Conspiracy Theorist Jones Has a Penchant for the Absurd
by Brett Linley
When it comes to noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, the truth can be elusive. Recently, through his site InfoWars, he attacked Governor Gary Johnson. In one of his video segments, Jones claimed that Johnson, “could, legitimately, actually, steal this election for the American people…and give it to Hillary.” You can watch this segment below:
Of course, in his mind, Donald Trump is the rightful owner of your vote. It is inconceivable to him that freedom-minded individuals might want someone who represents their values. Thus, in his mind, Gary Johnson is “a Democratic party plant, and operative.”
However, this is not the first time Jones has been wrong. It certainly won’t be the last. There are a lot of times that Jones has fabricated his own facts, but here are just a few.
1. The Government is Making People Gay
Yes, you read that right. In one of his conspiracy videos dating back to 2010, Jones proclaimed that, “the reason there are so many gay people now is because it’s a chemical warfare operation.” In Jones’s world, the government puts estrogen-mimicking material in juice boxes.
The purpose of such a venture, apparently, is to reduce the population. When it comes to the purpose of reducing the population, Jones is rather light on explanations. Obviously, this claim is ridiculous in its own right. Unfortunately, it only gets crazier from there.
2. Obama is al-Qaeda
Next, we have Jones’s claim that, “Obama is hardcore Wahhabist; he is al-Qaeda.” This claim, repeated as recently as January 2016, is another beauty. Apparently, this information comes from high-level government officials. Of course, Jones does nothing to substantiate this claim.
It is one thing to berate President Obama for the terrible job he has done on foreign policy. It is something completely different to label him as a member of a terrorist organization. People like Jones who call Obama a terrorist or a Muslim do nothing but discredit the very serious criticisms that can be levied against the President.
3. The Government Can Control the Weather to Create Tornadoes or Hurricanes
It doesn’t get much better than this. In the wake of a 2013 tornado in Oklahoma, Alex Jones told a listener, “of course there’s weather weapons stuff going on.” Jones has professed his belief that the government possesses devices that can, in fact, control the weather.
Jones said that we’d know for sure if the government did this if helicopters or small planes were spotted in the area. Why the government would want to create such disasters in the first place is an elusive truth. What is even crazier is the belief that they have any capacity to make such things happen.
4. Atheists are Actually Occultists
Most people accept what atheists believe at face value. That is, they simply do not believe in God or any higher power. According to Alex Jones, however, this is not the case. In his view, atheists are actually Satan worshipers.
“We’ve got a lot of atheists and agnostics listening. Even if they don’t believe in God, the point is, as a scientific historical fact, the elites do — and they believe in Satan and destruction and blood.” At the higher level, Jones is arguing that atheists are part of some occultist conspiracy. Surely, many atheists would beg to differ.
5. Mass Shootings are False Flags
This flavor of conspiracy comes up so often, it’s worth grouping all the occurrences together. From Orlando to Sandy Hook to the Boston Bombing, Alex Jones is always the first on scene to proclaim a false-flag attack. As someone who has endured such an attack in his hometown, I find these claims to be particularly egregious.
Jones never provides any substantiated proof for his claims. He makes them so often, they don’t really mean anything when he says them. Such claims are offensive to all the people who had to cope with these tragedies. The government may be opportunistic in the face of tragedy, but that doesn’t mean that they cause them.