Alex Jones’ wild-eyed Pope Francis attack: Breaking down the shock jock’s latest unhinged conspiracy theory

It’s endlessly entertaining to observe the Republicans desperately flailing about Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States. Take, for example, Indiana Sen. Dan Coats, who said of the Pontiff’s recent statements on income inequality and the climate crisis, “I’m always concerned about those who are bringing spiritual messages that step too far over the line in terms of political issues.” That’s rich. Since when is the Republican Party opposed to crossing the streams and injecting religious into politics? Isn’t that the party’s whole thing now?

(Article by Bob Cesca, republished from http://www.salon.com/2015/09/25/alex_jones_wild_eyed_pope_francis_attack_breaking_down_the_shock_jocks_latest_unhinged_conspiracy_theory/)

Fortunately for the GOP, there’s one man who invariably makes the party look positively stoic by comparison. Enter conspiracy theorizing radio host Alex Jones who’s never been shy about belching out googly-eyed rants about Pope Francis and the Catholic Church and has been doing so for years. Now, with the Pope arriving on American soil this week, Jones has amplified his efforts.

Before we get to his most ludicrous prediction about the Pope so far, made on his program on Wednesday, let’s start at the beginning. Leave it to Jones to focus on a detail about the Pope that has nothing to do with anything relevant whatsoever. Jones began by criticizing the wall around the Vatican, while suggesting it’s hypocritical to oppose a border fence.

He doesn’t want us to have a border, but he lives behind 35 and 40 foot and 50 foot walls around the Vatican City. He’s got a giant fortress filled with Swiss paramilitary guards. Hired mercenaries.

First, the walls surrounding Vatican City are in some places more than a thousand years old. I’m not sure how Pope Francis had anything to do with that. Furthermore, the age of the walls make them historical. If Jones’ paranoiac listeners actually cracked a thick book during commercial breaks, they’d learn that Italy and the Vatican have routinely fought over sovereignty of the Vatican, at times making the walls necessary. Indeed, some popes who had no choice but to remain trapped within the Vatican were considered de facto prisoners there.

But this meme is nothing new, nor is it unique to Jones. Breitbart writer John Nolte went so far as to demand Pope Francis tear down the walls. Why? Once again, the American immigration issue. If the Pope is going to oppose a border fence, then he must entirely dismantle one of the most iconic historical features of the Vatican. Because it’s always about us, isn’t it.

Jones continued his Wednesday rant:

The Vatican is rumored to have hundreds of trillions of dollars of assets. They admittedly own more property than anybody in the world.

No, that’s a lie. The Vatican owns roughly 177 million acres of land worldwide, including Vatican City, its embassies and other properties. No one denies that. But King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia owns more land, and the biggest property-owner in the world is Queen Elizabeth II. Great Britain’s land holdings dwarf the Vatican’s by billions, owning around 6.6 billion acres. Yet more evidence that Jones’ will say anything to rocket-boost the fear and victimization of his drooling disciples.

Jones said point-blank that the Vatican’s holdings are about “training us to be abject slaves.” I’m not clear on how that’d work, and Jones didn’t elaborate. I suppose he doesn’t need to offer up evidence when his listeners believe everything he says, regardless of the facts.

Read more at http://www.salon.com/2015/09/25/alex_jones_wild_eyed_pope_francis_attack_breaking_down_the_shock_jocks_latest_unhinged_conspiracy_theory/