This is what happens when crazy people stop taking their meds and get together to whip each other into a frenzy. The particular case in point here involves all around paranoid fruitbat Alex Jones and one of his more “interesting” fantasies about a place called “Bohemian Grove”. According to Alex Bohemian Grove is a place where children are abused and human sacrifice is common. Since he is also rabidly homophobic and a rather extreme anti-semite Jones obviously also claims the Grove is big on “Jews” and “sexual deviants”. Oh yeah, and he thinks they are Nazis or something.
The reality is much less evil, and pretty harmless (if not actually beneficial) when looked at through a lens of intelligence and education.
“Moreover, there is a literature in social psychology, called small-group research, or small-group dynamics, which shows that people who meet in relaxed settings, and see their group as exclusive, become even tighter with each other than people in ordinary groups. Even better, people in exclusive groups are more likely to listen to each other and come to a compromise if they have the task of figuring out what to do about some policy issue.
In short, a study of the Bohemian Grove could show that social cohesion is an aid to the formation of policy consensus. I took to saying that from a social-psychological point of view, the upper class is made up of constantly shifting face-to-face small groups — a board of directors meeting at the corporation in the morning, a meeting of a policy discussion group in the afternoon, a drink with some buddies at an exclusive club in the evening. And best of all, of course, many of them camped out together at the Bohemian Grove one year or another.” – Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove
The problem is that Alex Jones is already preaching to a dangerously naive and unbalanced segment of the population. Their grip on reality is tenuous and they are full of conflicts, feelings of paranoia and hatred of any number of groups that they feel are victimizing them. They see conspiracies where none exist and depend on these for their self image.
“It was quiet except for the hateful shouts of the old men, who said things like, “Oh yeah! Burn that bastard! Kill him! That’s what he deserves!” All we could hear was them whispering and smacking their lips. This went on and on.” – Alex Jones has a rich fantasy life
Eventually, one of them was going to pop like a weasel in a microwave.
“Richard McCaslin, 37, of Carson City, Nev., pleaded not guilty in Sonoma County Superior Court yesterday to five felony counts including arson, burglary and brandishing a weapon at a peace officer after he allegedly sneaked into the exclusive Russian River encampment carrying an arsenal of weapons.
He told The Chronicle during a jailhouse interview that he went to the Monte Rio retreat Saturday night intent on exposing child abuse and human sacrifice and punishing the perpetrators.
“I was expecting armed resistance and I would have fired back if I was fired upon,” he said.
The bizarre episode is the latest brouhaha involving San Francisco’s Bohemian Club, which for years has provided fodder for conspiracy theorists and been attacked by women’s groups.” – Richard McCaslin loses his mind
Where did he get this idiocy?
“But the well-spoken and seemingly lucid McCaslin is convinced that there are hidden torture chambers and other horrors at the club. He told how he was inspired by Austin, Texas, radio personality Alex Jones. Jones says he has seen “bizarre, Luciferian ceremonies” at the idyllic 2,000-acre redwood grove during the club’s annual two-week summer encampment, which draws U.S. presidents and other luminaries.” – Richard McCaslin loses his mind
So sad, so funny.
[...] Anyway, some folks from "We Are Change" (which is kind of like a club for hecklers who stopped taking their meds) decided to chase Arnold Schwarzenegger around tossing the word "Nazi" at him and then launching into a litany of crazy that includes favorite conspiracy bugaboo, the Bohemian Grove. [...]