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Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 8:01 PM UTC

Beck’s latest conspiracy theory won’t end well

The Fox News host starts passing on some of the paranoia about the swine flu vaccine

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Topics: Fox News, Glenn Beck, War Room, Swine Flu,

One positive thing about Glenn Beck: The guy is dependable. You can almost set your watch by him — if you spot some new conspiracy theory developing in the darker corners of the Internet, one that fits with his ideological bent, it won’t be more than a couple months before he’s on Fox News, broadcasting the theory to millions of people.

The latest theory to get the Beck treatment, apparently. will be one about the swine flu vaccine. This has been getting a lot of attention in the usual places on the Internet, with theories abounding about the vaccine being untested and deadly, not to mention about laws that would allow you to be sent to a quarantine camp if you refuse to take the shot. There are many, many others out there too — when it comes to this sort of thing, there’s almost no end to the creativity of the theorists. (Trust me on this. We get e-mails about it almost daily from varioius people concerned about the vaccine; their warnings of what’s going to happen can get pretty wild.)

So on Thursday, as you can see in the video below (hat-tip to Jed Lewison on Daily Kos), Beck is going to be running an hour-long special. He claims both sides will get equal time, and that he won’t be giving his opinion. In theory, that might be nice — it’d be better if the anti-vaccination side had much of a leg to stand on, but there’s only so much you can ask from Beck — but it’s hard to believe Beck’s promise of balance, given his record. Hopefully he comes through; the consequences of stoking anti-vaccine hysteria can be, quite literally, deadly.

Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon. More Alex Koppelman.

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Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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