Who is QAnon?  The question is posed because the Q phenomenon is nearly impossible to ignore.  From his beginning as a fringe internet poster in October 2017, Q has broken out and now not only has a devoted following, but also has grabbed the attention of many mainstream publications like the New York Times, the Washington Post,  the Week, the Daily Beast, Time magazine, and others.

In a nutshell, Q claims to be a high-level government insider with a Q security clearance from the U.S. Department of Energy.  Q further states that he has been encouraged by other like-minded agents in the government to post intelligence leaks so as to inform the public about President Donald Trump's supposed master plan to stage a counter-coup against members of the corrupt Deep State. 

According to Q, there are more good guys within the intelligence community than bad ones.  He also distinguishes between the civilian intelligence agencies (CIA, NSA, the FBI) and military intelligence.  The former have been corrupted by bad actors at the top (John Brennan, James Clapper, and James Comey, to name just a few), while the military agencies remain loyal. 

Q also in his often cryptic postings notes the obvious: that the ongoing unconstitutional coup against the president is a nonpartisan matter.  He says there are just as many bad Republicans as there are bad Democrats.  (Well, almost as many, in my opinion.)  His postings can reach the point of the extreme.  Some of them hint at ongoing military tribunals for traitors within the government.  He also says the POTUS is secretly working with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, a former Marine, to bring down the Deep State. 

Because Q's postings are anonymous and untraceable, he could be what he says he is: the real deal.  Or, as many others assert, QAnon could be a conspiracy nut, an internet troll, and a huckster. 

In his postings, Q acknowledges that his enemies are monitoring his postings.  Given the extent of his following, this is certainly true.  Therefore, if Q is legit, what he puts out likely contains disinformation mixed with truth.  After all, why reveal your entire plan to the enemy?  So is Q trying to sow confusion within the Deep State and prompt loyalists within the civilian intelligence agencies to fight the corruption?  Is he preparing the public for the storm to come?  On the other hand, if Q is bogus, he could be just adding fuel to conspiracy theories and is a guy entertaining himself and his devotees as to what they hope could occur.

To learn more, go to YouTube.  It is awash in clips about Q.  It is clear that the Q phenomenon has gotten the traction it has because of the animus that many in government have toward the American people, the Constitution, the rule of law, and even basic decency.  That the Clintons have gotten away with all their obvious criminality is a prime case in point.  That, to me, is the real meaning of QAnon.  If there wasn't already this justified distrust and, in some quarters, even a hatred of government, Q would – fairly or unfairly – be grouped in the genre of ancient alien theorists and those talking about secret U.S. bases on the far side of the moon and extraterrestrials walking among us.