Something's Happening and He Doesn't Know What It Is

Under duress, right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones admitted in court that the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012 actually happened after insinuating that it was staged.  Jones defended himself on the stand by saying that he merely posited the possibility that it could have been faked.

Let me posit this: Jones is going to have a hard time paying the $49.3 million in damages to two Sandy Hook parents that the court ordered him to remit.  Even if he has the money, he'll end up broke, and then he's going to rebuild his life with his reputation in tatters.

The only problem is, Jones has proven that conspiracy theories are big business, and there's a whole army of "Jones clones" who will come up with conspiracy theories that shock and outage people with mature brains and pique everyone else but will not cross the line that Jones pole vaulted over with Newtown, because now Jones clones know where the line is. Hopefully like Jones' hair, that line will recede even farther back so that conspiracy theorists are eventually put out of business.

And yes, sometimes it turns out that a conspiracy theory is true.  And liberals are hardly immune form this - they've come up with conspiracy theories of their own, like Black History Month being in February because it's shortest month or that government agents sold crack in minority-nominated neighborhoods.  I must admit that I subscribe to the conspiracy theory - though I won't categorically say it's true, because I could just as easily be wrong - that right-wing CIA agents or someone like that were involved in the deaths of John Lennon, Bob Marley and Harry Chapin, three socially conscious and politically liberal musicians who died within nine months of Reagan's election to the Presidency.  (I also have a conspiracy theory of my own: Madonna signed Candlebox and the Rentals, two '90s grunge bands that have since been forgotten, to her vanity record label to undermine and kill grunge because she saw it as a threat to her continued success as a pop singer.  And if that's true, the plan obviously worked; grunge rock - indeed, all rock - is out, and the synth-pop/hip-hop/R&B culture that Madge helped foster reigns supreme today. Candlebox was as lightweight as you could get; grunge fans dismissively called them "Crayon Box."  Also, Cherielynn Westrich, a lead vocalist for the Rentals, clearly embraced the accoutrements of grunge but not the culture; she's a pro-Trump Republican Iowa state legislator now.)

All that said, Jones' conspiracies have gone way beyond the pale, having been all based on lies, and with regard to his Sandy Hook theory, that goes double.  And like any lie, Jones' lies have been found out. 

Alex Is Back

CNN is making another attempt at broadcasting its Alex Jones documentary tonight.

The documentary was originally scheduled to air this past March, but CNN pulled it at the last minute when viewers complained that the film would merely give Jones and his cockamamie conspiracy theories more exposure.  But, as I argued back then, it was necessary for CNN to air it so that viewers who do not follow Jones would have a better understanding of who he is and how dangerous he is - the better to show what we're up against.  CNN apparently agreed after some deliberation, hence it will air tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern.  And not a moment to soon.  He must be getting ready to spin new conspiracy theories about some evil plot being undertaken by the January 6 House select committee.

The Hoax Hoax

The scariest thing about COVID-19 is not necessarily the disease itself. The scariest thing is the number of people who don't believe that the disease is for real.

The Internet is swarming  with conspiracy theorists saying that the disease is just a media-generated story designed to put people under control of the government  Which is ridiculous, because the head of the U.S. government, Donald Trump, helped start conspiracy theories this past winter by saying it was a hoax, with a little help from his friends, Fox & Friends.  The big social media platforms have had to tamp down on misinformation about the disease, and doctors who try to snuff out the "hoax" propaganda are in danger of getting snuffed out themselves - they've received death threats.

And the hoax theories aren't confined to those who don't believe COVID-19 exists.  Those who acknowledge its existence blame the expansion of 5G Wi-Fi reception for spreading it. 

Those who don't believe the disease is real, though, or those who believe it will go away soon, are dangerous because they might be asymptomatic carriers of the virus and will continue to go out and spread it like jelly on toast.  Raspberry jelly.  Look forward to COVID deniers and conspiracy theorists to continue giving us the raspberry.