Guest Post by Hardscrabble Farmer
“In many nations, rational people end up believing crazy things, including (false) conspiracy theories. Those crazy thoughts can lead to violence, including terrorism. Many terrorist acts have been fueled by false conspiracy theories, and there is a good argument that some such acts would not have occurred in the absence of such theories. The key point—and, in a way, the most puzzling and disturbing one—is that the crazy thoughts are often held by people who are not crazy at all.”
Cass Sunstein- White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
If you don’t know who Cass Sunstein is, or what he does now would be a good time to do some research. Not only because of his position with the White House and the power that entails, but because he understands quite clearly what problems are posed by people who, in his own words are, “…neither ignorant, not ill-educated. On the contrary they can be spectacularly well informed…”
Conspiracy theories are, in short, the belief that others conspire in secret to commit criminal acts. They do, no secret there. In fact the majority of prisoners in Federal Penitentiaries are serving time not for a specific crime, but for conspiracy to commit a felony, more simply discussing their intentions with another person in secret. It must be difficult indeed to simultaneously prosecute large numbers of people for the very activity that you are assigned to debunk and then somehow explain to people that it’s dangerous to believe in them. Yes, yes, you can imagine them saying, other people do engage in conspiracies, but we never would and you’d have to be crazy to even consider it.
Point taken, Mr. Sunstein.
Prior to the advent of the Internet there were few places where people could openly engage in any discussion of the misgivings they had about certain events. Mailing lists, fringe publications, but no open forum for expressing doubt and discovering the fundamental and underlying reasons behind such thoughts. Mr. Sunstein has often argued that the reason most people believe in conspiracy theories is because it makes them feel safe, a notion that is as hard to believe as the one that says the government would never engage in a conspiracy. If anything, the dawning realization that those entrusted to care for and protect you are engaged in a pattern of behaviors that are not only dangerous, but wantonly destructive to the very values and beliefs we hold most dear. To believe in a conspiracy committed by a government that is powerful, that is actively spying on it’s own people without legal justification and that appears immune to the law is not reassuring or comforting, it is terrifying. It is also, based on what we actually know for a fact, common sense
Let’s begin by covering a few basics-
Operation Northwoods
In 1962 the Department of Defense acting in cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff submitted a paper detailing covert operation by either the CIA or other Government operatives to commit acts of terrorism against innocent American civilians, specifically to either hijack US commercial aircraft, shoot down commercial aircraft, attacks and kill US soldiers at Guantanamo or an attack on the Organization of American States with the intent of blaming the actions on Cuba in order to destabilize or overturn the government. These plans were signed and submitted by a host of top ranking US Military officials including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lyman Lemnitzer and submitted to the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara who would later play a large role in the US war in Viet Nam.
None of the people involved in the research, planning, drafting or submission of this authorized government conspiracy was ever charged with a crime or held accountable. In fact the chief defense has always been that it was rejected by then President John F Kennedy, rendering further discussion null and void. Think about it for a moment and decide for yourself what the implications of such a plan mean for people who are, in the words of Cass Sunstein, spectacularly well informed, i.e conspiracy theorists. The government of the United States of America, using top secret clearance and taxpayer dollars actively plotted to murder innocent Americans in acts of terror in order to instigate a war on false grounds. To know this, according to the leading expert on conspiracy theories, makes us feel safer.
Incontrovertible proof that the government does in fact engage in criminal conspiracies that target innocent civilians in order to promote government sanctioned programs or military actions while it’s criminal participants escape justice has now been established as a fact, not a theory. Why this important piece of American history is unknown to most people is not puzzling, it is because it has been deliberately pushed off to the side, dismissed as irrelevant or pointless because it didn’t happen. Conspiracy theories do not require action, however, only the conspiracy.
One of the greatest issues the Government has in dealing with the conspiracies currently circulating is the ease with which the Internet allows them to propagate. While the vast majority of Americans have never heard of the Gulf of Tonkin, quite a few have heard the term “9/11 was an inside job” or know that something is not quite right about Sandy Hook. The ubiquitous nature of cell phone cameras has given people the ability to see for themselves without having to look through the lens of the MSM and depend upon sanitized news coverage to inform them of the details of various events taking place around the troubled world. The time when the government was kept in check by the 5th estate has long ago ceased to restrain them. The news organizations have become a tool of the establishment rather than a check on their power. The only option left is for either whistle blowers to come forward or citizen journalists to investigate on their own time and dime.
The MSM
Proof TV Media 100% Fake – Fake/Green Screen Compliation …
The Illusion of the Mainstream Media (MSM). #BreakTheIllusion
The sheer number of poorly faked news stories gives rise to the legitimate question, how many fake stories were done well? Why would any news organization feel that it is necessary to use false coverage to report actual news? It makes no sense to falsify something in order to tell the truth, so something else must be in play. The participants and producers are clearly aware of what they are doing when they use props or green screens, and since they are doing it without informing the viewing public it wouldn’t be unfair to call it a conspiracy. The more often these events are uncovered the less trust anyone feels in the institutions and representatives that commit these frauds on an unsuspecting population. Whether it is for altruistic or evil ends is irrelevant, the duplicity is it’s own crime and since it is done in secret, involving multiple parties we are left with little room to consider it as anything other than a conspiracy. That isn’t a theory, it’s a fact.
We live in an era that seems to be on the cutting edge of human civilization due to the proliferation of technically sophisticated gadgetry, but in many ways were are as ignorant and intellectually shallow as we have ever been, pacified by our good fortune, stable diets and creature comforts, bereft of the intellectual curiosity that has been the hallmark of cultures at their zenith. Grand sounding memes have been the trademark of great cultures, from Pax Romana to Rule Britannia. They are utilized to galvanize a people or a nation and lead them to greater heights and achievements or they serve as an epitaph on the gravestones of Empires, like Blood and Soil or Liberte’, Egalite’, Fraternite’. Numerous cultures experience a tumultuous birth, a meteoric rise and blossoming and slowly and inexorably decline into decadence and degeneracy.
Those who sit at the top of an empire in decline often employ the same tactics that their predecessors have used throughout history in order to remain in power; suppression of dissent, violent retaliation against those who resist, open condemnation of those who are often the most stalwart supporters of the earlier forms of the same government and eventually the emptying of the treasury and plundering of resources while the masses suffer. The employ various techniques of coercion and dependency as well as draconian measures in security and intelligence. One of the hallmarks of a failing regime is the way they turn a blind eye to the flagrant criminality of those at the top while increasingly stifling even the mildest forms of dissent at the bottom. Employing men like Cass Sunstein to float the idea that conspiracy theories are the seedbed of violent terrorist cells is only the beginning.
Many people believe that the restriction on free speech, the rise of the PC movement, the talk of microaggressions and safe spaces are about protecting marginalized minorities when in fact they are nothing more than tools used to entrench the positions of power, to eliminate resistance to their aims and objectives and to silence, once and for all every voice that fails to sing in the chorus of the State. The reason men like Cass Sunstein are employed by the State is because the veil has begun to fall. When people begin to question the veracity of the government, the next step, logically, is to question the legitimacy of the institutions that keep it in power. It is not a safe or reassuring thing to believe that your government is capable of plotting to kill you or those you love for it’s own ends, it is frightening, and demoralizing. It is also the first step in reclaiming our sovereignty. Just as no rational person would want to remain in a relationship with someone who repeatedly lies and cheats, neither would they be expected to offer allegiance to a State that would do worse.
Few people live in the natural world, experiencing the outdoors daily through all weather, dealing with real issues of life and death, the cycles of the seasons, the endless tasks associated with meeting our most fundamental needs, from feeding ourselves to teaching our own children the values and lessons that resonate with how we wish to live. For the rest of our population there is endless hours of mindless distraction, inhumane workplaces in unnatural environments far removed from the basic needs of life. We spend more time with people we hardly know than the ones we love the most, we eat food that we have no connection with and that fails to nourish, we depend more and more on a government that is further and further away from us, both in distance and in understanding, in short we have become disconnected from our own lives. Perhaps the first step in rectifying our situation is to begin to look at the world not as it could be, but how it is. To see things for what they are, to discard the falsehoods, no matter how pleasant they may seem in order to embrace the truth regardless of how painful it may be. And that’s not a theory, that’s a reality.
In closing I offer a speech filled with optimism in the face of desperation, hope in a time of bitter loss, and an appeal to the better part in all of us that calls out to be heard in times like these.
No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do, opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely, and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfil the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offence, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves, and the House? Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these war-like preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force must be called in to win back our love?
Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask, gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain.
Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free² if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending²if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.
Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable²and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace²but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
Patrick Henry
Tucci78
You might be right but there is always a problem that needs to find a solution. One of my favourite shows as a kid was the Six Million Dollar Man. Better, Stronger, faster needs to be applied to how energy is produced. Wind, ethanol and solar are non-starters as far as I’m concerned because they exist only because of subsidies from traditional fuel sources. The irony is not lost on me. Alternate fuels only exist because they as a group burn fossil fuels. I should know as I work for a company that has been a sub-contractor building wind turbine bases. People see the windmill spinning, feel good about themselves, but don’t realize the amount of energy required to build them. They need to spin for years before they are net energy positive. I have read some papers that say they never do.
It’s all about price. Karl Denneger at the Market Ticker is proposing a Thorium as the fuel to power our world. There is a better mouse trap out there. Maybe it’s Thorium, maybe not, but I didn’t hear any talk about this in Paris. Those in Paris are only looking to stick their hands in our pockets. Steal some money and guilt us into playing by their rules. The warmer academics are just useful idiots in the game.
Rob in Nova Scotia writes of problems OTHER than CO2-mitigated anthropogenic global climate change, discussing how: “Wind, ethanol and solar are non-starters as far as I’m concerned because they exist only because of subsidies from traditional fuel sources. The irony is not lost on me. Alternate fuels only exist because they as a group burn fossil fuels. I should know as I work for a company that has been a sub-contractor building wind turbine bases. People see the windmill spinning, feel good about themselves, but don’t realize the amount of energy required to build them. They need to spin for years before they are net energy positive. I have read some papers that say they never do.”
While such “papers” (presumably reports of investigation into the economics of these “alternative” power generation modalities) are useful in examining the viability of wind, fuel ethanol, and photovoltaic electric power generation, to all practical purposes they merely confirm the natural, easy “horseback” contention that none of these blart-‘n-bonkus Watermelon feelgood boondoggles can serve as genuinely viable “alternative” energy sources suited to the needs of an industrial society like ours BECAUSE WITHOUT SUBSIDIES OR OTHER GOVERNMENT THUGGERY, NO-FUCKING-BODY WOULD PUT ANY RESOURCES INTO THEM.
In other words, without goons with guns – government as the police power in civil society – FORCING people to pay for such thermodynamically net-loss shit schemes, they simply wouldn’t happen. There’s no REASON for them to happen when petrochemical fuels are so abundant, so much safer and more reliable in use, and are available at far lower cost (in all ways, including actual environmental damages) because of the vast amounts of sunk capital already invested in their discovery and utilization.
One doesn’t need supercomputers running mendacious, limping, incompetently-crafted economic models to tell all this; mere reference to the writings of economist Frédéric Bastia (1801-1850) will do it.
I suggest beginning with “The Candlemakers’ Petition” (see http://www.silentpc.org/university/Candlemaker.pdf ), which should be engraved on cinderblocks, therafter to be employed in beating the hell out of every fucking “alternative energy” asshole who dares present himself in public.
Tucci
I’m in agreement with you about carbon but here is a problem with air pollution in places like China. It’s not the carbon it’s all the other elements that get burnt with it that is the problem. According to Denneger there is enough Thorium in the coal in the United States to supply all the power requirements for country for several hundred years. It has added benefit of being carbon neutral which would make folks like Alex Ac happy. Not that making him happy is something I really worry about. In the meantime natural gas, conventional nuclear and hydro-electric will be needed to alleviate smog in Bejing.
Rob in Nova Scotia continues: “’m in agreement with you about carbon but here is a problem with air pollution in places like China. It’s not the carbon it’s all the other elements that get burnt with it that is the problem. According to Denneger there is enough Thorium in the coal in the United States to supply all the power requirements for country for several hundred years. It has added benefit of being carbon neutral which would make folks like Alex Ac happy. Not that making him happy is something I really worry about. In the meantime natural gas, conventional nuclear and hydro-electric will be needed to alleviate smog in Bejing.”
(1) As a citizen of these United States, I have neither authority over nor responsibility for what goes on in Communist China. Let the Beijing gerontocracy ruling the Middle Kingdom attend to the problems of air and water pollution within the jurisdiction that they had seized by violent force and over which they continue to secure their positions of power by murder, extortion, pillage, and fraud. I’ve got enough on my plate dealing with the politicians in Mordor-on-the-Potomac and malfeasing at every other level of governance in my own state.
(2) Thorium-fueled fission reactors are an excellent idea. I have come to the tentative conclusion that they weren’t pursued by either these United States, Great Britain, France or the Soviet Empire following World War II because such reactors DON’T produce, as a byproduct of their fuel cycles, fissile materials suitable for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The relative abundance of fissile Thorium – associated with coal – makes the stuff even more attractive as an energy source, given the fact that there are still gigatons of fissile Thorium in the veritable MOUNTAINS of coal ash all to hellangone over the planet. Mediation of that environmental pollution through “mining” said coal ash makes the Thorium fuel cycle even more attractive, doesn’t it?
(3) Nothing short of the complete destruction of the market economy and the utmost collectivization (under no-sparrow-shall-fall government thug domination) will ever please a scheming sonofabitch like Alexander Ac. This is obviously a guy who jerks off to *1984* and achieves orgasm at every mention of “Big Brother.” Therefore fuck him with a posthole digger and be done with him.
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I went to a conference, work related, in Pittsburgh in March of this year. I surprised at how clean the city was. But like the two windmills whirling across the valley from where I live the pollution has been exported somewhere else. In my case the factories that made the components. In the case of Pittsburgh, countless cities in China. Pollution is a problem. Carbon as far as I’m concerned is not.
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You are right I’m being too nice to Alex and his ilk. Fuck them all. Now you are making me laugh. What really pisses me off about that lot is they talk too much. I work in construction and help make things. I do love the watermelon it perfectly sums up what they are all about. As for the pollution in China that’s is a Chinese problem. Not ours.
Tucci is right.
Golf clap for the watermelon.
Once day the author will wake up and realise he’s just a head in a jar.
@Gil? Gil says:
Once day the author will wake up and realise he’s just a head in a jar.
???
@Flash… Okay, I get it. I just “assumed” that you’d provided the link to what you posted… now I see it was an excerpt.
Gotcha.
Erdogan is Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos at the last siege of
of Constantinople albeit armed with nuclear weapons… nothign to see here…move along.
http://www.jsmineset.com/2015/12/19/in-your-face-black-swan/
In your face “Black Swan”!
I believe the “tell” on Friday was a weak dollar. Much of what happened in the markets could have been expected as reaction to the Fed tightening credit conditions …but not a weak dollar. The meeting between Mr. Lavrov, Mr. Putin and John Kerry far overrides anything the Fed could have done or said in my opinion. The foreign policy about face where Mr. Assad no longer “needs to go” and Turkey being ordered to withdraw troops from northern Iraq was astonishing! These statements were followed by Mr. Putin establishing a no fly zone over northern Syria. In another twist, Turkey still maintains Mr. Assad must go and they are refusing to withdraw troops from Iraq http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-19/turkey-blasts-breakthrough-un-resolution-syria-it-lacks-perspective-assad-must-go. When in your lifetime have you ever seen anything like this? An “ally”, ANY ALLY publicly denying U.S. will? We all saw an IN YOUR FACE BLACK SWAN but few have recognized it yet!
We have no idea what was “told” to Mr. Kerry, we do however know he was “TOLD” something and in no uncertain terms. As you know, I have been in the camp thinking Mr. Putin (supported by China) would drop some sort of “truth bomb”. I originally thought this truth bomb would have at least some ties to 911 because the outrage this would create amongst the U.S. population. No doubt it would create a stir but I’m afraid we are just to dumbed down to really even care anymore. After pondering this further it occurred to me I have missed the obvious. What is the ONLY thing the U.S. has left and the final pillar of support? What is the Achilles heel? The dollar and the ability to issue endless debt!
I believe it is a high probability Mr. Kerry was told what he already knows. Russia and China know, you know, I know, the whole world knows …the U.S. is broke! We have “faked” solvency for many years. The insolvency really appeared in 2007-2008 but “damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead” we went … We were even “aided” in this effort to hide our insolvency by China who bought our debt until the 2011-12 timeframe. In short, we were given enough time and “rope” to hang ourselves!
I believe it is most likely Mr. Kerry was given an ultimatum by Mr. Putin who spoke on the behalf of China …either play the game by our rules or we will pull the plug financially on your shell game. The U.S. has toppled regimes and assassinated rulers over the petrodollar and the recirculation of capital back through our Treasury market. It is highly likely the threat of wholesale dumping of Treasury securities was unveiled! Please do not tell me China would never do this, they know the position is ultimately valueless and the reason they have accumulated so much gold and gone all over the world tying up resource properties http://www.mining.com/feature-chinas-scramble-for-africa/. China (and Russia as their bulldog) hold the key to exposing the fraudulent financial system of the West. Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING we in the West believe in as value has “Treasuries” as the foundation. Kill the Treasury market and everything goes. Stocks, bonds, real estate, pensions, retirement accounts …it ALL GOES and “power goes with it. China has the ability to do this!
Lew Rockwell picked this up today. It’s gotten pretty wide distribution.
Ok…nice article. But what does that video have to do with it? A video with no explanation? I don’t get it.
“Ok…nice article. But what does that video have to do with it? A video with no explanation? I don’t get it.”
Are you asking about the green screen video? It shows that the MSM feels that it is necessary to create fictional footage in order to tell a story without letting the public know that it is not authentic. Without the support of the media it wouldn’t be possible for various agendas to be promoted. When you use deception in order to promote an ideology it makes it difficult for people to discern truth from falsehood.
The question then becomes, if they’d lie about this what else would they lie about? If this is what we’ve been able to find on our own due to shoddy craftsmanship on their part, what have we missed because it has been done better?
I hope that answers your question.
And the passage below is why I concluded with Patrick Henry’s speech-
“…it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.”
hardscrabble farmer: “Are you asking about the green screen video?”
Yes, exactly. Maybe it’s me or my screen, but I’m not seeing the “green screen” and there is no explanation as to what to look for to detect the “green screen”? So it leaves me a bit confused why the video was inserted to begin with. It kinda detracts from an otherwise great article. Understand, I am not putting past the “MSM” to do anything crooked, on the contrary. I just don’t see that video as evidence, and I’m sure there has to be better evidence out there.
HSF, is this tied to your theory about why there are no maps on the news?
~~~~~~~~~
I haven’t this theory – can you explain?
Olga, A couple of weeks back, in a comment made in response to another TBP’s comment, Hardscrabble Farmer said that although he watched little or no television when on the Farm working (He may not have one!!!) when he was at restaurants or travelling and saw different news streaming (you know how they tend to put it in 24 hour news in public places), he had begun to notice that stories about different regions of the country or foreign lands were presented with only the talking heads or filmed coverage of the “live event” (which I see NOW can be easily green screened. El Mac… look for Anderson Cooper’s nose to disappear. That is a green screen anomaly that when the person in front of the green screen puts their body in the wrong place, the projected image will interfere).
So, I wondered if this is the reason he thinks the maps are gone?
El Mac… around the 4:10 to 4:15 mark when he makes a great show of trying to see where the blast was, he starts moving around and part of his face get digitized away.
El Mac, it must be your screen. Here’s a complete CNN/Charles Jaco fake set video. In the future you’ll have to just do some of the research on your own.
The map theory goes like this-
When I was a child, when my father was a child, we were taught geography. When an event took place in the world every newspaper and every television news program would feature a map in order to help orient the viewer to the background of the story- and this was for people who already had a grasp on geography. Geography is no longer taught as a part of the Department of Education guidelines and you will not see a map of the region being covered in the news unless it’s a weather story. Without this crucial piece of information you cannot contextualize the unfolding of world events.
Use the refugee crisis as an example. Find the countries sending the majority of these refugees to Europe and see where they are in relation to countries with the same religion/higher or equal GDP, like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, et al. If you could see that, if you understood the geography the first question you’d ask would be “Why are they traveling more than twice the distance to the EU instead of walking to fellow Islamic countries with high GDP?”
Willful ignorance is a choice, it shouldn’t be a requirement.
Hmmm
“pacified by our good fortune, stable diets and creature comforts”
Blaming the victims is a reoccurring theme woven into the collective mindset of totalitarian regimes throughout history. In general when I read articles that preface discussions regarding “conspiracy theories, regardless of the purported perspective, it raises a giant red flag my friend.
The problem the US government has today is simple: Their ability to manipulate the message and hence control the unwashed masses has been severely compromised by the ability of the average citizen to fact check that message. Which is why we are witnessing the beginning of the end of the internet. Virtually all of the major search engines are actively engaging in massive censorship and manipulation operations. These assaults on the collective mindset are being orchestrated not just by various factions inside the US government (zionists being by far the most powerful single block) but by deep pocket private citizens who command such wealth as to make operations of this type possible on a global scale. In short Joe and Jill six pack never had a chance.
DDearborn, you won’t find me blaming anyone, I’m not in that business. I think that there are ways around the fix we are in and though none of them are guarantees of anything, they merely offer an alternative. Trying to discern the facts from the fiction is a good starting point.
I wrote this for the people who regularly read this website because the readers sometimes tread into areas where the term comes up and it often creates a friction that is based on prejudice of the term itself rather than of the subject. I have experienced first hand how a media campaign directed at an individual works and the role of narrative versus fact finding. I subsequently set out to inform myself about the media, about manipulations of the public perception, about agendas and memes used to sway public opinion, including research into the work of Bernays, the Frankfurt School, Saul Alinsky, et al. I am hardly an original thinker, nor am I a particularly paranoid individual, I am just a farmer with two eyeballs and a scintilla of curiosity about the world I live in. I must solve problems on my ow,n every day, every month and every year based on nothing more than experience and perception and that’s what I have chosen to do with this.
Nothing I offer is anything more than what I have been able to discover and piece together and granted, like The Motel Of Mysteries, a great deal is conjecture based on the evidence available. I am fortunate enough to have several unique experiences and insights that the average person may not have so I try my best to share them as objectively as possible. My ideas should serve as a starting point, not a conclusion for anyone curious enough to pursue this line of inquiry further.
I hope that helps.
Google barge, kicked out of S.F. Bay, gets warm welcome in Stockton.The Google barges where speculated by some chat rooms to be giant holocaust ovens waiting for the Christians and Tea Party.Now its closed down Wal Marts across the country.Still this shows the level of dis trust,me included
There is irony in the best laid conspiracies. The great ones stand, aided and abbetted by smart people trying to do the right thing for what may or may not be good reasons.
The videos are important as they pull the mask back just a bit. The problem I have is the MSM treat us all with such contempt. We are viewed as incapable of knowing the truth and deciding for ourselves. But Critical Theory was designed to fragment rather than join societies, a roadblock rather than a solution. It has worked.
Anyone here ever read “Flatland?” I read it when I was a kid and have always treasured being handed the book by a spinster/math obsessed aunt who makes amazing geometric patterned quilts that appraise in the thousands of dollars. (My wedding gift appraised for $2800… who actually USES a quilt that appraises for that much money? I refold it every three months to make sure it doesn’t ruin and think “Why the hell am I insuring it if I don’t even USE it?”
Anyway, Flatland is fascinating in its approach to explaining how people are limited in their viewpoints.
Ok, gave it a second read as promised and here’s my take:
Of course the MSM deals solely in “narrative” and they knowingly spew bullshit. I can even make a solid guess at their motives: they are well-paid, somewhat famous, so have a lot to lose…then they rationalize away any pangs of conscience, by saying things lie “it’s just a little lie” or “we may be lying, but it’s for good cause” or “it’s really a service we’re doing.” Despicable, to be sure, but very human and understandable.
The people giving them the false narrative are probably mostly psychopaths who need no conscience salve or “genuine patriots” who so deeply believe in their own importance that any and all behavior is perfectly acceptable because it is serving such “noble work.”
The issue I always have with many of the conspiracy theories tossed around is not in the ability to to act without the slightest regard for human life or the truth (it is obvious that these people have neither) or even in the lack of many people to keep a secret (people can and do when properly motivated) but when people believe that these powerful psychopaths can somehow predict the future to such a degree as to make very specific outcomes happen. It does not matter the level of genius, power, money or resources one may have predicting the future is not possible. Keyser Soze is fictional, and none like him can exist in a real, chaotic world, simply because there are too many variables to be controlled.
The other point to make: is what is to be don–beyond discussing the issue on TBP, protecting oneself and one’s family and waiting for things to fall apart and then attempting to avoid being squished? If these people have the power and resources to do the thing you attribute to them, they are basically demi-gods, able to trample us common folk like ants at their slightest whim.
As a final point I ask a philosophical question: we all seem to rebel vehemently against the idea of “living a lie.” Think taking the blue pill in the Matrix, or just living the life of recreational sex, Obstacle Golf and Soma in Brave New World. Why? What is wrong with self-delusion to have a little peace and a little pleasure. Because it is temporary…Please. What is not?
Drud,
We rebel again the Brave New World because we believe that there is value in living in the REAL world. We believe that having our opinions and thoughts manipulated by these “demi-gods” is an invasion into our very beings that we fight against with every fiber of what is our character.
We choose the truth not because it gives us peace, but because it gives us control over our own thoughts.
Maggie says: “We choose the truth not because it gives us peace, but because it gives us control over our own thoughts.”
I like that. Terrific answer.
Remember I ask a philosophical question. i want to here these types of answers. But the power of philosophical questions is to carry them with you…to make them a part of the way you view existence. These questions are not just for now, on TBP’s message board, but for every day–to expand our paradigms, to widen the lens through which we see everything.
Drud-
Excellent analysis, good questions.
1) Predictive programming. You or I may not have the advantage of supercomputers, complete departments and staffs that analyze human behavior and real time ability to alter the narrative if things do diverge from the intended path- they do. Does this mean that it always works out that way? Clearly not or no one would question the official story line, no one would pick apart the details, etc.
As I have mentioned before it is possible, in fact quite likely that these events are meant to be perceived on multiple levels. Let me give you an example. I worked with a great magician years ago by the name of Hobson. He had a trick where he would bring someone onstage and do a trick right in front of them, and because of the way it was set up everyone in the audience could see the trick and how it was done except the guy onstage. His vantage point gave him no perspective on the unfolding of the illusion, while those who were able to discern his trick could see clearly what he was up to. This is probably built into most of these events- traumatize one part of the population, frighten another and inform those with the capacity to discern what was taking place. Each group has the desired reaction, each reaction plays into the furtherance of the narrative. So, can every aspect be controlled? Not likely. Can most of the outcomes be prepared for? What do you think they do in think tanks and war games? How many thousands of people if not hundreds of thousands are employed in coming up with all the best scenarios and models as well as how to handle them afterwards?
2) No matter how powerful, how total, how unimaginably creative these people can be, they can’t control 7 billion human beings. Whatever they are doing has been done before in a hundred different shades and with the same ends- complete and total tyranny. Like all human systems they have built in flaws, lifespans, ideological falling-outs, divisions within, limitations from a myriad of other sources from Nature to competing systems immune to their control. All living things have a life span, from single celled organisms to multi-generational Empires. All you have to do is outwit, outplay, outlast. In short you do not have to defeat them, merely be a survivor.
3) You can find any way you like to live within the delusion- whether to believe in God or a moral purpose, the cold hostile universe of zero meaning so fuckit, love and trust the ones that mean something to you, follow the path of your own calling, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. That’s kind of what life is all about.
I made my choice based on what I thought was best for me and mine, not because of expectations or want of pleasure, or even to serve God, although following your conscience seems to me to be the very definition of that, especially if you leave the world a better place for your having been in it, even if it’s only a single atom of improvement. I’d offer the only honest advice I have to anyone I don’t know personally and that would be to do what YOU think is right based on YOUR personal experience and ability and let the chips fall where they may.
Maggie says: “We choose the truth not because it gives us peace, but because it gives us control over our own thoughts.”
HSF says: “I made my choice based on what I thought was best for me and mine, not because of expectations or want of pleasure, or even to serve God, although following your conscience seems to me to be the very definition of that, especially if you leave the world a better place for your having been in it, even if it’s only a single atom of improvement.”
DRUD: your philosophical inquiry is fascinating.
Red Pill vs. Blue Pill
Eternal vs. Transitory
Truth vs. Falsehood
Life vs. Death
Light vs. Shadow
Love vs. Hate
Liberty vs. Slavery
Valor vs. Cowardice
Logic vs. Insanity
Awake vs. Asleep
Wisdom vs. Foolishness
Patrick Henry vs. King George III
Adam Smith vs. Karl Marx
TBP vs. TPTB
Like Maggie & HSF propose above:
Perhaps it’s merely a matter of Free Will – and from there – we choose.
Thanks, HSF.
Technology is a game-changer in so many ways. Of course the tactics currently in use are age old, as you say. Goebbels was just beginning to play the mass media propaganda angle…to the point that many say he was an amateur compared to those pulling the strings today. To be sure, mass media is far more prevalent now than even a decade ago, let alone 7 or 8.
But, as you say is is the surveillance tech and predictive algorithms that really change the game. How good are these? Don’t know first hand, but they must be very good in a general sense.
Contrast this however, with the internet. Never before has the common man have anywhere near this ability to get information and ideas out to a broad audience. How will this battle of titanic technological forces play out? No idea…but at the very least it can be said that we live in “interesting times.” One could easily argue that they are the most interesting heretofore in human history.
Yes, the best way to win this fight is to stay out. A Revolutionary era call-to-arms would be worse than futile. The only way to defeat the Beast of the Deep State is for enough people to simply ignore them. To refuse to play the silly games anymore and slowly ween ourselves from the system. It is not easy, by any means. You, sir, seem to have done it as well as any could. I both envy and admire that.
“whether to believe in God or a moral purpose, the cold hostile universe of zero meaning so fuckit” – HSF
Perhaps my biggest personal demon is a nihilist streak a mile wide. The scientist in me can see the logic of an indifferent Universe. Yet, when I look at the small, Human side of things, it makes zero sense. Life would be much more flat, for want of a better word. The most noble things we have in this life–love, forgiveness, sacrifice, art–are entirely illogical in a Darwinian sense. Are these things simply accidents of a random biological process? Who knows, but in the end, like you say, it doesn’t really matter. These things are good, entirely–and regardless of any larger Truth about existence, they are the only things truly worthy of focusing on during our short period on this blue dot.
All we ever can do is our best–control is an illusion–and the chips will fall where they may, as always. But it is a very natural to lament our lot of being born into such times as these.
JFish – of course Free Will itself is a madly debated topic both philosophically and in physics.
To me even the biochemical process of making a choice is a causal paradox.
HSF – oh, I almost forgot. Your comment about following one’s conscience being a definition of serving God. That lines up quite well with this one:
“18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.…”
Romans 1:18-20
I call it choosing to do the right thing no matter what is tossed our way. Free will may be another way to put it.
DRUD SAYS: “A Revolutionary era call-to-arms would be worse than futile”.
That’s the source of my pessimism. We live in a different time for sure and the technological aspects are overwhelming in regards to modern warfare.
Ties in perfectly with the “Past and Present: visual today on TBP here:
I am reminded of Daniel in Babylon. If it is divine judgment on our nation, how can anyone fight that?
If there is no God – and only Darwin – can there be any hope at this point?
I AM NO SCIENTIST – just a open-minded person – but – speaking of Darwin – I can respect the hard-science observation of inter-species mutation, or “micro-evolution” of… say… the flu virus. But I have a problem making the giant leap of faith towards “macro-evolution”, or: “The Theory of Species Mutating into Other Species”.
Is there “hard-science” proof of macro-evolution? In other words, as the flu virus mutates, it still remains a flu virus. Is there scientific proof of a virus evolving into a… say… a squirrel?
In seems evolutionists still embrace the “soft-science” of body-part studies (homology) and common embryology while at the same time, erroneously applying “micro-evolution” to justify their belief in Darwin’s 146 year old theory?
I am not trying to be adversarial here at all – but could Darwin’s Disciples be finding themselves overwhelmed by the hard-science of Physics, Molecular Biology, Astrophysics and Probability Analysis?
It also seems – evolutionists would have us believe on faith…., that complex systems such as the human eye developed via mutation. But modern science seems to prove that positive mutations are rare, they generally don’t survive in a population and they don’t add information?
Also – in the development of complex cellular systems like the eye – mustn’t all positive mutations happen at once to survive and take over a population? My understanding is that this is called “irreducible complexity” and is statistically impossible in a 14 billion year old universe?
It makes me wonder – in a free scientific community – if perhaps Creationism or even Intelligent Design are a better theories and could send Evolution the way of the dinosaur?
Yet – Genesis says the earth is only 6000 years old. But the order of creation in Genesis matches Darwin’s order of evolution. But Genesis was written in like 1500 BC?
It’s confusing. I truly can’t comprehend it all. But I will never give up trying. Right up to the point the stormtroopers crash through my front door and I go out in a blaze of glory.
In any event – for me – it’s back to God or despair.
Light a candle rather than curse the darkness and all that.
Just another choice, I guess.
and finally – an addendum here: I am not a theologian or a scientist.
I am merely a Fourth Turning “Nomad” trying to raise my kids to be “Heroes”.
That’s all.
Just wanted to make that perfectly clear.
Good questions, JFish. No definitive answers to be found, but good questions always.
Your points on macro evolution are certainly valid, but I think they don’t even go far enough. A near infinity of things must occur from a Cosmological perspective before macro evolution can begin.
From known/currently accepted Cosmology (Big Bang) the Universe was an entirely physics construct for at least several billion years–meaning chemical reactions did not occur. Heavier (than Hydrogen/Helium) elements must be made inside large stars, then expelled out into the space via supernovae. After some time, this matter cooled, formed planets and only here could chemical reactions begin. So this is the first necessary transition from physics to chemistry. After this, a second transition is needed from chemistry to biology. To do this, self-replication molecules must form (quite at random). The skeptics analogy is “if you were to completely disassemble a fine Swiss watch, place the components into a box and shake it rigorously, how long until the watch would reassemble itself?”
Only now, after these transitions, could macro evolution as it is understood/accepted take place. Still, in my mind, there is still a larger transition ahead, perhaps more miraculous/improbable: the transition to consciousness. Think of it this way, the dinosaurs ruled the earth for hundreds or millions of years (compared to a mere few thousand for homo sapiens) and in all that time, never developed sentience…never was there a single conscious thought.
One key thing, that always seems to get overlooked in these types of things (by philosophers and physicists alike) is defining the nature of Time itself. We all think of Time and Space simply ARE and that things exist within their bounds. What if Time and Space were in fact no different in fundamental construct than matter and energy? How drastically does that change our understanding of the universe?
OK – I am having my IT guy fix my regular system here – so this is the real “certified fresh” JFish and not a doppelganger – just wanted to get that out of the way.
DRUD – TBP is truly an amazing ideological “platform” and definitely overflowing with (as I have stated before) “effervescent free speech”. Sadly, it’s still a “burning platform” – and thus – we are all probably “toast” here at some point, ya know?
In the interim, I have tried not to ascend (or descend? depending upon one’s perspective?) into theological discussions. However – given the caliber of minds posting on TBP – it seems like this is becoming more difficult.
That said – allow me to digress here for one minute.
I have buddies who collect things, like Chevelles and Jeeps. I like that too. But I am more of a collector of ideas, I guess. Call me weird or whatever.
But your comments above – bring me back to Genesis where God says: “Let us make man in our (plural = Trinity) image (consciousness?)”.
SO – as a collector of ideas I have put together the following from concepts I have heard in the past. I can’t say where they come from for sure because I never kept a log, per se – and – there is, obviously, no way to vet any of it.
But here goes: 3 spheres of life: Plants, Animals (emotion, no conscious) & Man (conscious).
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity says that time stops at the speed of light. If one could therefore transcend time – they could, theoretically, go back in time.
What if thought waves (spirit? consciousness?) are faster than light waves and this why “thought / ideas” transcend time (i.e – consciousness)?
Even still, within the construct of time, we all have no choice to think in a linear manner (i.e. – beginning, middle & end).
But God says he is the Alpha and Omega (out of time) and that a day to God is like a thousand years.. And perhaps – this is why when people have near death / afterlife experiences while being dead for only 5 minutes on the operating table – but still feeling (to them) like days or weeks?
NO – I do not have a burnt out bong on my desk. But I do think about these things.
You brought up the concept of time and consciousness and it just made me recall it all.
And finally – you won’t believe this – but I heard a lady on Johnny Carson once propose that: “love is the fastest form of thought”. I heard her tell Johnny that and I am not kidding.
In any case – what if the Beatles were right? What if “love is all there is”?
I will probably regret this post. Oh well.
My apologies in advance, HSF.
Another way to look at it:
Maybe it’s true that “time is a fire in which we all burn”.
Some ideas are “gold and silver” and will last. Some are “hay and stubble” & will pass.
Only time will tell, I guess…
In the meantime…
Can you believe that Steve Harvey called the wrong Miss Universe last night??
It’s all over the news and it’s all that we can talk about at the office today. Man! That was crazy….
Flame was created by government programmers, and among its many features, the program is able to turn on a target’s Web cam and record video (all without turning on the telltale flashing recording light). In addition, hackers routinely use programs called remote administration tools (or RATs) to switch on a victim’s camera remotely, effectively turning the video camera in an office or living room into a private CC T V monitor.
M
Some cable boxes have spy technology to determine what you are doing in front of your TV. It is reported that new computer games use a microphone and a camera to spy on you. They then send the data back to the corporate offices. In the case of Microsoft some analysts suspect that the spy data of your personal life may be sent to Obama and the NSA.
It gets worse. It is believed that government agencies can get access to the NSA spy data and use it against you in court without revealing the source – and likely without a warrant. Obama approves of putting Americans in jail for life without a jury trial as he said of NDAA indefinite detention.
“Whistleblower Edward Snowden is now at hero status for exposing the Obama and NSA betrayal of Americans,” said a Verizon customer who was spied on by the NSA phone spying software.
– See more at: http://www.usanewsfirst.com/2013/08/06/nsa-spies-on-americans-through-your-tv-with-flame-spy-program/#sthash.Ro0ASW0R.dpuf
Well, Jfish… I read your question about time, the speed of light, consciousness and thought and my head exploded.
Just teasing… these are they types of intellectual discussions my son tries to snare me with, knowing full well that he out thinks me on this type of crap.
However, I am a better writer than he. I win. Because if you can’t document it, it didn’t really ever exist.
fact not conspiracy: presidents proposal
Refugees, Illegal Aliens And Other Burdens.
Posted on December 21, 2015 by horse237
“The president’s proposal to resettle 85,000 refugees this fiscal year alone will result in a net cost of approximately $55.25 billion. More than 90 percent of recent Middle Eastern refugees who have come to America are on welfare. Those 10,000 refugees from Syria will subsequently be able to bring in their foreign relatives. All of the refugees are eligible for lifetime government assistance and can draw funds from Social Security and Medicare at Americans’ expense.” Senator Jeff Sessions
https://vidrebel.wordpress.com/
no fan of Detroit, but isn’t it sliding into an abyss? Should we not be taking care of
who is here, was here, before bringing a terrific financial burden of new people?
O, what a hero, not. Will you get SS, or Medicare?
For Fun/Lone Gunmen TV Episode Predicted 911. Full Version
Posted on November 28, 2013 by horse237
If you have not seen it, the pilot episode of the TV show Lone Gunmen predicted the World Trade Center attack using a remote controlled commercial airliner. This show first aired on March 4, 2001. There were no Arab hijackers on board. This TV show was a spin off of the X-Files show.
https://youtu.be/EjbQ-BDh4PU
forgot attribution
suzanna says: “The president’s proposal to resettle 85,000 refugees this fiscal year alone will result in a net cost of approximately $55.25 billion.
They want to achieve Muslim/Christian parity in the USA. Another 25,000 Moozies ought to do it.