Fake News NWDC edition - too appalled to even shake my head

[Anonymous]

I just saw your post and posted something similar.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Podesta has some unusual taste in art and friends. Biljana Djurdjevic's art is on the edge of cringe-worthy.

https://i.sli.mg/dBY95x.jpg

Is it true that Podesta likes this kind of art? While I don't think there is anything to the Comet Pizza thing, if this is his taste, I can certainly see why some are buzzing.

His brother, Tony, is the art guy. Here he is proudly showing off his foyer sculpture "The Arch of Hysteria" which happens to be the same pose that Jeffrey Dahmer enjoyed framing his victims in, decapitated and all: https://archive.fo/vddrO

WaPo pulled this 2004 article off their site recently, but it lives on in the archives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's most disturbing to me is that every piece of evidence showing that this is not true just because a piece of the conspiracy for believers. Short of shutting down the internet I really don't see how you can combat this garbage

This is silly. We don't need to shut down the damn Internet.

While there is obviously no child abuse going on here, there was evidence of some kind of weird secrecy or creepiness. This sort of thing (even when there's nothing actually reprehensible underlying it), once made known, will tend to lead to unfortunate rumors and conspiracies if powerful and prominent people are even tangentially connected. The world was ever thus.

This isn't "blaming the victim." Sometimes it's best not to post photos of little kids taped down to your restaurant's tables. For the same reasons that I don't want my daughter to ever go around town without wearing clothing. There's just a good chance it might lead to something unfortunate.

Also, for those of you who are interested in exploring root causes rather than just dismissing people as crazy: My guess is that it doesn't help that the mainstream media really has gotten a lot wrong over recent years. They treated Hillary's win over Trump as an inevitability, as the most obvious, recent example. And the Post's PropOrNot piece was laughable as credible journalism.

Have you ever once been to Comet PingPing? It's a fun, family friendly restaurant. We love going there. I've never once seen "evidence" of some kind of "weird secrecy." Stop spouting nonsense.

Yes, I have been there multiple times. Including with my child. I live not far away. Again, I certainly don't believe anything horrible happened there. But I still wouldn't publicly post some of the photos the owner did. (And my post about weird secrecy was more directed toward the seeming code in the Podesta emails.)

My mom once wanted to put photos of my toddler in the bathtub on FB. I told her that she couldn't. The Internet is forever, and not everyone in the world is good. If I owned a small family-oriented business connected to my posted photos, I probably would have been even more adamant.

It doesn't help that Podesta's art included works by Katy Grannan. Look her stuff up.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43480-2004Sep22_3.html
the Wa Po, folks - not some "fake news" site/source

Not always. Folks attending a house tour in the Lake Barcroft neighborhood in Falls Church earlier this year got an eyeful when they walked into a bedroom at the Podesta residence hung with multiple color pictures by Katy Grannan, a photographer known for documentary-style pictures of naked teenagers in their parents' suburban homes.

And as far as Marina Abramovic's spirit cooking is concerned (bc I went down the rabbit hole), her art is pretty gross. She used pig's blood in one video as a substitute for menstrual fluid that was "necessary" for her spirit cooking. So you can say she's either very dynamic and unique, or you can call her sick.

Apparently, there was a painting in Podesta's office showing two men cannibalizing a third - all three, I believe, in suits. not sure of the sourcing for that one, however

But once Wikileaks went public and viral, it opened up quite a few doors that attracted conspiracy theorists.

What sick people.

[Anonymous]

The Post's article today is so sympathetic to Welch. Quoting all these people who say what a "good guy" he is. So what? He terrorized people with guns, while justifying his actions based on a false story. He needs prison time. The article also says he has custody of his two daughters. So he left them for this vigilante road trip. What a cretin. A cretin with multiple guns. A cretin who loves his guns so much he poses with them in facebook. Disgust. Would love to know how well he secures his arsenal with children in his house.

[Anonymous]

Is Podesta's taste in art unconventional? Yes. Is it always possible that pictures of children on social media could be stolen by unsavory characters? Sure. Should small business owners think about how their social media presence reflects their brand? Definitely.

All of the above has ZERO to do with Russia hacking the emails of high-level political figures, and crazy/malevolent people creating a conspiracy theory that you are enslaving children, drinking their blood, and digging a network of pedo tunnels under Connecticut Ave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is Podesta's taste in art unconventional? Yes. Is it always possible that pictures of children on social media could be stolen by unsavory characters? Sure. Should small business owners think about how their social media presence reflects their brand? Definitely.

All of the above has ZERO to do with Russia hacking the emails of high-level political figures, and crazy/malevolent people creating a conspiracy theory that you are enslaving children, drinking their blood, and digging a network of pedo tunnels under Connecticut Ave.

You would've done a better job with your post lamenting conspiracies if you stuck to the facts yourself. There isn't conclusive proof that the Russians were the culprits for hacking Podesta's emails. (Wasn't his password some variation of the word "password"? A random teenager on a phishing expedition could've figured that out.)

[Anonymous]

Russian intervention in the election is Pizzagate for Democrats

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Podesta's taste in art unconventional? Yes. Is it always possible that pictures of children on social media could be stolen by unsavory characters? Sure. Should small business owners think about how their social media presence reflects their brand? Definitely.

All of the above has ZERO to do with Russia hacking the emails of high-level political figures, and crazy/malevolent people creating a conspiracy theory that you are enslaving children, drinking their blood, and digging a network of pedo tunnels under Connecticut Ave.

You would've done a better job with your post lamenting conspiracies if you stuck to the facts yourself. There isn't conclusive proof that the Russians were the culprits for hacking Podesta's emails. (Wasn't his password some variation of the word "password"? A random teenager on a phishing expedition could've figured that out.)

Based on this article:

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/how-hackers-broke-into-john-podesta-and-colin-powells-gmail-accounts

Podesta was a victim of spear phishing. His password could have been quite strong, but he was tricked into divulging it. The source of the spear phishing, according to the article was a "a group of hackers that security researchers, as well as the US government, believe are spies working for the Russian government." The article provides considerable evidence to support this allegation.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Podesta's taste in art unconventional? Yes. Is it always possible that pictures of children on social media could be stolen by unsavory characters? Sure. Should small business owners think about how their social media presence reflects their brand? Definitely.

All of the above has ZERO to do with Russia hacking the emails of high-level political figures, and crazy/malevolent people creating a conspiracy theory that you are enslaving children, drinking their blood, and digging a network of pedo tunnels under Connecticut Ave.

You would've done a better job with your post lamenting conspiracies if you stuck to the facts yourself. There isn't conclusive proof that the Russians were the culprits for hacking Podesta's emails. (Wasn't his password some variation of the word "password"? A random teenager on a phishing expedition could've figured that out.)

Based on this article:

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/how-hackers-broke-into-john-podesta-and-colin-powells-gmail-accounts

Podesta was a victim of spear phishing. His password could have been quite strong, but he was tricked into divulging it. The source of the spear phishing, according to the article was a "a group of hackers that security researchers, as well as the US government, believe are spies working for the Russian government." The article provides considerable evidence to support this allegation.

I'm not saying it wasn't the Russians. I'm saying we haven't seen conclusive proof. And anyone who is complaining about conspiracies would be wise to stick to proven facts. The article you cite even states that there's no smoking gun. (Also, as an aside, who the hell discloses their password? How do you not immediately assume something is fishy if you get an email like that?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just saw your post and posted something similar.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Podesta has some unusual taste in art and friends. Biljana Djurdjevic's art is on the edge of cringe-worthy.

https://i.sli.mg/dBY95x.jpg

Is it true that Podesta likes this kind of art? While I don't think there is anything to the Comet Pizza thing, if this is his taste, I can certainly see why some are buzzing.

His brother, Tony, is the art guy. Here he is proudly showing off his foyer sculpture "The Arch of Hysteria" which happens to be the same pose that Jeffrey Dahmer enjoyed framing his victims in, decapitated and all: https://archive.fo/vddrO

WaPo pulled this 2004 article off their site recently, but it lives on in the archives.

It's sad that an innocent 3rd party - comet pizza - got dragged into this (I suspect by 4chan - for no other reason than a malicious practical joke).

The real story here though are Podesta's authentic emails, and his obvious wrong-doing; first in rigging the primary against Bernie Sanders (who millions of voters legitimately supported) and later against Trump.

Ultimately, Podesta's dirty tricks may have cost Hillary the election by turning off many undecided voters.

As to his artwork - he's free to enjoy it, but the art certainly raises questions about a man who came so close to the center of power in the failed 2nd Clinton administration.

[Anonymous]

There is no excuse for the gunman at Comet pizza. And, the conspiracy theories are disturbing. However, here were things mentioned in the emails that contributed to this:

1. The invitation to staffers and (I think) HRC to come to Podesta's house for "spirit cooking" with Marina. There is no question that Marina ( a performance artist) used gross materials in one of her performances that was called "Spirit cooking". Very likely, Podesta was using the term as an inside joke--but the fact that Marina was there does beg the question that led to speculation.

2. I don't believe they were running a pedophila ring--but they were talking in code in several emails. I don't know what they were talking about, but I suspect it was not wholesome. Couple that with the mention of children at a pool party, this also encouraged speculation. Pretty sure there was coded talk in that email, as well. (Lots of emails discussed "hot dogs" and "pizza" when it was pretty clear they meant something else--maybe they meant margaritas and martinis--but it was certainly odd.)

3. References to Comet Pizza along with the pictures that were posted were also questionable. I'd never heard of Comet Pizza--and I did not know about the photos until yesterday. I found them odd. My kids sure would not have been laughing had I taped down their hands. Peculiar sense o humor.

4. The artwork posted on this thread is also disturbing.

Frankly, I never thought there was anything to this conspiracy, but I do find these people disturbed. Obviously, they have way too much time and money on their hands.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
1. The invitation to staffers and (I think) HRC to come to Podesta's house for "spirit cooking" with Marina. There is no question that Marina ( a performance artist) used gross materials in one of her performances that was called "Spirit cooking". Very likely, Podesta was using the term as an inside joke--but the fact that Marina was there does beg the question that led to speculation.

The invitation was from Marina to Podesta to come to her house. He did not go:

http://www.snopes.com/john-podesta-spirit-cooking/

Please do not contribute to spreading false information. As we have seen, it puts people's lives in danger.

Anonymous wrote:
2. I don't believe they were running a pedophila ring--but they were talking in code in several emails. I don't know what they were talking about, but I suspect it was not wholesome. Couple that with the mention of children at a pool party, this also encouraged speculation. Pretty sure there was coded talk in that email, as well. (Lots of emails discussed "hot dogs" and "pizza" when it was pretty clear they meant something else--maybe they meant margaritas and martinis--but it was certainly odd.)

I doubt they were using code. Do you have any examples that are not associated with lunatics ravings of madmen? When I have searched this, everything I find is from crazy conspiracy sites which I wouldn't trust to provide the correct time of day.

Anonymous wrote:
3. References to Comet Pizza along with the pictures that were posted were also questionable. I'd never heard of Comet Pizza--and I did not know about the photos until yesterday. I found them odd. My kids sure would not have been laughing had I taped down their hands. Peculiar sense o humor.

The pictures posted belong to Podesta's brother. This is another fact that has been repeatedly misrepresented in this thread (despite that clearly being stated with the pictures).

4. The artwork posted on this thread is also disturbing.

Anonymous wrote:
Frankly, I never thought there was anything to this conspiracy, but I do find these people disturbed. Obviously, they have way too much time and money on their hands.

Well, if you get nearly all the facts about someone wrong, it is not a surprise that you also arrive at the wrong conclusion about them.

[Anonymous]

2. I don't believe they were running a pedophila ring--but they were talking in code in several emails. I don't know what they were talking about, but I suspect it was not wholesome. Couple that with the mention of children at a pool party, this also encouraged speculation. Pretty sure there was coded talk in that email, as well. (Lots of emails discussed "hot dogs" and "pizza" when it was pretty clear they meant something else--maybe they meant margaritas and martinis--but it was certainly odd.)


I doubt they were using code. Do you have any examples that are not associated with lunatics ravings of madmen? When I have searched this, everything I find is from crazy conspiracy sites which I wouldn't trust to provide the correct time of day.

There were many emails referring to hot dogs and pizza.

[Anonymous]

3. References to Comet Pizza along with the pictures that were posted were also questionable. I'd never heard of Comet Pizza--and I did not know about the photos until yesterday. I found them odd. My kids sure would not have been laughing had I taped down their hands. Peculiar sense o humor.


The pictures posted belong to Podesta's brother. This is another fact that has been repeatedly misrepresented in this thread (despite that clearly being stated with the pictures).

And, Podesta's brother was referred to in several of these social events discussed in the emails.

[Anonymous]

Frankly, I never thought there was anything to this conspiracy, but I do find these people disturbed. Obviously, they have way too much time and money on their hands.


Well, if you get nearly all the facts about someone wrong, it is not a surprise that you also arrive at the wrong conclusion about them.

Sorry. I guess you disagree. But, I find the artwork and references to "spirit cooking" anything but amusing. I guess art is in the eye of the beholder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Podesta's taste in art unconventional? Yes. Is it always possible that pictures of children on social media could be stolen by unsavory characters? Sure. Should small business owners think about how their social media presence reflects their brand? Definitely.

All of the above has ZERO to do with Russia hacking the emails of high-level political figures, and crazy/malevolent people creating a conspiracy theory that you are enslaving children, drinking their blood, and digging a network of pedo tunnels under Connecticut Ave.

You would've done a better job with your post lamenting conspiracies if you stuck to the facts yourself. There isn't conclusive proof that the Russians were the culprits for hacking Podesta's emails. (Wasn't his password some variation of the word "password"? A random teenager on a phishing expedition could've figured that out.)

Based on this article:

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/how-hackers-broke-into-john-podesta-and-colin-powells-gmail-accounts

Podesta was a victim of spear phishing. His password could have been quite strong, but he was tricked into divulging it. The source of the spear phishing, according to the article was a "a group of hackers that security researchers, as well as the US government, believe are spies working for the Russian government." The article provides considerable evidence to support this allegation.

I'm not saying it wasn't the Russians. I'm saying we haven't seen conclusive proof. And anyone who is complaining about conspiracies would be wise to stick to proven facts. The article you cite even states that there's no smoking gun. (Also, as an aside, who the hell discloses their password? How do you not immediately assume something is fishy if you get an email like that?)

more false equivalencies. there may not be conclusive proof it was Russia but high level intelligence officials and security experts think so. That has zero equivalence with the insane pizzagate theories.