The Truth About Q-Anon

During the 2018 Midterms in the United States, strange signs started appearing at political rallies. Held up by non-descript attendees, the signs read simply, “We are Q.” For those Trekkers out there, you might be confused: no, these rallygoers were not making an oblique reference to the infamous Star Trek: The Next Generation character portrayed by John de Lancie. The group appeared from the fringes of internet chat rooms, such as on the website of 4Chan, a peculiar mixture of cyberpunks and various online misfits.

“Q” is derived from an anonymous poster on the internet forum, a source claiming to have a top secret clearance with the U.S. intelligence community. This person (or group of people) spun an intricate conspiracy theory that many Far Right activists on gonzo internet forums picked up and began disseminating to wider audiences online and in their communities.

The conspiracy goes like this: the real purpose of the Robert Mueller special counsel investigation was not to investigate Donald Trump, but instead to investigate Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and people like former Hillary Clinton campaign chairman, John Podesta. The QAnon conspiracy theory is far-reaching, with new pieces added with regularity, in the form of what Q supporters refer to as “breadcrumbs.” One such addition to the conspiracy theory last year was that the Mueller probe was also looking into the now-deceased Senator John McCain (R-AZ) for his illegal activities.

What is the ultimate end of the QAnon conspiracy; what does Mueller hope to achieve, according to them?

That part, like most conspiracy theories, is conveniently not knowable. The Mueller investigation, having ended in a whimper rather than the bang the Trump-hating Fake News was hoping for, should have been the end of the QAnon conspiracy theory. QAnon conspiracy theorists have simultaneously argued that the ultimate target of the Mueller investigation is either the “Deep State” of nefarious anti-American, globalist actors, or the aim is to pursue high-profile pedophiles in the United States government and in other powerful circles related to the government.

Now for the most pernicious aspect of the QAnon conspiracy theory. In 2016, conspiracists on 4Chan and other similar fringe messaging boards claimed that the emails stolen from Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s (and subsequently made public by WikiLeaks) contained secret messages referring to a powerful ring of pedophiles who were using a local Washington, D.C. pizzeria as a base of operations to conduct their crimes. None of these claims were true. But, what ended up happening was that the highly irresponsible conspiracy theory triggered a mentally unstable man, who in turn took a gun to a D.C. pizzeria with intent to use it.

The source material for these theories is the vile, uber-fringe 4Chan and 8Chan. 4Chan was launched in 2003 as a place to share images and discuss Japanese anime. In fact, it was modeled on the Japanese anime internet boards, such as Futaba Channel. Over time, though, the already eclectic group of online personalities that 4Chan attracted devolved into something darker. It became a haven for crazed conspiracy theorists from both sides of the political divide. 4Chan also became popular among the white nationalist community, and also became a place for hackers and other criminals–including child pornographers. If there was a Hell on the internet, 4Chan was Hell.

Meanwhile, a similar website, created by gonzo software developer, Frederick Brennan, 8Chan was launched in 2013 as a response to what Brennan believed was the rise in authoritarianism, censorship, and surveillance on 4Chan. Despite the fact that 8Chan has become the 3,857th most viewed website in the world, with an average of 35,000 unique visitors per day and 400,000 original posts per day, it too has become mired in controversy. 8Chan, which has been billed as the more libertarian (though, perhaps libertine would be better) 4Chan, has apparently become a hub of international child pornography postings. This became such a problem that, in 2015, 8Chan was blacklisted by Google search. It is a profound understatement to claim that anything positive or good comes from these boards. Yet, it is precisely from sites like these that the “Pizzagate” and now the QAnon conspiracy theories emanate.

Alternative media figures, such as Mike Cernovich, have also furthered the “Pizzagate” and QAnon conspiracy theories. Some of these individuals have massive social media followings. With big internet names furthering the conspiracies, it was only a matter of time before disaster struck. In 2016, when the pizzeria shooting happened, several media outlets attempted to lay the blame at the feet of people like Cernovich. This only gave the Fake News Industrial Complex more fuel in their ongoing war against President Trump and the Right.

The very same group of internet Alt-Right activists and online forums that furthered the “Pizzagate” conspiracy have also spread the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Here are some of the other bizarre, totally inaccurate predictions that QAnon has made:

01/21/18 – A flood was alleged to be coming. A flood consisting of various forms of media that I imagine were supposed to implicate somebody in something nefarious. Sadly, this flood never came.

01/21/18 – Q makes some very certain claims about the Nunes Memo, which of course do not come remotely true when the memo is released a couple weeks later.

01/22/18 – Q posts a confirmed fake Podesta email, then promptly deletes it. But not before his followers have time to notice. 02/09/18 – Next week [Next week] was declared ‘suicide weekend‘. Nothing came to pass.

02/21/18 – Q predicts that the founder of Twitter is removing accounts because he and his Deep State friends are in deep trouble. Nothing came to pass.

03/15/18 – Q declares ‘March Madness’ and that ‘the public will soon know’. Nothing came to pass.

04/02/18 – April was supposed to be a “BIG month“, full of happenings including but not limited to arrests, the release of the IG report, the wall, “military start”, and unsealed indictments. Nothing came to pass.

Things have gotten even stranger for the QAnon conspiracists now that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has submitted his final report. While the report has not yet been made public, Attorney General William Barr has seen it, and he has issued a summary of the report.

AG Barr explains that Mueller has not proven any collusion or coordination between President Donald Trump, his top 2016 campaign staffers, and Russian intelligence. The focus of the investigation was Donald Trump and his 2016 presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Podesta, or even John McCain were not targets of the Mueller probe in any way as Q promised.

The fact that the QAnon conspiracy theory is tied in with the “Pizzagate” fiasco is bad enough. The more damaging part is that these cult-like actors link themselves to the Trump movement, despite the fact that no member of the Trump movement has anything to do with these insane theories. They are the outgrowth of a pathetic group who exist online, in the dark corners of the worldwide web. That they have attached their delusions to the Trump movement is unfortunate.

But, they do not represent and are not affiliated with President Trump, his supporters, or those who work for the president.

Recently, some Q supporters have insisted that certain pictures of President Trump and key advisers in the White House “prove” that they are, in fact, members of the Q conspiracy because their positioning makes it appear as though they are displaying subliminal messages about Q. These internet personalities claim to be supporting the President. Yet, consistently, their actions have shown that they are not allies of the President. They damage and besmirch the Trump movement with their irresponsible actions.

In that their actions, both directly and indirectly, aid those who would do damage to the Make America Great Again Agenda and see it fail. Whoever Q or QAnon may be, they are most decidedly not close to the President, they are not Conservatives, and with every post they make, they subvert the MAGA Agenda.

Why did your hero Gorka get fired? Answer me that, ten we can talk.

(You were responding to someone else in that comment, but it's an interesting question, I'll try to answer it. Gorka is not my hero, BTW, but neither am I a huge detractor of him.)

Like a lot of departures in Washington it's a judgement call between whether the person was fired, or resigned. I did a ton of research on a previous list you gave me of people you claimed had been fired and I could only substantiate it for about 1/3, and felt the evidence suggested another third probably were, and the final third there wasn't any outward sign of it. People do leave low paying government jobs to take high paying jobs at major corporations like WalMart, to cite one that I remember, without being fired.

So, maybe here we are going to be in the murky middle where we can't say for sure if push came to shove, or not.

The Federalist presents Gorka's side of the story, pretty clearly. Here's the article by Mollie Hemmingway, who is a good reporter. Breaking: Sebastian Gorka Resigns From Trump Administration

AUGUST 25, 2017 By Mollie Hemingway
Sebastian Gorka is resigning his post as Deputy Assistant to President Trump, multiple sources familiar with the situation have told The Federalist.
In a blunt resignation letter, the national security and counterterrorism expert expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the Trump administration. “[G]iven recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are – for now – ascendant within the White House,” Gorka wrote. “As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the People’s House.” Gorka’s letter expressed unhappiness with the direction the Trump administration’s foreign policy has taken, as signaled by the president’s recent speech on Afghanistan:
“Regrettably, outside of yourself, the individuals who most embodied and represented the policies that will ‘Make America Great Again,’ have been internally countered, systematically removed, or undermined in recent months. This was made patently obvious as I read the text of your speech on Afghanistan this week…
...
Gorka’s tenure at the White House was marked by unusually vociferous attacks against him and his family by left-leaning media organizations and the Democratic Party. This includes personal attacks against his wife, mother, and son.
A source close to the White House said of his decision, “This was more or less going to be a done deal when Bannon submitted his resignation. Not because he didn’t have a protector, but because there is no point in having your life ruined every day if you’re not going to get much accomplished.” The same source said that what did change after Bannon left was that anti-Bannon factions began erecting bureaucratic road blocks to undermine Gorka internally. In his letter, Gorka made clear that he believes in the promise of the Trump presidency despite being concerned about its present direction.
“Your presidency will prove to be one of the most significant events in modern American politics. November the 8th was the result of decades during which the political and media elites felt that they knew better than the people who elect them into office. They do not, and the MAGA platform allowed their voices to be heard,” he wrote, adding, “Millions of people believe in, and have chosen, you and your vision of Making America Great Again. They will help eventually rebalance this temporary reality.”
UPDATE: In response to this story, an anonymous White House official reportedly said, “Sebastian Gorka did not resign, but I can confirm he no longer works at the White House.”

Here is Fortune Magazine's coverage, which is more neutral, acknowledging the ambiguity of both the "resigned" and "fired" claims:

Sebastian Gorka, Fired or Not, Is Out of the White House

...
Trump ally Roger Stone echoed Gorka’s assessment to Politico, saying “the seven-day-in-May crowd is making steady progress and trying to convert the Trump administration to George Soros-style globalism” and, in an apparent threat to the man he helped elect, that “I can find another candidate for 2020 who can win the primary, believe me.”
Those forces prominently include new Chief of Staff John Kelly, who according to some reports revoked Gorka’s security clearance on Friday, while Gorka was on vacation. Gorka’s ouster also reflects the ascendancy of new Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who appears to have strongly influenced Trump’s new interventionist stance on Afghanistan. That stance reversed Trump’s campaign pledges to end American involvement there, a shift also cited by Gorka in his parting letter.

Finally, the NY Times, reports that Gorka was forced out. Based of course on "two anonymous sources". Sebastian Gorka Is Forced Out as White House Adviser, Officials Say

Sebastian Gorka, an outspoken adviser to President Trump and lightning rod for controversy, has been forced out of his position at the White House, two administration officials said on Friday.
One of the officials said that the president’s chief of staff, John F. Kelly, had telegraphed his lack of interest in keeping Mr. Gorka during internal discussions over the last week.
Mr. Gorka, a deputy assistant to the president, had been on vacation for at least the last two weeks, that official said.
His departure is the latest in a string of them since Mr. Kelly, a retired Marine general, took over as the White House chief of staff last month. Mr. Gorka criticized Rex W. Tillerson, the secretary of state, in a public show of disrespect that chafed Mr. Kelly’s sense of order, according to one senior administration official.

Here's my take: There was a power struggle in the White House between Bannon and those in his circle and Kelly, when Kelly took over. Kelly forced people out to consolidate power, or if you prefer, to make the White House function in a more orderly manner.

It's certainly true that the new crew: Kelly, McMasters and TIllerson had a more internationalist / globalist outlook than the group that was purged (Bannon, Gorka).

What's interesting is that over time Trump has had to fire a lot of the victorious Kelly faction.

Tillerson was fired by Trump on social media, that got everyone's attention.
Time: Why Donald Trump Fired Rex Tillerson
McMaster was also beat up and kicked out publicly. CNN: Donald Trump's very public embarrassment of H.R. McMaster.
CNN opines on the fired / resigned dichotomy in this article: Being fired is humiliating. Knowing you are going to be fired and twisting in the wind -- in a very public way -- before you are fired is even worse.
...
All of which may well mean that McMaster resigns before he is fired. But, that doesn't change the fact that this is no way to run a railroad.
And finally Kelly was also publically fired. Slate: John Kelly Was Supposed to Bring Credibility to the White House. He Failed.
Unlike the Deep State guys, Kelly, McMaster and Tillerson, Gorka never said anything bad about Trump after leaving the White House. No long Vanity Fair interviews about how impossible Trump was, He stayed with Trump throughout. Which is why I say "I kinda like him".
So, what's your take Bagster? What does Gorka's firing mean? You've insinuated that it explains things, but I don't see that it does. Seems like more Washington politics & "inside baseball" stuff.
Aside from his down-talking Q, which of course I understand you are going to hate, is there a reason you don't like him?

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