And Now for Something Not Completely Different

As it happens, I found myself in the car for a three-hour drive with a close friend who wanted to talk about his personal conspiracy theories.  This is someone whose company I generally enjoy, although at times in the past I have had hints that he was a CTist. 

He knows that I am a CT debunker so he asked me to watch this movie about the Rothschilds:



I was able to download from my local library, the book The Rothschild's: Money's Prophets, by Niall Ferguson from which several quotes in the above video are quite obviously lifted, while (of course) the conclusion (that the Rothschilds were fabulously wealthy in the 1800s, but have suffered the inevitable relative decline, compared to more recent fortunes, of all great wealth over time) is ignored.

Although I did do some debunking of the YT video, at the same time, I approached the matter from a different direction.  I pointed out that in my dealings with CTists in the past, there was always some underlying situation that the CT explained.  My fellow traveler explained that:

1. He is dissatisfied in his life and looking for a reason why it did not turn out as he expected.
2. He suffered a financial decline due to the real estate market crash.
3. He likes watching YT videos after he is done at his workplace as he doesn't have internet at home.
4. He doesn't feel like reading books because they take too much time.

Aside from that, although he is generally a nice guy, I definitely got the feeling that he is ready to believe anything negative about the Jews/Israel.  Let me point out as well, that he is not a fool; he is an engineer by training, runs his own interesting business that has excellent potential for growth and is a solid and improving poker player (how I came to know him).

What is my point?  Well, there are several.  First, not every CTist is an obvious nutcase.  Second, the current economy undoubtedly encourages CT thought even though the election(s) of Obama have somewhat cooled the theories about Bush and 9-11.  Third, even intelligent people can believe very foolish-seeming videos if they reinforce their existing beliefs.

Incidentally, after we talked about the above Rothschild video, he suggested that I look up another one; which is made up of 18 parts.  Here's Part One:



Obvious issues:
1. Easily debunked; for example, the Star of David was in use well before the Rothschilds' ascendance. The idea that the Rothschilds are not Jews is silly; a Jew named Arthur Koestler came up with the idea that the Askenazi are actually Khazars as a way to convince Christians not to blame them for the crucifixion of Jesus. But since then, DNA analysis has revealed that the vast majority of Jews are, in fact, descended from a subset of people who lived in the Middle East in antiquity.

2. My friend does not want to read a book, but that video is nothing but reading (very slowly).

3. Also note the description of the film by the poster:

First in the series of Eighteen.
House of Rothschild
NOT A ANTI-SEMITIC, Jewish folks are @ danger Too.
This Is Strictly a History of a Families Conquest of Ultimate Power, and Wealth. They and Families like them agree "They " know how the People should be controlled (Threw. Media, Wars, Breeding, and Economic Means Food Energy, TO BE PROFITABLE (to them and other families).

Down through History, The Rothschild's plan of Engulfing the Worlds, Money, and People Like a fat blotted Tsunami. Ashkenazi Jew From Khazaria the land between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Not from Israel, Zionist have Loyalty only to Their Blood line not the poor Jewish people, but use them as the did in World War II.
Sit back and enjoy the history of the most diabolical Plan ever set forth, if you can stomach it.

Hillary Goes Truther!

No, not really. It's a plot development in September Morn, the Truther film featuring Ed Asner, Woody Harrelson and Martin Sheen, which has yet again run into difficulties:

Due to contractual differences - Fleur Des Lis Film Studios will not be producing my feature film screenplay “September Morn” as they announced on October 16th.

To drum up interest, Howard Cohen is making the screenplay available for free download here. Basically, the story is that Hillary holds a hearing in her office, where Truthers like David Ray Griffin and the idiot Neils Harrit present their evidence (cellphones don't work in planes, the hole at the Pentagon is too small, tons of nanothermite were used in the towers and Flight 93 was shot down). Hillary is obviously impressed and at the end of the film a newscaster announces that the President (presumably Obama) has authorized a new investigation of 9-11.

I'm thinking Woody would be perfect as Hillary.

Update: Sunjata with September Mourn:

It is with DEEP sadness and great disappointment that I announce #SeptemberMorn has fallen to pieces. If the film ever gets made, it will be no time soon. Internal conflicts above my pay-grade have resulted in the indefinite derailing of the project. It's been Sabotaged. #911 #911Truth.

 Sabotaged?  Does that mean it was an inside job?

Well At Least They Are Doing Something Productive

The Truthers have been rather boring lately, so this blog has been pretty dead, but I was amused to one of our old Truther friends in an article about the argument over public nudity in San Francisco of all places.

Because clothes are required to enter City Hall itself, demonstrators who try to disrobe at the Board of Supervisors meeting will be escorted out by sheriff's deputies. That is what happened last Monday when Gypsy Taub removed her dress at a committee hearing where the ban had its first public hearing. Taub, a mother of two, said she got her start as a nudist while hosting a local cable program devoted to the theory that the government was behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"I thought if I take my clothes off, I bet they are going to listen," she said.

Is "Truther" Becoming the Ultimate Insult?

I was amused to see this post over at the American Prospect, where several new species of Truthers have been observed:

It might be easy to believe we're approaching Peak Trutherism, what with good old-fashioned birthers now being supplemented by BLS truthers and poll truthers. But just you wait—should Barack Obama win this election, we'll see an explosion of election trutherism that will be truly unprecedented in scope. In the meantime, we can content ourselves with the newest variant, Nate Silver trutherism, which isn't coming just from conservatives.

 BLS Truthers are those who think the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been cooking the books on the unemployment rate to make Obama look good.  Poll Truthers believe that the pollsters have been doing the same thing for the same reason.  Ditto with Nate Silver Truthers; they think the NY Times blogger has been overstating the odds of an Obama victory next Tuesday.

But note the scorn that the "Truther" term is clearly intended to imply; in the past they might simply have used the word "Morons".

I do think that no matter who wins on Tuesday, there will be an explosion of conspiracy theories from the losing camp.  And the other side will no doubt call them "Election Truthers." :)