…Stupid people, that is. How do I know that? By this article by Matt Purple of CNS News entitled “9/11 Conspiracy Theories Gain Ground, Study Finds”. (Hat tip: Free Republic) In it, Purple explains that a sizeable number of respondents to a recent Zogby poll believes, to varying extents, that the U.S. government had at least something to do with the 9/11 attacks (my boldings):

The idea that the Bush administration participated in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is not limited to fringe Web sites and conspiracy theorists, according to a poll commissioned by a Web site that promotes alternative explanations for the events of Sept. 11.

The poll, conducted by Zogby International for 911Truth.org and released last week, found that 31 percent of Americans do not accept the official explanation for Sept. 11 — that “19 Arab fundamentalists executed a surprise attack which caught U.S. intelligence and military forces off guard.”

Among that 31 percent, around 26 percent agreed that the American government “knew the attacks were coming but consciously let them proceed for various political, military, and economic motives.” Almost 5 percent believed that U.S. officials “actively planned or assisted some aspects of the attack.”

…In addition to questioning the official explanation behind the events of September 11, other poll results indicated that some Americans are warming to the idea of alternative 9/11 explanations and reflected an extreme dissatisfaction with the Bush administration.

About 67 percent of those polled indicated they believe that the government should have properly investigated the collapse of World Trade Center Building 7, which was not hit by a plane and crumbled eight hours after the Twin Towers. Tower 7’s destruction is seen as a smoking gun by many conspiracy theorists, who contend that the building was brought down by explosives.

Now, I’m going to eliminate that so-called “almost 5 percent” that believes the U.S. actually assisted with the attacks in some way. These are your wackos that have garfed onto the theory that the U.S. never put a man on the moon and that Britney Spears is actually Lee Harvey Oswald reincarnated to melt the polar icecaps so all the polar bears drown. Or something like that.

But it just goes to show you the true level of either ignorance, stupidity, or out-and-out plain insanity it takes to believe that the government knew the attacks were coming on 9/11 and still refused to do something about it. Just like some believe FDR allowed Pearl Harbor to happen in order to get us out of isolation and into World War II, or that George W. Bush deliberately dynamited the levees in New Orleans so a lot of black people would be killed.

What is it about our culture that prompts such madness? A lot of it, I think, has to do with the Internet and the culture we live in these days. After all, the Internet has provided an easy and affordable forum for posting the most bizarre and wacky crap you could ever imagine in your life. Don’t believe me? Consider the weblog you’re reading right now! But seriously folks, check these sites out – some are parody, I’m sure (?), some perhaps not:

* You have the Anti-Squirrel Coalition, dedicated to stamping out, er, the squirrel.
* And this shrine to IBM (of all things), dedicated to the end of Apple and the Mac.
* And for those who simply need a mouthpiece for their bizarre droolings, this site which contains every kind of conspiracy theory thinkable, including how Elks Clubs are secret societies bent on world domination, how the U.S. created AIDS as a way to depopulate the Third World, and how 12 U.S. senators were/are space aliens.

My point is not to give any credence to any of this; I’m just pointing out that with the Internet, anyone can now post anything they want and you’ll find someone all-too ready and willing to believe it. There is, however, one sad fact about this whole 9/11 conspiracy thing that cannot be denied: the basic distrust the American people have for both its government and its elected officials. And this is not just sad, but potentially dangerous to our country and its future, and the life and freedoms we all share.

You can point to anything that ever happened in history and come up with alternative views on how it happened. People undoubtedly always have, it’s just that prior to a dozen or so years ago the only way you could get your message out was through books, newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets on a streetcorner. And all these (with perhaps the exception of the pamphlets) required a certain talent and involved a certain amount of vetting of the truth. Now, all you have to do is put up a website, find some more-than-willing co-conspirators in the media who feel the same way you do because, undoubtedly, of what happened during the 2000 election, and voila! you have a bonafide conspiracy theory that flourishes under the concept that if you tell a lie often enough people will start to believe it.

Back for a second to Mr. Purple’s article. So who are the most fervent believers of this nutty conspiracy?

Those who doubted the official explanation also tended to be low-income, single, and young. They most frequently associated with a liberal or progressive ideology.

Surprise, surprise. And, I have no doubt, these are the same kind of idiots that tie themselves to trees and vandalize car dealerships in the name of radical environmentalism and riot at every gathering of world leaders in the name of geopolitical anarchy.

You know, there was a time when you could simply shrug these people off thinking they were just your run-of-the-mill wackos, but the Zogby poll shows that this is no longer some fringe kook element. The 911Truth.org people – and those like them – are heading into our mainstream consciousness, taking advantage of a time in our history where North America and Europe have never been so restless, spoiled, prosperous, and technologically advanced. Yesterday I posted about the danger radical Islam still poses from without; it is groups like these that illustrate the cancer growing within our country’s soul and the danger they pose from within.

It’s not hard to believe misguided fools like this walk among us. What is hard to believe is that anyone can take them seriously.