sabacthani (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} sabacthani) wrote in fuz22, |
Yeah, I really can't believe in an intentional conspiracy like the one you describe, it just doesn't fit. For one thing, I really think that they could have done it much, much better.
If al-Qaeda was half the organization that they've been painted as then I think there would have been more than a few devastating attacks on American soil in the past several years. I mena, come on, how hard could it be to blow up a small town post office or six? And that sort of shit would really terrify people.
Now, imagine if al-Qaeda also had the backing of the US Government. That surge of popularity that Bush got after 9/11? It would be nothing compared to the wave of fear-inspired veneration after the Statue of Liberty, the Sears Tower, and the Golden Gate Bridge (although I'd focus on small town post offices, if it were me).
And yet what has Bush done? Raised the "Threat Level" to Orange. So, he _is_ manipulating the American people, but he's not doing it nearly as effectively as even a third-rate DC villain would. If it were Doom or Luthor in charge, I'd probably find myself supporting them. (Heck, I'd vote for von Doom anyway, he's awesome).
-half an hour of reading wikipedia's comics entries later- Right, where was I? Oh, just that I was going to echo Pleth, but without using the word stochastic--while I refuse to believe intentional conspiracy theories on that scale, it is certainly true that things are going very well for him, and at some level that knowledge must dictate his actions.
So no, I don't think Bush say, "Muhahaha, I'll attack a sovereign Arab nation, and thus increase terrorism so that I can achieve godlike control over the country!" I do believe that he says, "Well, let's see. We attacked Iraq, how did that go? From my point of view, it went very well, indeed. Ok, Iran!"
I'll add that I do believe that there exists a group of people in power who are delibrately trying to skew elections in order to elect leaders sympathetic to their political / economic interests. I also believe that these people are trying to alter the balance of power in the American Government so that these leaders will control a greater amount of power than the President traditionally is allowed. But that's not really a conspiracy, but rather common knowledge.
If al-Qaeda was half the organization that they've been painted as then I think there would have been more than a few devastating attacks on American soil in the past several years. I mena, come on, how hard could it be to blow up a small town post office or six? And that sort of shit would really terrify people.
Now, imagine if al-Qaeda also had the backing of the US Government. That surge of popularity that Bush got after 9/11? It would be nothing compared to the wave of fear-inspired veneration after the Statue of Liberty, the Sears Tower, and the Golden Gate Bridge (although I'd focus on small town post offices, if it were me).
And yet what has Bush done? Raised the "Threat Level" to Orange. So, he _is_ manipulating the American people, but he's not doing it nearly as effectively as even a third-rate DC villain would. If it were Doom or Luthor in charge, I'd probably find myself supporting them. (Heck, I'd vote for von Doom anyway, he's awesome).
-half an hour of reading wikipedia's comics entries later- Right, where was I? Oh, just that I was going to echo Pleth, but without using the word stochastic--while I refuse to believe intentional conspiracy theories on that scale, it is certainly true that things are going very well for him, and at some level that knowledge must dictate his actions.
So no, I don't think Bush say, "Muhahaha, I'll attack a sovereign Arab nation, and thus increase terrorism so that I can achieve godlike control over the country!" I do believe that he says, "Well, let's see. We attacked Iraq, how did that go? From my point of view, it went very well, indeed. Ok, Iran!"
I'll add that I do believe that there exists a group of people in power who are delibrately trying to skew elections in order to elect leaders sympathetic to their political / economic interests. I also believe that these people are trying to alter the balance of power in the American Government so that these leaders will control a greater amount of power than the President traditionally is allowed. But that's not really a conspiracy, but rather common knowledge.
