Snapped Shot

Wow! Who knew there was an actual story behind my oddball Google query from a few hours ago! If I had checked my e-mail sooner, I would've seen Jeha's latest article has an explanation for the dreaded Zionist poison balloons!

The basis of this story is a set of balloons, which were claimed to have been filled with poison gas, and then directed towards Lebanon, to land and destroy all of the native Lebanese population. Apparently, not to be outdone by their pals in Pallywood, this story is being taken completely seriously by parties in Lebanon who, let's just say, have "something to gain" from demonising the Israelis.

Jeha, in discussing the inherent nature of certain groups to accept at face value conspiracy theories, brings up a brilliant point: "I think the real difference here is not in 'minds,' but in different political 'mindsets.'"

He's not too far off, but I'd add that there is no propensity in the West for the widespread belief of crackpot theories. One of his readers suggests that the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast is proof to the contrary, but I disagree: For one, that broadcast was over 80 years ago, in the infancy of mass communication--a period of time in which people believed it just because it was spoken over the airwaves.

Of course, there are true believers in the West, but to suggest that they somehow have majority status is completely bogus. Compare that to some of the conspiracies which are printed in the official newspapers of the Arab regimes, and you can quickly see the difference (MEMRI's always a good source for these):

Blood Libel: "I remember my grandfather who used to gather all the neighborhood children in his home in Alexandria to give them candy and tell them the tale of the Jew who slaughtered a boy and made Passover Matzah from his blood. Then, drunk with lust and barbarity, they devoured it." (Egypt, 2000)

Blood Libel: "One need only point out that they are 'blood suckers' according to the Talmudic dictates, which urge them to murder and draw the blood of Muslims in particular, and Christians even more so, and to use this blood in religious Israeli rituals." (Egypt, 2004)

Blood Libel: "Unfortunately, this filling cannot be left out, or substituted with any alternative serving the same purpose. For this holiday, the Jewish people must obtain human blood so that their clerics can prepare the holiday pastries. In other words, the practice cannot be carried out as required if human blood is not spilled!!" (Saudi Arabia, 2002)

You see the conundrum here? These are the words as printed, verbatim, in the official Government newspapers of these nations! There is no equivalent bloodlust in the Western world that justifies any sort of paranoid conspiracy theory like this. Period.

Jeha's right about one thing, though: The continuation of these types of conspiracy theories is political in nature. It is absolutely a "political" benefit for the leaders of these corrupt nations to redirect their citizens' attentions towards Israel. In doing so, they completely distract their populaces away from their own dalliances, which keeps them alive for yet another year.

At the cost of continued ages of hatred, of course.

You just can't make this stuff up, folks! Many thanks to Jeha for the tip--My apologies for not getting to it sooner!

(It figures, I'm late to this story: Others on this wondeful conspiracy: LGF, Gateway Pundit, Michael Totten, Rampurple, BlueCrabBoulevard, EUReferendum)

Update: The text on the balloons has been revealed!