Willis Carto's "The Spotlight"

Willis Carto is perhaps America's leading far-right, anti-semitic, neo-fascist propagandist. His output is employed by, amongst others, leading Troofer celebrities Alex Jones (PrisonPlanet) and Mike Rivero (WhatReallyHappened)

911 Troof makes many claims.......but so many of these claims have originated with, and been amplified and popularised by Carto's multifarious propaganda outlets.

Why does 911 Troof trust such sources? Why does 911 Troof refuse to acknowledge the seminal role Willis Carto has played in 911 Troof?

This points to a major contradiction within 911 Troof, and within Carto's, Alex Jones', and Mike Rivero's output on the subject of 911: Willis Carto, Jones and Rivero suggest 911 is the result of a 'fascist american state'.

There's clearly something wrong with this situation: fascists denouncing fascists for being.......fascists.

The following is a description of Willis Carto's propaganda rag "The Spotlight", which has since been reincarnated as AmericanFreePress (AFP).

It should be read with the claims of 911 Troof in mind, because the proponents of 911 Troof often use AFP as a source for their claims - without ever informing their readers that AFP is actually a propaganda organ for american fascism. For example, Alex Jones' use of AFP's Big Jim Tucker in Endgame, and elsewhere.

The Spotlight

Carto's chief aim was always to mobilize opinion against Jews. Liberty Lobby was his chief instrument to bridge right-wing constituencies -- hard-right or paramilitary libertarians, conspiratorial anticommunists, racists -- by inflaming their anti-government and nativist fears and identifying Jews as the country's chief threat. "Zionists," in the group's disingenuous rhetoric, and the "Zionist lobby," were the driving forces behind integration; Communism; the United Nations and internationalism; the moral decline accompanying liberalism; and, obviously, Israel.

Well, there's Alex Jones and Rivero's entire output summed up in a paragraph.

These sentiments were widely conveyed by Liberty Lobby's weekly tabloid, The Spotlight, which debuted in September 1975. Written and edited by the organization's staff (including, occasionally, Carto himself),7 the flagship publication reflected Carto's conspiracy theory of history, a nightmare vision in which hidden forces -- including elite policy groups like the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations -- manipulated governments and media around the world. Jews continually turn up, not just as Zionists but in other coded forms, including "Israel's American supporters," "dual loyalists," "cultural Marxists" and "international bankers."

Again, there's Alex Jones' and Rivero's entire output summarised.

The Spotlight was immediately successful, increasing in circulation annually until it peaked in 1981 at an average paid run of more than 300,000 per week (circulation declined to slightly under 100,000 by the end of the decade and leveled off thereafter). Much of its success, especially evident when compared to other anti-Semitic periodicals, stemmed from its ability to portray itself as legitimately populist and patriotic.

This is the same method now being exploited by Prisonplanet and WhatReallyHappened.

It crusaded against tax increases, trade agreements with the former Soviet Union, gun control, gay rights, pornography and the welfare system -- all issues with mainstream appeal.

Again, all issues exploited by Jones and/or Rivero - a clever shield behind which to promote the same core beliefs as those motivating Carto. Some of Jones' and Rivero's audience know exactly what their heroes mean - the rest are duped by the euphemisms. How often do we see Jones and Rivero referred to as leftwingers? The suggestion they're leftwing is absurd and only reflects the ignorance (or deceit) of any writers making such claims. The simple fact is, both Rivero and Jones are anti-socialist: for example, they finger the NWO as "socialist" - the UN as 'socialist" - Obama as 'socialist'. They also oftentimes equate socialism with fascism - another example of their NewSpeak. Another example is how they accuse their opponents of "fascism" whilst ignoring the fascism of their friends and colleagues, the fascism in their articles, of their contributors, etc.

Its preoccupation with the secret machinations of government and the falsifications of the media resonated with those who did not necessarily share the intensity of its conspiracy-mongering, let alone share its bigotry. The focus of its marketing materials was the promise that Spotlight readers would get "behind the scenes" to "the real story."

Again, the exact same scheme that Jones and Rivero are pursuing. What is WRH's byline? "The History the government hopes you don't learn."

The Spotlight became the premiere publication of the far right and proved to be a crucial venue for the conspiratorial claims of both the Holocaust-denial and militia movements. It wrote respectfully of David Duke and of skinheads ("They're Young, They're Wild and Standing Up for America").8 In addition to its editorial content, many of its advertisements reflected Carto's agenda as well as the paper's constituency: anti-Jewish and racist figures and groups like Ben Klassen, founder of the World Church of the Creator; the now-defunct National States Rights Party of Georgia; James K. Warner of the Louisiana-based Christian Defense League; and past Identity pioneer Sheldon Emry all advertised their wares in The Spotlight. Militia propaganda and gear, as well as anti-tax and sovereign citizen materials, were available in abundance.

the same guff is now financing Rivero and Jones.

The newspaper's "classified" section advertised other extremist publications and membership solicitations.

The Spotlight also extensively promoted Liberty Lobby's talk radio shows, formerly "This is Liberty Lobby," and more recently "Editor's Roundtable" and "Radio Free America." "Radio Free America" was hosted by Liberty Lobby Board of Policy member Tom Valentine; much like Spotlight, the program appeared merely to promote populist views on contentious mainstream issues. In fact, its skin-deep populism covered vintage Carto-ite anti-Semitism, paranoid-style politics, Holocaust denial and anti-Israel conspiracy theories.

Sounds like a description of WhatReallyHappened? No surprise to find Rivero regularly linking to Carto's output then?

Aptly, when Valentine hosted a St. Petersburg, Florida, convention in November 1994 celebrating the program, the reported speakers included "Red" Beckman, an anti-Jewish tax protester associated with the militia and Identity movements; Eustace Mullins, one of the most prolific anti-Jewish propagandists of the post-War era; David Irving, the notorious Holocaust denier; and David Duke.

Hey - that's Rivero and Jones, right?

Of course, it's just pure coincidence that this article on Willis Carto's "Spotlight" could just as well be about Alex Jones' PrisonPlanet or Mike Rivero's WhatReallyHappened.

And of course it's just coincidence that Alex Jones makes use of Willis Carto's long-time colleague Big Jim Tucker - and Rivero makes use of Carto's numerous publications like IHR, Barnes Review etc.......and just pure coincidence that Rivero is featured on Alex Jones radio show on GCN....which also - coincidentally! - broadcasts Rivero's radio-show.........