[lbo-talk] The Problem of Conspiracy Theorists at the Anti-War Meeting Yesterday

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

I was shocked to find that about _five_ 9/11 conspiracy theorists
(only one of whom I had seen before) showed up at a local anti-war
meeting yesterday, which made them about a quarter of the meeting
participants.  This was the first local anti-war meeting after the
annual March mobilization against the Iraq War called by the Central
Ohio Peace Network.  It seems to me that, as the anti-war movement
generally went down, the movement of conspiracy theorists grew.  What
is to be done about this problem?  I doubt that any thinking people
want to come to a meeting if they have to listen to a prominent
contingent of conspiracy theorists wishing to educate everyone about
The Truth of 9/11.

At the meeting was also a young Black woman organizer from Americans
Against Escalation in Iraq (backed by MoveOn, SEIU, etc. -- Website:
<http://www.noiraqescalation.org/>), promoting the group's agenda:
focusing on Deborah Pryce, pushing the City Council for an anti-war
resolution, holding a rally at the end of August, and so on.  The
woman is from out of state, as with two other organizers sent into
Columbus by AAEI.  While AAEI's agenda is not my agenda, at least she
seemed sane.  On the other hand, after summer, the three AAEI
organizers will leave, and working with them may not leave anything
behind in Columbus to build on.
--
Yoshie