Conspiracy theorists are just so darned cute. Unfortunately, they are
big in numbers and serve as an alarming indication that truth no longer
prevails in these times. Lies get to flourish, despite any amount of
evidence that proves them as false. Get enough people telling the same
lie, all day, every day with political motives, and the lie becomes part
of the collective mindset.
A new conspiracy theory sprang to life this week, all over the
Internet and the mainstream national press. It will probably never die.
The premise: Osama bin Laden is not really dead.
“WHERE’S THE MUGSHOT?” demanded the first comment under an Associated
Press article Tuesday that was published on gazette.com.
“Looks like the Obamafrauds didn’t count on the public demanding
photographic proof,” wrote another gazette.com reader.
.................
“Deathers” want photos of bin Laden’s corpse, which could incite
Islamic tensions. If and when conspiracy theorists see these photos,
they will instantly declare them to be counterfeit. That is what the
“birthers” did when Obama showed the country his long-form birth
certificate in an effort to counter a lie that had grown to the point of
harming our country. The day before Obama released his long-form
certificate, a USA Today/Gallup poll found that only 38 percent of
Americans believed Obama was a natural born citizen. After he released
his certificate, an online survey of gazette.com readers showed that 58
percent of 3,539 participants believed the long-form certificate “is
probably forged.”
Conspiracy theorists are marginal in their behavior and they sound
ridiculous to critical thinkers. But their strength in numbers affects
public policy. They became so noisy a day after bin Laden was killed
that U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., went on the radio in an effort to
quiet all the fuss.
“What people need to know is that Osama bin Laden is dead. There is
no doubt about it. … If he’s not dead, let him produce another video,”
Rubio said.
We’re a culture with diminishing interest in the truth and a
destructive obsession with sensational tall tales that defy the gravity
of evidence, reason and proof. It’s a recipe for chaos and injustice.
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