Today I studied photos and video of two more fake atrocities committed by the Islamic State. It’s clear why they would fabricate the burning alive of Royal Jordanian Air Force pilot Lieutenant Moath Youssef al-Kasasbeh: They needed full control over him in order to make the recruiting film of a lifetime, the ghastly Healing the…
To tread the air above the din
February 20, 2015
I’m not much connected to the world anymore. Maybe I should say I’m not much connected to worldly concerns. What I long for is the ability to tread the air above the din. That’s a lyric from one of the best Led Zepplin songs, “Achilles Last Stand.” It was an April morning when they told…
The sicker they are, the more predictable
February 17, 2015
The late psychiatrist David Viscott said that the sicker people get, the more generic they become. Their actions become entirely predictable. Before I give you the latest example, I want to clarify: By sick, I mean pathological, not ill. People make themselves pathological. It’s a choice. They engage in behavior that they know is wrong….
At the root of all conspiracy theories
February 16, 2015
Behold a reader’s message. Personally, I don’t believe in ANY of the classic conspiracy theories that refuse to die: the JFK assassination, Area 51, Flight 800, Roswell, 9/11, chem trails, the Illuminati, and so on. Of course some conspiracies theories are true, but the overwhelming majority aren’t. To me it’s extremely obvious that the Islamic…
The lost art of disagreeing
February 9, 2015
When I wrote my post debunking the Islamic State propaganda film Healing the Believers’ Chests, I had two goals: to show that Lieutenant Moath Youssef al-Kasasbeh didn’t suffer the hideous death depicted, and to undermine the terrorists’ ability to recruit new members. I didn’t anticipate that so many people are personally and emotionally invested in the…
Yes, they recruit by committing atrocities
February 8, 2015
I’m getting tons of messages about my exposure of the Islamic State video Healing the Believers’ Chests as a hoax. A lot of it is hate mail, written by people who can’t think, but more disconcerting are the messages from those who don’t accept that Muslim terrorists commit atrocities as a way to recruit new…
Sorry, “experts.” The Islamic State video is a hoax
February 6, 2015
Last night I posted “The Jordanian Pilot was not Burned Alive,” in reference to the Islamic State video Healing the Believers’ Chests. In response, several self-described video effects (VFX) experts sent me messages. First, let me explain why the Islamic State pretended to burn Lieutenant Moath Youssef al-Kasasbeh instead of beheading him. Executions in Islam…
The Jordanian pilot was not burned alive
February 5, 2015
Royal Jordanian Air Force pilot Lieutenant Moath Youssef al-Kasasbeh was murdered by the Islamic State. However, the video they released of Lieutenant al-Kasasbeh’s murder—freakishly titled “Healing the Believers’ Chests”—proves beyond all doubt that he was not burned alive. The flames are computer-generated imagery (CGI). I had initially intended to not watch the video, but the…