A Descent Into Hell

Before his Sandy Hook trial for which he was found guilty and fined a billion dollars, I thought that provocateur Alex Jones likely believed only about a third of the hate-filled, loony conspiracies he spews, while leaving the rest for just scamming, to enrage his audience and make a buck.  After the trial, when I saw video of him arguing repeatedly with the judge, I ratcheted that up to 50-50.  Now, though, I’m leaning for his act being 95% full-blown insane, racist hate while making sure to leave a 5% sliver to rake it the money.

On Sunday, Alex Jones vomited a deeply, soul-sickening white supremacist rant, including threats of violence and claims of being a vessel of God.  It was the sort of thing that if you were merely half-nuts, you wouldn’t even try, because you’d know it would be near impossible to get most of it out of your throat.  After the first few words, the rest would get stuck halfway up your esophagus, and you’d collapse gasping for air. 

It's so dystopian, creepy and sick that even if my fingers were willing to type it all, I don't have it in me to repeat it myself.  And just so you know I’m not being hyperbolic, this is nothing more than just the headline from RawStory --

“'Kill every person you need to': Alex Jones shares racist conspiracy theory about 'big giant African hordes'”

Yes, really.  For those who want to read the whole thing, this is the article here.  I suspect only those with a high-tolerance will make it all the way through the whole thing.

For those who would rather not even try – and more power to  you on that – I do feel comfortable quoting a few of the off-the-ledge rants that aren’t full-fare, one-way tickets to Hell, but are merely full-on nuts. 

For instance, there’s this, which is just manic.  So much so that I’m not even sure what he’s trying to say.  I have a general impression, in fairness that’s like saying, “I don’t know what the Unabomber is saying exactly, but I do get the general impression that he is a very troubled man and hates most things.”  And so, Alex Jones says about Black people (though I’m not sure if it’s all Black people, or Black people from Africa, or American Blacks who travel to Africa) -- or perhaps it’s about White people in Africa who first attack Black people there to enrage them (in ways that would enrage anybody) --

"They intend on making the world so hellish in the build-up to 2030 that everybody will just 'wink, wink' when they release the race-specific bioweapons starting with Africa that are gonna wipe that continent absolutely out. And you'll be under such invasion from the refugees of the economic warfare in Africa that you will quietly, while you're playing cards with your buddies say, 'well, it had to be done.' And when you go along with that metaphysically, spiritually, culturally, the devil's got your soul." 

Hey, don’t like at me.  I’m just quoting the guy.  And this is the palatable stuff – insane, yes, but nothing that gets into the parts that make you question how he can come from the same lifeforce as humans.

But then, it’s not certain if Alex Jones is sure of that.  After all, he also tells his audience that "I don't just study history. I don't just study the New World Order.  I have the Holy Spirit. Doesn't mean I'm a perfect vessel, far from it. But I do have deep connection to God…” and then goes on to inform his minions what God is telling him.

Again, these are only the parts I’m willing to type.  Nothing about the “African hordes” or killing or brainwashing or defending yourself or call to arms because…well, we’ll leave it at that.  (Though I’ll note that cell phone towers come into play somehow for apparently passing along The Plan.)

Someone on social media responded to what I wrote yesterday by calling Alex Jones a “damn racist.”  But I think what he said on Sunday transcends "damn racist."  It pretty much transcends white supremacist.  It takes all that, rolls it together and adds in evangelical God-complex and "bat-shit crazy".  All creating some new as-yet undefined personality defect.

How even the most empty advertiser would want to sponsor something like this is outside of my humanity.  Perhaps if you sell supplies for Armageddon Bunkers targeted at white supremacist race wars you might figure this is your market.  But there are only so many supplies you can sell before the bunkers are crammed full.

But there’s a larger issue.

I don't think many Republican officials have it in them to condemn the sick, white supremacist Lunacy-on-the-Mount that Alex Jones spewed.  But it was so deeply repugnant and dangerous it might get a few.  Though I haven’t seen them yet.  Perhaps they’re too busy trying to find a camera in order to whine about a balloon.

Sadly, no, it's not surprising that there hasn't been widespread condemnation of Alex Jones.  And honestly, no, I have never expected Republican officials to condemn.  But this, I do expect.  This is another level, this is unhinged race baiting for what is, in essence, a race war.  And I do expect that to be condemned by today's Republican leaders.  I'm not surprised if they don't, but I expect them to do so.  It's such a low bar to reach.

But if, as a party, the Republican leaders don't condemn Alex Jones – and condemn him in the most visceral, blunt, totally dismissive terms – the same way they condemned Kanye West for praising Hitler (well, okay, not all Republican officials condemned that, but at least there were a few, many of whom likely even meant it), then this is on them.

And yes, yes, I know, as I wrote yesterday, Republicans get all heeby-jeeby upset when you call the party “fascist.”  Though at this point, we might need a new word to describe the party that goes farther.