@Wisconsin_Is_Corrupt @Commoner @cantsleepawink @Dressage2 @darkknight111

April MOAB; Huge read, main post + 20 comments.

@srayzie @The_Savant @LightlyToasted @Gothamgirl @Blacksmith21

April MOAB; Huge read, main post + 20 comments.

https://archive.fo/6gUYI :

The Ayco Company, L.P.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg

This has been an automated message.

@kevdude @Crensch @Vindicator @think- @EricKaliberhall

April MOAB; Huge read, main post + 20 comments.

(20/20)

[51. wiki: Cambridge Analytica]:

Cambridge Analytica (CA) is a British political consulting firm which combines data mining, data brokerage, and data analysis with strategic communication for the electoral process.[5][6] It was started in 2013 as an offshoot of the SCL Group.[7] The company is partly owned by the family of Robert Mercer, an American hedge-fund manager who supports many politically conservative causes.[7][8] The firm maintains offices in London, New York City, and Washington, D.C.9

CEO Alexander Nix has said CA was involved in 44 US political races in 2014.[10] In 2015, it performed data analysis services for Ted Cruz's presidential campaign.[8] In 2016, CA worked for Donald Trump's presidential campaign[11] as well as the Leave.EU-campaign for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. CA's role in those campaigns has been controversial and is the subject of ongoing criminal investigations in both countries.[12][13][14] Political scientists question CA's claims about the effectiveness of its methods of targeting voters.[15][16]

In March 2018, multiple media outlets broke news of Cambridge Analytica's business practices. The New York Times and The Observer reported on the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica data breach, in which the company used for political purposes personal information acquired about Facebook users, by an external researcher who claimed to be collecting it for academic purposes. Shortly afterwards, Channel 4 News aired undercover investigative videos showing Nix boasting about using prostitutes, bribery sting operations, and honey traps to discredit politicians on whom it conducted opposition research, and saying that the company "ran all of (Donald Trump's) digital campaign". In response to the media reports, the Information Commissioner of the UK pursued a warrant to search the company's servers.[17][18] Facebook banned Cambridge Analytica from advertising on its platform, saying that it had been deceived.[19][20] On 23 March 2018, the British High Court granted the Information Commissioner's Office a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica's London offices.[21]

The data about the 50 million Facebook users were acquired from 270,000 Facebook users who shared the data with the app "thisisyourdigitallife". By giving this third-party app permission to acquire their data, back in 2015, this also gave the app information about the friend network of those people, which resulted in information about 50 million users. The app developer breached Facebook's terms of service by giving the data to Cambridge Analytica.[22]

---

Type Data mining, data analysis, data brokerage

Headquarters London, United Kingdom

Key people

• Alexander Nix (CEO)[1]
• Robert Mercer (investor)[2]
• Rebekah Mercer (investor)
• Steve Bannon (vice president, former)[3]

Parent SCL Group[4]

---

So there's another familiar name: Mercer

[0: comment 7/10]:

Let's see how far we can take this...

[7: comment 7/9]:

https://www.behindthename.com - Lafayette | https://archive.is/Je1IU

Given Name LAFAYETTE

GENDER: Masculine & Feminine

USAGE: English (American, Rare)

~~

Meaning & History

Taken from the French surname which was derived from Old French la hêtraie "plantation of beech-trees".

In the US, it was first used in the late 1700s as a masculine given name in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American War of Independence (who also left his name in a city of west-central Indiana on the Wabash River northwest of Indianapolis).

google maps: "Beechtree farm"; Beechtree Farm, Hopewell, NJ

• Clinton & Lebanon: Repeating town/region/city names in suspicious arrangements.
• Mercer Meadows & Mercer County Park: I'm not sure where, but, I feel like I've seen that name in my research before...

Let's try something else: Is Scientology established in NJ? Yes; Church of Scientology Mission of New Jersey

google maps: "Directions from Church of Scientology Mission of New Jersey to Beechtree Farm"

^ Note: Beechtree

Who's familiar with Colgan Air Flight 3407?

[9. wiki: Colgan Air Flight 3407]:

Colgan Air Flight 3407, marketed as Continental Connection under a codeshare agreement with Continental Airlines, was a scheduled passenger flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, New York, which crashed on February 12, 2009. The aircraft, a Bombardier Dash-8 Q400, entered an aerodynamic stall from which it did not recover and crashed into a house in Clarence Center, New York at 10:17 p.m. EST (03:17 UTC), killing all 49 passengers and crew on board, as well as one person inside the house.[1]

It was the first fatal airline accident in the U.S. since the crash of Comair Flight 5191 in August 2006, with 49 fatalities.

The National Transportation Safety Board conducted the accident investigation and published a final report on February 2, 2010, which found the probable cause to be the pilots' inappropriate response to the stall warnings.[2]

Families of the accident victims lobbied the U.S. Congress to enact more stringent regulations for regional carriers, and to improve the scrutiny of safe operating procedures and the working conditions of pilots. Although it did nothing to address the specific causes of the crash – improper stall recovery technique and pilot fatigue – the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administrative Extension Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-216) required some of these regulation changes.[3]

"Relevance?"

[0: comment 9/10]:

Goldman Sachs aside for now, let's take a look back at why Colgan Air Flight 3407 should be familiar...

A total of 50 people died, including the 49 passengers and crew on board when the aircraft was destroyed, and one resident of the house that was struck. There were four injuries on the ground, including two other people inside the home at the time of the crash. Among the dead were:

• Alison Des Forges, a human rights investigator and an expert on the Rwandan genocide.[11][28]
• Beverly Eckert, who became co-chair of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee and a leader of Voices of September 11 after her husband Sean Rooney was killed in the September 11 attacks. She was en route to Buffalo to celebrate her husband's 58th birthday and award a scholarship in his memory at Canisius High School.[11][29][30]
• Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett, jazz musicians who were en route to a concert with Chuck Mangione and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.[11]
• Susan Wehle, the first American female Jewish Renewal cantor.[31]

Recognize anyone? Beverly Eckert

Investigation

photo:

^{U.S. President Barack Obama shaking hands with Beverly Eckert six days before the accident}

Back to Cambridge Analytica:

In spite of snopes speaking poorly of the following article and despite that I don't like The Hill due to their attempting to poison opinions of pizzagate, by saying(and mocking) that everyone involved is accusing John Podesta of being a Satanist - ironic that I happen to be the person warning against such things... I'm going to share an article from The Hill written by Ben Shapiro, on Cambridge Analytica in comparison to Obama's 'mining' of facebook data in 2012.

[52. http://thehill.com/opinion/technology/379245-whats-genius-for-obama-is-scandal-when-it-comes-to-trump | https://archive.is/NcV6B]:

What’s genius for Obama is scandal when it comes to Trump

^{By Ben Shapiro, opinion contributor — 03/20/18 09:15 AM EDT}

^{The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill}

On Sunday, The Guardian reported on the supposedly nefarious workings of President Trump’s data-gathering team at Cambridge Analytica. The report suggested that Cambridge Analytica had essentially issued questionnaires through a third party; those questionnaires, which were personality quizzes, requested that you use your Facebook login. Cambridge Analytica then compiled data regarding those who completed the quiz and cross-referenced that data with political preferences in order to target potential voters.

This isn’t particularly shocking. In 2012, The Guardian reported that President Obama’s re-election team was “building a vast digital data operation that for the first time combines a unified database on millions of Americans with the power of Facebook to target individual voters to a degree never achieved before.”

What, exactly, would Obama be doing? According to The Guardian, Obama’s new database would be gathered by asking individual volunteers to log into Obama’s re-election site using their Facebook credentials. “Consciously or otherwise,” The Guardian states, “the individual volunteer will be injecting all the information they store publicly on their Facebook page — home location, date of birth, interests and, crucially, network of friends — directly into the central Obama database.”

I'm out of workable room here again, read the whole article.

This whole situation is getting ridiculous. I've even run out of room in the RoC index & will be starting a 'new chapter' for follow up/future research.

/micdrop

(19/20)

[48]:

Do Something

In 2008, Dosomething.org sponsored The Do Something Award—which recognized young people. Nine nominees—who saw a problem in the world and then tackled it—each won $10,000 for their cause. The winner received $100,000. The Do Something Award (formerly the BR!CK Awards) is a program of Do Something, a New York-based non-profit that reaches[clarification needed] about 11.5 million young people annually. The award was not presented in 2009. It was replaced with "Choice Celebrity Activist" which was won by Hayden Panettiere.

Controversy

On August 11, 2014, after losing his category, Vine star Cameron Dallas tweeted that the awards ceremony was "rigged", saying that he had been informed six days prior to the actual event that he had won the award, and the runners-up were told to still try to solicit votes from their followers, even though the results had already been decided. He also tweeted "So I found out that the Teen Choice Awards were rigged and used powerful internet people for marketing. I'm sad now. Television is stupid" before deleting the tweets, saying he "should have taken the high road", but he "didn't like the fact that [his fans] were being lied to".[25] Soon after Dallas' initial tweets, fellow Viner Carter Reynolds stated that the Teen Choice Awards had "used everyone for promotion", using the hashtag "#TeensDontHaveAChoiceAwards", which soon began trending by fans who noticed the disclaimer at the end of the show saying that the producers reserved the right to choose the winners.[26][27]

In earlier years of the show, the voting rules page[28] stated "Teenasaurus Rox reserves the right to choose the winner from the top four vote generators". That is no longer the case.[29]

In 2016 controversy started on Twitter when fans became very upset when they found out that late pop singer Christina Grimmie won the award for Choice Web Star: Music but was not mentioned during the show. Many fans felt that the award show should have been dedicated to her memory or at least for a moment.[citation needed]

See also

• Kids' Choice Awards

Wow... okay, there it is right there, the Teen Choice Awards are apparently rigged...

Sidenote: @AviciiKnewTooMuch, do you recall our conversation about Dan Schneider? The name was familiar because I'm pretty sure he's been discussed over in v/pizzagate before, but, I was sure I had heard his name in relation to the Teen Choice Awards too... it just kept repeating in my mind, "Dan Schneider, Teen Choice Awards", got kind of annoying so I looked him up to double-check...

Well, not quite right there, it was the Kid's Choice Awards(2014) which awarded Dan with a Lifetime Achievement Award...

[49. wiki: Dan Schneider (TV producer)]:

Dan Schneider (born January 14, 1966[1][2]) is an American actor, television and film writer, and producer. After appearing in mostly supporting roles in a number of 1980s and 1990s films and TV shows, Schneider devoted himself to behind-the-scenes work in production. He is the co-president of television production company Schneider's Bakery and made What I Like About You for The WB and All That, The Amanda Show,[3],[4] Drake & Josh,[4] Zoey 101,[4] iCarly,[5] Victorious,[4] Sam & Cat,[6] Henry Danger,[7] Game Shakers,[4] and The Adventures of Kid Danger for Nickelodeon.[8]

---

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated Production	Result
2014	Kids' Choice Awards	Lifetime Achievement Award	--	Won

I wonder if the Kids' Choice awards are also rigged/corrupt...

Whos running these things and who's calling the shots? Something's fishy there...

What about Do Something ? Is their reach of "about 11.5 million young people annually", something to be concerned about?

[50. wiki: Do Something]:

DoSomething (also DoSomething.org) is a global non-profit organization with the goal of motivating young people to make positive change both online and offline through campaigns that make an impact. The organization's CEO is Aria Finger.

History

The organization was co-founded in 1993 by American actor Andrew Shue and his childhood friend Michael Sanchez.[1] He stated his motivation was to encourage young people to become active citizens and leaders while also making community involvement fun.[2]

Overview

According to its website, DoSomething.org is inspiring 5.5 million young people to make positive change, both online and off. The organization has members in every area code in the United States and in over 131 countries.[3]

A digital platform powering offline action.

DoSomething.org is mobilizing young people in every US area code and in 131 countries! Sign up for a volunteer, social change, or civic action campaign to make real-world impact on a cause you care about. You’ll team up with the DoSomething members who have:

Clothed half of America’s homeless youth Cleaned up 3.7 million cigarette butts Run the largest youth-led sports equipment drive

And more! You’ve got the power and the passion to transform your community -- we’ll help you get it done. Let’s Do This!

In 2013, DoSomething.org launched TMI,[4] a strategy consultancy that helps brands "drive social change through insights and creative solutions backed by data from millions of young people."[5]

Interesting, the TCA wiki mentions Do Something's reach at being 11.5 million annually - whereas the Do Something wiki says that their website states 5.5 million...

Reading on past the campaigns list: (If any jump out at you, feel free to mention)

Interesting to note, is that the Do Something Awards seam to have ceased after 2013, with nothing recorded for 2014(the same year Dan Schneider got a Lifetime Achievement Award from Kids' Choice Awards) or after. Also that the last DSA award was in relation to, once again, Trayvon Martin

Do Something Awards

Formerly called the BR!CK Awards, the awards were inaugurated in 1996 to recognize young people 25 and under who have done outstanding work in their communities and the world. The Do Something Awards include both young people making social change and individuals from the entertainment industry who have dedicated their time to activism and charity. The top four Do Something Awards nominees receive a $10,000 community grant, while the grand prize winner receives a $100,000 grant to push their community projects forward. The Awards were broadcast for the first time in 2007.~~

Past Award Winners

• 2013 - Daniel Maree: Founded the Million Hoodies Movement for Justice, which helps combat the issues of racial profiling and Florida's Stand Your Ground Law in the wake of the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

So, at this point there's still a lot of quesitons on my mind about the following and their possible connections to George Soros or other related persons/entities:

• Teen Choice Awards
• Kids' Choice Awards / Dan Schneider / Nickelodeon
• Do Something(et al)

The questions/suspicions I have regarding the above, are also strongly based on the apparent connections between Michael Skolnik, George Soros, Steve Bannon, Milo Yiannopolous, Brock Pierce, David Brock, John and Tony Podesta, Clinton & Obama and a host of others seem to have, via entities such as Goldman Sachs, Breitbart, DEN, IGE, MMfA, CTR, CFAP, PFAW, Scientology/New CAN/NXIVM, CIA/FBI, etc...

The manipulation of young persons and adults alike for political power/gain/control through manufactured chaos and scapegoating, playing all sides against each other, it's all a running theme among the people and entities explored in this thread. Although some of the connections are abstract and many questions remain unanswered, many things still uninvestigated, what can be seen in this thread is that George Soros and his money/organizations are indeed behind a lot of the chaos we see having unfolded in the USA over many many years, especially recently.

"What do you think this says about Donald Trump? Bannon, Manafort, "Russia", etc..."

Well this is the tough question that has rattled in the back of my head for weeks while I had to put this aside and work on other RoC entries - while also keeping an eye on recent events...

Throughout my recent threads here on voat and in particular, my most recent RoC entries, I have pointed out how I feel about certain events close to DJT; to summarize, I still trust that DJT has not been colluding with any nefarious plotting against the American people or people of the world - it's plain as day that many persons/organizaitons are nipping at his heels and trying to set him up in any way imaginable.

I'm not sure exactly why DJT brought Bannon on board, nor what Bannon's ultimate intentions were/are - I'm willing to trust that DJT had/has a plan for this but must admit, that's largely based on faith; faith that DJT knows who his enemies are and that he knows how to handle them accordingly.

I don't think the DNC has a leg to stand on with it's case against the Trump Campaign/Administration, et al.

With all of that said, I'm going to wrap this MOAB up and let it reverberate after the next comment, in which we shall take a look at Cambridge Analytica.

(18/20)

Let's see what Milo has to say on the Gamergate matter:

I'm Writing a Book about #GamerGate

^{by Milo | 15 Dec 2014}

I'll skip the meat of this article as quite frankly, I'm not liking this guy, all things considered... especially given what I'll now point out:

Wikileaks’s Julian Assange found common cause with the movement, tweeting his support on a number of occasions and replying to questions about GamerGate on reddit.

Excuse me, but, this is what Julian Assange & Wikileaks have had to say:

[45. reddit: Julian Assange AMA - comments on Gamergate]:

^ ShaskaOtselot asks:

How do you feel about the censorship on Reddit in wake of GamerGate?

^ Julian Assange replies:

It's pathetic. But censorship by companies controlling privatized political space is now almost a norm. Facebook is implementing its own "laws" for social behavior and politics. Even Twitter has now folded; censoring for example, leaks about the New Zealand prime minister just this week and some time ago banning Anonymous Sweden after a request from that country. High volume publication+control of publication by powerful organisations = censorship, all the time. We have to fight to create new networks of freedom. The old and powerful always become corrupt.

https://tweetsave.com/wikileaks/status/524229918306357249

WikiLeaks

@thedextriarchy 'Gamergate' is not interesting. That highly apolitical youth suddenly awaken to broader censorship, media ownership is.

---

^{Oct 20, 2014 16:05:26 UTC}

Is Milo trying to manipulate his aupporters into thinking that Julian Assange & Wikileaks support #Gamergate? Sure seems like it... why would he do that?

Okay, so, we put a pin in Seann William Scott earlier, due to his involvement with DEN via his role in DEN's "Chad's World" - a very strange video filled with aggressive language targeted at gays.

Let's look a little closer at Seann:

[46. wiki: Seann William Scott]:

Seann William Scott (born October 3, 1976) is an American actor, comedian and producer. His most recognized roles are Steve Stifler in the American Pie film series (1999–2012) and Doug Glatt in both; Goon (2011) and Goon: Last of the Enforcers (2017). He has also starred in films including Final Destination (2000), Road Trip (2000), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), Evolution (2001), The Rundown (2003), The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), Role Models (2008) and Cop Out (2010). He voiced Crash the opossum in four theatrical films and two television specials within the Ice Age series (2006–2016).

Okay, most of us are pretty familiar with this guy. I'll cut to the strange.

[46]:

Filmography

Film

	Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	American Pie	Steve Stifler	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain
2000	Dude, Where's My Car?	Chester Greenburg	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Chemistry (shared with Ashton Kutcher), Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Hissy Fit (shared with Ashton Kutcher)
2001	American Pie 2	Steve Stifler	Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain
2003	American Wedding	Steve Stifler	Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain, Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor – Comedy, Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Blush

The main thing that has my attention there, is the lauding of Stifler as "Choice Movie Villain" and other awards/nominations at the Teen Choice Awards...

More on that in a moment - did you notice Ashton Kutcher's name pop up here? Worth recalling the following...

[47. v/pizzagate - @rickman: Enty confirms Kutcher is a fake and part of the problem]

^ [47: argosciv: >]:

Ashton Kutcher: My Organization Helped Find 6,000 Human Trafficking Victims | TODAY | published on Oct 7, 2016

2:51 onwards:

Kutcher mentions his mission statement as of "when Obama was taking office", he asks for prayers regarding his organization(THORN) and it's work in "digital tools to fight human trafficking" and how it has allegedly been involved in identifying and recovering "over 6000" trafficking victims & 2000 traffickers. Towards the end, Kutcher also mentions that his next commitment, "when Hillary's in office", is to tackle child porn.

^ Per the date of publishing, one can't help but notice the blatant attempt at reality seeding(election manipulation) and hijacking of civilian-led efforts regarding the early days of pizzagate. They wanted to capitalize on pizzagate fervor by pretending that an alliance between Obama-Kutcher-Clinton would bring down international human trafficking and child-sexual-abuse networks.

---

@44NJ9 commented in this thread: _{(hooktube equivalent below quote)}

watch the girl behind in the video while he talks about Thorne. She's smirking, she know's he's full of shit. He looks sweaty and like he's on drugs. His eyes are also black and dead like a shark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUmfsvegMRo

^{The video in 44NJ9's comment was published on Feb 15, 2017}

Well, shit the bed...

Look who it fuckin' is...

https://hooktube.com/watch?v=HUmfsvegMRo&t=9m0s

Cory Booker

Kutcher & Booker

Booker threatens Nielson

Franken gropes Kemplin | Maher pretends to grope Saget

Oh this is hilarious...

Look at the thumbnail for the youtube link... look familiar? Who saw day 1 of Zuckerberg testifying before Senate? (Apr 10, 2018)

Let's cut right to Cory Booker's turn starting at 5h 21m 14s, watch closely.

Then watch what happens after Booker's turn ends and Dean Heller's turn begins at 5h 27m 40s...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Testifies Before Senate (Full) | NBC News

For convenience:

• 5h 21m 40s - 5h 21m 43s: Booker gives same whip-like gesture seen in kutcher/booker thumbnail above, followed by a percurliar grasping/clenching motion
• 5h 22m 0s - 5h 22m 3s: Booker gives same whip-like gesture again
• 5h 23m 0s - 5h 23m 5s: Booker gives same whip-like gesture again
• 5h 25m 4s - 5h 23m 12s: Watch as Booker builds up his fake rage and starts pounding his desk after a dramatic page turn

Pay attention to what Cory Booker says from* 5h 25m 48s to 5h 26m 55s , regarding his concern about LEO's using facebook to perform surveillance on Black Lives Matter(BLM); why does this concern/disturb him? Note also that Booker mentions Zuckerberg supporting BLM.

Also notice that Booker really starts fumbling and repeating words/phrases here, such as "Black Lives Matter", "[their work being] undermined" and "unfair surveillance"/"unfairly surveilled", etc...

Zuckerberg's response is pathetic...

Remember earlier, in comment 15/20?

[41]:

Campaigns

~~In December 2014, BAMN helped to organize a week of anti-police and Black Lives Matter protest in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area.~~

• 5h 27m 31s - 5h 27m 35s: Booker fumbles around and pushes one more quesiton out even though his time has expired(gavil being banged and all), naturally throwing out the same whip-like gesture one last time at the end
• 5h 27m 40s: Dean Heller's turn begins.
• 5h 29m 52s - 5h 29m 58s: Zuckerberg uses the same whip-like gesture as Booker, while responding to Dean Heller

Something brought up by both Heller & Booker, was Cambridge Analytica - curious note again is that incidentally, we have learned earlier in this thread that Steve Bannon also has a connection to Cambridge Analytica... more on that shortly.

Let's take a look now at Teen Choice Awards, given the curiosity of Seann William Scott recieving multiple nominations/wins for the Choice Movie Villain award for his work as Stifler:

I'm not accusing all TCA award recipients of wrongdoing at this point, however, I do wonder about the Teen Choice Awards being used to manipulate young people by lauding particular movie characters and otherwise possibly exploiting the celebrities who played them for political reasons...

[48. wiki: Teen Choice Awards]:

The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, and more, voted by viewers aged 13 to 19.

The Teen Choice Awards wiki entry is rather long, we'll jump straight to the bottom of the page, but, we've run out of room here again...

Continued ahead in comment 19...

(17/20)

[42. wiki: Gamergate controversy]:

The Gamergate controversy concerns issues of sexism and progressivism in video game culture, stemming from a harassment campaign conducted primarily through the use of the hashtag #GamerGate. Gamergate is used as a blanket term for the controversy as well as for the harassment campaign and actions of those participating in it.

Beginning in August 2014, the harassment campaign targeted several women in the video game industry, including game developers Zoë Quinn and Brianna Wu, as well as feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian. After Eron Gjoni, Quinn's former boyfriend, wrote a disparaging blog post about her, #gamergate hashtag users falsely accused Quinn of an unethical relationship with journalist Nathan Grayson. Harassment campaigns against Quinn and others included doxing, threats of rape, and death threats. Gamergate supporters claimed unethical collusion between the press and feminists, progressives, and social critics. These concerns have been dismissed by commentators as trivial, conspiracy theories, groundless, or unrelated to actual issues of ethics.

Gamergate supporters typically organized anonymously or pseudonymously on online platforms such as 4chan, Internet Relay Chat, Twitter and Reddit. Gamergate has no official leaders, spokespeople, or manifesto. Statements claiming to represent Gamergate have been inconsistent and contradictory, making it difficult for commentators to identify goals and motives. As a result, Gamergate has often been defined by the harassment its supporters committed. Gamergate supporters have frequently responded to this by denying that the harassment took place or by falsely claiming that it was manufactured by the victims.

The controversy has been described as a manifestation of a culture war over cultural diversification, artistic recognition, and social criticism in video games, and over the social identity of gamers. Many supporters of Gamergate oppose what they view as the increasing influence of feminism on video game culture; as a result, Gamergate is often viewed as a right-wing backlash against progressivism.~~

There's a lot to get through with this one - I won't spend long on it here, but, I may but something together regarding this in the near future.

History

~~

Further Harassment

~~In mid-October Brianna Wu, another independent game developer and co-founder of video game studio Giant Spacekat, saw her home address and other identifying information posted on 8chan as retaliation for mocking Gamergate. Wu then became the target of rape and death threats on Twitter and elsewhere. After contacting police, Wu fled her home with her husband, saying she would not allow the threats to intimidate her into silence.[5][48][49] Wu later announced an US$11,000 reward for any information leading to a conviction for those involved in her harassment, and set up a legal fund to help other game developers who have been harassed online.[50] As of April 2016, Wu was still receiving threats in such volume that she employed full-time staff to document them.[51]

Harassment related to Gamergate continued for several months after the onset of the controversy. Two critics of Gamergate were targets of attempted "swatting"—hoaxed reports to emergency services intended to provoke a SWAT team response at the target's home. The Guardian reported that both swatting attempts were coordinated through the "baphomet" subforum of 8chan.[52][53] Since the initial rush of threats that caused her to flee her home, Wu documented receiving roughly 45 death threats by April 2015; Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen has offered up to a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those who have issued these threats.[54] Wu's studio, Giant Spacekat, withdrew from the Expo Hall of PAX East 2015. Wu cited security concerns, lack of confidence in the management and their failure to return calls.[55][56][57]

Actress and gamer Felicia Day wrote a blog post about her concerns over Gamergate and her fear of retaliation if she spoke against it. Almost immediately her home address and phone number were posted online, leading to harassing letters and phone calls.[58][59][60] Actor Wil Wheaton and former NFL player Chris Kluwe also posted criticisms of Gamergate. Stephen Colbert questioned why men like Kluwe had not been threatened by Gamergate, noting that "it's almost entirely women being threatened in Gamergate".[61][62]

Some people who have identified as supporters of Gamergate said that they have been harassed.[63][64]~~

~~Bomb threats have also been made towards events attended by Gamergate supporters. A May 2015 meeting in Washington D.C. arranged by writer Christina Hoff Sommers and journalist Milo Yiannopoulos was the target of a bomb threat made over Twitter, according to local police responding to information supplied by the FBI.[68] During "Airplay", an event run by the Society of Professional Journalists in August 2015, multiple bomb threats were made. This led to the evacuation of the building and the surrounding neighborhood.[69]

Coordination of harassment

Ars Technica reported that a series of 4chan discussion logs suggests that Twitter sockpuppet accounts were used to popularize the Gamergate hashtag.[22] Heron, Belford, and Goker, analyzing the logs, said that early Gamergate IRC discussions focused on coordinating the harassment of Quinn by using astroturf campaigns to push attacks against her into mainstream view. They also describe how initial organizers deliberately attempted to cultivate a palpable narrative for public consumption while internally focusing on personal grudges against Quinn and aggressive sexual imagery.[14] Mortensen wrote in Games and Culture that Gamergate's structure as an anonymous swarm allowed it to create an environment where anyone who criticized it or became its target was at risk, while allowing them to avoid individual responsibility for harassment.[70]

There has been considerable discussion of self-policing and the responsibility supporters of Gamergate share when the hashtag is used for harassment. A number of websites have blocked users, removed posts, and created policies to prevent their users from threatening Quinn and others with doxing, assault, rape and murder, and planning and coordinating such threats.[1][3] 4chan's founder, Christopher Poole, banned all discussion of Gamergate on the site as more attacks occurred, leading to Gamergate supporters using 8chan as their central hub.[21][71]

Gamergate supporters have responded to accusations of harassment in a variety of ways. Many have denied that the harassment took place, or falsely accused victims of fabricating the evidence.[14][37] Gamergate supporters have used the term "Literally Who" to refer to victims of harassment such as Quinn, saying they are not relevant to Gamergate's goals and purposes. Commentators have decried the use of such terminology as dehumanizing, and said that discussions on Gamergate forums often center around those referred to as "Literally Who".[8][4][72] Some Gamergate supporters have denounced the harassment, arguing that the perpetrators are in the minority and do not represent them.[63][64]

By September 24, 2014, over one million Twitter messages incorporating the Gamergate hashtag had been sent.[73] A Newsweek and Brandwatch analysis found more than two million Twitter messages between September and October 2014.[74] Software developer Andy Baio also produced an analysis of #Gamergate tweets showing a discussion that was polarized between pro- and anti-Gamergate factions. One quarter of the tweets sampled were produced by users new to Twitter, most of whom were pro-Gamergate.[75] While the number of Gamergate supporters is unclear, in October 2014 Deadspin estimated 10,000 supporters based on the number of users discussing Gamergate on Reddit.[76]

Included links have been archived also.

Chat logs show how 4chan users created #GamerGate controversy

"I think all the sleeper cells are hard at work."

^{Casey Johnston - Sep 9, 2014 11:20 pm UTC}

A set of IRC logs released Saturday appear to show that a handful of 4chan users were ultimately behind #GamerGate, the supposedly grass-roots movement aimed at exposing ethical lapses in gaming journalism. The logs show a small group of users orchestrating a "hashtag campaign" to perpetuate misogynistic attacks by wrapping them in a debate about ethics in gaming journalism.

The saga grew from a single blog post written by an ex-boyfriend of Zoe Quinn, a game developer who designed Depression Quest. The post was a lengthy diatribe filled with details about Quinn's alleged relationships with men, including a tryst with a gaming journalist who works for Kotaku. Anonymous users on reddit and 4chan spun this material into a story about how Quinn allegedly slept with multiple gaming journalists in return for coverage, though the allegations did not support such a claim. The journalist in question had quoted Quinn, once, months before they dated; he never wrote about her or her development efforts again.

This reeks of George Soros and others, up to and including The Soze Agencey, Brock Pierce, Pierce Brock, Marc Collins-Rector, IGE, DEN, MMfA, Shareblue, CTR, Steve Bannon and Milo Yiannopoulos, Scientologists, New CAN, NXIVM, etc, "playing all sides against each other", and otherwise laundering money while they maintain background control of political discourse - connected to widespread pedophilia and human trafficking and efforts to cover everything up by scapegoating and suppressing investigation.

Who really cooked up the idea for Gamergate?

Continued ahead in comment 18...

(16/20)

[4: 13b]:

EMILY's List Australia is a political network in Australia that supports progressive women candidates seeking election to political office. EMILY's List Australia was inspired by EMILY's List, a Political Action Committee with similar goals in the United States.

Issues central to the organisation's support of candidates are the principles of equity, diversity, reproductive rights, and the provision of equal pay and childcare.[1]

Over 230 EMILY's List members have been elected to state and federal Australian Parliaments.[2] The organisation was founded in 1996 and supports candidates through directed donations, "Early Money" financial support, gender gap research and volunteer support.[3]

History

On 26 November 1994, at Fire with Fire: The Feminist Forum held at the Sydney Town Hall, Joan Kirner mentioned the plan currently before the ALP National Executive to introduce an Australian version of the US Emily's List.[4]

In 1994, the ALP National Conference passed an Affirmative Action Rule requiring that women be pre-selected in 35 per cent of winnable seats, in all elections, by 2002.[5] This was at the same time as passing of the Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986. In 1995 the ALP decided to form an internal version of EMILY's List,[6] and in 1996 Kirner established EMILY's List Australia outside the party.[7][8][9] with the aim of attaining 45% female membership in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The name EMILY comes from its United States equivalent and is an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast"[10][11] from the political saying, "Early money is like yeast, because it helps to raise the dough".

In the 2004 Federal Election campaign EMILY's List donated a total of $100,000 to candidates. Research conducted by EMILY's List and submitted to the Labor Party's national executive stated that Labor women regarded then health spokeswoman Julia Gillard as the best performer during the campaign, with then Prime Minister John Howard in second place. Of Mark Latham their submission stated; "the most common themes were: perceived aggression, concern he had been watered down for the campaign, inexperience, constantly going on about background, glib answers, bully boy tactics of the past"[12]

In the 2010 Federal Election campaign EMILY's List undertook Gender Gap research in six key marginal seats and undertook a targeted campaign incorporating materials along the themes of 'We Can't Trust Tony', 'Let's Make History' and 'Torpedo the Speedo'.[13]

In the 2012 Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory elections, for the first time EMILY's List endorsed every female Labor Party candidate contesting those elections.[14][15]

Australia's first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, was a founding member of EMILY's List Australia and assisted to prepare their initial constitution. She presented the Inaugural EMILY's List Oration at Parliament House, Canberra in September 2011.[16]

Organisational structure

EMILY's List Australia is run by a National Committee which includes parliamentarians, volunteers and women unionists. Although it is a partisan organisation, is not controlled by the formal structures of the ALP. At the State and Territory level there are "Action Groups" (ELAG) which have their own organisational structures.[17] South Australian Senator Anne McEwen and Victorian lawyer, poet and writer Tanja Kovac are currently the National Co-convenors.18

EMILY's List | Hillary Clinton | Julia Gillard

Ready for a laugh?

Hillary Clinton nearly falls down stairs in India -- twice! ^{(The American Mirror - Published on Mar 12, 2018)}

Julia Gillard falls over during India visit ^{(The Telegraph - Published on Oct 17, 2012)}

So we got pretty far away from Milo, to then circle back to The Soze Agency via EMILY's List... Let's get back to Milo again:

Again on the subject of shillfarms and recalling "The Online Gamer"; Scientology. Also the connection that Milo and Bannon have to IGE & DEN via Soros/The Soze Agency.

"Playing all sides against each other"

Refer back to comment 8/20 and also recall:

DEN produced and distributed a number of programs aimed at specific young male demographics. That included Chad's World, which targeted gay viewers and included Seann William Scott in the cast, Tales from the Eastside, which targeted Latinos, The Chang Gang, which target Asians, Redemption High which starred Judge Reinhold and targeted Christians, Frat Ratz, which target frat boys, and Fear of a Punk Planet, which target punks, included Joe Escalante from The Vandals in the cast, and shared a name with the band's 1990 album.[17][2]

Seann William Scott: put a pin in that for now.

18:

Viewer discretion advised

Chad's World

LGBT issues

While Yiannopoulos is openly gay, he has stated "Gay Rights Have Made Us Dumber" and that gays should "get back in the closet".[77] He has described being gay as "aberrant" and "a lifestyle choice guaranteed to bring [gay people] pain and unhappiness."[78]

During an interview with Joe Rogan, in 2015, Yiannopoulos said that 'If I could choose, I wouldn’t be a homosexual'. Asked if he would be willing to cure himself of homosexuality, if such a thing was ever invented, Yiannopoulos replied “Well, it would be career suicide, but I probably would, yeah”.[79][80]

In 2017 he criticised Pope Francis for his liberalism in areas such as reaching out to gay people, adding that the best media advice he could give to Francis would be “stop talking.” In the interview he reiterated his belief that homosexuality is a sin and condemned those (including clergy) who sought to change Church dogma on the issue.[81]

Kevin D. Williamson in the National Review argued that "Milo Yiannopoulos of Breitbart London has done more to put homosexual camp in the service of right-wing authoritarianism than any man has since the fellows at Hugo Boss sewed all those nifty SS uniforms."[82]

Feminism, freedom of speech and the "No Platform" policy

Yiannopoulos and feminist Julie Bindel were scheduled to participate in October 2015 in the University of Manchester Free Speech and Secular Society's debate "From liberation to censorship: does modern feminism have a problem with free speech?". However, the Students' Union banned first Bindel, then also Yiannopoulos.[83] The Union cited Bindel's comments on transgender women and Yiannopoulos' opinions on rape culture and stated that both breached the Union's safe-space policy.[84][85]

Yiannopoulos was scheduled to talk at Bristol University the following month.[86] After protesters attempted to have him banned from the university, the event became a debate between Yiannopoulos and The Daily Telegraph blogger and feminist Rebecca Reid.[87]~~

~~In January 2018, Yiannopoulos reported a fictitious news story, written by a spoof news-site, as being true. The article claimed that an English High Court had ruled that the National Health Service was legally obliged to offer cervical smear tests to men. Unaware that the story of was made up, Yiannopoulos argued that the story exemplified the thinking of those living in 'feminist clown world'. Before reading out the article verbatim, Yiannopoulos insisted that he had researched the story and promised that 'this is real, I haven't just made this up'.[91][92]

Speaking a week later, Yiannopoulos stood by his comments, and stated that 'I got in trouble by the way for reading out a satire piece as real news, expect it was real news, just from a different month ... [people] have been harassing me on my Facebook Page, but they are wrong'.[93]

With the above in mind, I can't help but wonder about Milo's coverage of "#Gamergate", along with the origins...

~~

Gamergate

Yiannopoulos played a role in early news coverage of the Gamergate controversy, criticising what he saw as the politicisation of video game culture by "an army of sociopathic feminist programmers and campaigners, abetted by achingly politically correct American tech bloggers."[48][49] In December 2014, he announced he was working on a book about Gamergate.[50]

As part of his coverage of Gamergate, he published correspondence from GameJournoPros, a private mailing list used by video game journalists to discuss industry related topics.[51][52] Yiannopoulos said that the list was evidence that journalists were colluding to offer negative coverage of Gamergate.[citation needed]

Kyle Orland, the creator of the list, responded to the leak on Ars Technica. Orland disputed the claim that the list suggested collusion among journalists, but said that he had written a message saying several things that he later regretted.[53] Carter Dotson of pocketgamer.biz said that the list was indicative of an echo chamber effect in the gaming press.[54]

During the controversy, Yiannopoulos said that he received a syringe filled with an unknown substance through the post,[55][56] as well as a dead animal.

In May 2015, a meetup in Washington D.C. for supporters of Gamergate arranged by Yiannopoulos and Christina Hoff Sommers was targeted by a bomb threat made over Twitter, according to the local police responding to information supplied by the FBI.[57] Similarly, three months later in August 2015, an event at the Koubek Center in Miami sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists was targeted by bomb threats, forcing the evacuation of the building and the suspension of a panel with Yiannopoulos and Sommers.[58][59][60][61]

Continued ahead in comment 17...

(15/20)

[41]:

Campaigns

In December 2005, BAMN disrupted a meeting of the Michigan State Board of Canvassers in which the Board voted to put a measure that would prohibit race-based preferential treatment in higher education on the November 2006 ballot. They did so by shouting down officials and overturning chairs and tables.[2]

In December 2014, BAMN helped to organize a week of anti-police and Black Lives Matter protest in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. One of these protests shut down a part of Interstate 80 and led to the mass arrest of 210 people. Ronald Cruz, an attorney and organizer for BAMN, said that BAMN demanded that all of the charges against the protesters be dropped.[3] Another protest the same week resulted in violence and property damage.[4][1] Cruz claimed the police were the aggressors.[4]

---

Sacramento riot

Main article: 2016 Sacramento riot

In June 2016, BAMN led a counter-protest against a rally held by the Traditionalist Worker Party, a white nationalist group, outside of the California State Capitol in Sacramento. Violence at the protests resulted in nine people being hospitalized, seven with stab wounds.[7] Yvette Felarca, a BAMN spokeswoman, said their protest successfully "chased away the neo-Nazis and kept them from recruiting new members."[8]

In July 2017, a year after the riot, authorities arrested Felarca and charged her with "inciting and participating in a riot and assault likely to cause great bodily injury."[9] Felarca and her lawyer, BAMN's national chair Shanta Driver, say the white nationalists were the aggressors and BAMN members had the right to defend themselves. Further, that Felarca sustained serious injury in the riot including a head wound requiring stitches.[10]

[40]:

~~[Mike ]Wright said the Berkeley Patriot became involved with Free Speech when Milo Yiannopoulos, whose campus event was canceled Feb. 1 due to violent protests on Sproul Plaza, contacted the Berkeley College Republicans about returning to campus. Wright said BCR was unable to host the event, so the Berkeley Patriot took the opportunity to expand its publication and recruit new writers by organizing Free Speech Week with Yiannopoulos.~~

Okay, let's take a look at EMILY's List now...

[4: 13a]:

EMILY's List is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect pro-choice Democratic female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985.[4] According to the Washington Examiner, Emily's List is "the nation's most influential pro-choice political action committee."[5]

The group's name is an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast", Malcolm commenting that "it makes the dough rise".[4] The saying is a reference to a convention of political fundraising: that receiving lots of donations early in a race is helpful in attracting subsequent donors.

Emily’s List bundles contributions to the campaigns of pro-choice Democratic women running in targeted races.[6][7]

From 1985 through the 2008 election, Emily's List had raised and spent $240 million for political candidates.[1] Emily's List spent $27.4 million in 2010, $34 million in 2012, and $44.9 million in 2014.[3] The organization is on track to raise $60 million for the 2016 election cycle, much of it earmarked for Hillary Clinton, whose presidential bid Emily's List had endorsed.[8][9]

History and mission

Emily's List was founded in 1985, when 25 women met in the home of Ellen Malcolm. Founding members included Barbara Boxer, Ann Richards, Anne Wexler, and Donna Shalala.[7] In 1986, early financial support from Emily's List helped elect Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, the first female Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right (not appointed or filling a seat of a deceased husband).[1][10]

The group's mission is to cultivate a donor network to raise money for pro-choice female Democratic candidates. To become an official Emily's List member, an individual must pay $100 to join Emily's List, and agree to donate a minimum of $100 each to two U.S. Senate, U.S. House, or gubernatorial candidates. Members make their donations directly to Emily's List, which bundles the checks together and forwards them to candidates.[11]~~

~~For the 2006 election cycle, Emily's List raised about $46 million for candidates and the group was listed as the biggest PAC in the nation by Political Money Line.[16] Emily's List endorsed 31 candidates in 2006, eight of whom were victorious.[7]

In 2008, Emily's List endorsed 22 U.S. House candidates, two U.S. Senate candidates, and three gubernatorial contenders.[7] The PAC helped elect two new female senators, Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and supported the gubernatorial election of Bev Perdue of North Carolina, the re-election of Gov. Christine Gregoire of Washington, and the successful elections of twelve new women to the United States House of Representatives.[10]

EMILY’s List criteria for picking candidates include staff recommendations, viability, "demographics and history of the district, analysis of opponents or potential opponents, analysis of candidate’s education, political experience, etc., demonstrated success at fund-raising, poll data to demonstrate name recognition and grass roots support."[15]

Staff

Stephanie Schriock took over as President of Emily’s List in 2010. Amy Dacey was the executive director of Emily's List from 2010 through 2013.[17]

The organization's board of directors includes Ellen Malcolm, Stephanie Schriock, Joanne Howes, Ranny Cooper, Diana Bell, Mary Beth Cahill, Judith-Ann Corrente, Shefali Razdan Duggal, Ted Gavin, Rebecca Haile, Nikki Heidepriem, Judith Lichtman, Debra L. Ness, and Laura Ricketts.[18]

Programs

The Political Opportunity Program (POP) was established in 2001 to encourage pro-choice Democratic women to run for state and local office. POP targets its resources toward pro-choice Democratic women running for state legislatures, state constitutional offices, and local offices.[19]

Women Vote! is Emily’s List’s independent expenditure arm which communicates directly with voters.[7]

Madam President

In 2013, Emily's List announced its Madam President campaign, saying "There is a mandate for women’s leadership in this country. But we have yet to break through the final glass ceiling and put a woman at the top of the Democratic ticket and into the Presidency."[20] Madam President now houses the former social media presences of Ready for Hillary PAC which did grassroots organizing in preparation for Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy.[21]

---

Endorsements

EMILY’s List provides trainings, recruits women to run, and endorses and funds female political candidates. EMILY’s List is listed as an “important source of candidate support,”[23] in a 2010 article in the Harvard International Review.

Candidates endorsed by EMILY's List include:

Candidate	Notable for	State	Position
Tammy Duckworth	First female amputee elected to Congress[24]	IL	Congresswoman then Senator
Tammy Baldwin	First openly gay woman in Congress[25]	WI	Congresswoman
Kamala Harris	First African-American, South Asian, and woman to serve as California’s Attorney General[26]	CA	Senator
Pramila Jayapal	First Indian-American woman elected to Congress[27]	WA	Congresswoman
Catherine Cortez Masto	First Latina elected to US Senate[28]	NV	Senator

Presidential

During the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, when NARAL endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, Emily's List was strongly critical. Emily's List President Ellen Malcolm said, “I think it is tremendously disrespectful to Sen. Clinton - who held up the nomination of a FDA commissioner in order to force approval of Plan B and who spoke so eloquently during the Supreme Court nomination about the importance of protecting Roe vs. Wade - to not give her the courtesy to finish the final three weeks of the primary process. It certainly must be disconcerting for elected leaders who stand up for reproductive rights and expect the choice community will stand with them.”[29]

After the conclusion of the Democratic presidential primary, Emily's List moved their support to Barack Obama and was vocal in their opposition to the McCain/Palin ticket.[30]

On April 12, 2015, Emily's List endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. The endorsement came within hours of Clinton's announcement that she had formed an exploratory committee to run for president.[31][7] Emily's List bundled $855,518 for Clinton, making the group one of the five largest donors to the campaign.[7]

Emily's List also endorsed Hillary Clinton in the General election against Donald Trump.[8]

~~

---

Similar groups

Similar groups have formed along the same lines as Emily's List, with some slight variations. The Wish List supports pro-choice Republican women. In 1994, Joan Kirner created a similar organization in Australia by the name EMILY's List Australia.

On the other side of the abortion debate, the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life PAC, supports pro-life women and is seen as the pro-life counterpart to Emily's List.[34]

Maggie's List is a United States federal political action committee founded in Florida in 2010 to "raise awareness and funds to increase the number of conservative women elected to federal public office."[35][36]

Continued ahead in comment 16...

(14/20)

Before we circle back to EMILY's List, let's take a moment to learn about the organizers of "Free Speech Week", the Berkley Patriot:

[37. http://www.dailycal.org/2017/09/18/berkeley-patriot-student-group-organizing-free-speech-week/ | https://archive.is/QjErW]:

What is the Berkeley Patriot, the student group organizing ‘Free Speech Week’?

^{By Danielle Kaye | Staff}

^{Last Updated September 20, 2017}

---

UC Berkeley has been under the spotlight for “Free Speech Week,” but the student organization behind the event remains largely unknown.

The Berkeley Patriot editor in chief Mike Wright said the Berkeley Patriot is a student-run conservative online publication that aims to use Free Speech Week to expand its reach and promote free speech. The Berkeley Patriot was created over the summer to replace its predecessor, the California Patriot, according to Wright, who co-founded the revamped publication.~~

[38. wiki: California_Patriot]:

The California Patriot is an independent, student-run, glossy-covered opinion magazine at the University of California, Berkeley.

History

The magazine was started in 2000[1] by two 19-year-old sophomores, Tyler Monroe and Kelso Barnett.[2]

Overview

The magazine's mission is to promote conservative politics and opinion at the University.[3] The magazine prints eight issues a year and is distributed on the Berkeley campus free of charge. When a new issue is released, the Patriot homepage provides a link to a pdf version for reading. The Patriot also provides subscription options for those that would like it shipped to them. The magazine receives most of its funding from individuals and conservative foundations around the country.[2]

Notable stories

In 2002, the California Patriot broke a story that the University of California, Berkeley, planned to host a 9/11 memorial event without any red-white-and-blue ribbons or other displays of American patriotism because they might offend foreign students. Bill O'Reilly hosted the editor of the California Patriot to tell the story on Fox News. The publicity caused the administration to reverse that decision.[2]

During the early 2000s, the magazine promoted support for President Bush and the Iraq War. Other stories have involved alleged misappropriation of money by an organ of the student government, and the use by the University of student funds to campaign against a California ballot proposition.

[37]:

~~Content published in the California Patriot magazines ranged from campus-related stories, such as ASUC candidate endorsements, to state and national political commentary. On its website, the Berkeley Patriot also covers local and national news, including Ben Shapiro’s campus speaking event, the protest that took place in Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on Aug. 27 and the concept of free speech.

Wright added that the Berkeley Patriot is planning to “be more news-orientated and break more stories” than the California Patriot.

The Berkeley Patriot news editor Pranav Jandhyala said that while the Berkeley Patriot is a conservative publication, it strives to be objective and unbiased. Recently, the Berkeley Patriot wrote an article about the lack of violence during Ben Shapiro’s speaking event on campus, saying that “for once in Berkeley, reason and civility defeated the forces of anarchy.”

Although Berkeley Patriot spokesperson Bryce Kasamoto confirmed that the publication is rebranding itself with its new name, it is still officially registered as a Registered Student Organization under the name of the California Patriot, according to CalLink and the ASUC Fiscal Year 2017-18 Budget.

“Our mission is essentially to provide objective news from UC Berkeley to the nation. We think UC Berkeley is a microcosm for news,” Jandhyala said. “We still abide by the same standards (as the California Patriot). There’s no image change that we’re really looking for.”

ASUC Chief Financial Officer Paul Cho said in an email that the 2017-18 academic year marks the third year in which the California Patriot has received funding from the ASUC.~~

[39. wiki: Associated Students of the University of California (ASCU)]:

The Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) is the officially recognized students' association of UC Berkeley. It was founded in 1887,[2] and is an independent 501(c)3[1] non-profit unincorporated association. The ASUC controls funding for ASUC-sponsored organizations, advocates on behalf of students to solve issues on campus and in the community, engages with administrators to develop programming, increase student-organizational resources, and increase transparency.[citation needed]

History

The ASUC was founded on March 2nd, 1887. Prior to this, UC Berkeley had no residence halls, sport teams, or permanent student organizations. The original purpose of the ASUC was "to organize the Student Body in such wise that it might take effective action upon all matter relating to the general welfare of the student body and the University in general."[3] The organization went on to absorb the Cal Student Store, become the center of student organization oversight, and run all university athletics until the 1960s. [4]

Various student political parties – popularly known as "slates" – and independent student communities participate in the ASUC.[citation needed] SLATE, a pioneer organization of the New Left and precursor of the Free Speech Movement and formative counterculture era, was a campus political party at Cal from 1958 to 1966, while VOICE (a radical party) and Pact (a liberal party) were campus political parties at Cal in 1967.[5]

At present, two parties primarily dominate ASUC politics. Student Action, founded 1995, is a coalition of organizations, with key support groups being the Greek life and pre-law community. [6]. CalSERVE (Cal Students for Equal Rights and a Valid Education), founded 1984, is also a coalition, but one centered directly on "access, representation, and social, environmental, and racial justice."[7]

In addition to these two parties, smaller third parties have been known to run for seats. SQUELCH! is a satirical party which has run and won seats in the past before suffering a major blow in the 2017 elections, when they won no seats in the senate.[8] The Pirate Party centers their messaging on technology and humor, campaigning in pirate costumes during election season. As of the 2017 elections, they held one seat in the ASUC Senate.[9]. The Defend Affirmative Action Party (DAAP), founded by national activist and left-wing militant group BAMN, campaigns on a platform of radical racial justice and inclusion for students, though has found relatively little support, having won no seats for 9 years as of 2017.[10]

_{Monday, March 16, 2015}

DAAP announces 4 ASUC general election candidates

The Defend Affirmative Action Party announced four senate candidates Sunday — two of whom are also running for executive offices — for the 2015-16 ASUC elections.

The party’s two executive candidates — junior transfer Michael Cortez-Mejia and senior Bianca Huntley-Ortega, who are running for president and student advocate, respectively — are also running for ASUC Senate alongside solely senate candidates Natasha Johnson and Benny Corona. In 2014, DAAP ran a full executive slate and 23 senate candidates.

DAAP campaign platforms include ending the privatization of the UC system, removing Janet Napolitano as UC president and doubling minority student enrollment for the 2015-16 school year.

The party also aims to eliminate standardized tests in the UC admissions process, support the DREAM Act, create a sanctuary campus for immigrant students, end rape culture and address issues of racism, sexism, sexual harassment and other prejudices.

DAAP was founded by the national activist group BAMN, which defends minority groups and organizes protests, including the December protests over police killings of unarmed black men.

The two executive candidates are running for senate seats to ensure greater representation of the independent student movement in both executive offices and the senate. A DAAP candidate has not won a senate seat in eight years and has never won an executive position.~~

[41. wiki: BAMN]:

The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights, and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, commonly shortened to By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), is a militant American left-wing[1] group that organizes protests and litigation to achieve its aims.

Origins

BAMN was formed in 1995 to oppose the July 20, 1995 decision by Regents of the University of California to ban affirmative action. In 1997, BAMN expanded to Michigan, where it organized student support for the affirmative action policy of the University of Michigan Law School at Ann Arbor (UMLS) as a result of a challenge to that policy via Grutter v. Bollinger.

---

Conflict with law enforcement

In 2005, the American Civil Liberties Union reported that in 2002 the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified BAMN as "thought to be involved in terrorist activities."[5][6] According to the FBI, the group's protests were discussed in a meeting about alleged links to terrorist organizations.[5][6]

Continued ahead in comment 15...

(13/20)

[33]:

Berkeley 'Free Speech Week' with Bannon will be costly, university president says

^{By BENJAMIN WERMUND | 09/20/2017 02:24 PM EDT | Updated 09/20/2017 04:03 PM EDT}

University of California President Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that the so-called Free Speech Week planned at Berkeley this month that will feature former White House strategist Steve Bannon will be an expensive test for the school that has become the center of debate over free speech on college campuses.

Napolitano said that her office, which oversees the University of California system, will take the unprecedented step of helping Berkeley cover the the "substantial" security costs. That protection is necessary to ensure free speech on campus, she said.

"This will be a test for Berkeley," she said. “It’s a cost that the university is bearing to protect the speakers but also to protect the value of free speech ... But the rock and the hard place that the campus is in, is the value of free speech versus the need to protect the safety and the security of the students and the faculty.”

Napolitano said security for a recent speech by conservative author Ben Shapiro cost the school $600,000. The event this month including Bannon and planned by far right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos is expected to be four days of similar security needs, she said. She would not provide an exact figure.

Bannon's appearance has been billed as "Bannon infiltrates Berkeley."

 

"I think some of these speakers are coming deliberately to provoke, and I think to provoke a response," she said. "But nonetheless they’re coming to speak, they’re coming to put forward controversial and noxious ideas, and, you know, colleges and universities are places where noxious ideas are expressed.

"So how you carry that out, protect that value — that’s the challenge that we face," Napolitano said. "That’s why I think it’s important that if these events are going to occur, that they be done safely and securely and, I think unfortunately that means universities bear the cost."

Still, the former Homeland Security secretary said she's confident the events will be as safe as the school can make them.

"I have been on the phone with the chancellor of Berkeley and their chief of police to go through the security planning and to satisfy myself that they’ve done as good a job as can be done under the circumstances and that they have the required manpower and equip to deal with what could happen," Napolitano said.

[34]:

Secretary of Homeland Security

~~

Tucson memorial

photo:

^{Napolitano stands next to Mark Kelly, husband of shooting survivor Gabrielle Giffords, at the memorial event.}

On January 12, 2011, along with President Barack Obama, Napolitano was one of many speakers selected to express sympathies to the community of Tucson, the State of Arizona, and the Nation in a televised memorial for the 2011 Tucson shooting.

Six people were killed in the attack;[90] all but Christina-Taylor Green died at the scene of the shooting:[91]

• Christina-Taylor Green, 9, of Tucson.[92] Green was accompanied to the meeting by neighbor Susan Hileman.[38][93] As her date of birth was September 11, 2001, she had appeared in the book Faces of Hope: Babies Born on 9/11 (page 41).[94][95][96] She was the granddaughter of former Major League Baseball player and manager Dallas Green and the second cousin of actress Sophia Bush.[95][97]
• Dorothy "Dot" Morris, 76, a retired secretary from Oro Valley; wife of George, who was wounded.[90][98]
• John Roll, 63, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for Arizona, named to the federal bench by President George H. W. Bush in 1991.[38][99]
• Phyllis Schneck, 79, homemaker from Tucson.[90][100]
• Dorwan Stoddard, 76, retired construction worker, died from a gunshot wound to the head; his wife Mavy was wounded.[90][101]
• Gabriel "Gabe" Zimmerman, 30, community outreach director for Giffords,[2][38] and a member of Giffords' staff since 2006. Zimmerman was the first Congressional staffer killed in the line of duty.[102]

In addition to the six dead, thirteen other people were wounded by gunshot in the attack, while a fourteenth person was injured subduing Loughner. Gabrielle Giffords and two other members of her staff were among the surviving gunshot victims.[6] Staffer Ron Barber, shot in the thigh and face, would later succeed Giffords in her House seat.[103]

Gabrielle Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords was reported to be the target of the shootings.[2] Some news organizations initially reported that she had been killed, but these statements were quickly revised to reflect that she had survived with a gunshot wound to the head.[104][105] Daniel Hernandez Jr., one of Giffords's interns, assisted her after she was wounded and is credited with saving her life.[106][107][108]

Giffords was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition,[1][109] although she was still conscious. Within 38 minutes,[110] Giffords underwent emergency surgery,[111] and part of her skull was removed to prevent further brain damage caused by swelling.[110] She was placed into a medically induced coma to allow her brain to rest.[112] During a memorial ceremony on January 12, President Obama announced that earlier that day Giffords had opened her eyes for the first time since the attack.[113]

As Giffords' status improved, she began simple physical therapy and music therapy.[114] On January 21, 2011, less than two weeks after the attack, her condition was deemed sufficiently stable for her to be released to Houston's Memorial Hermann Medical Center. A few days later she was moved to the center's Institute for Rehabilitation and Research to undergo a program of physical therapy and rehabilitation.[115][116] After examination, her Houston doctors were optimistic, saying she has "great rehabilitation potential".[117] Medical experts expect Giffords's recovery to take from several months to more than one year.[118]

On August 1, 2011, she made her first public appearance on the House floor to vote in favor of raising the debt limit ceiling. She was met with a standing ovation and accolades from her fellow members of Congress.[119] Giffords engaged in intensive rehabilitation treatments in Asheville, North Carolina from October 25 through November 4.[120] In 2011, Mark Kelly, Giffords' husband, published a memoir, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, crediting her with joint authorship. He wrote that Giffords vows to return to Congress, although she continues to struggle with language and has lost 50 percent of her vision in both eyes.[121]

On January 22, 2012, Giffords announced that she would resign from her congressional seat in order to concentrate on her recovery, but promised to return to public service in the future.[122] She submitted her resignation on January 25 on the floor of the House in an emotional appearance; colleagues and the House leadership offered their tributes to her courage and strength.[123]

[36. wiki: Gabrielle Giffords]:

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2006

See also: Arizona's 8th congressional district election, 2006; United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2008 § District 8; and United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2010 § District 8

Giffords launched her first candidacy for the U.S. Congress on January 24, 2006. The campaign received national attention early on as a likely pick-up for the Democratic Party. Prominent Democrats, including Tom Daschle, Robert Reich, Janet Napolitano, and Bill Clinton, endorsed Giffords. EMILY's List endorsed Giffords early in the campaign cycle.[21] The Sierra Club and the Arizona Education Association also endorsed her.[22] On September 12, 2006, Giffords won her party's nomination in the primary election.

Her Republican opponent in the general election was Randy Graf, a conservative former state senator known for his enforcement-only position on immigration and illegal aliens. Graf had run against Jim Kolbe in the 2004 GOP primary and had announced his candidacy in 2006 before Kolbe announced his retirement. The Republican establishment was somewhat cool toward Graf, believing he might be too conservative for the district. The national GOP took the unusual step of endorsing one of the more moderate candidates in the primary. Graf won anyway, helped by a split in the Republican moderate vote between two candidates.

Not long after the primary, Congressional Quarterly changed its rating of the race to "Leans Democrat". By late September, the national GOP had pulled most of its funding, effectively conceding the seat to Giffords.~~

---

Attempted assassination

~~

Resignation from Congress

On January 22, 2012, Giffords announced in a video statement that she intended to resign her seat so that she could continue to focus on her recovery.[100] She attended President Obama's 2012 State of the Union Address on January 24, and formally submitted her resignation on January 25. Appearing on the floor of the House, after the last bill she sponsored was brought to a vote and unanimously passed, Giffords was lauded by members of Congress and the majority and minority leaders who spoke in tribute to her strength and accomplishment in an unusual farewell ceremony. Her letter of resignation was read on her behalf by her close friend and fellow Democratic representative, Debbie Wasserman Schultz.[101]

Note: [36: U.S. HoR: Elections: 2006]:

EMILY's List endorsed Giffords

(12/20)

[29]:

The following is quoted from the original source, post update - article was updated after being initially archived at archive.is:

Milo Yiannopoulos Resigns From Breitbart News Amid Pedophilia Controversy

^{February 21, 2017 | 11:46AM PT}

---

Milo Yiannopoulos, the conservative media personality under fire for comments he made that appeared to condone sex with minors, has resigned from Breitbart News, the platform that has helped boost his popularity on the far right.

“I would be wrong to allow my poor choice of words to detract from my colleagues important reporting, so today I am resigning from Breitbart, effective immediately. This decision is mine alone.”

~~Donald Trump’s campaign certainly helped boost his profile, as well as Trump’s appointment of Steve Bannon, the chairman of Breitbart, as campaign chairman and later chief strategist in the White House. Yiannopoulos said it was Bannon who brought him into the company, but said that he had not talked to him in a while.

“Steve Bannon is one of the foremost and brilliant political operatives of his generation,” Yiannopoulos said.~~

Notes:

• Ignoring for a moment, the "poorly edited" video where Milo appears to defend sexual relationships with minors, he has openly admitted to witnessing sexual abuse of minors at Hollywood parties, refusing to name names.[28]
• Milo claims that Steve Bannon is the person who brought him into Breitbart, but, that the two have not spoken in a while (since/as of press time).[29]

"Wait, why did the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally get you thinking about Milo Yiannopoulos?" George Soros $$, "playing all sides against each other", shillfarms.

[27]:

Dangerous Faggot Tour

~~

UC Berkeley

Main article: 2017 Berkeley protests

On 1 February 2017, Yiannopoulos was scheduled to make a speech at UC Berkeley at 8:00 pm. More than 100 UC Berkeley faculty had signed a petition urging the university to cancel the event.[177] Over 1,500 people gathered to protest against the event on the steps of Sproul Hall, with some violence occurring.[178]

According to the university, around 150 masked agitators came onto campus and interrupted the protest, setting fires, damaging property, throwing fireworks, attacking members of the crowd, and throwing rocks at the police.[179] These violent protestors included members of BAMN, who threw rocks at police, shattered windows, threw Molotov cocktails, and later vandalised downtown Berkeley.[180] Among those assaulted were a Syrian Muslim in a suit who was pepper sprayed and hit with a rod by a protester dressed all in black who said "You look like a Nazi",[181] and a woman who was pepper sprayed while being interviewed by a TV reporter.[182]

Citing security concerns, the UC Police Department decided to cancel the event.[178][183] One person was arrested for failure to disperse, and there was about $100,000 in damage.[184] The police were criticised for their "hands off" policy whereby they did not arrest any of the demonstrators who committed assault, vandalism, or arson.[185][186]

President Trump criticised the university on Twitter for failing to allow freedom of speech, and threatened to defund UC Berkeley.[187][188] After the incident, Yiannopoulos' upcoming book, Dangerous, returned to number one for a few days on Amazon's "Best Sellers" list.[189][190]

According to Yiannopoulos' Facebook post, he planned to return to Berkeley, "hopefully within the next few months."[191] He was invited by the Berkeley Patriot student organisation to appear at events, scheduled for 24–27 September, entitled "Free Speech Week"[192] along with Coulter, Steve Bannon, Pamela Geller, Mike Cernovich and Erik Prince.[193]

It should be noted that I cannot find anything to corroborate Steve Bannon having attended Free Speech Week(despite being invited) or the protests in particular. Indeed, it seems he did not explicitly state that he would be attending either, at least not that I could find in online publications.

[30. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Cal-student-group-backs-out-of-Free-Speech-Week-12221042.php | https://archive.is/gywk7]:

Cal student group waffles on Free Speech Week; Milo says it’s still on

^{By Nanette Asimov and Michael Cabanatuan Updated 7:41 pm, Friday, September 22, 2017}

---

~~Right-wing provocateur Ann Coulter, one of the highest profile speakers, said Friday that she won’t attend. Nor, reportedly, will former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, another high-profile speaker on the agenda.~~

Let's exlore this one, though...

[31. wiki: 2017 Berkeley protests]:

The 2017 Berkeley protests refer to a series of protests and clashes between organized groups that occurred in the city of Berkeley, California in the vicinity of the University of California campus. Violence has occurred predominantly between anti-Trump counter-protesters, including activists such as socialists, anarchists, and antifa groups;[1][2] and pro-Trump and far-right-wing activists, including the alt-right, white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

The first event occurred on February 1, when Trump supporter Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to give a speech at the university. Two later incidents on March 4 and April 15, were pro-Trump rallies met by counter-protesters. Another rally occurred on April 27, hosted by Kyle "Based Stickman" Chapman, Brittany Pettibone, Lauren Southern, and others at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. This was scheduled after a planned speech by Ann Coulter was cancelled. A "Say No To Marxism" rally planned to be held in the same park on August 27 was officially canceled by the organizers, but still drew both Trump supporters and counter-protesters.

Protests and clashes continued into the month of September, with a campus visit from conservative radio host Ben Shapiro and the return of Yiannopoulos for "Berkeley Free Speech Week". Security for the September events, though "Free Speech Week" was officially canceled by the organizers, cost the university hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Timeline

~~

September

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin asked UC Berkeley in August 2017 to cancel conservatives’ speech plans slated for September 24–27 in prevention of violent civil unrest.[50] In September 2017, Cal Chancellor Carol Christ said: "Call toxic speech out for what it is, don’t shout it down, for in shouting it down, you collude in the narrative that universities are not open to all speech. Respond to hate speech with more speech";[51] and, president of the University of California system, Janet Napolitano, said: "I think some of these speakers are coming deliberately to provoke...a response. But nonetheless they’re coming to speak, they’re coming to put forward controversial and noxious ideas. Colleges and universities are places where noxious ideas are expressed. So how you...protect that value, that’s the challenge that we face."[52]

September 14

On September 14, conservative radio host Ben Shapiro gave a speech at the campus, which was covered by a crew for the political documentary No Safe Spaces.[53] No one wearing masks or with weapons was allowed on campus,[54] and the Berkeley City Council authorized the police to use pepper spray, a weapon that had been banned in the city for twenty years.[55] The campus also set up concrete barriers and metal detectors, with a UC spokesman stating that about $600,000 was spent on security for Shapiro's speech.[56] Hundreds gathered off campus at a "Refuse Fascism" rally to protest the event. Police made nine arrests; there was no major violence.[56]

September 24–27

A dozen commentators with right-wing political leanings, including Milo Yiannopoulos, Steve Bannon, Ann Coulter, Pamela Geller, David Horowitz, and Erik Prince, were extended invitations by the UC Berkeley student group Berkeley Patriot to participate in what it terms "Free Speech Week" in Berkeley September 24–27. Nearly two hundred professors and graduate students signed the open letter "Boycott the Alt-Right @UCBerkeley" calling for a boycott of campus for the four days of the planned events to ensure community members' "physical and mental safety."[57] A UC Berkeley spokesman stated that the cost of security for Free Speech Week will exceed $1 million.[58]~~

Wait a minute!

Recognize anyone? Janet Napolitano

president of the University of California system, Janet Napolitano, said: "I think some of these speakers are coming deliberately to provoke...a response. But nonetheless they’re coming to speak, they’re coming to put forward controversial and noxious ideas. Colleges and universities are places where noxious ideas are expressed. So how you...protect that value, that’s the challenge that we face."[52]

[32. v/pizzagate - @truthseekertx: Jon Tester received commitment from Secretary Clinton and Napolitano to expedite the adoption of Children in Haiti, 1 month before the Silsby trafficking of 33 children. Any Connection?]

I just find it interesting that Tester was pushing Clinton and Napolitano to expedite the transfer of Children to the U.S. on January 20th and then on Jan. 29th, Laura Silsby and 9 other Americans were busted in Haiti trafficking as many as 33 Children. http://archive.is/mqeF3

• [33. [31: ref 52 archived]: https://archive.is/EOo6c]
• [34. wiki: Janet Napolitano]

Continued ahead in comment 13...

(11/20)

[26]:

Business Career

~~

Entertainment and media

In the 1990s, Bannon ventured into entertainment and media, and became an executive producer in the Hollywood film and media industry. Bannon produced 18 films,[46] from Sean Penn's drama The Indian Runner (1991) to Julie Taymor's film Titus (1999). Bannon became a partner with entertainment industry executive Jeff Kwatinetz at film and television management company The Firm, Inc., 2002–2003.[56][70]

In 2004, Bannon made a documentary about Ronald Reagan titled In the Face of Evil. Through the making and screening of this film, Bannon was introduced to Reagan's War author Peter Schweizer and publisher Andrew Breitbart, who would later describe him as the Leni Riefenstahl of the Tea Party movement.[56] Bannon was involved in the financing and production of a number of films, including Fire from the Heartland: The Awakening of the Conservative Woman (2010), The Undefeated (2011), and Occupy Unmasked (2012).

Bannon persuaded Goldman Sachs to invest, in 2006, in a company known as Internet Gaming Entertainment.[71] Following a lawsuit, the company rebranded as Affinity Media, and Bannon took over as CEO. From 2007 through 2011, Bannon was the chair and CEO of Affinity Media.[72][73]

In 2007, Bannon wrote an eight-page treatment for a new documentary called Destroying the Great Satan: The Rise of Islamic Facism (sic) in America. The outline states that "although driven by the 'best intentions,' institutions such as the media, the Jewish community and government agencies were appeasing jihadists aiming to create an Islamic republic."[74] In 2011, Bannon spoke at the Liberty Restoration Foundation in Orlando, Florida, about the Economic Crisis of 2008, the Troubled Assets Relief Program, and their impact in the origins of the Tea Party movement, while also discussing his films Generation Zero (2010) and The Undefeated.[75]

Bannon was executive chair and co-founder of the Government Accountability Institute, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization (where he helped orchestrate the publication of Breitbart News senior editor-at-large[76] Peter Schweizer's book Clinton Cash),[56][77] from its founding in 2012 until his departure in August 2016.[78] For the years 2012 through 2015, he received between $81,000 and $100,000 each year; the organization reported that he worked an average of 30 hours per week for the organization.[78] He has also worked as vice president of the board of Cambridge Analytica, a data-analytics firm which allegedly used illegal tactics to target American voters in the 2016 election and is owned largely by the Mercer family,[79] the family that also co-owns Breitbart News.[80]

In 2015, Bannon was ranked No. 19 on Mediaite's list of the "25 Most Influential in Political News Media 2015".[81]

Bannon also hosted a radio show (Breitbart News Daily) on the SiriusXM Patriot satellite radio channel.[82]

Breitbart News

Bannon was a founding member of the board of Breitbart News,[83] a right-wing news, opinion and commentary website. Philip Elliott and Zeke J. Miller of Time say the site has "pushed racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic material into the vein of the alternative right".[13] Bannon said that Breitbart's ideological mix included libertarians, Zionists, the conservative gay community, same-sex marriage opponents, economic nationalists, populists, as well as alt-right, the alt-right comprising a very small proportion overall. Conceding the alt-right holds views with "racial and anti-Semitic overtones," Bannon said he has zero tolerance for such views.[84]

In March 2012, after founder Andrew Breitbart's death, Bannon became executive chair of Breitbart News LLC, the parent company of Breitbart News.[85][86][87] Under his leadership, Breitbart took a more alt-right and nationalistic approach toward its agenda.[88] In 2016, Bannon declared the website "the platform for the alt-right".[14] Speaking about his role at Breitbart, Bannon said: "We think of ourselves as virulently anti-establishment, particularly 'anti-' the permanent political class."[89]

On August 18, 2017, Breitbart announced that Bannon would return as executive chairman following his White House employment.[90] On January 9, 2018, he stepped down as executive chairman.[91]

Mercer | Breitbart | Bannon | Goldman Sachs | IGE / Affinity Media

This is getting weirder...

Given Bannon's history with Goldman Sachs, IGE & Breitbart, along with accusations of antisemitism and/or racism, I can't help but wonder about another person of interest...

Let's take a quick look at something else in the Bannon wiki, before we discuss said person of interst, though:

[26]:

Political career

~~

Departure from the White House

Bannon's employment in the White House ended on August 18, 2017, less than a week after the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally which degenerated into violence and acrimony. Whereas members of both political parties condemned the hatred and violence of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and alt-right activists, The New York Times noted that Trump "was the only national political figure to spread blame for the 'hatred, bigotry and violence' that resulted in the death of one person to 'many sides'".[149] The decision to blame "many sides" was reported to have come from Bannon.[150]~~

Why is this relevant? Bannon's fellow ex-Breitbart employee, Milo Yiannopoulos

[27. wiki: Milo Yiannopoulos]:

Milo Yiannopoulos (/jəˈnɒpələs/;[1] born Milo Hanrahan; 18 October 1984; also writing under the pen name Milo Andreas Wagner)[2][3] is a British political commentator, right-wing polemicist, and writer.

Yiannopoulos is a former senior editor for Breitbart News, who describes himself as a "cultural libertarian".[4] He is a critic of feminism, Islam, social justice, political correctness, and other movements. Though often described as a member of the alt-right, he rejects this label, stating that there are many "points of difference" between him and the alt-right movement.[5] In October 2017, leaked emails revealed that Yiannopoulos had repeatedly solicited neo-Nazi and white supremacist figures on the alt-right for feedback and story ideas in his work for the website Breitbart. The leaked emails also showed that his book, Dangerous, and many of his Breitbart articles were ghost-written by a Breitbart colleague.[6]~~

There's a lot of things regarding Milo Yiannopoulos which strike me as suspicious, when looking at things from the "shillfarms" & "play all sides" angles, with Soros $$ and other connections kept in mind. For the sake of keeping things moving, I'll try to be as brief but concise as possible here.

Controversies

Alleged support for paedophilia

~~Throughout the controversy, Yiannopoulos was criticised for [in his words] attending Hollywood "boat parties" and "house parties" in which boys he described as "very young - very young" were sexually abused, but failing to report the abusers to the authorities or to identify them during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.[140]~~

Milo’s Seeming Support for Man-Boy Love Is Worse Than the Inaction That Undid Paterno

Yiannopoulos' nauseating podcast interview sets new post-Sandusky low

^{By Selwyn Duke • 02/21/17 3:00pm}

---

Bohemian bad boy of Breitbart Milo Yiannopoulos’ career had long been a testimonial to the notion that there’s no such thing as negative press. But this changed yesterday when attention was focused on comments he made advocating what one might call “situational pederasty.” Yet perhaps most damning is not what he said but what he didn’t.

Yiannopoulos failed to report child sex abuse so extreme that he himself said it “beggared belief.”

The admission was made in a 2015 interview with comedian and commentator Joe Rogan. At 4:46 in the video found here, the openly-homosexual Yiannopoulos explains how he attended the “boat parties” and “house parties” of Hollywood figures of the stature of film producer Bryan Singer (who has been accused of minor sex abuse). At these events, grown men were using for sex boys who were, as Yiannopoulos puts it, “very young—very young.”

Note that Yiannopoulos had just outlined how he’d been abused by a clergyman when he was 13 or 14, but nonetheless described his abuser as a “great priest.” He said in another YouTube video that sexual relationships “between younger boys and older men…can be hugely positive experiences,” as he discussed “the merits of gay relationships between adults and boys as young as 13,” as the BBC put it.

So how young were the boys at the Hollywood parties if they, even in Yiannopoulos’s eyes, “beggared belief”? Twelve? Eleven? He doesn’t say.

He also won’t say who the abusers were, telling Rogan, “I don’t want to be indiscreet about specific people because I think it’s going to be, yeah, dangerous.”

So, see something, say nothing?~~

~~Update: Milo Yiannopoulos has resigned from Breitbart News.

[29. ^ Update: Milo Yiannopoulos has resigned from Breitbart News. http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/milo-yiannopoulos-resigns-breitbart-pedophilia-1201993063/ | archived ]

Note: The original source for ref 29 has been updated, but, archive.is is unable to capture it again...

We've run out of workable room again, reference 29 will be explored ahead in comment 12...

(10/20)

What about the person who Paul Manafort approached Donald Trump through?

[25. wiki: Thomas J. Barrack Jr.]:

Thomas J. "Tom" Barrack Jr. (born 1947/1948) is an American private equity real estate investor and the founder, chairman, and CEO of Colony NorthStar. Barrack is a close friend and ally of President Donald Trump who has represented Trump on television news segments. He also served as the chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

---

Career

His first job was at the law firm of Herbert W. Kalmbach, President Richard Nixon's personal lawyer.[5] He then worked in Saudi Arabia for the Fluor Corporation,[5] learned Arabic and worked for Saudi princes. Shortly after, he helped open diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Haiti, then ruled by Jean-Claude Duvalier, at the request of investor Lonnie Dunn.[5]

Barrack served as Deputy Undersecretary of the United States Department of the Interior under James G. Watt in the Reagan administration.[4][7]

Barrack was later a principal with the Robert M. Bass Group.[4][6][7] In 1990, he founded Colony Capital, with initial investments by Bass and GE Capital, and later Eli Broad, Merrill Lynch, and Koo Chen-fu.[5] He has invested some $200 million in Middle East real estate, $534 million in non-performing German real estate loans, and made a $24 million loan to photographer Annie Leibovitz.[9] He also owns the Neverland Ranch.[9] Through Colony Capital, he runs a $25 billion portfolio of assets, from the Fairmont Raffles Hotels International hotel chain in Asia, the Aga Khan's former resort in Sardinia, Resorts International Holdings, One&Only Resorts, Atlantis, etc.[5]

Barrack is a trustee at the University of Southern California and a member of the University Board of Pepperdine University.[11] He has also served on the board of directors of Accor, Kerner, First Republic Bank, Continental Airlines, Korea First Bank, and Megaworld Properties & Holdings.[7][12][13] French president Nicolas Sarkozy awarded him France's Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.[4]

As of September 2011, Barrack was the 833rd richest person in the world, and the 375th richest in the United States, with an estimated wealth of US$1.1. billion.[9] However, he was no longer a billionaire in 2014.[14]

In October 2017, Barrack's Colony Capital invested in film production company The Weinstein Company to allegedly keep it afloat in light of the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Barrack had previously owned a stake in Miramax, the Weinstein brothers’ predecessor film company.[15]

Barracks used Cayman Islands entities to invest pension fund money in distressed real estate and send money towards the Colony parent company, according to an organization chart that surfaced in the Paradise Papers documents leaked from the Appleby law firm[16]

Political activity

Barrack endorsed Donald Trump for President of the United States in 2016.[17] He is a major fundraiser for Trump's campaign through the "Rebuilding America Now" Super PAC.[18][19] He spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention.[20]

A couple of notes:

• Thomas Barrack Jr. owns the Neverland Ranch.
• In October 2017, Barrack's Colony Capital invested in film production company The Weinstein Company to allegedly keep it afloat in light of the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Barrack had previously owned a stake in Miramax, the Weinstein brothers’ predecessor film company.

Very strange... I'm not sure exactly what to make of this one.

So who recommended Steve Bannon or otherwise got him in the door?

Before we look further, let's recap again:

We can see at this point, that George Soros & the Rockefellers have their fingers all over this on 'both sides' of the political divide. So-called "playing both(/all) sides against each other", in the simplest terms. Including abstract & literal connections to perversion & corruption in the music, art and film(Hollywood) industries and cults/organizations such as NXIVM & Scientology, etc.

There's still much to cover, but, so far it looks like The Soze Agency is a hub for Democrat/Liberal/Soros fincancial incestry, aimed at controlling as many demographics as possible - not only in the USA, but indeed, across the entire globe.

Hollywood | Michael Avenatti | Scientology(USA, Canada, Ireland) | New CAN | NXIVM

NXIVM(Bronfman) | Warhol (+ The Standard(hotel) | Jeff Koons) | Pivar | Brassner

Goldman Sachs | Ayco ~ NXIVM | Raytheon | Beechcraft ~ Beech ~ Beechtree ~ Scientology

Goldman Sachs | George Soros | Michael Skolnik | The Soze Agency | Microsoft / Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Clinton, Obama, Podesta + ++ +++ ++++ +++++

Let's press on...

[26. wiki: Steve Bannon]:

I'm going to run out of room in this comment, so, we'll just look at Steve's time before the Trump Campaign for now.

Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political figure, former investment banker, and the former executive chairman of Breitbart News. He served as White House Chief Strategist in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump during the first seven months of Trump's term.[2][3]

Bannon was an officer in the United States Navy for seven years in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After his military service, he worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker, and left as vice president. In 1993, he became acting director of the research project Biosphere 2. In the 1990s, he became an executive producer in Hollywood, and produced 18 films between 1991 and 2016. In 2007, he co-founded Breitbart News, a far-right[i] website which he described in 2016 as "the platform for the alt-right".[I]

In August 2016, Bannon was named the chief executive officer of Trump's 2016 presidential bid.[21][22] Appointed Chief Strategist in the Trump administration, he left this position on August 18, 2017 and rejoined Breitbart. After leaving the White House, Bannon opposed the establishment Republican party and supported insurgent candidates in Republican primaries. After Roy Moore, supported by Bannon, lost the 2017 United States Senate election in Alabama, Bannon's reputation as a political strategist was questioned.[23][24] In January 2018, Bannon was disavowed by Trump for critical comments reported in the book Fire and Fury[25] and left Breitbart.~~

---

Service as naval officer

Bannon was an officer in the United States Navy for seven years in the late 1970s and early 1980s; he served on the destroyer USS Paul F. Foster as a surface warfare officer in the Pacific Fleet, and afterwards stateside as a special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon.[58] Bannon's job at the Pentagon was, among other things, handling messages between senior officers and writing reports about the state of the Navy fleet worldwide.[59] While at the Pentagon, Bannon attended Georgetown University at night and obtained his master's degree in national security studies.[51]

In 1980, Bannon was deployed to the Persian Gulf to assist with Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis. The mission's failure marked a turning point in his political world-view from largely apolitical to strongly Reaganite, which was further reinforced by the September 11 attacks.[60][61] Bannon has stated, "I wasn't political until I got into the service and saw how badly Jimmy Carter fucked things up. I became a huge Reagan admirer. Still am. But what turned me against the whole establishment was coming back from running companies in Asia in 2008 and seeing that Bush had fucked up as badly as Carter. The whole country was a disaster."[62]

Upon his departure he was ranked as a lieutenant (O-3).[1][a]

Business Career

Investment banking

After his military service, Bannon worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department.[64] In 1987, he relocated from New York to Los Angeles, to assist Goldman in expanding their presence in the entertainment industry.[49] He stayed at this position with Goldman in Los Angeles for two years, and left with the title of vice president.[65][b]

In 1990, Bannon and several colleagues from Goldman Sachs launched their own company "Bannon & Co.", a boutique investment bank specializing in media. In one of Bannon & Co.'s transactions, the firm represented Westinghouse Electric which wanted to sell Castle Rock Entertainment.[56] Bannon negotiated a sale of Castle Rock to CNN, which was owned by Ted Turner at the time.[67] Instead of a full adviser's fee, Bannon & Co. accepted a financial stake in five television shows, including Seinfeld, which was in its third season. Bannon still receives cash residuals each time Seinfeld is aired.[67] Société Générale purchased Bannon & Co. in 1998.[56]

Earth science

In 1993, while still managing Bannon & Co., Bannon became acting director of the earth science research project Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona. Under Bannon, the closed-system experiment project shifted emphasis from researching human space exploration and colonization toward the scientific study of earth's environment, pollution, and climate change. He left the project in 1995.[68][69]

Pretty interesting so far, most notably his work with the US Navy and Goldman Sachs... also very much worth noting, in my opinion, is that Bannon still receives cash residuals each time Seinfeld is aired.

We'll jump over to the next comment now, so that we can just continue reading...

(9/20)

Okay, let's get back to Steve Bannon:

I have to wonder why he came to be on the Trump campaign, given his history with Goldman Sachs and other questionable persons/entities...

Before we get into this, I'll quote 2 recent and relevant tweets from Donald J Trump.

https://tweetsave.com/realdonaldtrump/status/989870523042680832

Donald J. Trump

Just Out: House Intelligence Committee Report released. “No evidence” that the Trump Campaign “colluded, coordinated or conspired with Russia.” Clinton Campaign paid for Opposition Research obtained from Russia- Wow! A total Witch Hunt! MUST END NOW!

Apr 27, 2018 14:14:58 UTC

https://tweetsave.com/realdonaldtrump/status/990049088375836672

Donald J. Trump

House Intelligence Committee rules that there was NO COLLUSION between the Trump Campaign and Russia. As I have been saying all along, it is all a big Hoax by the Democrats based on payments and lies. There should never have been a Special Counsel appointed. Witch Hunt!

Apr 28, 2018 02:04:31 UTC

[24. wiki: Paul Manafort]:

Paul John Manafort Jr. (born April 1, 1949)[2] is an American lobbyist, political consultant and lawyer. He joined Donald Trump's presidential campaign team in March 2016 and was campaign manager from June to August 2016. He was previously an adviser to the U.S. presidential campaigns of Republicans Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bob Dole. In 1980 Manafort co-founded the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm Black, Manafort & Stone, along with principals Charles R. Black Jr., and Roger J. Stone,[3][4][5] joined by Peter G. Kelly in 1984.[6]:124

Manafort often lobbied on behalf of controversial foreign leaders such as former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, former dictator of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, dictator of the former Democratic Republic of the Congo Mobutu Sese Seko, and Angolan guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi.[7][8][9] Lobbying to serve the interests of foreign governments requires registration with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA); however, as of June 2, 2017, Manafort had not registered.[10][11][12] On June 27 he retroactively registered as a foreign agent.[13]

Manafort is under investigation by multiple federal agencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly had an active criminal investigation on him since 2014 regarding business dealings while he was lobbying for Yanukovich. He is also a person of interest in the FBI counterintelligence probe looking into the Russian government's interference in the 2016 presidential election.

On October 30, 2017, Manafort surrendered to the FBI after a federal grand jury indicted him and his business associate Rick Gates. The charges arose from his consulting work for the pro-Russian government of Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine.[14] The indictment had been requested by Robert Mueller's special investigation unit. The indictment charged Manafort with conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts, being an unregistered agent of foreign principal, false and misleading FARA statements, and false statements.[15][16] Manafort has pleaded not guilty, and is under 24-hour GPS-monitored house arrest due to the weight of evidence in the cases against him.[17]

A lot worth reading here, let's jump straight to the Bannon connection for now:

Political activities

~~

Chairman of Donald Trump's 2016 campaign

In February 2016 Manafort approached Donald Trump through a mutual friend, Thomas J. Barrack Jr. He pointed out his experience advising presidential campaigns in the United States and around the world, described himself as an outsider not connected to the Washington establishment, and offered to work without salary.[29] In March 2016 he joined Trump's presidential campaign to take the lead in getting commitments from convention delegates.[30] In June 2016, Trump fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and promoted Manafort to the position. Manafort gained control of the daily operations of the campaign as well as an expanded $20 million budget, hiring decisions, advertising, and media strategy.[31][32][33]

On June 9, 2016, Manafort, Donald Trump Jr., and Jared Kushner were participants in a meeting with Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya and several others at Trump Tower. A British music agent, saying he was acting on behalf of Emin Agalarov and the Russian government, had told Trump Jr. that he could obtain damaging information on Hillary Clinton if he met with a lawyer connected to the Kremlin.[34] At first Trump Jr. said the meeting had been about the Magnitsky Act; later he said the offer of information about Clinton had been a pretext to conceal Veselnitskaya's real agenda.[35]

In August 2016, Manafort's connections to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Russian Party of Regions drew national attention in the US, where it was reported that Manafort may have illegally received $12.7 million in off-the-books funds from the Party of Regions.[36]

On August 17, 2016, Donald Trump received his first security briefing.[37] The same day, August 17, Trump shook up his campaign organization in a way that appeared to minimize Manafort's role. It was reported that members of Trump's family, particularly Jared Kushner who had originally been a strong backer of Manafort, had become uneasy about his Russian connections and suspected that he had not been forthright about them.[38] Manafort stated in an internal staff memorandum that he would "remain the campaign chairman and chief strategist, providing the big-picture, long-range campaign vision".[39] However, two days later, Trump announced his acceptance of Manafort's resignation from the campaign after Stephen Bannon and Kellyanne Conway took on senior leadership roles within that campaign.[40][41]

Upon Manafort's resignation as campaign chairman, Newt Gingrich stated that “nobody should underestimate how much Paul Manafort did to really help get this campaign to where it is right now.”[42] Gingrich later added that, for the Trump administration, “It makes perfect sense for them to distance themselves from somebody who apparently didn’t tell them what he was doing.”[43]

• Trump announced his acceptance of Manafort's resignation from the campaign after Stephen Bannon and Kellyanne Conway took on senior leadership roles within that campaign.

[24: ref 40 | https://archive.is/u2tLC]:

Paul Manafort resigns from Trump campaign

The departure of Trump's embattled campaign chairman comes two days after the nominee shook up his leadership team.

^{By Nolan D. McCaskill, Alex Isenstadt and Shane Goldmacher}

^{08/19/16 10:05 AM EDT}

^{Updated 08/19/16 01:48 PM EDT}

Donald Trump’s campaign is still trembling from its shakeup this week.

Trump on Friday announced that campaign Chairman Paul Manafort had resigned, two days after the Republican nominee put in place a new leadership structure that appeared to minimize Manafort’s role.

Manafort had increasingly come under fire over his past lobbying work for pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs — which was fundamentally at odds with Trump’s boasts about being free from moneyed interests — and for the sloppy nature of the Republican National Convention, which Manafort oversaw.

“This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign,” Trump said in a statement. “I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process. Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success.”~~

~~The departure could help consolidate the power of Conway, who was promoted earlier this week to campaign manager and is credited with urging Trump to offer “regret” for his past offensive comments, and Breitbart executive Stephen Bannon, who was brought on as campaign CEO.~~

~~Although Manafort is out, his longtime deputy, Rick Gates, will take over as the Trump campaign's liaison to the Republican National Committee, senior communications adviser Jason Miller tweeted Friday afternoon.

Hillary Clinton's campaign seized on Manafort's departure as a chance to hammer Trump for his repeated overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which they have characterized as dangerous. "You can get rid of Manafort, but that doesn't end the odd bromance Trump has with Putin," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement.~~

[24: ref 41 | https://archive.is/ncyiJ]:

Trump Campaign Chair Paul Manafort Resigns

^{August 19, 2016·10:23 AM ET}

^{Amita Kelly}

---

~~Manafort had been leading the campaign as chairman, but his resignation comes just days after a shakeup at the top of the operation. Trump hired two new top campaign officials, widely seen as a demotion for Manafort.

After the staff change, The New York Times reported that Manafort wrote in an internal staff memo: "This is an exciting day for Team Trump. I remain the campaign chairman and chief strategist, providing the big-picture, long-range campaign vision."

Stephen Bannon of Breitbart News is now serving as chief executive of the campaign and pollster Kellyanne Conway is campaign manager.

Manafort was under scrutiny earlier this week after The New York Times reported that his name appeared in a "black ledger" of off-the-book payments made by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's party.~~

This still leaves me very curious about the timing of Bannon coming on to the Trump Campaign... what is going on there exactly?

(8/20)

Looking a little closer at Brock Pierce and DEN:

[20]:

The year 1998 was a great time for bullshit, especially if you were selling it and especially if it came with the magic suffix .com attached. In Los Angeles, where the average media exec still didn't know a backslash from a flashback, this was doubly true, and 37-year-old serial entrepreneur Marc Collins-Rector was making the most of it. Having just secured a fortune from the sale of Concentric Network, one of the early dialup ISPs, he was now declaring that his new startup—an online video content site called Digital Entertainment Network—would bury old media.

"The boob tube zombie television is dead," Collins-Rector wrote in a vision statement. "Global entertainment will be delivered over the Internet. Digital Entertainment Network will create the last network." This rebel assault on the Death Star of TV was to hinge on smart, hip video programming aimed at young people. That none of this programming yet existed was a hurdle, but the company already had a lock on Gen-Y cred by virtue of its two executive vice presidents. The older of the two VPs, 23-year-old Chad Shackley, happened also to be Collins-Rector's lover and had been since he was 16. The younger of the two, age 17, was Pierce.

Pierce had come to DEN by way of a teenage midcareer crisis. He had been a working actor since he was a toddler—"My first memory," he says, "is of being on the set of a commercial when I was 3"—but the truth is that the work had never really been his choice: "It was my mother's." He played the young Emilio Estevez in two Mighty Ducks films and continued to work steadily. But by age 16, he was ready to move on.

He moved on to the world of business, more specifically to the world of Collins-Rector and Shackley, which by all accounts was a lively one. They'd recently bought a $2.5 million mansion in Encino, California. Studded with waterfalls and aquariums and equipped with a swimming pool, a screening room, and a hot tub for 12, the sprawling M&C Estate (for "Marc & Chad") was made for parties and reportedly saw its share. Pierce became a fixture at the place, but ultimately his presence there was not about the parties. It was about the future that Collins-Rector and Shackley seemed to be offering when they invited him to join them as a founder of DEN.

[18]:

Programs

DEN produced and distributed a number of programs aimed at specific young male demographics. That included Chad's World, which targeted gay viewers and included Seann William Scott in the cast, Tales from the Eastside, which targeted Latinos, The Chang Gang, which target Asians, Redemption High which starred Judge Reinhold and targeted Christians, Frat Ratz, which target frat boys, and Fear of a Punk Planet, which target punks, included Joe Escalante from The Vandals in the cast, and shared a name with the band's 1990 album.[17][2]

Seann William Scott: put a pin in that for now.

Viewer discretion advised

[18]:

Chad's World

Before we get back to Steve Bannon, let's come full circle and link Brock Pierce to John Podesta, shall we?

[17]:

Other ventures

~~

Titan Gaming/Playsino

~~Pierce has been a guest speaker at the Milken Global Conference[30] Singularity University,[31] and Caltech.[29]

[17: ref 30 | https://archive.is/e62tL]:

Milken Institute

Global Conference 2012

Brock Pierce

Speaker's Biography

Brock Pierce

Managing Director, Clearstone Global Gaming Fund

Brock Pierce is the CEO of Titan Gaming and managing director of the Clearstone Global Gaming Fund. He sits on the boards of Xfire, EverTune, RevenueAPEX and Spicy Horse Games. Pierce is the founder of IMI Exchange, which owns the world's leading marketplaces for the trading of virtual goods, with sales exceeding $500 million annually. He also founded IGE, the company that pioneered the Western market for virtual goods in online games. Outside of gaming, Pierce is co-founder of EverTune, a patented proprietary technology that keeps any stringed instrument in tune for the life of the string, and RevenueAPEX, a finance company for the Internet advertising industry. Pierce is an angel investor, a supporter of nonprofit and advocacy organizations, and a member of the Clinton Global Initiative. He began his career as a Hollywood actor, appearing in 12 major motion pictures, including "The Mighty Ducks" and "First Kid," as well as commercials. He has been a guest lecturer at several universities and a speaker at various conferences.

Oh, and the Clinton Global Initiative(CGI)...

[21. wiki: Milken Institute]:

The Milken Institute is an independent economic think tank based in Santa Monica, California. It publishes research and hosts conferences that apply market-based principles and financial innovations to social issues in the US and internationally. The Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is nonpartisan and non-ideological.

History

The institute was founded in 1991 by former Drexel Burnham Lambert banker Michael Milken.[2][3]

---

See also

• Milken Family Foundation

[22. wiki: Milken Family Foundation]:

The Milken Family Foundation is a private foundation established by Lowell Milken and Michael Milken in 1982. Lowell Milken serves as chairman and co-founder of the foundation.

Goals

The foundation is focused primarily on supporting education and medical research.

Among the foundation's initiatives are:

• The Milken Educator Awards, a teacher recognition program awarding $25,000 to individual educators for teaching excellence;
• TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement, a comprehensive school reform incorporating career advancement, collaborative professional development, teacher accountability and performance-based compensation. T The Center for American Progress released "Aligned by Design," a report by education researcher Craig Jerald that elaborated on this concept to specifically show how TAP's elements work together.[2] South Carolina TAP was featured in TIME Magazine's February 2008 cover story.[3] In 2006, BusinessWeek ranked TAP on its Top 10 List of Best Practices.[4] he system was profiled in Education Week.[5]
• Milken Archive of Jewish Music, a cultural and historic project dedicated to preserving the sacred and secular music inspired by 350 years of Jewish life in America;
• The Lowell Milken Center, an institution dedicated to the development of educational projects that feature unsung heroes as role models to 'repair the world.' Howard Cohen, Chancellor of Purdue University/Calumet, said about the LM Center: “History is not history until it is written or told. This is what you are doing so well with your unsung hero projects.”
• Milken-University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Education Business Plan Competition - Education entrepreneurs from early-stage start-ups compete in the competition, which features seven prizes totaling $145,000 in funding. In addition to the prizes, all Competition finalists are invited to participate in the Education Design Studio Fund (EDSF), a fund initiative created in collaboration with Penn GSE.

The archived pdf linked above, is very long. I am unsure how much is relevant, if any, to this thread - however, the author heavily praises the Milken Institute's TAP, on behalf of the Center For American Progress; John Podesta.

Aligned by Design

How Teacher Compensation Reform Can Support and Reinforce Other Educational Reforms

Craig Jerald July 2009

~~

---

About the author

Craig Jerald is president of Break the Curve Consulting, which provides expertise to leaders and policymakers on issues related to education policy, communications, research, and practice. Since founding Break the Curve in 2004, Craig has worked with organizations such as the Center for American Progress, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Governors Association, the National School Boards Association, the Education Trust, Achieve Inc., Education Sector, the Learning First Alliance, ACT, and the Alliance for Excellent Education.

Prior to founding Break the Curve, Craig served as a principal partner at the Education Trust, where he worked on issues ranging from school accountability to teacher quality and school finance equity. As a senior editor at Education Week from 1996 to 2000, Craig founded and managed the organization’s research division and helped create and direct Education Week’s special annual reports series, Quality Counts and Technology Counts. Craig also has worked at the U.S. Department of Education, and he began his career as a Teach for America recruit and middle school teacher in California’s Long Beach Unified School District.

Clinton Global Initiative | Brock Pierce | Milken | TAP | Craig Jerald | Center for American Progress (+ Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) | John Podesta

Incidentally, this connection between Brock Pierce & John Podesta, also links Brock Pierce to Media Matters and David Brock...

[5]:

Organization overview

~~

Personnel

John Podesta, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, provided office space for Media Matters early in its formation at the Center for American Progress, a Democratic think tank which Podesta established in 2002.[25]~~

CGI | Brock Pierce (+ Marc Collins-Rector | DEN | IGE | Steve Bannon | Goldman Sachs) | ~~ | John Podesta | CFAP | MMfA | David Brock | CTR | AB21C | Shareblue

(7/20)

Shillfarms _{(and/or worse)}

Continued:

DEN became indicative of excess in the era of the dot-com bubble, with high pay for executives while not generating any revenues and very little traffic.[18][14]

In October 1999, a young man from New Jersey identified only as Jake W. filed a lawsuit alleging that Collins-Rector had sexually molested him for 3 years beginning in 1993 when he was 13-years-old[2][19]. The lawsuit was filed just prior to DEN's scheduled IPO, causing concern among potential investors[20] and leading to the resignations of Collins-Rector, Shackley, and Pierce, leaving Ritts in charge[2][21]. Additional lawsuits against all three resigned executives followed[22][23]. The controversy and turmoil caused by the allegations led DEN to withdrew its IPO and subsequently filed for bankruptcy.[16]

In 2014, Michael F. Egan III filed suit, alleging he was sexually assault by Goddard, Singer, Neuman, and Ancier at parties hosted by DEN executives[24][25][26][27] but the suits against Neuman and Ancier were dropped[28][29][30]. Ancier sued Egan and his attorneys[30], with the attorneys ultimately apologizing to Ancier and Neuman, saying the allegations were false.[31]

Following the bankruptcy of DEN, the company's trustee alleged possible fraudulent sale of assets prior to its bankruptcy.[16]

[17]:

Other ventures

Internet Gaming Entertainment

In 2001, Pierce founded Internet Gaming Entertainment (IGE), a company which pioneered the MMORPG currency-selling services industry.[19] Between 2004 and 2005, IGE spent more than $25 million buying out seven smaller competitors, including four auction platforms and a number of fan and content sites.[20] In 2005, Pierce estimated that IGE accounted for about 50% of this online market in the U.S., which has about $500 million in annual volume.[20][21]

Pierce brought in Steve Bannon, the then former Goldman Sachs banker, to seek venture capital and a deal was made in February 2006 yielding $60 million of which Pierce took away $20 million for a minority stake. The next year, facing a class-action lawsuit, the company failed, had no assets and Pierce was forced out.[22]

Pierce founded ZAM, a network of websites oriented around massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG), such as World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Rift, EverQuest, etc., in 2003.[23] The ZAM.com network included gaming websites such as ZAM.com, Wowhead, Thottbot, Torhead, and D3DB.

[19. wiki: Internet Gaming Entertainment]:

IGE (Internet Gaming Entertainment) is a company which trades in virtual currency and accounts for MMORPGs. One of the main dealers in virtual economy services, members of the gaming community were often critical of IGE, as its services may allow players to break rules in online games.[1]

During its peak time, it had offices in Los Angeles, Shanghai, and headquarters and customer service center in Hong Kong.[2][3] It was reformed in 2007 by Jonathan Yantis

History

IGE was founded in 2001 by Brock Pierce, a former child movie star,[4] and Alan Debonneville. They met each other while playing Everquest and decided to form IGE. Pierce was the main investor in the company while Debonneville was managing the operations. Brock Pierce was also the co-founder of the controversial failed dot-com Digital Entertainment Network (DEN).[5] Media reports claim that Marc Collins-Rector is a silent partner in IGE.[6] IGE initially used an address in the city of Marbella, Spain, where Collins-Rector and Pierce shared a villa until it was raided by Interpol in 2002.[7][8]

In January 2004, IGE acquired its major competitor, Yantis Enterprises, then run by another secondary market figure, Jonathan Yantis,[9] for $2.4 million and 37% share of the company. Yantis later sold his shares back to IGE in exchange for 22 monthly payments of $1 million due to conflicts and disagreement.

IGE's parent company, RPG Holdings, purchased Allakhazam in November 2005,[10] as announced in May 2006.[11] This purchase followed the acquisition of Thottbot.

During late 2006 and 2007, Debonneville was forced out of the company. Later Debonneville sued Pierce for various reasons related to an investment made by Goldman Sachs a year earlier, which Debonneville ended winning in a settlement.

IGE tried to restructure its upper management team by recruiting new executives. IGE began to lose revenue due to the frequent deletion of accounts involved in trading. In May 2007, a lawsuit was filed against IGE by Antonio Hernandez for "substantially impairing and diminishing [player's] collective enjoyment of the game." In June 2007, Pierce was replaced as CEO by Steve Bannon, who had been placed on the board following the Goldman Sachs investment.[12]

During the final months of IGE leading to its reformation, the board of directors decided to sell the company to their former partner Jonathan Yantis.[12] IGE's parent company was then renamed Atlas Technology Group Inc,[13] which is owned by Yantis, while Brock went with Affinity Media.

Affinity Media was said to be one of the parent companies of IGE, though the company no longer has any ownership stake. Affinity Media's senior vice president of business development John Maffei, noted that "we’re no longer in that business." [14] Affinity retains control of Allakhazam.com, Thottbot.com, and has since purchased Wowhead.com.[15]

In April 2014, IGE announced a formal service agreement with virtual currency provider EpicToon.com, who confirmed they will be handling IGE's virtual currency line of business.[16][17]

Revenue

Like all the other in-game currency traders, the vast majority of IGE's revenue comes from buying/selling World of Warcraft gold. Its website traffic, and allegedly its revenues, have been declining since 2006 due to the increased competition from the in-game currency traders based in China and the constant bombardment of anti-real-money trading measures by Blizzard Entertainment, the publisher of World of Warcraft.18

Games

Current

• WildStar (video game) (PC)
• Elder Scrolls Online (PC)
• FIFA 14 (PC, iOS, Console, Mobile)
• DC Universe Online (PC)
• Diablo 3 (US/EU/Asia)
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Guild Wars 2 (US/EU)
• Rift (US/EU)
• RuneScape
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (US/EU/AP)
• TERA (US/EU)
• The Secret World
• World of Warcraft (US/EU)

Former

• Age of Conan (US)
• Aion Online (US/EU)
• Everquest II
• Final Fantasy XI
• Lineage 2
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes

So let's just recap for a moment...

David Brock | Shareblue | MMfA (+ John Podesta) | American Bridge 21st Century | CTR (+ John Podesta) | George Soros $$

Marc Collins-Rector | DEN | Microsoft (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) | IGE | Brock Pierce | Steve Bannon | Goldman Sachs

NXIVM (+ Trump Tower | Brassner | Pivar | Warhol | Koons) | Oprah | Tom Cruise | Scientology (~ Beech Aircraft Corporation/Raytheon Aircraft Company | Goldman Sachs | Hawker Beechcraft) | New CAN | Michael Avenatti | Mark Burton | "The Online Gamer" | Scientology Ireland | Scientology Canada[0] | Operation Snow White[0]

Okay, now, what the hell is Steve Bannon doing showing up in this?

Let's take a closer look at his involvement with IGE...

[20. https://web.archive.org/web/20090303224228/http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/magazine/16-12/ff_ige?currentPage=all (19: ref 12)]:

The Decline and Fall of an Ultra Rich Online Gaming Empire

^{By Julian Dibbell | 11.24.08}

~~In the months ahead, IGE hired more adults, a slew of VPs with decades of industry experience among them. The company also brought on a former Goldman Sachs investment banker named Stephen Bannon, whose mission was to land venture capital.

By spring 2005, Yantis was telling IGE affiliates that the company would be announcing limited licensing agreements permitting it to operate aboveboard in at least five North American MMOs. Yantis himself, however, wouldn't be sticking around to see it happen. Pierce and Yantis had arrived at, as Pierce puts it, a "difference of opinion," and in June, after months of negotiation, the terms of Yantis' exit were finalized: For 22 monthly payments of $1 million each, the company would get Yantis' stake back, along with his agreement not to set up a competing business for at least three years.

Goldman Sachs started making visits, inspecting the Asian operations and talking with Bannon and others about terms. Finally, on February 7, 2006, the deal was inked: Goldman Sachs, together with a consortium of private funds, made a reported $60 million investment in the company. Part of the money was used to buy Pierce, Salyer, and IGE's general counsel, Randy Maslow, out of some of their stock in the company. Pierce walked away with $20 million and still retained the controlling share of a company that was doing more than a quarter of a billion dollars in sales a year. The only top IGE officer who failed to profit from the deal was Debonneville, who, for reasons that remain disputed, was excluded from selling any part of the 17 percent stake he'd built up. Two and a half months later, he left the company.

Continued ahead in comment 8...

Curiously, if Yantis's payments began in June 2005, they should have ended in March 2008...

wiki: Portal: Current Events: March 2008

March 4, 2008 (Tuesday)

United States presidential election, Super Tuesday II:

• Illinois Senator Barack Obama wins the Vermont Democratic primary.

(6/20)

Shillfarms _{(and/or worse)}

Continued:

So far, it is fair to say that there is plenty of connection between Tony Podesta, John Podesta, David Brock, George Soros & sources for shills attacking research(ers) here on voat, particularly in the pizzagate subverses. I've also demonstrated numerous likely connections between the aforementioned shillfarms and now NXIVM/Scientology(et al) including the presence of shilling(or worse) in online gaming...

[14. Root of Corruption - Annex: Addendum RE: #WHQOPSI: Jim Carrey]

[14: comment 5/9]:

28. http://www.imdb.com - The Online Gamer | https://archive.is/6Mjhl

The Online Gamer

^{Comedy | TV Series (2009– )}

A series of skits based around a 20-something man who loves online gaming.

29. http://www.imdb.com - The Online Gamer - Full cast & crew | https://archive.is/XkPeU

• Cathriona White worked predominately in the makeup department(7 episodes, 2011-2012) for The Online Gamer, though, did appear as an extra in one episode, "Black Ops Part 1", which aired on October 18, 2010 - she left the production in 2012, the same year she met Jim Carrey - production continued least as late as 2013[28][29].

Scientology | Mark Burton | "The Online Gamer" | Cathriona White | Scientology Ireland | Abusive/Threatening correspondance to Sweetman and Carrey | Public slandering, fraud and blackmail | Online trolls and shills; people tasked with demoralizing others and spreading hate/disinfo

Avenatti

Something stinks...

Who wants to play a game?

---

[15. v/pizzagate - @gamepwn: Human Trafficking through online gaming? Brock Pierce, founder of Bitcoin, along with Marc Collins-Rector (An Open Secret DEN) created an MMORPG company called IGE in 2001.]

---

Get a fucking load of this: _{(long read, well worth it)}

30. https://www.villagevoice.com - Agent Schmuck | https://archive.is/MHDBH

~~NXIVM and Raniere have denied the allegations and are suing Ross as well, charging him with copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, and product disparagement. But the Voice has learned that Aviv has done other work for Raniere, an odd figure who requires his followers to refer to him as “Vanguard.” The Voice has obtained evidence that Aviv agreed to investigate Raniere’s ex-girlfriend, a woman who says she has been systematically harassed, intimidated, and terrorized by members of NXIVM.

[15]:

IGE was an MMORPG company started in 2001 by Brock Pierce and Marc Collins-Rector. This was all after the Child Abuse scandal of them holding A-List Hollywood elite pedophile parties where they would drug little boys and also rape them by gunpoint.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Collins-Rector

~~

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock_Pierce

[16. wiki: Marc Collins-Rector]:

Marc John Collins-Rector (born October 16, 1959) is an American businessman and a convicted sex offender, known for founding Digital Entertainment Network, an online streaming video broadcaster and notable dot-com failure, as well as his associations with Hollywood and media figures. His child sexual abuse conviction is highlighted in the 2014 documentary An Open Secret.

---

DEN founding

Main article: Digital Entertainment Network

Rector and Shackley sold Concentric in 1995 and, using money raised from the sale, as well as close to $100m of investor and venture capital, formed an early Internet video media content delivery company, Digital Entertainment Network. Collins-Rector was the co-founder and chairman of DEN, which exhausted its funding following a failed IPO bid and collapsed amidst allegations of Collins-Rector having sexually abused children, coercing them with drugs and guns.[5]

Child enticement conviction

Running DEN out of a Los Angeles mansion, Collins-Rector and his business partners - Chad Shackley (who was also Rector's romantic partner) and Brock Pierce - hosted lavish parties, attended by Hollywood’s gay A-list.[6] It was at those parties where Collins-Rector, and others allegedly sexually assaulted teenage boys.[7]

In August 2000 a New Jersey federal grand jury indicted Collins-Rector on criminal charges that he had transported minors across state lines for the purpose of having sex with them.[8] After his indictment Collins-Rector fled to Spain together with Shackley and Pierce. Interpol arrested them in May 2002 in a villa in the south Spanish beach city of Marbella. Guns, machetes and child pornography were found in the house.[7]

Collins-Rector fought extradition proceedings for two years before returning to the United States, where he pleaded guilty to eight charges of child enticement and registered as a sex offender.[9] He admitted luring five minors across state lines for sexual purposes.[10] He received credit for time that he had served in a Spanish jail and was registered as a sex offender under a weekly supervision.[10]

In 2006, a U.S. District Court granted Collins-Rector special permission to go to the United Kingdom to receive treatment for a brain tumor.[11] He subsequently renounced his US citizenship and has never returned to the United States.[12] In 2007, he was photographed in London, and in 2008 was living in the Dominican Republic.[13] As of 2014, he lives in a "European port city" and uses the names "Mark Collins" and "Morgan Von Phoenix".[6]

Later career

News reports have stated that Collins-Rector was a silent partner in the MMORPG service company IGE, which was founded by ex-DEN VP Brock Pierce - who is now chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation.[5][14] IGE initially used an address in the city of Marbella, Spain, where Collins-Rector, Shackley and Pierce shared a villa until it was raided by Interpol in 2002.[15][16]

[17. wiki: Brock Pierce]:

Brock Pierce (born November 14, 1980) is an American entrepreneur known for his work in the cryptocurrency industry and former child actor. As a child actor, he was in Disney films The Mighty Ducks (1992), D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994) and First Kid (1996).

Acting career

Pierce was born in Minnesota, and appeared in commercials as a toddler.[1] His first major role was playing a young Gordon Bombay in The Mighty Ducks (1992). Pierce reprised the role in D2: The Mighty Ducks. He starred as Luke Davenport in First Kid (1996). Pierce had small roles in Little Big League (1994), Ripper Man (1995), Problem Child 3 (1995), Three Wishes (1995), and Earth Minus Zero (1996).

Digital Entertainment Network

Pierce retired from acting at 17 and joined as a minor partner with Marc Collins-Rector and Chad Schackley in establishing Digital Entertainment Network (DEN), which succeeded in raising $88 million in venture capital.[2] He produced its first show, a pilot for gay teenagers called Chad's World.[3] Pierce began enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles riding the Dot-com bubble. As an 18 year old, Pierce was making $250,000 a year and held 1% of the company's shares.[4] Within three years, DEN, never having made a profit and having exhausted its venture capital, collapsed and Pierce fled the U.S. with his two co-founders when a number of former underage DEN employees made sexual misconduct allegations against them.[5][6] The three were arrested by Spanish police before being returned to the US. Though Pierce was not ultimately charged, his partner Collins-Rector was convicted on multiple counts of child enticement involving boys.[6][7]

[18. wiki: Digital Entertainment Network]:

Digital Entertainment Network (often stylized as DEN or >EN) was a multimedia dot-com company[1] founded in the late-1990s by Marc Collins-Rector and his partner, Chad Shackley. Rector and Shackley had sold their ISP, Concentric Network, and used the proceeds of that sale, along with additional investor funding, to launch DEN.[2] In February 1999, Jim Ritts resigned as commissioner of the LPGA to become chairman of DEN.[3]

DEN's goal was to deliver original episodic video content over the Internet aimed at niche audiences.[4] DEN was one of a crop of dot-com startups that focused on the creation and delivery of original video content online in the late 1990s[5] prior to wide adoption of broadband internet access.

In May 1999, DEN announced that their business model had earned them $26 million USD in investments from Microsoft, Dell, Chase Capital Partners, and others.[6] In September 1999, Microsoft announced that DEN was one of their partners in the Windows Media Broadband Jumpstart initiative, focusing on the creation of video and audio entertainment for the Windows Media format for high-speed connections[7]. By 1999, the company was reportedly valued at $58,500,000 USD and included former Walt Disney Television President David Neuman, Garth Ancier, David Geffen, Gary Goddard, and Bryan Singer as investors.[8][9][10]

DEN was slated for a $75 million USD IPO in October 1999 but the IPO was withdrawn[11] in the wake of allegations of sexual assault against Collins-Rector, Shackley, and fellow executive Brock Pierce. All three executives subsequently resigned.[2] Layoffs followed in February 2000[12]. While a new executive team led by former Capitol Records President Gary Gersh[11] and former Microsoft executive Greg Carpenter[13] tried to salvage the company and relaunch in May 2000[14], DEN filed for bankruptcy and shut down in June 2000.[15][16]

Continued ahead in comment 7...

(5/20)

The running theme for this comment is...

Shillfarms _{(and/or worse)}

[8]:

Shareblue Media, formerly known as Blue Nation Review or Shareblue, is an American progressive[3] news website owned by the journalist and political activist David Brock. Shareblue is within a consortium of political groups in Democratic strategist David Brock’s network that will raise a roughly $40 million budget to oppose President Donald Trump's policies.[4][5] Shareblue's monthly reach is reported to be 140 million across platforms.[6] In December 2017, Shareblue announced a partnership with SiriusXM Progress.[6]

History and activities

Under its original name Blue Nation Review[7] the site published a report on the spending habits of former U.S. Representative Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), playing a role in his eventual resignation.[8][9]

In November 2015 the site was sold by Moko Social Media Limited, a multi-media platform developer, to Media Matters for America founder David Brock.[10] Brock terminated almost all of the previous staff and hired Peter Daou – a former Clinton Senate-staffer who worked for her 2008 Presidential campaign as a digital media strategist – to head True Blue Media, LLC and to write for the website. The website relaunched as Shareblue in September 2016[11]

Brock said that the main goal of the website was to get presidential candidate Hillary Clinton elected.[11] During the primaries, the website endorsed Hillary Clinton and was critical of Bernie Sanders, posting stories like "With Bernie Sanders As Their Nominee, Democrats Can Kiss The Presidency Goodbye" and "Why does Bernie Sanders keep denigrating Hillary’s supporters?" Tad Devine, a Sanders campaign consultant, called it “the pond scum of American politics.”[9] Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, viewed Shareblue more as a necessary voice in a world teeming with conservative radio, television and internet outlets that fire up the Republican base.[12]

After Clinton won the primary Shareblue focused its attention on Donald Trump "exposing what it considers to be news coverage stacked against" Clinton. The group's major message was "that a shameful false equivalence was causing the media to soft-pedal Mr. Trump's many transgressions and overplay the few it could find on Mrs. Clinton."[11]

Ownership

Brock formed a Delaware-based corporation, True Blue Media, LLC, to manage his ownership stake in the website. True Blue Media owns 80% of Blue Nation Review, with Moko Social Media retaining a 20% ownership stake.[10] Brock tapped journalist David Sirota to lead the company, which Brock intends to be "an answer to Breitbart on the left",[13] but Sirota later rescinded his acceptance citing doubts about the project's purpose.[14] Katie Paris is the current CEO of Shareblue Media.[15]

[9]:

American Bridge 21st Century is a progressive American Super PAC that supports Democratic candidates and opposes Republican candidates.[1] It was founded by David Brock in 2010 and is associated with Media Matters for America. It is an opposition research hub for the Democratic Party.[2] The group physically tracks and monitors Republican candidates and officials and uses social media to deploy its findings.

Methods

American Bridge PAC employs over 50 "trackers" to follow and record Republican candidates across the country.[3] These trackers are equipped with high-tech recording gear and are assigned Republican targets to follow and record. According to the New York Times, the organization "aims to record every handshake, every utterance by Republican candidates...looking for gotcha moments that could derail political ambitions or provide fodder for television advertisements by liberal groups."[4] USA Today described the group's goal as "uncovering an unguarded moment, a controversial position, a gaffe or flip-flop, anything that can be used to torpedo a political foe's campaign."[5] The organization compiles opposition research dossiers on the Republican candidates they are targeting. The group's opposition dossier on Mitt Romney was 2,500 pages long. American Bridge PAC attempts to tie Republican candidates to the Koch brothers.[6]

The PAC discovered that the Trump Institute's book was plagiarized, with at least 20 pages coming from a 1995 Success Magazine article.[7]

Donors

American Bridge PAC is largely funded by Democratic donors and labor unions. Billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros was the group’s largest donor for the 2012 and 2014 cycles, contributing $1 million in 2012 and over $1 million in 2014. In 2012, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees donated $575,000.[1] American Bridge was one of several progressive political groups to coordinate fundraising efforts for the 2012 elections.[8]

[10]:

Correct the Record was a super PAC founded by David Brock. It supported Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. The super PAC aimed to find and confront social media users who posted unflattering messages about Clinton and paid anonymous tipsters for unflattering scoops about Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, including audio and video recordings and internal documents.

History

The organization was created in May 2015 when it spun off from American Bridge 21st Century, another Democratic Super PAC. It coordinated with Clinton's 2016 U.S. presidential campaign via a loophole in campaign finance law that it says permits coordination with digital campaigns.[1][2]

Purpose

In July 2015, Correct the Record teamed with Priorities USA Action, another pro-Clinton super PAC, to create a fundraising committee called American Priorities ’16.[3]

In April 2016, Correct the Record announced that it would be spending $1 million to find and confront social media users who post unflattering messages about Clinton.[1][4] The organization's president, Brad Woodhouse, said they had "about a dozen people engaged in [producing] nothing but positive content on Hillary Clinton" and had a team distributing information "particularly of interest to women".[5]

In September 2016, Correct the Record announced a project called "Trump Leaks". Correct the Record said it would pay anonymous tipsters for unflattering scoops about Donald Trump, including audio and video recordings and internal documents.[6]

On December 31, 2016, the official website was deactivated from its host's servers WPEngine.[4]

Legality

Super PACs, officially known as "independent-expenditure only committees", are political committees that are legally only allowed to make expenditures that are independent of specific campaigns and which are not coordinated with a candidate or political party. However, Correct the Record says its activities do not fall under this campaign coordination ban restriction, relying on a 2006 Federal Election Commission "Internet exemption" regulation that said that content posted online for free is off limits from regulation. According to FEC rules, online postings do not technically count as campaign expenditures, which allows independent groups to consult with candidates about the content they post on their sites.[7]

In July 2016, leaked Democratic National Committee emails appeared to show the Clinton presidential campaign and senior Clinton aides, including John Podesta, her campaign chairman, were coordinating with the Correct the Record PAC.[8] These included an email stating that the campaign would "work with CTR and DNC to publicize specific GOP candidate vulnerabilities" and others dealing with fundraising issues for CTR.[9]

Donors

Major donors to Correct the Record included:

• Chris Albrecht[10]
• James Attwood[10]
• Gary Barnett[10]
• Chuck Close[10]
• Joan Ganz Cooney[10]
• Glen Fukushima[10]
• Tim Gill[10]
• John D. Goldman[10]
• Michael Kempner[10]
• Jeff Koons[10]
• Henry Laufer[10]
• Barbara F. Lee[10]
• Thomas H. Lee[10]
• Jon Stryker[10]
• Patricia Stryker[10]
• Donald Sussman[10]

Wait a minute...

We'll continue with shillfarms in comment 6...

Anyone look familiar? Jeff Koons

[13. v/pizzagate - Was Avicii Murdered Over Pizzagate?]:

@AviciiKnewTooMuch

[13: argosciv: comment 1/3]:

[3. http://nordic.businessinsider.com/brilliant-minds-2017-6/ | https://archive.is/XJIqE]:

Pharrell, Jeff Koons and Elon Musk’s mom are just some of the stars visiting Stockholm for Brilliant Minds – get a sneak peek inside the super-exclusive event

^{09 Jun 2017 2:27 PM}>>>----

[4. wiki: Jeff Koons]:

[13: argosciv: comment 2/3]:

[4]:

Work

Popeye and Hulk Elvis series

Paintings and sculptures from the Popeye series, which Koons began in 2002, feature the cartoon figures of Popeye and Olive Oyl.

---

Popeye and Olive Oyl?

[5. Root of Corruption - Q 4: Alice & Wonderland: Blood + Oyl + Money + Anderson?]

---

2 articles relating to Jeff Koons, published at the website for The Standard hotel chain:

[6. http://www.standardhotels.com/culture/ushering-in-a-new-era | https://archive.is/M0nfm]

[7. http://www.standardhotels.com/culture/first-and-foremost-you-have-to-look | https://archive.is/8cd1O]

Warhol sure seems to get a lot of love alongside Jeff Koons, from The Standard no-less... _{( recall: Warhol | Pivar | Brassner | Trump Tower fire | NXIVM )}

I wonder if there's any relation to following:

[8. http://www.wehoville.com/2018/01/31/gm-wehos-standard-hotel-identified-victim-newport-beach-helicopter-crash/ | https://archive.is/HJv1m]

(4/20)

[7. wiki: David Brock]:

David Brock (born July 23, 1962[1]) is an American liberal political operative, author, and commentator who founded the media watchdog group Media Matters for America.[2] He has been described by Time as "one of the most influential operatives in the Democratic Party" while others believe his tactics led to Hillary Clinton's defeat in the 2016 Presidential election.[3]

Brock, who began his career as a right-wing investigative reporter during the 1990s,[4] wrote the book The Real Anita Hill and the Troopergate story, which led to Paula Jones filing a lawsuit against Bill Clinton. In the late 1990s, he switched sides, aligning himself with the Democratic Party and, in particular, with Bill and Hillary Clinton.

In 2004, he founded Media Matters for America, a non-profit organization which describes itself as a "progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media."[5] He has since also founded super PACs called American Bridge 21st Century and Correct the Record, has become a board member of the super PAC Priorities USA Action, and has been elected chairman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).[6][7]

The Nation has described Brock as a "conservative journalistic assassin turned progressive empire-builder",[7] while National Review has called him a "right-wing assassin turned left-wing assassin",[8] and Politico has profiled him as a "former right-wing journalist-turned-pro-Clinton crusader".[6]

---

Born July 23, 1962 (age 55)

Washington, D.C., U.S

Education University of California, Berkeley

Occupation Liberal political operative, author

Known for Author of The Real Anita Hill,

founder of Media Matters for America, Correct the Record, Shareblue, and American Bridge 21st Century Super PACs

Partner(s) William Grey (2000-2010)

---

Journalism career

~~

Troopergate

Main article: Troopergate (Bill Clinton)

In a January 1994 The American Spectator story about Bill Clinton's time as governor of Arkansas, Brock, by then on staff at the magazine, made accusations that bred Troopergate.[4] Among other things, the story contained the first printed reference to Paula Jones, referring to a woman named "Paula" who state troopers said offered to be Clinton's partner.[4] Jones called Brock's account of her encounter with Clinton "totally wrong", and she later sued Clinton for sexual harassment, a case that became entangled in the independent counsel's investigation of the Whitewater controversy, and set in motion a series of developments that led to the exposure of Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky and, ultimately, to Clinton's impeachment trial.[7] The story received an award later that year from Joseph Farah's Western Journalism Center, and was partially responsible for a rise in the magazine's circulation.[15]

The Seduction of Hillary Rodham

Main article: The Seduction of Hillary Rodham

After the success of The Real Anita Hill, Simon & Schuster's then-conservative-focused Free Press susidiary paid Brock a large advance to write a book about Hillary Clinton. The expectation was that it would be a takedown in the style of his writings on Anita Hill and Bill Clinton. The project, however, took a different turn, and the resulting book, The Seduction of Hillary Rodham, proved to be largely sympathetic to Mrs. Clinton. Given the large advance and tight one-year deadline by Free Press, Brock was under tremendous pressure to produce another bestseller. However, the book contained no major scoops. In Blinded by the Right (2002), Brock said that he had reached a turning point: he had thoroughly examined charges against the Clintons, could not find any evidence of wrongdoing and did not want to make any more misleading claims. Brock further said that his former friends in right-wing politics shunned him because Seduction did not adequately attack the Clintons. National Review proposed another theory: since "no liberal source in the world would talk to Brock", he could not collect the kind of information he was after. National Review also suggested that while writing the book, Brock had been "seduced" by Sidney Blumenthal, a champion and friend of the Clinton circle.[16][17]

When the book came out, it was widely criticized for not breaking any new ground. John Balzar, reviewing the book in the Los Angeles Times, called it "[e]xhaustive to the point of exhaustion" and "predictably critical but unexpectedly measured, at least in comparison to what Beltway gossips anticipated".[18] James B. Stewart, reviewing the book in The New York Times, said that Brock had "tried to do his subject justice in the broadest sense" but added that "[a]t times he goes too far," often "echo[ing] her apologists" and "dismiss[ing] or rationaliz[ing] the sometimes powerful evidence that Hillary Rodham Clinton has lied...by invoking a relativism rooted in Republican precedents."[19]

Sales of the book were dismal. A deal to excerpt it in Newsweek fell through because the newsmagazine's editors decided that it contained nothing new or exciting. The publisher lost millions of dollars and Brock's editor, Adam Bellow, was fired.[20]

---

Political operative career

Media Matters for America

~~When Brock proposed the idea of Media Matters, Hillary Clinton invited him to the Clintons' Chappaqua home to pitch the idea to potential donors.[28] MMA, according to a 2015 article in The Daily Beast, "operates from a posh Washington office space with a multi-million-dollar budget and nearly 100 employees."[5] In 2014, The Nation stated that "Brock, in partnership with fundraiser Mary Pat Bonner—often described as his secret weapon—has turned out to be unparalleled at maintaining rich liberals' loyalty and support." An insider told The Nation that Brock and Bonner "are probably the most effective major-individual-donor fundraising team ever assembled in the independent-expenditure progressive world."[7]

It was reported in June 2015 that when the House Select Committee on Benghazi questioned Sidney Blumenthal, committee members asked no fewer than 45 questions about Brock and Media Matters.[35] The committee was reportedly interested in Sidney Blumenthal's paid work for Brock's nonprofits, and in the question of "whether Blumenthal and Brock did anything improper as they helped Clinton manage the political fallout from the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, while she was secretary of State."[36]

Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign

Brock was active in Hillary Clinton's campaign for the presidency in 2008.

American Bridge 21st Century

Main article: American Bridge 21st Century~~

Correct the Record

Main article: Correct the Record~~

Purchase of Blue Nation Review

In 2015, Brock formed an investment venture, True Blue Media, to purchase an 80 percent stake in Blue Nation Review, an online news website. Blue Nation Review was later re-branded as Shareblue.[51]

Put a pin in these for further exploration ahead in comment 5...

[8. ^ wiki: Shareblue]

[9. ^ wiki: American Bridge 21st Century]

[10. ^ wiki: Correct the Record]

Before we move on, did you notice another name popping up often? Sidney Blumenthal

[11. wiki: Sidney Blumenthal]:

Sidney Stone "Sid" Blumenthal (/ˈbluːmənθɔːl/; born November 6, 1948) is an American journalist, activist, writer, and political aide.

He is a former aide to President Bill Clinton; a long-time confidant[1] of Hillary Clinton, formerly employed by the Clinton Foundation;[2] and a journalist, especially on American politics and foreign policy. Blumenthal is also the author of a multivolume biography of Abraham Lincoln, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln. Two books of the planned four-volume series are available now: A Self-Made Man and Wrestling With His Angel. Subsequent volumes are planned for 2018 and 2019.[3]

Blumenthal has written for several publications, including the Washington Post, Vanity Fair, and the New Yorker, and was Washington, D.C., bureau chief for Salon.com, for which he has written over 1800 pieces online. He is a regular contributor to openDemocracy.net and was a regular columnist for The Guardian.[4] After 2000, he published several essays critical of the administration of President George W. Bush.[5][6][7][8]

Note: Blumenthal has written for Washington Post & was Washington, D.C., bureau chief for Salon.com

[12. Root of Corruption - Part 12: The Oprah Case]:

Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

Notes:

• much criticism surrounding the "extravagance" of the school
• Rebecca Traister of Salon.com[6] and Karen Russell of The Huffington Post[7] wrote in defense of the school.
• racial makeup of students ~ majority black ~ "school is open to all girls who are disadvantaged. All girls, all races, who are disadvantaged ... [including] White, Indian and Native American students of varying faiths,"

• 'Girls who are educated are less likely to get HIV/AIDS and in this country which has such a pandemic, we have to begin to change the pandemic.'

• In the school's first year, a female school staffer was accused of physically and sexually abusing students. (+ details)

(3/20)

[5]:

Organization overview

~~

Funding

MMfA started with the help of $2 million in donations. According to Byron York, additional funding came from MoveOn.org and the New Democrat Network.[15][16][17]

In 2004, MMfA received the endorsement of the Democracy Alliance, a partnership of wealthy and politically active progressive donors. The Alliance itself does not fund endorsees, but many wealthy Alliance members acted on the endorsement and donated directly to MMfA.[18][19][20]

Media Matters has a policy of not comprehensively listing donors. In 2010, six years after the Democracy Alliance initially endorsed MMfA, financier George Soros — a founding and continuing member of the Alliance — announced that he was donating $1 million to MMfA. Soros said his concern over "recent evidence suggesting that the incendiary rhetoric of Fox News hosts may incite violence" had moved him to donate to MMfA.[21][22] During a 2014 CNN interview, David Brock stated that Soros' contributions were "less than 10 percent" of Media Matters' budget.[23] According to Politico: "Media Matters, however has received funding from or formed partnerships with several groups that Soros funds or has funded. These include the Tides Foundation, Democracy Alliance, Moveon.org and the Center for American Progress.”[24]

Personnel

John Podesta, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, provided office space for Media Matters early in its formation at the Center for American Progress, a Democratic think tank which Podesta established in 2002.[25] Hillary Clinton advised Media Matters in its early stages out of a belief that progressives should follow conservatives in forming think tanks and advocacy groups to support their political goals.[25][26] According to The New York Times, Media Matters "helped lay the groundwork" for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.[27]

Media Matters has hired numerous political professionals who had worked for Democratic politicians and for other progressive groups.[17][28] In 2004, National Review referred to MMfA staffers who had recently worked on the presidential campaigns of John Edwards and Wesley Clark, for Congressman Barney Frank, and for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.[17]

Eric E. Burns served as MMFA's president until 2011.[29] Burns was succeeded by Matt Butler, and then, in 2013, by Bradley Beychok.[30] In late 2016, Angelo Carusone replaced Bradley Beychok as MMFA's president. Under Carusone, the organization's focus has shifted toward focusing on the alt-right, conspiracy theories, and fake news.[31]

In 2014, the staff of Media Matters voted to join the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Media Matters management had declined to recognize the union through a card check process, instead exercising its right to force a union election.[32][33][34]

[6. wiki: Center for American Progress]:

The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. According to CAP, the center is "dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans, through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action."[2] The Center presents a liberal[3] viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The president and chief executive officer of CAP is Neera Tanden, who worked for the Obama and Clinton administrations and for Hillary Clinton's campaigns.[4] The first president and CEO was John Podesta, who has served as White House Chief of Staff to U.S. President Bill Clinton and as the chairman of the 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton.[5] Podesta remained with the organization as chairman of the board until he joined the Obama White House staff in December 2013. Tom Daschle is the current chairman.[6]

The Center for American Progress has a youth-engagement organization, Generation Progress, and a sister advocacy organization, the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF). Citing Podesta's influence in the formation of the Obama Administration, a November 2008 article in Time stated that "not since the Heritage Foundation helped guide Ronald Reagan's transition in 1981 has a single outside group held so much sway".[7]

History and mission

The Center for American Progress was created in 2003 as a left-leaning alternative to think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute.[8]

Since its inception, the center has assembled a group of high-profile senior fellows, including Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan; Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; Ruy Teixeira, political scientist and author of The Emerging Democratic Majority; and, most recently, former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and Elizabeth Edwards, late wife of former presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator from North Carolina John Edwards. Sarah Rosen Wartell, a co-founder and executive vice-president of the center, has been named President of the Urban Institute[9]

The center helped Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) develop "strategic redeployment",[10] a comprehensive plan for the Iraq War that included a timetable and troop withdrawals

---

Criticism

Lack of transparency for funding sources

Some open government groups, such as the Sunlight Foundation and the Campaign Legal Center, criticize the Center's failure to disclose its contributors, particularly since it is so influential in appointments to the Obama administration.[23][24]

Wikileaks 2016 Hillary Clinton Campaign Controversy

The Center for American Progress attracted controversy for email chains "attacking two major faith groups--evangelicals and Catholics"[25] during the Wikileaks hack of 2011 emails.[26] The email chains were between Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton campaign chair John Podesta and John Halpin from the Center for American Progress.[27][28][29][30][31] Podesta did not respond in the email thread.[30]

In one of these emails, "Many of the most powerful elements of the conservative movement are all Catholic (many converts) from the SC and think tanks to the media and social groups. It's an amazing bastardization of the faith. They must be attracted to the systematic thought and severely backwards gender relations and must be totally unaware of Christian democracy. I imagine they think [Catholicism] is the most socially acceptable politically conservative religion. Their rich friends wouldn't understand if they became evangelicals." Palmieri was reportedly referring to Rupert Murdoch raising his children as Catholics.[27][29][30][31][32][33]

A leaked email revealed that Judd Legum, the editor of ThinkProgress, a site that’s part of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, had taken credit for preventing further writings by Roger Pielke Jr. on Climate Change dissent from appearing on the web site FiveThirtyEight.[34][35]

---

Funding

The Center for American Progress is a 501(c)(3) organization under U.S. Internal Revenue Code.[16] In 2014, CAP received $45 million from a variety of sources, including individuals, foundations, labor unions, and corporations.[44] From 2003 to 2007, CAP received about $15 million in grants from 58 foundations.[45] Major individual donors include George Soros, Peter Lewis, Steve Bing, and Herb and Marion Sandler. The Center receives undisclosed sums from corporate donors.[46] In December 2013, the organization released a list of its corporate donors, which include Walmart, CitiGroup, Wells Fargo, defense contractor Northrop Grumman, America's Health Insurance Plans, and Eli Lilly and Company.[47]

In 2015, CAP released a partial list of its donors, which included 28 anonymous donors accounting for at least $5 million in contributions. Named donors included the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, which each gave between $500,000 and $999,999. CAP’s top donors include Walmart and Citigroup, each of which have given between $100,000 and $499,000.[48][49]

2015 Donors (excluding anonymous)[50]	Level
Ford Foundation	$1,000,000+
The Hutchins Family Foundation	$1,000,000+
Sandler Foundation	$1,000,000+
TomKat Charitable Trust	$1,000,000+
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation	$500,000 to $999,999
Joyce Foundation	$500,000 to $999,999
Not On Our Watch	$500,000 to $999,999
Open Square Charitable Gift Fund	$500,000 to $999,999
Embassy of United Arab Emirates	$500,000 to $999,999
Walton Family Foundation	$500,000 to $999,999
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation	$500,000 to $999,999

Let's pull it back to David Brock, ahead in comment 4...

(2/20)

• In 2011, Good Ventures, founded with $8.3 billion by husband and wife Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna, partnered with GiveWell to set up a partner organization called the Open Philanthropy Project, as a vehicle to direct the funding done by Good Ventures.[4: 8]
• Open Philanthropy project has: investigated giving money to criminal justice reform and a range of other policy areas, it has also funded work into mitigating risks of artificial intelligence, biosecurity, and global health.[4: 8]
• In late 2007, GiveWell's founders promoted the organization on several internet blogs and forums using sockpuppets to ask questions about where to find good information about how to donate and then answering them, recommending GiveWell. GiveWell's board of directors investigated and found that the founders Karnofsky and Hassenfeld had acted inappropriately and as a result, it fined each of them $5000 and Karnofsky was demoted from executive director to a program director.[4:8]

[4: 10a]:

The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism comprises a School of Communication and a School of Journalism at the University of Southern California (USC). Starting July 2017, the school’s Dean is Willow Bay, succeeding Ernest J. Wilson III, Ph.D.[1]

---

Centers

~~

Awards presented

• Everett M. Rogers Award for Achievement in Entertainment Education
• Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting
• USC Annenberg Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism
• USC Annenberg Health Journalism Fellowships, one for California journalists and one for journalists coming from across the nation at Center for Health Journalism funded by The California Endowment[3]

[4: 10a: ref 3: https://www.centerforhealthjournalism.org/fellowships/seminars | could not archive]:

National Fellowship

The 2018 National Fellowship will be held July 22-26, 2018. It is designed for journalists who want to do groundbreaking reporting on vulnerable children and families and the community conditions that contribute to their well-being. The 2017 National Fellowship brought 24 journalists from around the country to Los Angeles from July 16-20, 2017 for five intensive days of training on community health issues and the impact on health of adverse experiences in childhood. Each Fellow returned home to spend the next six months working on a substantive community health, child welfare or health policy project, assisted with a reporting grant of $2,000-$10,000 and six months of mentoring by one of our Senior Fellows. The 2018 National Fellowship is underwritten by generous grants from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The California Endowment. Read highlights of the 2017 National Health Journalism Fellowship here, as well as a list of the competitively selected 2017 Fellows and links to their projects once they're published. Click on their names to read their blog posts about the reporting projects they are working on.

See also:

California Endowment home page: http://www.calendow.org/ | https://archive.is/bxF8L

[4: 10b]:

The Born This Way Foundation (BTWF) is an American non-profit organization founded in 2011 by singer Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta. Established at Harvard University, and named after Gaga's second studio album Born This Way (2011), the foundation aims to inspire youth and build better communities. BTWF works in partnership with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and The California Endowment.[3]

The foundation aims to create a "braver, kinder world" for youths; create safe-spaces, promote the learning of life skills, and provide opportunities to improve their local communities.[4] In a statement, Lady Gaga said "My mother and I have initiated a passion project [...] to establish a standard of bravery and kindness, as well as a community worldwide that protects and nurtures others in the face of bullying and abandonment."[5]~~

[4: 11]:

Glenn E. Martin is an American criminal justice reform advocate, who served six years in a New York state prison, and is the founder and former president of JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA). He also co-founded the campaign, Education from the Inside Out Coalition, a national campaign working to remove barriers to higher education facing students while they are in prison and once they are released.[1]

Martin regularly comments on criminal justice in the media, including CNN, CSPAN, Al Jazeera, and MSNBC.[2][3][4][5]

---

New York prison

Martin spent six years incarcerated in New York prisons. In 1995, Martin was convicted for an armed robbery of a New York City jewelry store and was sentenced to six years in prison.[6] He was detained on Rikers Island for a year and served five additional years in the Wyoming Correctional Facility in Attica, New York for his role in several armed robberies.[7] Education

While in prison, Martin took college level courses.[8] Martin views his liberal arts education as a key turning point in his life.[8] While at the Wyoming Correctional Facility, Martin earned an associate degree in social science from the Jesuit Canisius College based in Buffalo, N.Y.[9] Martin faced barriers to employment with a criminal record even though he had a college degree.[10] Release

In 2000, Martin was released from prison in upstate Attica, New York.[11] At release, a correctional officer thanked him: "He said my being there helped pay for his boat, and that when my son came there, he would help pay for his son's boat."[11]

United States criminal justice reform

~~

JustLeadershipUSA

In November 2014, Martin founded a new organization, JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA). JLUSA aims to cut the U.S. correctional population in half by 2030 through advocacy campaigns, leadership trainings, and member engagement.[22] Martin told Mic that he "believes the most compelling advocates of change are those who have been directly affected by incarceration."[23] Martin appeared on the Brian Lehrer show to discuss the purpose of prison.[24] JLUSA hosts training for formerly incarcerated leaders wanting to have a voice in the national debate over criminal justice and prison reform. On December 21, 2017, Martin announced his resignation from JustLeadershipUSA, after an orchestrated campaign to smear his name, led by a former disgruntled employee and former allies in the movement to #CLOSErikers.[25]

White House experience

In early June 2015, Martin, along with other criminal justice reform activists, were invited to the White House to discuss mass incarceration and law enforcement issues.[26] Martin was flagged by the United States Secret Service as a security risk because of his criminal record, and required to have a special escort in order to enter the White House complex for the discussion.[27] Once cleared, Martin used the incident "to frame the topic for larger criminal justice reform."[27] Ultimately, Martin met with President Obama to discuss JustLeadershipUSA and his efforts to help shrink the criminal justice footprint in the lives of all Americans.

[4: 12]:

Jessica Jackson Sloan is a human rights attorney[1] and co-founder of #cut50, a national bipartisan effort aimed at reducing America’s incarceration rate.[2] She also serves as the Mayor of Mill Valley, California.[3] [4]

---

Career

Sloan began her career as a human rights attorney at the Habeas Corpus Resource Center in San Francisco, California, where she represented California death row inmates in their appeals.[9] In 2015, she joined with Van Jones to co-found #cut50, an organization focused on bipartisan solutions to criminal justice reform issues.[10][11][12][13]~~

• Color of Change was co-founded in 2005 by James Rucker and Van Jones to replicate the MoveOn.org email list model among African American Internet users.[4: 2]

We'll look more at the references in [4], later; let's go back for a moment and look at something else...

Reminder:

• In March 2015, Color of Change and Media Matters for America released Not To Be Trusted: Dangerous Levels of Inaccuracy in TV Crime Reporting in NYC[4: 2]

[5. wiki: Media Matters for America]:

"Media Matters" redirects here. It is not to be confused with the 2002–2012 radio program hosted by Robert W. McChesney.

Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a left-leaning tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, with the stated mission of "comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media".[2][3][4] MMfA was founded in 2004 by journalist and political activist David Brock as a counterweight to the conservative Media Research Center.[5] It is known for its aggressive criticism of conservative journalists and media outlets, including its "War on Fox News."[6][7]

Founding

Media Matters for America was founded in May 2004 by David Brock, a former conservative journalist who became progressive. Brock said that he founded the organization to combat the conservative journalism sector that he had once been a part of. He founded the group with help from the Center for American Progress. Initial donors included Leo Hindery, Susie Tompkins Buell, and James Hormel.[5]

Continued ahead in comment 3...

(1/20)

[3. wiki: Michael Skolnik]:

Michael Skolnik (born August 15, 1978) is an entrepreneur, film producer, news commentator, civil rights activist and motivational speaker.

Skolnik is the CEO and co-founder of The Soze Agency. Previously, Skolnik was the president of GlobalGrind.com. Prior to this, Skolnik spent twelve years as a film director and producer.

Early life and education

Skolnik was born in Mount Kisco, New York and grew up in Katonah, New York. He graduated from John Jay High School in Westchester County, New York in 1996.

Skolnik's mother, Martha, after running a lunch café and bakery for 16 years, embarked on a film career, serving as Skolnik's editor on many of his films.[1] Skolnik's father, Simon, is chairman of the Conservation Board of Bedford, New York in the Town of Bedford and is the vice president of the New York State Association of Conservation Commissions.[citation needed]

His brother, Max Skolnik, is the founder of Kid Power DC[2] and currently is the Director of National Programs at the My Brother's Keeper Alliance.[3]

He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2000, where he majored in theater.[4]

Let's look at the GlobalGrind section first, considering that Michael was working with them before forming The Soze Agency - we'll look at that with more references next.

Career

GlobalGrind

In early 2009, Skolnik was hired by Russell Simmons to serve as the political editor for GlobalGrind.com, an online destination founded by Simmons and Accel Partners.

Quickly moving up through the ranks, Skolnik was named the Editor-In-Chief and the co-President of the company in early 2011. During this time, Skolnik grew the company from 200,000 unique visitors a month to over nine million in 2015.

During his tenure at GlobalGrind, Skolnik also served as political director to Simmons, overseeing Simmons' social justice and political activities.

Skolnik and Simmons, in 2009, worked with grassroots organizers to drastically reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws. Former New York Governor David Paterson signed a new bill reforming this 36-year-old law.

In 2009, after the violent death of Chicago teenager, Derrion Albert, Skolnik began a campaign bringing attention to the youth violence epidemic of America. Writing thousands of articles on GlobalGrind about the deaths of young people, Skolnik became a leading voice around the issue of violence.[5] On February 26, 2012, Skolnik reported on the death of Trayvon Martin as part of his series.

On March 19, 2012, Skolnik published an op-ed, entitled, “White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious Like Trayvon Martin.”[6] Following this release, Skolnik appeared on numerous national broadcasts discussing the complicated issues surrounding the death of the teenager.

Skolnik worked with the Obama administration on various issues and actions. In 2011, Skolnik co-led an effort organizing the first Urban Entrepreneur Summit sponsored by the White House. He also served on Vice President Joseph Biden's task force on gun violence.[7] And in 2012, Skolnik joined the Obama re-election campaign as an official surrogate.[8]

Skolnik worked on federal legislation, working with and advocating on behalf of young people for bills like: repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,[9] Youth PROMISE Act,[10] Green Jobs initiative,[11] G.I. Bill 2.0, National Criminal Justice Commission Act[12] and the DREAM Act.[13]

Skolnik campaigned to legalize same-sex marriage in New York and Maryland with Brendon Ayanbadejo.[14]

Note:

[2]:

OSF reported granting at least $33 million to civil rights and social justice organizations in the United States.[19] This funding included groups such as the Organization for Black Struggle and Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment that supported protests in the wake of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the death of Eric Garner, the shooting of Tamir Rice and the shooting of Michael Brown.[20][21][22]

[3]:

In 2009, after the violent death of Chicago teenager, Derrion Albert, Skolnik began a campaign bringing attention to the youth violence epidemic of America. Writing thousands of articles on GlobalGrind about the deaths of young people, Skolnik became a leading voice around the issue of violence.[5] On February 26, 2012, Skolnik reported on the death of Trayvon Martin as part of his series.

There is no wiki entry for The Soze Agency, so, the following section will be considered reference #4.

[4. The Soze Agency]:

[3]:

The Soze Agency is a full service social impact agency committed to amplifying the authentic narrative of a vibrant global generation. They work with companies, non-profits, foundations and movements to bring the voices of those most affected by the social and environmental issues of the time to the forefront of public dialogue. Through their campaigns, events and creative content, they work to shift the narrative that creates positive culture and drives change forward. The Soze Agency is committed to building a business whose foundation is built upon compassion, authenticity and equity. They are a triple bottom line company, focusing on the planet, the people and profit, with equal tenacity given to each goal.

Their past and current clients include~~

1. ACLU: wiki: American Civil Liberties Union
2. Color of Change: wiki: Color of Change
3. FWD.us: wiki: FWD.us
4. America's Promise Alliance: wiki: America's Promise
5. Youth Speaks: [a. wiki: Youth Speaks Hawaii], [b. wiki: Brave New Voices], [c. wiki: Jamie DeWolf]
6. Open Society Foundations
7. Eighteen x '18: wiki: Yara_Shahidi
8. Open Philanthropy: wiki: GiveWell
9. Defend Our Future: (nothing found on wiki at first glance)
10. The California Endowment: [a. wiki: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism], [b. wiki: Born This Way Foundation]
11. JustLeadershipUSA: wiki: Glenn E. Martin
12. #Cut50: wiki: Jessica Jackson Sloan
13. Emily's List: [a. wiki: EMILY's List(USA)], [b. wiki: EMILY's List(AUS)]
14. Facing Addiction: (nothing found on wiki at first glance)
15. Planned Parenthood: wiki: Planned Parenthood
16. Women's March: wiki: Women's March(Disambiguation)

See also:

[17. wiki: Keyser Söze]:

Portrayed by Kevin Spacey

Scott B. Morgan (flashback)[1]

Notes:

• Color of Change began a campaign in support of Trayvon Martin on March 19, 2012. The organization also advocated the repeal of Stand Your Ground laws nationwide.[4: 2]
• In March 2015, Color of Change and Media Matters for America released Not To Be Trusted: Dangerous Levels of Inaccuracy in TV Crime Reporting in NYC[4: 2]
• In October 2013, an open letter penned by Color of Change Executive Director Rashad Robinson and published in The Hollywood Reporter criticized Saturday Night Live (SNL) Executive Producer Lorne Michaels for the lack of diversity on SNL, pointing out that only three black women had joined the show’s repertory cast in its then-39-year history.[4: 2]
• Color of Change began a boycott campaign against the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) on December 8, 2011, objecting to ALEC's support of Voter ID laws.[4: 2]
• The FWD.us initiative is led by principal Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Its founding president was Joe Green, a close friend and confidant of Zuckerberg.[4: 3]
• George Soros is connected to Michael Skolnik & The Soze Agency via Open Society Foundations.George Soros funded groups supporting protests in the wake of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the death of Eric Garner, the shooting of Tamir Rice and the shooting of Michael Brown - On February 26, 2012, Skolnik reported on the death of Trayvon Martin as part of his series.[2][3][4: 6]
• Yara Sayeh Shahidi(born February 10, 2000, a black/Iranian-American actress, model, and activist) is well known among her generation not only as an actor, but also as an activist. She founded Eighteen x 18 with social news publisher NowThis[4: 7]
• Yara Sayeh Shahidi had been noticed by former first lady Michelle Obama, who wrote her a letter of recommendation to Harvard University.[4: 7]
• Yara Sayeh Shahidi was given the opportunity by Teen Vogue to interview Hillary Clinton in 2017.[4: 7]

Continued ahead in comment 2