This is a little long, but it is relevant.
I got the link to this guys site via the We Are Change facebook group~ and this was one of his other posts...
http://fivecentrevolution.com/default.asp?p=comments&s=a&i=48Staying Sane While Holding Government Accountable
Posted by: Sam Adams
1/6/2011
I do not really belong to a political party. I certainly do not belong to the Democratic or Republican Party. Without belaboring the issue I would not call myself a Libertarian either, although it may begin to sound like I am. Suffice it to say that my primary political viewpoint is one that favors small government, personal liberty and responsibility. I believe the government is corrupt, has gone rogue, and that the people have ceased to hold it accountable. I believe “our” representatives now represent big business and big lobbies, not the people. As Ron Paul might say, this is not Capitalism – it is Corporatism. They are no longer our servants, they are our controllers. In my view, the role of the Federal Government is to provide basic infrastructure and national defense.
The problem I face is finding like-minded people who I feel comfortable banding with on political beliefs. First off, I am a staunch empiricist. I am an atheist. It seems that most people who fall generally on my side of the political spectrum and share my views are not only believers, but fundamentalists. This is the much smaller of two problems for me, however. The larger problems is…
It seems as though an increasing number of people who share my political beliefs are kooks.
Now, the timing of this article is poor. I have been thinking about these things for quite some time – and it is a matter of coincidence that I write this now. It has nothing to do with the slayings in Arizona. As I have researched government corruption, constitutional abuses, and related topics, I have noticed one important thing. Other people who research similar issues visit the same sites, cite the same sources, and (most importantly) believe in often strange and bizarre conspiracy theories. It may in fact be true, for instance, that Sodium Fluoride can be hazardous to our health. It is quite another thing to believe there is a concerted and coordinated effort on the part of government agencies to “poison” the American people and make us sterile and stupid. It may in fact be true that our government has not told us the truth about 9/11, and that the 9/11 Commission’s investigation was – at best – inept. It is quite another thing to believe that the U.S. Government (or Israel) planned and coordinated the attack, or let it happen for some other gain. If you believe that every single nut job who kills government employees is a patsy, you are probably a kook. If you believe every single attack against the U.S. – plotted or performed –is a false flag event, you are probably a kook. If you believe that anyone who does not whole-heartedly agree that these events are staged by the government is a provocateur, saboteur, CIA agent, or all of the above, you are probably a kook. If you believe that I am a CIA agent because I am writing this now, you are definitely a kook.
Here is a dose of reality. There is corruption in the government – known and unknown. People in the conspiracy realm do not adhere to an evidentiary standard in the same way of those who really want the truth. Instead, they abuse or misinterpret evidence in the same circular manner as religious zealots. Evidence – no matter how loose and unconnected – that supports the conspiracy view is gobbled up and viewed as absolute proof of the conspiracy. Evidence that is contrary to the conspiracy view is ignored or discounted. It is accused of being manufactured – it is accused of being propaganda. This well-known psychological phenomenon is known as Confirmation Bias. It is one bias that, coupled with the Barnum Effect, makes Astrology and Psychics seem valid. The reason why the conspiracy theorist will continue to belief has to do with the principle of falsifiability. A theory has to be falsifiable. That is to say, the theory has to have the possibility of being proven wrong. Because of the circular reasoning mentioned above, the theorist’s mind is already made up – and no evidence, no matter how strong, will prove their theory wrong. In their mind, there is always something wrong with the evidence.
I cannot seem to find many people who are skeptical of government and are not absolutely convinced that we are intentionally be poisoned by eugenicists who want population reduction. Fluoride. Chemtrails. The idea that GMO is not a way for money-hungry food producers to produce larger quantities of food faster and maximize profit, but instead a way to poison, sterilize, or (INSERT YOUR FAVORITE MOTIVE) people.
The government does continue to take our personal liberties. Look at the Patriot Act. Look at threatened legislation to curb our right to tell politicians to go ******** themselves (that statement can be interpreted as aggressive, which could be interpreted as violent or threatening –that might be illegal). There are even people who openly promote population reduction and a one world government. But these facts do not meet in some amalgam in the sky, combine with unknown other facts to make a reality. It is an illusory correlation – the perception of a correlation or relationship where none exists. If you genuinely want the truth – at least set some standards to let you know when you have arrived. More importantly, set some standards to let you know when your theory has failed. Our government can be reformed. Our politicians can be held accountable. We can have our liberty back and not be taxed to death (and beyond). Living in reality will go a long way to attain these goals. Do not call me a mole, spook, or fed. Stop calling Penn Jillette a fed. Be open to the possibility that your specific theory about (fill in the blank) may not be 100% - or even 1% correct.
http://fivecentrevolution.com/default.asp?p=comments&s=a&i=48 
Reply
