Do You Want The Facts?
If You Do, You Are Probably A Conspiracy Theorist
Conspiracy theorists, those who look for the facts, ignoring the pressure of jeers, flawed appeals to authority, and intimidation, are the sanest among us. The steady migration of investigative journalists, who turn their backs on more lucrative employment, is only one indication of this.
In a recent article, Scientific Study Reveals Conspiracy Theorists The Most Sane Of All, the author, J. D. Hayes, cites a recent study, published July 2013, by psychologists Michael J. Wood and Karen M. Douglas of the University of Kent in the UK. It was entitled “‘What about Building 7?’ A Social Psychological Study of Online Discussion of 9/11 Conspiracy Theories.”
Their conclusion is that, contrary to those mainstream media stereotypes, “conspiracy theorists” appear to be more sane than people who accept official versions of controversial and contested events.
Attempts to demonize our perception on conspiracy theorists erects barriers to protect those whose profits are endangered by the truth.
These techniques for manufacturing opinion were outlined by Edward Bernays, whose book, “Propaganda,” asserts those who rule should use the trust accorded them in exactly this way.
Interestingly, Leo Strauss, whose political philosophy is in alignment with Bernays,asserted the same opinion. Strauss’ work was largely adopted by those who call themselves NeoConservatives who are anything but Conservative.
The opinion shared was that those in power are justified to lie, cheat and steal to keep and increase their power. The Kochs use these techniques in business and politically.
The use of the term, “Conspiracy Theory” increased rapidly in the wake of the JFK assassination due to its pejorative use in the MSM. This worked to stifle questions already being raised.
The issue which underlies the article by William Saletan, Conspiracy Theorists Aren’t Really Skeptics attempts to validate intellectual bullying, a logical extension of the philosophies of Bernays and Strauss. You don’t get more MSM than the Washington Post.
In the original formulation of American society those in positions of authority were morally and ethically obligated to explain themselves. The facts were to be available to all. Journalists investigated and reported the truth, as they saw it. This changed.
Saletan raised the issue of human psychology but failed to mention a perplexing issue which has long troubled us. This is the presence of those without conscience. For most of the 20th Century therapists believed these individuals could change, the problem was psychological. Today we know this is a neurological issue.
Advances in neurobiology have brought objective understanding. Now, thousands of criminals have been identified as psychopaths using an fMRI. The scan identified malfunctions in areas of the amygdala, which is now known to be associated with conscience, empathy, and compassion.
According to Dr. Robert Hare, serial murderers and con-men are always psychopaths. But Hare has also noted many who are also psychopathic are not violent and well able to control their impulses to gain far more expansive goals.
These individuals are highly intelligent. At any time there are 20,000 psychopaths with I.Q.s over 180 at large in the United States.
It would be instructive to see test results from MRI scans done on Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and their cadre.
The cost of psychopathy has been calculated at around 360 billion a year – in the US. This does not include the highly intelligent ones which, clearly cost far more, given the impact of Cheney and company on America. Could the people who so desperately wanted torture as a tool be emotionally normal?
Today, experts believe the explanation for the financial meltdown now ongoing can be explained by the concentration of psychopathic individuals in corporations, finance and government.
The characteristics of the condition include calloused unconcern for others. This accounts for the oil companies which routinely externalize their costs, leaving those harmed by the toxic waste they cause, to struggle and die.
Those without conscience, willing to lie for their own profit, have long been with us. But today they can avoid the troublesome issue of having their actions known and understood. They have learned to spin.
To ensure this continues they must continue manufacturing public opinion about their previous actions. This is why they began using the term, “Conspiracy Theory.” They work vigorously to ensure the facts remain hidden.
Refusing to accept the officially mandated opinion on any subject, be in the JFK assassination or whether or not to give your child pharmaceuticals as treatment for ADHD has been used to categorize individuals who refuse to accept predigested conclusions as crazy, stupid or paranoid. When this happens, rest assured, some corporation’s profits could be impacted.
This is a form of control intended to intimidate and inject fear. It also marginalizes vast numbers of people, keeping them in fear so they can be controlled.
To that end they, I call them Greedvilleins, also use our love of each other, country, loyalty, and trust, to manipulate us into wars which profit them and place us in perpetual debt.
If you limit what is acceptable to hold as opinions and deny people full access to the facts you destroy the trust basis of our society. Emotionally normal people are not comfortable when they cannot trust those around them.
These are rational responses to existing conditions.
What is insane is trusting psychopaths. Yet these are now common in finance and government. You can be sure they will routinely act with a sublime lack of conscience, for your freedom, your assets and your very life.
To cope with these conditions many still refuse to think about it, thus avoiding extreme anxiety. Others, for instance those who look for the facts, and are demeaned as “conspiracy theorists.”
The presence of highly intelligent psychopaths among us, who generally avoid being prosecuted, is one of these explanations.
Saladan’s article passes today as investigative journalism. It pays well and explains why so many truly honest journalists left to work in the alternative media.
Denmark Suspends Fracking
Use Of Unauthorized, Dangerous Chemicals Occurs
Denmark has suspended exploratory drilling for shale gas after it discovered that the French gas-giant Total, in charge of the project, had used “unauthorized” chemicals.
A defoamer that is considered hazardous to the environment, Null Foam, was used as part of fracking to extract shale gas
The chemical is not illegal, says a Total drilling project leader who indicated he thought it could be used; however, environmental committee chairman Brandt Sorensen of Frederikshavn Council said “We will simply not accept this kind of violation of our EIA (environmental impact assessment).
Hydraulic fracturing is a process of extracting shale gas by injecting a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure deep underground in order to release hydrocarbons from between layers of rock.
Drilling on the northern tip of Jutland had just started on Monday when the Danish Energy Agency stopped exploration the next day. The project had been initially approved despite loud protests from locals and environmentalists.
Patriot Act Conflicts Arising
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Portions of the Patriot Act are set to expire this month, which has political conspiracy agencies scrambling.
Advocacy groups from all sides of the political spectrum have joined forces to attempt to make changes to the expiring portions of the act instead of having it rubber-stamped to continue.
In question is the re-authorization of the portion that allows the government to spy on millions of innocent Americans, since these types of surveillance programs are deemed unconstitutional, they destroy global confidence of security, and they have been proven unnecessary for national security.
Opponents to the three provisions slated for expiration say that they invade people’s privacy, while intelligence officials say it is useful in tracking suspected terrorists and foreign spies.
Next week, the House will vote on the USA Freedom Act that could end the NSA’s bulk records collection program, but it is undetermined whether the Senate will consider it or provide a short-term extension to renew the law for a few weeks.
Affordable Care Act Bites The Big One!
The Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. ACA) was rammed through Congress like poop through a goose!
Many people think they like it. Many are liberals who think it’s the greatest deal in the world for poor people, so they can afford to buy health care.
I’m here to tell you that the Affordable Care Act STINKS!!!
Because:
— We were told the premiums would be significantly lower and they are NOT.
— We were NOT told that out-of-pocket expenses would increase dramatically.
— We were NOT told that yearly deductibles would escalate absurdly from where they were around $250 per year way up to a high of $15,000 per year, depending on what sort of coverage you want and what premium you want.
— We were NOT told about all the hidden costs we would have to pay for services and that we wouldn’t know about them until we are billed by doctors, hospitals, et. al.
The ACA is a terrible concept and it is failing Americans on most levels. Another big problem is that most people don’t know it.
We were told that health care companies must cover preexisting conditions; however, many people are finding that their preexisting conditions are either NOT covered or they must PAY MUCH MORE to have it covered.
I’ll give you one thing that is pro Obamacare…. If you want to pay a small premium for poor coverage, it is possible to get a slight deal.
Furthermore, health care providers are playing end-around games with patients and charging more for their goods and services, plus, the costs are rising every six months!
If Obama and Congress wanted to provide everyone with cheaper insurance they should have extended Medicare for all Americans.
People could have been charged the same amounts Medicare recipients are paying for the same Medicare benefits and affordable deductibles.
But, the health providers would throw a major fit.
They couldn’t charge high premiums and deductibles; they couldn’t charge elevated costs for medications; they would have to take in less profit under a Medicare for All program.
Medicare works well for most people on it; it is a proven system and they had it right in front of Obama’s nose!!!
Health care was much better BEFORE Obama sold our nation a bill of goods. It was cheaper and more affordable.
It’s all a fight to pull-in the mighty dollar!
Both President Obama and his Obamacare have been a HUGE disappointment. Interestingly, many people still don’t know it, but in time they will.
Peter Stern, Driftwood, Texas
National Debt Soars Over $18 Trillion
Our National Debt soared over $18 trillion and underscores the inept planning of Obama and his administration and that of previous administrations.
Are we going to manufacture more money to overcompensate the the lack of fiscal restraint? We are acting as poorly and absurdly as did the Adolf Hitler regime under Nazi Germany prior to WWII and the incredible over-inflation that plagued that nation and its resources.
We are following negative history more closely than we imagine. Look at the ongoing and escalating internal chaos spreading around the U.S. Internal unrest, high inflation, lack of good paying jobs, high numbers of illegal immigrants, power and control issues between federal, state, and local governments… it doesn’t look good, folks.
When is the Obama administration going to get serious about fiscal economics? When do both Elephants and Donkeys start working together to put our nation on the best path for healing and resolving so many urgent issues?
Congress has no credibility with the American people. It has a 14 percent approval rating. Do we have to smack each member of Congress over the head with a 2×4 to get their attention???
Peter Stern, Driftwood, Texas
Middle East: Best Soap-Opera Wannabe Ev-ah!
http://jpstillwater.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-middle-east-best-soap-opera-wannabe.html
Several people have asked me recently why I always seem to be writing about the Middle East. “Why don’t you ever write about anything else?”
Of course I write about other stuff — but the Middle East is so much more interesting and entertaining than anything else! The Middle East is definitely more interesting, entertaining and even weirder than any soap opera, reality show or action flick that Hollywood could ever produce. Fascinating stuff.
I’m always amazed that so few other Americans aren’t just totally fascinated by the Middle East too. Or even that there isn’t at least one daytime soap opera devoted solely to the subject — if for no other reason than that the Middle East has some of the greatest villains of all time!
Take America, for instance. Our very own Wall Street and War Street are currently starring as top-billing major actors in the Middle East, playing in prime-time roles — as the biggest villains in the script so far too. America practically invented ISIS, for goodness sakes! You can’t get more villainous than that. http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/03/mainstream-media-calls-supporting-al-qaeda-isis.html
Or can you?
According to journalist Daniel Lazare, “After years of hemming and hawing, the Obama administration has finally come clean about its goals in Syria. In the battle to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, it is siding with Al Qaeda.” War Street, you’ve been busted as the Bad Guy — and on national television too! http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41742.htm
Or take Saudi Arabia — another shining example of epic villain-a-lishious-ness at its best. That country has been playing the villain since way back in 1930 — when it invaded the Republic of Yemen for the first time after Yemen actually dared to become a democracy. Then the Saudi regime went on to help America create Osama bin Ladin, finance the Taliban, and dirty their hands with 9-11. And now the Saudi regime is financing and training ISIS. Doesn’t get more juicy than that. http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/04/27/saudi-security-forces-arrest-expel-over-174000-people-in-1-month/
No, wait, yes it does. The Saudi regime is now using American-supplied cluster bombs on Yemen. Juicy soap opera at its best, better even than TMZ — unless of course you are living in Yemen. http://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-led-coalition-accused-of-using-u-s-supplied-cluster-munitions-in-yemen-1430637102?tesla=y
And then there is Syria. What is going on there right now is even better than “One Life to Live”. How many Americans even know who Bashar Assad is? The poor guy has a couple of corrupt, sleazy relatives that the Saudi, American, Turkish, and Israeli regimes have spent the last four years trying to put into power. Why? Because power corrupts — so Assad’s relatives are already trained to be as corrupt as their sponsors. How “Dallas” can you get? https://consortiumnews.com/2015/04/27/syrias-nightmarish-narrative/
And of course Turkey is now in the mix too — just can’t keep its hands off of ISIS, the designated “fem fatale” in this reality show. But Turkey had better watch out. ISIS is a psychopath and Turkish citizens do not like President Erdoğan cheating on them and messing around with her instead. https://candobetter.net/node/4397
Or take Iraq — the ultimate reality show. Outwit, outlast and outplay. Plus all the principle soap opera characters are there in Iraq too. You got the lying bitch (mostly America), the BFF (mostly Britain and France), the scheming scoundrel who will stop at nothing to get rich (mostly Bibi Netanyahu) and the struggling anti-hero (mostly Syrians trying to chase ISIS out of Syria) trying to thwart the Bad Guys (mostly ISIS, but with ISIS’s secret suppliers Saudi Arabia, Israel, America and Turkey thrown in). http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/world/europe/fertilizer-also-suited-for-bombs-flows-to-isis-territory-from-turkey.html?_r=1
You just gotta love all that plotting, counter-plotting and backstabbing now taking place in the Middle East — such as when General Sisi in Egypt overthrew a democratically-elected government in order to be America’s date to the prom. Or when the Saudi Arabian regime, source of 9-11 and Osama bin Ladin, comes out smelling like a rose and being America’s BFF. Or not.
You want action and drama? No problem there either. The Middle East has it all! America, NATO, Britain, and France get together and bomb the crap out of Libya (for her own good), put Al Qaeda in charge of Libya for even more raping and pillaging fun (she asked for it) — but then deserts fair Libya in her darkest hour of need. And even though Libya is not technically actually in the Middle East, you can still just sit back and watch the fun.
And ditto for Afghanistan. Lots of action, drama, lies, and skullduggery there too — even though it also is not technically located in the Middle East.
And now apparently ISIS (that tramp!) is also off having a hot illicit affair with the American-sponsored neo-Nazi Ukraine regime, also not in the Middle East — but this new daytime drama may soon to be playing on European TV instead — as ISIS slips off to gay Paree after dumping her thug boyfriend in Kiev. http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-isil-is-in-ukraine-americas-agents-of-chaos-unleashed-in-eurasia/5446989
Plus who wouldn’t want to hear the exciting story about brave and heroic Palestinians fighting for their freedom — only to be called angry sluts by the American media. Or how the brave and heroic Yemenis, fighting for their freedom, get bombed back to the Stone Age by the despotic Saudis who still somehow manage to come out as the Good Guys — even after training and financing ISIS. How do they do that? How do they just keep getting away with that again and again? Will they ever get their comeuppance? Apparently not. But stay tuned.
And then there is the Israeli regime, staring as the “scheming patriarch” character, forcing America to do its dirty work so it can take over the Middle East. Bibi Netanyahu is like a Mafia don or the villain on “The Bold and the Beautiful” or “Dark Shadows” — always scheming behind the scenes. He’s like Angelique Bouchard or Sheila Carter. What’s not to love about him?
Why would anybody who loves soap operas and/or reality shows, action movies or even murder-mysteries and thrillers even think of ever not keeping up with events in the Middle East? Entertainment at its best!
Too bad, however, that more than a million lives have been lost so far in these productions — but, for Wall Street and War Street, that’s just one of the costs of being in show business.
Bill Offers Public Input On Building Codes
AUSTIN – Senator Don Huffines (R-Dallas) says that SB 1679 has passed in the Texas Senate. The bill requires that local governments thoughtfully consider changes to their building codes and provide opportunities for public input.
SB 1679 requires a municipality to perform a cost-benefit analysis prior to amending a building code, and requires two public hearings on building code amendments.
“Because of the potential for far-reaching economic impacts on business owners and homeowners, municipalities should think seriously and deliberately before they amend their building codes,” said Senator Huffines. “We also want to give business owners and residents of communities an opportunity to review potentially onerous, unnecessary, or costly regulations by political subdivisions. This gives local business and property owners an opportunity to fight back against burdensome economic regulations.”
Senator Don Huffines is a real estate developer serving his first term in the Texas Senate. He believes in limited government, personal responsibility, and that individuals have the God given right to pursue their own path, to succeed or fail. He represents Senate District 16, which serves a portion of Dallas County.
Public In Dark Over Pacific Trade Treaty
Although Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning has urged every United States Senator to read the current version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership prior to voting on granting President Barack Obama trade promotion authority on it, reports suggest that most Republican members have not yet read it and probably won’t prior to the vote.
Republican Senators wanting to fast track the Trans-Pacific Partnership are siding with President Obama without reading the details. According to opponents, Obama is ignorantly plunging ahead to expedite passage of a treaty that he calls “the most progressive trade deal” in history, even though “living agreement” language could doom the President’s intended fundamental transformation of America through this highly speculative treaty.
Unprecedented is the secrecy surrounding the TPP deal.
“If you want to hear the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the Obama administration is hoping to pass, you’ve got to be a member of Congress, and you’ve got to go to classified briefings and leave your staff and cellphone at the door,” Politico’s Edward-Isaac Dovere has reported. “If you’re a member who wants to read the text, you’ve got to go to a room in the basement of the Capitol Visitor Center and be handed it one section at a time, watched over as you read, and forced to hand over any notes you make before leaving. And no matter what, you can’t discuss the details of what you’ve read.”
The “living agreement” protocol allows participating nations to add countries to the TPP without Congress’ approval and would allow any terms of the agreement to be changed without congressional approval.
Conflicts with federal, state, and local laws could be impacted, allowing for sudden tariff changes, regulation alterations, and dispute tribunals falling outside the United States.
Although a few Presidential hopefuls, apparently without reading details of the proposed treaty, are for it (Cruz, Rubio, Bush, Perry, Clinton), a few are yet to commit (Graham, Paul, Carson, Christie, Walker).
Upsetting is the secrecy surrounding the document, the act of keeping its details out of the public domain.
Indeed we do have a secret government where faith in its competence supercedes truth.
— W. Leon Smith
