Some lawmakers laughed with disbelief and others listened intently, as Coates described situations that are often noted in discussions of “chemtrails” — a decades-old conspiracy theory that posits the white lines left behind by aircraft in the sky are releasing chemicals for any number of reasons, some of them nefarious. As she urged lawmakers to ban the unsubstantiated practice, she told skeptics to “start looking up” at the sky.

Such bills being crafted is indicative of how misinformation is moving beyond the online world and into public policy. Elevating unsubstantiated theories or outright falsehoods into the legislative arena not only erodes democratic processes, according to experts, it provides credibility where there is none and takes away resources from actual issues that need to be addressed.

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[–] 3 points 1 year ago (1 child)

Our government is getting stupider by the day.

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    [–] 11 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Chemtrail legislation?

    Good job Louisiana. Excellent choice for a legislator. Can’t think of anyone better suited to hold a position of leadership in your state. At this rate I might be in the running to be your governor.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Every time I see someone going off on chemtrails, I remember just how dumb some people are:

    https://youtu.be/aIYZvr3ueGw

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  • So every time there is severe weather will the state legislature open an investigation? "I've ordered the Weather Investigation Corp [run by my brother-in-law] to look into these tornadoes."

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    They are not "unsubstantiated theories." They are lies.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    You know, banning weather modification is basically acknowledging human-made climate change. Just saying

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    As quoted from The Guardian:

    At least eight states, including Florida and Tennessee, have now introduced ... legislation to prohibit “geo-engineering” or “weather modification”

    So, nothing to do with chemtrails and specifically addresses geo-engineering and weather modification. Cloud seeding is a thing and dispersing particulates to reflect sunlight has also been much discussed. These states simply don't want it happening in their state.


    Also note how not a single quote in AP's article has 'chemtrail' in it. Not a single damn one. The quotes they do have of the legislation specifically refer to things:

    ...affecting the “temperature, weather, climate, or intensity of sunlight.”

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  • I am genuinely fascinated by this whole movement, and Im very curious how they propose to test for these fictional substances

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