Monthly Archives: May 2011

19-minute interview can be found here. The netwirk’s web site did a follow-up article on the interview for CBC Books.

Click here to watch the show. Michael kindly interviewed me for the whole hour.

Jonathan Kay’s compulsively-readable new book Among The Truthers is as definitive a book on the American conspiracy culture as we are ever going to get … Kay does not ridicule his subjects but analyzes them with affection and precision. In … Continue reading →

The Winnipeg Free Press has a very negative review of Among The Truthers in its May 28 edition. Toward the end, the author has this interesting line: “Twenty years from now, there may be some compelling new evidence that proves … Continue reading →

Kay spent 2 ½ years interviewing conspiracy theorists, attending their conventions and surfing their websites to write the just-published “Among the Truthers: A Journey Through America’s Growing Conspiracist Underground.” Kay initially intended to explore the so-called “truther” movement, which makes … Continue reading →

From the NYTimes letters file: In his review of Jonathan Kay’s “Among the Truthers: A Journey Through America’s Growing Conspiracist Underground” (May 15), Jacob Heil­brunn says, of the beliefs of conspiracy theorists, that “even to dignify it with the word … Continue reading →

I feel comfortable predicting that this 11,000-word piece by Anthony J. Hall will be the longest review ever published of Among the Truthers. (It is helpfully broken down into sections like “De-Torquing the Media Spin of Those Who Would Slay … Continue reading →

The truther conspiracy … involves a cast of thousands: from George W. Bush and Dick Cheney down through much of the CIA and the demolition teams that planted the explosives that brought the twin towers down and the teams of … Continue reading →

The release of President Barack Obama’s long-form birth certificate may — may — put an end to the Birther movement. But after reading Jonathan Kay’s remarkable and unsettling book, it’s hard to imagine any piece of evidence that would convert … Continue reading →

Since the release of Among the Truthers, a lot of Canadians have asked me variations of the same question: “Why are so many of the conspiracy theories you describe in the book about the United States? Aren’t there any good Canadian … Continue reading →

Listen to the full audio here.

For the last 17 years, the world has been living on borrowed time. The day of Rapture — when the virtuous fly up to heaven, and the rest of us are marked for annihilation — was supposed to come on … Continue reading →

I had forgotten about this. In retrospect, I guess I owe thanks to Michele Landsberg for setting the stage — eight years ago — for the book I would eventually publish in 2011. Michele Landsberg loses it National Post Tue … Continue reading →

I just received my copy of [Among The Truthers] and am about half way through. It’s a very good piece of journalism. No footnotes, but he does draw on relevant academic studies such as the work of Michael Barkun and … Continue reading →

I’ll be appearing on Chris Mooney’s next Point of Inquiry podcast, airing on Monday, May 23. We taped it this week and — if I do say — it was a great discussion between two fellow rationalist travelers. Details here.

Paranoid Nation: How Conspiracy Theories Are Destroying America By Julian Brookes Barack Obama wasn’t born in the U.S. (And even if he was, no matter: He’s still fixing to impose socialist tyranny on America); Osama bin Laden is still alive, … Continue reading →

Full list is here.

My interviewer was Jospeph Planta. Smart guy. Full audio can be found here.

“Jonathan Kay’s Among the Truthers is getting the most favored royal treatment in the press” — and this guy isn’t happy about it. More unhappiness from the same author here.

“[C]onspiracy theories act as a bridge between…ideology and…reality. [I]n the case of 9/11 you had a lot of left-wing conspiracy theorists who see America as the root of all evil, and when they saw America attacked…they needed some fantasy that … Continue reading →

Of all the truther headliners I’ve seen, the very best is Richard Gage, a balding, mild-mannered, middle-aged architect who heads up a California-based group called Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth. I’ve heard Gage speak three times in three different … Continue reading →

“Among the Truthers’’ is a valuable read for anyone unfamiliar with the contours of modern day conspiracist movements. Just don’t let the Bilderberg Group — let alone the alien lizard-men who really run things — find out that you’re reading … Continue reading →

Kay’s tactic here is the same one used by Michael Shermer of the seriously missnamed Skeptics Society, which is, as the subtitle indicates, to mix up the 9/11 truth movement with The Protocols of Zion, holocaust denial, birtherism, moon hoaxism, … Continue reading →

“Among the Truthers” is a remarkable book, not least because its author, Jonathan Kay, appears to have emerged with his sanity intact after immersing himself for several years in the wilder precincts of conspiracy theories about everything from President Obama’s … Continue reading →

Minnesota reporter Ben Chin goes to see Richard Gage do his traveling 9/11 Truth show — and writes this report. I had much the same reaction when I saw Gage in Montreal a few years ago.

Kay was a tax lawyer once and he has retained a certain unexcitable methodology, wishing to demonstrate, by example, the kind of rationalist argument he believes is in danger of becoming a casualty should the truthers’ fantasist versions of events … Continue reading →

Conspiracism is only a nominally intellectual exercise. Its true source inevitably can be traced to some powerful emotional reflex. This explains why arguing down a committed conspiracy theorist is impossible. Whenever I’ve tried to debate 9/11 conspiracy theorists, for instance, … Continue reading →

From the mailbag” “Jonathan Kay” must be “reading” all the wrong things! Like Fairy Tales, and Romance Novels! (IF HE CAN “READ”!) For, he surely is not “reading” ‘any’ of the the ‘many’ “Investigative Reports” about the “9/11″ FIASCO, by … Continue reading →

This AM on the Diane Rehm show, you could have been describing my best friend’s husband, who has gone from respected [medical specialist]  with many friends (myself included) to conspiracy addict/meeting-goer, you name it. One thing you did not mention … Continue reading →

Chomsky-haters might assume that their bête noire is a hero within the “9/11 Truth Movement” (as the Bush-did-it crowd call themselves). In fact, the exact opposite is true. I learned this the hard way at a 911 Truther event in … Continue reading →

David Icke has written 16 books, and most of them are full of meandering New Age rhapsodies such as this. But unlike ordinary gurus, Icke has wrapped his spiritual message into an ambitious conspiracy theory — one that weaves together … Continue reading →

It was a thrill to meet Diane Rehm after listening to hear for so many years. Here is the audio of the 1-hour segment. And here’s the transcript. (And here‘s a guy who didn’t like what I had to day. … Continue reading →

From Goodreads‘ Among The Truthers page: I managed to get an advanced copy of this book, due to hit shelves sometime in May. I have high praise for this work. I could never fully wrap my mind around how so … Continue reading →

The author of the book, Jonathan Kay of Canada’s National Post newspaper, states upfront that the goal of the book “is not intended as a rebuttal to conspiracists.” (I should share that I once worked with Jonathan at the National Post.) … Continue reading →

I gets lots of email from conspiracy theorists trying to convince me I’m wrong. But it’s (gratifyingly) rare that I get a note from old-fashioned anti-Semites. However, the excerpt piece on the Protocols that appeared in Monday’s National Post brought … Continue reading →

Over the last decade and a half, the Internet has utterly transformed conspiracism — no less than it’s transformed pornography, music distribution, journalism and social networking. Prior to the mid-1990s, conspiracy theorists pursued their investigations in isolated obscurity, typing out … Continue reading →

In August, 1897, Theodor Herzl and two hundred fellow activists convened at a concert hall in Basel, Switzerland, to attend the First Zionist Congress. The capstone of their deliberations was The Basel Program, a landmark manifesto aimed at “establishing for … Continue reading →

A good piece on the book by New York Post writer Maureen Callahan.

Many Sri Lankans understand the sense of relief and elation that Americans are experiencing following the death of Osama bin Laden. On May 18, 2009, Sri Lankan troops cornered and killed the country’s own bin Laden: Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai … Continue reading →

C’est la base pour les théoriciens du complot: ils enquêtent tout autant dans le chagrin que dans la colère. Ils ne sont toujours qu’à une confession de la vérité. Ce genre de logique est bien plus compréhensible, à défaut d’être … Continue reading →

Their release would have only two functions — to satisfy bloodlust, and to disprove conspiracy theories that bin Laden is still alive. But the Americans are a civilized people, who do not inform their policies on the basis of bloodlust. … Continue reading →

There’s plenty to chew on here, especially Kay’s profiles of individual conspiracists and the lessons he learns from them. First, don’t call them “nutbars.” You’ll get mail. Second, don’t try to argue with them. “In every exchange, the conspiracy theorist … Continue reading →

Apparently, I’m a nice guy: “Reporting without mockery, Mr. Kay has a knack for making even the silliest conspiracist sound sympathetic.” Read the entire WSJ review here.

Details here.

Tutti i miti dei cospirazionisti!

… Rashard Mendenhall.

Did an interview this morning on CBC Radio’s The Current — about Thomas Mulcair, OBL, and my book. Listen here. Also appeared on CBC TV’s The National, talking about the same subject. Watch here.

It’s hard to know what to make of Thomas Mulcair’s odd comments about the existence or non-existence of Osama bin Laden photos. At best, he just seems confused. At worst, he seems to be giving voice to some kind of … Continue reading →