9/11 conspiracy theories | Skeptical Humanities

Today, South Dakota. Tomorrow….the WORLD!!!

November 15, 2011

I was recently interviewed on David Leonard’s Alive at Five radio show out of Yankton, SD. It’s a fun show that covers a lot of topics that I find interesting. The interview was a hoot, and thanks to David for inviting me to talk about 9/11 Truthers.

RJB

1 Comment | 9/11 conspiracy theories, conspiracy theory, critical thinking, mass media, politics, psychology | Permalink
Posted by Bob

This Week in Conspiracy (13 Nov 2011)

November 13, 2011

Well, I’ve done it again. I spent another week in the trenches, occasionally poking my head over the parapet, and taunting the forces of conspiracy theory.

Bob

On with the pain!

So this week we saw the date 11/11/11, which only occurs once a century. Just like every other combination. So, the oddly-minded jumped on it. Take what happened at the pyramids at Giza, which had to be shut down because of lunacy. or the Internet, where finally the Illuminati revealed themselves.
Vigilan Citizen never gets old. This week, Donatella Versace reveals that she is a Reptillian! Or there’s some mind control in an ad or something. Again, why? Also, the “Tutankhamun curse” was actually ritual murder carried out by Aleister Crowley.
Former Senator Mike Gravel declared early this year that he wants another investigation. He cites the work of Architects and Engineers for 9/11. I’m not sure why people would think that this is important because he has no expertise.
Oh, I’m probably on the radio right now in South Dakota. I was interviewed for the show Alive at 5 about 9/11 Trutherism. They identify me as working with the CSI, which is flattering but inaccurate. Oh, well. They let me prattle on for about 30 min. I’ll post a link if one goes up.
Sharon Hill sent me a link to her Doubtful Newsblog, where she directed us to the interview with Chris French in the Independent.
Hitler: even more interesting.
This past week, the White House finally came clean on UFO disclosure: “We have no information about UFOs.” Stanton Friedman disagrees. Apparently, they only want to hear is the truth they want.
Some guy also thinks that the White House is lying about the alien presence.
Oh my god! The conspiracy is more widespread than I could possibly imagine. A Sheraton has (allegedly) blocked Alex Jones and other 4th-tier broadcasters.
Mike Adams. Homeopathy. Conspiracy.
Bob Lazar (this just came to my attention and is not new): The Space Shuttle program was a front for reverse engineering UFOs.
Occupy chemtrails.
Oh, and Ramtha has an opinion about the Occupy movement. Dumbest. Cult. Ever.
I love David Icke’s book covers. There. I said it.
Crooks and Liars sent one down their trouser leg on fracking and earthquakes.
Brannon Howse and Chris Pinto panic over the Jesuits. The freaking Jesuits. Very quaint. (I’m working on an article about ye olde anti-Catholic conspiracy theories for Skeptical Inquirer or CSI website.) The Worldview Weekend Hour feels like it lasts a LOT longer. Also, Eric John Phelps uncovers a Jesuit-Illuminati terror plot at the London 2012 games.
Could Barack Obama be the next Hermann Cain, only gay?
Cars fart narcotics.
Who blew up China’s Area 51?
Hey! Our sun doubles as a Stargate, like in that Star Trek movie and those TV shows. Only in real life, it’s for moon-sized UFOs.
Umberto Eco has a novel coming out, Prague Cemetery, that revolves around the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. I look forward to it.
America is hooked on antipsychotics. Oddly, I got this Al-Jazeera item from Andrew Wakefield’s tweet-stream, who should be institutionalized.
IAEA report on Iran is ‘False Flag,’ reports Iran.
Krelnik of What’s the Harm sent me this about L. Ron Hubbard, and I HAVE to read the book. Or I would if Hubbard could write.

Twit of the Week:

It was that crazy-haired spray-on tan nutjobby from Ancient Aliens, after the whole premise of the modern History Channel was lampooned on South Park:

Tsoukalos: Good. Let them. Deep down they know (!) we’re on the right track… No worries. RT @kuhnlevel u inspire me but my history profs hate u! lol

Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/Tsoukalos/status/134686039854948352

Conspiracy Theory of the Week

There was no question about it this week. Exopolitics.com breaks the news that Obama has travelled to Mars twice.

That’s it folks. Keep it crazy. I’m off next week to do some field work on Saturday, and then I’ll be going to Alabama to give a talk about conspiracy theories to a group of freethinkers there. Yay!

(Did you notice that Anonymous completely dropped off the map this week? It’s now known as Ignominious!)

RJB

5 Comments | 9/11 conspiracy theories, conspiracy theory, history, mass media, politics, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Bob

The Week in Conspiracy (31 Oct 2011 edition)

October 31, 2011

Hello, hello from the city where pants are optional, New Orleans. I gave my talk about anti-Jesuit and anti-Catholic conspiracy theories yesterday, and then we bopped along Canal Street to the Smarti Gras party.

I know that when I need medical advice, I go to a strung-out, obviously intoxicated rapper. I mean, not me, Vigilant Citizen:

David Icke warns us about RFID chips that can kill non-compliant implantees.
The Chatanoogan will print anything. I mean, there’s a point in there, I think, but then they mention the New World Order. Grr.
Jeez. Border-guarding failures pollute everything they touch, including OWS.
It’s official. Canada admits that alien technology is in use…in the US? How can they admit that?
Is this a real thing? Someone enlighten me about the “Lightbulb Conspiracy“.
How one person decided to let go of reason and embrace the space brothers. I suspect that there is a very good chance that any story that starts, “I was a skeptic,” is being told by someone who wasn’t. Especially when it includes: “The last documentary I watched was a lecture by Linda Moulton-Howe on cattle mutilations. I could not believe what I was seeing. The question in my mind very quickly became not whether UFOs existed – they clearly did – but what they were.” You and skepticism are not even nodding acquaintances.
This one goes out to Fraser Cain: Electrical Engineer Proves Einstein Wrong.
Here’s something off the charts, even for me. It’s an interview with someone from the Andromeda Council about removing the Reptillian bases from the sea floor. (Robert Schaefer pointed this site out in his talk, and holy cow does it deliver!)
From the Journal of Hispanic UFOlogy (or “UFOlogia”): abductee takes his complaint to court.
What’s wrong with this headline? “The Origins of Mankind finally REVEALED: Our Ancient Ancestors were from a solar system near the constellation Pleiades!“
Check out the UFO Digest Newsletter!
Alex Jones does not get genetic engineering.
Oh, no! The Freemasons are in Ghana!
Wow. Someone actually thinks that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are actually Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. Also, more wow.
Vigilant Citizen thinks that the streetlights are going to be spying on him.
Another ancient alien base was found in China. This one is under a pyramid.
Did someone try to assassinate a woman who claims to have schtupped Lee Harvey Oswald? Federal Jack reprints the story.
This entry at ATS is pretty humdrum. The mother of all conspiracies is the Federal Reserve.
That racist birther silliness will just not die.
9/11 Truthers slapped with sanctions for filing frivolous lawsuits. There should just be a stupid tax.
This seems to be a freeman on the land sort of story, or “Sovereign Citizen” profile. They should be in a higher stupid tax bracket.
A couple of climate change deniers have their asses handed to them by themselves.
The War on Christmas starts earlier every year. Except when it doesn’t. The AFA apparently protests something that never happened.
David Icke schools the OWS people.
Run away! Solar tsunami!
Subliminal (penis) Messages (worship Satan) Exposed.
Vigilant Citizen and the symbolism of the “upside-down triangle.”
Ahhh. A good old fashioned “aliens are manipulating our minds” conspiracy
Public menace Mike Adams actually opposes a malaria vaccine. Also, he’s pro-cancer.
Elenin? Really? It evaporated. It’s over. Done. No, it’s not causing earthquakes. Everyone knows that HAARP was responsible for the Turkey earthquake, anyway.
Carl Teichrib is scared of the guys in fancy dress, as is Thomas Reese, Giulio Meotti, and Jimmy DeYoung.
Chuck Norris is scared of DNA.

This week in straight to DVD:

Here is a compilation of reviews of Anonymous, a film in which Roland Emmerich does to Shakespeare what he does to little models of the White House.

Here’s a credulous Review.
This HuffPo writer thinks that a Marlowe-as-Shakespeare movie would have been better; if you are going to write bollocks, he writes, at least make it dramatic bollocks.
Artsy NYT writer doesn’t care who wrote Shakespeare. Which is fine. The reason I fuss about it because adopting the conspiracy theory is to reject evidence freely available to anyone with a library card. When you toss out the evidence, you can say whatever you like, and Oxfordian nutters do. But you can’t call that learning or time well spent.
Roland Emmerich makes people dumber. This is not a proud legacy.
You go, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust! The Bard’s home county defends their favorite son.
CBS should not mystery monger. Just let Shapiro speak. There is no method, you line-dropping dong-dong, just madness.
The Washington Post reviews the movie, opening:

“In London, the Flat Earth Society explains that we live on a giant disk. In Petersburg, Ky., the Creation Museum shows cave men and dinosaurs frolicking together. And in a movie theater near you, “Anonymous,” which opened Friday, reveals how the Earl of Oxford wrote Shakespeare’s plays.”

“Damn absurd.”
“Is this a turkey I see before me? Urm, yep.“
“The film is as lurid, melodramatic and incoherent as the conspiracy theory it purports to endorse…”
Christian Science Monitor’s take
Years ago, Frontline dropped the ball on Shakespeare. I refuse to trust them on this issue.
This dude gives the movie a B+.
“One of histories stupider conspiracy theories.”
It’s great that everyone is pointing to Shapiro’s excellent book.
Crackpot Keir Cutler is a crackpot.

No week in conspiracy this week, folks! Tomorrow, I’ll be talking to Jon Ronson, who is Skyping into a few classes at Georgia Tech. Pretty exciting!

RJB

4 Comments | 9/11 conspiracy theories, Anonymous the movie, conspiracy theory, CSICon, history, John Orloff, mass media, politics, Roland Emmerich, Shakespeare authorship, Uncategorized, who was shakespeare | Permalink
Posted by Bob

This Week in Conspiracy (23 Oct 2011)

October 23, 2011

I won’t have time to do everything that I need to in the few days that I have before CSICon. But I make a point of doing this, even if it hurts a little.

So, given the time crunch, I’m going to do as much as I can in an hour. GO!

Muammar Gaddafi , Sofa King, Dead. Or as @conspiracywatch tweeted: “@ConspiracyWATCH I’m still not convinced Gaddafi was killed. The US/Western media pathologically lies already… not sure yet. Could be…” IMF and World Bank now in Libya. Clearly they are vultures. Or MG destroyed all private enterprise–how do you make an economy out of what he left behind? Of course, this has been planned for decades as an 1980s sitcom predicted the year of MG’s death. Now, I would have liked to have seen MG tried in Scotland–no, wait, Texas–but there are a lot of people whose perspective on the world is so far out there that they actually lament MG’s ignoble demise. Now the only question is who should be blow up next? Hugo Chavez is looking pretty weak…For a surrealist news reporting on the death, visit David Icke’s site. Alex Jones’s writers, of course, can’t tell the difference between war and democracy, which is probably why they are always so worked up. Russia Today’s coverage is hard hitting (the floor, next to the toilet) as usual. Of course, Tony Blair is behind the killing because he benefits from MG’s death. GodLikeProductions thinks that MG’s head is two-dimensional. Really.
Eric Jon Phelps: Occupy Wall Street: Prelude to Jesuit Fascism. He might agree with some points made here, that the OWS may be a prelude to One World Gummint, which Soros is behind, apparently, and Gorbachev is all over. But will he go so far to occupy closets? But at least the 9/11 Truthers aren’t showing up…oh. “What do we want?” “TYRANNY!” “When do we want it?” “As soon as possible!” The only problems that Truth Excavator has with OWS are that 1) they don’t care about 9/11 Truth, and 2) they aren’t complaining about the Fed.
Why aren’t the sailors on the ship that “tossed Osama bin Laden over the side” talking? Could it be because they are being blackmailed? Or could it be something more sinister, like, it fecking happened?
OH NOES! JOOS HAS PERFECTED UFO TECHNOLOGEEE!!
Why are we being forced to go to digital TV? To free up bandwidth for Words with Friends? HELL NO! MIND CONTROL!
Teaching critical thinking at Alex Jones.
Roland Emmerich’s new film is getting…”reviewed” is a deceptively neutral word for what’s happening to it in the press. Oh, also here. To celebrate, Emmerich released a short video about what a titanic, smug moron he is:

In additional Shakespeare news, Forbes’s Alex Knapp wrote a piece, “Yes, Shakespeare Wrote Shakespeare” and got inundated with…enthusiastic correspondence. He contacted me and Eve about coming up with a reply to the specific claims of Shakespeare deniers, and we’re happy to help. Also, John Orloff, the screenwriter of Anonymous, left a smudge in the comments on my post about his indignation at the HuffPo.
Holy crap! I thought Ron Paul reminded me of someone! It’s Pat Buchanan!
Godlike Productions stepped in it this week when they tweeted:

They actually tweeted the word "Negro".

Of course, when you hit the link in the tweet, you get this.
I look forward to apologies from all the people who thought that Elenin was going to kill us all. Oh, wait. They are now messing themselves over the very pretty Eta Carinae going not supernova, but hypernova!!!eleven!!1emphasis!
NRA head says that in Obama’s NEXT term (he sounds like Harold Camping), that the Administration is going to “break the back” of the 2nd Amendment. Obama has made no move on the 2nd Amendment at all. He has other things to worry about.
FEMA, FCC announce national test of emergency alert systems…to warn us about when they are going to round us up and take over our brains?
It’s all so simple: the New World Order, finally mapped.

Conspiracy Theory of the Week:

You win! Please! Stop sending me this! Everyone I have ever met since I got out of short-pants has sent me this at least twice! Are you guys coordinating this??? Hey, I’m “just asking questions.”

Hey, not bad for an hour.

RJB

1 Comment | 9/11 conspiracy theories, Anonymous the movie, conspiracy theory, critical thinking, CSICon, history, John Orloff, mass media, politics, Roland Emmerich, Shakespeare authorship, urban legend, who was shakespeare | Permalink
Posted by Bob

This Week in Conspiracy (16 Oct 2011)

October 16, 2011

My every waking moment is consumed by CSICon at this point. Currently, I’m looking into the idea of “human hybrids,” whatever the crap those are supposed to be. I mean, hybrids with what? There are, of course, the innumerable human-alien hybridizations, but the guy I’m talking about doesn’t believe that there are such things as aliens. So, hybridized with what? I think that “hybridization” might be a code word for “I don’t understand genetics.” But he does talk about the hybrids’ sterility. God, muddling through the brains of conspiracy theorists is such a muddle. I think that there is a strain of the “medical experimentation” trope in there, but… yeah, that’s not exactly right, either. Oh well.

But enough of my foolish problems. Onto the foolish problems of others!

Beyonce not pregnant for some reason!
Who’s behind the Christian-Muslim clashes in Egypt? JOOOOOS! I mean, if you can’t trust Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who can you trust?
It’s time to put Mike Adams in an institution and take away his Internet connection for his own good. He thinks that Occupy Atlanta is zombie Communist indoctrination.
In other Occupy Whatever news, it’s all a false flag operation, or Cointelpro.
Coed Freemason Paintball. There. Those are three words you weren’t expecting to see together today.
The Larouche folks have warned us of a British backed coup of the Obama White House.
Why did Queen Elizabeth II and the Vatican commit genocide of Canadian native children during a trip there? Hm? Show me a bone or STFU.
The Occupy the Whole World-ers really are anti-Semites. I mean, if you can’t trust Rush Limbaugh (see really horrid shit here), who can you trust?
“What do we want?” “Time travel!” “When do we want it?” “That’s irrelevant!” Man files patent for time machine.
Hundreds of incompetent dentists speak up against fluoridation.
Here’s a not batshit analysis of the Fed’s new interest in social media.
Scientists invent history-erasing time cloak or something.
Everything I’m seeing about the alleged Iranian assassination plot on US soil expresses disbelief–or at least notes that the whole thing defies precedent. NPR noted this, though they are still investigating, even finding a possible motive. The conspiracy theorists have ben wetting themselves over this, accusing the US of orchestrating it, though this seems to be a knee-jerk reaction and not the product of reason applied to evidence. PrisonPlanet says we’ve given Israel the OK to bomb Iran. I mean, there’s no doubt that the coordinated press releases by the Obama Administration across so many departments suggests that this was a coordinated disclosure of info, but they did file charges and have opened themselves to the possibility of being humiliated in open court. Hugo Chavez thinks that the plot was cooked up by the US. I mean, if you can’t trust Hugo Chavez, who can you trust?
All top-secret FEMA death camps conveniently listed on google maps.
Glenn Beck will be in New Orleans during CSICon. I cordially invite him to my conspiracy theory panel.
More aliens on the moon goofiness.
A failbook contribution from Eve.
Are nuclear weapons being tested beneath Hoover Dam? A guy who made the mistake of getting automated updates about earthquakes from the USGS thinks so, and writes to his paper about it.
Is the New World Order unravelling? asks Pat Buchanan. I mean, if you can’t trust Pat Buchanan, who can you trust?
I eye-roll at people who think there is anything principled about not getting vaccinated.
“The Mossad setup the US Government to believe that Libya had sent death squads to kill President Reagan.” Warning: Porn Mustaches.
Ah, another example of 9/11 doggerel filk rap.
Performance art brought down the WTC. I knew nothing good could come from performance art.
UFO Digest, known for its calm analysis of the confirmed extraterrestrial presence among us, gives its take on the Uganda deployment.
Here you go. Proof that Obama was a member of the American Communist Party, if by “was a member” means “was endorsed by,” by “American Communist Party (est. 1919)” you mean “the New Party, which was established in 1993.”

Conspiracy theory of the week:

Get to a higher dimension! A massive gravity wave coming!

Well, I’m going to hide in a bunker. See you all next week!

RJB

1 Comment | 9/11 conspiracy theories, conspiracy theory, CSICon, history, mass media, politics, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Bob

A very short This Week in Conspiracy (3 Oct 2011)

October 3, 2011

Another week, another colossal load of conspiracy dumped onto my metaphorical lawn, providing much needed nutrients.

The only reason I am allowing myself to write one up tonight is because I graded quite a lot. I even resisted the urge to push less-than-promising papers to the back of the pile; I just powered through them. So, my reward is to take an hour or so out of my insane life and do a little conspiracy theory round up.

Ben Radford, who was a freaking skeptical ninja at the Dragon*Con conspiracy theory panel, writes about “Al CIAda’s” attack on the Truthers. The best headline came from The Jewish Week: “Al Qaeda, Defender Of The Truth.” The irony, man. Dig it.
Also, the unspellable Iranian president retorts by saying, “Oh, yeah? You are just Al-CIAda!,” which I first heard from a local Truther.
Ethan Huff of Natural News claims that the outbreak of listeriosis linked to Jensen Farms cantaloupe is just a food scare to encourage increased regulation, or something. He says that listeria does not grow on cantaloupe. Let me google that for you, ding dong. The fact that people are dying who ate the cantaloupe also means little to him.
“Hitler died as an art dealer in Buenos Aires in the 1960s,” says guy. I have to say, however, that it is a pretty good disguise! Doesn’t look like Hitler at all!

Hitler. How could you possibly doubt this?

Worldwide cover-up of the second sun. Apparently you can see it just before the real sun comes up. Also, shoot me.
The D.C. earthquake has set off aftershocks of a different kind. Lots of conspiracists have speculated about underground nuclear warfare (from a 9/11 Truth site) or strikes against hardened military positions, or any number of variations on a theme. A new twist makes the military responsible as they nuke the escape routes of the global elite. I don’t know what they’re escaping. Biebermania? This is actually rather sweeping crazy.
I think the title of this one sums it up nicely: “Lady Gaga Bathes in Human Blood; Meets with Freemasons Says London Concierge: Exclusive Report.” Why tamper with perfection, I say?
Does your cat’s litter box need biodegradable lining? Here’s a wide variety of Truther books for their perusal. Gives ’em something to read while they’re indisposed.
Andrew Breitbart finds that there is a big science conspiracy (or “Big Brain”) behind the widespread acceptance of evolution among actual scientists. Yeah. Fail.
What to do if you should inadvertently get vaccinated. Yeah, none of this will work. Apparently cold showers will inactivate your immune response. So do rain dances.
Secret US nuke transfers led to Fukushima blast. Um. Yeah, nuclear blasts are much worse than that. Believe me, the Japanese know that.
When I pointed out that a clip FederalJack posted was of Pres. Kennedy discussing the Soviet Union, not, I don’t know, the Illuminati or whatever, one of their delightful followers dropped this one into their sock:

Bob;

Any human who has the capacity to research for let’s say…, 50 hours of hardcore internet and even library backup; for purities sake, of Communist history. Will find the Boleshivk’s were Zionist and Jewish and you are probably both. The cards are being flipped, so fast now, like a game of concentration. Flip, Israel; Flip, U.S.S. Liberty; Flip US of I; Flip, 911; Flip, Cast Lead; Flip, Israel; Flip JFK, RFK, MLK; Flip, US of I; Flip, Paper Clip; Flip; Israel, Flip, IAEA,; Flip, US of I; Flip, Nuke n Stratosphere, Hemisphere, Needle; Flip, Israel; Flip, Chinese in the West, Yiddish n the East, and Spanish down South and you penche gringos can have East of the Rockies, West of the Miss, North of Tejas, and South of Canada. Get used to equality; you’re all niggers now!

Vigilant Citizen discontinues the Symbolic Picture of the Week Feature. Did he realize that the music industry has actually started promoting the weird Illuminati conspiracy theory to get extra buzz in the flake-o-sphere? I’m guessing not.
I love this next one, a little rant by Alex Jones against nerds:

WorldNetDaily, via Worldview Weekend, just makes things up about the HPV vaccine. I don’t understand what parent would choose cancer for their kids. Honestly.
Shit. Truthers are the new Moonies.

Troy Davis was ritually sacrificed, or guy gets free planetarium software, thinks he’s Miss Cleo.

Conspiracy Theory of the Week:

From Eve: The Beatles Never Existed.

That’s all for now. I only had an hour and 15 minutes to write this one up. Next time there will be more, I promise. Would I lie to you?

RJB

2 Comments | 9/11 conspiracy theories, conspiracy theory, history, mass media, politics, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Bob

No kidding! Al-qaeda bashes the Truthers! AHAHA!

September 29, 2011

It may well be the thing that helps me get through the day.

Oh, man. I have to email this to my students.

RJB

8 Comments | 9/11 conspiracy theories, conspiracy theory, fun, mass media, The Big Lie | Permalink
Posted by Bob

The Week in Conspiracy (25 Sept 2011)

September 25, 2011

I’m recovering from a case of what was probably the Outbreak virus and working variously on numerous little projects, as always. But I’m not so busy that I would miss this week’s conspiracy theory round-up. I have been looking at some pretty horrid Christian Identity stuff lately, so I am a little more bitter than usual. It won’t appear here. You’re welcome.

Jerome Corsi and Joseph Farah continue to paddle about in the shallow end of the pool with hard-hitting coverage of the President’s nationality. Also, Pat Boone comes out of the closet. As Birther! Sorry, don’t take that the wrong way!
Barack Obama was manufactured by the CIA. I can’t tell if they mean literally, a la Lee Majors, or figuratively.
At a UK event called Weird 11 (does that mean “slightly less improbable than Majestic-12”?), conspiracy theories are batted around like ping-pong balls. Also, I really like the idea of an organization called “Hospital Porters Against the New World Order.”
Why is Homeland Security having drills on the same day that Elenin is in “alignment.” Also, what the hell is “alignment”? And what does it have to do with the Denver Airport? And have the folks from the Intel Hub forgotten to take their meds?
In related news, sometimes asking questions is a sign of a healthy curious mind. Other times, not so much: “Barack Obama Colo. conspiracy theories: Is he avoiding Comet Elenin or leading nuclear test?“
Also related: Infowars: “Creepy things are creepy.”
UFOs are from Lake Erie, apparently. I like the title: “Claim: Giant UFO Base Under Lake Erie.” Unfortunately, they could not truthfully go with the headline: “Evidence: Giant UFO Base Under Lake Erie.”

Here was five awesome minutes worth of research on my part. Some guy makes a video about transcripts of the radio chatter between the LEM and Command Module on Apollo 10 while they were behind the moon. This is cool enough for me, but then the crew members report hearing what they call music, “like andouter space-like thing”. Here’s the vid:

So the guy highlights a few quotes. Luckily, he zooms in enough on them so that at time 3:38, you can see that the noise is on channel VFH-A, which I dropped into the Googles and got an eminently reasonable explanation. Shielded by the moon, Apollo was not receiving any terrestrial broadcast, but broadcasts are not the only source of radio in the universe, or even the solar system. Lacking other radio sources, Jupiter would have been the loudest radio source in Earth’s lunar radio shadow. Guess what it sounds like?

Awesome! So, guys, do your homework. Learning is cool!

My only excursion to 9/11 Trutherism this week (probably because I never get invited to the orgies of deception) is both unintentionally ironic and condescending. I think it’s a snippet from the most recent bigtime Truther vid, 9/11: Explosive Evidence: Experts Speak Out. In it, psychologists tell you exactly why you can’t let go of that feeling that the government is a warm cuddly friend who strokes your inner thigh every night as you drift off–COGNITIVE DISSONANCE! You can start to expect hearing this phrase used by Truthers (as I have recently–it’s a charge leveled against me twice here).

The funny thing is that absolutely nobody worth listening to takes their arguments seriously, so what do they do to correct the disparity between that reality and their understanding of the world? They invoke cognitive dissonance! Ahahaha! Damn, I love the irony. It’s like a loop-the-loop of fail.

“What the Joint Special Ops Command and the Illuminati Have in Common” is the title and it is a compact world of hurt, let me tell you, beginning with the notion that it existed “throughout the 1800s” (it was totally non-existent by 1787) and ending with the assertion that the Illuminati were involved in the French Revolution (nope).
You know, TPM, I’m getting tired of the phrase “extremist.” The people being discussed actually have views that distinguish them from others. You should use that more useful term. There’s nothing illegal with being extreme in your views.
Brave patriots are standing up to fight the UN’s plan to encourage sustainable agricultural development, Agenda 21.
NASA declares parts of the moon “off limits”–for some reason, probably related to aliens or alien cities or alien-human interbreeding or something.
Yep. Vigilant Citizen. Symbolic pics. Yep.
Even the John Birch Society has defenders.
FederalJack reports that Susan Lindauer is getting death threats. Vigorously resists getting anything like independent confirmation.
We Are Change NY is racist–ZOG is mentioned.
There is only one explanation for this. UFOs are being transported to Las Vegas.

Conspiracy Theories of the Week:

As a recipient of some of his death threats, I thought that this was timely. Dennis Markuze, aka David Mabus, is an undercover liberal planted to make certain conservatives (who I’m assuming share a worldview that they identify with) look as bad as Dennis Markuze.
The other one comes through Alex Jones’s site: “Do dolphins speak in hieroglyphics and could we decipher them?” As long as they don’t say, “So long, and thanks for all the fish,” we’ll be OK.

And lastly a skeptical shout out to Tim Farley of whatstheharm.net, who has compiled a brief What’s the Harm rundown of real damage done by conspiracist beliefs.

That’s all everyone! Don’t take any wooden nickels. Or any all-nickel nickels, for that matter.

RJB

6 Comments | 9/11 conspiracy theories, conspiracy theory, mass media, politics, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Bob

Stormtroopers Reminisce about the Day the Death Star Exploded

September 19, 2011

http://www.collegehumor.com/e/5601770

An oldie but a goody sent to me by one of my students.

RJB

2 Comments | 9/11 conspiracy theories, fun | Permalink
Posted by Bob

The Week in Conspiracy 9/18

September 18, 2011

I’m back. I’m almost done grading and can afford to give two hours to my last remaining joy, This Week in Conspiracy. I have a few weeks worth of stuff, since last week I stuck just to the 9/11 material that came through, most of which was actually recycled content. Oh well. Beats thinking.

My favorite tweet of the week: “@JoshRosenau: My conspiracy theory of the day: Bachmann is a public health mole set out to highlight the insanity of anti-vaccine claims.” If you haven’t heard, Rep. Bachmann claimed that the HPV vaccine, a literal cure for multiple types of cancer, makes you mentally retarded. Stephen Colbert’s analysis was my favorite. Ron Paul’s supporters are now scaring people with anti-vaccine propaganda.
UberBirther Joseph Farah declares his damage from the heavens!
Russian creates time machine! In Soviet Russia, time machine creates you! And for some reason he thinks that the first thing everyone wants is to go back and stop the USSR from falling apart. ????
Clearly, this drawing of the Atlanta bus routes proves that a giant supercomputer is in control of the world.
The Posse Comitatus writes to the Record-Courier. Read those letters. Oregon is fucking scary.
NASA Whistleblower, Alien Cities On Moon.
How does someone who claims to be from Anonymous justify hacking celeb phones and posting their nudie shots? Badly:

“Attention Hollywood. We are Anonymous. We have been watching you. We have been listening to you. You have been allowed to run free too long. The time of Jew-controlled media is over. We are taking back the media with your faggot vampires and Scientology pastors. We are here for the people. We are here for the Lulz. We are here to stay. We have your lives. We have your blood, sweat and tears. Over the next couple of weeks, everyone will have them. We will rock you for ages. Consider this our acceptance speech for the Video Music Awards.”

The Colbert Report is doing a segment on Denver International Airport conspiracy theories, or, the dumbest conspiracy theory ever.
Feck. I am talking about anti-semitic aliens in class tomorrow (not joking). Here’s a twist. The Evil Jews are hiding the truth about the Nephilim and the Annunaki.
Unfastened Coins: The Truth about the Titanic Cover-up!

I’m sorry, maybe I’ve been grading too long, but this guy needs to focus his thesis.
UFO or unidentified flying bird seen at a Notre Dame game (my alma mater!)
Tennessee town bans tooth health.
Here’s one of the worst sentences ever: “Mike Adams interviews Andrew Wakefield on Alex Jones’ show”:

First review of Apollo 18 I’ve seen: It sucks.
Federal Jack freaks the fuck out over weather modification. It’s clearly a roll cloud. There was one on Astronomy Pic of the Day earlier this month. They are pretty cool looking (last one has always been my fave). They are well understood, and grow the hell up.

This Week in Satan:

“Shallow Satanists Stink up the Works.”
“Satanic Cabal Threatens To Make San Francisco and Damascus “Uninhabitable.” I guess it’s good to have goals, but it just seems so random to me.
Oh, I was called “Satan’s little helper” by the local truth community. Protip: There is no Satan only Zuul.

This Week in 9/11

At 9/11 Investigate, were last week’s earthquakes nuclear strikes against underground military installations? Yes. By aliens.
The Truth movement is going to take their message to the heart of darkness, the of power…Otterwa?
At D-program, “Do 9/11 Truth critics have a case?” They say no, “No.” Thanks for clearing that up.
Before 9/11 Alex Jones said that if there was an attack on 9/11, the government would be behind it. After nothing happens, he says that it was all just a big scare that the government was responsible for. It’s a study in confirmation bias in his followers–they forget the misses. Psychics and other scam artists rely on this type of silliness. What, Alex, did the towers collapse and not collapse too? (In which case, the terrorists took down Schrodinger’s Towers.) Regardless, the government is always wrong, no matter what.
9/11 is Occult-Based Trauma Mind Control.

One of Robert Palmer’s backup dancers says that the Reality community is trying to discredit WTC7 Truth community’s claims by putting UFOs in footage of the collapse. I don’t see it, but I do see evidence of an internal collapse happening long before Truthers say it could have happened. I mean, really.

Really? Iranian TV? Guess who did 9/11? JOOOOOOOOOS!
The Beeb, who were in on 9/11, of course, give a rundown on the evolution of 9/11 conspiracy theories.
Here’s a brightly polished turd: “9/11 Truth and Darwinism.”
Skeptic Magazine and the Truthers.
Man admits, “I did 9/11. My bad.“
Oh this is just sad. If you want to discuss issues with your reps, make an appointment–you can. Don’t ambush them in the hall when they are going somewhere.

That’s all. No conspiracy theory of the week this week. I have to finish grading. Those two ideas aren’t actually connected, but I’ll let you think they were.

RJB

9 Comments | 9/11 conspiracy theories, conspiracy theory, mass media, politics, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Bob

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