Alex Jones is nuts. It's nuts that he gets any traction on his crazy show, and nuttier still that he gets support from any member of the Republican party. But he does, and he feeds all the paranoia and insanity on the far right on a daily basis.
Rachel Maddow walked through some of his usual conspiracy theories -- 9-11 truther, Oklahoma City bombing denier, and more -- to arrive at the latest one. Yes, folks, the tornado that devastated most of Moore, Oklahoma was no accident. It was actually a conspiracy on the part of the Obama administration. After all, what good is a conspiracy if you can't hang it on Obama, right?
Jones, in his own wacky words:
... and tornadoes are way down, they lie on the way up to get carbon taxes, but I don't know if this was a weather weapon or not, but they can with the right weather conditions, they can create and steer groups of tornadoes. People 50 miles out of storm systems see aircraft in and around the clouds spraying and doing things, if you saw that, you better bet your bottom dollar they did this. But who knows if they did, that's the thing.
Of course it's always the "who knows" part that launches the conspiracy. I guarantee you someone in Oklahoma now "knows" they saw "aircraft in and around the clouds spraying and doing things." What things? That's not necessary for the conspiracy. As long as there were aircraft, and they were "doing things", Jones has launched the conspiracy for everyone to gnaw on.
These are the "weather weapons." Rachel notes that they must exist right alongside the stockpiled bullets the government is hoarding in order to deny good God-fearing Amurikans their guns. Because Obama.
Jones is being increasingly treated as a serious voice within the Republican Party, and lawmakers in statehouses across the country and in Congress are beginning to parrot his views, however bizarre they might sound. Even Fox News hosts and Republican freshman Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has appeared on the Alex Jones Show, much like his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), continues to do.
I like Rachel's response the best.
Who knows? Who knows if the US. Government uses a secret made-up weather weapon that only exists in the mind of -- yeah, that's the thing, right? Here's the other thing. Alex Jones should be disqualified from participating in Republican party politics. His crackpot theories shouldn't prompt hearings in Congress and inspire actual legislation in Congress, shouldn't do a money bomb on his show running for Congress. Do not fundraise on the theater of the absurd by showing yourself to be one with this guy, really. He says the tornado was a conspiracy, the tornado. Can we agree it is over now, Republicans, going on his show, really, can we agree, please?
Republicans are going to line up to go on his show, Rachel. His audience is the only base they have left.
Note: Dave Neiwert reminded me that this theory has been around for many, many years. It ties in with the Militia of Montana people.
I wanted to let you know that the claims of government manipulating the weather to obtain political results actually dates back to the 1990s militia movement. It was one of John Trochmann’s favorite theories, and Militia of Montana sold a number of publications advancing it.
