When Satire Becomes Reality

One of my favorite websites is The Onion.  Its funny, intelligent, and apparently so well written that I've seen more than a few people take them seriously.  A year or two ago they made a fantastic video in which a Truther and an Al-Qaeda representative duke it out in an interview.  During the interview the AQ representative becomes clearly frustrated with the Truther's insistence that the United States government was behind 9-11, despite all the facts and logic the representative offers to the contrary.  It's so well done that I couldn't help but feel a bit of a connection with him.  Afterall, I've been there, I've dealt with these people before. They're not sane and...well as the AQ representative put it:  Talking to them is like talking to a goat.

Take a couple minutes to watch the video here.  I promise its worth it:



Unfortunately we'll never get to see an Al-Qaeda representative confront an American Truther live on our TV.  Fortunately we DO get to see them confront someone else: The President of Iran.

The terror group al Qaeda has found itself curiously in agreement with the "Great Satan" -- which it calls the U.S. -- in issuing a stern message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: stop spreading 9/11 conspiracy theories

In the latest issue of the al Qaeda English-language magazine "Inspire", an author appears to take offense to the "ridiculous" theory repeatedly spread by Ahmadinejad that the 9/11 terror attacks were actually carried out by the U.S. government in order to provide a pretext to invade the Middle East.

"The Iranian government has professed on the tongue of its president Ahmadinejad that it does not believe that al Qaeda was behind 9/11 but rather, the U.S. government," an article reads. "So we may ask the question: why would Iran ascribe to such a ridiculous belief that stands in the face of all logic and evidence?"
...
"For them, al Qaeda was a competitor for the hearts and minds of the disenfranchised Muslims around the world," the article says. "Al Qaeda... succeeded in what Iran couldn't. Therefore it was necessary for the Iranians to discredit 9/11 and what better way to do so? Conspiracy theories."

"How would you like it if you spent two months in a mountain cave, sleeping on rocks, planning something really special; only to have someone take the credit away from you?  Say 'Oh no, you don't deserve the credit'."

That's the line I've had in my head all day, and it makes me smile whenever I think of this story.  Unfortunately, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's insanity isn't so funny for the people of Iran who are forced to live under his and Ali Khamenei's rule, and it really shouldn't be funny for Americans either.  It's possible that Ahmadinejad doesn't actually believe that America was involved in 9-11 and is just trying to rile up Islamist support for Iran and give him an excuse to take action in the future if he's so inclined, but he isn't just a Truther, he's also a holocaust denier, and believes that Israel should be "wiped off the face of the earth."  It can be funny or frustrating when you meet someone so insane online or in person, but when that person has power its a problem.  The really nutty ones may even worry you a bit, but whatever damage they can inflict is very limited.  Ahmadinejad doesn't have those same limitations.  Oh, and let's not forget that this maniac is seeking nuclear weapons.

Its funny when satire becomes reality until you realize that the man the joke's on is trying could build nuclear weapons, give them to a terrorist group, and enable the destruction of a nation as well as an act of genocide.