Author and TV personality Mike Bara spent more than 25 years as a designer/consultant for major aerospace companies. In the first half, he discussed various conspiracies and alternative theories, including the moon landing "hoax," the Flat Earth Theory, and the JFK assassination. Those who argue that NASA's Apollo moon missions were faked often cite erroneous facts, Bara stated, involving photography, physics, and radiation. Further, the idea that the late film director Stanley Kubrick directed simulated moon landing scenes as part of the conspiracy is preposterous, he said. "The real conspiracy," Bara believes, relates to ancient artifacts and technology situated on the moon, and that was the reason why America strived to go to the moon to find these discoveries and beat the Russians to them.
He suggested that Pres. John F. Kennedy knew about the ancient moon artifacts, and in November 1963, he set up a plan to share information with the Russians on secret projects and UFOs. Just days later, he was assassinated in Dallas, Bara pointed out. The Flat Earth theory, like the moon hoax assertions, is pretty easy to refute, he commented. It's based on faulty notions that posit the Earth as a sort of flat plate (rather than a sphere) that is floating in the ether with a dome over it that proponents call the "firmament," Bara explained. Such conspiracies are often fueled by the idea that the government or authorities engage in cover-ups and lies. The Hollow Earth theory, in contrast, has some stronger evidence in its favor because we know that there are caverns inside the Earth, he added. For more, check out a page of related images he prepared in tandem with the show.
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Author Andy Thomas is one of the UK's leading researchers into unexplained mysteries and conspiracy theories. In the latter half, he talked about current efforts to suppress debate and alternative viewpoints, particularly around such issues as COVID and vaccinations. The recent Canadian trucker protest against mandated vaccinations shows that people will not just remain silent and that "authorities have underestimated the power of that," he cited. Rather than censoring or removing content on various media platforms, he believes we should allow all arguments to be put on the table, and let people come to their own fact-based conclusions.
If we don't have the right to make our own health choices, then we're on the road to a totalitarian state, he remarked. Thomas has advocated for a method he calls "Quantum Thinking" where a person tries to get into the mindset of someone who disagrees with them. It doesn't mean you will change your view, he explained, but could allow you to have more compassion for the opposing viewpoint and not be filled with hate. When individuals become polarized to one side or the other, they are more likely to be marginalized or controlled, he noted.
News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Steve Kates