By Ralph Schwartz
As humans we struggle to put meaning on things that are complicated. Conspiracy theories are so alluring because they make the messiness of reality a lot neater, and they sometimes create clear enemies.
People who otherwise seem lucid and rational can fall into conspiracy-think. Since the NFL season is reaching its peak, I’m reminded of a conspiracy theory I ran into often immediately after Super Bowl XL. More Seahawks fans than I can count said in all seriousness that either the Pittsburgh Steelers paid off the refs to win that game, or the NFL as a whole made sure the Steelers won to give a fitting send-off to Detroit native and Steeler running back Jerome Bettis.
Turns out the real explanation is in fact the simpler one: The refs had a bad day. Hey, these things happen. I’m sure Packers fans could relate after their team’s Sept. 24 Monday night game in Seattle.
Anyhow, back to politics. Conspiracy theories fall across a spectrum of credibility. Did Ronald Reagan, Oliver North and others pull off arms sales to Iran to fund anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua? Did the younger Bush’s government know 9/11 was going to happen and do nothing, as a justification for going to war with the Middle East?
Is Barack Obama a gay African-born Muslim?
It’s a free country, so everyone gets to have and express their own opinions on these things.
What about Agenda 21, a 20-year-old U.N. document that some in the tea party, both locally and nationally, point to as the seed of the threat of a one world government?
It’s easy to find the circumstantial evidence. The sustainable development movement is in full swing. Some with the tea party say Agenda 21 is really a move to take away individual rights, specifically by moving people into cities under the label of “smart growth.”
In her Oct. 2 appearance at Western Washington University, anti-Agenda 21 activist Rosa Koire explained why the U.N. wants to put people within city boundaries and discourage growth in rural areas.
It’s so those in power can more easily control and surveil us.
Then comes “warrantless searches” and ultimately the potential of “identifying us as potential enemy combatants in our own nation.”
“If an enemy was trying to destroy us, it couldn’t do a better job,” Koire said.
“I know it sounds crazy, and in fact it is crazy,” she said. “I am not crazy. The plan is crazy.”
The question we’re left with is, is the U.N. using sustainable development to take over the world, or is it trying to avert an environmental disaster being caused primarily by global warming?
Ah, that’s what they’d like you to think. Global-warming talk, Koire said, is intended to instill fear and panic in citizens so they are unable to make rational decisions.
And the debate goes on. I’ll end it here.
I’m working on another story today, about Ferndale’s new water system, which water customers say is too mineral-laden and doesn’t taste good. The damage to appliances by the water hardness is the main concern.
Even that issue has its conspiracy theorists.
When a resident stopped Mayor Gary Jensen to ask, “Why did you do this (switch from PUD river water to well water) if you knew we had a problem?” the mayor responded, we had no idea the water would be so hard. Then the resident called the mayor a liar.
At the Dec. 3 City Council meeting, where the mayor recounted this story, he said his response would be, “Why would we switch when we were going to make people mad?”
“That’s a very good question, mayor. A very good question indeed,” the blogger said, with a wink and a nudge.
“The question we’re left with is, is the U.N. using sustainable development to take over the world … ”
No, that’s hardly the question we should be considering. Of course, the UN’s patrons, the many proponents of a new world order, are happy so many are seduced by naive conspiracy theories, and thus easily used to stop broader concerns regards those who hope to benefit from the new world order’s policies.
The “conspiracy” if in fact you’d call it that, is really far less organized or formal. It is simply the self interested following their self interest and disarming their critics.
Just as they have in most of the present nation states, there are strong financial interests keen on securing the same influence over policy on a global scale; not for any greater reason than to extract wealth on an ever greater scale.
You don’t have “a bad day” at Superbowl. It was very unprofessional work.
There is a conspiracy theory that God is real.
~
Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates.
‘In honor of this holy season’, Saint Peter said, ‘you must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven.’
The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on.
‘It represents a candle’, he said.
‘You may pass through the pearly gates’ Saint Peter said.
The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys.
He shook them and said, ‘They’re bells.’
Saint Peter said ‘You may pass through the pearly gates’.
The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women’s panties.
St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, ‘And just what do those symbolize?’
The man replied, ‘These are Carol’s.’
Merry Christmas!
I’ve seen the damage Ferndale’s water can do and it’s very, very bad. Ferndale’s mayor runs his father-in-law’s plumbing business and has for decades, so you have to wonder what’s really going on.
Oh, the irony. When Rosa Koire’s man, George W. Bush, was in office, she and her ilk couldn’t get enough domestic surveillance. It was the only way, from their point of view, to protect us from those evil terrorists. Progressives and liberal Democrats sounded the alarm, but were dismissed by the Koires of the world as unpatriotic and and unconcerned for our country’s safety. Now, I’m sure Koire would say that she’s since disowned Dubya, but one doesn’t need much memory to recall how the far right held him in thrall, and how completely accepting they were of transforming America into the police state that it became. Too bad she and her ilk didn’t listen to us progressives about the dangers of Big Brother ten years ago.
“I am not crazy.” Sounds a bit like “I am not a witch.” And if you’re still having trouble seeing global warming, may I suggest you open your friggin’ eyes?
Rosa Koire introduces herself as a Democrat and a lesbian. Now what do you say? May I suggest you read “Behind the Green Mask”.
The timing on Ferndale’s Mayor Jensen terminating the PUD water supply in December 2011 seems oddly in synch with the timing of SSA’s Gateway Pacific Terminal permit application submital in early 2012. It was critical to show in the permit application that the GPT showed it had ample water supply (approx. 5.2 Million gallons per day). If Ferndale had not terminated its water supply service from PUD would the PUD still be able to supply the GPT with that huge amount of water? Mayor Jensen said the city was stopping getting the its water from PUD because of rising rates. I’m surprised that after 40 years of PUD supplied water to Ferndale that some possible compromised rate could not have been negotiated. Were the other entities who purchase their water from PUD District 1 also experiencing the high rate increases that Mayor Jensen said were the reason Ferndale changed to well water for the city’s water supply? If not, then why would Ferndale’s PUD rates increase so much and not others? I’m thinking there might be more to the story about water supply and how that relates to the GPT. Maybe we can all do some digging. . . but hopefully not more digging for well water.
NASA and NOAA have started explaining that global warming is a combination of sun and the long term trends Plain old water vapor does way to weather and climate than than CO2 and nobody calls thhe frights about greenhouse gasses a conspiracy theory, which a lot of it. Chicken little people are running around freaked out worried that The Sky Is Falling and nobody calls that conspiracy theory even though it is.
Why not run a story about the stuff that NOAA and NASA have started reporting. That would make good reading.
Looking forward to the story on Ferndale water. When you talk to the Ferndale water people, ask about what drove them to it. Ask about PUD #1 and prices.
To label the racist venom spewed from the far right as a “conspiracy theory” is
both insulting and incorrect.
It’s hate speech, not some conspiracy.