Truthers, Birthers, And, Now, Meet The “Deathers”
Less than 48 hours after the mission that ended in the death of Osama bin Laden took place, the conspiracy theories are already in full bloom:
In an age of mistrust for authority, and when the mainstream media has lost its ability to damp down discredited theories, bin Laden’s death is already in dispute.
An arm of a Pakistani Taliban group led the charge Monday, according to Pakistan’s GEO TV, insisting that Bin Laden is still alive. Supporters rallied around a new Facebook group called, “Osama bin Laden NOT DEAD.” Meanwhile, the Pakistani and British media Monday fell prey to a recycled and faked photograph of a dead Bin Laden.
In the United States, suspicious voices rose across the political spectrum. Radio host Alex Jones, a powerful hub of anti-government sentiment and leader of those who believe the American government was behind the September 11 attacks, instantly floated his own theory: “Government had Osama bin Laden frozen for years.”
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan wrote her supporters, “I am sorry, but if you believe the newest death of OBL, you’re stupid. Just think to yourself—they paraded Saddam’s dead sons around to prove they were dead—why do you suppose they hastily buried this version of OBL at sea? This lying, murderous Empire can only exist with your brainwashed consent—just put your flags away and THINK!”
And on the conservative site Big Peace, J. Michael Waller demanded that Obama lay the corpse out in lower Manhattan. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” he wrote.
Others speculated that perhaps bin Laden had never existed at all. And throughout a Muslim world in which bin Laden’s guilt in the 9/11 attacks remains, according to polls, widely doubted, the stealthy American incursion could only stir more conspiracy theorizing.
This is one of the reasons, no doubt, that the Administration is weighing releasing photographic evidence of bin Laden’s death, a decision that Matt Drudge says has already been made. Of course even photographs won’t convince some people:
Even photographs, in an age of digital trickery, may not convince everyone. The faked photos that re-emerged yesterday after circulating in 2009, for instance, are dramatic and compelling.
“The photos of Saddam Hussein’s sons did not really quiet the doubts about their death,” said Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who noted that the White House will probably avoid releasing photographs over the same propaganda concerns that prompted the burial at sea.
There will always be crazies, of course, but I think it serves the Administration well to at least release some photographic evidence of what happened on Sunday to satisfy the world, and to point out just how crazy the doubters actually are.
In truth (if I can even use that word in this context), a body wouldn’t convince everyone, as the charge could be made that the body was mocked up to look like Osama’s.
(Oh, and don’t forget the Transcripters in your list!).
I suppose this qualifies as conspiracy:
Bin Laden Is Dead … But Why Didn’t We Kill Him 10 Year Ago?
Now if only Jeromi Corsi would write a book about Bin Laden’s fate. 🙂
@Ignacio:
In said book we would discover that bin Laden worked in a Kenyan hospital in the 1960s right before he infiltrated Hawaiian newspapers. From there he went on to fight in Afghanistan and form al Qaeda.
Currently he is working to create the North American Union and to replace the dollar with the amero. This death thing is just Obama providing cover.
I am shocked, shocked!, to find out that someone who writes for Breitbart is just as crazy as Alex Jones and Cindy Sheehan.
I’ve been saddened by the left-right bickering going on here at OTB over this whole issue. Can we just say that both the left and right have their crazies? Or do we have to suffer through, as certain frequent commenters insist – any criticism of Obama is racism based. And similar balderdash from the right.
And while on the subject of rampant intellectual dishonesty, I’m fascinated that as Obama and his supporters take the chariot lap for JSOC’s accomplishment, wasn’t it the New Yorker and all its leftist sycophants who once described JSOC as Dick Cheney’s personal death squad or assassins or something like that? C’mon people. OTB is headed downward.
How you say this:
and then follow that with this in the same breath:
shows that you aren’t very self-aware.
Can we just say that both the left and right have their crazies?
Yes.
Or do we have to suffer through, as certain frequent commenters insist – any criticism of Obama is racism based.
You’re the one who brought up racism.
And similar balderdash from the right.
You are a purveyor of said balderdash.
And while on the subject of rampant intellectual dishonesty, I’m fascinated that as Obama and his supporters take the chariot lap for JSOC’s accomplishment, wasn’t it the New Yorker and all its leftist sycophants who once described JSOC as Dick Cheney’s personal death squad or assassins or something like that?
It’s intellectually dishonest of me to be glad bin Laden is dead because of a New Yorker piece I’ve never read? Interesting assertion.
I got four words:FLAWLESS VICTORY!!!and CRAB FOOD!!!!!!
For myself – I believe that OBL is dead, if only because I don’t think the members of Seal Team Six would be cool with that kind of deception (consider that someone they kill is supposed to STAY dead).
The larger and more important question resulting from all of this and amid increasing information about secret-prisons, enhanced interrogations and Targeted Kill Orders is:
Will we still ‘mean it’ tomorrow?
– Ron
Nobody here “insists” that “any criticism of Obama is racism based”.
No, the NewYorker is a magazine. You must be referring to a writer for the New Yorker – i.e an actual human individual. And how does one actual individual equal “Obama and his supporters”?
And how is it “JSOCs” accomplishment? JSOC is a unit of many hundreds, if not thousands of people. If you are so intent on denying any praise to the individual who was in charge of the operation, then how can you give praise to others in the unit who did not participate at all? Either praise goes to no one except those actually on the ground, or – if you want to be a bit more generous, you start with those involved, but not present. And the president would be most prominent of all amongst those.
You seem like a really petty and nasty hack with this.
Jesus…I didn’t know it went this deep…
This is a strawman of epic proportions.
I can think of few, if any posters here who’ve ever said that any and all criticisms of Obama are race based. I’d love to see a link or two to back that up.
What many of us have said is that a particular cluster of criticisms — all based around his being “anointed”, unAmerican, Muslim, not born here, unqualified, couldn’t possible have deserved this, is angry, low class, etc. — are, taken as whole, race based.
Huge difference. Go after his policy, or his rhetoric. But the entire “is not qualified” is just cheap and, at this point, doesn’t even make sense (two years into a presidency).
Perhaps candidate Obama might not be qualified to be president, but at this point, based solely on-the-job experience, it’s difficult to argue that there is any one who would seriously run against him more “qualified” to be president.
Whule I think the images should be released, I fail to see why this conspiracy theory will be the one that is put to rest while the birth/truth/Kennedy/Moon/HAARP nutters remain unsatisified.
The images of bin Laden’s body will just be subsumed into the conspiracy. They will just conclude that it’s a body double or a photoshop or Obama thawed the body to distract for the glory of Donald Trump. Anyone who confirms the authenticity will be part of the conspiracy or scared of the Obama machine.
Another day, another conspiracy theory.
Darn, I thought for a moment that bin Laden had knocked the birther/nonbirther stories off the front page. Oh well, we have been talking about Bush stealing the 2000 election. I guess we can listen to birther/nonbirther stories for the next 10 years or so.
I guess we can listen to birther/nonbirther stories for the next 10 years or so.
Only if you birthers keep flogging the dead horse.
Birthers, Truthers & Deathers = public education tax dollars on full display.
Or lack therof, depending on what part of the country these kooks come from…
The word “deather” was first used in 2009, when it was applied to those who talked about “death panels.” (Here is one example.) I wonder what the future of that term will be, now that it’s being applied to an entirely different conspiracy theory.
So Al quaida came out today and says he is dead too…SOOOOO lemme guess you people who want to create conspiracies think Obama is having dinner with Bin Laden and the other Al Quaida leaders. They are all in this together to kill everyone. You people need to get a life. He is dead. It is not “your Right” to see a picture. The “The majority of the people in the United States” does not mean you and your wife. We need to work on fixing the economy and fighting the wars not worring about Bin Laden having breakfast with Elvis.