Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X, a few weeks ago, “Yes, they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
Her comment prompted a response from President Joe Biden, who said, “Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather, were controlling the weather. It’s beyond ridiculous. Is so stupid. It’s got to stop.”
Major news publications like NBC, Newsweek and Vanity Fair jumped on the story, and ran quotes like Representative Greene should “have her head examined.”
The Greene weather discussion prompted thoughts of Wyoming-based conspiracy theories. Of the many out there, three come to mind.
Growing up, we would spend our weekends on the Seney Point at Lake DeSmet. After the sun went down, my father would tell tales of Smetty, the Monster of Lake DeSmet.
He spun yarns about a big green stinky sea serpent with incredible speed and guile, who would rise out of the mist of the lake and snatch naughty children from the shores never to be seen again.
While official reports of the sea serpent go back to 1925, Native American lore goes back centuries telling of strange goings on at the lake.
Whether my father told the story to keep naughty children from playing near the dark dangerous waves or as a cautionary tale to avoid a sea monster, we never really knew. Now, though, whenever we find ourselves at Lake DeSmet, we always keep one eye open for Smetty.
Another Wyoming conspiracy theory that floats around from time to time is the locked secret room, in the Wyoming State Capitol, where great state leaders, and others, inscribe their names into the history of Wyoming.
Legend has it down an untraveled hallway lies a secret room. To get to the room, one has to know where the secret passage is and someone who has a key.
For those lucky enough to gain entrance to the room, there is a place where great leaders, past and present, and others can inscribe their names.
Some say since the capitol is full of illuminati symbolism, the signatures are an oath to the illuminati.
Others say the inscriptions are just signatures letting generations in the future know people who were lucky enough to find the secret room passed were there – sort of like Wyoming’s answer to “Kilroy was here.”
Whether there is a secret room with inscribed names in the capitol is a matter of some debate. It makes for a great urban legend and the illuminati twist gives fodder for the conspiracy minded.
The third urban legend is the State of Wyoming has been modifying the weather for years.
Using techniques pioneered by a United States government black op during Vietnam, called Operation Popeye and near Florida in Project Stormfury, Wyoming has tried to tinker with the naturally occurring weather to the benefit of agricultural interests.
Every two years, legend would have it, with overwhelming legislator support, the Wyoming Legislature appropriated over a million dollars to modify the weather.
Confirming whether the weather modification urban legend is true would just take some simple investigation into the Wyoming expenditures. If one knew where to look, one might be able to find the weather modification in authorizing legislation.
Urban legends are a funny thing. Some may just be stories told to keep children out of danger. Some may be absolutely true.
Some may seem ridiculously impossible only because the person telling the story made poor word choices. If Representative Greene had said, “They can influence the weather instead of control the weather, would her statement have been more accurate?
If Representative Greene had picked a different time other than when a hurricane was bearing down on Florida to make her comments, would she have received the same level of criticism?
If Representative Greene had read about Project Stormfury, and found that typical weather modification techniques don’t work for hurricanes would her comments have been less ridiculed?
And, for those who jumped on Representative Greene for her comments as being totally off-base, perhaps some introspection should be in order.
Politics has devolved into name-calling emotionalism.
We should make our decisions based on empirical evidence, not what we believe. Too often, these days when political rhetoric runs up against the facts, we discount the facts. Our decisions suffer (read hand counting ballots here).
So, when confronted with an urban legend, we should look to the facts. We do not have the luxury of believing what we want in the face of the truth, just because it is politically convenient.
Sometimes – urban legends are true. For that reason, be careful on the beaches of DeSmet.
Tom Lubnau served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2004 - 2015 and is a former Speaker of the House. He can be reached at: YourInputAppreciated@gmail.com
