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Title: Ridicule of Conspiracy Theories Focuses On Diffusing Criticism of the Powerful
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URL Source: http://www.georgewashington2.blogsp ... nspiracy-theories-focuses.html
Published: Feb 12, 2010
Author: Washington's Blog
Post Date: 2010-02-12 06:41:06 by Ada
Keywords: None
Views: 1604
Comments: 112
The label "conspiracy theory" is commonly used to try to discredit criticism of the powerful in government or business. For example, just this week - after Tony Blair was confronted by the Iraq Inquiry with evidence that he had used lies to sell the Iraq war - Blair dismissed the entire Iraq Inquiry as simply being part of Britain's "obsession with conspiracy theories". (Not only did Blair know that Saddam possessed no WMDs, but the French this week accused Blair of using of ‘Soviet-style' propaganda in run-up to the Iraq war). Of course, the American government has been busted in the last couple of years in numerous conspiracies. For example, William K. Black - professor of economics and law, and the senior regulator during the S & L crisis - says that that the government's entire strategy now - as during the S&L crisis - is to cover up how bad things are ("the entire strategy is to keep people from getting the facts").Similarly , 7 out of the 8 giant, money center banks went bankrupt in the 1980's during the "Latin American Crisis", and the government's response was to cover up their insolvency. And the government spied on American citizens (even before 9/11 ... confirmed here and here), while saying "we don't spy". The government tortured prisoners in Iraq, but said "we don't torture". In other words, high-level government officials have conspired to cover up the truth. And Tom Brokaw notes: All wars on based on propaganda. A concerted effort to produce propaganda is a conspiracy. Acceptable Versus Unacceptable Conspiracy Theories Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme was a conspiracy. The heads of Enron were found guilty of conspiracy, as was the head of Adelphia. Numerous lower-level government officials have been found guilty of conspiracy. See this, this, this, this and this. Time Magazine's financial columnist Justin Fox writes: Some financial market conspiracies are real ... Most good investigative reporters are conspiracy theorists, by the way. Indeed, conspiracies are so common that judges are trained to look at conspiracy allegations as just another legal claim to be disproven or proven by the evidence. But - while people might admit that corporate executives and low-level government officials might have engaged in conspiracies - they may be strongly opposed to considering that the wealthiest or most powerful might possibly have done so. Indeed, those who most loudly attempt to ridicule and discredit conspiracy theories tend to focus on defending against criticism involving the powerful. This may be partly due to psychology: it is scary for people to admit that those who are supposed to be their "leaders" protecting them may in fact be human beings with complicated motives who may not always have their best interests in mind. And see this. For example, Obama's current head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs - and a favored pick for the Supreme Court (Cass Sunstein) - previously: Defined a conspiracy theory as "an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who have also managed to conceal their role." He has called for the use of state power to crush conspiracy allegations of state wrongdoing. See this, this and this. Similarly: Michael Kelly, a Washington Post journalist and neoconservative critic of anti-war movements on both the left and right, coined the term "fusion paranoia" to refer to a political convergence of left-wing and right-wing activists around anti-war issues and civil liberties, which he claimed were motivated by a shared belief in conspiracism or anti-government views. In other words, prominent neocon writer Kelly believes that everyone who is not a booster for government power and war is a crazy conspiracy theorist. Similarly, psychologists who serve the government eagerly label anyone "taking a cynical stance toward politics, mistrusting authority, endorsing democratic practices, ... and displaying an inquisitive, imaginative outlook" as crazy conspiracy theorists. This is not really new. In Stalinist Russia, anyone who criticized the government was labeled crazy, and many were sent to insane asylums. Using the Power of the State to Crush Criticism of the Government The bottom line is that the power of the state is used to crush criticism of major government policies and actions (or failures to act) and high-level government officials. Pay attention, and you'll notice that criticism of "conspiracy theories" is usually aimed at attempting to protect the state and key government players. The power of the state is seldom used to crush conspiracy theories regarding people who are not powerful . . . at least to the extent that they are not important to the government.
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#72. To: Mister Clean (#70)
are you going to post transcripts of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's confessions, as he was being waterboarded for the 183rd time?
Portland, Maine And this is all you have. All that you can reasonably be expected to come up with at a moment's notice, I'll grant you that. But you won't find much more. We want to see hijackers in the airports that the fated flights took off from. Here is Atta, LATE because the Portland flight is late, on his way to his historic mission. A mission that was years in the planning. He should be Johnny-on-the-spot as purported ringleader of this operation, and here he is lollygagging around Portland. And what is his car doing at Logan? We would like some reasonable explanation of these facts almost ten years on. And lots of us would like to see these guys getting on a plane at the gate or at least walking through the airports of origin on video which it seems is too classified to date for us to even get a still of.
So MC what time is in in your video?? 5:45 or 5:53?? Or maybe both?
"Satan / Cheney in "08" you dont seem to be willing to admit the beauty of this operation: everybody does what they're told to do, even if it violates the constitution and basic human decency, because the neocon octopus is so powerful. "you need a patsy for 9/11, mr rumsfeld, mr cheney, mr perle, mr zakheim...?" "no problem, sir, we'll have a confession in a couple minutes... please wear your raincoat and galoshes, sir."
Perhaps you can provide me a list of sites that are approved by you.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" That's not what you want. You want to cling to your conspiracy theory because it allows you to wallow in a self righteous "I know the TRUTH" attitude. 9/11 "truth" is the vehicle by which you feel superior to others.
9/11 "truth" is the vehicle by which you feel superior to others. With that, as far as I am concerned, your credibility is shot.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" 5:45 or 5:53?? Or maybe both? The only reasonable explanation for these two different time stamps is that two different time lapse vcrs were looped together, each recording the video simultaneously, with each having their time and date generator set to different times. The "24h" on each time stamp was generated by a VCR recording in the 24hr mode, meaning 24 hours of video condensed onto a 2 hour tape. The video passed through one vcr which added its time stamp, then fed the other vcr which added its time stamp and recorded both time stamps.
Time stamp's not the issue here. with respect.
I'm not surprised that you can't see the juvenile level of self righteousness that every "truther" proudly displays.
nope. the problem is: nobody knows the truth except the perps and their accomplices. the most likely suspects are people who had the most motive, means, opportunity, character and prior convictions. those people also had the most motive, means, opportunity, character and prior convictions to destroy evidence, manipulate the investigation, and propagandize the public into acceptance of the official theory... ...not to mention the fact that they also had the motive, means, opportunity, and character to terrorize potential troublemakers into compliance by mailing them anthrax letters.
In the past, some folks have concluded that the two different times are proof that the video was doctored. Having worked in the CCTV field for 25 years, I am fairly certain that it was just a case of redundant VCRs. Tom questioned the two times. I was just inserting my 2 cents. With respect. :)
With that, as far as I am concerned, your credibility is shot. Fer the record, this is where the ad hominem slinging began on this thread. Forget "truth." Just give me some facts. I don't feel or want to feel superior to anyone. I just want some facts so that I won't feel that my gevernment is making a fool of me. Let's see if we can keep this civil.
Copy. Gotcha. ; )
The hijackers moves have been documented from the time Atta was in Hamburg, Germany. There is ample evidence of their movements in the US leading up to 9/11 including where they lived, the flight training they took and money transfers they received. One of the hijackers even bought the plane tickets using his Visa card. I don't believe you want any facts which is why you cling to a conspiracy theory. There is nothing that will satisfy you. You WANT to believe in 9/11 "truth."
aha... so you must be saying that these hijackers, who were completely superfluous to the operation, were patsies, that the israelis and israeli americans knew about the operation ahead of time, and allowed the hijackers to pull it off because, as the neocons noted in september of 2000, they needed a new pearl harbor to get their PNAC land and oil acquisition project off the ground. i can see that, but it seems more likely that the ringleaders could have picked their patsies, staged the operation, and then immediately obliterate every shred of common sense with a nonstop media blitz that assigned blame on the patsies, as the neocons cleaned up any rough spots in the execution of the operation. later, they could torture confessions out of other patsies who would substaniate the official conspiracy theory and provide cannon fodder for the neocons' show trials. so far it's worked, but it's too bad that so many people are skeptical... and it looks like, sooner or later, the government is gonna have to enforce the official conspiracy theory at gunpoint. but that's okay, too... there's nothing like shooting a few million people to get morale back up where it belongs. just ask the russians and chinese.
Everything you say is true. I was waiting for the inevitable "There is nothing that will satisfy you." I've told you what will satisfy me. I want someone to put these guys on these planes. Having followed these arguments for years, I haven't seen anyone do that. And I'd advise you to stay away from arguments relating to the training of these guys because our fingerprints are all over that.
It's inevitable because it's true. Nothing will satisfy a 9/11 "truther."
I'm still waiting. Put these guys on the planes.
Turtle, is that you???
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files Alex Jones is the Robert Tilton of the conspiracy world. ~Mister Clean Live free or No, I think he is Jeff Gannon: That's rich. If it's Turtle, his truck's not firing on all cylinders this morning.
He posted the same kinds of topics and responses. As much as I disagree, at least they don't get into name calling like some do. IMO it's possible that they are one and the same. Just going back and reading pings to and from each other, they have similar styles. One could have been a sock puppet that took on a life of its own. It's all very conspiratorial... Or maybe they are not the same. If it is, I don't expect an admission, just denials of a conspiracy, like on 9/11 ;)
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files Alex Jones is the Robert Tilton of the conspiracy world. ~Mister Clean Live free or It's inevitable because it's true. Nothing will satisfy a 9/11 "truther." and all it takes are a few words from baalzabush to satisfy a bushbot liar.
What would it take to convince you? Video of them entering the plane and taking their seats?
Nope.
and while they are at it, they might as well release the videotapes of the plotters boarding the plane at Logan.
How do you know such a video even exists?
How do you know such a video even exists? that's right! MC's handlers could have already destroyed all of the tapes in question.
Footage was released of the hijackers going through passenger screening but the inside job guys just had to destroy footage of them boarding the planes. Uh, yeah.
Exactly "Uh, yeah." That's the stuff you can't hunt down because it's no longer there or under wraps, or you would stick it under our noses here, and rightly so. Believe it or not, I hate casting aspersions on our government. I hate to feel that it is lying to me or holding important stuff back that really deserves open scrutiny. But the FBI has simply confiscated to much stuff. They scooped up all the videos from the airports and from the hotels surrounding the Pentagon. It's almost ten years on. You can't tell me it's "national security." Without offering any particular "conspiracy theories," I just wanna ask, "What's the big secret?" Can you understand my skepticism?
Can you understand my skepticism? Your skepticism doesn't make any sense if it hinges completely on the lack of video of the hijackers entering the planes. You ignore everything else and cling to this one thing. I guess you don't believe that flight attendants called their airlines during the flight and reported the seats the hijackers were sitting in.
how many impossible cell phones were used to fabricate the official conspiracy theory?
I don't cling to anything. There are tons of things that are wrong with the government story. Many issues that get discussed get quite technical and folks go round and round on the minutia. But it seems clear to me that if eleven guys are boarding aircraft in major international airports there's going to be video. We've all been to big airports and we've seen how many security cameras there are, and were even in the days preceding the event. Where's the beef?
But one of the biggest sacrifices - especially in today's fast-paced environment - of not being able to use your cell phone, is quickly becoming history thanks to an Israeli-developed system which enables in-flight cell phone use. American-based pioneer and world leader in CDMA technology, Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) and its subsidiary Qualcomm Israel teamed with American Airlines last summer to demonstrate satellite-based air-to-ground cellular service. And after two years of development by Qualcomm Israel, American and Qualcomm officials circled the West Texas skies this past summer making calls from their cell phones in a flight authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communications Commission to test the technology's safety and transmission quality. *shrug*
I don't cling to anything. There are tons of things that are wrong with the government story. Many issues that get discussed get quite technical and folks go round and round on the minutia. There are plenty of things wrong with the numerous conspiracy theories. For example, some say the planes were holograms while others say the planes were remote controlled. Of couse, there is zero evidence to support either claim. But it seems clear to me that if eleven guys are boarding aircraft in major international airports there's going to be video. We've all been to big airports and we've seen how many security cameras there are, and were even in the days preceding the event. Where's the beef? See, you are clinging to this one thing and ignoring everything else. If they weren't on the planes, how did the planes crash into the Twin Towers?
anybody with any sense will wonder how many ridiculous theories were planted by israeli american disinformation operations in an attempt to discredit people who question the official conspiracy theory... ...especially after watching performances such as yours, here, today.
it's almost as if you've never heard of rabbi dov zakheim, his position at the pentagon, and his prior job at a company that makes remote controls for aircraft. it's almost as if you've never heard of GPS-coupled approaches, which are accurate to a couple feet after civilians were allowed to use the military- quality signals beginning on May 1, 2000 then there's ILS, ADF, inertial guidance systems... and all these things eliminate the need for arab hijackers to overpower the flight crew, take control of the airliner, and perform manuevers that would be hard for a professional airline pilot to perform... ...not to mention the fact that your arab patsy pilots were apparently inept pilots. but nevermind all that: you're an empire now, and you create your own reality.
That has to be one of the utterly damning statements that came from the mouths of the Bushies over the last eight years.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" VIDEO SURVEILLANCE TAPES DISAPPEARED? Why haven't we seen the routine video surveillance tapes of ANY of the passengers alleged to have boarded the ill-fated 9/11 flights at Boston's Logan, Newark's Liberty and Washington's Dulles international airports? Author: Stephen M. St. John Source: Verizon.net NEW YORK, 6 NOVEMBER 2005 -- Those who have bothered to read the 9/11 skeptics know about the extraordinary "coincidences" that took place that fateful morning. One of them happens to be the lack of routine video surveillance tapes of ANY of the passengers alleged to have boarded the ill-fated flights at Boston's Logan, Newark's Liberty and Washington's Dulles international airports. The 9/11 Commission simply ignored this issue even though it can be fairly said that not only did the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington originate at these airport gates, but so did the resulting invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. Why haven't we seen these video tapes? Why has the Fourth Estate failed to ask, Why haven't we seen these video tapes? Why the conspiracy of silence? Well, the answer may very well lie in Holland. You see, security at some if not all of these airport gates of 9/11 was in the hands of an American minimum-wage subsidiary of a Dutch corporation called ICTS-International. What is most remarkable about this arrangement is that the Dutch corporation ICTS- International was, as of 9/11, Dutch in name only. An early 2003 check of its web-site showed a Board of Directors consisting entirely of nationals of the Zionist state with the single exception of the Comptroller, who apparently was the nominal Dutchman. And if I need to clue in the clueless, the Zionists were hellbent on finding a reason for the USA to invade Iraq. And it would be fair to say that these Zionists of ICTS-International were the gatekeepers of 9/11 and all that followed, such as the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Interesting, eh? But the story gets even wilder. Not long after 9/11, the chairman of ICTS, Ezra Harel, whose surname is famous in the annals of the Mossad, died suddenly of a heart attack in his early 50s on his yacht off the coast of Palestine. Talk about not being available for comment! But that's not the kicker. Hours before the House version of the first Patriot Act went to a vote, "technical corrections" were inserted into the body of the legislation whereby foreign security companies such as ICTS-International would be immune from lawsuits related to the events of 9/11. Talk about not being available for deposition! This "Patriot" act legislative sleight of hand occurred before the inception of the 9/11 Commission when Fearless Leader George W. Bush was still resisting the very IDEA of an investigation into 9/11. Hence, in the face of an institutional cover-up, citizens were denied the possibility of a discovery process which is normally afforded to litigants. Without such discovery process, ICTS-International would never be compelled by a court of law to give testimony and show evidence related to the missing airport video surveillance tapes of 9/11 or any other aspect of security measures in place on 9/11. The legal situation has since changed and ICTS-International is now a co- defendant in a lawsuit in Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York. (see www.sept11tortlitigation.com) More about this will follow. And so, we are supposed to believe that even as multiple NORAD drills were underway, video surveillance tapes from multiple cameras at multiple locations in three different "Category X" high security international airports just happened to fail to capture images of ANY of the passengers - the good, the bad and the ugly - about to board the ill-fated flights of 9/11! As many 9/11 skeptics already know, what I have just described here is just one aspect of the BIG LIE about 9/11. Some of the answers to our national security problem will be found in Holland. That is for sure! But there are those who will insist that they have seen on television video surveillance tapes of the hijackers of 9/11 and are satisfied with the official explanation of what happened on that fateful day. However, these people are confused by the tape repeatedly shown on TV of two of the alleged hijackers (Mohammad Atta being one of them) passing through a security checkpoint at Portland Maine International Airport to take a connecting flight to Boston on the morning of 11 September 2001. This Portland tape has no timestamp, which makes it suspect. Also, even IF the tape were genuine, it does not place either of the two young Arabs at Logan International Airport. Nearly all Americans were lulled into believing that the Portland, Maine tape was sufficient proof when it was not. People were mesmerized by the repeated showing of this tape on TV and in their emotional state did not realize exactly what they were looking at and what they weren't looking at. Also, yet another tape was shown in the 24 hour interval leading to the official release of the 9/11 Commission Report; however, this tape, released to the news media by the South Carolina law firm Motley Rice LLC, was almost immediately withdrawn because it quickly became apparent that it was bogus. This Motley Rice surveillance tape purportedly showed two young Arabs boarding flight 77 at Dulles International Airport on the morning of 9/11. But again, just like the Portland Maine tape, there is no timestamp, which makes it suspect. Beyond that, as pointed out by the late, great Internet researcher/writer Joe Vialls, who some believe is really Ari Ben-Menashe (see www.judicial-inc.biz), the shadows appearing just outside the terminal door are those you would expect to see at midday rather than in the early morning. Moreover, the surveillance camera is no ordinary surveillance camera; for the tape reveals a panning camera focused on the two young Arabs and then zooming in on them and then moving left as they move left instead of following the pretty blonde lady who was going to the right. Clearly, some person unknown at some time unknown was filming these young Arab men for a specific but unknown reason. This Motley Rice film was never shown again because of the critical eyes of researchers, many of whom preserved copies of the mysterious tape in their computers. In consideration of the foregoing, one must conclude that no tape has EVER been shown that reveals ANY of the passengers boarding the 9/11 flights out of Boston's Logan, Newark's Liberty and Washington's Dulles international airports. One must also ask, if the 9/11 surveillance tapes at these airports do in fact exist, why haven't we seen them? And if they do not even exist, how can this be explained?
MC explains it all away by believing everything baalzabush put forward as the official conspiracy theory for him and the rest of the 'bots facts and truth mean nothing if they go against what whorge said.
#73. To: Mister Clean (#67)
#74. To: Mister Clean (#67)
#75. To: Mister Clean (#71)
(Edited)
#76. To: Mister Clean (#71)
That site is as credible as prison planet.
#77. To: randge (#73)
We would like some reasonable explanation of these facts almost ten years on.
#78. To: Mister Clean (#77)
hat's not what you want. You want to cling to your conspiracy theory because it allows you to wallow in a self righteous "I know the TRUTH" attitude.
#79. To: tom007, Mister Clean (#74)
So MC what time is in in your video??
The only real restraint on gummints is people who say "live free or die" ... and mean it. - Enderby
#80. To: Critter (#79)
#81. To: tom007 (#78)
With that, as far as I am concerned, your credibility is shot.
#82. To: Mister Clean (#77)
(Edited)
You want to cling to your conspiracy theory because it allows you to wallow in a self righteous "I know the TRUTH" attitude.
#83. To: randge (#80)
The only real restraint on gummints is people who say "live free or die" ... and mean it. - Enderby
#84. To: Mister Clean (#81)
(T)hat's not what you want. You want to cling to your conspiracy theory because it allows you to wallow in a self righteous "I know the TRUTH" attitude. 9/11 "truth" is the vehicle by which you feel superior to others.
#85. To: Critter (#83)
Tom questioned the two times. I was just inserting my 2 cents. With respect. :)
#86. To: randge (#84)
Just give me some facts.
#87. To: Mister Clean (#86)
(Edited)
#88. To: Mister Clean (#86)
#89. To: randge (#88)
I was waiting for the inevitable "There is nothing that will satisfy you."
#90. To: Mister Clean (#89)
#91. To: Mister Clean (#89)
die kill ~~ Me
#92. To: PSUSA (#91)
Turtle, is that you???
The only real restraint on gummints is people who say "live free or die" ... and mean it. - Enderby
#93. To: PSUSA (#91)
(Edited)
Turtle, is that you???
#94. To: randge (#93)
die kill ~~ Me
#95. To: randge (#89)
(Edited)
I was waiting for the inevitable "There is nothing that will satisfy you."
computer counted ballots are ballots that have been counted in secret, and with all probability not the way one voted.
#96. To: randge (#90)
Put these guys on the planes.
#97. To: PSUSA (#91)
Turtle, is that you???
#98. To: tom007 (#63)
It would be easy for the FBI to release the security videos they took from the gas station across the road the evidently had a good view of exactly what happened.
#99. To: Ada (#98)
and while they are at it, they might as well release the videotapes of the plotters boarding the plane at Logan.
#100. To: Ada (#99)
and while they are at it, they might as well release the videotapes of the plotters boarding the plane at Logan.
computer counted ballots are ballots that have been counted in secret, and with all probability not the way one voted.
#101. To: IRTorqued (#100)
MC's handlers could have already destroyed all of the tapes in question.
#102. To: Mister Clean (#101)
Uh, yeah.
#103. To: randge (#102)
Without offering any particular "conspiracy theories," I just wanna ask, "What's the big secret?"
#104. To: Mister Clean (#103)
#105. To: Mister Clean (#103)
#106. To: Mister Clean (#103)
Israeli-developed airplane cell phone technology takes flight December 05, 2004
#107. To: randge (#105)
#108. To: Mister Clean (#107)
There are plenty of things wrong with the numerous conspiracy theories. For example, some say the planes were holograms while others say the planes were remote controlled. Of couse, there is zero evidence to support either claim.
#109. To: Mister Clean (#107)
(Edited)
did the planes crash into the Twin Towers?
#110. To: groundresonance (#109)
you're an empire now, and you create your own reality. That has to be one of the utterly damning
#111. To: IRTorqued (#100)
How do you know such a video even exists?
#112. To: Ada (#111)
One must also ask, if the 9/11 surveillance tapes at these airports do in fact exist, why haven't we seen them? And if they do not even exist, how can this be explained?
computer counted ballots are ballots that have been counted in secret, and with all probability not the way one voted.
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