A rabid monster cornered and the (dangerous) allure of “secret knowledge” (Copy)
This week the media was ablaze as conspiracy provocateur Alex Jones turned beet red to the news that his defense team deep sixed him in the Sandy Hook Parents defamation lawsuit in Austin, Texas. Did Jones’ lawyer(s) truly leak the defendant’s phone correspondence inadvertently, or was it actually intentional? It’s possible Jones’ lawyer realized they were initially non-compliant in discovery and this was a way to cover their respective asses? Why did they let the Texas law 10-day statute allowing redaction of the files to run out? Negligence? Or hopefully, perhaps Jones’ lawyer saw him for the monster he is and bent to their better moral natures. While the $4+ million settlement for compensatory damages was way less than what the Prosecution asked, it is some consolation for the suffering the Sandy Hook parents have suffered due to actions of the monster that is Alex Jones. (EDIT* -late on the afternoon of 8/5/22, the judy delivered a verdict of $45.2 million in punitive damages. However, Texas will likely reduce that number down to a paltry sum)
As covered in my piece on the Georgia Guidestones recently, my interest in alternative media and conspiracy theory culture goes back to 90’s. In the nascent days of the internet, Usenet chat forums sprung up on just about every topic you could imagine. Many were innocuous, for instance like the Grateful Dead fan forum I would frequent. Some of the conspiracy-related forums provided fun places for UFO geeks and Cryptozoologists to swap stories and trade information. But as imagined, a more dubious trend emerged. Neo-Nazis, Anti-Globalists, Anti-Semites, Anti-Government and other movements found ways to connect as well. Fresh off the Ruby Ridge, Waco, the Murrow Building Bombing, Elian Gonzalez, the ’96 Olympic Bombing and more, a nervous American populace was primed for suggestive influencing. The future was changing. Technology was moving at seemingly exponential speeds. As these forums grew and functionality improved, photos, audio files and more could now be integrated into the forums and rudimentary websites.
I still have a clear memory the first time I saw the “FEMA Concentration Camps” story posited on one of those forums back in the 90’s. It gave photos of detention facilities and vague descriptions of where these camps were supposedly located. After a little sleuthing and investigation, one of the photos that was presented as one of these specially created FEMA camps, I identified as actually being the Charles C. Bass Correctional Complex in West Nashville, TN across from the John C. Tune commuter airport (which incidentally was purchased by Rogers Group construction company and recently demolished). Another photo showed the Tennessee Prison for Women on Old Stewarts Lane nearby. A legacy of this “FEMA camps” list, and the notation in question can be found on this old website from the early aughts - https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2003/11/10/16584441.php
Additionally, the Southern Poverty Law Center has a good article from 2010 that documents the history of FEMA fear and roots of the FEMA Concentration Camp conspiracy (https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2010/fear-fema ). When Tea Party Era, Fox News media personality Glenn Beck conceded that there was no evidence of these supposed FEMA Camps in 2009, an enraged Alex Jones responded by calling him “an operative,” a “sick bastard” and “a piece of crap.”
Alex Jones launched his InfoWars website in early 1999. Initially, it mostly served as a news aggregator with provocative custom headlines above the linked articles (much like the Drudge Report was also doing at the time). Over time, as Jones’ team and content-creation capabilities grew, InfoWars began offering more and more original content. The Post-9/11 and post-Katrina environment and U.S government responses to those events, only heightened paranoia and government skepticism as a stunned American citizenry attempted to find answers among the disarray. Enter, the media-enabled monsters…
Many of the more modern conspiracies involving the concept of a global, wealthy cabal of elite persons running the world through back-door, extra-governmental channels have roots back to the anti-semitic 1903 tome The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The Protocols suggested that wealthy, influential Jewish Bankers conspired the take over the world. The book provided the supposed methods by which this covert Jewish consortium would execute their plan. It was first published in Russian. It is no doubt that the messages from The Protocols played a demonstrative role in the development of Hitler’s Nazi ideology and Anti-Jewish propaganda. When referencing The Protocols in his own manifesto Mein Kampf, Hitler suggests that The Protocols are authentic and writes “the important thing about The Protocols is that with positively terrifying certainty they reveal the nature and activity of the Jewish people and exposes their inner contexts as well as their ultimate final aims.”
In the 1990’s, as the internet developed, conspiracies developed and spread around the idea that a global, secret society of industrialists and world leaders actually ruled the world. On the brink of Gulf War I, President George HW Bush delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress. In the address, Bush spoke the following:
“We stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment. The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective
— a new world order —
can emerge: a new era freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace. An era in which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony.”
Among the conspiracy set, This New World Order was a new euphemism for the centuries old secret society – The Illuminati. According to the conspiracists, The Illuminati in turn have been linked to the Freemasons, another Enlightenment-era secret society. The Illuminati actually did exist. It was a Bavarian, Intellectual group whose goals were to “oppose superstition, obscurantism and religious influence over public life and abuses of state power.” The Bavarian Illuminati was founded on May 1st, 1776 in Europe. Two months later, on July 4th, representatives from the 13 American Colonies signed the (mostly) Thomas Jefferson penned Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Benjamin Franklin is understood to have greatly assisted Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence’s final draft. Freemasonry existed back then as it still does today. Much of the symbolism found in the United States initial artwork, currency, etc. shares similarity with iconic Masonic imagery and concepts. Like Freemasonry, much of those artifacts remain today as well. Almost 20% of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence were Freemasons. Notable ones included John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington and yes…Ben Franklin.
Thomas Paine is considered the Father of The American Revolution. In 1172, Thomas Paine’s chance meeting in London with Benjamin Franklin spawned a lifelong kindred friendship over their shared philosophies. A man from humble means, Paine gained some notoriety as a man fighting for the common people as he transitioned from his job in Lewes, England as a tax collector to become an activist for fair taxation. His friend Ben Franklin convinced Paine to move to the Colonies in 1774. Seen as an outsider in England, Paine quickly found favor with Philadelphia’s community of patriots. Released at the beginning of 1776, his pamphlet Common Sense made a strong and fiery case against Great Britain for Colonial Independence. One of the most impactful ideas presented in Common Sense was that Paine denounced the concept of Monarchal rule in its entirety. Paine argued that the American Colonies should form an entirely new system of government where every citizen had a voice regardless of their wealth and where everyone could vote or hold office regardless of their economic station in society. While it is unclear if Paine was himself a Freemason, his political and philosophical ideas were firmly fostered from the concepts of liberty as developed out of the European Enlightenment movement. The definition of illuminati literally means “people claiming to possess special ENLIGHTENMENT or knowledge of something” or “any of various groups claiming special religious ENLIGHTENMENT.”
At the nation’s founding, George Washington, like Ben Franklin also held Thomas Paine in high regard. Washington had some of Paine words from Paine’s pamphlet The American Crisis distributed to his retreating army in hopes of inspiring them to keep up the fight. The power of Paine’s words gave Washington’s Continental Army the morale boost it needed. Washington’s army adopted the motto “Victory or Death” and on Christmas 1776, crossed the Delaware River, marched 10 miles through the snow underequipped and proceeded to rout the British Forces at Trenton. This battle arguably, saved the American Revolution.
Interestingly and a topic I’ll write more about in the future, Paine, Washington and Franklin (along with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe) were all deists. Yes. The powerhouse thinkers, the Founding Fathers we read about as being the most influential to the United States forming, were not avowed Christians. Here’s the Wikipedia entry on Deism - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism
The irony that the January 6th, 2021 self-identified “patriots,” many of whom identify as Christians, stormed the United States Capitol under the banner of their insurrection being a new “1776” moment, with hopes to un-democratically install the first American monarch since the Republic’s founding, should be lost on no one.
Alex Jones was there at the Capitol on January 6th. Jones was instrumental in the organizing and funding of the “Stop The Steal” event on January 6th that proceeded the storming. His presence was formidable at the event itself. On January 6th, Jones riled up the crowd right before they marched to the Capitol by saying “We declare 1776 against the new world order. We need to understand we’re under attack, and we need to understand this is 21st-century warfare and get on war footing.” The Congressional January 6th Committee and Federal Investigators have asked for the cell phone data that was leaked during the Sandy Hook Defamation trial. That information will likely further uncover that Jones was an instrumental player in coordinating the insurrectionist actions of that day.
The destruction Alex Jones’ 25 year-long mission of misinformation has wrought on the American soul and psyche can not be understated. When I lived in Franklin TN from the early aughts through the late teens, there was a small music venue/bar I would frequent. It was a melting pot of singer-songwriters from many different backgrounds with many different views about the world. Christians and Atheists, Democrats and Conservatives. All that and everything in-between could be found there. At the Tuesday open mic night, you might find me playing my social justice songs followed by Victoria Jackson (of SNL fame) dishing out her pro-conservative ukulele ballads.
There were two other singer-songwriter friends of mine who would frequent this establishment back in the Pre-Trump days. One was a Northeastern-born, Sportsman/Outdoorsman fella who had a friend back home who lost a child in the Sandy Hook Massacre. The other was a French-Canadian bohemian minstrel chap who told me he liked Alex Jones and InfoWars and the things that platformed espoused. Neither seems overtly religious, but both were conservative generally in their politics I surmised. Both were and still are very nice guys and an easy hang. One night the topic of Sandy Hook came up between me and the French-Canadian and he flat out told me he thought it was a false flag, a hoax and that crisis actors were involved. I was stunned, but I also knew where he was getting this idea. With joviality and some reason, I tried to persuade him not to believe that nonsense. Around the same time, is when I learned that the other friend, the Sportsman/Outdoorsman, had a friend back home who actually lost a child at Sandy Hook. Not too long later, I had the idea to maybe bring the three of us together, perhaps over a nice meal, to discuss the topic and exchange thoughts.
My hope was that in hearing the Sportsman/Outdoorsman’s direct story and experience with their friend’s loss that the French-Canadian friend might possibly develop a different perspective regarding the Sandy Hook Massacre. I reached out to both. My Sportsman/Outdoorsman friend was open to meeting. My French-Canadian friend declined my invitation and through his partner responded that they would prefer (paraphrasing) to “keep it about the music and the love and not do politics.” In light of Alex Jones confession last year that he now believes the Sandy Hook Massacre “100% happened” and the event at his trial this week have had any impact on my French-Canadian friend’s thoughts.
Over the years, I’ve often written about what I call the allure (and dangers) of secret knowledge. I have been outspoken about my disdain of Alex Jones long before he was even close to a household name. For a couple of decades even. I was so emotionally moved by that experience involving my two singer-songwriter friends discussed above, I encapsulated the thoughts about it and Alex Jones in my band’s 2019 song Started Feelin’ Better. The second verse reads:
The Allure of secret knowledge is a powerful drug
But sometimes you might find a little surprise when you lift up the rug
and learn the ons you sought out on the Internet to help, bring you the truth
Were just snake oil charlatans of a new breed, pullin’ the con on you
Certainly, from a philosophical and intellectual standpoint, The United States was founded on the ideas developed during the Age of Enlightenment movement of 1700’s Europe. The roots of this movement actually date back to antiquity and Grecian times. Those ideas, and the ideas of Freemasonry and the Bavarian Illuminati are anti-establishment, anti-monarchy and anti-theocracy. The theocracies during the Age of Enlightenment in Europe were “Christian.” While these groups may have seemed exclusive or secret, the ideas expressed by its adherents were in the open for all see. When that secret knowledge is imbibed with truth and reason and the ideas are given to the people freely, it can be an overwhelming force for progress and positive change. When other supposed secret knowledge is built on lies and deceit and suggested as being only for the select few of the “in” group of choice (i.e. “Real Americans” or “Patriots” or “Believers”), the consequences can be disastrous.
Jones has certainly made money off his writings, internet presence, video production and more, but it’s becoming clear how much of his income was really made by selling vitamin supplements, merchandise and other products through his commerce channels. One of his lawyer’s even suggested that Jones’ product offerings can rack up upwards of $800,000 on any given day in product sales.
Almost 20 years ago, for my 29th birthday, my wife gave me a copy of Jon Ronson’s 2002 international bestseller Them: Adventures with Extremists. She understood my interest and skepticism of the conspiracy culture. Homerun babe. Homerun! I highly recommend this book. a fascinating read about American conspiracy culture that holds up to this day. From the Jones trial this week, some of you may have heard of the “Lizard People” for the first time. One rejected question, largely publicized, in the trial a Juror wanted asked was “Will Jones still be able to fight “the globalists” if he resolved the Sandy Hook issue and if he would state under oath that he is not a lizard person who works for the globalists?” Was this a serious question or was the Juror attempting to troll Jones? I suppose we’ll never know. But the idea of the Global Ruling Elite being shape-shifting reptilians is nothing new. Jones’ mentor David Icke and predecessor kicked all this off in the 90’s and Jones just ran the ball to the goal line. In writing his book, Ronson spent a considerable amount of time with a young Alex Jones. They even infiltrated the mysterious and exclusive Bohemian Grove private club compound in Marin County, CA together. Ronson thoughts were that it was mostly just ultra rich and powerful guys being weird and actin’ a fool, Jones takeaway was more like “yeah, see?”
But that was twenty years ago. Does Jones believe any of this manipulative garbage he spews, or is it just a long-game, money-making con pulled over on vulnerable people who yearn to feel special in their otherwise ordinary lives? Who really knows? What we do know is the monster is injured now, hopefully grievously, and it’s cornered. Will the rabid monster lash out hysterically for fear of being caged or will it slink off to a place to wither away to the infinity by its lonesome, as injured animals often do?
“There is a War on For Your Mind” indeed America. But perhaps more importantly, there’s a war on for your soul.