Ancient Astronaut Theorist Mike Bara Claims Only Islamic Jihad Can Explain Germanwings Plane Crash3/28/2015 Yesterday ancient astronaut theorist Mike Bara endorsed an unconfirmed report made by a rightwing blog quoting anti-Islamic German blogger Michael Mannheimer that Germanwings pilot Andreas Lubitz had converted to Islam and therefore crashed his plane, killing 149 people and himself, as part of a jihadist act. Mannheimer offered no evidence other than the existence of a mosque in Bremen, where Lubitz had trained as a pilot. Bara posted to Facebook that the German blog post was “proof of what we all knew 3 days ago.” His brother Dave replied with a conspiracy theory that world governments would attempt to suppress the truth about Islamic suicide pilots. As of today, French and German prosecutors have not released any evidence indicating Lubitz was Muslim, while media reports indicate that he crashed the plane after experiencing mental health problems. Mannheimer, who has called Islam a “thousand year crime against Germany,” has since removed the blog post, which had received heavy criticism. Nevertheless, Bara doubled down on his endorsement last night, claiming that depression and mental illness were not a sufficient explanation for Lubitz’s actions: “You don’t murder 150 people because you’re depressed. You eat a whole tub of ice cream maybe.” Bara’s endorsement of anti-Islamic claims reveals not only a disturbing level of underlying bigotry and offensive levels of ignorance, but also his slipshod approach to “research.” Mike Bara annoys me, though not just for the reasons you think. It’s not just that he’s another in a long line of bigoted idiots who somehow get paid to star in TV shows pandering to conspiracy theorists and racists, but that he can move through fringe circles with such impunity. Bara is a regular on Ancient Aliens, currently airing on H2 and about to resume airing on History on April 10. At the same time, he also is the paid star of Uncovering Aliens on the rival Discovery networks (the show aired on Animal Planet and the Science Channel). Yet neither network objects to Bara using the Ancient Aliens name not just to promote himself but as an integral part of his “work.” Bara has titled each of his recent books Ancient Aliens and something or another. His newest is Ancient Aliens & Secret Societies. Now, you will recall that H2’s parent company, A+E Networks, ordered me to cease and desist from publishing a book that didn’t even share the same title with America Unearthed for fear of “confusion,” yet A+E Networks has raised no objection to Bara flagrantly cashing in on their intellectual property—A+E Networks owns the trademark on the phrase Ancient Aliens. Perhaps that will change now the A+E Networks has promoted the head of programming for H2 to a new position. According to Deadline, Paul Cabana, the executive responsible for paranoid and angry programming like America Unearthed, Brad Meltzer’s Lost History, and America’s Book of Secrets, has been bumped up to oversee programming at both H2 and the larger History channel. We can look forward, I suppose, to the further sensationalizing of the larger network, though it remains to be seen how Cabana hopes to marry H2’s New Age conspiracy brand to History’s conservative Bible-thumping version of fringe nuttiness. On another note, although I didn’t want to discuss this again, I feel that I need to document an ongoing situation with Scott Reaney, the Canadian blogger who accused me of stealing public domain material from his blog about the skeletons of giants, in case it escalates. Since I wrote about him, Reaney has continued on a campaign of harassment, sending me vulgar emails and posting libelous statements on his website asserting that I am a pedophile and a supporter of ISIS. I sent Reaney a cease and desist letter demanding he remove the libelous comments, which has provoked Reaney into making promises that he is preparing further harassment: You are a nutless wonder... and if you got your panties in a knot regarding your inability to grasp those simple ideas, I guarantee that you will have a bona fide shit tsunami for what is coming your way, Huckleberry. I will continue to display the 'sordid details' concerning your multitude of character flaws, beginning April 1st. As I am sure you know, I have never met Scott Reaney. I made the unfortunate error of replying politely to his first email to me (as ( try to do with everyone who emails me), and this is the thanks I get.
I’m sure that most readers will have already come to a conclusion about Reaney that I cannot legally write, and I am saddened that I have somehow ended up the focus of Reaney’s ire, for (this time) “lying” about nineteenth century people who are not able to defend themselves by dint of being dead. Let’s end on a happier note as we return to Ancient Aliens. After learning this morning that History plans to mark the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War with a special Ancient Aliens called “Aliens and the Civil War,” set to air on the main History channel April 10, I came across this rather humorous satire of the Ancient Aliens worldview in which columnist Donnie Johnson professes to have “discovered” thanks to a marathon viewing of Ancient Aliens that his feelings of sluggishness were due not to working three 14-hour days but rather due to an infestation of aliens.
33 Comments
EP
3/28/2015 06:23:40 am
As someone who suffers from severe depression, I feel entitled to say: Fuck Mike Bara and fuck Michael Mannheimer. (I mean, I would have said it anyway, but this time I feel more entitled that usual.)
Reply
Shane Sullivan
3/28/2015 07:00:25 am
“You don’t murder 150 people because you’re depressed. You eat a whole tub of ice cream maybe.”
Reply
EP
3/28/2015 07:11:17 am
I mean, it's likely that his mental problems went beyond depression, but that's not to say that depression wasn't a necessary condition of him crashing the plane...
Cathleen Anderson
3/28/2015 07:48:01 am
Depression and other 'mental health' issues are a whole lot more complicated than that Shane. I suggest you do some more research before you say something even stupider than that comment.
Cathleen Anderson
3/28/2015 07:50:01 am
Shane, depression, and for that matter any other 'mental illness' is a whole more complicated than your extremely stupid and offensive statement about ice cream.
Reply
Shane Sullivan
3/28/2015 08:06:52 am
Just to clear up any confusion, the quote “You don’t murder 150 people because you’re depressed. You eat a whole tub of ice cream maybe.” was from Mike Bara. Yes, it is incredibly stupid, and I hoped to point that out with the thing about Hemingway.
Reply
Joseph Craven
3/28/2015 12:04:21 pm
Every family who's ever lost someone to suicide should be entitled to a free swing with a ratan cane against Mike Bara's ass.
Reply
Bob Jase
3/28/2015 06:24:13 am
And the right-wing batshit brigade is already running with the story - everyone that does something awful must be a Muslim in their minds, reality doesn't count.
Reply
Since Ted Cruz made his very first campaign stop at an event sponsored by Jack Kimball,a conspiracy theorist and former head of the New Hampshire Republican Party who blogs about "government takeovers,immanent wars with foreign nations and UFO sightings") and his Conservative Business League of New Hampshire (Huffington Post/Politics),I'm sure we'll finally be subjected to this idiocy in the mainstream media. Can't wait for the "60 Minutes" segment.
Reply
Titus pullo
3/28/2015 08:28:31 am
There are crazies on both sides of the political spectrum. I hate to ring up eugenics or some of the really crazy stuff from the left on forced diversity which is a lot scarer to me than some ufo nut. Then again it is New Hampshire where Breton woods is...perfect for global financial new world order consparicies...ha
Reply
Mark L
3/28/2015 08:57:52 pm
More of this "everyone's as bad as each other" crap. "Forced diversity"? Firstly, you're just making something up, and secondly, that doesn't sound like it involves demonising and killing huge numbers of the world's population, as the political right seems insistent on doing with Muslims.
EP
3/28/2015 08:07:42 am
Cathleen, Shane was clearly alluding to Mike Bara's offensive claim (which he also quotes) in order to ridicule it.
Reply
Cathleen Anderson
3/28/2015 03:51:29 pm
I did read Jason's post and missed that Shane was quoting. So yes my real problem is with Mike Bara and others like him.
Reply
Crash55
3/28/2015 08:20:19 am
Jason,
Reply
Hypatia
3/28/2015 01:23:11 pm
I suspect he is also copying insults verbatim from some collection of 'insults for dummies' book or site.
Reply
EP
3/28/2015 09:08:13 am
titus pullo never misses an opportunity to remind us that not all political idiocy comes from the right. Even when it is completely irrelevant to anything anyone is saying. And even though no one with half a brain cell needs to be told that.
Reply
titus pullo
3/28/2015 09:52:58 am
Happy happy joy joy.....seriously my comment wasn't even worth a response just a statement as most posts tend to be more "right wing" stereotypes than left but that's fine..
Reply
EP
3/28/2015 10:38:12 am
Just to clarify, I do not think that joking about mental illness is never permissible. That's not my problem with Mike Bara. My problem is that his comment displays not humor, but stubborn, arrogant ignorance and absence of intellectual scruples.
Reply
Clint Knapp
3/28/2015 11:55:54 am
I was going to leave this one alone, but what the hell.
Reply
Clint Knapp
3/28/2015 12:08:27 pm
Curse you, revision process. Should read:
Reply
EP
3/28/2015 12:40:05 pm
Just blame Weebly, Clint, and no one will be the wiser ;)
Reply
Hypatia
3/28/2015 02:06:18 pm
Yes, tell that paunchy plume-plucked malt-worm, and that other drooling flap-mouthed codpiece from Canada to onion-eye and dribble elsewhere than in your email box.
Reply
mhe
3/28/2015 02:39:50 pm
Mr. Bara is a complete ignoramus.
Reply
EP
3/28/2015 02:46:56 pm
Um... Wouldn't that just make Columbus Day make less sense?...
Reply
mhe
3/28/2015 03:43:36 pm
Maybe he was competing with Wolter for the Solutrean Man of the Year Award?:)
Shane Sullivan
3/29/2015 12:31:23 pm
"The Ainu are a Caucasian minority who once possessed the whole of the Japanese Islands."
Reply
Hypatia
3/28/2015 03:39:26 pm
Great. So now white supremacists are honored guest speakers on "History" channels. Heil Discovery!
Reply
bear
3/28/2015 04:35:13 pm
I think we all agree that Bara has crossed the line with his vile comments about depression. It is obvious to me that he has never had even a mild bout of depression and further, he has no close family member who has suffered with depression. IF he does have any family member who ever had/has depression, then he is one of the biggest asshats ever. Courtesy to Jason, it is his blog, prevents me from any further description of what I think about this Bara creature. I am at a loss for any polite terms to describe such a cold hearted, vile, disgusting creature without resorting to cursing.
Reply
Only Me
3/29/2015 05:06:02 am
Wow. I got hit with a stomach virus that almost forced me to go to the hospital Friday, so this is the first time I've been able to visit.
Reply
EP
3/29/2015 02:03:54 pm
@ Shane Sullivan
Reply
Shane Sullivan
3/29/2015 03:00:07 pm
It was from the link he posted on facebook.
Reply
EP
3/30/2015 03:06:16 am
Race traitor! ;)
Derek James Eunson
4/6/2015 02:25:29 am
Mike Bara has issues not only with Muslims and people who perhaps have suffered depression. He also has problems with homosexuals and women.
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am an author and researcher focusing on pop culture, science, and history. Bylines: New Republic, Esquire, Slate, etc. There's more about me in the About Jason tab. Newsletters
Enter your email below to subscribe to my newsletter for updates on my latest projects, blog posts, and activities, and subscribe to Culture & Curiosities, my Substack newsletter.
Categories
All
Terms & ConditionsPlease read all applicable terms and conditions before posting a comment on this blog. Posting a comment constitutes your agreement to abide by the terms and conditions linked herein.
Archives
February 2025
|