Viewer Mail, Part One

Unlike the intellectually dishonest chickenshits in charge of nearly every denialist echo chamber out there, I have always allowed visitors to post contrarian opinions here in the comments section, just as long as they don’t repeatedly make claims without providing evidence (I can’t do all the work for you lazy idiots) or fail the Shill Challenge (the rules of which are actually quite simple: if you’re going to forego an actual discussion and skip right to accusing me of being a “shill”, prove it and I’ll donate $300 to Wolfgang Halbig’s retirement legal fund. Fail and your baseless accusations will be deleted, and your IP banned). There are two major benefits to allowing these comments to stay, in my opinion: 1) I get to address a legitimate question or concern from an actual, honest (if not a bit misguided) truth-seeker who may have somehow gotten caught up in the copious amounts of denier garbage currently clogging up the Internet’s tubes, or 2) I get to publicly humiliate another brain-dead assgoblin who mistakenly believes that they’ve found yet another home for their watery bullshit. Our new friend “Shelley” of Monroe, Louisiana falls into the latter camp.

Commenting on Sandy Hook Elementary Was Open, Part Five: Dawn Hochsprung’s Twitter Feed, Shelley barely manages to string the following words together:

I have some things I have not seen addressed yet anywhere else yet..

So let’s talk about these school photos on the Twitter feed.

First, odd that this was only used for 3 moths. Not much history but I can see them defend that she just got into Twitter.

First the “fire drill” tweet has an arched cover area behind the children. I have seen photos for every inch of the school. That photo was not taken there. I even looked by the firehouse, which is a stretch since a drill is always done at the school just as the ones at my building at work.

Then look at the photo on that is on November 13th. It is clear that was in a taller room. Which means it was in the gym or multi-purpose room. Ther are no other rooms that high. But look at the 2nd window. It’s has crossed panes while the rest do not. This window doesn’t match any in either of those building. I looked.

Those photos are not in that school.

The only ouc that looks like it was taken at that school was the one that “Dawn” is in at the entrance.

Now they say the school was closed due to asbestos.

Which means it would be unsafe unless in protective gear. So that would explain the lack of legitimate photos cause it would be easy enough to bring in the actors for a few shots.

Also, can’t get a better school to do this with. Super small town and a school that is not visable on the main road.

Unless you had children there, you would not pay attention.

I saw one hoax disputer claim she drove by on her way to work and could see the kids on the playground. Not only is the school not visable from the road but the playground is even in the opposite side from the road.

And that handicap spot. I doubt a school would have not had that addressed. It was legally required to be specific colors and have he metal post. As it was was a violation. Not likely.

This is all – of course – total nonsense; the sad ramblings of a mentally damaged human being. You know that, I know that, and I’m sure that somewhere, probably very deep down inside, even Shelley knows that. But that’s fine; if I shied away from the implausible or the insane, I’d have a whole lot less to work with here.

So let’s take a look at what we’re working with here…

First, odd that this was only used for 3 moths. Not much history but I can see them defend that she just got into Twitter.

I don’t think it’s all that odd. An average of 135,000 people join Twitter every day. I personally didn’t join Twitter until about six months ago (and that was specifically to hurl insults – well-deserved insults – at people). I also get the feeling that if she had signed up the previous year, we’d still be having the very same conversation.

Of course “three moths[sic]” (or months) sounds a lot less impressive than “the entirety of the 2012-2013 school year”. But at the time of the shooting, that’s exactly what it was. I personally think it’s obvious that she had started the account for the benefit of the school, and not to document her personal life.

First the “fire drill” tweet has an arched cover area behind the children. I have seen photos for every inch of the school. That photo was not taken there. I even looked by the firehouse, which is a stretch since a drill is always done at the school just as the ones at my building at work.

Uh, then you did not look very hard. It’s a structure just behind the firehouse, closer to the school. The most recent Google Street View does not allow you to travel up Dickenson Drive (as it was taken in October of 2014), but you can get pretty close to the location using the Street View images from October of 2008:

Also, think about this logically: even if the school were completely condemned (and it wasn’t), what would stop them from taking photos outside of the actual school? Why would they need to take them in another location? It doesn’t make any sense.

Then look at the photo on that is on November 13th. It is clear that was in a taller room. Which means it was in the gym or multi-purpose room. Ther are no other rooms that high. But look at the 2nd window. It’s has crossed panes while the rest do not. This window doesn’t match any in either of those building. I looked.

Again, you simply did not look hard enough. That picture was clearly taken in the cafetorium. Those are the windows that face the courtyard. I would suggest watching WDMCS_School_Interior_4_of_5.wmv, available on http://cspsandyhookreport.ct.gov/. You can skip to around 33:03 and you’ll see those exact windows:

Notice 1) the crossed panes, 2) the strip and clock directly beneath it (which make another appearance in the December 12th photo showing the winter concert rehearsal), and 3) its relation to the exit sign and double doors to the right.

Those photos are not in that school.

They definitely are.

The only ouc that looks like it was taken at that school was the one that “Dawn” is in at the entrance.

Not even close. The picture from October 8th was clearly taken in the cafetorium (recognizable even without Thanksgiving decorations in the video mentioned above); November 6th shows the area just outside of the library; the two pictures from November 9th once again show the cafetorium (this time focusing on the stage), as do the three photos from the Veterans Day breakfast; November 16th is obviously of the school’s courtyard; November 28th shows the school’s music room; and December 4th was taken inside of the school’s library (which has been extensively photographed). The other rooms are a little tougher to identify and corroborate because the crime scene photos and walk-through videos do not show every square inch of the school.

Now if you’ve truly seen “every square inch” of the school (and I don’t know how you would), then those areas should be immediately recognizable to you. But as I’ve already demonstrated, that may not be an entirely accurate statement on your part.

Now they say the school was closed due to asbestos.

Only hoaxers say this. There is absolutely no evidence that this is true. In fact, there’s plenty of evidence that it is not true, the most damning of which would be the fact that the school was given a 4 (out of a possible 4, indicating that there was “Not a problem”) for “Asbestos remediation” in the Connecticut Department of Education’s 2011 school facilities survey:

Which means it would be unsafe unless in protective gear. So that would explain the lack of legitimate photos cause it would be easy enough to bring in the actors for a few shots.

What makes a photo “legitimate” in your eyes? Because in addition to what’s included on Dawn’s Twitter feed, I have – on this very website – posted literally hundreds of photographs taken in and around the school between the 2008-2012.

I saw one hoax disputer claim she drove by on her way to work and could see the kids on the playground. Not only is the school not visable from the road but the playground is even in the opposite side from the road.

What am I supposed to do with this? Maybe she was talking about Crestwood. I don’t know, because I’m getting the claim secondhand, through you. But you know Riverside is not the only road that runs by the school, correct?

And that handicap spot. I doubt a school would have not had that addressed. It was legally required to be specific colors and have he metal post. As it was was a violation. Not likely.

Oh boy. If this is true, so what? I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on ADA compliance – because I’m absolutely not – but I do know that it doesn’t matter much. 83% of New York City’s elementary schools are non-compliant. 83%! And that’s just New York City. The idea that a school or any other public institution cannot possibly remain open while their handicapped spots are not painted the correct colors is just plain stupid.