# Omnibus Stupid MFers in the news thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 5, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657 "2024-01-05T16:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 447
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8921 "2026-10-18T21:05:24Z")
Why would any self-respecting Doper ever give musk a pageview. X is a cesspool of Russian bots and hate. Just say “no” to ever going there. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8922 "2026-10-18T22:23:29Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > IIRC, at the time, the police didn’t know that he wasn’t the bad guy in this situation, hence being at gunpoint. He was in on it. > According to law enforcement reports, Wells participated in the planning of the bank robbery the day before and was aware of the complex plot; he believed the bomb would be fake but would serve as exculpatory evidence if he were caught. According to an FBI affidavit, two witnesses confirmed that Wells talked about the robbery about a month before it occurred. Wells was seen leaving Rothstein’s house the day before the incident, and investigators believe he participated in a rehearsal. It was believed Wells was killed to reduce the number of witnesses [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza\_bomber#Wells\_as\_conspirator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_bomber#Wells_as_conspirator) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8923 "2026-10-18T22:33:48Z")
FYI there is now a Pit thread on the Ecuadorian priest killed by the falling cross. > [@Priest killed by falling crucifix while doing priest stuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/priest-killed-by-falling-crucifix-while-doing-priest-stuff/1033954): > > A Catholic priest was killed in Ecuador on Saturday when a massive wooden crucifix collapsed onto him as he celebrated Mass, in a horrifying accident captured during a live broadcast watched by worshippers at home. Footage of the incident has since spread across social media, showing the final moments of Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari’s life. Posted in the pit so that comments can be as disrespectful as you please. The thread is not off to a good start, but there it is. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8924 "2026-10-19T00:30:27Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > He was in on it. There are conflicting reports but there’s enough evidence to suggest he wasn’t completely a victim. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8925 "2026-10-19T00:34:05Z")
deleted - issue too much in the past now. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8926 "2026-10-19T01:06:40Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > If we’re criticizing their publishing it, should we be linking to it? I wasn’t criticizing it, I was only linking to it as another example of a murder being shown a streaming platform. > [@Smapti](#): > > He was in on it. > > > According to law enforcement reports, Wells participated in the planning of the bank robbery the day before and was aware of the complex plot; he believed the bomb would be fake but would serve as exculpatory evidence if he were caught. According to an FBI affidavit, two witnesses confirmed that Wells talked about the robbery about a month before it occurred. Wells was seen leaving Rothstein’s house the day before the incident, and investigators believe he participated in a rehearsal. It was believed Wells was killed to reduce the number of witnesses That very same link also says: > Wells’ family and friends dispute his involvement in the bank robbery and his own death; according to them, Wells was accosted at gunpoint and forced to wear the bomb > Jessica Hoopsick, a woman who was Wells’ friend, confessed in the Netflix documentary _[Evil Genius](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Genius_(TV_series) "Evil Genius (TV series)")_ that she set Wells up to participate in the crime by providing his name and delivery schedule to one of the conspirators in exchange for money and drugs.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_bomber#cite_note-Dao_2003-2)[[25]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_bomber#cite_note-Glove_2011-26) She said he had no knowledge of the robbery. > In the 2018 documentary _Evil Genius_, Hoopsick identifies the conspirator as Barnes and alleges she recommended Wells, whom she described as “a pushover”. > Admitting to setting up Wells in exchange for money and drugs, Hoopsick expressed regret for her role and said Wells had no advance knowledge of the robbery And if you click on the footnote next to “two witnesses confirmed that Wells talked about the robbery about a month before it occurred”, you’ll see that one of the witness was Barnes, one of the people involved in the robbery. The other footnote, at the end of the quote, links to an article titled “Erie bomb victim was the dupe in a greedy plan”. Maybe he was in on it, maybe he was a childlike pushover that was tricked or forced into it. It’s a good documentary, you should give it a watch. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8927 "2026-10-19T01:29:58Z")
OK, then, stupid MFers all around. He was stupid for thinking that his conspirators meant anything good by “wear this bomb that we pinky-swear is fake”, and they were stupid for thinking that killing their accomplice in a public, dramatic way guaranteed to get the world’s attention was a way to get away with their crime. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8928 "2026-10-19T01:52:52Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Maybe he was in on it, maybe he was a childlike pushover that was tricked or forced into it. Yes, there’s a lot of uncertainty and we’ll probably never know. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8929 "2026-10-19T22:50:27Z")
Canadian man drank 30 to 40 beers and decided it would be fun to grab a flamingo and take it his room. He’s now being charged with animal cruelty. > **[‘It would be funny:’ Man accused of stealing flamingo takes stand, drank...](https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/10/16/man-accused-stealing-injuring-las-vegas-strip-flamingo-takes-stand-during-trial/)** > > Fairbairn told jurors he entered the Strip habitat to check on a bird with "uneven" wings and meant it as a prank photo. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8930 "2026-10-21T00:20:33Z")
Polling agency whose polls have been cited by the New York Times admits that all their numbers were made up as a “social experiment”. > **[FiftyPlusOne just caught a pollster faking data — and they copped to it](https://blog.fiftyplusone.news/p/fiftyplusone-just-caught-a-pollster)** > > In response to a request for comment on a FiftyPlusOne investigation, Wedgewood Polls admitted their data was bogus ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8931 "2026-10-21T00:40:10Z")
“Social experiment” as a word for “trolling” is so two decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8932 "2026-10-21T00:41:36Z")
I wonder which party their made up data _just happened_ to favor? ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8933 "2026-10-21T00:57:40Z")
From google AI: > [@](#): > > …political analysts and media investigations have heavily scrutinized the firm, identifying it as a suspected **Republican front group**. Critics note that Wedgewood’s strategy appeared designed to publish inflated numbers for far-left candidates—such as showing high support for progressive candidates in Democratic primaries or local races— **in an attempt to divide mainstream Democratic voters** , elevate less electable progressive candidates, and distort polling averages. bolding what I figure is the most salient part. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8934 "2026-10-21T00:57:49Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Polling agency whose polls have been cited by the New York Times admits that all their numbers were made up as a “social experiment”. Isn’t this like the second time lately that something like this comes up? Ah, right… LA Election > **[What to know about the fake election poll numbers shared and retracted by a...](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-to-know-about-the-fake-election-poll-numbers-shared-and-retracted-by-a-mysterious-company)** > > Locked in a competitive reelection race, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared on social media last week that a new poll was evidence that her campaign was “gaining momentum.” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8935 "2026-10-21T05:51:23Z")
Anyone with even one functioning brain cell should know this is a bad idea. [I give you the latest Darwin Award recipient.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/mom-livestreaming-run-minutes-she-215555752.html) > [@](#): > > An Arizona mom died after being struck by a train while out for a morning run, according to her family. > > Officers were called to a railroad crossing just after 6 a.m. local time on Thursday, Oct. 15, for a report of a pedestrian being struck by a Union Pacific train, police in Eloy, located 50 miles northwest of Tucson, [said](https://www.facebook.com/eloypolice/posts/pfbid02CuxJreTkXZps2TicRM3K29hujHMUrjKbqo3uEdJUbYr2EXVj9MKAwZJ6yfA4uKcrl) in a statement. > > Investigators told local outlets [AZFamily](https://www.azfamily.com/2026/10/19/eloy-family-mourns-mother-eight-killed-by-train-during-morning-run/) and Fox affiliate [KSAZ-TV](https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/woman-reported-missing-after-jog-struck-killed-train-eloy) that the train’s engineer saw the woman — identified by loved ones as Thelma Candelaria — walking between two railroad tracks and immediately activated the train’s horn and the emergency braking system. Another nearby train that had passed by in the other direction also sounded its horn in an attempt to prevent the collision. > > Candelaria’s daughter, Alaisha, told KSAZ-TV that surveillance video showed her waiting for one train to pass but seemingly unaware that another train was coming from the opposite direction. > > “She has her noise-canceling headphones on,” Alaisha said. “She couldn’t hear anything and that’s when the train that was going the opposite way unfortunately struck her and took her life.” Don’t walk on train tracks. Don’t assume there’s only one train passing on a multi-track section. AND DON’T WEAR NOISE-CANCELING PHONE WHILE WALKING OR JOGGING OUTSIDE! ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8936 "2026-10-21T07:01:25Z")
Be safe around trains. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IJNR2EpS0jw/hqdefault.jpg "Dumb Ways to Die") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8937 "2026-10-21T09:25:52Z")
According to this Bluesky poster, the whole operation was an insider trading scheme on Kalshi. > **[BeshearStan (@beshearstan.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/beshearstan.bsky.social/post/3mye3pdibhs2o)** > > UPDATE: I found Wedgewood’s Kalshi account. He goes by Andrew and has been insider trading using the fake polls that he was posting. > > I reported this to Kalshi, hope they do something about it @gelliottmorris.com > > \[contains quote post or other... ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8938 "2026-10-21T11:21:41Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Polling agency whose polls have been cited by the New York Times admits that all their numbers were made up as a “social experiment”. A similar thing happened a few months ago as well. Back in August, a polling agency published some fake poll results as an experiment to show how “purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification”. IIRC, it didn’t get much news coverage because, other than the candidates that posted it without verifying it, it wasn’t really taken seriously. It seems news outlets knew something was wrong so they didn’t cite it. FiftyPlusOne caught this one as well. > **[What to know about fake election poll numbers for shared and retracted by a...](https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/what-to-know-about-fake-election-poll-numbers-for-shared-and-retracted-by-a-mysterious-company/)** > > NEW YORK (AP) — Locked in a competitive reelection race, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared on social media in mid-August that a new poll was evidence that her campaign ... My question is why they’re doing it. They say it “was created as a short-term social experiment examining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification." And, that may be true, but maybe they also wanted to see what they could get away with. How far can they tip the scales before people will notice? Maybe they need to be investigated to see if what they were doing rose to the level of fraud or election interference or some other kind of legal issue if they were trying to manipulate polymarket odds. There’s no question that people will assume this type of thing is real. Most people aren’t seeing something like “Meridian Strategies shows [Candidate] 10% ahead of opponent” and digging for cites or emailing the company to ask how they came to that conclusion, they’re going to accept it at face value. If that changes how (or more likely, if) they vote, that’s a problem. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8939 "2026-10-21T13:02:31Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > bolding what I figure is the most salient part. Without doing any research whatsoever I “knew” that was going to to be the outcome. But thanks for doing the legwork to prove it. > [@Smapti](#): > > According to this Bluesky poster, the whole operation was an insider trading scheme on Kalshi. I hadn’t predicted that, but it makes total sense. I think we have glimpsed the future. Evil groups placing bets on possible future news, then creating fake news to deliver their desired outcome. That’s Evil, not Stupid. The Stupid public really needs to up its game on distrusting everything not from well-known long-standing sources. Which of course is the Evil the Russians and organized criminals want to envelop the world with. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8940 "2026-10-21T14:08:12Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The Stupid public really needs to up its game on distrusting everything not from well-known long-standing sources. But…but…you can’t trust the MSM or any expert sources! If an account on social media is getting lots of reposts/retweets, whatever it says must be true!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=446) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=448)