Home
Archive
Newsletters
Video
Blogs
Discuss
About
Search
Donate
Advertise

Is Hysterical Right-Wing Media Pushing the Unhinged Over the Edge?

By Tana Ganeva, AlterNet. Posted April 11, 2009.


AlterNet readers had a lot to say about a recent article arguing that right-wing media may have fueled the Pittsburgh killer's rage.

Share and save this post:

      

      

Share on Facebook       

AlterNet Social Networks:
follow us on twitter
find us on Facebook

In Special Coverage

Belief:
Are the "New Atheists" As Bad as Christian Fundamentalists?
Frank Schaeffer

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace:
How a Public Jobs Program Could Put America Back on Track
Julianne Malveaux

DrugReporter:
Pot Is More Mainstream Than Ever, So Why Is Legalization Still Taboo?
Steven Wishnia

Environment:
Why We Need Bees and More People Becoming Organic Beekeepers
Makenna Goodman

Food:
The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America's Emerging Battle Over Food Rights
Makenna Goodman

Health and Wellness:
New York May Stop Heartless Health Insurers from Dropping Coverage When It Stops Being Profitable
William Ehart

Immigration:
NYC Marathon Raises Question of Who Is American Enough?
James E. Johnson, Jr.

Media and Technology:
Focusing on Fort Hood Killer's Beliefs Is an Easy Out to Avoid the Deeper Reasons for the Massacre
Mark Ames

Movie Mix:
The Yes Men: Pranksters Out to Fix the World
Mark Engler

Politics:
What Michelle and Barack's Marriage Has in Common with 56 Million Other Ones
Annabelle Gurwitch

Reproductive Justice and Gender:
Fetus-Shaped Potatoes? Going Undercover Inside the Weird World of Right-Wing Abortion Foes
Ann Neumann

Rights and Liberties:
"My Kids Want to Hide Their Identity; They're Scared Someone Will Attack Us": U.S. Muslims Being Targeted
Jaisal Noor

Sex and Relationships:
Instant Sex: Has the Digital Age Destroyed Relationships or Made Them Better?
Vanessa Richmond

Take Action:
G-20 Meetings: Nothing Much Happened in the Suites, and There Was Too Much Punch in the Streets
Laura Flanders

Water:
Why Natural Gas Is Not a Clean Energy Panacea
Stan Cox

World:
With Unemployment at 40 Percent, Afghan Teens Enlist in Army, Police
Lal Aqa Sherin

More stories by Tana Ganeva

Advertisement
Upcoming AlterNet stories on Digg

Confronted with a wildly popular president prone to few gaffes, conservative media are having trouble coming up with ways to successfully smear Barack Obama's administration.

So, they have resorted to propagating insane conspiracy theories. Fox News is giving airtime to 9/11-truther Alex Jones, while Fox anchor Glenn Beck has spouted off about a "new world order” and mused about the existence of "FEMA-managed concentration camps."

The conservative media's embrace of paranoid right-wing ideas should serve as a mildly entertaining gauge of the movement's implosion. Except, Max Blumenthal points out in an article recently published on AlterNet, the legitimization of the uber-fringe may further unhinge mentally deranged individuals and spur them to act out their paranoid fantasies.

Blumenthal points out that Richard Poplawski, the 22-year-old Pittsburgh man who allegedly killed three police officers, was an avid Jones fan and was reportedly petrified that the government would take away his guns.

Blumenthal quotes David Neiwert, a veteran reporter on right-wing militia movements, who says: "It's always been a problem when major-league demagogues start promulgating false information for political gain. ... What it does is unhinge fringe players from reality and dislodges them even further. When someone like Poplawski hears Glenn Beck touting 'One World Government' and 'they're gonna take your gun' theories, they believe then that it must be true. And that's when they really become crazy.

AlterNet's readers had a lot to say about the dangerous new turn taken by Fox News and other right-wing media.

Aimleft writes:

It is a thin line between talking about censoring ideas (which I'm not trying to do) and figuring out if expressing those ideas, continually and in a constantly outraged manner, is an actual incitement to violence, and not necessarily only for those who are already "crazy." Know what I'm saying? I'm not sure we should put limits on the expression of thought, but then again, there are reasons why it's wrong (and illegal?) to shout "fire" in a crowded theater. The article isn't saying the right wing BS caused this incident. It's just asking if their rhetoric fueled the rage. I'm in total agreement that it did, with this guy, and will continue to do so with others. You can't listen to that shit over and over again without getting all riled up.

zola77 agrees, writing that media are a powerful force:

It would be hard to make a case that conservative media had no impact on these actions.

Media (of all political persuasions) tend to amp up the paranoia factor in their audiences to draw a crowd. The difference is that conservatives are naturally more prone to fear and are therefore already in a more paranoid mind-set.

Scientific studies suggest that people who identify as politically conservative are by nature/genetically more prone to fear and paranoia. If someone is naturally in such a frame of mind, and then an external source amplifies that -- there is inevitably going to be a breaking point.

snax writes that in general, the conservative mind frame is more susceptible to conspiracy theories:

It's not whether somebody is a "nut" or not, but rather their propensity to regard others as inherently bad and needing to be controlled versus inherently good and needing freedom to grow.


Digg!    Share on facebook   submit to reddit    Bookmark on Delicious   Stumble This  

See more stories tagged with: media, fox, glenn beck, conspiracy theory, poplawski, alex jones

Tana Ganeva is an assistant editor at AlterNet.

Liked this story? Get top stories in your inbox each week from AlterNet! Sign up now »


Advertisement
Advertisement

 

Comments Turn comments off sitewide Give us feedback »
Comments closed.
The comments for this story have been closed. Thank you to everyone who participated.
View:
Off his chump
Posted by: Perry Logan on Apr 11, 2009 2:44 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Is Hysterical Right-Wing Media Pushing the Unhinged Over the Edge?

Do birds fly? ;)

This is not the first time one of Alex Jones' fans has gone off his chump:

Bohemian Grove intruder says he feared human sacrifices

Richard McCaslin planned a heavily armed assault on the exclusive Bohemian Grove men's club for more than a year, believing "it would take something dramatic" to draw attention to human sacrifices he feared were being held there.

In a jailhouse interview Monday night, the well-spoken, lucid and clean-shaven man said he "wanted to make a point" and was prepared to kill people at the Monte Rio resort if necessary.

McCaslin, 37, is being held in the mental health ward of the Sonoma County Jail, facing several felony charges stemming from his commando-like entry into the grove this weekend....

"He planned on killing people," Sonoma County Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Brown said. "He planned on confronting people doing these weird things."

His fears of the alleged events were based on a videotape put out a few years ago by radio host Alex Jones, who claims on his Web site that "bizarre, Luciferian ceremonies" occur there.

Jones could not be reached for comment Monday.

McCaslin said the tape was fuzzy and didn't show any faces. It appeared to have been taken surreptitiously by Jones from as far as 200 yards from the owl idol during the grove's annual and highly secret "Cremation of Care" ceremony. But he said he could make out the form of a wrapped infant, which he believed was real and alive, being sacrificed.

He also heard more on Jones' radio show a few months ago about legendary and secret goings-on at the private 2,000-acre Bohemian Grove that solidified his desire to take action.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

kabbey
Posted by: kabbey2 on Apr 11, 2009 3:58 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
the una-bomber was a great follower of al gore and his idears. so the left have crazes too

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: what !?! Posted by: Purple Girl
» technology Posted by: techcafe
» RE: kabbey Posted by: Bob Horn
No one likes to be Lied to.
Posted by: weathered on Apr 11, 2009 4:10 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Right/left/dem/repugs....this is preciscely the kind of fallout that we'll see more of, but the scope of frustration applies to PBS viewers just as much as NYPost readers.

Get the rat-weasels out of all MSM/PBS/NPR

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Where in the world have you gotten the idea that Alex Jones is right wing???
Posted by: pfgetty on Apr 11, 2009 4:19 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This keeps coming up in Alternet: Alex Jones has been lumped together with the extreme right wing. It is wrong, and the authors that write this are irresponsible.

Alex Jones is probably the only fairly well known journalist that will openly and consistently present the evidence that 9/11 was an inside job. That alone makes him in opposition to Bush, Cheyney, and the rest of the most right wing administration we've ever had.
He has opposed the using of the lies of WMD and "links" as reason to invade Iraq long before Alternet did.
He has presented evidence that the US is trying to bomb and take over Iran, when the rest of the media hides.
He opposes GM foods.
He opposes the Patriot Act probably more than any other journalist.
He has presented plenty of evidence of plans for Fema camps and plans for continuity of goverrnment in case of national emergencies, with their plans for dissolving the Constitution. Those plans border on fascism, and to oppose them is NOT right wing.
He has done this using mainstream media stories and government documents.

I don't agree with some of Alex Jones' ideas, but he has the GUTS that journalists should have, and that is what we see lacking at Alternet.
Alternet has decided that 9/11 is a forbidden topic, only to be brought up in very occassional stories that insult the 9/11 movement. Alternet is obedient to the right wing Bush administration and now the Obama administration, and will not go where the power elite do not want them to go to.
If Alex Jones is right wing, then so is Alternet.

Finally, Alex constantly opposes violence. He does advise all to do what you can to expose criminal action by our political leaders, and to stand up to those crimes in any non violent, civil disobedient way, they can.

And if the TRUTH leads some sick people to do some terrible things, then maybe we should look into the truth.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» Thanks, mikeblack. Posted by: GuitarBill
» Good post, Prophet Posted by: pfgetty
» RE: Wikipedia? HAH! Posted by: sasquuatch55
» What a bunch of garbage! Posted by: pfgetty
» RE: What a bunch of garbage! Posted by: mikeblack
» Please do not Posted by: Grandma Crabby
» "...self evident truth"? BS. Posted by: GuitarBill
» Dr. Foo: "'Squibs', Reg?" Posted by: GuitarBill
» Dr. Foo: "And WTC 7, Reg?" Posted by: GuitarBill
» RE: Dr. Foo: "And WTC 7, Reg?" Posted by: sunnywater
» Are you on drugs? Posted by: GuitarBill
» Right On Right On Right On Posted by: Ethical1
Some peaceful forms of psychosis
Posted by: TimV on Apr 11, 2009 4:45 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Presented below to combat sweeping generalizations about the mentally ill:

Catatonic Schizophrenia: This generally entails sitting in a corner for long periods of time.

Loose Association: A person W/this form of psychosis goes off on tangents so much that his or her speech does not make sense.

Some Delusions: A least one mentally ill person I know sincerely expressed the belief that he was Jesus (but there was no violence in sight.)

Some form of paranoia: contrary to a common stereotype, not all paranoid people are violent: An elderly man I knew believed that the FBI was after him, but there was no violence in sight (this delusion actually tended to fuel his sense of self-importance.) A mental patient I knew in the early 80's believed that the CIA was after him, but he simply expressed worry/anxiety over this imagined scenario.

A lot of people W/mental illnesses that do tend to promote violence often exercise restraint by medication/therapy and/or self-discipline.

Let's remember that the Americans With Disabilities Act also outlaws discrimination against the psychiatrically disabled (and rightfully so, in my opinion.)

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» I agree Posted by: Bob Horn
» RE: Some peaceful forms of psychosis Posted by: theblackgeorgecarlin
No Longer Quivering
Posted by: deni_haven on Apr 11, 2009 4:48 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
As the former editor / publisher of a "pro-life, pro-family" newspaper for 15 years, I can say that it is just this sort of fear-inspired crap that made me happy to sell the paper and walk away from right-wing politics as well as the monster-god and his misogynistic "word" upon which the Christian right stands.

I am no longer spreading hateful, intolerant and ignorant lies ~ and I am No Longer Quivering

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» Congratulations. Posted by: Grandma Crabby
The slander continues . . .
Posted by: regans on Apr 11, 2009 5:18 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The author of this article must have been absent the day they taught that journalists should get the facts before writing a story. Anyone who actually reads Poplawski's posts to Alex Jones' website will note that he is anything but an "avid fan." He was mostly critical of Jones for not being a racist xenophobe. But this slander will continue unabated, as it fits so nicely into America's phony and simplistic right-left, conservative-liberal, Republican-Democrat narrative. It's much easier than trying to explain Jones' ideology, which is equally disdainful of both Barack Obama and George W. Bush, Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Where???
Posted by: wint on Apr 11, 2009 6:42 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Where do these fantacies come from?? Do they appear out of thin air or is it something that someone starts and it takes on a life of its own. I wonder. The importance of words is sometimes forgotten by folks and how effective and powerful they are. Fire in a theater that is on fire and you are a hero. Fire in a theater that is not on fire and you induce panic and people are hurt. Do these folks really believe this stuff that they are saying and trying to induce panic or are they heroes trying to warn us of the dangers???? Personally I think they are driven by dogma and idiology to swing people to their way of thinking which is I think wrong. To entice a person to commit a crime is complicity isn't it?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Sue the bastards for Psychological abuse!
Posted by: sasquuatch55 on Apr 11, 2009 7:03 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
nt

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Is Hysterical Right-Wing Media Pushing the Unhinged Over the Edge?
Posted by: flagsforfreedom on Apr 11, 2009 7:16 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
To say the Republicans are responsible is irresponsible journalism. I thought it was the left that were the uniters.
It appears to many people that with articles like this the left appears to be the continual dividers to write a article such as this is appalling.
So that Obama is responsible for those who committed sucide after he was elected and before he was elected because he could be the President? The left says no he is not responsible. So how can they turn around and say the Republicans are responsible? Hmmmm.
Articles set on speculation such as this are extremely harmful to this country and you should be ashamed for writing such crap. And anyone repeating this nonsense should be ashamed too!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Hypnotised Sleepwalkers
Posted by: Purple Girl on Apr 11, 2009 7:35 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This new surge in 'conspiracy theorist' is akin to startling awake sleepwalkers.
The 'New World Order' fears have been around for about 2 decades. It comes from the inscription on our money 'Novus Ordo Seclorum', which they attribute to the Founders who happen to be Free Masons. although it does indicate "new' and "order", there is still some debate over it's intent. Was it a declartion that Our founders hoped to take over the World, or merely a New form of Gov't- 'For the people & By the people'. So do they Fear our Founders?why would we consider our Founders the 'bad guys'?
where this theory really picked up steam was when HW Bush used it in a Speech. since our Founders had already laid down a 'New Order', and we were already a Superpower- one must ask Who did HW see as the new leaders , Who or what would be the Change away from the one we had already established?
So these Sleepwalkers have just picked up a Theory- decades old - and have tried to put it in present context- Day late Dollar short Beck.
Almost as disturbingly inappropraite as the 'Tea Baggers'.The Boston tea party was not about 'Taxation'- if it had been We would never paid any taxes. It was about lack of Representation, same as their serf cousins with in the feudalistic cast system of 'merry ol' England'. So when Gov't 'Redistricts' to dilute voter impact, coerces or intimidates votes away from the polls, sends out misinformation about voting date, provides inadequate or faulty voting machines in Urban areas, creates confusing ballots, allows the SCOTUS to determine a 'winner',and Corps & their Lobbists Write Legislation and then buy off votes through exobinant campaign donations or Junket trips...That is when Representation is in jeporady.
so all you Rip Van Winkles, your new found paranoia is misguided and dangerously misdirected. Much like the irrational reaction of a startled sleepwalker- you are swinging wildly at the people who are trying to help you.People like Glen Beck are the ones who Hypnotised you to begin with- why trust them again? 9/11 happened under Bush's Watch,Constitutional Laws were usurped under Bush's watch, Economic collapse happened Under Bush's watch...and who were his cheerleaders?Glen Beck, Bill O'Reiley, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh...FOX news.You are either still under the Hypno's spell, Are a masochists or really hate US.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

rgd
Posted by: rgd on Apr 11, 2009 8:01 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Our gov't. is raping us and selling us down the river and all we can discuss is right-wing/left-wing issues? It is not about left or right, Christian or Muslim or Pagan or whatever religion a person has. It is about the haves and the have-nots, and the force/conquest used by the haves to keep it this way. All these other issues are arrayed before us to divert our attention from what is really going on. What is going on? Trillons of dollars going on to the elite at the taxpayers expense. It is if they are recieving their portion of the loot from all the plundering of public treasuries. Perhaps the people should concentrate on righting the wrongs at the top first then we might find it easier to fix all the other issues.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Tortured media
Posted by: grindermonkey on Apr 11, 2009 8:02 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The entire news industry, infiltrated with Bush cronies and insane Neocon "commentators," is engaged in a careful exercise of viewer torture. Don't watch and don't buy their products.

These are the final tremors of private sector muscle trying to separate the voters from their government and money. The viewers are the tortured with vague unscientific innuendo and then asked to "believe."

These are the sounds of death, the death of the Republican "no government needed" people who are on the way to the dust bin of history with Stalin, Hitler, Mao and the rest.

They are over; now we need to get on with it.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Can I get a job as an assistant editor at Alternet?
Posted by: WhatNow? on Apr 11, 2009 8:42 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I can piece together replies to other articles! I might even be able to come up with an article myself. It would probably be more appropriate for Mother Earth News or Alex Jones but it would not be as pathetic as this article.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

persecution and martyrdom are kinda attractive, y'know?
Posted by: smendler on Apr 11, 2009 8:45 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We might recall that we kept expecting the Bushies to round us all up at any moment. (I'm still surprised, frankly, that they didn't.) Remember how it only took one or two people being bumped from airplane flights to get people shouting "AAAH! FASCIST REPRESSION!!"?

Why were we so keen on spotting any signs of a crackdown?

There's a plus side to being persecuted, of course: it can serve as a reinforcing mechanism - the thinking is, we must be RIGHT if they're trying to do bad things to us. So there is a kind of *desire* to be on the receiving end of a crackdown - it allows one to feel super-righteous and justified.

The Powers That Be, of course, have figured this out. They know better than to go around creating martyrs. It's much easier - and more effective - to simply ignore or marginalize those who don't approve of the regime - or if a group shows signs of becoming troublesome, it's much easier to create internal dissension and disruption and let a group tear itself apart.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Tana Ganeva DOES NOT HAVE A CLUE
Posted by: ds1st on Apr 11, 2009 9:54 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Tana Ganeva is stupid.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

follow the money
Posted by: techcafe on Apr 11, 2009 2:02 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
As is often the case with charismatic cult-like figures, such as Alex Jones and others, they ratchet-up the FUD among their group of devoted followers - strictly for personal gain. In Jones' case, he's exploiting the current climate of global unrest & uncertainty, spinning populist conspiracy propaganda to turn a profit.

Let's consider Rush Limbaugh for a moment, he has a wildly successful radio show, boasting over 10 million listeners, and a shitload of big $$$ in ad revenue. I assume that Limbaugh could easily retire on the fortune he's amassed, courtesy of 'dittohead devotees' and the sponsors who pay for advertising on his show.

Now, Jones too has a syndicated radio show, and a HUGE internet following of so-called 'Truthers'. Jones' numerous websites include, InfoWars.com, PrisonPlanet.com, and many more. He's got at least 10 websites, all linking back to each other, and on every one, there is advertising for his InfoWars Gear and products (CDs, DVDs, VHS, Books, hats, clothing, bracelets, bumper stickers) - plus 3rd party banner ads for products & services being hawked by other 'enterprising' netizens & scam artists - from which Jones skims-off ad revenue for himself, of course.

Jones also owns PrisonPlanet.tv, where you can purchase a subscription to get LIVE, commercial FREE, unlimited access to Alex's shows for ONLY $5.95 per month OR $54.95 per year. And PrisonPlanet TV is now available in HD!

As the slogan on Jones' InfoWars site reveals, There is a war on for your mind - Jones is simply cashing-in on that $WAR$.

I mean c'mon, is there really any difference b/w Limbaugh's 'dittoheads' and Jones' 'truthers' - other than some minor / irrelevant details of their mindless rhetoric & propaganda?

These guys, Limbaugh, Jones, etc, are running a BUSINESS - they are hucksters - people can be convinced to buy (into) anything, especially if you're able to satisy your 'customers' emotional needs, and validate their narrow world-view and mindset of feeling disenfranchised or powerless to change anything.

Shepard Smith, of Fox News says, "We have a product for sale - called News - and I'm a salesman."

Remember the Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies? The sinister character, Elliot Carver, a self-obsessed media mogul who amasses a global empire, and a fortune to go along with it, said "there's no news - like BAD news - let the mayhem begin."

Just like Rush Limbaugh, Shepard Smith, and the "Elliot Carver's" of the global media playground - Alex Jones too is in the business of 'selling news'. In Alex Jones' empire, that 'news' is the niche market of conspiracy theories and apocalyptic tales of a "New World Order"

If Gandhi and Mother Theresa were 'in power', Alex Jones would demonize and weave conspiracy fairy tales about them too - diabolical members of the scary New World Order - if he could profit from it.

Jones is really nothing more than a doomsday charlatan, a 'Propheteer' of doom & gloom, peddling paranoia for profit and cashing-in on people's darkest fears. simply put, Alex Jones is a FRAUD

$ cha-ching $ - because there is a war on for our minds!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» horror flicks Posted by: techcafe
Dr. Foo: "Is Alex Jones a nutter, Reg?"
Posted by: GuitarBill on Apr 11, 2009 2:43 PM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Reg: "Compared to who, Dr. Foo?"

Dr. Foo: "Pick a nut--any nut, Reg"

Reg: "Examples of Alex Jones lunacy are legion; however, I'll provide one example, which should suffice, Dr. Foo."

Thumb Scanning.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, thumb scanning :P

The state of Texas introduced thumb scanning for drivers licenses a decade ago. To be fair, civil libertarians are upset because they believe that scanning is intrusive--and I agree with the civil libertarians on that point.

But Alex just can't help himself, so naturally he ventures off into the realm of the lunatic fringe.

According to Alex Jones, this is a deliberate attempt by the state government of Texas (a component of the "New World Order" in Alex's "considered" conspiranoid opinion) to track its citizens for the nefarious purposes of the coming one-world government (aka., "New World Order").

Get real Alex, scanning proponents aren't evil and they don't intend for the program to be used for evil--you droolin' conspiranoid boob.

Scanning has nothing whatsoever to do with the alleged "New World Order." Perhaps scanning is a bad policy judgement, but it's not evil and it has nothing at all the do with the so-called "New World Order."

That said, Alex Jones is such a grandstanding conspiranoid lunatic that on Wednesday, 25 March 1998, he was arrested at the local DPS office when he went to renew his driver's license and protest thumb scanning.

:P

Alex Jones is such an unhinged conspiranoid nutter that he finds "The New World Order" lurking at his local DPS.

And you trust this right-wing fruit loop as a source of "information"?

Why do I call Alex Jones a right-winger?

He supports Ron Paul, an extremist right-wing Republican, doesn't he?

Dr. Foo: "What are the backgrounds of the people who spread right-wing conspiranoid theories, Reg?"

Reg: "You mean besides yourself, Dr. Foo?"

Dr. Foo: "Of course, Reg".

Have a look into the backgrounds of the people who are primarily responsible for the spread of "911 truth", Federal Reserve conspiranoid theories and anti-Semitism masquerading as "anti-Zionism":

[1] Dylan Avery;

[2] Jeff "the wig" Rense;

[3] Steven E. Jones;

[4] Eustace Clarence Mullins.

(Credit for the Dylan Avery link goes to EncinoM).

So, what's really going on here? Why do right-wingers masquerade as left-wingers, while spreading anti-Semitism, right-wing Federal Reserve conspiranoid theories, 911 "truth", etc?

Here's the answer:

Conspiracy Theories and Far-Right Disinformation.

(Credit for the Conspiracy Theories and Far-Right Disinformation goes to "techcafe").

"...The rabbit hole goes much deeper than you would ever believe. Or so the conspiracy theorists of the world would have you believe. But dig behind the scenes of the conspiracy crowd, and you'll find another conspiracy."

Reg: "...The truth shall set you free, Dr. Foo."

:P

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Exclusive Franchise on Anger
Posted by: chorton on Apr 11, 2009 2:54 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Glen Beck's rage is indeed as phony as a three-dollar bill, and as one commenter put it, "Judas Goat" is a good label for him. But he's very popular, and as dangerous as cancer, and here's why.

He, and the other "hate radio" and "hate TV" personalities, have an exclusive franchise to voice the people's anger and rage over the airwaves. If Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann were to give voice to this anger, and direct it where it belongs, and give some suggestions on how to use it to make a change, their ratings would go through the roof, and then they'd be gone. There are red lines they can't cross, and that's the biggest one.

So if you're a working person who's been miseducated and made to feel dumb all your life, been eating your boss' dirt for years and seeing your dreams of getting a little bit ahead going down the tubes, and now your job's gone and your life savings just disappeared, where can you find someone who speaks to how you feel? There's none of us on TV telling you how to make sense of your anger or where to direct it, there's only Glen Beck. And Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and the rest of those professional fascists.

How do we change this? It's not easy. We don't have access to TV, and very little to radio. But we need to speak the anger of the people, validate it, organize and direct it. If we don't they will.

Perhaps when the employees of bankrupt TV stations start occupying them and running them we'll get an opening.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Ugh..
Posted by: kristinleah on Apr 11, 2009 4:42 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This author should stop writing. What an atrocious article. Obama is a wolf in sheeps clothing. His actions and leadership are no different than Bush.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

a.jones was hated by repugs just a yr ago
Posted by: cyphage on Apr 11, 2009 6:17 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Reich-wingers DESPISED this man and his anti-govt/911 was an inside job agenda for the last 8 yrs. Now that they need all the "lets overthrow the govt" reactionaries they can get, he's their new buddy. Give me a fucking break.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Is Hysterical LEFT-WING Media Pushing Urban Killers Over the Edge?
Posted by: EagleX on Apr 11, 2009 9:32 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Thousands of urban youth are killing, overdosing, and dying of AIDS due to the dangerous influences and hate speech emanating from Progressive pop-culture.

And I guarantee not a single one of them watches Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, or listens to Rush Limbaugh.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» logical fallacy Posted by: techcafe
Alex Jones goes into a psychotic rage - Part 1 - you gotta hear these
Posted by: techcafe on Apr 11, 2009 10:58 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
For anyone who still thinks that Alex Jones is actually sane, take a listen to the audio clips below... you will definitely be convinced otherwise after listening. In them, Jones goes completely off the rails - into a psychotic rage almost. Just have a listen to the links below (Parts 1 & 2 of this and the following post), and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

THEY WANNA TAKE OUR GUNS!

Posted to Shelley The Republican blog on January 8, 2009

Nobody can stop 'em, they're having their way with America! They want our GUNS! And if you're not with 'them' [the New World Order] COPS and military... AHHH, then you will declare that you are with the republic now. And don't tell me that I'm a weirdo because I'm upset about this!

Listen, I know what tyranny means, I know the bankers are putting poison in our food & water. I know the bankers have stolen 8.5 trillion. I know we're under the war powers act. I know they're hurting us. I know they're carrying-out New World Order. I know they've staged those terror attacks.

You know what it's like to gut-up to this, and go out every day, and go past the peer pressure, and come-out day 1 and say 9/11 was an inside job and lose most of the radio stations I was on? You know what it's like to go to sleep every night knowing that you work for a bunch of psychotic killers?! And you bastards are probably gonna end-up killing me one day! You know what it's like knowing you've RUINED MY LIFE?!! YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE YOU SONS A BITCHES?! I'M TIRED OF YOUR CRAP!!

YOU COMMIT EVIL, YOU'RE PART OF AN EVIL SYSTEM! AND WE'RE STANDING UP AGAINST YOU! AND THE REPUBLIC IS GOING TO DEFEAT YOU IN THE END. Some of us won't make it personally through this, but A LOT OF US ARE! And in the end, YOU ARE GONNA BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE for all the kids you kidnapped for CPS. All you CPS workers, all you corrupt bureaucrats... all of you who've had your way with innocent children, over & over again, who think your evil is invincible... YOU'RE NOT INVINCIBLE, and GOD is gonna deal with you! And you are CURSED TO HELL!!

Arrrghhh... I'm done, I gotta get outta here... I'm pissed-off now.


cont... see next followup post for Part 2

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

AlterNet will not tolerate:
Posted by: sunnywater on Apr 12, 2009 8:46 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Military Report: Secretly 'Recruit or Hire Bloggers'
By Noah Shachtman March 31, 2008 | 1:11:05 PM | Categories: Info War

A study, written for U.S. Special Operations Command, suggested [b]"clandestinely recruiting or hiring prominent bloggers."

Since the start of the Iraq war, there's been a raucous debate in military circles over how to handle blogs -- and the servicemembers who want to keep them. One faction sees blogs as security risks, and a collective waste of troops' time. The other (which includes top officers, like Gen. David Petraeus and Lt. Gen. William Caldwell) considers blogs to be a valuable source of information, and a way for ordinary troops to shape opinions, both at home and abroad.

This 2006 report for the Joint Special Operations University, "Blogs and Military Information Strategy," offers a third approach -- co-opting bloggers, or even putting them on the payroll. "Hiring a block of bloggers to verbally attack a specific person or promote a specific message may be worth considering," write the report's co-authors, James Kinniburgh and Dororthy Denning.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Scopes "monkey" trial
Posted by: willymack on Apr 12, 2009 11:01 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
For those of you who haven't seen the movie "Inherit the Wind", I highly recommend it. The superb acting and story line bring out the sheer, unthinking malevolence of "true believers" and the contrast between them and those with intellectual curiosity and acceptence of Scientific Method. This same division is still there, and in many ways it's nastier than ever. Hiding behind the guise of free expression, the religious fanatics seek to impose their will over the rest of us. I guess we'll have to hold them at bay as best we can in the hope that the situation will improve in time.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

More of the same
Posted by: willymack on Apr 12, 2009 11:13 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I somehow managed to wipe out some of what I was going to say about those who may be unbalanced and easily influenced by emotional calls to take some kind of action, even if it's murder. In my mind, this is tied to the mob mentality so ably portrayed in the movie "Inherit the Wind". In each case we have intellectual cripples who are easily incensed by an orator or radio announcer. This is a case where First Amendment rights are abused and perverted, but certainly No reason to abandon the Constitution.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» constitutional rights Posted by: techcafe
The solution is simple.
Posted by: kelethian on Apr 12, 2009 11:50 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Screen everyone early, genetically and by psychological interviews. Weed out those with any discernable trace of a disorder. Send to institutional care for life. Perhaps use them as cheap labor once fitted with drug injection collar.

A LOT less people would get hurt this way. Im sorry if this offends everyone, but im frustrated at how many crazies run loose in this filthy society. People are getting hurt, people, and we must protect our people above all else.

Im sick and tired of hearing of incidents like this and hope for a perfect society in my lifetime.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: The solution is simple. Posted by: kelethian
Should We Autopsy Bookshelves of Deranged Killers?
Posted by: Amerigus on Apr 12, 2009 4:19 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Just this concern was expressed after a Sean Hannity devotee named Jim Adkisson shot up a children's play in a church. Should law enforcement publicize what's on the bookshelves of these lunatic murderers after they going on killing rampages?

Read how this could have been prevented, starting last summer by recognizing that Hannity, Limbaugh and Beck's figurative yet vitriolic "call to arms" could be considered radical domestic terrorism: http://tinyurl.com/5db2p2

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

When Fox News Is Like State Sponsored Media
Posted by: desidid on Apr 13, 2009 10:09 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
In the sleepy town of Aiken, SC there is hardly a business with a television that doesn't play Faux News all day long. Whether you go to the public utility company, the bank, or a restaurant here you are bombarded with Faux Noise. That is why even if we get rid of the simpleton we now have as govenor he will probably be replaced by another Republican moron. These people can't seem to put it together that Republicans want our economy to fail it is the only way they can win back the White House in the near future. And they are clearly willing to sacrafice the poor and middle-class to do it, as Gov. Sanford has shown. But the followers of the party don't see it as a party ideology, rather they see it as a flaw in the govenor.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

SERIAL LYING, NOT A FEW GAFFES
Posted by: reelman on Apr 15, 2009 10:59 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I forgot, liberals smear and demonize because facts, logic and truth are their worst enemies.

Liberals never get what they want by telling the truth...secular socialism, that is their game!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Drug Treatment Program
Posted by: amycooper on Apr 16, 2009 8:11 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The people are loosing their moral while becoming modern. The society needs to be attentive that moral value.These programs help addicted to lead a happy life.
Amy Cooper
Drug Treatment Program

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

  • AlterNetYour turn

Support AlterNet
Do you value the information you're getting from AlterNet? Please show your support with a tax-deductible donation.


Feedback
Tell us how we're doing.

Advertisement
Advertisement