Re: From TAM (The American Muslim)

[Jim Devine <jdevine03@xxxxxxxxx>]

> The War of the Titans:  Who Will Control "Democratic
> Capitalism"
>
> by Dr. Robert D. Crane
>
> "Most of today's conflicts in present day Asia and
> Africa may be traced to imperial/colonial powers that
> occupied these lands, and carved them up for the
> benefit of the conquering Europeans. Carving up Iraq
> will continue this policy of divide and rule." So
> writes Enver Masud, head of The Wisdom Fund, in his
> article of October 10, 2006, entitled "Iraq: Divide
> and Rule, 'Ethnic Cleansing Works'.
>
> This is one conspiracy theory.  But there are others.
> Perhaps American policy toward Iraq was designed to
> weaken opposition to colonial rule by forcing
> independent peoples into a single centralized state,
> but now internal opposition is forcing the NeoCons to
> face reality.

these aren't really conspiracy theories. Rather, they are speculations
about the motives of our power elite. This kind of speculation can be
useful for predicting the future.

However, like real conspiracy theories, it's too often an
after-the-fact rationalization of what actually happened. It's like
structural functionalism, in which some real-world phenomenon (e.g.,
men wearing hats) is explained by the function it plays in stablizing
society in some way (e.g., by maintaining a respectful relationship
between the sexes). Isn't it _interesting_ that soon after after that
dangerous liberal, John F. Kennedy, induced men in the U.S. to stop
wearing hats that women started complaining about so-called "sexism"??
;-)

Here are some reasonable definitions of "conspiracy theory" from
http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com :

>   1.  A conspiracy theory is a theory that defies common historical or current understanding of events, under the claim that those events are the result of manipulations by two or more individuals or various secretive powers or conspiracies.

>   2. A "conspiracy theory" is a colloquial term for referring to unconventional theories about current or historical event, with the connotation that those theories are unfounded, outlandish, or irrational or in some way unworthy of serious consideration. In this sense, the term is sometimes used to refer to events with which no association to an actual "conspiracy" in the legal sense (two or more persons plotting and one overt act related to the plot) is claimed. In this sense "conspiracy theory" is often simply an allegation of clandestine action, based on little or no solid evidence. Thus the expression "conspiracy theory" in common speech is often used as a term of derision for an allegation that the speaker considers unproven, unlikely, or false. <
--
Jim Devine / "Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the
rich." -- Napoleon