9/11 CultWatch

Flight M3570 Conspiracy Theories: The Rothschilds Again!

I have somewhat lacked the will and energy to battle through all the conspiracy sites and claims about the fate of the missing Malaysian airliner. 

I do note that one particular claim unites several recurrent conspiracy themes - anti-Semitism, a powerful dynasty - in this case the Rothschilds, the scramble for new technology and a core player in contemporary conspiracism - the news channel Russia Today.
This particular gem centres on the idea that Jacob Rothschild has now become the sole-holder of a semi-conductor patent, following the death of four colleagues on the tragic flight. The Spanish language version of Russia Today apparently presented this as news, and it has now been taken in a million different directions by online researchers.  

For the original Spanish article go here. If you can bear to do so, you can read an example of some of the whackier Rothschild claims, which also brings together energy weapons, the US-Russia stand-off over Ukraine, the UK, US, Israel and a Malaysian war crimes tribunal, here. 

Quack!

A small mention for the British Humanist Association, who on Saturday 30 November are holding an event examining Science and Pseudo-Science, at Conway Hall in London. 

There are many arguments for free schools, but part of the collateral damage may be the rise of pseudo-science in our education system - that, and other subjects, is to be debated. For the agenda, and online registration, go here. 

Different Cultures, Different Conspiracy Theories?

Whilst research into what is dubbed 'conspiracy theory' is now developing, I am not aware of any comparative studies comparing, for example, conspiracy theorists in the West and those in Muslim majority countries, or those in say Russia and the United States. 

From my own reading Western conspiracy theories appear far more eclectic. In the US or UK you can wade through everything from shape shifting aliens to men in black. In the Muslim world, and amongst elements in Muslim communities in the West, conspiracy theories (for want of a better term) appear to centre on Israel, the Jews, the USA and bizarrely, freemasonry. 

The December 2013 Fortean Times (the somewhat disappointing fourtieth anniversary issue) has two whole pages on one manifestation of this - the series of 'arrests' of birds in Egypt, Sudan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon on suspicion of spying for Israel. In each instance the birds appear to have been fitted with some form of tag or monitoring equipment as part of scientific surveys. These tags usually contain the details of the Israeli universities involved in these projects. 

The widespread nature of these concerns - Fortean Times lists incidents in five different countries since 2010, is surely indicative. If such panics have occurred elsewhere, 9/11 Cultwatch is unaware of them. Or did the USA regularly arrest migrating geese in the Cold War, for fear they had been holidaying in the Soviet Union?

As ever, 9/11 Cultwatch is happy to be corrected by its readers.............

Tackling David Ray Griffin

Always the most ponderous of 'truth' theorists, David Ray Griffin has had six of the best, trousers down courtesy of Ryan Mackey.

To quote the author

"....we examine the claims of Dr. David Ray Griffin regarding the NIST investigation into the World Trade Center disasters, and find those claims to be unfounded. All 18 major claims are discussed and rigorously dismissed, and a further analysis of the text reveals an overwhelming density of factual and logical errors."

You can read the full report here.