Monday, July 30, 2007

What do Prescott Bush and Pigeons have in common?

"Coup, Coup..."


If you type the word ‘Conspiraloon’ into Google the first result takes you to a page entitled…

Ten Characteristics of Conspiracy Theorists

The page is written with absolutely no sense of irony whatsover. Which is unfortunate as all ten ‘characteristics’ display the peculiar quality of being equally as applicable to the kind of people who write pages called ‘Ten Characteristics of Conspiracy Theorists’ as to conspiracy theorists.


It’s difficult to pick a personal favourite Characteristic but, if pushed, I’d probably go for Number 9…

9. Using previous conspiracies as evidence to support their claims. This argument invokes scandals like the Birmingham Six, the Bologna station bombings, the Zinoviev letter and so on in order to try and demonstrate that their conspiracy theory should be accorded some weight (because it's “happened before”.) They do not pause to reflect that the conspiracies they are touting are almost always far more unlikely and complicated than the real-life conspiracies with which they make comparison, or that the fact that something might potentially happen does not, in and of itself, make it anything other than extremely unlikely.

The logic behind this is really quite special and seems to be saying ‘Just because something happened before that has no bearing whatsoever on the possibility of it ever happening again


Hmmm, interesting


Total bollocks admittedly but nevertheless still interesting because it is a nice example of the kind of mental gymnastics people are willing to go through to sustain their personal world view.

Aside from the somewhat cavalier attitude to the significance of historical precedent I’m also not entirely convinced that the Bologna Bombing, Operation Gladio, Iran-Contra, Lockerbie or, more recently, the Litvinenko poisoning can really be described as being more probable and conceptually less complex than suspecting state complicity in, say, the Al Qaeda myth or the Afghan drugs business.


Journalist Gary Webb - author of Dark Alliance, a series of articles linking the CIA with the international drugs trade. The man was clearly a Conspiraloon and insane, as evidenced by the fact that he ended up committing suicide by shooting himself in the face, twice.


It has been said many times before but the kind of people who write pieces like ‘
Ten Characteristics of Conspiracy Theorists’ are really talking about Unofficial Conspiracy Theories. Official conspiracy theories such as the Al Qaeda Myth or that the Russian Government has taken to bumping off dissidents by sprinkling radio-active isotopes all over London; endorsed, as they are, by our government and the media, are just peachy. And, provided those official conspiracy theories are endorsed by the establishment, they can be as insane and as improbable as you like.

But woe betide anyone who entertains any line of speculation, however rational, that is not pre-approved by the establishment


Anyway…

Whilst mindful of the ‘fact’ that past events carry no weight in demonstrating the predisposition of certain groups to engage in conspiratorial behaviour, here’s a link to a BBC Radio program on the subject of the 1933 Business Plot to overthrow Roosevelt’s administration by way of a coup…



"If this doesn't work you're going to have to become the fucking president..."


The proposed coup never got past the preliminary planning stage for several reasons, not least because the general who was supposed to lead the military side of things wasn’t having anything to do with it and blabbed to Congress


The general in question, Smedley Butler aka
The Fighting Quaker aka Old Gimlet Eye aka Snookywookylumps (to Mrs Butler) also wrote a small pamphlet entitled ‘War is a Racket’ (well worth a browse) and described his illustrious 33 year career in the United States Marine Corps as having involved being ‘a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers’.


Whatever happened to the name Smedley?


It’s worth remembering that the alleged target of the Business Plot, Franklin Roosevelt, went on to do a outstanding job of lying and tricking his country into World War 2, in spite of strict promises to the contrary, which enriched the interests who allegedly plotted against him eight years previously immensely


What a funny old world it is

Fortunately, we live in enlightened times and, empowered by the sage wisdom contained in ‘Ten Characteristics of Conspiracy Theories’ Number 9, we know that the past is a different place that has no connection whatsoever with the here and now.

Because there’s every reason to believe that the kind of people behind the corporate sponsored coups of the past, successful and unsuccessful, don’t exist any more and even if they did they wouldn’t be foolish enough to plot any conspiracies because our newspapers would find out and report them.

Yes siree, yes they would.


.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Since Roosevelt stole the gold, a lot of people still bemoan the failure of the Business Plot.

Background links here and here.

Many other such links can be found via google.

Anonymous said...

One great and neglected service we proud conspiraloons offer is being the only thing that the many and varied factions of the true left can unite against.

Anonymous said...

Favourite FDR quote:
In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.

Fucking conspiracy nut

ziz said...

If somebody wants to buy you a Christmnas present early ..

The Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories
J Mc Connachie, Robin Tudge
Amazon http://tinyurl.com/2vmbr9

Which I loaned from our new library today - that's the one that cost £300,000 to move 3/4 mile further from village centre that has a bookstock 66% the size of the old one.

Gnl Butlers "War is Bunk" should be required reading for all aspiring warriors.... much taken by the musing of a briskly spoken officer summing up 30 odd years looking after the Paddies as he headed for the exit on BBC News last night.

"Don't let anyone think it was a military Victory"

http://tinyurl.com/2uepr4
will take you to a fascinating piece in the Pink'un (27/7/07)who interview Stella Rimmington ex MI5 Head who said re the Polonium axed Russki friend of international terrist Boris Berezovsky..."Does she think the Russian secret service killed former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko?"

“If the Russians did, their tradecraft has deteriorated remarkably from what I knew. You invite someone to have tea and then you pour poison in it? The evidence seems to point to this former member of the intelligence services but, as I say, it [the murder] is disappointingly straightforward.”

Anonymous said...

Butler writes about military medals ... basically, he says that they are a means of duping soldiers out of prize money. If anyone knows of the link, please post it here ...

Stef said...

http://tinyurl.com/22dlm

it was found that we could reduce the cost of wars by taking all the prize money and keeping it, but conscripting [drafting] the soldier anyway. Then soldiers couldn't bargain for their labor, Everyone else could bargain, but the soldier couldn't.

Napoleon once said,

"All men are enamored of decorations...they positively hunger for them."

So by developing the Napoleonic system – the medal business – the government learned it could get soldiers for less money, because the boys liked to be decorated. Until the Civil War there were no medals. Then the Congressional Medal of Honor was handed out. It made enlistments easier. After the Civil War no new medals were issued until the Spanish-American War.

In the World War, we used propaganda to make the boys accept conscription. They were made to feel ashamed if they didn't join the army.


Of course, the amusing part is that Smedley himself was packing not one but two Congressional Medals of Honor

Sophia said...

How Bush's garnd'father helped Hitler's rise to power

Ironically, it was published in the Guardian in september 2004, two months before the US elections that gave Bush a second mandate, and nobody, absolutey nobody talked about it. Everybody in the press was mumm...Or maybe they don't care, not even Israel whose main allies are composed now of former declared antisemites...

Anonymous said...

I don't think they would be worried, where would they be without anti semitism?

Avraham Stern and his followers announced that

"The NMO, which is well-acquainted with the goodwill of the German Reich government and its authorities towards Zionist activity inside Germany and towards Zionist emigration plans, is of the opinion that:

1. Common interests could exist between the establishment of a new order in Europe in conformity with the German concept, and the true national aspirations of the Jewish people as they are embodied by the NMO.

2. Cooperation between the new Germany and a renewed folkish-national Hebraium would be possible and,

3. The establishment of the historic Jewish state on a national and totalitarian basis, bound by a treaty with the German Reich, would be in the interest of a maintained and strengthened future German position of power in the Near East.

Proceeding from these considerations, the NMO in Palestine, under the condition the above-mentioned national aspirations of the Israeli freedom movement are recognized on the side of the German Reich, offers to actively take part in the war on Germany's side."


link

Stef said...

Funnily enough, Sophia's comment got me thinking about Lenni Brenner too

Nazis and 1930s Zionists seemed to have at least some common goals...

Anonymous said...

And maybe a few 21st century ones