Just now who's crazy?

Just a follow-up to yesterday's post about Dr. Steven Greer and his paranoid fantasies. One of Greer's most popular paranoid fantasies is that there is a secret cabal, comprising members of government, industry, and religious leaders, who suffer from eschatological delusions and are co-ordinating a massive world-wide effort to bring about the 'end-times'.

Sound's pretty nuts doesn't it? I think so to. I don't buy into paranoid conspiracy theories because they are based, not on evidence but, rather, the *lack* of evidence. Dr. Greer's theories include the idea that 9-11 was actually executed by this secret cabal and that a missile, not an airplane, struck the Pentagon (I guess I should go tell the families of those poor folks who were on the plane that hit the Pentagon about that..)

In fact, I find these kinds of bizarre paranoid conspiracy theories dangerous, destructive, and borderline treasonous. The Internet may be a powerful tool to spread truth but it seems to be an equally, if not more, powerful tool to spread delusional thinking. All sense of perspective is lost and there is no way to properly weigh, measure, or fact check alleged 'facts' that are spread like a viral disease. The irony of this is that the same folks who get all worked up about government disinformation programs are, themselves, spreading more disinformation, delusion, fantasy, and irrational thought than any single intelligence agency could ever wish for in its wildest dreams.

All that said, one of the things that annoys me is when I come home from work and hear stuff from the mainstream media that not only makes you go 'hmmm' but actually makes you go "WHAT THE F**K!!!!"

This happened last night when I heard the story of Dick Cheney attending a secret meeting in Utah. The meeting itself is secret and the members attending are secret as well. However, it has been reported that some of the members included Pat Robertson and one of the authors of the Left Behind series. You can read some new stories about it here.

"Shame on Dick Cheney"
"Dick Cheney speaks to secret conservative group."



Is is just me or does anyone else find it really disturbing that the Vice President of the United States is meeting with a bunch of eschatologically bent religious fanatics in Utah, in secret, to plot 'strategy'!??? He is meeting with people who preach, quite seriously, on a daily basis that we are in the end-times right now as they get their congregations all whipped up about the imminent rapture and subsequent devastation of the earth.

Combine this with the fact that Dick Cheney behaves like an evil villain out of a James Bond movie and you can get some real creeps rolling up and down your spine. Cheney has literally anointed himself his own branch of government, independent and unaccountable to any other authority. He has created his own personal secrecy code and claims he is neither part of the legislative or executive branch of the government. He has had his home removed from satellite images, including Google Earth. For years there has been massive construction of underground bunkers at his personal home.

At first you might think, well, it's just another year and this whole administration is gone, Cheney with it. Yet, when you think about, does any of this sound like the actions of a man who believes he is going to be out of power in a little over a year? Personally, I believe Cheney has entrenched himself so deeply into extra-governmental agencies that it really doesn't matter who is running congress or the presidency, I think he will be holding onto his power with all of the tenacity of a pit-bull sinking his teeth into Michael Vick's ass.

I find the whole idea of Cheney digging himself into a bunker and meeting with extreme right wing religious fanatics who believe, quite literally, that we are in the 'end-times' and are tasked by God to hasten Christ's return more than just a little bit disturbing.

Of course, maybe I'm taking this whole thing a bit too seriously. It's just Cheney after all, this is nothing really all that new. That is until, on the same day, I learn that Fox News, the propaganda apparatus of the Bush/Cheney administration is filling the airwaves with news reports as if we were about to launch and attack on Iran tomorrow.

What!???!!??? I guess I'm a little bit too out of the loop, but this is insane to me. It makes no logical or rational sense. I have heard this story about Iran for a while now but I honestly believed that it was a complete dead end. The Iraq war is such an absolute fiasco, and the American public and even the congress is so fed up with it, that I couldn't imagine in any way that we would even consider a military intervention in Iran.

That is, until I realize, that resting upon the head of George Bush is the Imperial Crown of commander in chief and he seems hell bent on doing whatever he wants to. I thought I could laugh this off but on the same day that Cheney is meeting with whacked out religious fundamentalists who believe to the core of their being that the end-times are at hand we also have Fox News imploring us to bomb Iran.

I will try to lay off of the conspiracy theories for now but I have to say, I honestly believe a substantial portion of our leadership in this nation is borderline insane.