MetaFilter posts tagged with conspiracy

A certain film just lost its engineer demographic...

Taft — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:17:48 -0800

NASA debunks 2012 conspiracy theories

No Census, No Feeling

twoleftfeet — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:03:54 -0800

Time was, even the Three Stooges didn't fear the Census. But now, turbulent political and economic times roiling the nation are expected to diminish initial participation by households in next year's Census. To counteract this, the Census will spend an unprecedented $326 million in marketing, including a Super Bowl ad, and will appear in a Spanish-language telenovela. The decennial Census, conducted every ten years since 1790, has always had to explain itself. There were PSAs in 1980, an outreach in 1990, and a whole campaign in 2000 (with its first Super Bowl ad). The 2010 Census has already led to a number of crazy conspiracy theories and possibly the death of a Census worker (previously) so the job may be harder. The Census provides a wealth of data (previously: 1, 2), but can the need for interesting facts keep us from fearing the people who come to our door?

"... that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape"

ollyollyoxenfree — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:18:12 -0800

Vulgar Army: Octoprop to Octopop is "an informal study into the representation of the Octopus in propaganda and political cartoons, and influence on, or co-option of, popular culture." Highlights include: The nation-state as an octopus in cartography. Standard oil in the 1800s represented as an octopus.

"George Washington is the American Christ"

Burhanistan — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:41:39 -0800

Mystical Sites – U.S. Capitol : The US Capitol isn’t simply another governmental building. It is the spiritual center of the United States. Its structure, its art and its symbols all reveal the great importance of secret Fraternities in the shaping of the world most powerful government. An entertaining if not specious look. Also, don't miss the breakdown of Jay-Z.

"I would call this a blatant case of misjudgment fueled by an unfortunate milieu of assumption."

miss lynnster — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:29:53 -0800

How Charlie Sheen spent his 20 minutes with Barack Obama

Moon turns out to be giant tree

dearsina — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:50:07 -0800

A rock given to the Netherlands as a gift by the American Ambassador to commemorate the Apollo-11 moon landing is tested and found to be nothing but petrified wood. Expect a "I told you so" from your neighbourhood conspiracy theorist at any moment. Looking forward to reading about your favourite encounter with / link to conspiracy theorists!

Reliving a nightmare

orrnyereg — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:18:45 -0800

After serving a prison term for molesting an eighth-grader in Ohio, David Copeland-Jackson moved to the District to live with his mother. He e-mailed a buddy and together, federal authorities said, they came up with a plan that would fool a respected judge into issuing a $3 million defamation order against Copeland-Jackson's victim. Indictment against David Copeland-Jackson. Affidavit in support of arrest warrant for David Copeland-Jackson.

New World Order

Artw — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:10:59 -0800

Lady Gaga: Illuminati mind control puppet

Dead Silence: Fear and Terror on the Anthrax Trail

acro — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:02:03 -0800

Anthrax War - On the 6th Anniversary of the death of Dr. David Kelly, a provocative film (and book) about the 2001 Anthrax Attacks examines Kelly's role in the hidden world of germ weapons research. Youtube parts: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Anthrax War goes on to reveal how the 2001 Anthrax Attacks have spawned a $50 billion dollar “Bio-defense” boom in which biological weapons research is now being conducted, with little oversight, by corporations and private labs – the new “Bio-Terrorism Industrial Complex”. The film underscores how fear of terrorism combined with the lure of extraordinary profits may be leading to a global germ war arms race that could be hurtling the planet toward catastrophe.

Anthrax War recently aired on CBC's documentary series, The Passionate Eye and will be broadcast on the ARTE network and other broadcasters in Europe and SBS in Australia in the coming months. (This issue, previously at MetaFilter.)

More like WONG STAR!

GuyZero — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:52:14 -0800

Not just a huge conspiracy... a TITANIC CONSPIRACY! "There are a number of good reasons to believe that the vessel which sank on the night of April 14/15 was in fact Titanic's slightly older, and very similar, sister ship Olympic."

I can see the fnords!

empath — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:29:52 -0800

Before 9/11, the center of the conspiracy theorist's universe was the Kennedy Assassination. And probably the definitive statement on the ridiculousness of the conspiracy theories of that era was the Illuminatus! Trilogy[warning, the entire several hundred page novel in PDF], published in 1975 and written by two Playboy editors at the height of the era of flower power. It drew on many sources, but most distinctively, it drew from a little public domain pamphlet called The Principia Discordia. Many people know the catch phrases (Fnord! Hail Eris!), but not many people know the authors' very real connections to the Kennedy Assassination. Malaclypse the Younger (Greg Hill) worked in Jim Garrison's office in New Orleans and the very first copy of the Principia was run off of Garrison's copy machine. There's a copy of the first edition in the official House JFK assassination records. Kerry Thornley served in the Marines with Lee Harvey Oswald and wrote a novel based on Oswald before he assassinated Kennedy. He testified to the Warren Commission about his friendship with Oswald and later was accused of being part of the conspiracy by Jim Garrison, who ended up charging him with perjury. Garrison's theory was so convincing that Thornley actually came to believe that he may have been unknowingly involved in the conspiracy.

I am a south korean Homeless Man and New Upgrade!

oneironaut — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:43:22 -0800

A homeless man in DC has a wordpress blog which he posts images to using a remote camera. I saw this man in the DC metro yesterday, hauling a shopping cart around that not only contained his clothes, but was also festooned with cardboard signs advertising different web addresses. Wandoojin.wordpress.com was the only one I could make out, and though the fellow is clearly disturbed (though the site is not disturbing), to me it's a fascinating look at how accessible technology is to everyone, especially the folks who have too many words, images of Gremlins sitting on the US, and conspiracy theories involving Teddy Kennedy and the Clintons to keep to himself. Also, he's apparently made good use of the Apple store near my office. (I wonder if he knows the Arlington rap?)

It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets Accused of Murder

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Fri, 29 May 2009 08:33:13 -0800

In the wake of recent news that a woman has come forward claiming her father was the Zodiac Killer, author Michael O' Hare tells his tale: In the early 80s, he began receiving cryptic postcards and letters using symbols he later discovered were also used by the Zodiac Killer. He naturally alerted the authorities. The result? "The [FBI] agent then explained that the mail was from an amateur sleuth in California named Gareth Penn, who had been trying for some time to interest the police in the idea that I was the Zodiac killer."

Condi Criminal Conspiracy Confession Caught on Camera!

Hat Maui — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:53:09 -0800

Recently, Fmr. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was asked some pointed torture questions by two Stanford students after an informal reception in a dorm building (transcript). Did she unwittingly confess to a role in a criminal conspiracy? Signs point to yes. Writers like Dan Froomkin and Glenn Greenwald are staying on top of the torture beat even as the President prefers to look forward, and not back, because it's time to move on (and we're all responsible). For hard-hitting journalistic inquiry when it comes to U.S. torturers, it seems we must now turn to college students or 4th graders.

Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand

AceRock — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:40:08 -0800

The Pulitzer (and Polk)-winning investigation (1,2) that dare not be uttered on TV. (previously)

Don't Panic! Reinhardt's Got Your Back.

ewagoner — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:51:49 -0800

A mysterious internet forum poster named Reinhardt has the financial conspiracy theorists abuzz this week ahead of a predicted "event" coming this Friday. He first surfaced last July by predicting to the day the bad week in September kicked off by the Lehman Brothers collapse on the 15th. Since then, he's made cryptic predictions on forums and his website (alternates between prophesy and calls for money) culminating with a prediction of a non-financial event on Monday that is followed by a market collapse this Friday. His explanations read like a conspiracy greatest hits album, with shadow governments, secret groups from the Vatican, and all your favorites (except aliens). If you see conspiracy theory as entertainment, this one's got you covered. If you take them as truth, well, you already know what to do.

The Obama-Bigfoot Connection

scalefree — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:03:32 -0800

In 1996 a man known only as "Bugs" rocked the cryptozoology world with the claim that during the 1970s he was part of a hunting party in the Texas panhandle that shot, killed & buried two adult Bigfoots. Bugs turned over a copy of his map to radio talk show host Art Bell & was never heard from again, despite pleas to step forward from prominent members of the Bigfoot community. All that changed a few days ago when somebody recognized Bugs's voice while listening to political muckraker Ed Hale's Internet radio show. Ed's current cause is uncovering documentary evidence that President-Elect Barack Obama is not a "natural born citizen" and therefore is ineligible for office. Currently Ed claims to be in possession of Obama's parents' divorce decree. Although Ed has not made an official comment on the matter, a commenter claiming to be Ed has posted a short defense that admits he was the infamous "Bugs". (via)

I know you are, but what am I?

scalefree — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:32:00 -0800

The town of Shawano, WI claims a local group with a history of controversy called the Samanta Roy Institute of Science & Technology (SIST) profiled in this WSAW TV investigative series (part 1, part 2, part 3 & part 4) is a murderous cult that tried to hire a hitman to assassinate 60 prominent citizens including the mayor, city administrator, city treasurer, city attorney, police chief, judges, investigators & fire commissioners. SIST returns the favor & claims it's the mayor who's running a cult (part 1, part 2 & more), calling her the Minister of Propaganda. As a CBS investigative team found out, things are tense in this sleepy town. The FBI says it's keeping an eye on the situation.

"Bailiff, whack his pee-pee!"

resurrexit — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:27:30 -0800

Probation officers rejoice! We've talked about the Whizzinator before. Oh, c'mon, you remember? The fake penis that's capable of storing a warm, pre-mixed solution of "clean" urine so as to fool drug testers? Three weeks ago its developers pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to defraud the government and conspiracy to sell drug paraphernalia and are awaiting sentencing. (Apparently an older design did not incorporate the heating element that kept the urine warm, otherwise I can't make sense of this bizarre episode of criminality. This, and Onterrio Smith's bust, got the Whizzinator some big attention and ultimately resulted in the developers' indictments. Spoiler: the WaPo article is rife with congressional pee and ding-dong jokes.)

Keep your eye on the grand old flag

shii — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:02:09 -0800

Fringe Friday: Did you know that a fringe around the flag indicates martial law? Any sovereign citizen knows better than to accept the jurisdiction of the American War Flag! Or wait--is it really Old Glory that bows to martial law? Fly your Civil Flag with pride!

The "Ultimate 9/11 Truth Showdown": Taibbi vs. Griffin

Hat Maui — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:55:26 -0800

Matt Taibbi vs. David Ray Griffin Taibbi, to whose writing Metafilter frequently links, and who is currently on retainer at Rolling Stone, takes on Griffin, who is perhaps the most prominent member of the so-called "9/11 Truth Movement," in a knock-down, drag-out multiple-round bout (in three parts). Part II. Part III.

Psych Securities LLC

homunculus — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:12:19 -0800

Psych Securities LLC. "With future forecasts declaring ultimate doom from all components of the man-altered world, it seems there is a clog in the conduit of information transmitted between those in control and the public at large. Black Ops, psychological torture, acoustic weapons, Project Starfire, and a multitude of other state sponsored programs exist, well-hidden in plain sight, shrouded in a stigma of conspiracy and diluting any significant public inquiry. Psych Securities LLC is an ongoing exploration of this aforementioned covert reality, most clearly seen while in an alternative psychological state. By compiling declassified documents, historical narratives, and psychedelic conjecture, a visual world is pieced together; undermining strategies of deception and concealed truths." [Via]

The Assassination of John Glenn

blue_beetle — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:03:42 -0800

"Operation Northwoods [pdf], which had the written approval of the Chairman and every member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for innocent people to be shot on American streets; for boats carrying refugees fleeing Cuba to be sunk on the high seas; for a wave of violent terrorism to be launched in Washington, D.C., Miami, and elsewhere. People would be framed for bombings they did not commit; planes would be hijacked. Using phony evidence, all of it would be blamed on Castro, thus giving Lemnitzer and his cabal the excuse, as well as the public and international backing, they needed to launch their war." [YouTube] This and more, from the Top 10 Declassified Secrets page at The List Universe. Also for your reading pleasure:

The electrification of Hitler, and the starvation of Ghandi.

Previously:

Bombing Iran

Destabilizing Cuba

Holy Shit. Holy Fucking Shit.

Skeptic — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:46:21 -0800

An article deep in this week's "Economist" comments on an intriguing, rather megalomaniac project: twin "Cities of Light" at both sides of the Bab al-Mandib strait, the entrance to the Red Sea, linked by a bridge. The Noor City Development Corporation remains remarkably vague about the practical aspects of the project, never mind its much-vaunted greenery. The Economist notes with some trepidation the connections of the consortium with the US military and defence industry. All the more significant considering that the project is led by Middle East Development, a real-estate company headed by Dr. Tareq Mohammad Bin Laden, half-brother of You-Know-Who Reports of the involvement of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Auric Goldfinger, and Drs. No, Doom and Evil remain however unconfirmed.

From blue to red

Menomena — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:40:52 -0800

What if Al Gore really had won? J. M. Kearns crafts a new, imaginative Bush conspiracy in his new short story, "The Eagle Has Landed."