The post below this one discusses the proper and improper use of blogs as a way to discuss rumors. To illustrate the point, I'd like to direct your attention to the second goofiest 9/11 conspiracy story ever promulgated.
Apparently, two Bin Laden brothers came to Sedona, Arizona, in 1987, where they spilled a few beans. Even then, it seems, the U.S. Government had made long-range plans to topple the World Trade Center, pursuant to a larger plan called "Global Cleanse 2000." (Yes, you read that title correctly. Those naughty conspirators must have fallen behind schedule, eh wot?)
The primary source for these allegations is a lady in New Mexico named Rene Welch. She claims that she learned about this dastardly conspiracy when she worked for NASA and read certain documents.
Who is Welch? She says she was a military brat who, when very young, displayed a gift for ESP and "channeling." Hence her recruitment by NASA, which, apparently, is always on the lookout for good psychic readings.
Well, who doesn't like a little psychic advice now and then?
Apparently, Rene's story (or versions of it) has been fluttering around the net for months now; Rigorous Intuition made mention of it back in July, in a post titled "Plan 9 from Saudi Arabia."
Why do I mention Rene Welch here? First, because fun is fun.
Second, beause this narrative carries, for me, a certain nostalgic appeal. Back in 1987, the lovely town of Sedona, Arizona acquired quite a reputation as a New Age center. Mystics, alternative healers, UFO buffs, psychics, tarot card readers and conspiracy peddlers all came to bask in the vibes of cosmic grooviness.
The key motif of Welch's tale -- "I saw awful documents while in Government service" (ISADWIGS) -- reminds me of the allegations made by the grandsire of all conspiratorial blowhards, the late Milton "Bill" Cooper. Like Welch, Cooper claimed to have read a Top Secret report which disclosed Terrible Truths, although his memories of this "book of revelations" tended to mutate over the years.
Cooper made a fairly good living spewing toxic lore about aliens and Illuminati, and his wacky weltanshauung inspired many an episode of The X-Files. He eventually hooked up with the militia movement; I've heard rumors of a link to McVeigh and company. (If anyone can firm up those rumors, please contact me.) A few years ago, Cooper was shot to death after putting a bullet into a cop.
If memory serves, Cooper did the Sedona "thang" back in the late 1980s. I suspect that one might find the origin point for the current yarn in the speeches he gave back in the old days.
When I first read the report about Welch, the term "Global Cleanse 2000" struck a memory chord: Weren't the Cooperites passing around cheesy documents incorporating that phrase? I did a little checking, and sure enough, Coop did indeed use a variant of the term: "Global 2000." Since he trafficked in pilfered riffs, the term probably originated elsewhere.
So much for the second-goofiest 9/11 conspiracy theory that I know. One of these days, I may recount the yarn which holds the first-place position. It's a goose-pimpling, mind-melting tale that could make a grown man's balls shrivel to the size of chick peas.
6 comments:
Oh, come on, Joseph, now that you've teased us with that last line, you must fork over Goofiest 9/11 Conspiracy Theory #1. Can there be anything more ridiculous that "Global Cleanse 2000"?
my guess that no. 1 goofiest theory is the 'official story'
not sure what really happened but I'm sure what could not have happened
www.icerocket.com
If I recall, Bill Cooper was shot to death shortly after 9-11-01. He'd been saying the Government had a hand in the WTC attacks, and a couple of days before his death, he went on a radio station to "name names. He not only predicted that he would be killed for it, but had already sent his family away for their safety.
I'd seen Cooper's rantings for over a decade, and had never paid much attention to him until that happened. Undoubtedly, he was not the most popular man, and he may have named names before - but after 9-11, he might have been taken more seriously.
For a while, the radio station was offering a recording of that last interview for sale, but I can't find it now. Last time I checked, whoever took over Cooper's website was telling viewers: "Nothing to see here, folks; move along!"
The facts of Cooper's death are pretty straightforward. For years, the cops didn't quite know what to do with him. He had broken laws and refused to appear in court. Basically, he wouldn't pay taxes, even though he earned a fair amount from his idiotic (but wildly popular) book.
His threats to shoot anyone who trespassed on his property kept authorities at bay. They worried about another Waco.
Finally, in November of 2001, he crossed the line. During one of his usual rages, he started waving his gun around in the faces of a couple of locals. They pressed charges. Authorities decided that he would no longer get a free pass. They tried to arrest him on aggravated asault charges.
Cooper opened fire FIRST. He shot a cop named Martinez in the head. Cooper was killed in retaliatory fire. Just desserts, if you ask me.
There really was no conspiracy. This was a simple tale of a violent nut getting precisely what he deserved. The one who deserves sympathy is Martinez.
I read some of what Coop wrote about 9/11. It was garbage, like everything else he wrote. I doubt that he ever had any "inside" sources of info about anything.
Cooper was one of those guys who always had me wondering whether he believed his own horseshit. Other examples of the breed: Joseph Smith and L. Ron Hubbard.
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