Let's make a list of "reputable" conspiracy theorists

[Nordic]

I was always really impressed with starroute and wondered who they were. Are they here? Are they still around? Am I just ignorant?

[Jerky]

Dave McGowan, who is entertaining, but "out there" in a - for my money - disqualifying way

To disqualify McGowan on the basis of "reputable" credentials is one thing. It would, however, invite conflict with the founder of Rigorous Intuition who cited him numerous times throughout his blog, particularly regarding Programmed To Kill.

Yeah. He also bought into Michael Ruppert's tall tales about pedophile con-man Delmart Vreeland's bullshit sub-Vegas close-up magic trick "advance knowledge" chicanery, hook, line and sinker. In the immortal words of The Man: "Pobody's Nerfect."

[quote="Regarding the cult of Zappa, [url=http://dangerousminds.net/comments/frank_zappas_roxy_the_movie_was_worth_the_four_decade_wait]Ahmet says his late mother Gail was reported by his uncle to have "saved America in her capacity as CIA", so it only looks as though McGowan was right again.

If I was in Ahmet's position, I'd go around saying incredibly retarded shit like that, too. But I wouldn't expect any but the goofiest of goofs to actually believe it, or automatically take it to mean that everything McGowan wrote about the Laurel Canyon scene (and the Moon Landing "Hoax") was 100 percent, like, TRUE or anything.

YOPJ

[JackRiddler]

As the list grows it becomes certain that many of the authors named above would reject being labeled in this way! Even if it had not been made into an attack term, the category is a conceptual failure from the start. Anyone who calls themselves this or seeks to legitimate the term as if it were a general category of sound research, a discipline unto itself, disqualifies themselves.

Conspiracy is a mystification or at best a very partial and inadequate description for things such as but not limited to:
- the concentration of power and capital;
- the problem of secret private as well as public networks carrying out or influencing ad hoc institutional policies;
- the enormous flows of hidden money and the mix of legal/illegal industries such as arms, drugs and trafficking;
- the variable enforcement of law depending on class;
- the existence of surveillance states, secret agencies and so forth with autonomous operative units;
- negotiations held at country clubs and lodges;
- negotiations held confidentially among state-based and NGO units;
- the use of deception with regard to policies, i.e. as when something is sold as one thing but has a different purpose than advertised, something that allows for many layers of confusion and a mix of purposes and interests;
- lying in general;
- the slippery nature of authority, "sovereignty" and "jurisdiction";
- the use of states of exception;
- etc., etc., etc.

A great deal of that and a lot more lumped into the useless generality of "conspiracy" is actually legal, institutional, conditioned and/or routine, or at any rate uncovered by law. None of which makes it right! Rather, it should highlight why a different approach is required.

The word conspiracy should be used sparingly if at all and only for allegations of specific actions that would be actionable under conspiracy law.

And let's not pretend the cliche of the grand conspiracy types who monocausally attribute every development in world history to the plan of a single eternal network (whether defined ethnically or as "illuminati") is without merit. The latter are so to speak the enemies among us, not however as a conspiracy but as merchandisers and/or hate mongers. Let them have the term.

The only legit category is research, and either it seeks to be methodologically, conceptually and factually sound, honest and truthful, or it doesn't.

.

[American Dream]

Yes, I definitely prefer "Deep Politics" as a concept and a term, though admittedly it marginalizes high weirdness...

[MacCruiskeen]

Wrong In All Directions: The Term 'Conspiracy Theory'

This phrase is among the tireless workhorses of establishment discourse. Without it, disinformation would be much harder than it is. 'Conspiracy theory' is a trigger phrase, saturated with intellectual contempt and deeply anti-intellectual resentment. It makes little sense on its own, and while it's a priceless tool of propaganda, it is worse than useless as an explanatory category.

[JackRiddler]

And I watched him deliver those words -- in such an elegant way by comparison to my laundry list above. I hope there's a place for both!

[PufPuf93]

Yes, I definitely prefer "Deep Politics" as a concept and a term, though admittedly it marginalizes high weirdness...

I 100% agree with JackR's post.

The "conspiratorial" nature of human institutions is legal, mundane, and reflects convergent interests.

Also agree that "deep politics" is a term that moves away from the negativity associated with the term "conspiracy theory".

Is a researcher and writer such as Seymour Hersh genuine or an agent (perhaps even an agent unaware) that defines the bounds of acceptable discourse?

[American Dream]

As Michael Parenti says, figures in the corporate media may resist when issues of spin and social control are raised. They are indignant: "In all my years with the company, no one has ever told me what to say!". to which he responds, "You say what you like, because they like what you say!...

[MacCruiskeen]

Lance deHaven-Smith:

Frequently Asked Questions about State Crimes Against Democracy (SCADs)

1. What are State Crimes Against Democracy (SCADs)?

I coined the term “State Crimes Against Democracy” in a peer-reviewed article published by Administrative Theory & Praxis, the journal of the Public Administration Theory Network. SCADs are defined as “concerted actions or inactions by government insiders intended to manipulate democratic processes and undermine popular sovereignty.” Until recently, scholarly research on political criminality has given little attention to antidemocratic conspiracies in high office, focusing instead on graft, bribery, embezzlement, and other forms of government corruption where the aim is personal enrichment rather than social control, partisan advantage, or political power. However, SCADs are far more dangerous to democracy than these other, more mundane forms of political criminality because of their potential to subvert political institutions and entire governments or branches of government.

2. What are some examples of SCADs in recent U.S. history?

Examples of SCADs that have been officially proven include the Watergate break-ins and cover up; the secret wars in Laos and Cambodia; the illegal arms sales and covert operations in Iran-Contra; and the effort to discredit Joseph Wilson by revealing his wife's status as an intelligence agent. Examples of suspected SCADs include the fabricated attacks on U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964; the "October Surprises" in the presidential elections of 1968 and 1980; the assassinations of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King; the attempted assassinations of George Wallace and Ronald Reagan; the election breakdowns in 2000 and 2004; the numerous defense failures on 9-11-2001; the anthrax mailings in October 2001; and the misrepresentation of intelligence to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

3. Are suspicions about SCADs “conspiracy theories”?

The concept of State Crimes against Democracy was developed, in part, to replace the term "conspiracy theory.” ...

[...]

6. Why do the mainstream media spurn “conspiracy theories”?

There are powerful norms among political, economic, and media elites that discourage speculation about corruption in high office. In elite discourse, convention prohibits suspicions from being voiced about top officials unless their guilt can be proven unambiguously by “smoking gun” evidence. This norm does not come from the principle in American jurisprudence that suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty. The presumption of innocence was never intended to outlaw suspicions. Rather, it calls for suspicions to be tested with thorough and fair investigations grounded by procedural rules for procuring and presenting evidence. Norms against conspiratorial speculations in elite discourse function to protect the legitimacy of elites as a class.

[...]

http://dehaven-smith.com/faq/default.html

[PufPuf93]

As Michael Parenti says, figures in the corporate media may resist when issues of spin and social control are raised. They are indignant: "In all my years with the company, no one has ever told me what to say!". to which he responds, "You say what you like, because they like what you say!...

Exactly.

[JackRiddler]

Right, to my list above I should have added all that sociological stuff, the obeisance to authority, matters of character and upbringing, ignorance, group identification, conformity to social pressure, true faith, lack of interest, tacit understandings, shared interests or simple paydays that move so many particles along their paths so as to produce non-random results in ways that leave both "conspiracy" and "coincidence" completely off-point as descriptions.

[American Dream]

H.P. Albarelli Jr.

[elfismiles]

H.P. Albarelli Jr.

LIFE LINES » OBITUARIES

Obituary: Henry P. Albarelli, Jr.
July 16, 2019

H.P. “Hank” Albarelli Jr., author and Burlington native, died on June 18 from complications of a stroke. The eldest son of Nancy O’Neill Albarelli and the late Henry P. Albarelli Sr., he was 72. In recent decades, Hank and his wife, Kathleen McDonald, made their home in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, where he passed away surrounded by family.

From a young age, Hank was a passionate and knowledgeable student of contemporary music, especially blues and rock. In the 1970s, he produced Burlington’s first annual Blues Festivals, as well as the first Vermont concerts of Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Judy Collins.

After leaving Burlington for Washington, D.C., in 1978, Hank worked in the Carter White House and, later, as a field director for the Service Employees International Union.

During the '90s, he returned to an early interest in writing for the theater. His play The Whole Shebang was winner of the 1994 Baltimore Playwrights’ Festival.

In recent decades, Hank wrote exclusively investigative journalism, pursuing such topics as the CIA’s role in the suspicious death of a government scientist (A Terrible Mistake), and the assassination of JFK (A Secret Order). He recently completed a forthcoming book titled Coup in Dallas.

Living just a stone’s throw from a Gulf of Mexico beach, Hank delighted in the fact that his two sons from a previous marriage, Damien and David, and David’s wife, Vicki, had all settled within a few miles of him. He was also a proud and doting grandfather and traveled frequently to the London home of his daughter, Nicole, a filmmaker; her partner, Paul Centellas; and their two sons, Dylan and Ashton.

Hank is also survived by Ms. McDonald; his mother; four siblings, Nancy (Gardner), Michael, Dean and Beth (Lane); and many fond nieces and nephews.

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/obi ... d=27996910

[seemslikeadream]

thanks elfismiles

I wonder if we can figure out that link from American Dream? it's dead


I was just looking at this thread yesterday

we really really need a new Mark Lombardi....Epstein/9/11

and I really really miss my good friend MinM

she is the BEST

@BreakingNews: Judge dismisses immunity claim by 'Whitey' Bulger, saying no witness has 'license to kill' - @BostonGlobe http://bo.st/XlXEvi

OJ @brianpmoore666: Fahck you, Whitey RT @BreakingNews Judge dismisses immunity claim by 'Whitey' Bulger, saying no witness has 'license to kill'

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews/status ... 3758606336

@Rigorous_Intuit: @lisapease Whitey Bulger on Fresh Air... http://m.npr.org/programs/all/13/172012353 …

https://twitter.com/Rigorous_Intuit/sta ... 0385005568

@lisapease: Whitey Bulger volunteered in prison for MKULTRA LSD tests. i-team-whitey-bulger-volunteered-for-lsd-testing-while-in-prison-in-1950s

https://twitter.com/lisapease/status/305832412535988226

...# Whitey Bulger, LSD, MK/ULTRA, we've just scratched the surface, Hank's last book

http://www.blackopradio.com/archives2012.html

http://www.blackopradio.com/pod/black572a.mp3

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index ... opic=19016

***BTW***

Posted 08 March 2013 - 04:09 PM

Albarelli's book is scheduled to be released in a week or two, according to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Order-Inve ... 1936296551

Hopefully it happens this time.

Other TrineDay books in the works include Baker's book on David Ferrie, Scott Kaiser's book on his father, Todd Elliot's book on Rose Cherami,
Robert "Tosh" Plumlee's Deep Cover, Shallow Graves, and an update of Vince Palamara's Survivor's Guilt.

http://trineday.com/

Kris Millegan deserves credit for not shying away from controversial topics.

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index ... opic=19016

Was 'Whitey' Bulger trapped by his hatred of Obama? Woman recognised her neighbour as America's most wanted fugitive after his 'racist rant' about President

Whitey would often join them outside their apartment building but after one interaction with Anne, when she 'unabashedly' expressed admiration for President Obama, they never spoke again and her views towards her friend's husband changed...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... pture.html

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Hank Albarelli - A Terrible Mistake


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjgoBXlbxGI