Yup it is. I just recently discovered it’s a thing.
I will remove this from the realm of the person who popped onto the thread, to talk about her friend. And instead, say that I think it’s a BRILLIANT comment in general.
Man oh man, life in general, and all sorts of passions related to this virus and an election year has caused soooo many folks (I definitely include myself amongst them) to just take it all a step too far lately…
It’s Mother’s Day, and I’m a mom 
And I’m trying to think more about the whole issue of “righteous indignation” on any number of topics, and set a better example going forward for my kiddos.
I want to stand up and speak out effectively on issues I consider truly important… such as SafeSport, but do a better job of moderating myself. So that what I’m trying to voice doesn’t go down in the inevitable flames of that proverbial train jumping the track when making impassioned arguments that just go too far and off course.
Anyway, your comment made me think, and laugh, and that’s almost always a healthy combination.
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A brief sidetrack… because I’m admittedly as ignorant as can be on some of this stuff related to any number of conspiracy theories, etc (I try and ignore most of the stuff that seems really out there on its face… because it seems like starving it of attention is wise).
Anyway - is the whole Q-Anon thing a set of conspiracies put forward from a single source, or is it a network of people, sort of like “Anonymous” was a few years ago? How do these theories reach a widespread audience anyway… is it a Twitter thing? I’m pretty ignorant about the world of Twitter… but that seems to be a major driver of much of this sort of thing.
And as for the pizza thing - I can only vaguely even remember what that whole thing was. I thought it was some bizarre conspiracy theory during an election year surrounding allegations of child trafficking in the basement of a pizza place in Chevy Chase (yeah… seriously… maybe I’m mixing up unrelated things though)… anyway… for some reason that was the insanity that I think I vaguely recollect. And it was tied to someone political. Probably the Clintons. I don’t know. Can’t really remember.
But was there actually a shooting? Or just a really weird conspiracy theory? And didn’t all that pre-date Q-Anon? I thought that was a thing back in 2008 or 2012… that was really kooky.
Ok - sorry for totally unrelated sidetrack. But figured maybe someone could educate me a little on this issue.
I’ve read a few things about Qanon, not a whole lot, and I could tell you what I know, but it’s just bits & pieces of the whole. And the whole thing is so convoluted I could never do it justice! When I posted above I found that Wikipedia has quite the write-up on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon - and it also has a brief background section on Pizzagate (which was in 2016, and yes, it was the Clintons & other Democratic politicians who were supposed to be behind the fictional child trafficking ring) & link to a full article on it.
I remember when Pizzagate happened and we all - well, everyone I talk to - thought it was the craziest thing that anyone could possibly believe such a thing, and now we have a whole segment of the population believing in a way wackier, deeper conspiracy.
ETA: as for Pizzagate & shootings, I remembered the guy showed up with a gun to put an end to this fictional ring, but wasn’t really positive from memory if there was shooting or just brandishing - but apparently he did fire several times, thankfully not hitting anyone.
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It’s all pretty unbelievable, but since it is also very political probably not the best place to talk about it. If anyone is curious though feel free to PM me, I looked into a lot of it after my best friend started talking about it and sending me all of these videos.
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Bonnie Navin is representing Tommy Serio? Why would anyone use an attorney who writes so poorly and makes no sense, as she often does when representing AFE?
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/tommy-serio-added-to-safesport-suspension-list
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She was his lawyer last time when he successfully got himself removed from the suspension list? Why wouldn’t he use her again?
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Because it’s free.
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Wow. Rather a bad situation to hire based on price don’t you think?
In (most) legal situations you get the quality of representation that you pay for.
I was being sarcastic. I just remember the long winded post by his wife that got shared a lot and she went on about the fees failing to mention BN has defended the big names pro bono.
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Remember when I said that his being removed was not necessarily because safe sport didnt think it happened, but because there wasnt enough corroborating evidence? I bet this time is different, and he would probably be better served finding a better attorney, regardless of how the last round went.
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Sorry, to be quoting an older post, but I am just catching up on this thread. . One thing to note is 5000 reports does not mean 5000 accused people, it means 5000 reports. In the case I was involved with, there were 5 separate people who filed reports on the same person.
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I wonder if AES has been approved for the non-profit status that they said they were “working on” or if they are still collecting funds with no transparency?
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As an attorney experienced in all matters re: equine law I can attest to the fact that many very good lawyers are working diligently to sort out the SS process - It is complicated yet vague in many aspects, and shares similarities with laws regarding education (eg: students who file abuse complaints). Everyone agrees that the bad guys should be held accountable, but they also want to be able to navigate the SS system, such as it is. Any lawyer who makes the effort to lend a hand for the betterment of a sport they care about should be commended, IMHO
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I think a quick way they could help sort it out is to stop propagating misinformation in defense of awful people, and to stop threatening and abusing survivors.
Maybe you can help with that?
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In what capacity are there “many very good lawyers are working diligently to sort out the SS process?” Who hired them to do so? It seems to be working as intended and very clear for those of us who haven’t been suspended or banned. I can’t imagine SS asking for any help “sorting out the SS process.” They’ve been pretty transparent in how the process works.
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But she’s attesting to you from years of experience “re: equine law”!!!
:rolleyes:
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I practiced as a civil trial lawyer for over 30 years, most recently defending victims of civil rights violations. I also have been showing the circuit for decades. Many of the pros and judges and older ammys were childhood friends. There are lawyers trying to figure out how SS operates, as SS is short on resources and perhaps overextended. The process is anything but simple and can have legal (outside SS) implications. Both victims and accused can seek assistance from legal counsel. There are, believe it or not, “gray” areas. SS is a hot topic and smart people are trying to help make the process fair and transparent. Hey Haters gonna Hate- but for those of you who actually want to DO something besides making snarky remarks, there is plenty of room for meaningful discussion. I thought COTH “forum” might work to bring us together- leave the other stuff to DIVA
If you can point me at people or organizations that have great ideas and want thoughtful discussion and need my assistance with that who don’t start the conversation with ‘RG and GM were innocent,’ I am there for it.
I do think there’s plenty of room for it here. I really appreciated our figure skating reporter who was posting for a while. I am sure there are things SafeSport can do better and I’m sorry that discussion has gotten so polluted with people whose idea of better is “they don’t investigate anyone I like or admire.”
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I agree that SS is short on resources and probably overextended. That’s something that’s always going to be an issue with any organization in charge of investigating abuse. There are just too many predators in the world in general, and of course that carries over into places like sports where they can find easily accessible victims.
What smart people are trying to help make the process fair and transparent? What about the current process isn’t fair or transparent? The only thing I’ve seen from AfES is cries about “due process” which doesn’t apply, and wanting the entire victim’s complaint made available to anyone who wants it, which would violate the rights of the wronged party. I also think the complaint that banning someone destroys their livelihood is reprehensible. Should a pedophile have a right to profit off minors they’re causing physical and/or emotional harm to? No. I don’t think so.
I’m all for anything that would be a legitimate improvement over what SS currently does, but haven’t seen a single suggestion from any organization that I think WOULD be an improvement. If there’s an organization that has ideas for getting to complaints sooner, streamlining investigations, and making sure banned parties are not finding other ways to continue their exploitation of minors in the sport, I’d be happy to lend some time or donations.
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