22 votes

Explosive device found near George Soros’s home in Westchester County

15 comments

  1. [8]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [6]
      eladnarra
      Link Parent
      He started the Open Society Foundations.

      He started the Open Society Foundations.

      According to the foundations' website, 1993–2014 expenditures included:

      • $2.9 billion to defend human rights, especially the rights of women; ethnic, racial, and religious minorities; drug users; sex workers; and LGBTQ communities;
      • $2.1 billion for education;
      • $1.6 billion on developing democracy in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union;
      • $1.5 billion in the United States to promote reform in criminal justice, drug policy, palliative care, education, immigration, equal rights, and democratic governance;
      • $737 million for public health issues such as HIV and AIDS, TB, palliative care, harm reduction, and patients' rights;
      • $214 million to advance the rights of Roma communities in Europe.
      15 votes
      1. [5]
        0F0_Simplex
        Link Parent
        It's hard to imagine any of that being viewed as "bad" or "evil." Everything in that list is good in my books. Is that really why they hate him? It's amazing, in a sad way, that people think that...

        It's hard to imagine any of that being viewed as "bad" or "evil." Everything in that list is good in my books. Is that really why they hate him? It's amazing, in a sad way, that people think that sort of charity is bad.

        5 votes
        1. Hypersapien
          Link Parent
          A lot of the people who hate him do so simply because right wing politicians, pundits and bloggers tell them to hate him, without knowing who he is or what he does.

          A lot of the people who hate him do so simply because right wing politicians, pundits and bloggers tell them to hate him, without knowing who he is or what he does.

          14 votes
        2. [3]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. [2]
            Neverland
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            Also, a lot of far-right nuttiness is fed directly by the Kremlin's propaganda machine. It's funny how now the West's right has turned to be the "useful idiots," when back in the Cold War, it was...

            Also, a lot of far-right nuttiness is fed directly by the Kremlin's propaganda machine. It's funny how now the West's right has turned to be the "useful idiots," when back in the Cold War, it was the left.

            As eladnarra pointed out he gave:

            $1.6 billion on developing democracy in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union;

            So he is poking the Russian bear in the eye, the bear is biting back in the only way it knows how.. disinformation.

            7 votes
            1. eladnarra
              Link Parent
              Yeah, something that also stood out for when when skimming the Wikipedia article was this part about Russia: It made me wonder if there was a spike of "protesters paid by Soros" stuff online after...

              Yeah, something that also stood out for when when skimming the Wikipedia article was this part about Russia:

              In 2015, Russia banned the activities of the Open Society Foundations on its territory, declaring "It was found that the activity of the Open Society Foundations and the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation represents a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation and the security of the state".

              It made me wonder if there was a spike of "protesters paid by Soros" stuff online after that. I don't remember hearing it very much until fairly recently, but that could just be me.

              2 votes
        3. KapteinB
          Link Parent
          He's a Jewish immigrant, and any one of those two is enough to attract the hate of a significant part of the population. As a wealthy Jew openly trying to change US politics, he's become a...

          He's a Jewish immigrant, and any one of those two is enough to attract the hate of a significant part of the population.

          As a wealthy Jew openly trying to change US politics, he's become a favourite target of conspiracy theories. I wouldn't be surprised if the bomb was made by someone who believe themself a hero in the eternal struggle against the Illuminati. (Or perhaps more likely; the Deep State. I don't think I've seen the Illuminaty mentioned in any comment sections since 2016.)

          He's also tried to restore liberal democracy in his birth country, which made him a bogey-man in this year's election there as well.

          www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/once-fringe-soros-conspiracy-theory-takes-center-stage-in-hungarian-election/2018/03/17/f0a1d5ae-2601-11e8-a227-fd2b009466bc_story.html

          1 vote
    2. super_james
      Link Parent
      You should probably read about Black Wednesday if you've not already.

      You should probably read about Black Wednesday if you've not already.

      1 vote
  2. alyaza
    Link

    An explosive device was found on Monday in a mailbox at the Westchester County home of George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist who is a favorite target of right-wing groups, the authorities said.

    A law enforcement official confirmed that the device was found near Mr. Soros’s home. It did not explode on its own, and bomb squad technicians “proactively detonated” it, the official said.

    Federal and state law enforcement officials responded to the scene in Katonah, N.Y., a hamlet in the upscale town of Bedford in northern Westchester, after the Bedford Police Department received a call about a suspicious package at about 3:45 p.m.

    “An employee of the residence opened the package, revealing what appeared to be an explosive device,” the police said in a statement. “The employee placed the package in a wooded area and called the Bedford police.”

    2 votes
  3. [6]
    Parameter
    Link
    I hope they catch the offender. But it seems strange to me that a person could find his address, covertly place the package, but fail to make it work. Soros has funded potentially dangerous groups...

    I hope they catch the offender.

    But it seems strange to me that a person could find his address, covertly place the package, but fail to make it work.

    Soros has funded potentially dangerous groups for political purposes before so I wouldn't be surprised if this was PR.

    I don't want to seem entirely biased against him. It just annoys me a little bit that in response to conspiracy theories (largely insane) people respond by falsely elevating him. I agree with some of his politics, I just don't think he's entitled to achieve his own political goals through whatever means are at his disposal.

    1 vote
    1. patience_limited
      Link Parent
      Given a choice between globalist oligarchs like Soros, Gates, Steyer, Bloomberg, et al., who at least nominally support democracy, and feudal, kleptocratic, authoritarian oligarchs like Putin, the...

      Given a choice between globalist oligarchs like Soros, Gates, Steyer, Bloomberg, et al., who at least nominally support democracy, and feudal, kleptocratic, authoritarian oligarchs like Putin, the Murdochs, the Kochs, the Mercers, Thiel, et al. who support racist, militarist nationalism as a means of fractionation for control, I'll take the Soros team.

      That's just a way of saying I'd like to see the whole pack of them jailed for their manipulations, and/or taxed to return exploitive gains to the people who actually generated the wealth. But we can't have nice things.

      10 votes
    2. [4]
      Neverland
      Link Parent
      I really don't know much about Soros, but can you name a few of the dangerous groups?

      Soros has funded potentially dangerous groups for political purposes before so I wouldn't be surprised if this was PR.

      I really don't know much about Soros, but can you name a few of the dangerous groups?

      4 votes
      1. [3]
        Parameter
        Link Parent
        I'm not certain enough to be specific about individual groups but I can give you some background. He's an influential person who is very active in political events all over the world and has been...

        I'm not certain enough to be specific about individual groups but I can give you some background. He's an influential person who is very active in political events all over the world and has been for a while.

        It's difficult to provide you with better sources because the major media companies rarely mention him. The link below is a list of the group his foundation funds so you can draw your own conclusions.

        It's a lot of really great organizations doing good for the world. But you'll see a few questionable ventures. He doesn't seem to mind stirring up controversy or upheaval when he sees the need.

        https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/open-society-foundations/

        1. patience_limited
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          You mean, donations to dangerous groups like this: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/09/secretive-donors-gave-us-climate-denial-groups-125m-over-three-years Or this:...

          You mean, donations to dangerous groups like this: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/09/secretive-donors-gave-us-climate-denial-groups-125m-over-three-years

          Or this: https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2017/8/29/the-dark-side-of-philanthropy-meet-the-nonprofits-funding-white-supremacy-with-tax-free-dollars-1

          Or perhaps, this:
          https://www.desmogblog.com/turning-point-usa

          At worst, you could say that George Soros' donor network partakes of the same lack of transparency that right-wing organizations have utilized.

          2 votes
        2. EightRoundsRapid
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          George Soros is mentioned frequently in major publications, in both positive and negative ways. Ed: Influencewatch.org is not without its own issues of bias...

          the major media companies rarely mention him

          George Soros is mentioned frequently in major publications, in both positive and negative ways.

          Ed: Influencewatch.org is not without its own issues of bias

          https://www.prwatch.org/news/2017/12/13310/%E2%80%98influence-watch%E2%80%99-website-launched-berman-alec-heartland-copy-cmd%E2%80%99s

          https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Capital_Research_Center

  4. alyaza
    Link
    in a possibly (honestly probably) related occurrence, suspicious packages were also sent to the Clintons and Obama

    in a possibly (honestly probably) related occurrence, suspicious packages were also sent to the Clintons and Obama