Posted by
Christopher on Thursday, November 29, 2007 2:33:38 PM
Some are funny, some are dumb, but millions believe in them. It makes me sad when ordinarily intelligent people succumb to the psychosis of paranoia. Both the Left and Right fall for these lies all the time. Watching Ron Paul last night give credence to some was very entertaining. I do believe in provable things like collusion (see Oil companies) and cartels (OPEC), but big conspiracies hardly ever happen. I am sure there are many more around the world, but these seem to be the biggies in this country today.
1. North American Union/NAFTA Superhighway:
This is the one Ron Paul likes (also Pat Buchannan). It is also a favorite of Separatists and Neo-Nazis. It says that there are secret plans by unnamed powerful people in America, Mexico and Canada to unite the 3 countries into 1. The new currency will be called the “amero” and this is the reason why illegal immigration is allowed to go on. Forget the fact that this would take a Constitutional Convention and an unprecedented debate in the States and the Congress to even CONSIDER such a thing. The NAFTA Superhighway is another outright myth but don’t tell that to the North American Union believers. Even though there is a perfectly good highway system that connects Mexico and Canada already, this new 8 lane or 80 lane or whatever superhighway will bring the “North American Union” together.
2. 9/11 was an inside job by the US Govt. OR planned and/or carried out by Jews on behalf of Israel:
This one makes me angry. Hell, it even makes Bill Clinton angry. Each and every crackpot theory about that day has been completely debunked. 19 Muslim terrorists with box cutters really did destroy the Twin Towers and put a hole in the Pentagon. It worked because we were asleep as a nation.
3. Moon landing was faked:
Self-explanatory.
4. Illuminati/whomever want to kill millions (or billions) of people for population control via disease – AIDS was created in a lab in Maryland:
This plan seems to have backfired royally. Population is exploding, people are living longer and longer, medicines are getting better and better, etc. This is similar to the “CIA brought drugs into American cities” garbage from the 80s. Laughably nonsensical.
5. Concentration camps for Christians in America:
You would be shocked how many paranoid Christians believe this to be true. At some point in the near future, they believe, evil America will make Biblical Christianity “illegal” and throw them into these camps. They even have pictures to prove it!
6. Mark of the Beast is a microchip/ID card:
This is more a misunderstanding of the Bible than anything. Do a google search on “verichip” and you’ll see some mighty wacky things. People expecting a physical “mark” in their hand or forehead are always looking out for the next “mark” – “ohh, that has to be it!” Even a national ID Card scares the poop out of them.
7. New World Order:
Too many to list. The best one has to be that Gorbachev, Bush I and Pope John Paul II had a secret meeting and all agreed on…something. Another good one is that all the wars of the 20th century (and now of course) were planned out in advance by rich people to establish the NWO.
8. Holocaust Denial:
Similar to 9/11 denial, says the Nazi Holocaust in WWII never happened. Or was at least greatly exaggerated. Some will go so far as to say Hilter would never approve of such a thing. Some say the ovens and gas chambers were fakes. Jews were never killed, or the numbers are intentionally inflated. Even tours of the death camps won’t convince them. They are very separated from reality.
9. Myths about the Patriot Act:
It’s amazing how many people cite the Patriot Act as the reason for this or that, and yet have NEVER READ IT. There are more myths than I care to list, but suffice it to say that since 2001, there have been exactly ZERO Constitutional challenges brought against it, and ZERO abuses have been substantiated. But that’s not even the funniest part. Most people who blame it don’t realize it has nothing to do with what they are complaining about. Example, “sneak-and-peek and delayed notification warrants were created by the Patriot Act!” No, they weren’t. And “the Patriot Act allows racial profiling!” No, it doesn’t.
10. Global Warming:
Don’t think this necessarily meets the definition of a conspiracy theory, but this site should pretty much sum it up - http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm
Feel free to tell me which ones I missed. Or, let me help you if you believe in one of them.