By Tim Binnall
The controversial Georgia Guidestones monument was rocked by a mysterious blast that reduced one of its sizeable stone slabs to rubble and left remaining portions of the piece badly damaged. The shocking incident reportedly first came to light when residents living near the site in the city of Elberton reported a worrisome rumble which swept across the area early this morning. At daybreak, it soon became apparent that the commotion had emanated from the location of the Georgia Guidestones and authorities quickly descended upon the scene to discover that the monument had been the target of a rather powerful attack.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, their preliminary assessment of the situation suggests that "unknown individuals detonated an explosive device at around 4:00 AM on Wednesday." While the full extent of the damage is difficult to determine at this time, since police have cordoned off the site as they investigate the incident, pictures from people who live near the location as well as helicopter footage from a local TV station (seen above) show an enormous pile of rubble where one of the monument's five 19-foot-tall stone slabs had once stood. There are also early indications that another pillar may have been badly damaged and the stability of the entire structure could be threatened due to the blast.
The Georgia Guidestones have been a source of considerable speculation among conspiracy theorists since they were first unveiled in Elberton back in 1980. Created by an anonymous individual, the elaborate monument consists of four stone slabs which feature ten 'guiding principles' written in eight different languages and ostensibly aimed at steering humanity towards a better future. While some of these tenets, such as "protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts," appear to be fairly benign, there are other 'guidelines' which have caused some consternation, including a call to keep humanity's population "under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature."
As one might imagine, that particular 'suggestion' has fueled rumors that the Guidestones are the work of nefarious forces associated with the proverbial New World Order and that they wish to enact some kind of population control by any means necessary. The possibly nefarious nature of the moment was in the news earlier this year when Georgia gubernatorial candidate Kandiss Taylor pledged to have the piece, which she called Satanic, destroyed if she were elected. While her campaign came to an end when she finished third in the GOP primary back in May, her call to action may have inspired the misguided individuals who targeted the monument on Wednesday morning.
Given that the explosion occurred less than 24 hours ago, the investigation into the case is understandably still in its nascent stage as authorities gather evidence pertaining to the circumstances surrounding the blast. Since the site had been targeted by vandals in the past, one assumes that there should be some kind of security system which ought to have caught a glimpse of the perpetrators. Beyond the question of who was behind the blast, one is also left to wonder what will become of the monument itself, since ownership of the Guidestones was transferred to Elbert County decades ago and rebuilding the destroyed slab will likely come at a considerable cost.