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Hidden Agenda Figures

Conspiracy theories are like influenza – it’s always around, but sometimes, it’s worse than others. And as we approach the quadrennial contest for First Citizen, we can be equally sure of hearing more conspiracy theories. Not all conspiracy theories are created equal. Some are less ridiculous than others.
The 9-11 and Moon landing conspiracy theories I rank at the more ridiculous end of the spectrum. In both cases, there are many witnesses who were involved in the actual events who continue to say that the mainstream narratives are correct. In neither case has a person with actual inside knowledge of the alleged conspiracy come forward and said, “Yep, we faked the whole thing. I can no longer live with myself, and, oh, by the way, where’s my seven-figure book deal?” Yet either conspiracy would have required at least hundreds, more likely thousands, of people to have successfully pulled them off. Remember what Ben Franklin said, “Three may keepasecret, if two of them are dead.” The chance of a conspiracy being revealed increases as the square of the number of people involved.
One current conspiracy theory that is just too credible to be dismissed is the popular “Epstein didn’t commit suicide” theory. The evidence is mounting and two guards charged with Epstein’s safety have now been arrested. I put the chance of suicide being disproven at about 80%, and the chance of discovering who was responsible for killing him at less than 10%. And I do not assume that the Clintons were involved. They’re among the dozens of wealthy and influential people who may have had something to hide on this one.
Now, one more credible conspiracy theory is that the mainstream media is conspiring to present the public with shiny objects like the impeachment hearings or even the Browns-Steelers fight to distract us from “more important” stories like pedophiles in government (the backstory on Epstein) or the threat to civil liberties represented by the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, currently in Congress on its way to President Trump’s desk.
That’s not how MSM works, even today when too few companies control too much of the media. The people who run it on a daily basis like two things: stories that are easy to cover and stories that are easy to sell. Impeachment is not really that different from the football story. There are two clearly defined sides that don’t like each other, and that will do anything to win. And each side has its fan base.
In contrast, the reauthorization of the Patriot Act is complicated. It’s difficult to get the average American to understand how the act compromises her freedom, especially when she knows she has “nothing to hide.” It’s a difficult story to cover and, even worse, it doesn’t sell many papers or draw many viewers. The explanation needing the fewest assumptions is the most likely. And laziness and the desire for a fat paycheck is always a simpler explanation than conspiracy.

1 thought on “Hidden Agenda Figures”

  1. Media laziness and obsession with ratings for their circus is one of the few areas in which I agree with Pres. Trump. Of Course his obstruction of justice and bribery are important, but the scope of government over-reach, the beltway culture of obfuscation, and excessive defense spending are not issues that people want to consider.

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