I like Icke

 

Here´s a guy who thinks he is one of the reptoids described by David Icke. Yes, really! We´re dealing with some kind of Satanism (at least broadly conceived) or occult Magick plus Typhonian space aliens. 

The "Luciferian bloodlines" are real and hail from other star systems. They include the Rotschilds and other powerful elite families. There are also vampires. The man in the video, Jer, claims he is both a Luciferian and a vampire. He got the information from a UFO (interestingly, he calls it UAP). However, Jer says that he is using the dark/neutral cosmic energies to heal trauma... 

I admit that I don´t believe a word of it, but there you go!  

Guilt by association or kook by any standard?

 

This is one of the guys who claims to have located hidden chambers below the pyramids at Giza. He´s evidently something of a kook. Apparently, Corrado Malanga believes that reptilian aliens abduct humans. One of them looks like a snake but has the face of a crocodile. This has been going on for 500,000 years. The establishment knows the TRUTH but are hiding it. 

Brother Malanga also knows the agenda behind the abductions. Humans have three souls (a male, a female and an androgyne) and the aliens want one of them, since they lack it themselves. This part of the presentation wasn´t entirely obvious. I assume it´s the female one? The Metatron (i.e. the content-creator who uses that moniker) believes that Malanga´s ideas are a blend of Scientology and sollipsism. Not sure why he doesn´t mention a certain David Icke!

Now, I suppose it´s possible that this is just "guilt by association" and that a UFO cultist might make sensational archeological discoveries with the help of state-of-the-art technology.

But probably not.   

The light of the Matrix

 

I´m not surprised that David Icke has embraced the idea of "soul traps". It´s exactly the kind of paranoid and contrarian notion you would expect from this conspiracy theorist to end all conspiracy theories. The idea is that seemingly blissful and benign near death experiences (NDEs) are really part of the Simulation or Matrix, which I assume is held together by evil reptiloid space aliens. If your soul gets tricked and flies into the light at death, it will be mind-wiped and forced to reincarnate on prison planet Earth. 

A *somewhat* less paranoid interpretation would be similar to Buddhism, where there are a number of temporary "heaven-realms" which may be nice & cozy as far as they go...but sub specie eternitatis, they don´t go very far. The soul (or no-soul) must eventually be reborn as a human again...and suffering starts all over. But in the Buddhist scenario, the only real culprit is *you* and your negative karma. 

In Icke´s version, there are actively malevolent forces working behind the scenes to imprison us in the Matrix (yes, that´s a reference to the science fiction film "The Matrix"). The love that flows in a NDE would therefore be fake, and so are the angelic beings or ascended masters who come to greet the soul in the afterlife. 

I´m not sure if we can somehow get rid of these spiritual free-riders, but Icke seems to be suggesting that nothing can be done...except trying to find the real light (at one point Icke calls it "watery light" as opposed to electro-magnetic ditto) which will finally liberate us.    

"David Icke called me out"

 

Good luck with this material. 3 hours 30 minutes with Jay Dyer on "David Icke Calls Me Out, Sim Theory, Gnosticism, Platonic GITCH [sic] IN THE MATRIX!". 

Fake aliens from a hollow earth

 

 

These are some clips from the YouTube channel of Coby Obi, a Nigerian supporter of Hindu Tantrika Paramahamsa Nithyananda (often accused of being a cult leader). I´m not sure how aligned this channel is with the "official" messaging of Nithyananda. For instance, it has a rather marked Afro-centrist tendency and often references Zulu shaman Credo Mutwa (who was also a favorite of David Icke).

In the clips above, Obi argues that Earth is hollow and the home of "inner earth civilizations". I get the impression that they are malevolent or asuric in nature (the asuras are the "titans" or "giants" of Hindu mythology). There are supposedly entrances to the inner earth all over the world: India, China, Igboland in Nigeria, Congo...

More disturbing still, is the idea that the "grey aliens" of UFO lore are degenerate humans from the future, visiting us in their time machines. These humans have become completely dependent on technology and seem to represent a kind of alternate asuric timeline. The "UFO disclosure" in the United States is really a conspiracy to make us accept these fake aliens from the hollow earth and/or the dystopian future. 

Luckily for us, there are also real aliens. Unsurprisingly, these are the devas (gods or demigods) of Hindu lore, beings of light inhabiting higher planes of existence. If we align ourselves with their teachings, we can presumably live free and spiritual lives without dependence on technology...

Presented here for easy reference only. 

   

Context warning

 

I note with a wry smile that YouTube has appended a David Icke video about the Illuminati with a kind of context warning, in which the factcheckers explain that the *real* Illuminati disappeared already during the 18th century.

That´s true, of course, but previously I´ve seen this kind of stuff only on videos critical of the official COVID narrative. 

So is YouTube *actually scared* of David Icke? LOL! 

The last 1,000 episodes were just a dream

 

The rehabilitation of David Icke

"Renegade: The Life Story of David Icke" is a long, pro-Icke documentary released in 2019. It means that "Renegade" was made before the 2020-2021 political crisis in the United States, and (of course) before the COVID pandemic. Something tells me Icke and his followers must see their conspiracist predictions being fulfilled in overdrive today. Ironically, however, the obvious weakness of the Biden administration also means that Icke´s conspiracy theories feel increasingly anachronistic. It seems the Illuminati are no longer in complete control...

David Icke is (of course) the notorious British conspiracy theorist or conspirituality guru, who has been something of a fixture of the alternative scene since the 1990´s. Originally mostly made fun of, he later became cast as some kind of anti-Semitic villain extraordinaire, while *still* made fun of in other circles. This created the paradoxical situation that honest-to-god anti-racists who attacked his meetings could also be mocked for being so stupid that they took Icke seriously! Despite increasingly bizarre ideas, Icke became more and more succesful, and I admit that I have no idea why. Perhaps the biggest secret is that his worldview is a veritable smorgasbord of every conceivable conspiracy theory, coached in a New Age-style spiritual message, which makes it possible for almost everyone to find *something* to relate to in Icke´s messaging? 

"Renegade" doesn´t mention the most controversial parts of Icke´s worldview (the idea that an evil cabal of shape-shifting reptoid aliens are in control of the world), instead concentrating on ideas with a potentially broader appeal. Thus, we hear Icke lecturing about US foreign policy: the Neo-Cons, 9/11, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Ukraine and color revolutions (he doesn´t seem impressed by Trump). He discusses AI, trans-humanism and plans to develop microchips that can be inserted under the skin or even into the brain. In another lengthty excerpt from his speeches, Icke explains how we are all part of a vast cosmic consciousness, and that the world surrounding us is strictly speaking an illusion (and a mental prison). 

"Renegade" follows Icke on a visit to his birth town of Leicester, and we get to hear some reminescenses from his childhood and teenage years. Around 1990, Icke started to get strange experiences he interpreted as spiritual, both in Britain and during a visit to ancient ruins in Peru. He clearly believes that some kind of supernatural entity or force is feeding him information (or leading him to it) through synchronicities or some form of more direct communication. Icke also mentions the extreme ridicule he and his family had to undergo after his 1991 appearence on the "Wogan" show. It´s interesting to note that Icke´s son Jaymie actually supports his father and organizes his speaking tours. 

Finding "main line" people ready to express support for David Icke must be hard, yet the producers of "Renegade" did manage to find two such persons. One is Ivan Pernar, a member of parliament in Croatia, representing the populist but apparently anti-nationalist party Zivi zid (Living Wall or Human Shield), who explicitly mentions Icke as a source of inspiration, more specifically Icke´s anti-banking message. Zivi zid started as an anti-eviction activist group, and seem to regard all debts to banks as illegitimate, since the banks are "creating money out of thin air". (According to Wiki, Pernar later left Zivi zid to create his own party, SIP. He is no longer an MP.) The other relatively respectable person to openly express admiration for Icke is African-American novelist Alice Walker, who seems to be broadly left-liberal in political orientation. "Renegade" shows how Icke meets Walker in her huge house outside LA.

I admit that I´m not a big fan of Icke, not even in this somewhat moderate version. One thing that struck me when listening to the man is how "cyberpunk" he sounds. The New Age message is expressed in the form of Internet-related metaphors, "The Matrix" is explicitly referenced, and as already noted, Icke believes that complete cyber-control of humanity is one of the goals of the secret societies running the world. Thus, Icke simultaneously both expresses fear of IT and fascination with the same. My prediction, for what its worth, is that this IT-ish angle will be seen as increasingly out-of-date as the IT machine (and other Machines?) wind down due to the energy crisis. However, the on-going conflicts over COVID vaccines, vaccine passports and vaccine mandates will probably make sure that Icke´s original version of conspirituality will continue to get a hearing. As Paul Kingsnorth pointed out recently, just a year ago the idea of vaccine passports sounded like something crazy David Icke would say, yet here they are... 

Maybe that´s the weirdest part of the entire world situation. Life imitates art. Politics imitate conspiracy theory.

Wtf.     

Vilddjurets tal är en rymdödlas tal

Åh nej, David Icke hade rätt!!!! 

Få covidbeviset under huden i form av chip

Svenskar operar in vaccinpass som chip i kroppen

Yes, everything *is* a conspiracy

“Allt är en konspiration: En resa genom underlandet” is a book by Swedish reporter Kent Werne. In English translation, the title would read “Everything is a conspiracy: A journey through Wonderland”.  It´s very well written (although a grammar Nazi like me – or myself? – spotted both weird spelling mistakes and “Swenglish” words). Above all, it´s obvious that Werne knows his material almost by heart. The book, which deals with conspiracy theory or rather conspiracist thinking, lands somewhere mid-between the scholarly, the journalistic and the irreverently funny. A kind of strange blend of, say, Michael Barkun and Jon Ronson. 

Werne has dived into the history of conspiracy theory, which (in its present form, at least) begins with the French revolution, or rather the royalist reaction to the same, and follows the trail forward to the anti-Semitic forgery “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, Nesta Webster and the John Birch Society. Then, he takes us on a breathtaking tour through the contemporary conspiracist landscape. Werne has interviewed Tea Party supporters in Ohio, attended a monster mass meeting featuring David Icke, and tried to approach Swedish conspiracy theorists. He tries to give as broad overview as possible of the “wonderland”, from people who are at least outwardly sane (such as the Birchers) to those who are quite frankly borderline clinical (and wear actual tinfoil hats). And yes, the author has been forced to leave out probably over half of Wonderland, since that would make this volume unmanageable! Roswell and Area 51 are mentioned only in passing…

Along the way, Werne makes two perhaps important observations. One is that conspiracy theory is often used by the rich and the powerful to gain or retain influence. Think Trump, Nixon or just about any authoritarian leader in the world you can think of. Some even believe in conspiracy theory themselves. This sounds basic bitch, but apparently some sociologists have argued the opposite: that conspiracy theory is only held by marginalized and stigmatized groups. In reality, conspiracist thinking can become a lethal force and even lead to genocide. (I suppose you *could* argue that Hitler was marginalized…OK, maybe not.) The second observation is that leftists (the good guys in the author´s mental universe) can also fall for conspiracy theory. It will be very interesting to see if Werne dares to mention the fake Russian collusion narrative if and when a second edition of his book is published…

The main problem with “Allt är en konspiration” is the usual one. The author, while happy to concede that *some* conspiracies do happen, doesn´t believe they are really that important. It´s all a matter of “structures”. But surely the structures aren´t entirely nameless and faceless? Aren´t they made up of actual human beings who make conscious decisions? And who decided which structures should be set up in the first place? In my humble opinion, the strict dichotomy between “structures” and conspiracies is about as unproductive as the dichotomy between “chance” and conspiracy (so beloved by the conspiracy theorists). In the United States, hardly any president seems innocent of conspiring against somebody somewhere, suggesting that conspiracies are a feature rather than a bug of the system. If conspiracies are part and parcel of the structures, clearly a more complex explanation is needed than the crypto-dogmatic-Marxist (crypto-structuralist?) one proposed by the author. And what if conspiracies aren´t simply part of the system, what if they are needed to perpetuate the system? If structures are historically obsolete, only a grand conspiracy can make them stay around. What does Werne think the establishment would do if a leftist mass movement actually challenged it? Conspire, perhaps…? My prediction is that the BAU conspiracies between different factions and cliques within the system will be replaced with more daring ventures to save the system (or replace it with an even worse system) in the near future, when the present structures are hit by a terminal crisis. This might not be the same as “classical” conspiracy theory, in which the gold standard was abolished by reptoid aliens with a penchant for sacrificio humano, but it probably won´t be the same as quasi-determinst structural conflict between bureaucratic interest groups either…

Sometimes, Werne´s leftism or left-liberalism blinds him from seeing the obvious, or perhaps he is just trolling the reader. Thus, after attacking the idea that George Soros is behind “mass immigration” (the author´s scare quotes) and population replacement in Europe, he tells us that Soros went to Davos to tell world leaders that the EU must take in literally millions of more refugees indefinitely?! Gee, sounds almost as if Mr Structure is plotting, well, I don´t know, mass immigration or something. But surely, that simply *can´t* be true…

Whatever you do, don´t mention the reptiles

“David Icke: Was He Right?” is something as weird as a pro-Icke documentary shown on mainstream television. I watched it on a Swedish TV channel years ago. (Or perhaps it was another version than the one released on YouTube – I have a faint memory that the original documentary was longer! Or is that just the Mandela Effect?) At the time, many people still talked about Icke and his bizarre conspiracy theories. I´m not sure if he is still as popular as he used to be during the 90´s and 00´s.

David Icke was a British media personality and political activist who turned New Age prophet around 1990, was mocked for his efforts at the BBC´s Wogan show (and pretty much everywhere else) and then went on to become one of the most controversial conspiracy theorists of the decade. Icke´s early books quoted the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, one of them was translated to Swedish by an anti-Semitic sect, and Nazis occasionally showed up at his meetings. So did radical leftists…in order to bust them up. Personally, I don´t think Icke was ever a fascist or anti-Semite sensu stricto, but his ideas could be given such a spin by others. During the 00s, this became virtually impossible, as David suddenly declared that the enemies are “Aryan reptilian bloodlines” from the star constellation of Draco or perhaps from another dimension of reality altogether. Yes, Icke claimed that the Bush clan, Henry Kissinger and Queen Elizabeth II are evil alien shape-shifters whose true forms are reptoid. Of course, some leftists still insisted that “Aryan reptilian” was simply clever code for “Jew”. Those who realized that Icke probably meant it decided to stay away from the kerfuffle forever after…

“David Icke: Was He Right?” does mention the reptilian problematique, but only three times. Most of the production tries to show the conspiracist author at his most rational, discussing the Iraqi War (which he opposed), false flag operations, media censorship and the like. We get to see Icke in a confrontation with London police officers, but also “David the family man” playing soccer with his son, traveling to Isle of Wight on holiday, and so on. Both David Icke´s current wife Pamela and his ex-wife Linda turn out to be strong supporters of his activities, Linda apparently being director of the actual publishing and speaking enterprise built around him. No critics are featured, only fans and supporters, many of whom turn up at a monster mass meeting in London to hear the man lecture. Icke himself looks old and tired, but there is no doubt that he really believes in the message, both the standard anti-establishment part and the, shall we say, non-standard dimensions. The most interesting part briefly mentions Icke´s original epiphany, which took place at a sacred site in Peru and reminds me of “kundalini awakening”. Icke also states that his conspiracy theories and dire predictions are *not* based on revelations of this kind, but on normal research.

Despite the pro-Icke slant, I nevertheless recommend this documentary to those interested in the David Icke phenomenon. Further reading: “A Culture of Conspiracy” by Michael Barkun and “Them! Adventures with Extremists” by John Ronson. The most classical of Icke´s own books is "The Biggest Secret", reviewed by me elsewhere on this blog. 

Gonzo mysteries

“Solomon Islands Mysteries” is a book taken seriously by some crypto-zoologists, but it's actually a very extreme work. The author, Marius Boirayon, has ideas similar to those of David Icke and has previously published his work in Nexus, an Australian magazine devoted to various conspiracy theories. Boirayon is an Australian pilot, explorer and businessman. He spent a large portion of his life in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

In his book, Boirayon argues that the Solomon Islands are home to several races of giants and aliens. He recounts local folklore about the giants, a kind of ape-men who seem to be much larger, more human-like and far more dangerous than Bigfoot. While Boirayon hasn't observed any giant himself, he has made a number of UFO observations. The Solomon Islands UFOs are associated with the sea and certain mountain lakes, and are regularly observed by the locals. So far, nothing out of the ordinary: “giants” and UFOs are seen all over the world, especially the latter!

Unfortunately, Boirayon then spins a web of conspiracy theories around these stories and observations, making the book progressively less believable as it unfolds. He claims that the mysterious lights seen at the islands are mechanical craft manned by an alien civilization, the denizens of which has lived in bases below the Earth's surface for millennia. The “aliens” aren't really from outer space, but represent an intelligent species evolving here on Earth, which for various reasons have gone literally underground. They have a vast network of tunnels and secret bases all around the world. Some of these creatures are reptilian in shape. The giants, by contrast, are surface-dwelling primates, but at some point, they became subjected to the “alien” power. The Australian intervention at the Solomon Islands in 2003, ostensibly to stop ethnic violence at the main island of Guadalcanal, was really a move by the secret One World Government cabal to stop the author from exposing the truth about the aliens and giants! Boirayon also claims to have discovered that the islands have such large quantities of oil, gas and precious gemstones that the world market prices would collapse in the event of commercial extraction. Therefore, the Cabal has to take control of these resources and stop them from being exploited until such a time that they can become profitable. Above all, they have to stop the whistle-blower, Marius Boirayon himself. According to the author, all his evidence (including UFO photos) was forcibly taken from him by Australian secret agents…

I admit that Boirayon is a good writer and that “Solomon Islands Mysteries” does give you an interesting (and frequently absurd) look at the life in this small nation. The book is eclectic and contains folkloristic material, UFO conspiracy speculations and personal anecdotes about everything from corrupt local politicians to tribal ceremonies. Indeed, Boirayon is something of a “gonzo journalist”, since he frequently inserts himself into the story. If you like Jon Ronson, you may find this to your liking.

That being said, as a reader interested in crypto-zoology and the occult, I obviously want to know how much of this material is really true? That is, how much is based on actual reports about paranormal activity, and how much is the product of the author's own fertile imagination. Some claims are manifestly bogus. Thus, Boirayon claims that the Japanese war memorial at Guadalcanal shows a reptile-like creature with a ray gun, and cites this as evidence for the Japan knowing the truth about the “aliens”. However, a quick search on the web reveals that the statue (and it is the old statue, not the recent replacement) shows a completely ordinary human fisherman. In another chapter, Boirayon retells a story about an abandoned woman and her two sons confronting a giant, an event which supposedly happened during the 19th century. However, the same story is known from all over Melanesia in slightly different versions and is really a mythological motif. At New Ireland, north of the Solomon Islands, the “giant” killed by the two brothers is a monstrous pig! I get the impression that the author may have misinterpreted a myth as a real historical event. The underground civilization is another common myth, but also surfaces in science fiction (compare “The Shaver Mysteries”). Boirayon wonders why the natives refer to the subterranean world as “Mu Mu”, which sounds much like Mu, the lost continent in the Pacific proposed by James Churchward. Unfortunately, it sounds even closer to the trolling British pop band the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, inspired by the Discordian Illuminatus Trilogy! While none of this necessarily disproves Boirayon's claims (legends can be based on true events, after all), it does raise some red flags.

The part of the story dealing with “UFOs” or orbs is easiest to accept, at least for me. Weird phenomena of this kind have been observed all over the world (most famously in Hessdalen, Norway). The giants are more difficult to accept, since they are supposedly ubiquitous and extremely large. Why haven't they been seen, caught or killed by outsiders? But the “hard to believe award” surely goes to the claim about a worldwide conspiracy directed at one single individual, the gonzo journalist himself. By all means, read this book. It's not bad. However, I don't think it reveals the truth about the Solomon Islands mysteries…

The biggest secret

This is the third season of “Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura”, in which the colorful ex-governor of Minnesota is backed up by his son Tyrel and Oliver Stone's son Sean (who later converted to Shia Islam).

This season is far crazier than season one (I haven't yet seen season two). The Venturas and Sean Stone investigate supposed conspiracies involving death rays, remote mind control, alien invasion attempts, Illuminati hideouts in the Ozarks, and time travel. The first episode features the classical stand-off between Jesse Ventura and David Icke. It seems Icke's reptilian conspiracy was too much even for The Body.

The most interesting episode features entrepreneur Robert Bigelow and retired officer John F Alexander, two “elite” figures who are seriously interested in UFOs and the paranormal. Bigelow is bankrolling MUFON, while Alexander was involved in the First Earth Battalion, a secret project of the U S military to conduct research into New Age-related phenomena. Of course, conspiracy theorists charge the two insiders with knowing The Truth (or Too Much). They may indeed know something – but probably not more than your friendly neighborhood Theosophist, or even Colin Wilson!

While Ventura is clearly “out on a limb” with this one, I will nevertheless give his show three stars. If you take it as entertainment rather than serious investigative journalism, it could be worth some of your spare time…

Conspiracy theory deluxe

"Thrive" is an extremely curious movie, narrated by Foster Gamble, the founder of the Thrive Movement.

"Thrive" begins as a soft-core, New Age-inspired movie about free energy, crop circles, ancient astronauts and UFOs. Gamble talks about his spiritual experience of Wholeness and something he calls "the torus", which he believes is the fundamental pattern of the universe. Gamble speculates that "the torus" was known by ancient civilizations, which got the knowledge from highly evolved space aliens. The torus can be used to create unlimited amounts of free energy, which will solve our energy crisis once and for all, ushering in an era of unlimited prosperity and growth.

If you are a sceptic, things go rapidly downhill from there...

Gamble suddenly claims that many inventors of free energy have been harassed or even murdered.

After about 40 minutes, "Thrive" turns out to be a hard-line conspiracy theory production. It features both David Icke and D. Edward Griffin. The latter is a member of the John Birch Society. Gamble believes that the world is ruled by a powerful elite of banking families, most notably the Rockefellers and the Rotschilds. Their agenda is to set up a New World Order, an international military dictatorship based on mass surveillance technology, debt slavery and grinding poverty. The ultimate goal of the agenda is to kill off a vast portion of the human race through forced sterilization, man-made pandemics, and so on. Yes, really!

In contrast to many other conspiracists, Gamble ends on a positive note. He offers solutions to our predicament, solutions which turn out to be an eclectic blend of communitarianism, libertarianism and something that sounds like Green left-liberalism. A ten-point program is advanced, and people are called upon to take non-violent action against the conspiracy, in the traditions of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. "Thrive" ends as it began, with a vague spiritual message, based on aikido and Buddhist meditation.

Although Foster Gamble, his lovely wife and their Thrive Movement isn't exactly my cup of tea, I admit that I was weirdly fascinated by this film. It presents a very extreme and controversial message in an incredibly laid back, soft and even slightly respectable manner. Gamble has convinced many reputable non-conspiracists to appear on his show, including Deepak Chopra and Vandana Shiva. "Thrive" is incredibly well produced, suggesting that someone with substantial means have contributed to the project. My guess is that it's Gamble himself, since he belongs to one of the families which owns Procter & Gamble. The narrator is at pains to distance himself from anti-Semitism and anti-Black racism (several of the people interviewed are Black, including Foster's aikido trainer). He takes the side of the American Indians against the settlers, while claiming to be an avid student of Ludwig von Mises. Not a bad job, certainly not for a person who is on a first-name basis with David Icke...

I will give "Thrive" five stars, not because I agree with its analysis or political program, but because it's so charismatic and intriguing. It's also available for free, both at the movement's website and at Youtube - in 20 different languages.

This is conspiracy theory deluxe.

Crawling with lizards

I don't necessarily mind John Gray, but "Black Mass" isn't one of his better books. It's essentially an updated (and badly edited) version of "Heresies". Gray's fans might as well go for that book instead.

Still, "Black Mass" clearly left *somebody* deeply disturbed. A reviewer in Sunday Telegraph implied that Gray must be anti-Semitic and compared him to David Icke! While Icke is never mentioned by name, the reference is obvious: "The CIA, meanwhile, has been taken over by shape-shifting lizards telepathically controlled by the ghost of Milton Friedman. OK, so perhaps that last sentence misrepresents Gray's argument; but Black Mass could hardly be more bonkers if it really was crawling with lizards." What triggered this little missive was Gray's criticism of the US-British war in Iraq.

Five years later, Iraq is a stable, prosperous, liberal democracy, and so is Egypt, Libya, Syria...eeeeer....and then, maybe not.

Incidentally, either Professor Gray himself or, as seems more likely, his publishers have a sense of humour. At the back cover of the book, we find the following negative blurb, attributed to the Sunday Telegraph: "A lot of bollocks...could hardly have been more bonkers if it was crawling with lizards".

The lizards are still crawling, agent Mulder. :P

A smorgosbord of conspiracy theories

When I first read this book, I thought it was a hoax. Later, I realized that it was seriously meant. Since the book is completely insane, I find it hard to say anything objective about it. Yet, I will give it my best shot.

The author, David Icke, is British and used to be a sports commentator on British TV, commenting both soccer and snooker. Then, he became a spokesperson for the Green Party. Even later, he experienced a spiritual awakening or divine revelation, turning him into a New Age guru of sorts. He began writing books containing various conspiracy theories, including "The Truth Shall Set You Free" and "The Robots Rebellion".

Jewish organizations have accused Icke of anti-Semitism. Anarchists and Trotskyists see him as a fascist, and have busted up his meetings. In Sweden, anarchists abstained from protesting a meeting by Icke only because they regarded him as crazy. A Swedish anti-Semitic group, the Hylozoiks, translated at least one of Icke's books to Swedish. This group believes that Jews are controlled by evil aliens based at Pluto.

In this book, "The Biggest Secret", Icke implicitly distances himself from anti-Semitism by calling the evil force at work in the universe "Aryans". However, he still supports the Christian Patriot movement in the US. While the militias are not necessarily fascist, they are nevertheless a very problematic milieu. Icke might not be "far right", but his ideas can still be used in such contexts. Still, the Hylozoiks took a clue and stopped fronting for Icke.

What are the main ideas of "The Biggest Secret"? Essentialy these: In secret, Earth is ruled by multi-dimensional shape-shifting space aliens, whom Icke dubbes "Aryan reptilians". Tounge in cheek (Icke is one of the few conspiracy theorists with a sense of humor), one of the chapters of the book is titled "Don't mention the reptiles!". Icke believes that the British royal family, many US presidents, Henry Kissinger and even one Mexican president are reptilians who shape-shift to look human. He explicitly compares this to the TV show "V". These evil beings are behind all the world's religions, materialist science, most wars and financial crises, and globalization. The goal is to create a global, evil superstate. The space aliens thrive on hatred, conflict and guilt. Therefore, the solution to the conspiracy is not warfare against them, but a New Age message of Love and Forgiveness. Perhaps this will release even the reptilians in the end.

On one level, this is all wacked. On another level, however, Icke makes fascinating reading. Indeed, Icke has become a pop culture phenomenon. You simply cannot understand conspiracy theory or even New Religious Movements without reading Icke. What makes Icke unique is not so much this or that single idea. Rather, it is the fact that he weaves them all together. "The Biggest Secret" is a virtual smorgosbord of conspiracy theories, where everyone will find something he recognizes and perhaps already believes in, and much that is new besides. Perhaps this explains the stunning success of this book and its sequal "Children of the Matrix", which is very similar.

Some ideas of Icke are derived from established religion. The reptilians are presumably identical to the Asuras of Hinduism or the Archonts of Gnosticism, evil spirit-beings who out of envy want to hinder the salvation of man, keeping him bound in matter. But Icke goes one step further, claiming that the Archonts walk among us, like everyday men. That idea isn't new either. For instance, both Summit Lighthouse and the Hylozoiks claimed that certain people (read Jews) aren't real people, but robot-beings controlled from afar.

Such ideas can lead to genocide if left unchecked. By contrast, Icke is still a New Age guy who believes love is the solution. Thank you, David.

I give this book 5 stars, not because of its ideas, but simply because of Icke's tasty smorgosbord.

FEMA is the secret government, agent Mulder

Michael Barkun is a professor of political science who studies fringe groups, usually on the far right. His most well known book is perhaps "Religion and the racist right", in which Barkun details the origins and strange beliefs of the Christian Identity movement. "A culture of conspiracy" is a broader book, which tries to make sense of the conspiracist and millenarian subcultures in general. The book succeeds quite well in its task, especially taking into consideration that the subject is vast and very unwieldy!

"A culture of conspiracy" is both a scholarly analysis of contemporary conspiracy beliefs, and an overview of the most important conspiracy writers. David Icke is prominently featured. Barkun then attempts to back track the conspiracy theories to their original sources, a task easier said than done.

One of Barkun's main points is that contemporary conspiracism and millennialism are highly eclectic, a phenomenon he calls "improvisational millennialism". Until the 1980's, millennialism was usually connected to very specific movements or ideologies, such as evangelical Christianity, Marxism or nationalism. Also, New World Order conspiracy beliefs were for a long time associated with a special kind of apocalyptic Christians (such as Pat Robertson) or with fringe groups on the far right (the John Birch Society, Nazis, etc). During the 1980's and the 1990's, all this changed. Today, millenarians and conspiracy believers freely use ideas from many different sources: Christianity, New Age, UFO beliefs, anti-Semitism, or the far right in general. Some even believe in a "fake" millennium, a phoney apocalypse staged by the conspirators! Nor are conspiracists necessarily connected to a sharply delineated organization. Rather, a whole subculture has developed, to a large extent fuelled by the Internet, where ideas can float around freely and make themselves felt without any organized movement at all.

The most important development, according to Barkun, has been the introduction of New World Order beliefs (typical of the far right) into the UFO subculture, which tends to be apolitical and less stigmatized. By connecting their conspiracy theories with a belief in UFOs, far right-wing authors have gained a broader audience than previously possible. By a curious process, this blend of conspiracy theory and UFO beliefs then re-entered the conspiracist milieu, in the form of superconspiracies with space aliens at the apex. It should be noted that the UFO subculture is well established in the United States, and that millions of Americans take UFOs seriously. Also, many believe that the government known more about the UFOs than they are letting on. Indeed, it's remarkable that it took the conspiracists so long to discover this fertile ground!

New Age ideas have also been combined with conspiracy beliefs. And New Age is a broad subculture with a certain degree of social respectability. By blending into the UFO and New Age milieus, millenarians and conspiracists can mainstream their ideas and take them to new audiences. The Australian magazine Nexus (which has an international circulation) takes exactly this approach. The magazine freely blends New World Order ideas with UFOs, "alternative" science, spirituality, and so on. Barkun also mentions the remarkable fact, that conspiracy beliefs have become part of mainstream culture. One example out of many is the popular movie "The X Files", where the obscure far right-wing idea that FEMA is an important part of the world conspiracy is introduced to a potential audience of millions. (Other examples not mentioned by the author are the TV series "Dark Skies" and "First Wave". Of course, "The X Files" were originally a TV series as well.)

Further, the author discusses the general character of conspiracy beliefs. In contrast to regular religious believers, conspiracists don't demand that their views be taken simply on faith. Rather, their approach is seemingly empirical: by presenting a load of purported facts, they actually attempt to prove that the conspiracy exists. Often, conspiracist tracts mimic the apparatus of scholarly works (footnotes, references) and look well researched. Indeed, conspiracists have a love-hate relationship with the academic world. On the one hand, universities are seen as part of the conspiracy, since they deny or don't care about conspiracy theories. On the other hand, conspiracists mimic the outer strappings of academic works, as if they wanted to become part of the academic milieu themselves. (Incidentally, this love-hate relationship to academe seems to be typical of "alternative" groups in general. It's also common that religious groups attempt to sound scientific, while actually rejecting the methods of modern science.)

As Barkun is at pains to point out, however, the empirical foundation of the conspiracy beliefs is actually very shaky and elusive. Often, the various authors simply quote each other! This cross referencing is also extremely common on the Internet, where the sheer number of times a certain rumour appears is taken as validation. At a certain point, a leap of faith is necessary to believe the conspiracy theories. I noticed this phenomenon when reading David Icke's earlier books, which present both real conspiracies, possible conspiracies, and completely absurd claims. Perhaps the existence of the two former makes it easier to take that leap of faith and also believe the latter?

That conspiracy theories aren't really based in empirical facts is also shown by a curious phenomenon Barkun dubs fact-fiction reversal. Novels, movies and even hoaxes might be interpreted as true, and hence as "empirical proof" that the conspiracy theory is real. This kind of thinking is indeed very widespread, and I suppose it's a necessary corollary to the idea that the world is in the thrall of a gigantic conspiracy. If "facts" are merely illusions, why can't fiction actually be fact? Barkun mentions several examples of science fiction stories that have been interpreted as true by conspiracy believers, including Bulwer-Lytton's novel "Vril: The Power of the Coming Race" and the Shaver Mystery (which may have been inspired by the ravings of a lunatic who actually believed in aliens). Another example, which I think Barkun misses, is David Icke's reference to the series "V" as proof that the world is indeed under attack by reptilians posing as humans. Even hoaxes can be accepted as genuine. I don't think Barkun mentions "Report from Iron Mountain" - actually a parody of conspiracy beliefs but accepted as true by many conspiracy believers - but he does mention an April Fool's hoax shown on British television, "Alternative 3". It seems conspiracists have a pretty strange view of what counts as an empirical fact!

"A culture of conspiracy" might be too tedious and detailed for the general reader. It's easy to get lost in this unwieldy, eclectic world. Barkun painstakingly tracks down the origins of even the strangest notions, and these often turn out to be obscure self-published pamphlets. Some of them can't even be dated with certainty. However, for those seriously interested in New Religious Movements or fringe politics, this book is a must.

Thank God for public service

When first aired, "V" became an instant pop culture phenomenon in Sweden. I don't remember the exact year. 1985?

At the time, Swedish TV was very old fashioned. There were only two channels, both of them public service! Imagine growing up with only two TV channels. (The kids played chess, caught newts in the local stream, read Franco-Belgian cartoons. So no, we weren't suffering.)

Besides, the fact that there were only two channels made *everyone* in Sweden watch "V", both the original miniseries and the three-part sequel, known as "V: The Final Battle". In fact, people were shocked by Diana eating that rabbit and turning out to be a lizard. The day after, tabloids prominently featured Diana's eating habits (complete with a large photo). Since we were really smart kids, one of us knew that the whole thing was a Nazi allegory. Scientists equal Jews, right?

"V: The Original Miniseries" and "V: The Final Battle" were showed in a row, so we had five weeks of reptilian entertainment. Well, almost. Many viewers were confused by the third episode (actually the first episode of "Final Battle"), and assumed that the TV channel was broadcasting the wrong one. Thousands of viewers called Swedish television, which promptly stopped showing it! Confusion followed. The poor employee responsible for "V" had called it a day, and the other episodes were locked up in his office. Nobody could find a spare key! After much embarrassment, the channel finally realized that they were showing the right episode after all, and resumed airing it. New problems followed, as thousands of people who had programmed their VCR's missed a large portion. Finally, Swedish television had to show an extraordinary re-run of the third episode, only a couple of days later!

Thank God for public service.

We enjoyed both "V: The Original" and "V: The Final Battle". Everyone assumed that this was the entire series. Then, the newspapers revealed that there were an additional 19 episodes! WHAT???? People felt cheated, and ratings dropped (but since the network was government-controlled, they didn't have to care about it.) After the episode featuring The Big Murderous Alien Dressed In Black, a small Communist group filed a complaint against Swedish television, charging them with "fascist propaganda" (which, of course, is verboten). Presumably, they didn't catch the Nazi analogy. And yes, we all liked Robert Englund, the nice and cozy alien!

Today, "V" feels very dated. Still, "V: The Original Miniseries" and "V: The Final Battle" are classics. You might as well skip "V: The Series", however. I don't consider it canonical.

Finally, I just have to mention David Icke. OK, now it's done.

They sure lost it

"The lost teachings of Jesus" is a series of four books attributed to Elizabeth Clare Prophet. However, it seems that most of the material consists of sermons or speeches by her husband, Mark L. Prophet. The Prophets were the leaders of Summit Lighthouse, a controversial new religious movement. Both are now deceased. Their group has also called itself Church Universal and Triumphant. The message of Summit Lighthouse is highly eclectic, and sounds like a free-wheeling combination of traditional Christianity and New Age teachings. Theosophy and Alice Bailey are other sources of inspiration. The most direct ancestor of Summit Lighthouse, however, is the I AM Activity of Guy and Edna Ballard. The group is also notorious for its anti-Communism and generally right-wing political stances. Some detractors refer to them as "the Montana doomsday cult".

Elizabeth Clare Prophet's most interesting book, "The lost years of Jesus" is reviewed by me elsewhere. The four volumes of "The lost teachings of Jesus" are marketed as sequels to that book. Unfortunately, they are nothing of the sort. The series is mostly a collection of incoherent and rambling sermons. Even the message of Summit Lighthouse gets lost somehow. This fourth volume is particularly bad. It does contain the bizarre conspiracy theories of this particular group, however.

Apparently, the Prophets believed that many humans are really counterfeit creations, a kind of humanoid robots controlled from within by the fallen angels mentioned in the apocryphal Book of Enoch. These fallen angels in human disguise have wormed themselves into positions of power, and are behind the economic crises, wars, population control and even price manipulations of wheat! (Is this where David Icke got his ideas from?) The book contains some mantras or "decrees" which can be used to protect you and yours from the influence of these "mechanized men" by invoking the "Electronic Presence of Jesus Christ".

Talk about loosing it. I'm afraid I have to give this book two stars...

Extremists R Us

I read Jon Ronson's book in an abridged Swedish edition. I expected the book to be comic relief, and it's certainly marketed that way. Instead, I found the book to be disturbing, tragic and (at best) tragicomic. Sometimes, it made me sympathize with the extremists!

The physical attacks on David Icke in Canada makes you wonder who is more insane: Icke or the people harassing him? As for Randy and Vicki Weaver, they were obviously the victims of a set up, to put it mildly. The paranoid crypto-Nazis who chase the Bilderbergers are disturbing, but so are the Bilderbergers themselves. One of the Bilderbergers, Dennis Healy, doesn't understand what on earth the fuzz is all about when interviewed by Ronson: "Sure we have secret meetings. So what? That's how it works. That's how thing are done".

So that makes it alright, then?

The high point of "Them" is Ronson's successful infiltration of the Bohemian Grove, a place where conspiracy theorists believe that the Bilderbergers carry out bizarre rituals in honour of an owl god. They turn out to be partially right: Ronson actually manages to watch the secret ritual, complete with a mock sacrifice in front of an owl statue. The "ritual" turns out to be a ridiculous, pseudo-Masonic college fraternity stunt. The thing looks more pathetic than menacing. Indeed, somebody suggests to Ronson that the Bilderbergers might actually *like* all the conspiracy theories about them. It boosts their egos. Today, nobody controls anything anymore.

Perhaps the full-length original version of "Them" is more entertaining. Or perhaps the Swedish translation is to blame?

I don't know, but I walked away from this book more convinced than before that the extremism of the conspiracy theorists is fuelled by the insanity of the real world...