************************************************************** * * * CYBERSPACE * * A biweekly column on net culture appearing * * in the Toronto Sunday Sun * * * * Copyright 1999 Karl Mamer * * Free for online distribution * * All Rights Reserved * * Direct comments and questions to: * * * * * ************************************************************** The World Wide Web of Deceit The nifty thing about conspiracy theories is that the kooky kind can never actually be disproved as they rely on circular logic. Evidence, you ask? The only evidence needed is two or more "hard" to explain "coincidences," a clever "ability" to phrase leading "questions," and an ability to "randomly" put words in quotations. Where a theory lacks proof, that is proof itself. Theories that generate the most scorn or get wholly ignored by the media are the ones closest to the truth. The Internet's USENET news system, as discussed in my last Cyberspace column, is an inexpensive way to quickly disperse knowledge around the globe. Unfortunately for the theorists, the New World Orderlies' truncheon men are quick to mercilessly belittle anything even suggesting President Truman inked a deal to sell military bases on the dark side of the moon to space aliens. Fortunately, the World Wide Web provides the kind of one-way communication that lets one expose deceit without the bother of having ideas challenged in an open flame war on USENET. The web is also a good way for you to get an introduction on the day's latest conspiracy theories. 50 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time www.webcom.com/~conspire/ The paperback version of this site had about five seconds of screen time on an episode of the X-Files and that was enough to sell out the first printing. If you can't find it in bookstores, some sample chapters and a large archive of weirdness are available here. The authors give good overviews of some genuine plots like Iran/Contra and make some convincing arguments that the intelligence communities are up to a bit more than trying to figure out how many missiles are in a Russian MIRV. The Rise of the Militias www.worldmedia.com/caq/militia.htm Why are a bunch of retired men in army fatigues running around Michigan forests and shooting at effigies of Bill Clinton and Fox Mulder? Too much time on their hands now that the kids and wife have left? Nah. Oklahoma Bomb Conspiracy Page www.primenet.com/~asomers/OKBOMB/okbomb.html Could a guy trained to blow stuff up in the military really have blown up a government building in Oklahoma? Not if you believe the government blew up an entire building and killed hundreds to get rid of a couple files on Waco. The UFO Conspiracy gopher://wiretap.spies.com/00/Library/Fringe/Ufo/conspire.ufo Milton William Cooper, who claims to be a former intelligence officer, offers the ultimate UFO invasion theory. Not just one alien race, but half a dozen grey, orange, and gold aliens (some evil, some good, some indifferent) are running around the planet kidnapping people and bumping off Kennedys. Honest. The Planned Destruction of Canada www.xmission.com/~seer/jdksoftware/canal.html Ah, just when you thought the closest Canadians ever got to working up a really good conspiracy theory was whining about the Avro Arrow, comes this shocking revelation about a government plan to send all our water to the States and disarm the relatively unarmed Canadian public so the crack American 10th Mountain division can steam roll over Ottawa without firing a shot. Naturally, the Canadian media are fully aware of all this yet they've been keeping it from you. Well, no longer, now you know.