Conspiracies & Strange (non-religious) Beliefs

[LadySmith]

In talking to a friend the other day, I see that there are some strange and interesting conspiracy theories out there.
He believes the current government interest in health is driven by the desire to have readily available healthy organs ready for future harvest by politicians and the rich. According to him, the smokers and obese being an economic burden is hogwash because they cut their lives short (thereby avoiding long-term and expensive health care) and because the medical establishment is not interested in saving their lives if theyre not covered by insurance. He also believes that if a major famine hits, healthy people will be eaten.
I also work with a guy who firmly believes Tupac is still alive and faked his death to get out of the thug life.
Another coworker refuses to vote because she believes the outcome has been predetermined. She said she voted before for people and issues that lost, everyone she asked also voted practically the same as she did, therefore, based upon her impromptu poll, voting must be rigged.
What about you? Heard anything that made you come close to fashioning a tin foil hat of your very own?

[Stickjockey]

My aunt has asked me several times about the black helicopters flying around Portland. (Until recently, we had a squadron of EH-60 PaveHawks based at PDX doing local S&R work.) She's convinced they're doing some sort of weird surveillance work.

My Brother in-Law refuses to join the NRA. He's convinced it's a front for the Government to get a list of gun owners.

[Eleven Mike]

A fellow called the local radio show this morning, and claimed that the NAZI's hated Jews mainly because they killed Christ.  He also claimed that Christianity was entirely responsible for slavery in America. 

[richyoung]

I am dead-certain that FDR knew that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked - but did NOT know that torpedoes dropped from airplanes could be used at PH, NOR that the Japanese had modified battleship shells into aerial AP bombs, so allowed the attack to go ahead, convinced that the old battlewagons could not be seriously hurt...

[meinbruder]

I am dead-certain that FDR knew that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked - but did NOT know that torpedoes dropped from airplanes could be used at PH, NOR that the Japanese had modified battleship shells into aerial AP bombs, so allowed the attack to go ahead, convinced that the old battlewagons could not be seriously hurt...

In a similar vein, here's a two'fer; I bought a roll of heavyweight tinfoil when I heard these.  The .gov knew about the pending attack of Sep 11th, did nothing to stop it, and then used it for political advantage.  >switch on Darth Vader voice< "Did Bush follow in the footsteps of FDR?  Only history will show!" >voice off<   

Separately, the Pentagon was hit by a destructive missile not a passenger jet, this one is even searchable on the internet.  The claim is "supported" by an almost credible lack of debris from the aircraft.  On the other hand, it doesn't explain where the forth airliner went.  Maybe it's still flying in the Twilight Zone?       
}:)>

[Chuck Dye]

To the best of my knowledge, this one was invented out of whole cloth some time after the third pitcher of beer by persons who shall remain unnamed:

Who hired James Earl Ray?  Choosing martyrdom over ignominy, Martin Luther King hired Ray upon learning that he would soon die of a disease acquired from a woman not his wife (or a man?)  The true conspiracy in the death of MLKJr. is not in the shooting, it is in the sanitizing of medical records and autopsy results.   

[The Rabbi]

U.S. emissions from burning carbohydrons were responsible for Hurricane Katrina.  This seems to be accepted wisdom in Europe, btw.

The Jews were responsible for [fill in name of disaster here].

[wingnutx]

The claim is "supported" by an almost credible lack of debris from the aircraft.     

Only if you cherry-pick photos that don't show all the bits of airliner scatted on the lawn. The ones that do, well, just don't show those.

[Sindawe]

The strangest I've ever heard about is the speculation by one David Icke.

In 1999, he published The Biggest Secret, in which he wrote that the Illuminati are a race of reptilian humanoids known as the Babylonian Brotherhood, and that many prominent figures are reptilian, including George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, Kris Kristofferson, and Boxcar Willie.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Icke

I've read The Biggest Secret and that pretty much sums it up.

[brimic]

and that many prominent figures are reptilian

Some of the posters heremight be reptilian.

[roo_ster]

and that many prominent figures are reptilian

Some of the posters heremight be reptilian.

Sssurely that issss unssssupported bythe data.

[griz]

1. Some people who believe the US government actually orchestrated the 9-11 attacks for reasons unkown.
2. A carburetor that will cause an old pushrod V-8 to get 100 MPG was patented, but Detroit or the oil companies bought the patent to keep people dependant on gasoline.
3. My favorite:  I know a couple people who believe that rich people do not pay taxes.  This is because of secret loopholes that only they know about.
4. I will go ahead and list psychics here and apologize in advance to the folks who believe.

[Fjolnirsson]

My two favorites I've heard are both from a highly intelligent high school girl I know.
 http://www.haarp.net/Apparently, Bush orchestrated Katrina using Haarp.
The second I don't have an url for, and don't remember all that well. The gist is that Earth was "seeded" by aliens millenia ago, and now that alien seed is coming to the forefront, resulting in children with amazing alien powers. These children are highly intelligent, and frequently are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and autism, among other things.

 

[Vodka7]

My father, who otherwise has never subscribed to any type of conspiracy theory in his life, is absolutely convinced the CIA assassinated Malcolm X.

[Matthew Carberry]

My two favorites I've heard are both from a highly intelligent high school girl I know.
 http://www.haarp.net/Apparently, Bush orchestrated Katrina using Haarp.
The second I don't have an url for, and don't remember all that well. The gist is that Earth was "seeded" by aliens millenia ago, and now that alien seed is coming to the forefront, resulting in children with amazing alien powers. These children are highly intelligent, and frequently are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and autism, among other things.

 

http://skepdic.com/indigo.html

"Indigo" children, named for the color of their unique auras.

See, they are "special" and "gifted", not normal kids poorly parented. 

how to recognize the Indigo Child

The Indigo Child is recognizable by his or her aura and by certain other traits, according to The Indigo Children website (owned by Kryon Writings).

They come into the world with a feeling of royalty (and often act like it)
They have a feeling of "deserving to be here," and are surprised when others don't share that.
Self-worth is not a big issue. They often tell the parents "who they are."
 They have difficulty with absolute authority (authority without explanation or choice).
They simply will not do certain things; for example, waiting in line is difficult for them.
They get frustrated with systems that are ritually oriented and don't require creative thought.
They often see better ways of doing things, both at home and in school, which makes them seem like "system busters" (nonconforming to any system).
They seem antisocial unless they are with their own kind. If there are no others of like consciousness around them, they often turn inward, feeling like no other human understands them. School is often extremely difficult for them socially.
They will not respond to "guilt" discipline ("Wait till your father gets home and finds out what you did").
They are not shy in letting you know what they need.

[Fjolnirsson]

Yep, that's the one.....

[Brad Johnson]

Well, I don't know about you guys and gals, but all that stuff they advertise at 3 a.m. on TV works exactly like they say it does. They even doubled my order for free! All I had to do was pay a small shipping and handling charge...

Brad

[griz]

Well, I don't know about you guys and gals, but all that stuff they advertise at 3 a.m. on TV works exactly like they say it does. They even doubled my order for free! All I had to do was pay a small shipping and handling charge...

I KNEW it was true!!   Where's my credit card

[RayannaDeerfox]

I've been working on writing a type of sci-fi novel where children are 'hooked' into a machine that allows them to live a full life (i.e. life here on earth) in a matter of minutes, thereby allowing them a lifetime of knowledge in a short period of time.  I explained my (unwritten) novel to a friend of mine who exclaimed, "Yes!  It's true!  And when you wake up you find the Blue Water People!"  He was completely serious.  How, in Gods' name, do you look at that person again with a straight face?

P. S.  He believes in the Illuminati thing, too.... He calls them the "Snake People"

[Guest]

How, in Gods' name, do you look at that person again with a straight face?

You don't. You pat them on the head and walk away.

[RocketMan]

In 1999, he published The Biggest Secret, in which he wrote that the Illuminati are a race of reptilian humanoids known as the Babylonian Brotherhood, and that many prominent figures are reptilian, including George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, Kris Kristofferson, and Boxcar Willie.

Damn, that explains so much about my ex-wife.  I'm paying alimony to a snake.

[Antibubba]

Boxcar Willie???

That explains everything!

[gunsmith]

I was having a heated political disscussion at work with a black co worker who was trying to tell me the NRA
founded the KKK.
I guided him thru a short history of reconstruction and the difference between Nathan Bedford and U Grant
...He was SHOCKED & didn't believe the NRA was founded by Union officers and Lincoln was not a Dem, that the KKK were the Dem's.

 He pointed his finger at me and told me how "Katrina followed the same path as the slave ships"
then stormed off.

I guess thats a conspiracy theory...only what one I was to confused to ask.

[280plus]

I recall a while back, me and this cute girl (woman) I liked were driving down a dark back country road. She says to me, dead serious, "I don't like these roads at night. I don't want to be abducted by aliens." I was thinking , "Hmmm... just about time to take you home. "   

[Fly320s]

Take her home?

Aren't you supposed to run out of gas?