2007-10-1 04:54:00
Here's a dialog I had with a reader of my chapter on Conspiracy Theory.
Reader quoting JJ:
"He (Moroni) tells us that the destruction of his people was caused by a secret combination of people who took secret oaths and will stop at nothing including murder to gain power."
Reader:
"Part Five (of JJ's new book) is excellent, the comparison of the Gadianton robbers with Al Qaeda, etc., certainly does make them seem to be the modern day equivalent. My concern beyond that fine comparison comes from the realm of common sense. Moroni's expression 'the destruction of his people' to continue the analogy would be the destruction of the American people. To my mind, as nefarious as Al Qaeda is, as ambitiously anti-American as it is, is hardly a force capable of the destruction of America."
JJ:
Think again. The one attack on 9/11 cost much more than 3000 lives and the cost of the buildings. The repercussions of it cost us over a trillion dollars. After the attack many worried about a possible stock market collapse. Fortunately, we just had a mini market crash, but imagine if there were three 911s one right after another. or imagine if a nuclear bomb was smuggled across the borders into New York and Washington. In some ways this would be worse than an attack by Russia or China because we may not be able to pinpoint where it came from. The country would be in panic and limbo -- especially after conspiracy theories surfaced and half the country is pointing fingers at our own government and president.
Several successful attacks by extreme Moslems and we could have a complete collapse and don't think they haven't thought about it.
Reader:
"Perhaps it is because I am so steeped in an avid interest in WW2 history, the efforts so far, including 911, of Al Qaeda to 'destroy America' is barely a blip on the radar screen, in reality."
JJ:
And in 1937 Hitler was only considered a blip on the radar screen and believed to be completely manageable.
Reader:
"You want to see destroyed, see Coventry or Berlin or Stalingraad. Or even Jerusalem at 70 AD. Hardly New York City 2001 or America 2001."
JJ:
Extremists do not have to carpet bomb our cities they just have to create a couple more 911s or detonate a nuclear bomb. Our own panic would do the rest.
Reader:
"Al Qaeda are called 'terrorists' because terror of the citizens psychologically is their only real weapon. Even if they nuked a big American city, that would not be the destruction of America."
JJ:
Neither was Berlin and Stallingrad destroyed, but why go through the pain if it is not necessary? I'm sure many thought the Gadianton Robbers could be contained without going after them and for periods of time they seemed to be but eventually they were able to carry out great destruction. It took the Gadianton Robbers 450 years to destroy the Nephites, but they created much difficulty in between. I do not think we have 450 years to neutralize the Moslem extremists.
Reader:
"My point is, how much of a threat to truly be 'the destruction of the people' is Al Qaeda? Not much, in terms of reason and common sense. On the other hand, if, as the conspiracy folks would have it, Bush and/or Illuminati (which certainly is a secret combination) are engineering global financial collapse, just to use one non- military option, to plunge the economy of the USA back into a 1930s depression, or far worse, would certainly make anything Al Qaeda did seem like a brawl in a bar more than the destruction of a people."
JJ:
First, as I said a couple more successful attacks could cause an economic collapse.
Secondly I have followed the Conspiracy theories for over 40 years and all this time they have been predicting such a collapse within the next year or two. I'll tell you if there is a conspiracy they seem to be pretty powerless in fulfilling their word as passed down to the true believers. Conspiracy believers have been wrong on every prediction they have made for over 40 years. How much credibility do they have? How much have they proven they really know? Not much. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day and sooner or later we may have a collapse. Right now the danger is not from an Illuminati but from a government that spends like drunken sailors and a people wanting a free lunch. Such overspending is indeed a real danger. I know this is a danger but I know of no one with any credible knowledge of a shadow conspiracy that is able predict anything of note.
How many times on this list have we seen predictions of what the Conspiracy was up to and nothing happened?
Here is one of them from message http://groups.yahoo.com/group/davids_outcasts/message/20002:
"Paul Wofowitz will authorize the detonation of a nuclear payload in the Houston area on December 27, 2004. The Hidden Hand network (Mossad/al-Qaeda/SAS) of which he is the nominal controller has verified in advance every aspect of operational integrity - a failsafe job with zero chance of discovery.
"Houston has been primed for months via deliberate mismanagement, incompetence, corruption and embezzlement at its FEMA-independent Emergency Center. The police and fire services have been deliberately and systematically sabotaged and thrown into administrative chaos so as to ensure maximum fatalities in the aftermath of the detonation. However, the existence of the center will provide the Bush administration with a 'we did everything we could' excuse.
"We believe the Hidden Hand envisages the following scenario:
"1. Detonation on Dec 27 (could be delayed, but all our intercepts point to this date).
"2. The State Department blames 'al-Qaeda,' whose leaders are allegedly hiding in Iran.
"3. Iran (truthfully) denies giving refuge to said leaders.
"4. Bush issues Iran with a cowboy-style deadline for delivery of alleged leaders.
"5. Iran fails to comply because it cannot.
"6. UN convenes in emergency session - no agreement (Watch Ariel Sharon quietly flee to his private estate in Greece).
"7. Other foreign intelligence agencies dispute the State Department version.
"8. Happily for Wolfowitz, Osama bin Laden releases a videotape claiming responsibility, warning America not to attack his 'brave warriors' in Iran.
"9. American fighters launch a 'decapitation' attack on the Iranian government and alleged 'al-Qaeda' bases."
(End of quote)
I've seen many dire predictions like this over the past 45 years and none of them have come true. Think of all the false predictions around Y2K. I think if one prediction came true tomorrow I would just figure it was time for a fluke of luck.
The problem is that when there is a calamity people like the false prophet above will point the finger of blame at our own government whether it is guilty or not.
Reader:
"It doesn't take far left or far right conspiracy nuts to tremble at the present state of the US dollar, and by consequence, the global economy. Most of the 'conspiracy theory' I read on a regular basis comes from economic commentary from those in the gold community. Which truly threatens the future and viability of the American people more: the one hit wonders Al Qaeda? Or a stock market propped up by the government? A dollar growing weaker and weaker as more and more fantasy money is created out of nothing by the Fed? A crisis in the financial mortgage world so precarious, only last month we saw what devastation to the people's wealth that lingering monster can wreck."
JJ:
The possible financial problems are traceable to real causes that have very little to do with a shadow government. Now if there were a collapse we can rest assured that some very bad fellows would try to take advantage and many would see these people as the conspiracy becoming visible.
Reader:
"What would scare you more, JJ, to wake up one morning to another bombing of the Sears Tower in Chicago by Al Qaeda? Or news China is ridding itself of 50 percent of its holdings of US securities and converting to Euros and gold instead."
JJ:
China isn't likely to do this on a mass scale but if they did then we just might get scared into fiscal responsibility. However if Al-Qaeda took down the Sears tower the question would be what next? That would not be the end of it.
Reader:
"The dollar at 65.0 on the USDX? China alone could wipe out the American people as an economically viable entity. My point is, if the secret combinations in the world wanted to, America is so terribly vulnerable to economic collapse due to its impossible debt situation to other nations, they could truly destroy America."
JJ:
China isn't really a secret combination. We can pretty much see what they are up to.
Reader:
"The conspiracy stuff I have read involving economic factors (and I'm not saying I believe it or not) suggest the Illuminati (the secret combination) has Bush and China in cahoots engineering a huge economic collapse. Frankly, a planned economic collapse is about the only sensible scenario to explain the incredibly bad state of the US economy, from the view of its global standing."
JJ:
I don't think so. I see plenty of reason right out in the open that's causing our problems.
Reader:
"This isn't even conspiracy talk by any means, main stream new magazines have had big stories on the precariousness of the US economic system."
JJ:
So we agree it is not conspiracy by some shadow government.
Reader:
"The motto of the Illuminati is Order Out of Chaos. But they don't mean natural chaos, they mean chaos they create, out of which they advance their men and their policies."
JJ:
And you find this motto where? And where do we find this interpretation of its meaning? And I can find the Illuminati where? The Nephites could contact the Gadianton robbers.
Reader:
"For a good historical example, Illuminati inspired or not, consider the economic ruin of post-WWI Germany. A nation ruined by what? Losing a war?"
JJ:
The problem in Germany was simply that they just printed up too much money. Simple as that.
Reader:
"No nation in the history of the planet has ever done what the Americans have done and are doing in their economic, fiat money system, and avoided some sort of economic conflagration."
JJ:
Fiat money would work fine if government spending was under control. If you don't like your fiat money you can send it to me.
Reader:
"Add to that the conspiratorial helping hand of the Illuminati or whatever name you want to give it, and you have a recipe for the real destruction of the American people, which was the warning Moroni gave."
JJ:
I see no evidence of an Illuminati as advertised. Sure there are thousands of small conspiracies seeking to establish their own interest but that will always be the case. The real conspiracy is on the other side of the veil and these dark brothers shift their attention from place to place so when it seems you have found the conspirators in the flesh the focus of attention moves.
Copyright © 2007 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved