9/11 CultWatch

The Conspiracies of the US Democrats

John Gray has written a marvelous overview of the defeat of Hillary Clinton, and victory of Donald Trump, for the current issue of the New Statesman. It contains this analysis of those attempting to convince the world, and perhaps even themselves, that the Russians somehow fiddled the election for Trump.

"The function of conspiracy theories, however, is not to understand the world but to give sense to the lives of those who believe them. Paranoia is often a protest against powerlessness and a sense of insignificance. These symptoms are visible today in the liberal elites, which, against all their expectations, have been brusquely dismissed from power. In a post-election interview with Dutch television, Sidney Blumenthal, a long-term Clinton ally, described Trump's victory as 'a coup d'etat' orchestrated by 'right wing agents of the FBI.' Paranoid thinking of this kind shows a refusal to learn from experience."

Daniel Finkelstein on Anti-Semitism and Conspiracy Theory

The Times has a two page piece today, by the above, on the rise of anti-Semitism in the UK. 

He puts this down to two things - 9/11, and the development of social media and electronic correspondence. We could say rather similar things about the development of conspiracy theory, although as with anti-Semitism, these are phenomena that long pre-date the latest gadget or terrorist outrage.  

Of 9/11, Finklestein comments:

When baffling events happen, planes coming out of a clear blue New York sky, people look for an explanation, a wrong that can be righted, an appeal that can be made to reason. And very often in history, the answer involves doing something about the Jews. 

I have not yet read a substantial analysis of contemporary British Islamic anti-Semitism. But when one is written, I suspect it will begin with a very similar starting point to Finkelstein's post 9/11 analysis. 

 

The Challenge of Conspiracy Theory

I have just finished reading a fascinating article on individualist anarchism by Peter Ryley, an author many visitors to this blog will be unfamilar with. His "Individualist Anarchism in Late Victorian Britain" examines the views of activists and writers such as Henry Seymour and Albert Tarn and their rejection of socialism, anarchist communism and monopoly capitalism. 

Ryley's article (in Vol 20 No.2 of Anarchist Studies, back in 2012) comes up against a significant problem when it comes to Henry Seymour. He was what we would now refer to as a conspiracy theorist. Whilst some of this was harmless (he believed the Jesuits were behind the Jack the Ripper murders, and that Francis Bacon wrote the works of William Shakespeare) his anti-Semitism is something Ryley takes seriously. The dangers of such beliefs are skillfully set out:

...in the 21st century conspiracy theories abound. Climate change denial is a near univeral belief amongst right libertarians, the 9/11 'Truth' movement has attracted even mainstream figures to its fringes, whilst much contemporary, obsessive anti-Zionism bears the distinctive stamp of older anti-Semitic discourses. These ideas may not be central, but they are distatsteful and dangerous intellectual baggage that needs jettisoning. Open discussion and historical exploration is a neccesity if ever we are to banish this poisionous legacy from radical thought. 

(Peter Ryley, Individualist Anarchism in Late Victorian Britain, Anarchist Studies Vol 20, No.2, 2012, p.94)

There are one or two quibbles I could make here. In my experience 'right libertarians' do not neccesarily deny climate change. They deny whether it is man-made, and/or whether the behaviour of a small nation like the UK can have any affect compared to that of economic giants such as the US or China.
Open discussion may work with conspiracy theorists, but only so far, as anybody who has tried to debate with a truly committed believer in peculiar discourses may well discovered. With supporters and fellow travellers, rational discussion can win the day. When it comes to the true obsessive, you may get tired before they do. 

Still, Peter Ryley is clearly an author to watch out for. 

I Say I Say I Say: A Joke About Conspiracy Theorists

"A man walked into a public library and circumspectly approached the desk. He lowered his voice. 'Have you any books on Conspiracy Theories?' The librarian leaned forward and murmured into his ear: 'They're behind you'.

I have no idea who came up with this originally, but it is certainly used by David Challice in the May 2012 issue of Independence, magazine of the UK Independence Party.

Conspiracist Quote of the Day: 4

When I had responsibility for answering mail to the Class War Federation, I would estimate 2-3% of the letters we received were from people with mental health problems.

I have no idea if this is common to all political organisations, or if CW was any more or less prone to such correspondence. Sometimes it was very entertaining. One man in Blackpool was convinced he was being spied upon by the town's CCTV (you may be right I told him, that's what it's for) but he was probably incorrect when he claimed secret messages were being passed to him via advertisements on Blackpool bus shelters (Why they were using the buses, and not the trams for this intimidation was unexplained).

As always in Class War, we encouraged those under attack by the state to fightback. This approach was not without its consequent victories. Our Blackpool correspondent was insistent that the reason David Blunkett resigned as Home Secretary in 2004 was nothing to do with 'nannygate', but his own work exposing the harrassment Blunkett had conducted of him via the Blackpool district bus system. A second correspondent, Gaz Derbyshire, wrote such long letters I am not sure a team of secretaries could have covered every point raised. In 2006 Gaz, probably wisely, instead put his thoughts into book form, the catchily titled "Book 1, Part A, First Contact? Do, Re, Me, In God I Trust" with the subheading Complete Re-Writes.For some reason the authors were listed as Gaz Derbyshire, Gary Martyn and Arch Principle, even though I am sure this was Gaz's work alone.

Showing he was no fan of political correctness, Gaz had illustrated the front cover with a confederate flag, and a further ten books were promised in a series of eleven. Where the other ten books are I know not, but Gaz Derbyshire needs to  be added to the list of those with alleged foreknowledge of the 9/11 attacks. As he states in his book:

"In addition in Book IV, which was in March 2001, I was given informal information as to the amount of actual plane hijackers for the 11th of September 2001 terrorist attacks, namely that of 'nineteen'. This above information was received from a woman called "Julie Madison" who had worked at one time for a solicitors firm in London that represented the company providing engineering skills for the Iraqi Big Gun" (p.xciii)

There are several things I particularly like about this quote. The Iraqi connection is entertaining and so general it is a wonder it did not end up in the case for invading Iraq Alastair Campbell and Tony Blair were pushing in 2002-2003. Also we have the figure of 19 hijackers known, to a London Solicitor, as early as March 2001.
This means the various press articles naming Zacarias Moussaoui as the intended twentieth hijacker (and indeed parts of his trial) are rather superflous. We also have the figure of Ramzi Binalshibh, a Guantanamo Bay resident widely seen as one of the planners of 9/11. According to Yosri Fouda and Nick Fielding's book on 9/11, Binalshibh made strenous efforts to get himself into the US so he could take part in the 9/11 attacks. He was unsuccesful, which handily ensured the numbers being discussed in London remained accurate. 

Then again, it could be that the claim Julie Madison (who she?) knew the number of 9/11 attackers eight months beforehand is bollocks. I will allow the reader to decide!

Conspiracist Quote of the Day: 3

"In his previous work, The Secret Society of Freemasons Revealed, Almighty God Dawud Allah explains that nine out of every ten Caucasian babies are born with tails. While this secret has been hidden by Doctors (who are all Masons) Dawud names it as the reason for a preponderance of the word "tail" in white speech ("heads or tails," "boy I will beat your tail," "tailgate party"). It would be a mistake to consider Almighty God Dawud Allah's work as representing the Five Percenters' intellectual highpoint."

From Michael Muhammad Knight, The Five Percenters: Islam, Hip Hop and the Gods of New York (Oxford: One World, 2009) p.196.

Conspiracist Quote of the Day: 2

Headline news in the UK yesterday was the Leveson Inquiry into the conduct of the media.

All a waste of time if they had consulted David Icke, who in this mailing of 30 December 2010, reminds us that the media (and just about everything else) is controlled by the Rothschild-Zionists:

"that the Rothschild Zionists control the mainstream media; Hollywood and the movie industry; governments, not least in the United States; and crucially in the light of current events, they control global finance and commerce."

Classic Conspiracist Quote of the Day

Welcome to a new series on 9/11 Cultwatch where each morning (if I get round to it) I will bring you a classic quote from the weird and wonderful worlds of 9/11 truth and related conspiracy thinking.

To start the ball rolling, lets look back to 2006, when David Shayler and Annie Machon expressed the view that no planes hit the twin towers on 9/11. Annie likes to style herself as a serious columnist in The Guardian these days, commenting on the security services, policing and civil liberties. Those considering her views really should take her long term double act with David into account, in the years before the big man turned all David Icke on us.

This is from Brendan O'Neill's 11 September 2006 interview in the New Statesman:

"We know for certain that the official story of 9/11 isn't true," says Shayler. "The twin towers did not collapse because of planes and fire; they were brought down in a controlled demolition. The Pentagon was most likely hit by an American missile, not an aeroplane." Machon nods. In black trousers and black top, this sophisticated blonde in her late thirties comes across more like a schoolmarm than a 9/11 anorak. "The Pentagon's anti-missile defence system would definitely have picked up and dealt with a commercial airliner. We can only assume that whatever hit the Pentagon was sending a friendly signal. A missile fired by a US military plane would have sent a friendly signal." She says this in a kind of Anna Ford-style newsreader's voice, as if she were speaking the truth and nothing but the truth. She takes another sip of tea.

Check back later for more of the same - there is plenty more where that came from!

Nexus, The Chinese and Little Green Men

From the editorial in the Feb-March 2011 issue of Nexus:

"Meanwhile, rumours are on the rise that the Chinese have entered into a relationship with an alien race and that this involves game-changing technology. One thing that's not clear is whether this means conquest or cooperation by and with China. I also hope to have more information about this next time. The signs are there for all to see that the geopolitical landscape has changed dramatically, with China emerging on top. Many insiders say that war with China is coming soon, but is likely to be piggybacked on a major Earth-changing event."

It is noticeable that Nexus editor Duncan M Roads gives us no source for these 'rumours', nor any indication of who the 'insiders' are predicting war. Encouragingly - or perhaps not - he hopes to have more next time.
Astonishingly Nexus is now available nationally at WH Smiths, and I have even spotted it in small local newsagents in Manchester and Norwich. This appears to be the result of the efforts of its distributor, Seymour, based in Smithfield Market in London. When I tried to interest Seymour in taking parapolitical magazine Notes From the Borderland, I never even got a reply. It is a common lament of 'conspiracy' currents that they do not get a hearing, and that the 'mainstream' works to keep them out. In this instance at least, the opposite seems to be the case.

Conspiracy As Distractor

This week I have been reading Imtiaz Gul's excellent "The Most Dangerous Place: Pakistan's Lawless Frontier".

Gul has this to say about those In Pakistan who believe in an Indo-Israeli-American conspiracy against all Muslim countries:

"This conspiracy theory appeals to millions of disgruntled Pakistanis, those who buy into what the ruling elite - politicians, landlords, generals and industrialists - tell them to deflect their attention from pressing issues of governance, corruption and service delivery, conveniently passing the buck and blaming external factors for the miseries of Pakistan. Scapegoatism has a long history in Pakistan and sadly fits into an insensitive ruling elite's scheme of things"

Imtiaz Gul "The Most Dangerous Place: Pakistan's Lawless Frontier". (London: Penguin, 2010) p.174.

Conspiracies, Cults and Cover-Ups

I have just started reading David Alexander's 2002 book "Conspiracies and Cover-Ups: What The Government Isn't Telling You". 

I'm only a couple of chapters in, but two things struck me. Firstly Alexander can't seem to make up his mind as to whether this is a debunking book or his own research into government cover-ups. The second is that for a book that appears in 2002, there is hardly anything on 9/11, reminding us of the somewhat slow build up in 9/11 'truth' theories, especially in the western world.

This line from Alexander certainly hit home:

"In a lot of ways the more far-out and fringe conspiracy spiels remind me of the relentless process of dismantling reality used by cults to brainwash recruits and keep indoctrinated members in line. The whole feel and flavour of many theories, taken as a whole, is distinctly cultish" p.6

More on this book - and others - later.

The British Ostriches

I have just got round to reading Richard Watson's "The Rise of the British Jihad", which appeared in Granta issue 103, last summer.

Watson focuses largely on the former al-Muhajiroun group, 7/7, and Operation Crevice, with some interesting diversions into Pakistan. There are problems - I suspect Watson has relied far more heavily on Hassan Butt as a source than he declares, and he drops a clanger by giving us a pen portrait of Butt that includes his May 2008 arrest by Greater Manchester Police, but not his admission to have been making up his supposed terrorist past. Nor does Watson appear to have grappled with Nafeez Ahmed's work on either 7/7 or Operation Crevice.

For those interested in 7/7 conspiracy theories, Watson's interview with Dr Mohammed Naseem is all too brief, but his experience of meeting mosque leaders and discussing Jihadi terrorism is fascinating. Whilst it is perhaps not surprising that many ignore the supposition that the 7/7 bombers did find religious inspiration and justification for their actions (a myopia that has also infected parts of the British left) the degree to which Watson encountered conspiracy theory is less surprising:

"And conspiracy theories abound: large numbers of people simply do not believe that Muslims are involved in terrorist plots; they prefer to see the various plots as being part of a wider global anti-Islamic conspiracy, usually involving the Jews."

Richard Watson "The One True God, Allah: The Rise of the British Jihad" p.82 (Granta 103, 2008)

Just Look It Up On-Line?

"Instead of reading in the real sense of the word, our students today are often distracted by the fragmented knowledge available on the Internet and and in the mass media"

Edward W Said, in the preface (p.xx) to the 2003 edition of Orientalism.

On 'Truth' and Rejected Knowledge

I keep dipping in and out of John Michael Greer's "The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Hidden History", and it is certainly possible to position the 'truth' movement within the structure of earlier phenomena. Listen to this extract from the section on the emergence of rejected knowledge:

"The downside of this process was a complete breakdown in critical thinking on the part of many believers in rejected knowledge. Increasingly, in the last decades of the twentieth century, the only evidence that was needed to prove the reality of some piece of rejected knowledge to many people was the sheer fact that someone in science or government had rejected it.
Real anomalies and traditional systems of alternative thought and practice were shoved aside in order to make room for new and more colourful theories, many of which rested on foundations of pure fantasy and some of which had been invented from whole cloth to cash in on a lucrative market.
A current of paranoia flowed into the movement as conspiracy theories gained widespread acceptance. The same period also saw alternative circles around the world embrace a "machismo of credulity", an attitude that treated a willingness to believe the most extravagant and unsupported claims as proof of one's intellectual liberation or spiritual insight."

p.492

We Know Blair Is Bad, But Please

This little gem comes courtesy of David Icke's e mail newsletter of 11 July. Coventry City's former reserve goalkeeper says of Tony Blair:

"... should he become EU President he will take Europe to war for his masters, the Rothschilds. They want a Third World War involving Europe, North America, Russia and China to bring in their world government dictatorship".

Of course they do David. 

Distractor Flares

"The thought does occur that there are so many things that the American state would rather the American electorate didn't look at about 9/11 - starting with the complete failure of very expensive US air defences - it is probably very happy that so much critical energy is being taken up with the America-and-or-Israel-did-it theses".

Robin Ramsay writing in the final (hard copy) issue of Lobster. 

Every Wondered Why Truthers Get On With Each Other?

Even when they appear to hold totally divergent views?

Damian Thompson's excellent Counterknowledge offers us a suggestion as to why. 

"An author who believes that Stonehenge was built by Aztecs will cheerfully recommend the work of someone who thinks it was built by the Priory of Sion, because they both recognise their real enemy as orthodox scholarship".  p.79

In other words it is not the theory that matters, just the fact that it is an alternative theory. Sad isn't it?

Does This Sound Like Any Campaign We Know?

"The evasion of unacceptable facts is a driving force behind many modern conspiracy theories"

John Michael Greer (discussing the Council of Rome) in "The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Hidden History: The ultimate A to Z of ancient mysteries, lost civilisations and forgotten wisdom", p. 154. 

From Fiction to Fact

"The irony of such conspiracy theories is that their deep distrust of the mass media is matched by an equally profound faith in the evidence it offers, so that supposedly factual news reports are rejected in favour of apparently fictional movies, both from the same source."

Acadmic Faisal Devji, in his book "Landscapes of the Jihad". Devji was discussing the belief in Saudi Arabia that 'proof' 9/11 was an inside job could be found in a piece of dialogue in the Hollywood film The Long Kiss Goodnight.

He could equally be discussing 9/11 'truth' staple Loose Change, which started out as a work of fiction then became 'fact'..............

US Researcher Tim Shorrock Slams 9/11 Cult

Hello to American writer Tim Shorrick, author of the recently released book "Spies For Hire" about the private sector's influence over the US intelligence agencies.

"I came across your site tonight. I'm the author of a recent book on privatized intelligence called Spies For Hire. Over the past few years, at various functions of the US left, I've run into many many 9/11 conspiracy theorists. They are indeed a cult.

They waste activists' time by forcing them to focus on a complete fantasy that draws people away from the most pressing issues of the day - domestic surveillance, the government's manipulation of the 9/11 attacks to create and spread fear, etc., etc. It's so important for you to be confronting these idiots and I appreciate your work."

Tim Shorrock

You can check Tim's personal website out here. In the meantime - it's nice to be noticed!

The Truth Is Out There..........

The creator of the X Files, Chris Carter, had this to say recently whilst promoting the new X-Files movie:

"I love all the JFK conspiracy theories. I love all the theories about 9/11. But only because they're so imaginative, you know?"

Quoted in The Metro, 28 July 2008.

Intelligent Fascism?

Hello to former British National Party Councillor, now 'independent nationalist' Simon Smith.

Mr Smith has tickled all of us at 9/11 Cultwatch with this 27 July quote on his blog, Nationalist Truth:

"I regard acceptance of the September 11th attacks as an "inside job" as the touchstone of an intelligent person's integrity in politics."

Simon - what else can we say? We are very happy be on the opposite side to you.

Anything Before But, Is Bullshit

Hello to former MI5 officer Annie Machon, who appears to be undergoing yet another re-branding.

Judging from her website, Ms Machon now appears to be reverting to her earlier guise as a serious commentator on security and (cheeky!) civil liberty issues. Take this quote on the UK and Ireland 9/11 Truth Movement:

"For the past few years I have also been involved in the 9/11 Truth Campaign. Before you all run for the hills, I want to state very clearly that I am not interested in speculating about the wilder theories about what happened that day. However, I do believe that there is an urgent need for a new and independent enquiry into these tragic events."

Can we expect Agent Annie to continue travelling back in time, perhaps to her 2005 "reds under the beds' stories in the Mail on Sunday, with Ms Machon warning of the dangers of Tony Benn and his leftie mates selling us all out to the dastardly Russians?

Or will she revert to her 1997-2005 pose, that we need a strengthened, modernised MI5 to protect us from all these dastardly terrorists out there threatening our national security?

Come on Annie - over to you!

A Right Cult?

Reading Robert Schroeder's book on Cults, it is hard to digest this quote without seeing the 9/11 truth movement flash before your eyes:

"They are the sane ones; the rest of us are the lunatics bound for annihilation. It is in this belief, this sense of moral and spiritual superiority, that much of their strength lies. Yet it is also the source of their weakness and, if history is any judge, of their ultimate demise."

Rampant Anti-Semitism Forces 9/11 Forum Into Admission

Quote of the day from UK 9/11 Truth Forum moderator Tony Gosling:

"We have come to the conclusion that discussing the minutiae of the Holocaust on this site is entirely counter-productive."

It seems Mr Gosling is now busily pulling threads in order to tidy up appearances. A fair task in a movement dominated by anti-semites like Eric Hufschmid, Michael Collins Piper and David Shayler, to name but three.

Still, anything that keeps Mr Gosling quiet for a little while is probably a good thing........

Rigorous? Naah, let's see what's on YouTube!

It seems 9/11 Cultwatch is very much the centre of attention these days!

Over at the website Rigorous Intuition, 9/11 truthers appear to have got a tad excited at the fact this blog mentions reading Rudolph Giuliani's book "Leadership". After all, studying primary sources is, by and large, an alien concept to 'truth' activists.

Poster orz though, did respond with this rather heavy blow:

"Yes, because we all know true 9/11 researchers wouldn't stoop so low as to read Giuliani's book when researching Giuliani. Why can't these spooky spooks just watch recontextualised interview clips on youtube like any reasonable and intelligent person would?"

You took the words right out of our mouth!

The Messiah - An Update

"Hello. And love and light to you all".

That is the introduction from 9/11 Truth activist David Shayler in his latest recording, as he discusses his 'incredible journey'.

If you need cheering up with a good laugh, you can view his recording here.

It Is Changing The System That Matters

“I’m not some sort of conspiracy theorist,” Monson says of his political leanings. “I’m not talking about how the government is trying to hide UFOs. I just want to do away with hierarchy. I’m saying that our economic system, capitalism, is structured so that it only benefits a small percentage of very wealthy people. When I was traveling in Brazil, they had us staying at a really posh hotel. Outside the hotel there was a mom sleeping on the sidewalk with her two kids. That’s when reality hits you. What did that woman ever do? Who did she ever hurt?”

Martial Artist and Ultimate Fighter Jeff Monson, interviewed by In These Times, back in 2006.

Blowback Personified

"The guys who took care of me back then are Taliban now."

US Congressman Charlie Wilson, speaking ahead of the release of the new US film "Charlie Wilson's War" which shows the funding of Mujahideen groups by the United States in the 1980s.

Feeding Off 9/11

"There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11".

US Senator Joseph Biden, on Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Paranoia Magazine...........

"Paranoia does not endorse a particular 9/11 theory, and encourages critical analysis of all 9/11 theories".

Issue 45 of Paranoia: The Conspiracry and Paranormal Reader.

Whilst it is tempting to be cynical about this quote (what better way to build the 9/11 'industry'?) it is hard to be opposed to critical analysis in any shape or form. The question is, when you look at the 9/11 'truth' movement, is critical analysis what is really happening?

A Platform For Action?

Robin Ramsay, editor of Lobster magazine has this to say on 9/11 in the current issue:

"To the irritation of some members of the 9/11 'truth movement', I do not think it was an inside job. But this does not mean that there is nothing to be investigated. As with most official reports into events with sensitive intelligence and/or political dimensions - and 9/11 had both, in spades - the report into 9/11 was concerned with establishing the official narrative (Al Qaeda attacks) while ignoring the anomalous or embarassing material; and there is enough of that to keep us all busy for the rest of our lives".