CONSPIRACY THEORIES: how politicians keep you from asking questions

[Q]

Right after 9-11, GWB 'warned' the nation not to take seriously the 'conspiracy theories' floating around suggesting that his White House knew that a terrorist event was about to happen or were at the very least negligent in stopping it. The message: even thinking about anything other than the official story was crazy and un-American. In other words: negligence and complicity were lumped together and one would be insane to consider either scenario.

Well...no one wants to be thought of as crazy or unpatriotic...so most Americans dropped the subject altogether. Except for a few determined activists that wanted answers to the many unanswered questions...Americans settled back into their routine and were happy to believe that a group of mostly Saudi Arabians were able to hijack commercial airliners and fly them into buildings close to the nation's capital without nary a response from the most powerful military in the world. They were willing to believe in coincidence theories but not conspiracy theories...even after Bush* and Cheney warned the Democratic leadership about opening an investigation that put their White House under scrutiny.

But the rumors and conspiracy theories continued because the official story seemed to contradict reality. Politicians had learned from the Warren Commission that the best way to make something go away was to create a 'bipartisan commission' that would 'investigate every detail' and write a long report which few would actually read. It didn't seem to bother many Americans that the very White House that didn't want an investigation in the first place demanded the right to handpick the commission members and set the parameters of the inquiry. That the White House also demanded that they be kept outside the scope of the investigation didn't draw too much attention.

The families of the victims of 9-11...still looking for answers...were informed in no uncertain terms that their questions were 'hurting America' and that if they continued they would be considered conspiracy theory nut cases. They were silenced like everyone else who in good conscience couldn't accept the official story line about the next 'Pearl Harbor' that would be used to start a war.

The fog of war would soon replace any further questions about an event that would later be used as a rationale for war. Troops amassed on the Iraqi border and Rice spoke of 'mushroom clouds' and September 11, 2001 and the failure of the Bush administration to protect America was all but forgotten. The media had transformed Bush into a 'war president' and somehow they made him seem larger than life as he was celebrated as a strong leader and hero of 9-11.

So the moral of the story is this: Politicians can be guilty of gross negligence or worse and allow an event like 9-11 to happen and then use fear and terror to take control of the US government, military and free press, wage aggressive war against nations that pose no threat and shove a fascist agenda down America's throat. And if you object to any of this you'll be discounted as a radical conspiracy theorist who hates America and Freedom.

[Florida_Geek]

1. Bush Voters " We are safer under Bush"

I have heard that a lot for the reason people voted for Bush.

bin Laden and others want us out of Iraq, and he will attack us again. No matter how many times Kerry talked about Bush not going after bin Laden and turning on Iraq, the sheep just smile and say, well he has not attacked us so Bush is doing the right thing.

And when bin Laden attacks us, the Bush Sheep will blame Clinton for not getting bin Laden when he had the chance. They will forget all that Bush did not do to get bin Laden

[Demit]

2. Good job! Your post could be an entry in a history book 30 years from now.

That is, if it all turns out okay and we get our country back.

[LynnTheDem]

3. "I did not think that the common people are very thankful for leaders who

bring them war and destruction."

-"Why, of course, the people don't want war," Goering shrugged. "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

"There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."

-"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

-Gustave Gilbert, a German-speaking intelligence officer and psychologist, interviewing Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

[Acryliccalico]

4. That is so true

Let them call me crazy or pacifist or having a lack of patriotism. We should make sure that all of this is printed some day. Lets all write books about it then in the future HOW CAN IT BE DENIED?

[OneBlueSky]

5. is it still a "conspiracy theory" when . . .

there's actually a conspiracy present? . . . inquiring minds want to know . . .

[0007]

6. .....and these men are our leaders!

Statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception. Mark Twain

[shance]

7. People with *galileo complex* or those just willfully blocking information

from being discussed often remind me of five year olds that are trying to get their folks attention and will throw a temper tantrum and/or cry and scream when those around them are talking about something they don't want to be discussed.

As we get older however, the methods to block healthy discussion, and/or to stifle peoples free speech rights become more disguised.

Seems to me that truth blockers either consciously or unconsciously don't want to know the truth, and are essentially afraid and fearful but don't have the courage to just express that,

and/or they are deliberately trying to block information from being revealed and understood.

[shance]

8. This also could how media discourages us from asking questions.

And advertising***

Because of advertising and the constant barrage of media images bombarding us everyday, we have been overly conditioned to value conformity and "fitting in", by looking the same through fashion, talking the same through various sayings/language/slang verbage/ and similar interests and hobbies so as to be like everyone else, to such a level that most of us have no idea what we even really like or who we even are.

Because of our consumer driven society we have been conditioned since childhood to try to become something other than what we are, and always try and reach some physical/spiritual ideal that most often has little basis in reality. As a result, I think it has created a pretty self-conscious culture who has become stuck in our own simplistic ideals that require minimal brain usage and discourage healthy, stimulating discussions. I think its largely due to our unprincipled and rigid conformist/corporate culture that we have lost alot of our necessary spontaneity, creativity and appreciation for differences that keep us growing and even keep us feeling happier about life.

What does that have to do with conspiracy theories?

I think it has more to do with a reversal in intellectual/creative progress because of years of an increased value and desire for profit over principles, immediate gratification and conditional capitalism (socialism for the wealthy and survival of the fittest for the less fortunate)and not to mention, a dishonest mainstream media.

[Q]

9. I remember after 9-11...

...on this board. Conspiracy theories were flying around. But some wouldn't have it. They didn't want to discuss 'theories' about 9-11 in any form. Especially related to Bush* involvement. No one wanted to believe that the Bushies had anything to do with it...although they couldn't explain why the terrorists had such an easy time in attacking America.

So nearly everyone fell into line. Conspiracy theories were unwelcome and those attempting to talk about it were shunned and ridiculed on this and other boards. No one wanted to hear about it. The inconsistencies. The exaggerations. The lies. The unanswered questions that few wanted to be answered.