The author forgot another element of the conspiracy theory and that is the emotive element.

For example there are authors who write for Onlineopinion who make claims such as;

"fathers rights activists seek to erode all the gains made the by the women's movement."

Generalized claims that men have the ear of politicans, so are able to influence the political agenda. (if it were only that simple)

"The average weekly earnings for full-time women workers is still only 84.4 per cent of their male equivalents.”
Mary Bryant

If this were really true, then why are not business and companies sacking the men and hiring women on the lower wages? Afterall it is according to Mary cheaper to employ women than men!

Afterall isn't it part of the great patriarchial conspiracy to keep women opposed.

The author forgot another element of the conspiracy theory and that is the emotive element.

For example there are authors who write for Onlineopinion who make claims such as;

"fathers rights activists seek to erode all the gains made the by the women's movement."

Generalized claims that men have the ear of politicans, so are able to influence the political agenda. (if it were only that simple)

"The average weekly earnings for full-time women workers is still only 84.4 per cent of their male equivalents.”
Mary Bryant

If this were really true, then why are not business and companies sacking the men and hiring women on the lower wages? Afterall it is according to Mary cheaper to employ women than men!

Afterall isn't it part of the great patriarchial conspiracy to keep women oppressed.

So, if I say that public servants conspire to lose or "misunderstand" letters written by whistleblowers, is that a conspiracy theory or a fact?

JamesH:

I agree with you that a highly-charged context is part of a conspiracy.

However, not all emotionally-charged authors on OLO are engaged in conspiracies. Your example of OLO authors who make claims such as: "fathers rights activists seek to erode all the gains made the by the women's movement" strikes me as an exaggerated absurdity rather than a conspiracy.

Likewise Dealing With The Mob who asks:

'if I say that public servants conspire to lose or "misunderstand" letters written by whistleblowers, is that a conspiracy theory or a fact?'

First, we'd have to know whether what you say is true i.e. that they lose or misunderstand letters. Then, if it's true, we'd have to know the reasons they do that. Having had lengthy experience with public servants, I can say that it is not uncommon for them to lose and misunderstand letters (and other documents). Sometimes, this resulted from nothing more than carelessness or incompetence or systemic workload and inadequate accountabilities.

So we'd have to investigate the patterns of lost and misunderstood letters. e.g. How widespread? At what levels of the agency? Who stood to gain? Who did gain? Can an intention to deceive be identified and confirmed? Can a connection be drawn between the public servant and the people who gained?

Cockups and cover-ups sometimes look like conspiracies. It's important to nail the difference.

I do enjoy a good conspiracy. David Ray Griffin and the 9/11 controversy, for example: splendid, meaty stuff! The JFK assassination; the Bilderbergers and the Council for Foreign Relations - all have given many happy hours. Don't lets forget The da Vinci Code, because that tells us lots about why conspiracy theories flourish: we want them to be true. Whenever the truth is unsatisfying, there's a good conspiracy waiting to be uncovered. The wilder shores of skepticism?

A popular though foxy leader like Howard has also used the conspiracy theory apparently to shut out genuine news that can do serious harm to a government.

As a retired sheep-breeder, can cite a case of a couple of years ago, when George Negus on an SBS programme gave a dramatic TV report about a shipment of Brazilian carcase meat, which our Aussie Bio-security said had to be destroyed because Brazil was banned as a meat exporter owing to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

Now Negus might have got carried away talking about the meat shipment should not have been just buried at the NSW tip, but owing to burrowing reptiles, the meat should have been chemically destroyed.

Personally I decided to insert a commentary about it in our OLO, but got a couple of answers similar to what was told to me by an SBS official that a government rep had told him that it was better to keep quiet about it.

So old retired me was left with the feeling that I had committed some sort of conspiracy, at the same time increasing my hate for a government that had also helped to ruin a breeder's future by joining Dubya Bush in the bi-lateral trade agreement which by allowing the Brazilian shipment has certainly smeared Australia's Bio-security reputation as among the world's best

Quite interesting piece

I must take issue with this assertion though – “The bulk of environmentalists draw from the left wing and academic sections of society, where conspiracy theories are not generally entertained”

The left is just as susceptible to conspiracy theories as the right and religious fundamentalists – it’s a characteristic of all extremists and “true believers”, religious and secular.

Try googling the following phrases and you’ll find, amid some sensible stuff, a wealth of red and green conspiracy theories:

Big oil
The military-industrial complex
Blood for oil
the rich get richer, the poor get poorer
race to the bottom
peak oil
greenwash
greenhouse deniers

Ow dear, here I go again about to get a mouthful from folks that get upset when a threat to their comfortable slumber arises.

Put the word "theory" in ya pipe and smoke it.

You all know whom David Rockefeller is I assume? Those that don't, he's pretty much the head chief CEO of America! (and the Bilderberg, CFR, Trilateral Commission, ect)

David Rockefeller's book 'Memoirs' in Chapter 27, pages 404 and 405; Printed by Random House, New York, 2002...go buy a copy, prove me right!

"Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure--one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it."

Dealing With The Mob. What you are describing is a process and a set of procedures that supports an age old culture. The fact that the process has been designed and developed by people in the system qualifies it as a conspiracy.

There is definately a conspiracy to ignore and cover up allegations of bias, bullying and misconduct in education and to ignore and cover up allegations of child abuse/neglect in general.

There is also no doubt that the paperwork that is relied upon by the system is prepared by them. The process has been finetuned so that matters are only ever handled one way and so that privacy and rights prohibit anybody from asking questions or seeking answers. It is all one sided and so that there can only ever be one outcome.

Of course the problem is that the way it is now, our children are not protected.

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better.

It would appear that Duncan M. Roads, editor and owner of Nexus Magazine (an international bi-monthly alternative news magazine covering geopolitics; science; the unexplained; health; human rights; environmental issues; and history) may be a bit of a conspiracist himself.
This is an announcement on the home page of Nexus:
"NEXUS email and server problems - PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT MANY EMAILS TO AND FROM THE USA AND AUSTRALIAN OFFICES ARE GOING ASTRAY. WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THIS IS DUE TO THE DEPT. OF HOMELAND SECURITY PERIODICALY 'SAMPLING' OUR EMAILS. (It seems we are deemed as "subversive" or something.)"
Or am I missing an elaborate hoax?

I see that admission from Rockheadfella's quote "working against the best interests of the United States" unquote didn't ruffle your "it's just a theory" pillow feathers...ok, so now I gotta put this old Torana into first gear....Prince Philip admitted during his interview with People Dec. 21, 1981 titled ``Vanishing Breeds Worry Prince Philip, But Not as Much as Overpopulation.''

'People' Q: What do you consider the leading threat to the environment?

'Prince Philip' A: "Human population growth is probably the single most serious long-term threat to survival ...If it isn't controlled voluntarily, it will be controlled involuntarily by an increase in disease, starvation and war."

Using "war" hey? Rings a bell....no Bin Laden, no WMD in Iraq, and now '"Bush sanctions 'black ops' against Iran"...which is all called a "war against terrorism"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=E3KMWW5VVIXZNQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2007/05/27/wiran27.xml

Anyone still snoring?

Funny thing about conspiracy "theories".

Over time, many are found to actually be true or are never properly debunked.

Often this is due to Government stonewalling or their tendency to withhold vital information from an interested public (for reasons only known to themselves).

Something has to fill this void and it's usually a mixture of fact and speculation.

The only thing that everybody can be sure of is that we are seldom told the (whole) truth and the only choice we get is to decide what version of reality we want to live in.

OK, Frank Gol, what about -

Governments do not employ enough investigators to investigate the disclosures of whistleblowers. This is a government conspiracy to ensure that damaging disclosures are not investigated.

And-
Can you nail the difference between a cover-up and a conspiracy for me? Maybe a cover-up is something that happens after a whistleblower exposes a conspiracy? But don't people conspire to cover-up?

Dealing With The Mob

The problem lies in proving intention to conspire - i.e. to work secretly together to commit or conceal a reprehensible or illegal action. Sure governments may fail to employ enough investigators. But their reasons may be (a) inadequate funds because they have other priorities, or (b) lack of conviction that the issue is worth the effort, or (c) sheer incompetence in responding to an issue, or (d) complacency and arrogance, or (e) other motives.

It's important to distinguish between intention and effect otherwise you can end up calling anything bad that a government does (or doesn't do) a conspiracy. And if you do that, people stop taking you seriously.

You're right to say that a cover-up is something that (often, but not always) happens after a whistleblower exposes a conspiracy. And people do conspire to cover-up. Conspirators don't want their actions exposed obviously and secrecy is paramount to them.

Which is worse: the substantive conspiracy (to commit illegal actions, to defraud, to mislead etc) or the cover-up that may be attempted after the whistle has been blown?

I agree that treating whistleblowers as if they were criminals or lepers (as has happened recently) is totally reprehensible.

I'm all in favour of introducing whistelblower protection laws where they don't exist (at Commonwealth level) and stronger ones where they do exist (in some of the States). In an ideal world we'd reward whistleblowers not punish them as the Commonwealth has done recently. But this is not an ideal world - and politicians with the most to lose from public exposure make the laws.

Now forgive me if I am wrong, but wouldn't this Rockafella fella be more interested in what is right for his business than what is right for the United States?

So, if what was in his business best interests was not in the best interest of the US, would it not be true to say that he was then working agianst the best interests of the US?

Spot on JamesH, spot on.

JamesH said: "Now forgive me if I am wrong, but wouldn't this Rockafella fella be more interested in what is right for his business than what is right for the United States?"

You're forgiven ;) - No feed back on Price Philip, though?

Anyway, here's one of Rockheadfella's good friend's that also openly admits to be conspiring against the will of the global public...enter Henry Kissinger and his EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE 1991 statement, that David Rockheadfella seeks also;

"Today America would be outraged if UN troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told that there were an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by the World Government."

Anyone seen the movie 1984 where made up "threats" are used to scare the public into "submission" ? Kissinger and Rockheadfella have!

Here's Henry Kissinger on video admitting it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bKwH3kJew4

Why care about Henry Kissinger? Because he tells G.W Bush what to do... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/28/60minutes/main2047607_page3.shtml

And after March 2003, we ALL know G.W Bush tells John W Howard what to do.. http://www.australiamatters.com/media/bush_exposes_howard.wmv

Posted by aussierod, Sunday, 24 June 2007 11:25:23 AM

You're forgiven ;) - No feed back on Price Philip, though?

I was hoping to avoid that one!

Prince Philip is right that the biggest threat is human overpopulation.

In the past the growth of the human population was controlled by disease, food supply and war.

Lets also consider that in some western countries the population is now in negative decline and perhaps the three biggest factors is firstly affluence, secondly birth control and thirdly feminism.

We have DINKS (dual income no kids), in Australia we seem to be having a growing singles base.

Now I wouldn't wish another world war on anyone, because it is horrible and besides it us blokes who get used a cannon fodder and I bet that if everyone was conscripted except for pregnant women, Australias birth rate would sky rocket over night.

Angry Harry has provided recently some interesting perspectives on war.

The Battle Of Alesia

The Shadow of the Gladiator

http://www.angryharry.com/youremails.htm

"Now I wouldn't wish another world war on anyone, because it is horrible and besides it us blokes who get used a cannon fodder"

Yes indeedie - I agree, so did Henry Kissinger when he said;

“Military men are just dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy.”

When theses people ARE NOT getting onto our TV NEWS and making all of this agenda public, it's a CONSPIRACY FACT

Their ideal population number is 500 million - We are at 6.5 billion today.

Seriously, research Former CNN owner Ted Turner and his 350,000 number, Prince Philip and his involvement in the Eugenics program (stuff Hitler liked), The 500 million Georgia Guide Stones etc.,

Sadly, your all going to hear a lot more about this "war of terrorism" ('war on the populations' 1984 style) dribble and pandemics like the "bird flu" in the coming years.

Research how many micro biologists have been MURDERED since 9/11 - I lost count after 23 - Go luck finding honest people to make anti-virus vacancies.

Mystery solved here - When these folks don't get on TV and tell you all about this stuff...that is a 'conspiracy reality'!

Jesus Christ is the only answer!

Take care, and don't take THEIR vaccinations!

I'll leave you all now for my work here is done!

The over-population thing is just as much an over consumption thing.

My family's environmental footprint is probably less than a DINKS or some dyke's for that matter. Lifestyle choices are what eat up resources. So, responsibly raisng my children as 'consumae moderati' is my challenge.

As for the Greek Prince, well, I think his enviro footprint is sized up by that of his mouth where his foot frequently resides!

You betcha. There are ongoing conspiracies within the public service, plotted by senior bureaucrats to dupe the public.

The evidence is there.

Latest exposures:

1. Crime and Corruption Enquiries in WA. Ministers found guilty.

2. Burke and Grill conspiring with senior bureaucrats and ministers.

3. Burke conspiring with senior DEC officers during environmental assessments to achieve a favourable result for developers. Stuff the environment!

4. DEC, captured by industry, turning a blind eye whilst mining company and the Port Authority contaminate Esperance residents with lead. Current parliamentary enquiry sees these crooks squirming in their chairs.

5. Minister releases confidential parliamentary documents to lobbyist friend who gives it to his mining mate for tampering.

The list is endless - senior bureaucrats and ministers ensuring profits for a few and all to the detriment of the taxpayers who are mainly asleep at the wheel!

How do I get a direct line to heads of departments and their ministers? I need a few favours done on the quiet but keep that to yourself. OK?