Extremism in the defense of liberty?

People on the left want abortion rights, but they want to limit gun rights. People on the right want their guns and they want to ban abortion. Neither side seems to have monopoly on liberty.

After proposition 8 passed, churches were vandalized. After the health care bill passed, the offices of Democrats were vandalized. People at the extremes seem to act similarly regardless of their beliefs.

People on each side have legitimate reasons to believe what they believe, be it God or secular humanism or whatever. How do people originally decide which camp they fall in? Intelligence? Life experience? Peer group? And once they have formed their opinions, why are they so reluctant to change them? Why are some so convinced that they are right that they are willing to use violence? Why do you believe what you believe?

Oh, the Humanity Indeed!

Check this puppy out. You think America is the bastion of liberty? Then check out the latest move by the city of Gilbert, Arizona.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,589385,00.html

GILBERT, Ariz. — The national Alliance Defense Fund says a town code that bars religious assemblies in private homes in the Arizona community of Gilbert is unconstitutional.
The Oasis of Truth church began meeting at Pastor Joe Sutherland's house in November and rotated homes several times a week for Bible study and fellowship.
A Gilbert code compliance officer hit the church with a violation notice after seeing a sign near a road advertising a Sunday service.
A zoning administrator told the church that Bible studies, church leadership meetings and fellowship activities are not permitted in private homes.
The Alliance Defense Fund's Doug Napier says no neighbors complained.
The Scottsdale-based group has filed an appeal with the town of Gilbert, contending its code violates the U.S. Constitution.

Now this pisses me off and I don't care what side of the politial spectrum you're on. If you're a campist, it's time rethink your strategy, if it doesn't involve opposing legislation like this. The Private Individiual Rights better come first in a country that barred the gov't from these intrusions more than a half-century ago. Haven't we seen religious discrimination at work? Does it ever work? As a good friend of mine said once, Oh, the Humanity! Yes indeed.

Truthiness

As a sworn enemy of reality, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has found a home in the ironically-named "truther" movement. He has publicly stated his belief that the attacks of 9-11 were a "big fabrication" and were a pretext for the invasion of Afghanistan (read about his comments here).

In the context of my recent postings about world leaders and conspiracy theories, I thought this story was very interesting. While he doesn't represent any real executive power in Iran, it is certainly alarming that even a titular head of state can say such things in public. It's even scarier that these kinds of comments tend to rally his base, rather than embarrass them.

Are there ANY voices of reason out there?

New World (dis)Order

A few years ago I read a book called "Them: Adventures with Extremists." The book was written by a British journalist named Jon Ronson (the same guy who wrote "Men Who Stare at Goats"). The book chronicles Mr Ronson's experiences as he travels around the world (ok...mostly the US and the UK) visiting with extremists of all stripes, including firebrand Islamic cleric Omar Bakri Muhammad, Klan leader Tom Robb, Randy Weaver (of Ruby Ridge fame), and radio shock jock Alex Jones. He attempts to understand and convey to the reader some integral parts of their world view. What he finds is that they all have the common thread of being conspiracy theorists. While they don't necessarily agree on many points, they do seem to think that the world is controlled by some shadowy cabal that seeks to enslave and/or subjugate everyone else.

I really enjoyed the book. Secure in the knowledge that this kind of thinking is relegated to the outer fringe of society, I found such ideas interesting. Even entertaining.

Not anymore.

I'm not sure if conspiracy theories have gotten more popular, or if I'm just more sensitive to this sort of thing, but they seem to be everywhere. From celebrities (Rosie O'Donell and Charlie Sheen) to Heads of State (Chavez [see last posting] and even European leaders), everyone is espousing pet theories. It seems as though this has gotten out of control.

When contemplating the origin of all these theories, only one possible explanation emerges. The theories themselves were created by the Illuminati in order to measure intelligence. Only the dumbest, most useless oxygen thieves actually believe them. They will be the first to die when the zeta reticulans land. Don't believe me? Then allow me to create a pseudo-scientific YouTube video about it. Then you'll see. And if you say you don't believe it, then I'll just assume that you either a) stupid or b) one of "them."

In all honesty, I find this kind of thinking dangerous and destructive. It allows people to assume the worst of their leaders and institutions, and to form opinions that far exceed their level of actual knowledge. It can poison clear thinking and breed paranoia. And worst of all, it disguises lies to appear as truth.

Just to be clear; I'm not saying people don't conspire. But I am saying many of the popular theories out there are, in my view, complete BS. It seems like the nut jobs are monopolizing the microphone these days, so please allow me to add a voice of reason to the fray.


Eh hem!

May I have your attention please! You should be aware of the following:

• The moon landings were not faked. They really happened.


• 9-11 was not an inside job. Please, PLEASE do not try to refute this. I will lose. much respect for you. If you mention Building 7, I may explode.


• None of the earthquakes that have occurred were deliberately caused by the US.


• The US government did NOT blow up any levees in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (sorry Spike Lee).


• Obama is not using FEMA to build concentration camps around the US.


• There are no black helicopters waiting to pounce on the US.

So, let's talk about this. Has anyone else noticed an increase in this kind of thinking? Why is it happening? What makes a conspiracy theorist tick? Why do these ideas persist?