A quick note about the name of this substack: some people I worked with in South Carolina politics in the 90s called me by the nickname Q and some of them still use it.
When I decided I want to start writing about conspiracy theories and other fringe political subjects, I decided to go with that old nickname because of the QAnon conspiracy theory which is the most widespread one. So, I am Q but not that Q.
I’ll keep this short and just point out that I’ve been interested in conspiracy theories (not as a believer) since I grew up listening to talk radio in the 80s, usually at night on clear channel stations. This included Art Bell and Coast to Coast AM which I occasionally still check in on. The No Agenda Podcast with Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak is the modern equivalent to that.
When I first worked on campaigns in SC, I made a really close friend in Anderson, SC who used to give me his old copies of The New American, and I later actually went to a John Birch Society Meeting in Lexington, SC. Also in Anderson, I made the acquaintance of someone who became the first sovereign citizen I ever heard of.
Friends have noted, and I have too, that I am a nutjob magnet when I go to political events or meetings. I’ll have more to add on this in the future, but stay tuned now for my first issue which will relate to the modern SC GOP.