Monthly Archives: November 2010

Footnoting Obama Conspiracy Theories

The Wikipedia article on Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories has to date 276 footnotes. There are many excellent commentaries and resources there from notable sources.

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Birther bills

Several items of proposed legislation have been offered across the country, seemingly inspired by birther conspiracy theories. The most visible is that introduced by State Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler) in the Texas legislature. Berman wants candidates to present their “original … Continue reading

Posted in Birther militia, Legislation | Tagged | 46 Comments

Newsworthy?

Slate.com carries an article by David Weigel on the relative newsworthiness of Alvin Greene (flash in the pan Democratic Senate candidate in South Carolina) and Orly Taitz (flash in the pan candidate for the Republican nomination for California Secretary of … Continue reading

Posted in Media, Orly Taitz | 6 Comments

Is there anything to be done?

The literature says that contradictory evidence only fuels conspiracy theories: it proves how deep the conspiracy goes, and how many people are in on it. The Dunning-Kruger effect says that the less proficient one is in their knowledge of a … Continue reading

Posted in Lounge | 126 Comments

Reality check

Sometimes it is the basic things people get hung up on. Let’s take a moment for a reality check. Ham Sandwich Our first example is a ham sandwich. Now someone might argue that this is not a ham sandwich, but … Continue reading

Posted in Tutorial | 189 Comments

Lou Dobbs joins Fox News

Lou Dobbs resigned from CNN after nearly 30 years amid pressure over his strongly opinionated on-air remarks about immigration issues, and perhaps his radio program where he made calls for President Obama to release another birth certificate. Now according to … Continue reading

Posted in Media | 3 Comments