How to take on the mad conspiracy theorist

I've tried being rational and I've tried common sense. Neither of these have worked, but I guess I need to remember that I am dealing with people who actually think that all the people on the planes have now been relocated to some deserted island, and there were in fact no hijackers.

I found a lovely breakdown of the most "popular" conspiracy theories out there.I think this site really calls it like it is, and I wanted to get the word out to those of you who actually bother to confront these nut job yahoo's.

Here's a taste:
In regard to the Pentagon attack, and the supposed lack of plane/size of the hole.

CLAIM: "French author Thierry Meyssan, whose baseless assertions are fodder for even mainstream European and Middle Eastern media. In his book The Big Lie, Meyssan concludes that the Pentagon was struck by a satellite-guided missile--part of an elaborate U.S. military coup. "This attack," he writes, "could only be committed by United States military personnel against other U.S. military personnel." (Please note, if I were to meet this "gentleman", I would like to ask him to step outside. Metaphorically of course.)

FACT:"When American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon's exterior wall, Ring E, it created a hole approximately 75 ft. wide, according to the ASCE Pentagon Building Performance Report. The exterior facade collapsed about 20 minutes after impact, but ASCE based its measurements of the original hole on the number of first-floor support columns that were destroyed or damaged. Computer simulations confirmed the findings.

A crashing jet doesn't punch a cartoon-like outline of itself into a reinforced concrete building, says ASCE team member Mete Sozen, a professor of structural engineering at Purdue University. In this case, one wing hit the ground; the other was sheared off by the force of the impact with the Pentagon's load-bearing columns, explains Sozen, who specializes in the behavior of concrete buildings.

The tidy hole in Ring C was 12 ft. wide--not 16 ft. ASCE concludes it was made by the jet's landing gear, not by the fuselage."

Interesting stuff. Not that I needed any confirmation of what my own eyes showed me that day.

So, next time some insane conspiracy nutter calls you a blind sheeple, simply forward him a link to this source. : )