Wednesday, 1 March 2017

Who are you going to believe?

There are a growing number of theorists in America who think 9/11 was a conspiracy. The book 9/11The Ultimate Truth has had a number if reprints and revised editions and apparently claims the real culprits were Israeli Mossad agents working hand-in-glove with the Bush family. They point out that the Twin Towers collapsed in a controlled demolition configuration as did the next door building which housed the office of the U.S. Secret Service and wasn’t even hit. They also highlight the fact that the plane that crashed into the Pentagon (Flight73) left absolutely no trace of its existence.

However there is no explanation why, given the number of people required to stage this horrendous act of terror, not one of them has fessed up.

I thought about this last week when Pope Francis was reported as saying that Muslim terrorism does not exist. Is the Pope giving credence to the theory that the reason 9/11 plot was enacted was to turn Westerners against Islam?

Pontius Pilate said: “What is truth?” and I’m starting to sympathise with him.

Take for instance the turmoil in America. When Donald Trump was endeavouring to get the Republican nomination against sixteen other wannabe candidates, Republicans were critical of him, claiming he was really a Democrat in disguise. And so now this “closet” Democrat is the President you would think the Democrats would be delighted that one of their own had sneaked into the oval office under false pretences. Not so of course, they are marching in the streets in their thousands to have him thrown out of office.

In a speech to his faithful followers in Florida President Trump inferred Sweden was having problems with its refugee population. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom debunked the claim, but journalist Ingrid Carlqvist, Chairperson of Sweden’s Free Press Society, reported that her country has experienced a 1472% increase in rapes, the second-highest incident of rape in the world. She claimed mass immigration and multiculturalism has brought Sweden close to collapse, specifically laying the blame on refugees from Afghanistan and Somalia.

In June last year the EU introduced an online speech code designed to stop negative commentary on refugees and immigrants. Ms Carlqvist therefore risks being crucified; figuratively, not literally.

So what is truth? Does fake news abound everywhere; perhaps even in this column?

Well, all news intrigues me. Last week a newspaper headline told us that NZ Police Commissioner Mike Bush had been caught drink-driving. A major scoop surely, except that it happened 34 years ago!

At the time he was an off-duty detective in Auckland in 1983. He was 24 years old and had been in the police force for five years. He pleaded guilty, was convicted, received a $250 fine and was disqualified from driving for six months. The incident was widely reported when it happened. Sorry Mr Trump, this wasn’t fake news, worse than that - it was old news. Did it really need to be retrieved from the archives and ingeminated?

Hands up all those journalists who haven’t had a drink and driven at some stage in their lives.

Hmm, just as I thought, not a single hand.

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility.” - Oscar Wilde