CRAZIES, UNKNOWN AND OTHERWISE

Here's a random conspiracy-monger at Free Republic.

This is a rumor, coming from someone pretty plugged in to things. She said that the corona virus is man made, in China, and the purpose was population control through male infertility.

It rings true because we keep hearing that this virus is affecting men at a much higher rate. There's considerable info out there, including the article linked here https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/07/coronavirus-hits-men-harder-evidence-risk, that discusses the high rate of affected men. Men are scrambling to 'bank' sperm because of one of the symptoms of this virus.

It also rings true because Gates' main focus is population control and being so invested in China.

A few short months ago, this would have been preposterous to hear, let alone say. But, today...not so much.

The conspiracy theory doesn't show up anywhere in the linked Guardian article, which notes the higher covid-19 death rate among men worldwide and speculates on possible reasons (men are more likely to smoke, men are more likely to have the chronic health conditions that make the coronavirus more dangerous, and men also seem to have weaker immune systems).

The theory advanced in this post is so absurd that even some of his fellow Freepers scoff at it. ("Whatever keeps the tinfoil flowing.")

Now let's here from a man who's been a top adviser to the president of the United States.

Roger Stone suggested Monday that Bill Gates may have had a hand in the creation of coronavirus so that he could plant microchips in people’s heads to know who has and has not been tested for COVID-19.

“Whether Bill Gates played some role in the creation and spread of this virus is open for vigorous debate. I have conservative friends who say it’s ridiculous and others say absolutely,” Stone told Joe Piscopo, host of the radio program “The Answer” on 970 AM, who had asked about conspiracy theories regarding the pandemic.

“He and other globalists are using it for mandatory vaccinations and microchipping people so we know if they’ve been tested. Over my dead body. Mandatory vaccinations? No way, Jose!” Stone told a fawning Piscopo, who referred to President Trump’s longtime adviser as “a legend.”

Random nutjob are gonna nutjob -- but Stone is a random nutjob who talks to the president, or at least he used to, and he's worked for several previous Republican presidents and presidential candidates.

I wonder whether any of Stone's "conservative friends" whisper similar things into Trump's ear at Mar-a-Lago. Would that surprise you?