Sunny Seattle:

Wow. My favorite part is how the Russians and the Chinese are in on the "Islamic bomb." The Russian invasion of Afghanistan, its vicious treatment of the Chechen minority, the horrific Chechen terrorism attacks within Russia, China's treatment of its own Muslim minority -- maybe this would make such partnerships a little, um, problematic?

The Birchers--and others of like mind--had the Communists and the international bankers (can you spell J-E-W?) conspiring together to destroy America, so this is perfectly expected.

Now, if you really want to get arcane about it, you'll go back to the early New England Puritans, as described in Robert Slotkin's Regeneration Through Violence. They had all sorts of enemies--from the crowned heads of Europe they just knew were gunning for them, to the Native Americans, whose land they'd just stolen, to the Quakers, who actually got along with the Native Americans, to the French settlers, who also seemed to get along, by trading more and stealing land less, to the folks back home in England of different faiths (who, truth be told, were actually glad to be rid of them).

Anyway, Slotkin describes how the Puritans imagined that all of their disparate enemies (most of whom had zero contact with each other) were in league with one another. How, you may ask? Well, it's simple. As unbelievers (in the one true faith) they were naturally in league with Satan, and thus, they were all part of one conspiracy. The first non-religious best-sellers in America were what was known as "captivity narratives," stories told by people who had been captured by Native Americans. And thus it was only natural that when witchcraft fears began circulating, one of the memes that cropped up was "captivity by demons" or spirits, or some such.

Bottom line: if you're constitutionally incapable of recognizing the real reasons why you might piss some folks off, you will automatically put yourself in play for thinking that everyone is just ganging up on you because you're so good and they're so evil.

It doesn't matter if the Yankees and the Red Socks have hated each others guts since the days of Warren Harding and Tea Pot Dome. The only reasons they exist is to conspire together to destroy your double-AA team.

Glenn's updates and the tip-off comments have introduced us to a Wonderland, indeed. But, really no stranger than the JBS and it's fellow travellers. Not to repeat myself, I want to point out a pamphlet I remember, through hysterical fits of laughter, from the 1960s, Communism, Hypnotism And The Beatles.

Cover image here:

http://www.boingboing.net/images/BeatlesCommies-1.jpg

It's been a long time since I read it--well, not read, exactly, but skimmed for yucks. I recall that it went on quite seriously about how the rhythmic music was used to induce hypnosis, and the destruction of the will--linking it Pavlov, and sounding very scientific (in his own mind, that is).

The table of contents for another work of his, Rhythm, Riots and Revolution--which seems to cover much of the same material--can be found here:

http://www.taxhelp.com/noebel-rhythm.html

Here's how it starts:

Part One: INTRODUCTION ..... 16

1. Communist Use of Mind Warfare ..... 17

2. Power of Music for Good or Evil ..... 19

3. Communist Use of Hypnotism ..... 21

4. Pavlov, Luria and Platonov ..... 22

5. Communist Infiltration ..... 27

There have always been literal swarms of people like this in America's right wing. I remember wandering into a right wing bookstore as a teenager in the 60s, and feeling like I had entered an episode of The Twilight Zone.

RealName:

I'm fine with everyone lying, really I expect it. There's no truth only agendas, I just want someone else to see that.

Paul Simon:

Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.

Pretending to be real people is a big part of the appeal of the Versailles label for me.

Plus the "let them eat cake" attitude that accompanies anything closely resembling a discussion of economic issues.

They really needed Sanjay this year. It's going to take them at least two more years of the most intense fluffery to get the memory of Steven Colbert out of their systems.