I love a conspiracy theory, how about you?
Although this one isn't necessarily new -- lots of folks have opined about the convenient coincidence of an escalating so-called pandemic mixed with an under-supply of vaccinations while the country debates healthcare reform -- it's all the more delicious when it comes from a rock star of some note.
With that in mind, when singer, songwriter, and leader of the now defunct alternative band The Smashing Pumpkins suggests swine flu "is not a naturally occurring virus," and that "President Obama has declared a national emergency" when "there isn’t one," you have to pay attention just for the entertainment value alone.
This is especially true given his status as a poet, for at least his conspiracy theory, unlike most, is well written (h/t Mediaite):
If you follow some of the links I have been supplying as of late, you’ll notice many are focused on the propaganda build up to our day of reckoning with the Swine Flu virus. I say ‘propaganda’ because, in my heart, there is something mighty suspicious about declaring an emergency for something that has yet to show itself to be a grand pandemic. Our American President Obama has declared a national emergency about this virus, which he in his own words said was, at this point, a preventative measure. So, why declare an emergency if there isn’t one?
I am not a doctor, and I am in no way suggesting that you should follow any medical advice from me. What you do with your body, what you put into it, who you allow to love it or hate on it, is your business. I am more focused on the vibration that has us all so fearful: both for how the fear affects our thinking, and how, in our fear, we attract the worst, and, in conjunction with that, how those fears are used by others without integrity to try to create a power against Us to promote discomfort and dis-ease [sic]. [...]
I have friends that have gotten the swine flu. All of them told me they felt very, very sick, and that it was awful. So I’m not in any way suggesting that the H1N1 virus is not real.
I would suggest however that it is possible the virus is not a naturally occurring virus. I have read reports from people who say (as doctors) that there is evidence to suggest this virus was created by man; to call it Swine Flu is then a misnomer, as it really is Swine Flu plus some other stuff stitched together. These doctors said such genetic mutation was impossible in nature.
In reality, some of this is true. There have been a lot of credible reports, including one from Tamiflu creator Adrian Gibbs, that "swine flu might have been created using eggs to grow viruses and make new vaccines, and could have been accidently leaked to the general public."
But I digress, for Corgan was rolling to a rousing crescendo:
I for one will not be taking the vaccine. I do not trust those who make the vaccines, or the apperatus behind it all to push it on us thru fear. This is not judgment; it is a personal decision based on research, intuition, conversations with my doctor and my ‘family’. If the virus comes to take me Home, that is between me and the Lord. I have put up some of these links to inspire the question in you, so that perhaps you can make a better decision for yourself. That is what holistic life is about: a willingness to look at all the facts or opinions. [...]
If the propaganda machine kicked into overdrive about kindness, manners, working together, human ingenuity, and grace, then maybe I would view its function differently. But its current function is to maim and distort the truth, not to enlighten. How do I know this? Because it has fear attached to it, because it uses fear to move energy. Anything connected to fear is definitely not connected to Love or the promotion of Love.
Scaring the daylights out of you over a virus or an unseen enemy only weakens us. Calm, open debate, and logical thought drive strength to its maximum effectiveness. The system works broken, because it is to the system’s advantage to do so. The system pretends to have a limp and a heart so you’ll think it is both listening to you and incapable of moving too fast.
The state of Massachusetts here in America is about to sign into law (if it hasn’t already) for a mandatory vaccination. The state will have the power to come into your home and incarcerate you for being unwilling to comply with a vaccination order. Didn’t you hear? Soon, you won’t even have the choice to live OR die as you wish!
The deeper message here might be that people will soon be ready to abandon the idea of a paternalistic system that governs this world. Before doing so, we must face down our deeper fears about our own liberty and tolerance. The time is coming when we will cast votes with our hearts and not our minds.
Unwarranted paranoia maybe, but sprinkled with an alarming dash of truth concerning how fear is currently being used to manipulate the masses into supporting policies that are clearly not in their own best interest.
And just in time for Halloween.
Trick or treat!!!
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Loved the pumpkins in the
October 30, 2009 - 09:19 ET by ThatDudeLoved the pumpkins in the 90s, but Zeitgeist was a terrible album in which the instrumentals and Corgan's vocal style simply didn't mesh well.
Oh, he's talking about politics? I say shut up and sing! At least he has something to back up his arguments and doesn't pose as an expert on any such subject. It's better than most of the Hollywood types giving their opinion on matters that have nothing to do with their profession. However, conspiracy theory is just theory that succeeds in spreading paranoia till the theory is proven or disproven.
Want a conspiracy theory...
October 30, 2009 - 10:35 ET by unkeeafThe below link leads to a much watch video for all Newsbusters readers. If you hadn't already figured out Obama was the worst thing to ever happen to this country, this will absolutely convince you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMe5dOgbu40
Pass this along if you would. Everyone needs to see this.
MSM = PR firm for the Democrat Party
~I'll see that
October 30, 2009 - 13:08 ET by choselife3xAnd raise you one.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
http://themessengerd...
I think Zeitgeist is pretty good
October 30, 2009 - 13:27 ET by mvfreemanBleeding the Orchid is probably my favorite tune on the album.
This is one of those bands
October 30, 2009 - 13:28 ET by Roger the ShrubberThis is one of those bands I usually end up really liking 1-2 songs from each of their albums. Zeitgeist is not the greatest, but I think "Doomsday Clock" is pretty heavy, and extra-heaviness always earns a thumbs-up from this shrubber :)
Yup
October 30, 2009 - 13:42 ET by mvfreemanDoomsday Clock rocks.
Haven't heard anything about the new album they're supposed to be releasing online for free.
"I say shut up and sing!" I
October 30, 2009 - 13:33 ET by scarebear83"I say shut up and sing!"
I wish you would tell that to Green Day! At least Corgan isn't singing about politics.
__________
Shazbot!
Hmmm, I think my conspiracy
October 30, 2009 - 09:20 ET by dscottHmmm, I think my conspiracy theory is much better... and much more believable, that's what makes it really scary. Happy Halloween!
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
So, why declare an
October 30, 2009 - 09:22 ET by motherbeltSo, why declare an emergency if there isn’t one?
Because, as Rahm Emanuel said, you never want to let a crisis go to waste.
And if you can get a jump on it and declare it a crisis before it actually is, you have a head start!!
Everything
October 30, 2009 - 09:24 ET by jacktheripperEverything about this Admin. is a "crisis" i.e. the banks,healthcare etc. I applaud Mr. Corgan and will join him in NOT getting this "vaccine".
"The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can
bribe the people with their own money." – Alexis de Tocqueville
Neither will I.
October 30, 2009 - 09:45 ET by Red JeepIt seems like the Obama crowd are super determined to make the swine flu an epidemic, even if it isn't one.
I know of one VA doctor
October 30, 2009 - 09:59 ET by Willis_Leon_Johnsonthat recommends AGAINST getting the 'swine' flu, but pushes the 'seasonal' flu shot.
http://gjresult.com
You know, I'm all about
October 30, 2009 - 09:24 ET by gmaniac1You know, I'm all about giving Obama some grief when he deserves it but this is kind of ridiculous. Corrigan needs to do like some of the rest of these mind numbed entertainers and just stick with what you do best, entertain. He listens to too much Alex Jones.
Another Day, Another Conspiracy
October 30, 2009 - 09:32 ET by CGattonAt least he didn't blame it on Bush!
While I discount without consideration the conspiratorial origin of the H1N1 virus, I am certainly willing to entertain the concept of the Obama administration deliberately using it to increase the acceptance of Obamacare. Would such usage be considered a conspiracy? I feel in the purest sense of the word it would be, but I leave it for you to decide on the merits.
V/R
Clyde
"...the aspirants to tyranny are either the...men of the state, who in democracies are demagogues,... or those who hold great offices, and have a long tenure.." - Aristotle, Politics, c350BC
Chicago Style
October 30, 2009 - 09:37 ET by PeterDWhat is particularly ironic is that Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins are from the Chicago area. Think he knows a little something we may not?
The Smashing Pumkins star
October 30, 2009 - 09:37 ET by dvdaughtryThe Smashing Pumkins star comes out with this on the eve of the holiday that carves the same vegetable?
Coincidence?
I don't think so...
You trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?
I can't say I believe in
October 30, 2009 - 09:39 ET by Radical1979I can't say I believe in the conspiracy theory here, but...
I know from personal experience that in our local hospitals anyone going to the hospital with flu or COMMON COLD symptoms is going to be diagnosed without testing as having swine flu. So there is no way the numbers are accurate because either they are reporting people as having swine flue who have not been tested or followed to be sure they have it. Or, they are not reporting these cases because they are not being tested, which means there is a possible underreporting of the swine flu. Either way there is no way to know how much swine flu is going around.
Personal Anecdote...
October 30, 2009 - 09:58 ET by Corny_McPooI visited a clinic here in the Puget Sound area as I was suffering from flu symptoms (extreme fatigue, fever, aches, etc.). The doctor tested me for influenza, trying to ascertain if I had A-type or B-type influenza; he was CERTAIN I had the flu, you see. I tested positive for A-type influenza, so I was diagnosed with H1N1 (Swine Flu). The doctor informed my wife and me that if one tests positive for A-type influenza, he/she is very likely (97% or so) suffering from H1N1. I guess there was a 3% chance that I DID NOT have Swine Flu, but at the end of the day, I had a BAD CASE of the flu. It sucked!
Signed, Corny McPoo
Do Something Amazing!
Obama likely jumped the gun
October 30, 2009 - 13:26 ET by Ten7sObama likely jumped the gun with the H1N1 National Emergency warning, trying to gin up support for his Obaminable-Health-Care-Rationing-Plan. If so, that's an extremely serious abuse of office.
But as long as we ignore MSM "News" reports on the subject, and go exclusively by CONFIRMED cases reported by health departments, we should have a fairly good idea of the epidemiology.
Just because it's a
October 30, 2009 - 11:00 ET by mattmJust because it's a conspiracy theory doesn't mean it isn't true.
We've got tons of evidence of Democrat vote fraud going back to when the Acorn in Chief was just a little nut growing up in Indonesia (with no apparent place of birth ; )). We have unions helping elect a guy that takes over GM and gives it to the union. We have a congress that meets practically in secret and shuts out dissenting voices while they concoct a socialist "healthcare" policy that will effectively make us all slaves of the government. We have Democrats pretending to be Republicans and somehow getting endorsed by Party insiders. etc. etc.
Is it really that difficult to believe that the Swine Flu hype is part of a propaganda campaign? Is it so hard to believe that this administration would be capable of such a thing?
Can't help myself
October 30, 2009 - 09:41 ET by FranksamNoel, I appreciate all your hard work, but life is hell for the grammatically correct. Please tell me that you were being funny when you call the Pumpkins "defunked". They never were funky, IMO, and you've never really struck me as a real P-Funkadelic kind of guy either. I could be wrong.
Frank
October 30, 2009 - 09:50 ET by Noel SheppardFrank,
Yes, it was an intentional pun which I now realize was likely not going to work for most. :-) ns
The Pumpkins are neither defunked or defunct...
October 30, 2009 - 13:37 ET by mvfreemanThe band is still active...
http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smashing_Pumpkins
They have replaced their long time drummer and will be releasing a new album shortly.
Thanks
October 30, 2009 - 15:23 ET by FranksamI'll rip the tracks I like from my son after he downloads the album.
Shave your head, shave my brain
October 30, 2009 - 09:52 ET by CO2MakerThe important things to remember:
Bald-headed guys holding discarded Dan Flavin fluorescent tubes in a cross have no credibility in a discussion of public policy. The little triangle on his forehead (it looks like the emergency flasher symbol in my car) doesn't add much, either.
You don't improve the believability of your conspiracy theory by using faux-erudition as a writing style. Step away from the keyboard. Put down that thesaurus.
CO2
October 30, 2009 - 09:56 ET by BlondeHa ha, we own a domain name for Fluorescent IQ, and someday will create a site demanding all members of Congresss tatoo their IQ's to their foreheads, in fluorescent ink, a la this Pumpkinhead.
You like?
I hope he fails, too.
More...
October 30, 2009 - 09:53 ET by slickwillie2001What is Louis Farrakhan, chopped liver? Too funky?
Nation of Islam Leader Believes Swine Flu Vaccine a Death Trap: http://chattahbox.com
Dang this boy is scary to
October 30, 2009 - 09:55 ET by Dan The Man 2Dang this boy is scary to look at and listen to. There are some idea such as Duh Vain One creating a crisis and possible virus outbreak due to carelessness of experiments, but he is a little too out there for me. On the other hand som of the kookier predictions a year ago about Duh Vain One have been fufilled; aieee Im gonna hide my head in the sand.
Local High School boy just died from H1N1
October 30, 2009 - 11:01 ET by OxyConHe got sick on Friday, went to the hospital on Saturday, then died. What a tragedy for him and his family.
How Seasonally Timely
October 30, 2009 - 11:15 ET by DoktorFrankenTo have this schlub talk about this is just too hilariously irrelevant for me to have a serious comment about it.
JMHO, you understand.
If Saul Alinsky owned a news channel it would be MSNBC. ---- Me
NOOOO, Billy! I'm a huge
October 30, 2009 - 11:30 ET by wiwfNOOOO, Billy! I'm a huge Pumpkins fan, why do you need to get in on conspiracy theories? Ugh.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
Today is the greatest......
October 30, 2009 - 11:33 ET by OklahomaIsShapedFunny"Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage!"
-Billy Corgan
When those Billy chooses to "allow to love" his body inform him that
Obama is one of them (therefore his intentions are nobel & justified)
he will be so embarrased.
Noel... mention the man's name!! You just have "lead singer for the smashing pumpkins." it's Billy Corgan
oh my
October 30, 2009 - 11:42 ET by rowdygirlHe's spooky looking.. but I think he speaks some truth. I kind of actually have been thinking the same thing. Why all the declaration of pandemics, and state of emergencies when nothing has really happened yet?
I think an indoctrination of the masses with a vaccine that "you just have to have" would be a pretty convenient way for him to spread his message.
Scary.
All I want to know is
October 30, 2009 - 12:58 ET by ChristianRebelIs if the statement about forced vaccinations is true. I understand for medical workers (they tried to pull that crap here in NY, let's just say it didn't work out to well in the politicians favor).
I've heard the line about it being man made, there might be some crediblity to the whole "promote Obamacare release a virus" thing but I doubt it since it's exposeing the flaws in a government run health system (God forbid this were a real crisis).
There's something to this H1N1 crap I think we can all agree on that, but as far as "theory" goes I think I'm going to hang back until a broader picture is available.
Never been a fan of the Pumpkins...
October 30, 2009 - 13:11 ET by WarpI've read some of their lyrics and they were almost interesting and possibly insightful sometimes, but mostly vague. I have never liked Billy's whiny singing voice or the average, uninspired quality of the music. I’ve always considered Smashing Pumpkins to be cliché rock.
That being said;
What makes Billy a conspiracy theorist according to what he'd written – at least, from what is included in this article? I see the build-up of propaganda and it has disturbed me. The rumors of the H1N1’s virulence seem to be greatly exaggerated. I have a sneaking suspicion that the actual cases of Swine Flu are somewhere on the order of 2% of what is being reported.
Billy didn’t say that the H1N1 was created intentionally (I don’t think so anyway); he suggested that it may be the result of an unnatural mutation or the stitching together of the flu virus with something else, but stopped short of insisting an intentional conspiracy – his words leave room for accidental creation. If either intentional or unintentional creation were true, there would undoubtedly be a conspiracy to cover it up.
I will not take an H1N1 vaccination; shall we forget that the Swine Flu outbreak in 1976 killed 1 person, but the vaccinations killed 25? I have no stats on how many people were vaccinated, so I don’t have a percentage. I know that I am allergic to something in flu vaccinations because I get violently ill for about a week every time I receive one – and I usually get the flu a month or so later anyway, so what’s the point to going through all that misery for no reason?
Billy just doesn’t seem to be particularly paranoid; he seems like an angry libertarian with a fairly artsy way of getting his point across. Strangely enough, I find myself agreeing with the majority of what he’s written here; but that doesn’t mean I’ll be popping out to buy a CD.
“The system pretends to have a limp and a heart…” – I like that.
Agreed Warp
October 30, 2009 - 22:18 ET by NJ Infidel"Strangely enough, I find myself agreeing with the majority of what he’s written here.."
Isn't that the way you come away feeling with most libertarian ideas. Agreeing with the outcome, but the journey a little bizarre.
Great Story
October 30, 2009 - 13:27 ET by SkipperMLMNice...Love the pumpkins
All I know is that the
October 30, 2009 - 22:06 ET by ApacheAll I know is that the "Tonight, Tonight" video was great and bonus points for a celeb crying about something without inserting "Bush" into it. As for Obama using the swine flu for political gain, well what doesn't he use fore political gain?
Apache... No crisis or
October 30, 2009 - 22:13 ET by bigtimerApache...
No crisis or non-crisis will go to waste with this administration.
Things will backfire with this over-reach from the O/Soros team.
They are too full of themselves to see it...thankfully.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
There is a grain of truth in his comments
November 1, 2009 - 03:28 ET by surfergirl54First of all I live in Australia where we did have some deaths caused by the H1N1 virus over the past winter season. In fact some of those deaths occurred in my current location. Prior to my trip to the USA one school ended up quarantining the children because of the virus. That action probably saved lives.
Second, the flu pandemic that WHO seems to be expecting never seems to eventuate. It goes back to the Spanish flu that swept the world after the 1918 war when millions of people all over the world passed away. At that time the ones most at risk were nursing mothers and younger women.
Third, the H1N1 virus has been around for a very long time, which explains why the type can be so easily identified as TypeA or TypeB. If you have had something similar in the past - even as far back as the 1970s then the chance of copping it bad with the flu is probably quite slim. However, it is WHO that is the one that declared this as a pandemic. It is embarrassing for them that the bird flu came to nothing....
Now getting back to the comments made by this "singer", I did think there is a grain of truth in his statement:
Scaring the daylights out of you over a virus or an unseen enemy
only weakens us. Calm, open debate, and logical thought drive strength
to its maximum effectiveness. The system works broken, because it is to
the system’s advantage to do so. The system pretends to have a limp and
a heart so you’ll think it is both listening to you and incapable of
moving too fast.
The state of Massachusetts here in America is
about to sign into law (if it hasn’t already) for a mandatory
vaccination. The state will have the power to come into your home and
incarcerate you for being unwilling to comply with a vaccination order.
Didn’t you hear? Soon, you won’t even have the choice to live OR die as
you wish!
The deeper message here might be that people will soon be ready to
abandon the idea of a paternalistic system that governs this world.
Before doing so, we must face down our deeper fears about our own
liberty and tolerance.
I do not know if it is true that the state of Massachusetts is in fact introducing legislation that will mean that people must have the vaccination for swine flu. Such compulsory legislation seems to be a bit of overkill if it is true. It is not the first time I have heard anyone voicing such fears..... in Australia we did not go that far and we survived without any ensuing pandemic. ....
Yet what really stands out in the comments is the voicing of the fact that someone is playing on the fears of the people for political gain. Overall, I think that despite the conspiracy theories inherent in what he was stating he has really nailed it as far as the Obummer administration is concerned because it is Obummer who has been trying to create panic over a flu pandemic that does not exist.