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Conspiracies

With so many conspiracy theories floating around, along with facts and verifiable evidence, to speak of another conspiracy is to tumble into the land of the crazed. Is this the era of postmodern political science fiction?

Talking to people about the various coincidental elements around the Sept 11 incident — when did the CIA know, and wasn’t Osama Bin Laden a CIA agent, and who invested funds in Airline stocks, I began to wonder, what is a real conspiracy? Conspiracy we know is a term used by the legal establishment to arrest people for talking to each other about acts they might commit but don’t have to do. Conspiracy is a blanket tool to catch all. The Chicago 7 or 8 (if you include Bobby Seal) were accused of a Conspiracy, in 1970-71, to disrupt the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, by the Federal Government. They were tried in the court of Judge Julius Hoffman who was a character out of a grotesque comic strip. The Conspiracy 8 brought 160 witnesses to testify for their case — which they considered necessary as the government was attacking the movement, so they brought in the movement. They were never convicted of a conspiracy but were charged with “contempt of court,” which was certainly true, but they also didn’t serve any real time for that either.

Now the September 11 event or conspiracy is almost as important as the Enron bankruptcy which one can call a conspiracy if one doesn’t know much about corporate business, the stock market, schemes and scams to invest/exchange money and make money without working or producing anything, manipulation of finances and the newer instruments such as derivatives and the old one — gambling and cheating.

If you are surprised by something you didn’t know, and are ignorant of the mechanisms of its operation, you might think “aha — a conspiracy.” Unfamiliarity or ignorance can lead to an assumption of conspiracy, simply through surprise as to how nasty the event can prove to be. The Enron story is filled with connivance’s that are complex but not unfathomable and even humorous. Tyco and Global Crossing are in similar trouble with lessor notoriety. The borrowing and inflating of prices, skimming corporate funds off the top by top management, stiffing the employees (not the workers — although them too — indirectly), financing/buying politicians who change the laws and “deregulate” to profit various deals and manipulative machinations — if all this is a surprise, you think “uh huh — a conspiracy.” However, if you read the papers deeply, looking beyond the headlines and into various sources, or you’ve taken Economics 101 and studied the stock market and understand some of its operation, then half the story is no surprise it’s corporate capitalism as usual and no conspiracy, just the way the system works.

There is a KPFA programmer, Dennis Bernstien (“Flashpoints”) who is very good at calling and talking to people who know much about the Enron scandal and the Sept 11 events — educated historians, writers, public officials, experts — who usually know the history of an event and so fill in data and insight not to be found in any of the usual news sources. When he does all this work, listeners begin to understand the operation, nevertheless, as an investigative reporter he considers most of these revelations a result of conspiracies. He has been at this sort of thing for no less than eight or nine years discovering each week another conspiracy. After about five of them, I sent him a note and said, “Hey friend, these are hardly conspiracies — this is the way the system works.” They cheat, hide the information, try to get away with it, outside or just inside the law, steal rob, lie and then cover up, hide, run away or scram. Low life gangsters do it in the movies, upper class corporate executives do it to their friends — rob and steal. Ivan Boesky's partner (old scandal) turned him in!. Boesky was an arbitrageur, an inside trader. The Enron event will turn up various co-workers in management who will turn others in — if it will get them less of a fine or avoid penalties.

The Wall Street Journal has written that they don’t expect anyone to go to jail since it is hard to pin down when they knew they were dealing and selling their stocks and delivered misinformation to others. Given the investigation of this event/scandal/crime (or criminal conspiracy — legal term) we can expect what the WSJ says, No one from Enron will go to jail. Now why?

Here is another part of the story, which may explain why, derived from an article in the NY Times (Jan 16, 02:C7) and followed up via the Net and web pages. We can call this “connective research’ not to be found in usual media examples.

The Justice Department has taken on the Enron case, as it should, since there may be some illegal acts that were committed, however it is a touchy, potential political nightmare for Bush and Cheney. The NY Times article opened with this firecracker:

“With Attorney General John Ashcroft and virtually the entire legal staff of the US attorneys office in Houston disqualified from the Enron criminal investigation, the Justice Department has been forced to rapidly assemble a pickup team of prosecutors and investigators to unravel Enron’s collapse.”

That piqued my interest as well it might. How come the “entire legal staff” in Houston had to recuse itself. (Funny word — not accuse, re-cuse). It turns out that the “criminal investigation will be centered in Houston,” after all the home of the Enron empire and the crime, however “the Justice Department is being forced to recruit a fresh team of prosecutors because Michael T. Shelby, the US attorney in Houston and virtually the entire legal staff of Mr. Shelby’s office were disqualified on grounds that they were acquainted with Enron employees.” I liked that paragraph as well. The “entire…” and “acquainted with Enron employees.” That was not the joke — there is a better one I found in a search for US Attorney M.T. Shelby. The announcement from his office in Texas stated: “Mt. Shelby … of the Southern District of Texas recused from participation in all matters related to the criminal investigation into the collapse into bankruptcy of Enron corporation because… The specific concern underlying this decision stems from the fact that a number of current employees, including the US Attorney, are related by blood or marriage to current or former employees of Enron who might at a later date be determined to be victims or witnesses in the matters expected to be investigated or civilly litigated.” They were not just acquaintances, hanging out at the same bars and fancy restaurants as attorneys and legal folks will do, rather there is “blood and marriage” between the legal arm of the US government in Houston and the criminal corporation of Enron. Mr. Shelby’s, brother-in-law is a lawyer for Enron North America.

How will the US Attorney’s Office in Houston handle the case? 

Wait, there is one more step in this activity which would bring up the matter of conspiracy once more, if you thought or I thought or we thought, that they are tricking us and hiding something and doing it behind our backs, whereas this I declare, it is the modus operendi of such people. How do they engage in an investigation that will fail, collapse and come up with, “well, yuh see y’all, we lost the keys to the safe, and the documents got thrown away and we couldn’t find anythin’ anyway and there are no real facts we can pin on anyone and if there is then the doorman and the people who clean the buildin’ are guilty and will be sent to jail.” Remember bankers who put away the drug money don’t go to jail, it’s the small fry on the corner. Big shots in a few cases but the little guys get it first. If Lay or Skilling goes to jail then I will give up reading the Wall Street Journal.

That the US attorney in Houston is part of the fracas is only part of it. John Ashcroft who received some $50,000 for his campaign to the Senate from Enron recused himself, has chosen as his chief investigator an African American Deputy attorney general from Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Larry D. Thompson is the selected legal counselor, noted as the lawyer who helped Clarence Thomas gain his seat at the Supreme Court. The NY Times paragraph reads: “Mr. Thompson is proving to be a reliable second-in-command for Mr. Ashcroft and the White House. Top federal prosecutor in Atlanta during the presidency of Mr. Bush’s father. Mr. Thompson won his credentials with the Bush camp in 1991 when he helped guide Clarence Thomas through a tumultuous confirmation as Supreme Court justice.” (Jan 16: C7) “After Hill passed a polygraph test, Thompson issued a statement saying that one could both lie and pass a lie detector test “if a person suffers from a delusional disorder.” His statement was read into the Senate record and Thompson was identified only as a former US attorney, not a lawyer trying to defend a client.” (Women’s e-news). In the same net page, we learn Thompson the black lawyer and Thomas the other black (African American) lawyer “both worked for Monsanto Co. in St. Louis.”

Now, given Deputy Attorney General L. D. Thompson's relations to the Bush family father and son, to his friend the Supreme court justice and his one time employer Monsanto, how do you think he will prosecute this case against Enron? Will he be a diligent investigator and seize their funds and offshore accounts and freeze them so we, the taxpayers and energy rate payers, can regain all that money they sequestered, stole and skimmed off the shareholders and others? Will he drive them to the wall and indict them for criminal activities? Have you heard anything more about his operation? Is he still investigating? 

Most likely, his investigation will turn up as much or less than the Congressional committees and the Wall St Journal is right, no one will go to prison for this and worse yet, the money may not be retrieved. 

Not a conspiracy just a regular day in the role of the courts and the politicians with their capitalist friends in that now famous “united we stand” confluence.

Post Script: If by some accident, a civil legal suit or miracle the investigation of Enron begins to include Cheney and Bush, expect a bombing of some defenseless country. Clinton did it during his scandal and impeachment proceedings, why not these friends of “Kenny Boy”?

2 Comments

  1. Mark Laszlo June 4, 2021

    For years there has been so much amateur confabulation about the greatest crimes, by the class that acts above the law, the crimes most important to correct, “conspiracy” is usually used in it’s secondary meaning, of a crazy idea, but the simple and primary meaning of conspiracy is a plan between people to commit a crime together. The Conspiracy Theory” is a conceptual tool in scientific crime detection, used by hard-nosed detectives. A good conspiracy theory leaves nothing assumed. Every essential point must be proved or it’s not police science. Amateurs alone and together can figure out who conspired and why JFK was murdered and who really attacked the USA on 9/11/01, with enough real dots to connect. I think there are. Years ago i would not believe it was Plan for A New American Century; the think tank of William Krystol, Dick Cheney, GWBush, Wm. Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld and John Bolton + the Mossad and Saudi spies, so they could pass the traitriot act to steal our freedom. If it’s to catch traitors, it should serve Donald Trump well. 9/11/01 is to launch “the war on terror”, a concept so simplistic, it’s success in acceptance makes Americans look real stupid. Anybody still believe the Warren Commission’s verdict that John Harvey Oswald acted alone to kill JFK? I would not believe 911 was an inside job. I thought those most invested in the system would not want to harm it. I did not realize what greed and power maddened rogues are running the world! Not only that, but they started WWIII with micronukes by 2003 at Baghdad and 4 countries now use tactical nukes fairly regularly in West Asia. In a world run by the Mad, everyone needs a Geiger counter and a fallout shelter. Our subverted government wages genetic warfare and God is just. Children are the future – if everything is done to save them from WWIII now!

  2. Mark Laszlo June 4, 2021

    Of course the system’s ‘normal’ crimes are accomplished via conspiracies, by the most dangerous types in the world, who wear 3 piece suits or pantsuits. Whatever sound, solid conspiracy theories about some members of the most rich and powerful class, are the most important theories to prove or disprove, openly. No-one is above the law, because if that is allowed to anyone, then there is no limit to the crimes and abuses they can get away with. Then, in this land “with liberty and justice for all”, justice will be a matter of luck or money. “Justice” will be a curse word if Donald Trump does not go to prison. Think of what will happen to respect for the law and courts. If you think about it, Donald Trump gives new meaning to the word “corruption”. But if he can stay free or get out of jail, the message to the human psyche, added to his insults to every standard, from killing half a million Americans with COVID19 and inciting an attack on Congress, for refusing him a second term, that 59 judges found no evidence worth considering. It was a lie made up by Donald Trump and zealous co-fabricators that he won 2020. And inciting a terrorist attack on that co-equal branch of the US Govt, for defying his demand to be declared the winner by Congress. The danger to what’s left of American democracy, operates a beach head in the seats of Trump supporting, republican congresspersons, who appear complicit in the attacks. Stars and bars and swastikas ran amok where they had hardly dared to reveal themselves before. An atomwaffen accellerationist, with others, stole a laptop from Nancy Pelosi’s office, for a friend to sell in Russia. But she does a sexy Zieg Heil! All in Lincoln’s watch, who ever dared to show the stars and bars in the halls of the People’s Congress? All in FDR’s and HST’s watches, did any dare show a swastika to define their allegance in the Halls of the People’s Congress, as decadent as it is, that sometimes works for the People. Which is better than the lawlessness of Trump and his like that tramples the law until it’s rubble under their feet, so they can do anything to you at all. But heck, exec orders have legalized such seizure of rights in national emergencies, POTUS can invoke martial law. From their habitual critic, (me), several prominent members of the national security establishment, who resisted his use of them to seize dictatorial power by way of executive orders, those senior officers and spymasters i tip my hat to. So they have some kind of ideals after all!

    “There exists a shadowy government with its own Air Force, its own Navy, its own fundraising mechanism, and the ability to pursue its own ideas of national interest, free from all checks and balances, and free from the law itself.”

    ~ Daniel K. Inouye
    (1924- ) US Senator, Hawaii-D (1963-present)
    at the Iran Contra Hearings, 1986

    For families to survive, we should correctly understand the worst threat to our liberty is fascism, poised to seize power, at some opportune chance, since they did not go far enough on 1/6/21 They did not lynch congresspersons or Mike Pence, who went to Trump later to patch things up. I could not make it up.

    But Donald Trump is above the law in effect if not plain meaning, if he does not go to prison, that it less than he deserves. That would say there is no justice for those above the law, like kings. Imagine how far that message will go, if DJT is not kept in prison. It would be more corruptible of credibility, faith and all that’s good and true, then DJT’s corruption of his follower’s self respect and credibility, since he told them to them lie. Faith in the best in the govt is battered in political typhoons. “Truth” is politicized. DJT’s followers in Congress could care less. It’s ammunition if believed. That’s close enough to win an election sometimes, but not in 2020!

    So why did we have a revolution?
    Minutemen, Washington, Jefferson, might call for another revolution, rather than endure the shabby imitation of liberty we should be so proud of, somewhere past the boot in my face.

    And well now, what is our most general, existential choice? To condemn
    close associates of jaded satanists, whose politics are better for you than their caprices, fascists outdoing even satanists for evil. I’d like to see the grand old ship go to it’s inevitable fate, in a more honorable way, so what Americans do speaks well of us and does not invite condemnation. Why doesn’t the USA have a good reputation anymore? A line of the most cynical people acing covertly and anti-democratically in the Americas. They just get worse. But just quietly prep while you can.
    But the best is just prep quietly and ethically as you can. Be a good neighbor. Make allies. Go to the real country, far from targets and near to wilderness. Not in the SW corner of Mendo Co. There’s a defensive missile silo (cubical) between Galaway and Little Penny, labled “USAF” at google maps. Most of N. Mendo Co. is probably safe-est from all kinds of fallout, especially at high elevations.

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