The Conspiracy’s Illustrious Connection to History:

Someone asked whether our coblogger Stuart Minor Benjamin, who is also a Jew from Louisiana, was related to Judah P. Benjamin. He reports:

I’m related to Judah P. Benjamin, but not lineally (he would be a cousin several generations removed). So he’s not an ancestor, but is a relative. But here’s the fun part: I’m related to him on my mother’s side of the family. That is, our shared last names are a complete coincidence.

Cool.