the "truth guys!!!"
You know who would've been perfect for this rally? Robert David Steele. QAnon believer, anti-vaxx pronouncer, the whole shebang.

I suspect I know at least one reason why he wasn't scheduled for that rally.

He died of Covid last summer.

As we've posted recently, KFF published a study estimating that 234,000 Americans have died since vaccines were fully available. How many of these folks died because they believed the anti-vaxxers scheduled to talk at that Patriots Arise rally?

Shame on them.

at

April 24, 2022

Uh-oh. The 1/6 Committee Deposition Excerpt Release (More On Perry and Mastriano's Involvement)

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And wouldn't you know, there's a Pennsylvania connection or two!

We'll start here at Forbes. In a piece about House Minority Leader Mark Meadows very bad past few days, there's this:

Friday night: Yet more troubling news broke when the January 6 committee filed deposition excerpts alleging several prominent House Republicans, including Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio), Louie Gohmert (Texas) and Matt Gaetz (Fla.) held meetings with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in December 2020 to strategize how to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The link above leads to Politico: 

Republican members of Congress were heavily involved in calls and meetings with former President Donald Trump and his top aides as they devised a strategy to overturn the election in December 2020, according to new evidence filed in federal court late Friday.

Deposition excerpts filed by the Jan 6. select committee — part of an effort to force a former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to appear for an interview — suggest that some of Trump’s top allies in Congress were frequently present in meetings where a handful of strategies to prevent then-President-elect Joe Biden from taking office were discussed, including efforts to replace the leadership of the Justice Department with figures who would sow doubts about the legitimacy of the election.

Lawmakers who attended meetings, in person or by phone, included Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and numerous members of the House Freedom Caucus, according to Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Meadows who provided key testimony about the conversations and meetings Meadows had in December 2020.

There it is. Did you catch the Pa connection?

Third paragraph, first sentence. Twelfth and thirteenth words; Scott Perry. He represents Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives. 

That "new evidence" is a Defendents Motion for Summary Judgement filed on 4/22/2022.

In it, the committee is looking for Meadows to talk to them on seven discrete topics:

  1. Testimony regarding non-privileged documents (including text and email communications) that Mr. Meadows has already provided to the Select Committee in response to the subpoena, and testimony about events that Mr. Meadows has already publicly described in his book and elsewhere; 
  2. Testimony and documents regarding post-election efforts by the Trump campaign, the Trump legal team, and Mr. Meadows to create false slates of Presidential electors, or to pressure or persuade state and local officials and legislators to take actions to change the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election; 
  3. Testimony and documents relating to communications with Members of Congress in preparation for and during the events of January 6th; 
  4. Testimony and documents regarding the plan, in the days before January 6th, to replace Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen with Mr. Jeffrey Clark so that the Department could corruptly change its conclusions regarding election fraud;
  5. Testimony and documents relating to efforts by President Trump to instruct, direct, persuade or pressure Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to count electoral votes on January 6th; 
  6. Testimony and documents relating to activity in the White House immediately before and during the events of January 6th; and 
  7. Testimony and documents relating to meetings and communications with individuals not affiliated with the federal government regarding the efforts to change the results of the 2020 election.

Some of those 7 have great impact on this Pennsylvania connection. As we'll see.

But let's look and see where Mr Perry shows up in the document.

Regarding the above Topic 4, there's this:

Mr. Meadows participated in multiple communications with persons involved in the effort to replace the Acting Attorney General in the days before January 6th. He communicated with Congressman Scott Perry about elevating Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark. Other communications relate to issues on which President Trump has not asserted privilege or immunity claims; indeed, the Select Committee has already received testimony regarding the President’s communications with White House Counsel and multiple Justice Department officials on these issues. Evidence shows that Mr. Clark intended, if appointed, to issue a series of letters changing the Department’s position and giving credence to President Trump’s allegations that the election was stolen. The Select Committee believes that such letters using Department of Justice letterhead, would have lent the imprimatur of the Department of Justice to, and appear to legitimize, false claims that the election was stolen if released prior to January 6th and could thereby have mobilized an even more significant, violent attack. (No subsequent effort by Department of Justice staff to oppose such revelations could likely have put that genie fully back in the bottle in time.)
We've seen the Scott Perry/Jeffrey Clark nexus already.

From the NYTimes:

On Nov. 9, two days after The Associated Press called the race for Mr. Biden, crisis meetings were underway at Trump campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va.

Mr. Perry and Mr. Jordan huddled with senior White House officials, including Mr. Meadows; Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser; Bill Stepien, the campaign manager; and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary.

According to two people familiar with the meetings, which have not been previously reported, the group settled on a strategy that would become a blueprint for Mr. Trump’s supporters in Congress: Hammer home the idea that the election was tainted, announce legal actions being taken by the campaign, and bolster the case with allegations of fraud.

PA Representative Scott Perry was there at the beginning of the plan.

Regarding the above Topic 2, there's this:

As indicated, Mr. Meadows participated, as a functionary of the Trump campaign, in activities intended to result in actions by state officials and legislatures to change the certified results of the election. Thus, under D.C. Circuit precedent, documents and testimony regarding events in this capacity are not subject to claims of executive privilege. See In re Sealed Case (Espy), 121 F.3d 729, 752 (D.C. Cir. 1997) (“Of course, the [presidential communication] privilege only applies to communications that these advisers and their staff author or solicit and receive in the course of performing their function of advising the President on official government matters.”) One such example is the call with Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger, and other related efforts to change the election results in Georgia. Other examples are numerous. See supra at 10, 30. For example, Mr. Meadows was also involved in an effort to generate so-called alternative slates of electors for certain states which falsely certified that President Trump rather than President Biden had been victorious. See supra at 13- 14. The Select Committee now has testimony from other White House staff that Mr. Meadows and certain congressmen were advised by White House Counsel that efforts to generate false certificates did not comply with the law. [Italics in original.]

This "so-called alternative slates of electors" issue is what the Committee subpoenaed PA State Senator Doug Mastriano. 

From the subpoena letter to PA State Senator Doug Mastriano:

Based on publicly available information and information produced to the Select Committee, we believe that you have documents and information that are relevant to the Select Committee’s investigation. For example, we understand that you have knowledge of and participated in a plan to arrange for an alternate slate of electors to be presented to the President of the Senate on January 6, 2021, and we understand that you spoke with former President Trump about your post-election activities. We understand you participated in these activities based on assertions of voter fraud and other asserted irregularities and based on a stated belief that under the U.S. Constitution the “state legislature has the sole authority to direct the manner of selecting delegates to the Electoral College.”  We have an interest in understanding these activities and the theories that motivated them. [Emphasis added.]
Will there be any sort of comment by Rep Perry or PA State Sen Mastriano about the ongoing investigation into Mark Meadows involvement in Trump's attempted coup?

Wherever you look their names are but one or maybe two steps away.

When will they be testifying before Congress?

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April 22, 2022

And Now Science Speaks

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From KFF we read:

As of mid-April 2022, nearly 1 million people in the U.S. have died of COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines that are free, safe, and highly effective have been widely available to all adults in the U.S. since early May 2021. Older and higher-risk adults in the U.S. had access to these vaccines months earlier. Therefore, by June 2021, adults in the U.S. could have been fully vaccinated and protected from most cases of severe illness or death due to COVID-19.

In this analysis, we estimate the number of adult deaths that could have been prevented by timely vaccination. We find that approximately 234,000 deaths since June 2021 could have been prevented with primary series vaccination. These vaccine-preventable deaths represent 60% of all adult COVID-19 deaths since June 2021, and a quarter (24%) of the nearly 1 million COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began.

I wonder if The Angel of Death read this, too.

She should be so proud of herself.

Back to the report:

Overall, we find that from June 2021 through March 2022, approximately 234,000 lives could have been saved with a primary series of COVID-19 vaccines. These preventable deaths represent 60% of all adult COVID-19 deaths since June 2021, when vaccines became widely available, and 24% of the nearly 1 million COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began.

That's more than a quarter million.

How many of these deaths occurred in Pennsylvania? 

Now, let's go take a look at what Wendy Bell, our Angel of Death has been saying since June of 2021:

  • June 1, 2021 - Wendy gets fact checked by an actual medical expert from Health Feedback over in France for her misuse of the VAERS database.
  • June 2, 2021 - Wendy gets fact checked by FB over her misuse of the VAERS database.
  • June 6, 2021 - Wendy reacts negatively to the June 1 fact check and tells a sad story from her childhood.
  • June 11, 2021 - Wendy misinterprets a pro-vaccine study for her audience to push them away from getting vaccinated.
  • June 15, 2021 - Wendy again misinforms her audience with numbers from the VAERS database.
  • June 22, 2021 - Wendy misinforms with VAERS. Again.
  • June 26, 2021 - Wendy misinforms about a "likely link" between the vaccines and a rare heart condition.

An estimated 234,000 unvaccinated people have died of Covid-19 since June of 2021. How many of them by choice?

She's been lying to the public since well before June of 2021 so I have to ask, how much of Wendy's medical misinformation can be attributed to those deaths?

Wendy Bell, der Todesengel.

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April 21, 2022

S'more Questions For Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano

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The NYTimes is reporting:

The federal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election appears to be gaining traction, with the Justice Department having brought in a well-regarded new prosecutor to help run the inquiry and a high-profile witness seeking a deal to provide information.

Alex Jones, the host of the conspiracy-driven media outlet Infowars and a key player in the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” movement, is in discussions with the Justice Department about an agreement to detail his role in the rally near the White House last Jan. 6 that preceded the attack on the Capitol.

And:

If prosecutors ultimately speak with Mr. Jones, they will encounter a polarizing figure with a broad range of ties to people in pro-Trump circles, including some of Mr. Trump’s aides and advisers. Mr. Jones was closely involved in pro-Trump rallies in Washington on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12 in 2020, working with rally organizers, prominent speakers and far-right militant groups like the Oath Keepers, whose members provided security at the gatherings.

You were at that December 12, 2020 rally, weren't you Senator?

Yes, yes you were.

Here's the Jericho March press release to refresh your memory.

Hey, Rose Tennent was there, too! Does KDKA know this?

Anyway, as part of story The Times also reported on a new hire over at DOJ:

Several months ago, the department quietly took another significant step, adding Thomas Windom, a career federal prosecutor from Maryland, to help in the expanded Jan. 6 investigation, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Mr. Windom has been working with officials from the national security and criminal divisions at the Justice Department to determine whether and how to investigate potential criminal activity related to the Jan. 6 attack, other than what took place during the assault.

His work complements two teams led by prosecutors in the Washington U.S. attorney’s office: one focused on charging people for participating in the riot and one focused on more complicated conspiracy cases stemming from it, such as the seditious conspiracy case that was brought against Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers. [Emphasis added.]

 Do you remember Stewart Rhodes, Senator? He was at that December 12 rally, too!

Rightwingwatch reported:

At a Dec. 12 rally of Trump fans convened on the National Mall, Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes called on President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act in the wake of Democrat Joe Biden’s imminent ascendency to the presidency of the United States, and declare martial law. Should Trump fail to do this, Rhodes said, Oath Keepers and its fellow travelers would be compelled to take matters into their own hands, in what he said would be a “much more bloody war.”

You took an oath to "support, defend and obey" the Constitution, didn't you Senator?

So when you learned that Stewart Rhodes called for a "bloody war" should Donald Trump fail to declare martial law (which BTW, Trump did not) you acted swiftly and decisively to denounce Rhodes for treason, didn't you?

It should be easy to find on the internet if you did, am I right?

How involved were you in all this, Senator? Your name seems to pop up in some very important events, you know.



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April 20, 2022

Hill v. Mastriano 4:22-cv-00556

Posted by

Well, I've seen it.

An astute reader was kind enough to email a PDF of the lawsuit in.

Let me frame this in the usual caveats. I am not an attorney. I've never taken a law course, opened a law book or studied to be a lawyer/legal assistant/paralegal/legal secretary in anyway. Aside from one very short stint on a jury in the mid-90s, I have no experience whatsoever as a lawyer.

I've never even played one on TV.

Anyway, back to Hill v Mastriano.

This is the cover sheet:

Yea. Hill's heart is certainly in the right place but I can't see this going anywhere.

For example, he flubs a reference to the PA Constitution:

Pursuant to Amendment 14, Section 3 - PA Constitution, Pennsylvania state Senator Doug Mastriano should be barred from running for Pennsylvania governor in 2022...
That's in the first page. He's referencing the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, though he gets the reference right on the fourth but still it's not a good way to open a lawsuit.

Hill does have a point, of course. That section of the US Constitution reads:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.[Emphasis added.]

Hill then lists all the stuff we already know about; Mastriano lied about how long he wandered around the Capitol that day, Mastriano's office chartered buses to the January 6 rally, Mastriano had his picture taken with fellow RWNJ Rick Saccone and so on.

All of these things are very very bad politically. I'm just not so sure they're enough to bounce him from the primary ballot.

But at the heart of the matter is this: to the extent that PA State Senator Doug Mastriano was involved in Trump's attempted coup, he's disqualified from running for public office, any public office, ever again.

Senator, any word on when you'll comment about that congressional subpoena you received?

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April 19, 2022

A Lawsuit Filed Against The Treason-adjacent Mastriano and Perry!

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Last night, Pennlive reported:

A Lycoming County resident is challenging the right of two conservative Republicans to be on next month’s primary ballot because of their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection and their efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Jeffrey D. Hill of Muncy, a registered Democrat, in documents filed Friday and Monday in U.S. Middle District Court, claims actions taken by state Sen. Doug Mastriano and U.S. Rep. Scott Perry disqualify them under the state constitution. Mastriano is one of nine GOP candidates running for governor.

He contends the two violated their oaths to support the U.S. Constitution by engaging in subversive activities leading up to the storming of the Capitol and the violence that ensued.

I so need to find a copy of this lawsuit!

Pennlive continues:

These are among the reasons Hill claims Mastriano, a state senator from Franklin County, should be disqualified.

  • Chartered bases at his expense to transport people to then President Trump’s rally that preceded the riot at the Capitol.
  • He and his wife were photographed at the Capitol as rioters were breaching police lines.
  • Was with former state Rep. Rick Saccone when the latter encouraged insurrections to storm the Capitol.
  • Joined a Republican delegation that met with Trump in the Oval Office to discuss overturning the election after Joe Biden had been certified the winner.
  • Considers far-right groups such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys as patriots.

Yea, I really need to see this lawsuit.

I can buy the "violated their oaths" argument 100%. The others, if the reporting is accurate, not so much.

Here's why.  This is the Oath that Rep Perry took:

I...do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
There was no evidence of voter fraud and Trump's mob was looking to stop the Constitutionally described transfer of power to the winner of the 2020 election, Joe Biden. This makes them enemies of The Constitution. Something Rep. Scott Perry should have been defending, as per his oath.

He did not. However deeply he's involved in Trump's coup attempt, he's that much in violation of his oath.

We've already looked at the various oaths State Senator Doug Mastriano's taken. This is the oath he took when he was seated as a Pennsylvania State Senator:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity.

Part of that oath is to "obey and defend the Constitution" and being part of an attempted coup obviously violates that oath.

Some of Hill's other arguments (the charge that Mastriano considers the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys to be patriots, for example) just don't fly.

As with Rep Perry, to the extent that he's involved with Trump's attempted coup, that's how much he's in violation of his oath of office. And if he's in violation of his oath of office, he's disqualified from holding it - or any other.

Let me just add that refusing to cooperate with a congressional committee investigating the January 6 insurrection would certainly qualify, in my mind at least - but then again I'm not an attorney, as an oath violation, to be sure.

If anyone comes across a PDF of Hill's lawsuit, please send it in. I really want to see it.

I'll keep looking for it as well.

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April 18, 2022

Meanwhile, Outside

Posted by

Yes, there's great distress across the globe. War, disease, corruption and so on.

But this story hasn't changed much.

From the scientists at NOAA:

The March 2022 global surface temperature departure was the fifth highest for March in the 143-year record at 0.95°C (1.71°F) above the 20th century average. This was also the highest monthly temperature departure since November 2020. The seven warmest Marches have occurred since 2015, while the 10 warmest Marches have occurred since 2002. March 2022 also marked the 46th consecutive March and the 447th consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th century average.

Not a hoax.

Not a joke, not a lie, not exaggerating.

It's real.

It's still getting hotter out there.

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April 16, 2022

PA State Senator Doug Mastriano Shows Off The Work Of An Important LGBTQ+ Artist!

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I'm not sure PA State Senator Doug Mastriano has thought this through thoroughly.

A few days ago Doug posted this image on Facebook:

With this text:

The art of our State Senate
This mural is on the back of the senate, painted by Violet Oakley and is based upon Matthew chapter 26:50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.
52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

There are a number of things that Doug, someone who calls himself historian BTW, gets wrong.

Let me show you.

While he says that the mural is based on Matthew 26:50-53 (see above) the actual story of the mural is something more than a little different.

Doug doesn't seem to know this.

As thumbnailed by PA Heritage:

The narrative begins at the entrance to the Senate Chamber with scenes of 17th- and 18th-century Quakers in Pennsylvania. The Little Sanctuary in the Wilderness depicts the faith of Quaker colonists who believed they would not be harmed if they left their cabin door unlocked and refused to bear arms against the Indians.

It's the Quaker "Legend of the Latchstring", Doug, not Matthew Chapter 26.

This catalog from the Gettysburg College explains a little more:

Oakley’s image illustrates a colonial era Quaker family, seen to the right, who decide to remove the latchstring from their front door for fear of attack by hostile Native Americans, seen to the left. After realizing their guilt by not trusting in God to protect them, the Quakers decide to replace the latch-string, allowing the Natives to enter their home. Upon entering, the Natives become aware that the family has trust in the Great Spirit, seen above, and therefore immediately leave the home.

The catalog adds this about Oakley:

Her commitment to the Quaker ideals of religious tolerance, nonviolence, and social equality can be seen throughout her work.

Uh-oh. Does Doug know about the "religious tolerance" part? The nonviolence?? The social equality part??? Sounds like Violet Oakley was more than a little "woke" if you ask me.

Anyway, the main panel is captioned with Ezekiel 11:16. Presumably, this is where Oakley got the name of the mural, Little Sanctuary in the Wilderness. Also, of the three smaller panels below the main panel only one, the one in the lower left hand corner, actually references Matthew. The other, on the lower right hand corner quotes Ezekiel 44:4.

However, the text in the middle of those bottom three, the one that centers the foundation of the whole mural, the one that goes "And this know assuredly that none ever trusted in the Lord and were confounded" is not really from The Bible at all - not unless a Protestant Biblical scholar like Doug Mastriano counts an apocryphal (for Protestants) book as being "from The Bible."

While the text is a paraphrase from Ecclesiasticus/The Book of Sirach 2:10, the quotation is actually taken word for word from William Penn himself. It's from his Epistles to the Churches of Jesus Throughout the World." Take a look:

 
(This is from page 13 of the facsimile at the above archive if you want to check my work.)

I thought Doug Mastriano was an expert in The Bible. He's always quoting it to his adoring crowds, isn't he? Surely he knows the text he's posted isn't actually from King James, right?

All the other text are but his one is William Penn quoting a non-canonical book of The Bible.

Surely faithful Bible-quoting Doug Mastriano knows this, right??

So just how wrong was he about all that scriptural? And is he at all aware that a mere atheist (meaning me, of course) knows enough to correct his mistakes?

Anyway, let's move on to Violet Oakley, shall we?

Does he know she's now recognized as an important member of America's LGBTQ+ history as well as an important American artist?

We'll start with another thumbnail from the above linked PA Heritage:

In 1913 Oakley became the second woman to teach at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Edith Emerson (1888–1981), a student in Oakley’s mural painting class, recalled that she was a “most stimulating, in fact, an electrifying teacher. . . . It was exciting, especially to women students as it abolished any sense of inferiority.” Emerson became Oakley’s first apprentice and assisted her with the murals in the Senate Chamber and Supreme Court room. After the death of Oakley’s mother in 1917, she invited Emerson to live with her and the two women spent the rest of their lives together.

 Oh.

Let's go learn some more. Oakley is buried at the Green-Wood Cemetery in New York City and this is a picture of her gravesite:

Uh, Doug. Did you catch that? I can imagine State Senator Family Values getting a little hot under the collar, right about now. can't you?

Last October, The Green-Wood hosted an online discussion of Oakley's life and importance with Professor Bailey Van Hook, a biographer of Oakley:

Violet Oakley (1874-1961) was more than a designer, illustrator, and muralist—she was a pioneering American artist. As a leading figure of the American Renaissance, she advocated for equal rights for all races and sexes, and worked for world peace. In 1902, Oakley became the first woman to be awarded a major commission for murals inside the Pennsylvania State capitol. Alongside  two of her classmates, she formed the “Red Rose Girls,” a group of women artists who lived together while they each became successful in the art world. Today, she is regarded as an early member of the LGBTQ+ community, having lived with her partner Edith Emerson for over 45 years.

This is who painted those amazing murals in the Senate chambers in Harrisburg, championing values of religious tolerance and social equality in Pennsylvania while PA State Senator Doug Mastriano panders to his voter base by reducing it to an Easter time regurgitation of Matthew 26:50-53.

Does "historian" Doug Mastriano how much he got wrong?

I suppose not.

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April 15, 2022

Sure. Wendy Doesn't Know ANYTHING About QAnon

Posted by

This was yesterday on Radio Karen:

I'll step over her convenient ignorance of other RWNJ conspiracy theories (bleach and the vaccine microchips) for what she says at about 1:28

And finally that we were pushing QAnon theories.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me make this very clear to you. I'm busy managing my children and this business and just the business of life.

I can't even tell you what QAnon is, let alone their theories.

Sure, Wendy. Sure.

We'll start on January 5, 2021 - the day before Trump's attempted coup.

This was at a rally in Harrisburg - an attempt to get the Pennsylvania legislature to decertify the 2020 election results and Pennlive reports:

Radio personality Wendy Bell spoke near the end of the rally, telling the crowd “We are witnessing an amazing part of our history. Regardless of how it ends, this is the beginning of a great awakening.”

“A sleeping giant has awakened, and it’s called ‘serving us’ like they were elected to do. And we have awakened as well,” she said.

Did you hear the dog whistle? It's the QAnon phrase "great awakening" and as New York Times pointed out that January:

Followers of QAnon, the pro-Trump conspiracy theory, have spent weeks anticipating that Wednesday would be the “Great Awakening” — a day, long foretold in QAnon prophecy, when top Democrats would be arrested for running a global sex trafficking ring and President Trump would seize a second term in office.

Then there's this from Wendy herself on January 12, 2021:

This morning, I was watching Wendy's broadcast from yesterday at Radio Karen central, trying to track down the source of a video Wendy played about 6 minutes in.

I snagged a screen shot from the video:

Seems to me that Wendy's occasional reference to the phrase "Great Awakening" and now her use of the a video contains the phrase itself points to Wendy going full QAnon.

Then there's Wendy's participation in that QAnon rally in Beaver last summer. 

Sure Wendy. You have no idea what QAnon is. 

Sure.

So whatever happened to the rally's organizer? The QAnon spouting anti-vaxx crusader Robert David Steele?

He died of Covid in Florida

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April 14, 2022

NOT A DOCTOR Wendy Bell Spreads Medical Misinformation. Again.

Posted by

I heard that faced a little broadcasting issue yesterday.

Looks like they got bounced off of Twitch for pushing some medical misinformation.

Wendy's assistant Brock read the email from Twitch which mentions drinking bleach and the like - a charge The Angel of Death disputes.

Ok, fine. Let's let them have the denial of the bleach drinking.

But on the other hand, this was yesterday's bullshit board:


The minute you see Wendy "quoting" the CDC VAERS data you know she's pushing medical misinformation. 

Let's follow the trail of evidence.

Apparently, Wendy is getting her "information" from sources like this one:

The National Vaccine Information Center is anti-vax and has been for a long long time.

Among Vaccine Roulettes’ disciples was Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, which has spent decades trying to convince parents that vaccines are far more dangerous than the alternative, preventable diseases.

Anyway, see that red link in the image? It leads here - to the CDC disclaimer regarding the VAERS numbers:

VAERS accepts reports of adverse events and reactions that occur following vaccination. Healthcare providers, vaccine manufacturers, and the public can submit reports to the system. While very important in monitoring vaccine safety, VAERS reports alone cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness. The reports may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, or unverifiable. Most reports to VAERS are voluntary, which means they are subject to biases. This creates specific limitations on how the data can be used scientifically. Data from VAERS reports should always be interpreted with these limitations in mind. [Emphasis added.]

The thing is, you have to click on a "I have read and understood the disclaimer" box before getting to the CDC's VAERS numbers.

You do not have to do that to get to the data at the National Vaccine Information Center's website.

How many people at that anti-vax site even bother with the disclaimer?

That's a rhetorical question. We all know the answer. 

Does Wendy Bell ever mention anything from the disclaimer? For example this part:

VAERS reports alone cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness.

Another rhetorical question for which we already have an answer. Take a look at the BS board if you're unconvinced.

Rule: Whenever Wendy Bell (and/or her trusty sidekick Brock) mentions the VAERS data without emphasizing the CDC's disclaimer, she's pushing medical misinformation.

Plain and simple.

Remember:




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