Rush Limbaugh's Latest Conspiracy Theory

Rush Limbaugh floats the conspiracy theory that environmentalists engaged in a terrorist attack to cause the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Limbaugh's proof is that the Cuyahoga River fire inspired Earth Day. What conspiracy theorist have in their favor is they don't need facts to make their argument. It was actually an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara that inspired Sen. Gaylord Nelson to start a national teach-in on environmental issues. The movement grew into grassroots movement that is now Earth Day.

"Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level," said Nelson. "We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself."

Conspiracy theorists don't need facts. I argued with someone who claimed the government attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon. I asked him if he could prove his theory. "Disprove it," the guy shouted to me. That sums up the thought process of Limbaugh and his listeners.