Who is Making Money off the Chemtrail Conspiracy Theory?

[Karen Chun]

It appears to me that someone is making money off promoting the Chemtrail conspiracy theory. Who started it? I realize that someone actually proposed the idea of counteracting climate change via chaff etc. But then again lots of people have proposed lots of ideas that never got implemented. Like the wonderful "let's shoot our nuclear waste into space via rockets" idea that was proposed in the 70s. (Given the rocket failure rate, this was never seriously considered!)

But someone has taken this proposed idea of geoengineering and claimed it is actually being implemented. Who started the whole chemtrail conspiracy nonsense? Can anyone trace it back?

 

[Mick West]

There's some history of "chemtrails" here:
http://contrailscience.com/a-brief-history-of-chemtrails/

and Jay's older piece here (written very close to the actual events).
http://goodsky.homestead.com/files/evolution.html

As far as I can tell, the main old chemtrail promoters (William Thomas, Michael Murphy, and Dane Wignington) all sincerely believe their theories. None of them are really making money off it.

 

[Pete Tar]

I would say the sites that will publish anything alarmist are making money just by siphoning traffic.

 

[Mick West]

I would say the sites that will publish anything alarmist are making money just by siphoning traffic.

Agreed. The money-makers are sites like Infowars, NaturalNews, BeforeItsNews. Possibly Aircrap, SkyderAlert.

 

[Ross Marsden]

I think the "the trails are for geoengineering" only became the main claim as their purpose after Michael Murphy's video "What in the World Are They Spraying".

There was a trend of avoiding mentioning "chemtrails" in order to not lose respectability about the same time as Murphy's video, but that seems to have slipped now. The modern, innovative campaign, SkyderALERT, doesn't seem too worried about using the term on it's web site, in publicity and broadcasts, and even in the "petition" that is sent to local politicians when the SkyderALERT app is used.
See for example this one, initiated by the owner George Burns with a photo of a solar halo.

Edited to add: Maybe using the "chemtrails" terminology attracts traffic, and to hell with the respectability it removes.

 

[Karen Chun]

Many thanks.

 

[Strawman]

I realize that someone actually proposed the idea of counteracting climate change via chaff etc.

Off topic correction: chaff is a radar countermeasure and has nothing to do with mitigating climate change (it has been around in WWII, when climate change was unknown). Chemtrail believers systematically blur the line between chaff, aerosols, weather manipulation, geoenineering etc., so don't trust anything they say without checking its validity.

 

[Karen Chun]

Thanks for the info. I was a little confused by the chemtrail believers' non-explanations.

I'm asking because I'm working on Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign and the chemtrail people keep interjecting their stuff and I was wondering if it was a distraction designed to invalidate those of us warning about coal soot and NOx/SOx health damage and the effect of CO2 on climate.

But what I am hearing from you folks is that the originators of the chemtrail conspiracy theory actually truly believe it?

Seems so coincidental that the same person pushing chemtrails is also pushing the "smart meters have some mysterious radiation that makes people sick" -- which to me is another way the coal-oil-gas corporations stymie use of more renewable energy (by blocking implementation of smart meters).

That's why I was trying to trace down the origin of this -- to see if if might have been ginned up as part of energy company PR.

 

[Pete Tar]

It doesn't mean people wont be using the conspiracy in that way. It's easy to become an agitator in a movement on the internet. Hard to prove.

 

[JFDee]

Seems so coincidental that the same person pushing chemtrails is also pushing the "smart meters have some mysterious radiation that makes people sick"

The general attitude of such a person may have an influence there. There has been at least one study about the issue of general proneness to conspiracy theories - even contradicting ones.

See this wrap-up in "Scientific American" by Michael Shermer:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-people-believe-conspiracy-theoies

Same article on his own site:
http://www.michaelshermer.com/2012/09/conspiracy-contradictions/

 

[Karen Chun]

Interesting article. I liked this quote:

"[Alex] Jones headlines his page with "Because There Is a War on for Your Mind." True enough, which is why science and reason must always prevail over fear and irrationality, and conspiracy mongering traffics in the latter at the expense of the former."

 

[Mick West]

Seems so coincidental that the same person pushing chemtrails is also pushing the "smart meters have some mysterious radiation that makes people sick" -- which to me is another way the coal-oil-gas corporations stymie use of more renewable energy (by blocking implementation of smart meters).

That's why I was trying to trace down the origin of this -- to see if if might have been ginned up as part of energy company PR.

It would certainly be in the interests of traditional energy companies to promote confusion amongst the opposition. I've not seen any real evidence that it is happening though - at least not in the sense of promoting outlandish conspiracy theories.

 

[Karen Chun]

Well that knocks out MY conspiracy theory! ;-)

 

[scombrid]

From the Alex Jones Channel on Youtube:

Latest Climate Report Admits Chemtrails Exist



After quoting Wigington the video description then includes a list of stuff for sale from the Alex Jones brand from coffee to survivalist guides:

**NEW ITEM**[[PATRIOT BLEND 100% ORGANIC COFFEE]]
http://www.infowarsshop.com/-Coffee_c...
Our custom Patriot Blend coffee is Alex Jones' favorite cup of coffee. Start your day off right with our gourmet, 100% organic coffee and help us Wake Up America!
**NEW ITEM**[[SURVIVAL SHIELD-NASCENT IODINE]]
http://www.infowarsshop.com/-Infowars...
Retail Price $49.95-Your Price $29.95*
Your Savings $20.00
[[START GETTING HEALTHY NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE]]
**Beyond Tangy Tangerine 2.0 is the most advanced multi-vitamin mineral complex to date. http://infowarshealth.com/
[[PREPAREDNESS PRODUCTS]] NEW ITEMS**
**EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SURVIVE THE COLLAPSE**
http://www.infowarsshop.com/-Prepared...
[[INFOWARS MAGAZINE]] DECEMBER ISSUE**
http://www.infowarsshop.com/-Infowars...

 

[Karen Chun]

Well that answers the question of at least one person who is making money off chemtrails

 

[scombrid]

Granted, your opening post wanted to know who started the Chemtrail Conspiracy Theory and the Alex Jones Brand is not it. The Alex Jones brand is just glomming on as Chemtrails fit his overall marketing model.

 

[Ross Marsden]

There is small scale money being made, such as this:
Geo Engineering Billboards Campaign Fund

 

[Critical Thinker]

https://www.metabunk.org/threads/conspiracy-web-sites-have-paid

-shills.1081/#post-25417

 

[Jay Reynolds]

There is small scale money being made, such as this:
Geo Engineering Billboards Campaign Fund

Those are some folks in Hot Springs, Arkansas seeking to get a billboard in their home town. Their goal was >$2000 but so far they have sold 10 tee-shirts, so I think it's a dud. Since it was in my home state, I offered them $100 donation if they could take a recognizable photo of what the claimed were military jets overhead. They deleted my offer. Then I offered the leader $100 if he could survive a 2 hour debate with me over chemtrails in his home town. He declined that, too. Then he made his Facebook group page private.

I think that they may have had a reality check but will eventually check them out again as the leader did seem to accept a challenge which should vastly increase their knowledge of ordinary aviation traffic over their area. Turns out they are directly under the flight path to Dallas/Ft. Worth airport for almost all east coast to DFW traffic amounting to hundreds of planes per day. They had no clue about that and should eventually be able to understand that when the same identifiable commercial plane flies over on different days it leaves contrails or not, and on other days the same plane leaves persistent contrails they mistakenly think are "spraying".

Yes, they can thank me later.......

 

[Jay Reynolds]

http://www.chemtrailsprojectuk.com/shop/

 

[Strawman]

Selling their info flyers, the German do that shtick as well.

 

[Critical Thinker]

On Craigslist, these are just a few of the same posts that have been plastered in many cities. I haven't registered with the website on wordpress (that the ads have been linked to) to see what is being sold.

 

[M Bornong]

On Craigslist, these are just a few of the same posts that have been plastered in many cities. I haven't registered with the website on wordpress (that the ads have been linked to) to see what is being sold.



View attachment 6235

View attachment 6236



View attachment 6237

But, I thought ionizing the air was part of the "chemtrail/geoengineering/HAARP" problem?

http://chemtrailsplanet.net/tag/new-world-order/

http://www.meteo-systems.com/

Will these people ever come to a consensus on anything?

 

[Karen Chun]

So there are cottage industries growing up around chemtrails. But we have not identified evidence that the the oil/gas/coal companies are behind this or any large-scale single entity making money off of it.

The culprit seems to be our anaemic high school science programs :-(

 

[Critical Thinker]

This same post has been repeated on a regular basis in different cities on Craigslist....

Looking for $30,000 and they can stop 'chemtrails'.

 

[Jay Reynolds]

These practically worthless vitamins, minerals and herbs are being sold for $40 for a one month supply. G. Edward Griffin knows the lines people see are simply water vapor from ordinary commercial airliners. He has stated that publicly.

Plain and simple, G. Edward Griffin is a shameless profiteer.

LINK:

http://www.realityzone.com/envioshield.html#enviosalesl

 

[jpsitig]

It's not money- it's called information- truth- and awareness.

 

[Pete Tar]

What's not money? What currency is used to buy the products then?

 

[WeedWhacker]

It's not money- it's called information- truth- and awareness.

No, dig deeper. Many, many 'chem"trail hoax hucksters are con artists, out to make a profit. "Donations" to their websites, and selling fake "cures" online.

 

[Critical Thinker]

This same post has been repeated on a regular basis in different cities on Craigslist....

Looking for $30,000 and they can stop 'chemtrails'.

View attachment 6778


View attachment 6779

... and the chemtrail spammer has gone into overdrive posting the same posts several times a day in the same city...

 

[mrfintoil]

I found this some while ago. Perhaps a good example of individuals using the "chemtrail" mythology to sell "treatments":


This guy has over 22 000 subscribers as well.

 

[Steve Funk]

Here is a local alternative health type making money off of chemtrails fears. I actually get along with her OK, and have chosen to erase the identifying information.

 

[Balance]

I saw this posted today, which probably belongs here.

http://www.forwardprogressives.com/how-conspiracy-nuts-are-duping-well-meaning-liberals/

"So, what's the deal with The Mind Unleashed?" you might ask. Well, when you have an audience and reach like this, there's quite a bit of money to be made from advertising and merchandise by appealing to the left, which is exactly what they are doing.


The Mind Unleashed, NaturalNews and others like them pose as science and education pages when they actually disseminate pseudoscience and utter bullshit, for profit. Go to the links that they post and then search on those websites for articles concerning vaccines, fluoridated water, GMOs and if you're feeling really adventurous, chemtrails. Yes, the batshit crazy idea that somehow our government has been spraying the US population with chemicals from jet engine exhausts to make them dumb and subservient for decades – they cover it, a lot.

- See more at: http://www.forwardprogressives.com/...g-well-meaning-liberals/#sthash.CKv057G1.dpuf

 

[Buildy]

I think this guy's trying to launch a music career using the hoax.

Maybe he just believes though. He did organize the "Global March" in Montreal last year.

 

[Concernedcitizen]

Off topic correction: chaff is a radar countermeasure and has nothing to do with mitigating climate change (it has been around in WWII, when climate change was unknown). Chemtrail believers systematically blur the line between chaff, aerosols, weather manipulation, geoenineering etc., so don't trust anything they say without checking its validity.

You forgot to add throwing crap out of an airplane to your list.

 

[KC-10FE]

You forgot to add throwing crap out of an airplane to your list.

What kind of crap are we talking about here?

 

[Jay Reynolds]

Russ Tanner now has opened a chemtrail huckster "Shopping Mall" which fits his previous "Business Model". He is open for business and plenty of stores are available.

The Global Skywatch Store

Global Skywatch Activist Shopping Mall is here to keep you supplied with the materials you need to get the message out.

You are now in the Mall Lobby.

<-- Select the store you would like to visit in the left sidebar.

Do you have something to offer others to help get the word out? We'll be happy to provide an area here for your goods and services. Just contact us.

http://globalskywatch.com/mall/index.html#.U9-04_ldWWM

 

[Balance]

http://stg.do/pkxh

Get paid to share (guess what?) videos

 

[KAT]

The spread of commercial interests looks like a big confounder. As they are not believers themselves, they may get a lot of "facts" wrong in their advertising, either through misunderstanding or by deliberate exaggeration.

True believers' view is then coloured by these mistakes. If, as seen above, other CT lines add a Chemtrail sideline (or any other belief sideline, really) they are spreading the idea among people already inclined to believe. This may account for the number of people holding multiple CT beliefs (without too strong or detailed knowledge on any of them).

The Skywatch Store looks slick and professional, gives a strong air of legitimacy.

 

[KC-10FE]

From GlobalSkywatch