Sheeple Chase 2 - Spray it Ain't So

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Hello, and welcome to another episode of Sheeplechase, the podcast that sorts the cons from the conspiracies.

I'm Georgie Barker.

And I'm Celia Ripley.

So, let's start with the big news.

Ooh.

How was Captain Barker's big hair cut?

Did she have a good time?

Oh, she was very brave.

She did look quite cute in the 16 photos you sent me.

Didn't she?

And did you like the little X-Files bandana I got for her?

I like that you think your dog has a favourite TV show.

You can't prove she doesn't.

Anyway, how are you doing?

I'm fine.

Uh-huh.

I've not been sleeping well lately.

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Were you up all night researching conspiracy theories?

No, I just can't fall asleep.

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It's your turn to pick the topic, so which conspiracy are we unpicking today?

Today, we're jetting off to the 90s on the trail of a real humbug.

Is it chemtrails?

Yes, it's chemtrails.

The claim that those clouds you see coming out the back of planes are full of chemicals being purposefully spread by secretive organisations for reasons.

Okay.

So, why would anyone think there's something sinister going on?

Well, let's start by talking about the difference between chemtrails and contrails.

So, contrails are just frozen condensation following in the plane's wake after cold air combusts in a generation.

Well, that seems pretty straightforward.

Good episode.

Tune in next week.

But while chemtrail believers do accept that contrails are a thing, they claim that chemtrails linger in place for much longer than contrails.

Right.

And that's convincing because, of course, clouds never last more than five minutes.

Yeah, so like clouds, contrails do behave differently in different conditions.

Stuff like temperature, altitude, humidity, it all affects how and even if condensation forms and disperses.

But people claim that the thick type are always followed by weird effects.

Like what?

Rain, mostly.

Right.

Am I sure these people are seeing chemtrails and not just, you know, clouds?

Well, there's loads of pictures online, and some of the photos do have a lot of contrails in them.

Like, you'd have to live on some sort of aviatory ley line to have that many flight paths crisscrossing over your head.

And this is assuming you can even see whatever chemicals are said to be spread.

If chemtrails come down to it's theoretically possible something invisible exists somewhere, then we may as well be asking if Santa Sley is spreading asbestos or something.

What do believers think chemtrails are actually for?

Who's supposed to be spreading them, and why?

Well, there are loads of competing theories, but most people agree that chemtrails are either for mind control, weather manipulation, biological warfare, weapons testing, population control, or combating climate change.

Well, that certainly narrows it down.

Yeah.

So let's start with the mind control theory, because it's probably the easiest to dismiss.

Well, you would say that, given they're controlling your mind.

The idea is that governments are spreading vaguely defined mind control chemicals to make the population more docile.

And people think it works?

Well, yes.

Their theory is that only mind-controlling substances could get people to not notice the mind-controlling substances in the sky.

I see.

Yeah, it's just not realistic.

It will be so inefficient.

What?

I'm just saying, it will be a terrible way of spreading mind-control chemicals.

It's so wasteful, and you don't have any way to properly monitor the effects.

I just think there are better options.

So how would you do it?

Oh, water supply.

Easy.

Almost everyone uses tap water.

It would be simple to add a few extra chemicals to reservoirs during disinfection.

You could even target specific regions and it would be greener than using all those planes.

Oh well I'm so glad to hear you've considered the environmental impact.

Trouble is there aren't really any mind control chemicals that would work like that.

Even the CIA gave up after the whole MK Ultra thing.

Best they managed was maybe making a couple of people a bit more suggestible.

So I can keep drinking tap water.

Besides, you don't need chemicals to control people.

That's what the economy's for.

Plus, every social media platform's already basically a mind control device already.

Very true.

Georgie, you do realise you're on all of them, all of the time, right?

Right, but I interact with random stuff to confuse the algorithm.

My targeted ads think I'm a French grandpa who likes windsurfing and motorbike repair.

Anyway, moving on to the weather manipulation stuff.

This is where the conspiracy started.

In 1996, the US Air Force put out a report entitled Owning the Weather in 2025,

which looked at how the US government could manipulate weather in the future.

And is, to be fair, something a super villain's research assistant would write.

Yeah, nobody really noticed it till 1999 when Art Bell, who hosted Coast to Coast AM, connected the dots with online forums discussing contrails, and then suddenly the theory was everywhere.

Apparently, the US government got so many complaints about it.

That must have been such a weird day to be on the US Air Force Customer Service hotline.

Everyone accusing you of ruining Brad Washington's son's picnic or whatever.

Well, most of the more serious posters think it's either to combat or even cause climate change, depending on which one they think is worse.

Well, that's a bit of a stretch.

But governments can use aircraft to affect the climate.

And they do.

I'm sorry, governments can control the weather.

A bit, yes.

In 2008, the Chinese government wanted to make sure Beijing was nice and sunny for the Olympics, so they used cloud seeding to purposefully make it rain in a different city and kind of bring all the moisture out of the air before it got to the sports.

Cloud seeding?

It's when you release chemicals, usually some kind of salt, into the air at high altitudes to cause ice crystals to form at higher temperatures than normal and make clouds, which then fall as rain or hail or snow or whatever.

Okay, even I can see how you could mix that up with chemtrails.

Well if you like cloud seeding you'll love this.

Some climate scientists are suggesting that we could use contrails to help mitigate global warming.

I'm sorry, what?

Well basically, because contrails are essentially just clouds, if you get enough of them in one spot, they should have an insulating effect.

So you could, in theory, control heat buildup and dispersal around the planet.

Okay,

so planes could hypothetically be used for some minor weather shenanigans.

That hardly seems as bad as the whole mind control thing.

Well, you say that, but silver iodide is one of the chemicals used for cloud seeding, and in extreme quantities, it can be carcinogenic.

And turn your skin a bluey-gray colour.

I'll admit, cancer rain doesn't sound great.

So, have there been many unexplained cases of silvery skin?

No.

The amounts used for cloud seeding are super tiny.

Right.

So the weather stuff is A, fine, and B, not what people are talking about when they're talking about chemtrails.

Pretty much.

So the mind controls nonsense, and the weather control stuff doesn't scan either.

Sounds like this is pretty much done.

Not quite.

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Anyway, we were about to cover the weirder side of airborne chemicals, including our favourite, messed up cases of verified chemical warfare.

I'm guessing you're talking stuff like Agent Orange?

It was a chemical agent spread by aircraft.

Sure,

but commercial flights are completely different.

For chemtrails to be a thing, you'd have to believe that pretty much every government and airline is working together on this.

And no government is going to just let someone spray their citizens.

But they do.

They do it themselves.

What do you mean they do it themselves?

The MOD has already admitted to doing this loads of times.

In the fluorescent particle trials, planes flew across the length of England dropping zinc cadmium sulfide.

And in the large area coverage trials, MOD ships sprayed E.

coli all over Dorset.

In the sabotage trials, they released a bunch of bacteria on the northern line.

Wait, what?

And this is just from one military base, Porton Down.

They admitted it all in a report they gave to this libd MMP,

Norman Baker, way back in 2002.

They're not still doing it, though.

Are they?

Let's just say that when Porton Down was asked about that, they said it's not our policy to comment on current research.

So,

yeah, it certainly sounds like there's some current research to not comment on.

Well, that's horrifying, and not in a fun conspiracy kind of way.

Exactly.

So, I'm not saying chemtrails are real.

I'm just saying someone somewhere is definitely getting sprayed.

And it could be you, it could be any of us.

And there's nothing we can do about it.

Sure, there is.

Just try not to breathe, or drink water, or eat anything that grows in the ground.

You know, basic stuff.

Uh-huh.

Well,

despite these awful revelations, none of that stuff is actual chemtrails, is it?

No.

And there's really no evidence that commercial jets are deliberately spreading stuff.

Just classified military experiments on the civilian population?

Exactly.

Okay.

Well, I have to say, I think you've convinced me.

Really?

Not about chemtrails, which are clearly utterbolux,

but the idea that militaries are dumping chemicals on people from the air for sinister reasons?

Absolutely.

I'll take that as a win!

Wow!

I'm gonna award myself a certificate to commemorate this momentous achievement.

Do I get a certificate for every time I've convinced you a theory's fake?

Steady on.

Printer ink's expensive, you know.

Damn.

Best I can manage is the drone I've sent to spray caffeine through your air vents to perk you up before recordings.

Sounds great.

So, got anything good planned this weekend?

This and that.

But more importantly, are you excited about your big date?

Ugh, not particularly.

I've been checking online, and the odds of him being a serial killer are shockingly high.

Even if he is, I doubt he's gonna kill you in a ZZs.

He might.

Why do I feel like you're still holding out for a certain famous YouTube ghost hunter?

I'm allowed to admire good videography.

Hmm, especially when it's by Melanie King, right?

I'm just saying, she has soulful eyes.

She looks like she's seen terrible things.

In a good way.

Right.

Anyway, I think that's all for this week.

As always, thanks for listening.

And next time you take a flight, maybe leave the E.

coli at home.

The British Army's got that covered.

Gross.

Sheeple Chase and the Magnus Protocol are podcasts distributed by Rusty Quill and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Sharealike 4.0 international license.

Sheeplechase was created by Sasha Sienna, directed by April Sumner, and based on the works of Jonathan Sims and Alexander J.

Mule.

This episode was written by Sasha Sienna and edited with additional materials by Jonathan Sims and Alexander J.

Mule, with audio edits by Nico Vitese, mastering by Meg McKeller, and music by Nico Vitese.

It featured Sasha Sienna as Georgie Barker and Lori Ann Davies as Celia Ripley.

To subscribe, explore exclusive extras, and enjoy early access, ad-free episodes, visit members.rustyquill.com or join our Patreon.

Rate and review us online, follow us on social media, or email us at mail at rustyquill.com.

Thanks for listening.

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