When I signed on to write a weekly column for this newspaper, part of the agreement was that I write about current events, history, sports figures, etc., all with a North Dakota tie, sometimes deviating to states or provinces bordering us.
This week, I’m compelled to change that theme because of something I saw on TV that was absolutely mind boggling. It was so stupid that it was shocking.
Stew Peters is a conspiracy theorist who has a TV show and there was endless fiction coming out of this guy’s mouth. It reminded me of Smack Down, but only for talk shows.
Mr. Peters brought in a female Australian reporter on split screen and she was talking about the recent flooding in the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales. There is no doubt these were 500-year floods as some of us here in North Dakota have experienced in Grand Forks in 1997 and Minot in 2011.
So this reporter was talking about the flooding and then a satellite image appeared of what seemed to be farmland in Queensland. Then, Mr. Peters went into a rant about long-term weather in eastern Australia and how the Australian government is controlling said weather. They then added weather modification into the conversation in an attempt to legitimize their claim.
Peters actually said what I’m paraphrasing here. ‘The Australian government is using electromagnetic pulse to “engineer” the weather to create floods and drive people from their homes.’ Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a phenomenon that certain militaries have that if used, disables the enemy’s electronic equipment.
According to Peters, the Australian government is doing this to drive people into “pods” the government has created so these unsuspecting Australians will be guinea pigs for COVID vaccines and will later starve and die. Yes, he actually said that.
First, in order for EMP to be used, some sort of conflict would have to be happening. If it was a natural EMP from a sun flare, the public would be warned such as with a tornado or hurricane. Second, I have a close friend who works for the Australian Space Agency, which includes monitoring the weather. This is Australia’s version of NASA. There haven’t been any naturally occurring EMPs from the sun, nor is there some far fetched plan on a drawing board someplace to entertain such a ridiculous theory.
Third, yes, weather modification has happened in Australia but the government considers it cost prohibitive and it hasn’t happened in 27 years. I’ve written numerous newspaper articles about this and there is a federal government report explaining why it isn’t feasible anywhere on the Australian continent.
Fourth, there is a small town in southeastern Queensland that I know almost as well as my own hometown. It’s called Warwick. It’s a town of about 15,000 people, and yes, it got flooded. But, floods in Warwick are cyclical, just like they are here. I can assure you nobody was driven out of their homes by the Australian government. Besides, why would Canberra want to destroy the richest farmland and tourist sites in the nation?
This is one of numerous examples of false reporting that No. 1, I wish people would connect the dots and realize that if something doesn’t seem right, it most likely isn’t. And, if you think your news source is blowing smoke, check another one. In this day and age of internet, that is easily accomplished. If a story is true, it’s almost a certainty other media are airing or printing the same information. It’s easy to fact check reports like this.
Here is another example of obvious false reporting, but this one falls into the category of classic Soviet propaganda. Russian television showed a parking lot full of “Ukrainian” soldiers in body bags with a reporter talking about the success of the Russian “liberation of Ukraine.” As he was talking, a person in one of the body bags decided to shift positions because apparently, they were uncomfortable being dead. It was caught on camera and not edited.
What’s really disturbing is there are people who actually believe this stuff. Unfortunately people like Stew Peters can say anything they want legally because of free speech, but it’s so unethical, he ought to be ashamed of himself for trying to mislead his viewers.
Most of the disinformation/misinformation, however, is very subliminal and people don’t catch the clues and end up believing what they see or hear.
Look for the clues, scrutinize the report, analyze it, connect the dots. Compare it to other media. It’s the only way we’re going to rise above it.
