Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
By JEFF AMY, Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — A rural Georgia monument that some conservative Christians criticized as satanic and others dubbed “America’s Stonehenge” was demolished Wednesday after a predawn bombing turned one of its four granite panels into rubble.
The Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton was damaged by an explosive device, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said, and later knocked down “for safety reasons,” leaving a pile of rubble in a picture that investigators published.
Surveillance footage showed a sharp explosion blowing one panel to rubble just after 4 a.m. Investigators also released video of a silver sedan leaving the monument.
After prior vandalism, video cameras connected to the county’s emergency dispatch center were stationed at the site, said Elbert Granite Association Executive Vice President Chris Kubas.
The enigmatic roadside attraction was built in 1980 from local granite, commissioned by an unknown person or group under the pseudonym R.C. Christian.
“That’s given the guidestones a sort of shroud of mystery around them, because the identity and intent of the individuals who commissioned them is unknown,” said Katie McCarthy, who researches conspiracy theories for the Anti-Defamation League. “And so that has helped over the years to fuel a lot of speculation and conspiracy theories about the guidestones’ true intent.”
The 16-foot-high (5-meter-high) panels bore a 10-part message in eight different languages with guidance for living in an “age of reason.” One part called for keeping world population at 500 million or below, while another calls to “guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.”
It also served as a sundial and astronomical calendar. But it was the panels’ mention of eugenics, population control and global government that made them a target of far-right conspiracists.
The monument’s notoriety took off with the rise of the internet, Kubas said, until it became a roadside tourist attraction, with thousands visiting each year.
The site received renewed attention during Georgia’s May 24 gubernatorial primary when third-place Republican candidate Kandiss Taylor claimed the guidestones are satanic and made demolishing them part of her platform. Comedian John Oliver featured the guidestones and Taylor in a segment in late May. McCarthy said right-wing personalities including Alex Jones had talked about them in previous years, but that “they sort of came back onto the public’s radar” because of Taylor.
“God is God all by Himself. He can do ANYTHING He wants to do,” Taylor wrote on social media Wednesday. “That includes striking down Satanic Guidestones.”
The monument had previously been vandalized, including when it was spray-painted in 2008 and 2014, McCarthy said. She said the bombing is another example of how conspiracy theories “do and can have a real-world impact.”
“We’ve seen this with QAnon and multiple other conspiracy theories, that these ideas can lead somebody to try to take action in furtherance of these beliefs,” McCarthy said. “They can attempt to try and target the people and institutions that are at the center of these false beliefs.”
Kubas and many other people interpreted the stones as some sort of guide to rebuilding society after an apocalypse.
“It’s up to your own interpretation as to how you want to view them,” Kubas said.
The site is about 7 miles (11 kilometers) north of Elberton and about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Atlanta, near the South Carolina state line. Granite quarrying is a top local industry, employing about 2,000 in the area, Kubas said.
Elbert County sheriff’s deputies, Elberton police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are among agencies trying to figure out what happened. Bomb squad technicians were called out to look for evidence, and a state highway that runs near the site was closed for a time.
No suspects were identified.
Kubas said local officials and community leaders will have to decide who, if anyone, pays for restoration.
“If you didn’t like it, you didn’t have to come see it and read it,” Kubas said. “But unfortunately, somebody decided they didn’t want anyone to read it.”
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
Shutterstock
The pandemic brought the national parks system to a virtual halt in 2020 as federal shutdowns closed various sites across the country. Yellowstone National Park’s attendance from January to May plummeted by more than 70% over the same stretch in 2019.
However, the parks system came roaring back in 2021 as visitors to the nation’s most majestic locations arrived at record rates. In May, Yellowstone recorded the most visitors on record in that month, and through May the park had more visitors year-to-date than it had in any of the past five years.
That the breathtaking environs of famous parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite are attracting visitors at record rates is no surprise. Nationally, outdoor activities saw a significant increase in participation in 2020 as people turned to outside hobbies to ease the stress of the pandemic.
And for those who love history, the National Park Service’s (NPS) historic sites offer an intersection between the beauty of the outdoors and the American story. While the NPS is best known for its expansive scenic parks, like Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks, more than half of the areas it manages were established to commemorate people and events important to the nation’s history. The nation’s network of historically significant sites—including national battlefields and battlefield parks, national military parks, national historic sites and parks, and national memorials—brings in tens of millions of visitors each year. And while the park system suffered a huge blow in 2020 attendance, pre-pandemic trends indicate the increasing popularity of these destinations.
Shutterstock
The pandemic brought the national parks system to a virtual halt in 2020 as federal shutdowns closed various sites across the country. Yellowstone National Park’s attendance from January to May plummeted by more than 70% over the same stretch in 2019.
However, the parks system came roaring back in 2021 as visitors to the nation’s most majestic locations arrived at record rates. In May, Yellowstone recorded the most visitors on record in that month, and through May the park had more visitors year-to-date than it had in any of the past five years.
That the breathtaking environs of famous parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite are attracting visitors at record rates is no surprise. Nationally, outdoor activities saw a significant increase in participation in 2020 as people turned to outside hobbies to ease the stress of the pandemic.
And for those who love history, the National Park Service’s (NPS) historic sites offer an intersection between the beauty of the outdoors and the American story. While the NPS is best known for its expansive scenic parks, like Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks, more than half of the areas it manages were established to commemorate people and events important to the nation’s history. The nation’s network of historically significant sites—including national battlefields and battlefield parks, national military parks, national historic sites and parks, and national memorials—brings in tens of millions of visitors each year. And while the park system suffered a huge blow in 2020 attendance, pre-pandemic trends indicate the increasing popularity of these destinations.
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
Among the NPS’s historically-significant sites, national historical parks and national memorials were the most visited in 2020. Popular examples of national historical parks include Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Historical Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, and San Francisco National Maritime Park. The national memorials that welcomed the most visits in 2020 include, in order of visits, Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, and a pair of war memorials in Washington D.C.: World War II Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial. These four sites accounted for more than 8 million visitors in 2020 and made up more than half the visits to national memorials.
Among the NPS’s historically-significant sites, national historical parks and national memorials were the most visited in 2020. Popular examples of national historical parks include Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Historical Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, and San Francisco National Maritime Park. The national memorials that welcomed the most visits in 2020 include, in order of visits, Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, and a pair of war memorials in Washington D.C.: World War II Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial. These four sites accounted for more than 8 million visitors in 2020 and made up more than half the visits to national memorials.
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
To find the most popular historical sites in America, researchers at Outdoorsy analyzed the most recent visitation statistics from the U.S. National Park Service, ranking parks by their total number of recreation visits in 2020. The researchers also included statistics on total recreation hours, as well as the total size of each park. For the purpose of this analysis, Outdoorsy defined a national historical site as any one of the following park types: national battlefield, national battlefield park, national historic site, national historical park, national memorial, or national military park. Here are the most-visited historical sites in the U.S.
To find the most popular historical sites in America, researchers at Outdoorsy analyzed the most recent visitation statistics from the U.S. National Park Service, ranking parks by their total number of recreation visits in 2020. The researchers also included statistics on total recreation hours, as well as the total size of each park. For the purpose of this analysis, Outdoorsy defined a national historical site as any one of the following park types: national battlefield, national battlefield park, national historic site, national historical park, national memorial, or national military park. Here are the most-visited historical sites in the U.S.
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
WSB-TV via AP
This aerial image taken from video, show damage to the Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton, Ga., on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the monument, which some Christians regard as satanic, was damaged by an explosion before dawn.
WSB-TV via AP
This aerial image taken from video, show damage to the Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton, Ga., on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the monument, which some Christians regard as satanic, was damaged by an explosion before dawn.
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
Rose Scoggins
Law enforcement officials walk around the damaged Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton, Ga., on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the monument, which some Christians regard as satanic, was damaged by an explosion before dawn. (Rose Scoggins/The Elberton Star via AP)
Rose Scoggins
Law enforcement officials walk around the damaged Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton, Ga., on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the monument, which some Christians regard as satanic, was damaged by an explosion before dawn. (Rose Scoggins/The Elberton Star via AP)
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
TEL
This aerial image taken from video, show damage to the Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton, Ga., on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the monument, which some Christians regard as satanic, was damaged by an explosion before dawn. (WSB-TV via AP)
TEL
This aerial image taken from video, show damage to the Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton, Ga., on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the monument, which some Christians regard as satanic, was damaged by an explosion before dawn. (WSB-TV via AP)
Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing
Rose Scoggins
Police tape blocks off the damaged Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton, Ga., on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the monument, which some Christians regard as satanic, was damaged by an explosion before dawn. (Rose Scoggins/The Elberton Star via AP)
Rose Scoggins
Police tape blocks off the damaged Georgia Guidestones monument near Elberton, Ga., on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the monument, which some Christians regard as satanic, was damaged by an explosion before dawn. (Rose Scoggins/The Elberton Star via AP)
