Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Weekend Contributor
I’m sure the readers of this blog remember the Newtown massacre that occurred in Connecticut on December 14, 2012, when twenty students and six adults were shot and killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Not long after that tragedy, conspiracy theorists began to spread stories about the massacre being a hoax. In January of 2013, Gene Rosen, a man who had sheltered six children during the massacre, began receiving calls from people he didn’t know accusing him of lying about what had happened that day…and of his being a “crisis actor.”
At that time, Rosen didn’t know what to do. He said, “I’m getting hang-up calls, I’m getting some calls, I’m getting emails with, not direct threats, but accusations that I’m lying, that I’m a crisis actor, ‘how much am I being paid?’” Someone even posted a picture of his house online. It was reported that Google+ and YouTube accounts were created in his name. Messages about him appeared on white supremacist messages ridiculing him as the “emotional Jewish guy.” In addition, in dozens of blog posts and videos, people claimed that Rosen was a fraud. He even received an email that purported to be a business inquiry, which taunted him asking, “How are all those little students doing? You know, the ones that showed up at your house after the ‘shooting’. What is the going rate for getting involved in a gov’t sponsored hoax anyway?”
Rosen admitted that he had done a lot of media interviews following the tragedy at Sandy Hook School. He said, “I wanted to speak about the bravery of the children, and it kind of helped me work through this. I guess I kind of opened myself up to this.”
Alex Seitz-Wald of Salon reported that there were “many flavors of conspiracy theories surrounding” the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He added that one thread that united many of the theories was “the notion that this was a government hoax aimed at taking away people’s guns.” Similarly, Tom Boggioni of Raw Story said, “Sandy Hook ‘truthers’ believe that the Newtown shooting never occurred or was part of a ‘false flag’ operation designed to open the door to the confiscation of all guns by the government.” Ben Smith and CJ Lotz wrote that the “leading version of the ‘Sandy Hook Hoax’ theory, such as it is, holds that the incident was staged by the White House as a prelude to disarming America. Many of its claims are rooted in contradictory and confusing media statements that came out of the chaos of the first hours of the shooting, and which are virtually always present in such chaotic moments.” They added that similar “confused media reporting served as the basis of the 9/11 Truth movement.”
Robert Goldberg, a historian at the University of Utah who has written a book and lectured extensively about American conspiracy theories, said, “Whether it’s the Oklahoma City bombing, or the Waco incident, or Ruby Ridge, or 9/11, or Sandy Hook, the idea is that these are modern Reichstags (the event that occurred in Germany in 1933), which is an excuse that the government is going to use to declare an emergency to take the guns away from the patriots, and then confine the patriots.”
One might have hoped that the Sandy Hook truthers would have moved on by now…and maybe found a new conspiracy theory to wrap their warped minds around. Unfortunately, it appears that hasn’t happened because one of the truthers recently stole a sign from a playground in Mystic, Connecticut. The sign had been displayed at a playground dedicated to the memory of Grace McDonnell, one of the Sandy Hook shooting victims. The vinyl sign, which weighed 50 pounds and featured a peace symbol, was based on a drawing done by seven-year-old Grace. The man who claimed that he stole the sign called Grace’s home. He told Lynn McDonnell, the dead child’s mother, that he had taken the sign because he believes that the shooting at Sandy Hook was a hoax. McDonnell said that the caller taunted her by claiming that her daughter Grace never existed. How heartless and cold can a person be?
Peace Sign Stolen From Conn. Playground Honoring Sandy Hook Victim Grace McDonnell
Tom Boggioni said that the Grace McDonnell playground is “one of 26 planned playgrounds being built by the Where Angels Play Foundation in honor of all 26 victims.” He added that the theft of the peace sign came ‘two weeks after another playground sign, located in Hartford, was vandalized with someone spray-painting ‘Peace to Sandy Hook,’ a peace sign, and the numeral ’2′ on it.”
I can’t begin to imagine what kind of delusional, sick individuals would steal or vandalize signs displayed on playgrounds dedicated to the memories of innocent young children who died in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012.
Note: There are plans to replace the signs at both playgrounds.
SOURCES
Newtown truthers: Where conspiracy theories come from (Salon)
This man helped save six children, is now getting harassed for it (Salon)
Beware of Conspiracy Theories About Sandy Hook (Lewis Rockwell)
Sandy Hook Truther Tells Mother of Deceased Child One of the Most Awful Things You Can Imagine (The Blaze)
Sandy Hook ‘Truther’ Tells Victim’s Mother Her Daughter Never Existed (Huffington Post)
Peace Sign Stolen From Conn. Playground Honoring Sandy Hook Victim Grace McDonnell (CBS)
Sandy Hook truthers more hated than Westboro idiots? (Daily Kos)
Sandy Hook truther steals memorial sign, tells victim’s mother her child never existed (Raw Story)
Sandy Hook truthers claim the Newtown massacre was a hoax (America Blog)
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
Unring
But Schulte,
You quoted it, you relied on it, so you own it, even now if you want to dis it, you can turning that bell, ha hah hah, oh hum.
Schulte,
Are we saying wiki is reliable now?
Are we using wiki Paul as a reliable source now? Amazing, especially when the wing nuts don’t like him and wiki is alterable by clown and buffoons.
Keebler – I said even wikipedia, which I hold in the lowest regard was taking pot shots at Zinn.
Schulte,
Excuse me? Really, I’d like proof that Howard Zinn did not consider himself to be a competent historian. The far right has painted him in many different fashions, one thing he did care a lot about was the people that needed the social structure. Granted he was a critic of cronyism that capitalism created. Just think for a moment before you go off on a tyraid that is futile and shows your base self.
Keebler – we did Zinn the other day. I am not going to fight that battle again for awhile. However, even his Wikipedia article takes potshots at him.
Paul Schulte
Dredd – the only persons suffering from symbolic racism are you and the authors of the original article.
=================
Ah, the old infantile “I am rubber and you are glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.”
Paul, you are a silly “history” man.
Paul Schulte
Dredd – even Howard Zinn does not consider himself to be a competent historian.
=================
Speak for yourself.
At least your lack of ability will then be limited to where it should do the most damage.
“Conspiracy Theories and the NSA
I’ve recently seen two articles speculating on the NSA’s capability, and practice, of spying on members of Congress and other elected officials. The evidence is all circumstantial and smacks of conspiracy thinking — and I have no idea whether any of it is true or not — but it’s a good illustration of what happens when trust in a public institution fails.
The NSA has repeatedly lied about the extent of its spying program. James R. Clapper, the director of national intelligence, has lied about it to Congress. Top-secret documents provided by Edward Snowden, and reported on by the Guardian and other newspapers, repeatedly show that the NSA’s surveillance systems are monitoring the communications of American citizens. The DEA has used this information to apprehend drug smugglers, then lied about it in court. The IRS has used this information to find tax cheats, then lied about it. It’s even been used to arrest a copyright violator. It seems that every time there is an allegation against the NSA, no matter how outlandish, it turns out to be true.”
(Bruce S).
The longer that Person of Interest plays on TV, the truer it becomes.
A
conspiracy theoristhistory teacher reads from a once classified PDF document:Paul Shulte,
You are an example of a history teacher who does not realize the difference between false history and true history.
Your harassment of bettykath for pointing out the character of Columbus, your slandering of competent historians, and your incessant denial of the actual history of Columbus points that out.
Using the techniques of politicians once found out further exacerbates the problem.
Dredd – even Howard Zinn does not consider himself to be a competent historian.
Dredd – the only persons suffering from symbolic racism are you and the authors of the original article.
Me quoting a source: “Here is my assessment of Christopher Columbus. He was a genocidal megalomaniac”
Paul Shulte responding: “Dredd – … What you are spouting is bad history. Who every you got it from is a propagandist not a historian.”
=========================================
That is what you said up-thread before you falsified your position as shown in my previous comment.
You want to proclaim yourself as a history teacher and an expert but you can’t even remember your own dysfunctional ramblings on one post?
You really do suffer from symbolic racism imposed on you by your culture’s propaganda engines:
(Symbolic Racism: A Look At The Science – 3). Keeping the true nature of Columbus a secret is a conspiracy by officialdom enabled by enablers suffering from symbolic racism.
Dredd – did you go to college? Did you go to grad school?
When I went to grad school I though my undergrad profs had spent all their time lying to me, but they had broad brushed everything. As you go down the educational ladder the brush is even broader. First graders learn about George Washington, but they do not learn about the Whiskey Rebellion. It may be jr high or high school before students find out Washington was a slave holder. It isn’t until college until they find out that wore a uniform every day so the Continental Congress would select him to lead the army. Probably grad school before they learn he whipped his soldiers and had some shot for mutiny.
Teaching a subject is like building a house. You build the foundation, then the walls, then work your way up to the roof. Eventually you add the windows, trim, etc.
Symbolic racism is the graffiti
Paul Schulte
Dredd – we have talked about linking to yourself. Your contention was that Columbus brought slavery and Conquistadors to the New World. Well, slavery was already here and so where conquistadors. They just had a different name.
We have also talked about the lack of real science behind faux symbolic racism, but that is not getting through to you. You bang on about it as much as you like and I will bang on about how illegitimate it is.
——————–
Dredd – I never said that Columbus did not enslave the natives, any historian of the period knows that. My point is, and you seem to keep dodging it, slavery and conquistidors (by another name) were already here. Columbus was not the first to bring them to the New World. Conquest, enslavement, ritual murder, genocide were already in the New World before Columbus arrived.
===================
You can’t even follow your own history for two comments, so how do you get off claiming to be a history teacher.
That is why we still have Columbus Day as a national holiday.
Celebrating a pedophile, slave trader, mass murderer, torturer, and despot.
Like our politicians.
History is often a conspiracy theory with you before it isn’t it would seem.
Science is too.
Here is how you can get rid of it, vote for the right or very right person and there won’t be any more conspiracy for you:
Dredd – I get off calling myself a history teacher because I was one and a darn good one. As usual you read one thing and jump to a completely different conclusion. If Columbus was involved in sex slavery that does not mean he participated himself. His comments were on what the preferred age group were and that would be common at that time throughout Europe and Asia as well. Probably the Americas and the Caribbean, too.
It will be the lack of success with the Arawak that will cause the Spanish to follow the Portuguese in importing African slaves to the Americas.
Paul Schulte
Dredd – we have talked about linking to yourself. Your contention was that Columbus brought slavery and Conquistadors to the New World. Well, slavery was already here and so where conquistadors. They just had a different name.
We have also talked about the lack of real science behind faux symbolic racism, but that is not getting through to you. You bang on about it as much as you like and I will bang on about how illegitimate it is.
========================
The subject you said was a distortion of history was the behavior of Columbus.
Official investigative documents from the 13th and 14th centuries were found in 2006 in the archives of Spain.
Historians confirm that the reports about Columbus that had been around for a long time were accurate (Guardian). Once you free yourself from the slavery to faux snooze you will be better off.
Dredd – I never said that Columbus did not enslave the natives, any historian of the period knows that. My point is, and you seem to keep dodging it, slavery and conquistidors (by another name) were already here. Columbus was not the first to bring them to the New World. Conquest, enslavement, ritual murder, genocide were already in the New World before Columbus arrived.
Insanity to do this to the survivors, and the parents of murdered children. Tragedy can bring out the best, and the worst, in us.
I think these people are mentally ill. Don’t we have institutions for that?
Paul,
Your comment on the second amendment not having a mental qualification requirement. Of course not, but using your logic, the 2nd amendment does not say anything about individuals owning guns of any kind, just militia members. Therefore, time to turn your guns in.
rafflaw – the Arizona Constitution defines the militia and although I am too old to qualify, I am keeping my guns. I know that many who are qualified for the militia a) do not know they are qualified for the militia and b) are not armed. Someone has to pick up the slack for the weenies.
If the truth be known then the truthers would have to reveal their psychiatric history.
Did someone in authority here say Dredd couldn’t link to himself? We should just arm all the kids with guns, so when the teacher won’t let them use the bathroom, they can just shoot them. Guns are the answer to all of society’s ills.
Annie – you really have put all the eggs in one basket haven’t you? You did miss putting a Kevlar vest on the teacher though.
Makes one think where the fringe really lives.