I get a kick out of reading what are called “conspiracy” sites and trying to figure what their angle is.

Not all of them do have an angle, of course. Some are actually well-researched and largely truthful websites, even if the evidence on them would not meet academic approval.

The nature of the subject makes that difficult in many cases.

But there are times when they peddle some laugh-out-loud error that needs to be administered a good hard kick.

One such boo-boo is on Henry Makow’s more-than-somewhat misogynistic site.

This is not to trash the site. I find a lot of very interesting information on it. A recent piece on theosophy and the Indian independence movement, for example, highlights a whole bunch of interesting associations among independence activists and leaders.

But Makow’s narrative, his history of the independence movement, like his history of banking, is simply not accurate.

In fact, it’s wildly off-base on important things. And that undermines not only his credibility, but the credibility of anyone else offering alternative views of history that cover the same ground.

That’s the problem.

Again, I’m not trashing Mr. Makow or his viewpoint.

And I sincerely respect these kinds of popular conspiracy sites, however bizarre or ludicrous they might seem to the official media or to academia.  No matter what the motivation that lies behind them, my reasoning is that if they do nothing else, they help to loosen the grip of official historical dogmas on the mass mind. This is enormously important.

Births are always accompanied by a lot of hollering and mess.

From the cumulative efforts of thousands…if not millions…. of sites like this, something new, some new consciousness is being born.

A new consciousness that undermines the stultified hagiography and propaganda served up to us by the state, academicians, and the media.

That is why, errors and all, these new populist web histories are intellectually and psychologically freeing.

Nonetheless,  in the interests of not veering off into lunacy, the errors should be noted and corrected.

I’m thinking especially of the piece on the Indian independence movement, but I’ll dissect that at another time. It will take too much time now.

Here, I’ll content myself with this small gem, from an article on the Beatles:

“John Lennon sings ‘gai guru deva’ (all hail to the devas). In Theosophy, a deva is a spiritual entity, i.e. demon, which exists behind the scenes manipulating and directing human behavior. Luciferians believe they are possessed by these entities when they rape, torture and kill innocent victims.”

I hope no one gets their introduction to Hinduism from the Beatles, but if they do, the phrase is “Jaya Guru Deva.”

That translates into “Hail to the teacher (the guru), the divine.”

A deva is literally a god, but can be translated here as divine.

The guru is your spiritual master, the one who keeps you on the straight and narrow.

Most gurus (apart from the glitzier ones catering to the West or various charlatans) follow ancient traditions reaching back directly to the Vedic past, that were handed down to them by their gurus.

Anyone who taught any new-fangled innovation would soon be caught out by other gurus in that tradition.

What do gurus teach?

The scriptures (the Vedas and commentaries on them), meditation, control of the breath and the senses, spiritual practice. If the guru is a guru of dance or music or yoga, he will teach those disciplines.

Nothing to do with theosophy or demons raping or killing anyone.

It would take five seconds to find that out on the net today.

Ye gods!