Facebook is a menace. COVID-19 is a menace. Conservatism is a cesspool. Together, those three ingredients have created a toxic stew of malevolent death and devastation. We can talk about all those things in the abstract, look at the numbers and statistics, and catch the occasional whiff of seditionist right-wing rhetoric. But I hadn’t really fully understood just how horrifying that combination of right-wing extremism, Facebook, and a killer virus was until I became a regular at the Herman Cain Awards subreddit. This series will document some of those stories, so we are aware of what the other side is doing to our country.

Today we’re learning about Rob Skiba and the aftermath of his COVID death.

Let’s meet Rob Skiba. Rob is an evangelical Flat-Earther, which is a thing I can’t believe exits. 

What the heck is that Nephilim theory? 

What does that have to do with UFOs and aliens? I checked out the Amazon description for his book: 

WUT

Okay, time to google “Genesis Six Experiment.”

OMFG. 

O.M.F.G.

OH MY FUCKING GOD

Help me get out of this rabbit hole! 

Anyway, what does any of this have to do with Flat Earth Theory? Apparently nothing. He’s just a fount of conspiracy theories. Here’s his summary of his Flat-Earth book: 

See? You will read some books written in the 1800s and that will convince you the earth is flat. BUT ONLY IF YOU ARE OPEN MINDED. 

More relevant to our topic at hand, vaccinations, you might be surprised to know that Rob was virulently anti-vaccine. (pun intended!) I found a video which I won’t link to, because I don’t want to mess up your YouTube recommendations. But here’s the description: 

Anyhoo, he got COVID. His Facebook fanatics can take it from here: 

God is all-powerful and knows everything. 

Also, God didn’t know about Rob being in the hospital, so let’s give him a heads-up.

Is this “new protocol” a vaccine? One that is proven to prevent the vast majority of serious hospitalizations, is free, and has minimal side effects in the billions that have taken it? 

Too late for that one. 

“Swept him away.” So nefarious sounding. He wasn’t swept away, though, as in “taken” or “kidnapped.” He was admitted. 

Enter the comments: 

Wow. 

I try to come up with something witty, or informative, or educational, but in the end, I’m left staring at the screen, slack-jawed in utter bewilderment that these people exist.

And then I remember: They believe the Earth is flat. And I’m left in even greater bewilderment. 

Anyone able to follow that? 

5G radiation causes loss of taste and smell, which convinces people to vaccinate (Rob’s “mark of the beast” argument), which causes the low blood-oxygen level and blood clots. But somehow the virus exists, and it’s man-made, but COVID might not be real, so maybe not. 

They are praying that God bring ol’ Rob back to life. As though that’s a thing that happens. 

And then green is like “heck yeah, let’s bring him back to life, but … maybe he’s not dead?” And then they ask for the truth, with zero irony. 

Well, we certainly are now aware of who Rob Skiba was. Or, maybe is. So, uh, assignment accomplished? 

Note that he had 200,000 subscribers on YouTube.