Pizzagate Conspiracy Theory Leads To Gunplay, Arrest

   Huh. Hard to believe that a steady stream of lies and conspiracy fictions about things like treason, collusion with terrorists, and pedophilia rings could eventually lead to trouble...but here we are.
   And in case the Trumpspiracies weren't worrisome enough already, there's this:

A new Internet conspiracy theory emerged Monday. Citing Welch’s minor background as an actor, some claimed the gun incident was either staged or even a hoax altogether. And on Sunday night, Michael Flynn Jr., the son and top aide of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser, tweeted that the Comet Ping Pong conspiracy theory might still be true. 

“Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it’ll remain a story. The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many ‘coincidences’ tied to it,” Flynn Jr. tweeted. He later posted images of direct messages from CNN host Jake Tapper imploring him to stop spreading the rumors. 

As the story spread, Comet and other establishments along Connecticut Avenue have been subject to threats and vile social media banter, business owners said.

   You've gotta marvel at the metaconspiracy aspect of this:  lunatic GOP conspiracy theory sends dude, replete with AR-15, to DC to rescue fictional children enslaved by fictional pedophile ring in...what? The mop room of a well-known, very public, pizza restaurant...because...it's so easy to get away with massive pedophilia slave rings I guess... Instead of soul-searching among the crazy right, they just generate a metaconspiracy theory which I can only presume involves something something Democratic false flag something something. Not bad, as self-sealers go.

   On a closely related note, I've said this before: conduct a propaganda campaign arguing that your political opponents are intentionally trying to destroy America long enough, and eventually somebody's going to take you a bit too seriously. For years now, the GOP has encouraged and generated propaganda which, if true, would show that Democrats need killin'. I don't think that's what they want to happen... But I do think that they're putting certain conditions in place. If the next autocratic lunatic to come down the GOP pike is genuinely murderous, things could go bad fast.