Scott Sommers
Illuminator
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2009
- Messages
- 3,866
A recent post about 9/11 conspiracy motivated vandalism reminded me of this issue. The idea that 9/11 conspiracy beliefs have a danger that goes beyond their stupidity is an issue that comes up from time to time. It is the general interpretation given to a paper written by Obama adviser Cass Sunstein.
Attacks on the State
One of the frequent comparisons you see in the discussion of the dangers of conspiracy theory is one with Timothy McVeigh and the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. I think this is incorrect. While it is true that McVeigh had strong beliefs about conspiracies, he was not part of an organization that drove him toward murder. There have always been disturbed individuals who murder and while McVeigh does not seem like a typical serial killer, his murders were not part of any realistic attempt to overthrow the government of the USA.
For a model of what I mean, we have to look outside the USA. There have been numerous attempts, primarily by crime gangs, to overthrow legitimate governments. In Colombia, the legitimate state was threatened by Pablo Escobar and his Medellín Cartel. At one point, Escobar was at open war with a US-backed government in a struggle that killed at least 30 judges and 457 policemen, as well as perhaps thousands of others. In Italy, a struggle with organized crime gangs killed hundreds of judges, politicians and police.
These were organized and realistic attempts to overthrow the state. Timothy McVeigh had no such organization. He was a lone criminal hurling insults at the government.
The only organizations that I know of that that have launched organized and realistic attacks on a legitimate Western government have been religious groups. Here I mean the Aum Shinrikyo in Japan and followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The Aum are the Japanese group that launched a sarin attack in the Tokyo subway. In fact, Aum was an anti-semetic conspiracy group.
The Rajneeshe were a new age religious cult that established communes in Oregon to promote the teachings of their guru. Ma Anand Sheela and others in the group actually launched a bioterror attack on residents around their commune in an attempt to influence an election. In addition, the group had plans to assassinate prosecutors and had actually armed themselves in an attempt to carry this out. Whether significant or or not, Rajneeshee leaders have also been documented making anti-semetic remarks and joking about the Holocaust.
The Difference: the armed loner versus an organization
The significant difference between the Rajneeshee and Aum from McVeigh is that they acted as groups. They were able to take individuals who would have otherwise been productive citizens and make them into killers for their cause. They were able to do this because they had access to a moral philosophy that allowed their members to label outsiders as less human. There are lots of other reasons. Aum was a violent group using physical discipline and threats long before the world knew about them. But my point is that they are different from someone like McVeigh.
When Aum was initially developed, it was a meditation group. It attracted a wide range of members including some very well-educated members. It was these people who made it possible for Aum to develop the kind of weapons that had previously only been used by legitimate governments - and a splinter group of the followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. But initially, there was nothing threatening about the group.
So When Do They Turn Violent?
Both Rajneeshee and Aum turned violent when their attempts to promote their 'higher moral philosophy' ran into a lack of interest and cooperation. The Aum had been murdering disgruntled members for some time, but they really went wild following a failed attempt to elect members of their group to the House of Representatives. This is when they started working on gas weapons and planning mass attacks on Japanese citizens.
The followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh who launched a bioterror attack on The Dalles, Oregon were in a similar predicament. They had attempted a takeover of Dalles by importing homeless people so they could win an election that would result in a rezoning and construction of a new commune. Following legislative changes that made this impossible, the Rajneeshee feared they could not win the election. In an attempt to debilitate enough of the registered voters in Dalles, they poisoned the salad bar in 8 restaurants in the town. This group also developed plans to assassinate US attorney.
What's this got to do with 9/11 Truth?
Maybe nothing. But my fear is that as advocates for a 9/11 Truth grow more and more desperate, they are more and more likely to do something crazy to promote their position. These are people who think they stand on some moral high ground. They don't just oppose the war in the Middle East. Oh no. They have the right reason for opposing it. It's not because these kinds of wars are hard to win and Bush had pathetic advise on how to handle the situation. Oh no. It's because Muslims would never do bad things to people and Bush had to make this up so he could get all that oil he wanted.
But now, no one cares anymore. There is no attempt to try Bush or Cheney or Larry Silverstein or Ryan Mackey or any of those traitors manning the walls of the JREF. They can't get anyone out to their demonstration. They can't even get people to sign a petition anymore. No one cares. So what do you do if spent a good portion of the last decade stigmatized yourself as a crazy 9/11 nut? And now all you get is embarrassing laughs, even from the friends who used to act like they thought you might have something.
One thing you might do is go vandalize 9/11 memorials. Another thing you might do is picket private memorial parties for victims and their families because we know they're all actors touring the country as victims. You might get violent...really, really violent...and hurt someone. There have been shootings and other attacks by people who believed in 9/11 conspiracy, although that was not the main motive for their violence. What are the believers in a vicsim going to do as they get older and older? I worry they will become really dangerous.
Attacks on the State
One of the frequent comparisons you see in the discussion of the dangers of conspiracy theory is one with Timothy McVeigh and the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. I think this is incorrect. While it is true that McVeigh had strong beliefs about conspiracies, he was not part of an organization that drove him toward murder. There have always been disturbed individuals who murder and while McVeigh does not seem like a typical serial killer, his murders were not part of any realistic attempt to overthrow the government of the USA.
For a model of what I mean, we have to look outside the USA. There have been numerous attempts, primarily by crime gangs, to overthrow legitimate governments. In Colombia, the legitimate state was threatened by Pablo Escobar and his Medellín Cartel. At one point, Escobar was at open war with a US-backed government in a struggle that killed at least 30 judges and 457 policemen, as well as perhaps thousands of others. In Italy, a struggle with organized crime gangs killed hundreds of judges, politicians and police.
These were organized and realistic attempts to overthrow the state. Timothy McVeigh had no such organization. He was a lone criminal hurling insults at the government.
The only organizations that I know of that that have launched organized and realistic attacks on a legitimate Western government have been religious groups. Here I mean the Aum Shinrikyo in Japan and followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The Aum are the Japanese group that launched a sarin attack in the Tokyo subway. In fact, Aum was an anti-semetic conspiracy group.
The Rajneeshe were a new age religious cult that established communes in Oregon to promote the teachings of their guru. Ma Anand Sheela and others in the group actually launched a bioterror attack on residents around their commune in an attempt to influence an election. In addition, the group had plans to assassinate prosecutors and had actually armed themselves in an attempt to carry this out. Whether significant or or not, Rajneeshee leaders have also been documented making anti-semetic remarks and joking about the Holocaust.
The Difference: the armed loner versus an organization
The significant difference between the Rajneeshee and Aum from McVeigh is that they acted as groups. They were able to take individuals who would have otherwise been productive citizens and make them into killers for their cause. They were able to do this because they had access to a moral philosophy that allowed their members to label outsiders as less human. There are lots of other reasons. Aum was a violent group using physical discipline and threats long before the world knew about them. But my point is that they are different from someone like McVeigh.
When Aum was initially developed, it was a meditation group. It attracted a wide range of members including some very well-educated members. It was these people who made it possible for Aum to develop the kind of weapons that had previously only been used by legitimate governments - and a splinter group of the followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. But initially, there was nothing threatening about the group.
So When Do They Turn Violent?
Both Rajneeshee and Aum turned violent when their attempts to promote their 'higher moral philosophy' ran into a lack of interest and cooperation. The Aum had been murdering disgruntled members for some time, but they really went wild following a failed attempt to elect members of their group to the House of Representatives. This is when they started working on gas weapons and planning mass attacks on Japanese citizens.
The followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh who launched a bioterror attack on The Dalles, Oregon were in a similar predicament. They had attempted a takeover of Dalles by importing homeless people so they could win an election that would result in a rezoning and construction of a new commune. Following legislative changes that made this impossible, the Rajneeshee feared they could not win the election. In an attempt to debilitate enough of the registered voters in Dalles, they poisoned the salad bar in 8 restaurants in the town. This group also developed plans to assassinate US attorney.
What's this got to do with 9/11 Truth?
Maybe nothing. But my fear is that as advocates for a 9/11 Truth grow more and more desperate, they are more and more likely to do something crazy to promote their position. These are people who think they stand on some moral high ground. They don't just oppose the war in the Middle East. Oh no. They have the right reason for opposing it. It's not because these kinds of wars are hard to win and Bush had pathetic advise on how to handle the situation. Oh no. It's because Muslims would never do bad things to people and Bush had to make this up so he could get all that oil he wanted.
But now, no one cares anymore. There is no attempt to try Bush or Cheney or Larry Silverstein or Ryan Mackey or any of those traitors manning the walls of the JREF. They can't get anyone out to their demonstration. They can't even get people to sign a petition anymore. No one cares. So what do you do if spent a good portion of the last decade stigmatized yourself as a crazy 9/11 nut? And now all you get is embarrassing laughs, even from the friends who used to act like they thought you might have something.
One thing you might do is go vandalize 9/11 memorials. Another thing you might do is picket private memorial parties for victims and their families because we know they're all actors touring the country as victims. You might get violent...really, really violent...and hurt someone. There have been shootings and other attacks by people who believed in 9/11 conspiracy, although that was not the main motive for their violence. What are the believers in a vicsim going to do as they get older and older? I worry they will become really dangerous.
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