Alex Jones offered each of the families of the Sandy Hook children he defamed $120,000 to settle their lawsuits against him. They turned him down.
Each of the plaintiffs turned down the settlement offer in court documents, saying, “The so-called offer is a transparent and desperate attempt by Alex Jones to escape a public reckoning under oath with his deceitful, profit-driven campaign against the plaintiffs and the memory of their loved ones lost at Sandy Hook.”
Jones treated those murdered children as things, things he could use to jack up right-wing hysteria and fuel profitable traffic to his site. They are not things. Jones was so unconscionably exploitive and abusive that I can entirely sympathize with those parents. They aren’t looking for money, something else Jones can’t understand. They are out to destroy a locus of hatred, one that grew on the bodies of dead children.
InfoWars has now declared bankruptcy, saying they only have assets of between $0-$50,000. That’s a lie. They have a heavily-trafficked website that brings in at least that much every week; they get ad revenue from Breitbart, so at least one other right-wing site is propping them up; they’ve got a quack store and must have a storage facility filled with crap like Ultra Brain Force (although, I’ll give them this: if their supply was valued for their effectiveness, it would be worth $0) and stupid hats; just the video gear that they use to record and edit all the lies they pump out has got to be worth more than that. Jones has a house and cars and a studio.
Take them all and put Jones in an institution for the criminally insane. Cut off all the “reporters” he supports — Ian Miles Cheong, Owen Shroyer, Millie Weaver, Margaret Howell, Savannah Hernandez, etc. — and let them get jobs serving fast food somewhere, if they’re qualified for that. Burn it all down. Scatter salt on the careers of all the people affiliated with it.
JoeBuddha says
This.
Susan Montgomery says
So, a job serving fast food is a punishment?
larpar says
Less than $50k is assets but they offered $120k to each of the families?
whywhywhy says
My guess is that Jones is trying to hide his money much like the Archdiocese of Milwaukee did when accountability came knocking in regards to rampant child sex abuse by priests:
https://www.startribune.com/judge-shields-wis-archdiocese-fund-from-creditors/217623311/
This type of shell game is illegal but not if you are Catholic. Remains to be seen if Alex Jones can pull it off as well.
PZ Myers says
No, a job serving fast food ought to be productive work that gives a living wage.
mandrake says
It’s going to be difficult to suitably punish Jones in a country where maybe half the population thinks he should be sainted for his efforts. Twenty children and six adults were murdered in a matter of minutes in a public school and that didn’t warrant any correction to our gun policies from the gun and bible humpers. Hell really is for children it seems.
whheydt says
It would be justice (and not just poetic) if the bankruptcy court denied his petition.
raven says
Complete lie.
That only works if they looted the company and put it all in their personal bank accounts. Which I’m sure they did.
Jones himself is worth many millions.
This source says Alex Jones is worth $135 million and makes 1/2 million a month.
There is a lot of money moving around in the GOP/fundie xian lunatic fringes.
Susan Montgomery says
@5 okay. Is the fact that it isn’t quite what motovated you to wish on those you don’t like?
tacitus says
Presumably, aside from paying himself an inordinate amount of money, the rest of the capital investment in Infowars has been safely stashed in other companies, like “Infowars Life” (his quack remedies label) and others. No doubt many of his personal assets are in the names of other members of his family by now too.
Rolling Stone reported his operation took in $165 million over the last three years selling supplements and prepper gear.
Aachen on the Plains says
Wingnut Welfare more-or-less ensures Jones won’t need to radically alter his shtick long-term, AAR?
crimsonsage says
Fast food work is hard enough as it is, why inflict these morons on those hard working people. Maybe something better for the community? Like putting them in a public dunk tank so people can take out their frustration by throwing baseballs and dunking them, that would be a good community service.
DanDare says
Why isn’t it Alex Jones the person being sued?
StevoR says
@ ^ Dan Dare : Good question. Wnder if its possible / best to have him and InfoWars both sued?