Sound the alarm over this

Welcome to the land where there are no coincidences, where innuendo is fact and all rumors are true. Welcome to the land where every time a thing happens that’s politically or financially beneficial to someone else, that thing was staged. Welcome to the land where an 80% chance is a 100% chance, where a slip of a tongue is “absolute proof” of something nefarious, where 10,000 people can keep a secret for life, where everyone “in on” the secret is laughably incompetent one day and ingeniously powerful and brilliant the next, depending on the need. Welcome to the land of conspiracy theories.

Some are superfluously plausible, like a few of the conspiracy theories surrounding the Kennedy assassination. Some are laugh-out-loud ridiculous, like the “moon hoax” or the “9/11 Truth” silliness. But they all share the same or similar things in common. They are all constructed of an elaborate series of coincidences, exaggerated innuendo, preposterous misdirections, “witnesses” with positively zero credibility, boldfaced lies given as “scientific fact,” previously unknown technologies invented from whole cloth in order to support absurd conclusions, and hundreds — or even thousands — of people who can keep a secret. There isn’t a single piece of real evidence to support any of them. And millions of Americans and people across the world are taken in by them every single day.

It is now becoming increasingly popular for conspiracy theorists to proclaim a wholly unearned victory. I’m seeing it more and more these days. Scottish rightwing commentator Neil Oliver recently (and with pompous breathlessness) proclaimed, “How many of yesterday’s so-called conspiracy theories must be revealed as the truth before that worn-out label is finally abandoned?” (The answer, of course, is “some, or even one of them,” would be a nice start.) The year 2024, Oliver self-importantly proclaims, should be the year of “clearing out the trash.”

“To be a conspiracy theorist is to be right all along,” Oliver announces without evidence. He then goes on to, ahem, “prove” his point. He begins by telling us he sits before us “loud and proud as an unvaxxed conspiracy theorist,” which these days means he’s one of the lucky few vocally outspoken anti-vaxxers who actually lived to tell the story. He ignores things like, oh, I dunno, statistic-based evidence. After the vaccine was released, millions of lives were saved. After that the vast majority of deaths due to Covid-19 were overwhelmingly among the ones who refused the vaccine.

Oliver also proclaims a lie I’ve been hearing a lot lately. “A growing number of scientists and medical professionals” are now questioning whether or not the pandemic was real. (No they’re not.) Ah yes, the “PLANdemic” bullshit is starting to make a comeback, and dishonest idiots are once again preying on gullible people with short memories. Here we go again.

But then, what do I know? I am one of the “paid” members of the dark opposition, enemies of enlightened bringers of truth such as Neil Oliver. That’s right, he actually asserted that people like me who call out his crap are actually getting paid to do so! Honesty to God, he said that with an actual straight face! And comments to his video are FULL of praise for his forthright “honesty.” Unbelievable.

I’m sure I don’t have to remind most of you that, here on Palmer Report, I have always been an outspoken enemy of conspiracy theories. I hope by now it’s obvious why. If it isn’t, then permit me to explain once again.

The nearly six years I have been writing for Palmer Report have seen an alarming rise in belief in preposterous nonsense such as the “flat earth” mental disease, and other equally stupid absurdities. The reason I have been and remain so staunchly opposed to such crap is because of the disastrous effect they have had on the fate of knowing. These days it’s becoming alarmingly easy for people to be fooled, and Republicans are discovering that the barrier for entry into the land of “anything goes” is preposterously low — and shrinking year upon year.

For example, when we impeached Donald Trump for two easily remembered reasons — that he tried to blackmail the president of Ukraine into announcing an investigation of Hunter Biden and that he fomented an insurrection against the United States and gave aid and comfort to its traitors — Republicans responded by starting impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden for reasons unknown. When, with powerful, incontrovertible evidence, we proclaimed Donald Trump an insurrectionist, Republicans called Joe Biden an insurrection — just because.

When we call Trump a threat to democracy it’s because we have good reason. Because every day he promises to dismantle democracy if he’s ever elected to the presidency again. When Republicans call Joe Biden a threat to democracy it’s nothing more than cheap political tit for tat. And they mostly get away with it.

When we attempt to keep Donald Trump off the ballot in certain states because he’s Constitutionally prohibited from the office of president, Republicans in other states respond by threatening to keep Joe Biden off their ballot for no reason at all. A world used to surrendering to conspiracy theories is a world where such outrages aren’t just possible, they’re easy.

This is why it’s so easy for Republicans to get away with shabby, easily-defeated lies these days. People have become mentally soft, in part because of an alarming increase in acceptance of conspiracy theories. Think of it yourself. Twenty years ago would Republicans have been able to get with half the lies they tell today? Of course they wouldn’t. What changed?

I dislike the cliche of the frog in the pan of increasingly hotter water, but that shoe happens to fit the current foot all too well. If we’re going to defeat Republican fascism, fight global warming and establish peace among all nations, we’re all going to have to grow up. Demand evidence before you believe something, and whatever you believe, do so with caution. The world needs that all-too-rare commodity known as truth now more than ever. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.