While I have no problem admitting my own fault in things, or when “my side” (whatever that is at the time) is “bested,” I think a healthy suspicion of circumstances is also needed. As one pundit said; to paraphrase, there are conspiracy theories and then there are conspiracies of “coincidences.” For instance, when you look at Ken Blackwell, the riot of the Bush aides, voting machines where your vote disappears down a hole that cannot be observed and proven due to “proprietary software…” well that and so much more could be a conspiracy or a conspiracy of coincidences.
The “conspiracy theorist” cry, in the final analysis, is often used to shut down debate and discussion and put anyone who questions the status quo in the corner with a dunce cap of shame. That’s why I tend to avoid the “conspiracy theorist” moniker, despite some of the more inane feltergarb like Barack is not a citizen.
There are conspiracy theories backed by evidence — such as the mountain that was left in the wake of Bush/Cheney 2000 and 2004 where the Secy of State in each key state, FL and OH, was a campaign co-chair and Bush loyalist. Also, in both FL and OH, post-election procedures for recounting or storing the votes were not followed, and then there is the statistically improbable fact, on the order of winning the Power Ball lottery three times in a row, that every electronic voting machine ‘mistake’ in Ohio increased George W. Bush’s vote totals, along with Diebold CEO Wally O’Dell’s pre-election proclamation that he was going to win Ohio for Bush. That I would not call a conspiracy theory as much as grounds for prosecution.
And then there are the bizarre conspiracy theories of the right: Along with the stupid Birther myth, the ‘death panel’ nonsense is unsupported by even a shred of evidence; ACORN somehow ‘stealing’ the election for Obama is a joke; the claim that Obama plans to take away people’s guns is also fantastic; that Obama is a Stalinist despot is equally laughable, and so are all of the other right-wing conspiracy theories that lack any connection to reality.
As Rush Limbaugh allegedly told his gay college boyfriend in the early ’70s, he intentionally went after conservatives because they’d be easier to fool with his bluster and BS. He knew even back then he didn’t have a chance of selling his guff to a liberal audience — they would tend to be more skeptical and check his facts.
While I have no problem admitting my own fault in things, or when “my side” (whatever that is at the time) is “bested,” I think a healthy suspicion of circumstances is also needed. As one pundit said; to paraphrase, there are conspiracy theories and then there are conspiracies of “coincidences.” For instance, when you look at Ken Blackwell, the riot of the Bush aides, voting machines where your vote disappears down a hole that cannot be observed and proven due to “proprietary software…” well that and so much more could be a conspiracy or a conspiracy of coincidences.
The “conspiracy theorist” cry, in the final analysis, is often used to shut down debate and discussion and put anyone who questions the status quo in the corner with a dunce cap of shame. That’s why I tend to avoid the “conspiracy theorist” moniker, despite some of the more inane feltergarb like Barack is not a citizen.
There are conspiracy theories backed by evidence — such as the mountain that was left in the wake of Bush/Cheney 2000 and 2004 where the Secy of State in each key state, FL and OH, was a campaign co-chair and Bush loyalist. Also, in both FL and OH, post-election procedures for recounting or storing the votes were not followed, and then there is the statistically improbable fact, on the order of winning the Power Ball lottery three times in a row, that every electronic voting machine ‘mistake’ in Ohio increased George W. Bush’s vote totals, along with Diebold CEO Wally O’Dell’s pre-election proclamation that he was going to win Ohio for Bush. That I would not call a conspiracy theory as much as grounds for prosecution.
And then there are the bizarre conspiracy theories of the right: Along with the stupid Birther myth, the ‘death panel’ nonsense is unsupported by even a shred of evidence; ACORN somehow ‘stealing’ the election for Obama is a joke; the claim that Obama plans to take away people’s guns is also fantastic; that Obama is a Stalinist despot is equally laughable, and so are all of the other right-wing conspiracy theories that lack any connection to reality.
As Rush Limbaugh allegedly told his gay college boyfriend in the early ’70s, he intentionally went after conservatives because they’d be easier to fool with his bluster and BS. He knew even back then he didn’t have a chance of selling his guff to a liberal audience — they would tend to be more skeptical and check his facts.