Rachel Maddow: Crackpot conspiracy theories enjoy mainstreaming by right

[William Seger]

Unbelievably, some public-official far-right-wingers are endorsing Alex Jones' insane Marathon bombing conspiracy theories. Guest is Alice Hoagland, the mother of Mark Bingham, who called her from Flight 93 before it crashed following a truly heroic passenger revolt that very likely prevented 93 being crashed into the Capitol building. Talking about having attended a Richard Gage lecture and having confronted crackpots at Shanksville for a BBC special, she says, "I've come to the conclusion that you really can't talk to those folks. You cannot reason with them because they are so invested in the crazy story that they've gotten a hold of like a Rottweiler, and have bitten it and chewed it until it became a really bloody big lie... I've given up on trying to change conspiracy theorists."

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/vp/51653479#51653479

True, they rarely can be changed, but they can be confronted. Bullshit that's ignored does not disappear; it procreates.

[Frank_Norris_Lives]

1. Aaahh....

.....your spot in the world must be comfortable. You're a real armchair quarterback.

The other day, we held a farewell luncheon for one of our security personnel. After the presentation of many anecdotes and plaques, it was finally her turn to speak. She got a bit emotional, her eyes were wet. Her husband and daughter moved on to his new station in Japan nearly three months prior so she was surely missing them. She related several stories from her tenure to include some rough spots in her career, the highlight of which was having to cancel a long-planned trip to London in 2005 of some 48 wives from a city on the continent for which the bus trip to London is nearly 24 hours with the Chunnel and all. She said the hotel they had booked was next to one of the bombing locations but her story really focused on the outrage of the women.

I turned to a sympathetic colleague who stared back at me wide-eyed.

Afterwards, I asked her. J., I said, there was no state dept. travel advisory for London that summer. Her eyes widened as she looked back at me. I took this to mean she realized she said something she shouldn't have. "We had a warning," she said, and turned away.

So, it's either state-sponsored or LIHOP.

Poor Ms. Hoagland. But, she enjoys a certain comfort too.

[William Seger]

5. WTF?

> Poor Ms. Hoagland. But, she enjoys a certain comfort too.

[NoMoreWarNow]

2. that was one of the most disgusting thing I have seen

Just one lame smear after another. She's a pathetic sell-out. I will never take her seriously again.

[William Seger]

4. LOL, I'd guess the sentiment is mutual (n/t)

[cpwm17]

3. Here's the BBC program that Alice Hoagland appeared in:

Alice Hoagland appears at 48:15

[NoMoreWarNow]

6. thanks-- so it was a real BBC show

on Maddow, she made it sound like she was duped or something.

Here's an old BBC interview with Hoglan (Hoagland)--
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/events/newsnight/1726647.stm

ALICE HOGLAN:
I took the phone and I heard my son's voice and he said to me, "Mom, this is Mark Bingham." I knew from that he was trying to maintain composure, but I could tell he was a little rattled because he was giving me his first and last names. He said, "I want to let you know that I love you. I'm on a flight from Newark to San Francisco, and there are three guys on board who have taken over the plane and they say they have a bomb."

(snip)

ALICE HOGLAN:
It sounded as if someone was speaking to him quietly, possibly sitting right next to him, then he came back on the line and said, "You believe me, don't you?" I said, "I believe you, who are these guys?" There was another long pause. I listened and then the phone went dead.

(snip)

ALICE HOGLAN:
I carried one of the twin girls and the triplets, as it happened. It has really changed my life. Aside from having Mark Bingham as my son, perhaps having those babies for Vaughn and Cathy was the most important thing I've done.

---------

"having Mark Bingham as my son"?

What an odd thing for a mom to say.

[cpwm17]

8. Her son was murdered by the terrorists on 9-11

There's no reason to attack her because the truth of what happened on 9-11 doesn't fit your story.

It's bad form to attack the victim.

[William Seger]

7. Another segment from Friday's show

Poking fun at Alex Jones' dating site and #infowarspickuplines, but then again hits on prominent Republicans giving credence to Marathon bombing CTs.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26315908/#51683482

[AverageJoe90]

9. Unfortunately, Bill, crackpot B.S. isn't just a rightwing problem, though.

Last edited Wed May 1, 2013, 02:56 AM - Edit history (1)

Take a look at a lot of what climate doomers & Obama bashers have said, in particular.

(Don't believe me? Go to E & E sometime. Some good stuff IS in there, but you'll have to wade thru lots of bullshit, particularly on the comments boards.)

And speaking of climate doomer nutjobbery, here's some more B.S.:

http://guymcpherson.com/2013/04/the-irreconcilable-acceptance-of-near-term-extinction/#comment-68502
http://guymcpherson.com/2013/04/the-irreconcilable-acceptance-of-near-term-extinction/#comment-68512
http://guymcpherson.com/2013/04/the-irreconcilable-acceptance-of-near-term-extinction/#comment-68516
http://guymcpherson.com/2013/04/the-irreconcilable-acceptance-of-near-term-extinction/#comment-68551
http://guymcpherson.com/2013/04/the-irreconcilable-acceptance-of-near-term-extinction/#comment-68651
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-008-9327-2/fulltext.htm