Musk rolls out the welcome mat for insurrectionists, misinformation artists, and QAnoners ... again

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday January 10, 2023 · 11:12 AM PST

2023/01/10 · 11:12

Former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn leaves after the delay in his sentencing hearing at US District Court in Washington, DC, December 18, 2018. - President Donald Trump's former national security chief Michael Flynn received a postponement of his sentencing after an angry judge threatened to give him a stiff sentence. Russia collusion investigation head Robert Mueller had proposed Flynn receive no jail time for lying to investigators about his Moscow ties. But Judge Emmet Sullivan said Flynn had behaved in a "traitorous" manner and gave the former three-star general the option of receiving a potentially tough prison sentence now -- or wait until Mueller's investigation was closer to being completed to better demonstrate his cooperation with investigators. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) — Convicted Michael Flynn leaving sentencing hearing.

Since taking over Twitter, billionaire Elon Musk has exposed himself as being a sort of slightly more intelligent version of Donald Trump. Musk’s thin skin and his predilection for promoting baseless conspiracy theories and right-wing anti-consumer policy aside, Elon has also proven to be something of a social media addict whose dopamine needs are fed by the power he feels online. As the melodramatic and ill-advised purchase of Twitter began roiling over months, Musk’s text exchanges were revealed to the public, showing a bubble of libertarian-leaning celebrities, right-wing politicians, and other wealthy elites all blabbering away in the most unimpressive fashion.

It also included the vague architecture of a plan to reinstate right-wing misinformation operatives who had been suspended for everything from public health disinformation to promoting sedition against our government on Jan. 6, 2021. Donald Trump, referred to as the “boss” in one of these text exchanges, would obviously be the golden goose (covered in swamp water). Musk has since used his power to suspend journalists (before receiving obvious backlash) who were covering him and his businesses, as well as to reinstate people like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, other white nationalists like Patrick Casey and Andrew Anglin (a Neo-Nazi), and even Donald Trump. Trump has yet to post on his old-timey favorite misinformation platform because of his financial interests and stake in the failed social media project Truth Social.

The fact of the matter is that there should be no “public square” like Twitter or Meta (formerly known as Facebook) that is owned privately. Monopolies on our national conversation should be broken apart so that we aren’t all forced to need one source (or six). But since we are living in an unregulated capitalist marketplace that has allowed the richest tech companies to become richer based on very little production value, the flood gates being opened by Musk are forcing the hand of social media giant Meta to reconsider the suspensions they’ve held in place over the past couple of years.

The most high-profile reinstatement has come with pardoned felon former LTG Michael Flynn. Flynn’s absolute absorption into the conspiracy theory world has been one of the most troubling indictments of the military in recent years. Since coming back online, Flynn has promoted the conspiracy theory that there is a “parallel Supreme Court” that is taking away your Fourth Amendment rights. Like all misinformation conspiracy theories, Flynn and his 1 million followers seem to have simply slid past the fact that the real Supreme Court is already taking away most Americans’ rights. Oh well! Flynn is also promoting anti-vaxxer mythology that athletes are collapsing and dying in record numbers due to COVID vaccines. And yes, Hunter Biden’s laptop stuff as well.

Over the last couple of days, Ali Alexander, a co-creator of the “Stop the Steal” event most of us consider the sideshow of a coup attempt, was reinstated. Today? The guy most people who aren’t long-gone down a conspiracy abyss suspect is the actually “Q” of QAnon, Ron Watkins, got reinstated. Those two haven’t written anything as of the publishing of this story. But here’s a reminder of what Twitter users were missing out on the past year.

Here is the video of Alexander claiming Jews can time travel, and how this makes our “apostasy so great.” pic.twitter.com/O3n7oLq7RF
— Elad Nehorai (@EladNehorai) January 9, 2023

German software developer Travis Brown has kept a record of Elon Musk’s suspension reversals here. The files go through the end of November and include thousands of accounts unsuspended. Most of them are filled with people misinforming the public.

Qronicles: What's REALLY happening with Elon Musk and Twitter; and Q debates another guy on TV

To protect the kids he doesn't have, QAnon influencer Ron Watkins speaks at Arizona school meeting

Musk rolls out the welcome mat for insurrectionists, misinformation artists, and QAnoners ... again

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