23 May 2013 12:17 pm
Will 'Weather Weapon' Talk Finally Drive GOP Away From Alex Jones?Wednesday night on The Rachel Maddow Show, host Rachel Maddow questioned conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' assertion that a "weather weapon" deployed by the U.S. government caused the massive tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma on Monday. She questioned whether this, at last, would be the thing that proves to be so outlandish as to finally dissuade the members of the Republican Party who have been supporting Jones and advancing his crackpot theories on Capitol Hill.In late April, Sens. James Inhofe (R-OK) and Frank Lucas (R-OK) co-sponsored a bill to limit the amount of bullets the federal government can buy. The legislation is based on a debunked fringe theory that the Department of Homeland Security is hoarding ammunition in order to hobble the ability of citizen soldiers on the right to overthrow the government."Yes, this is the same federal government that already stockpiles, say, Abrams tanks," said Maddow, "and armed drones and giant intercontinental missiles that carry nuclear weapons. All that, yes, but it's an excess of bullets that congressional Republicans have decided is the really worrying firepower."Those Republicans got that idea from Infowars, Alex Jones conspiracy website and radio show, the same Alex Jones who believes the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the Boston Marathon bombing were both false flag terrorist operations by the U.S. government."At every tragedy, the Infowars-Alex Jones world thinks they see conspiracy," said Maddow. "Mondays devastating, record-breaking tornado in Moore, Oklahoma killed two dozen people, flattened a community. Devastating, right? Now, I am not kidding, the same conspiracy theory folks are peddling the idea the tornado was a conspiracy."She then played audio of Jones saying, "Tornadoes are way down. Of course, they lie that they're way up to get carbon taxes, but I don't know if this was a weather weapon or not. They can, with the right weather conditions, they can create and steer groups of tornadoes."Jones speculated that if witnesses "50 miles out" from the storm saw "aircraft in and around the clouds spraying and doing things," then clearly, the government was behind the tornado."But who knows if they did?" he conclude. "Thats the thing.""Who knows?" Maddow mocked. "Who knows if the U.S. government uses a secret, made-up 'weather weapon' that only exists in the mind of - yeah, that's the thing, right?"This particular theory is so ridiculous on its face, she said, that Jones should be "disqualified from participating in Republican Party politics." This "crackpot" theory should be enough to get his ideas out of the public square and out of Congressional hearings."He said the tornado was a conspiracy. The tornado. Can we agree it is over now, Republicans, going on his show, really?" she asked. "Can we agree? Please?"Watch the clip at link in title.So when do the hearings on weather weapons start?The hearing on Alex Jones' conspiracy theory about the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) ammunition acquisitions actually inspired new legislation that's now before Congress. On April 26, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) introduced bills in both chambers of Congress in order to limit federal agencies from stockpiling ammunition.