conspiracy theories

One-Liner Wednesday — QAnon

Fandango29 Comments

Nearly three in ten Republicans say they believe the widely debunked QAnon conspiracy theory that “there is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power (i.e., Joe Biden and the Democrats) and restore the rightful leader (i.e., Donald Trump).”

Source: Public Religion Research Institute

And if you think that’s fucked up, the same survey said that…

28% of Republicans say that “because things have gotten so far off track” in the U.S., “true American patriots may have to resort to violence” to save the country.

Or how about this?

Almost a quarter of Republicans say they agree with the baseless QAnon allegation that “the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation.”

What the hell is happening in — and to — America?

Written for Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt.

Taking Responsibility

Fandango10 Comments

“You are so stubborn,” Vicky said, sitting across the kitchen table from her boyfriend. “How can you expect anyone to be sympathetic toward you with an attitude like that?”

Ken pounded his fist on the table, causing coffee to spill from both of their cups. “Talking with you, Vicky,” he said, “can be so monotonous. You are such a drama queen, and you have no zest for your God-given freedoms as an American anymore.”

“What a bunch of drivel,” Ken,” Vicky said. “It’s because of my zest for freedom and for life that I am insisting that you get vaccinated. You need to step up and start acting like an adult and shoulder some responsibility, if not for your own health, but for the health and possibly the lives of your friends and family.”

“This is not my fault,” Ken protested. “These vaccines have not been thoroughly tested and it could turn out to be a case where the cure is worse than the disease. But of course, it’s inevitable that you would take their side over mine.”

“The only side I’m taking,” Vicky insisted, “is science and common sense over conspiracy theories. And If you don’t agree to get vaccinated with all deliberate speed, you’re going to spending your adult life without me on, or by, your side.”

Written for these daily prompts: Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (sympathetic/monotonous), MMA Storytime (attitude/zest), The Daily Spur (queen/shoulder), Your Daily Word Prompt (drivel), Ragtag Daily Prompt (inevitable), and Word of the Day Challenge (speed).

Four More Aces

Fandango20 Comments

83006beb-1f5d-4c70-ba62-92ca6785fba8In his Friday Four series, Rory, A Guy Called Bloke, has once again posed four rather provocative questions for us to ponder. Here are his questions and my answers.

1] What are your strengths and of your strengths – how have they helped you throughout your life?

f8cf6798-b77c-49e1-aef0-8f26c430c80aI’m a pragmatic, rational, logical person and I believe that those characteristics have helped me make sound, well-thought-out decisions in my life.

2] What are your weaknesses and how have they or have they hindered your successes in anyway and what have you done to overcome them to rue your day?

30b7fe74-9b87-4dc4-aedf-35a2d3a9dc4eI’m a pragmatic, rational, logical person and I believe that those characteristics have occasionally caused me to miss opportunities due to over analyzing all of the options and alternatives available (i.e., analysis paralysis).

3] What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories or alternatively are all conspiracy theories absurd? Answer which sits best with you.

Gullibility and stupidity, both of which seem to be running rampant in modern society, despite this being the so-called “Information Age.” And that’s due to the government’s adding fluoride to our drinking water and to the chemtrails consisting of chemical or biological agents left in the sky by high-flying aircraft, sprayed for nefarious purposes undisclosed to the unsuspecting general public.5c883ad7-ee3e-4bd2-b25a-5a22ff0081fe

4] How important are morals in a healthy society? What are the most important morals for citizens to have?

Very important. And read THIS for my take on what has happened to morals in America.

Diversions and Distractions

Fandango23 Comments

96253C6D-DB0C-4D9A-A314-4198B8066B76When you read this post, you’ll probably think I’ve gone off the deep end, or that I’m extremely cynical. You may say I’m a skeptic, maybe even paranoid. And some of you might suggest that I’m hawking a crazy conspiracy theory.

But consider this. So far there have been 12 pipe bombs delivered or mailed to some very high powered Democratic politicians, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Maxine Waters, and Eric Holder. Some of those bombs were sent to Trump critic and former CIA Director John Brennan, the liberal billionaire donor George Soros, and outspoken anti-Trump actor Robert De Niro.

The good news is that none of the pipe bombs detonated and no one has been injured. The FBI confirmed that these were “live” bombs (i.e., not fakes), but there are questions, based upon the way they were constructed, about whether or not they would actually function (i.e., detonate).

Now consider this. The stories of these attempted bombings have dominated the news over the past three days. The bombings have essentially pushed some other very disturbing stories off the news:

  • The brutal, barbaric murder of Saudi journalist, Washington Post columnist, and permanent U.S. resident, Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, which was likely sanctioned by Jared Kushner’s good buddy Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
  • While Congress is in recess, Mitch McConnell is pushing through young, very conservative judges to fill lifetime federal judgeship appointments without any hearings or input from Democratic senators.
  • Trump insists on using his personal, unsecured iPhone (the one he tweets from and from which he talks to close confidants, including Fox News personalities) even after he’s been told that Chinese and Russian intelligence agencies are certainly listening in.
  • GOP candidates are falsely claiming that only they will save the pre-existing conditions provisions from Obamacare even though they have consistently voted to kill Obamacare, including protections related to pre-existing conditions.
  • Republican politicians in red states continue, less than two weeks before the midterm elections, to play all kinds of dirty tricks designed to suppress the votes of primarily minority voters. And in Texas, a number of voters who attempted to vote the straight Democratic ticket saw their votes for Senator going to Republican Ted Cruz.FBFD46AA-29F6-4ADA-A287-6889DAA48A8A

So why am I bringing up these items that would otherwise be making headlines but aren’t because of these pipe bombs? Well, might it be possible that we are dealing with a real life “Wag the Dog” scenario? (If you’re not familiar with “Wag the Dog,” click here.)

Could Republican political operatives — with or without Trump’s knowledge — be behind these “bombs” in order to distract us from other, more important issues? Could these apparently poorly made and possibly incapable of detonating bombs merely be a way of diverting attention away from all of the other awful things that Donald Trump and his administration are doing just below the radar?

Yes, I know…I’m nuts. But is it any more inconceivable that Republican operatives are behind these bomb attempts than, for example, Trump’s claim that there are “unknown Middle Easterners” traveling with the group of Central American migrants moving north through Mexico toward the U.S.? Or Mike Pence’s statement that “It’s inconceivable there are not people of Middle Eastern descent” in the migrant caravan?

Seriously, as crazy as it sounds, nothing would surprise me anymore.

Gods and Ghosts and Angels and Aliens

Fandango25 Comments

5AB8C8F1-E5E9-4DB7-8CFF-2CF30E83D251A blogger who I follow, like, and respect, Paula Light, over Light Motifs II, responded to this question yesterday in her Share Your World post: “What, in your opinion, makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories?”

Paula answered that it’s fear that makes people believe in conspiracy theories. She said, “People are scared of the unknown, of things they can’t control ~ natural disasters, crime, death, etc. ~ so they latch onto comforting explanations. Without this comfort, many people would not be able to function because life is fucking terrifying.”

Okay, I can understand latching on to “comforting explanations” and how a belief in God and in those comforting explanations that various religions offer can help people cope. I’m not sure I get the link between comforting explanations and absurd conspiracy theories, but that’s okay.

But it was what Paula wrote next that got my attention. She wrote:

“And for the atheists who like to mock those who believe in the supernatural, I have news for you: you also believe in bullshit, just different bullshit. Consider this. At any moment, you could die and die horribly, but you don’t think about that because you wouldn’t be able to get through the day. And what’s more, every time you leave the house, you trust that crazy medicated (or unmedicated!) other humans in their monster vehicles are going to obey the traffic laws. These are the same people who believe in gods and ghosts and angels and aliens. But you believe they’ll stop at the red lights. That’s nuts! But you believe it or you couldn’t leave the house.”

I’m sorry, Paula, but I have no idea what point you were trying to make with your tales about dying horribly or getting killed by a crazy, medicated or unmedicated driver who runs a red light. What does any of that have to do with absurd conspiracy theories or being an atheist?

I am an atheist, so let me explain something to those who don’t really know what an atheist is. Atheists don’t hate God or hate people who choose to believe in God. Also, being an atheist does not mean that we don’t believe in anything. We believe in a lot of things and a lot of different things.

Please understand that there is no “good book” that atheists embrace, no common mythology that atheists accept, no specific dogma to which atheists adhere. There is but one thing that all atheists have in common, and that is that we don’t believe that God exists. We believe that God is a human construct, and serves as that “comfortable explanation” that a lot of people use to help get them through their lives.

And personally speaking, I bear no ill will toward those who choose to believe in God. Well, except for those “believers” who tell me that I can’t be a moral person if I don’t believe in God, that I can’t distinguish between good and evil or right and wrong, and that I’m condemned to eternal damnation in hell — which I also don’t believe exists — if I don’t accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior.

I bear a lot of ill will toward those who tell me such things.