From lloyd@a-albionic.com Mon Sep 16 07:09:37 1996
Date: Sun, 15 Sep 1996 07:21:14 -0400 (EDT)
From: Lloyd Miller 
To: New Paradigms Discussion List 
Cc: A-albionic Weekly Up-date 
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Subject: Of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories by Robin Ramsay

A-albionic Research Weekly Up-date of 9-15-96
^

1.  Of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories by Robin Ramsay
        Forwarded from the Libertarian Alliance of the UK
        "THE TRUTH BURIED BY THE FANTASIES"

2.  New Additions to Recommended Reading List

^

1.  Of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 1996 23:25:25 +0000
From: The Libertarian Alliance 
To: LAPD List 
Subject: [LA] Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories

               OF CONSPIRACIES AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES:

                  THE TRUTH BURIED BY THE FANTASIES

                       Political Notes No. 128

                ISSN  0267-7059 & ISBN  1 85637 339 8

        An occasional publication of the Libertarian Alliance,
  25 Chapter Chambers, Esterbrooke Street, London SW1P 4NN, England.

(c) 1996: Libertarian Alliance; Robin Ramsay

This publication is the text of a lecture delivered to 'Unconvention
96', which was organised by the 'Fortean Times', at the Institute of
Education, London, April 20th 1996.

Robin Ramsay is the editor and publisher of 'Lobster'. he is
co-author of 'Wilson and the Secret State' (Fourth estate, London,
1991) and has written widely for the radical media

The views expressed in this publication are those of its author, and
not necessarily those of the Libertarian Alliance, its Committee,
Advisory Council or subscribers.

LA Director: Chris R. Tame
Editorial Director: Brian Micklethwait

                     FOR LIFE, LIBERTY AND PROPERTY

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Conspiracy theories certainly are sexy at the moment. Linda Thompson,
the American lawyer who is the public spokesperson for the so-called
militias, the people in the backwoods of America who think Bill
Clinton is trying to usher in an America Reich, got half an hour on
BBC TV last autumn. Look at the impact of 'The X Files'. I've been
contacted by five or six TV companies in the past six months - two
last week - all interested in making programmes about conspiracy
theories. I even got a call from the Big Breakfast Show, from a
researcher who had no idea who I was, asking me if I'd like to appear
on it. He'd seen me billed as speaking here. The first thing of
consequence that he asked me was: "What is the weirdest conspiracy
theory you've come across recently?" He wanted me to appear on this
wacky morning show and tell the viewers something wacky.

I said, I didn't think I was quite what the Big Breakfast was looking
for. He asked me what kind of magazine 'Lobster' was. (He'd never
heard of it, of course.) I said it had no pictures and that I'd once
published an article in it about the Moonies and the Korean CIA,
which had two hundred and sixty two footnotes, citing work in five
languages. I could hear his interest waning. I sent him a few copies
of 'Lobster' anyway; and - guess what? - he never called back.

Compare and contrast this situation with, say, 1963. Who was
interested in conspiracy theories in 1963? In the UK, a handful of
disgruntled racist Tories - the League of Empire Loyalists - and
little groups of Hitler lovers clinging to the old Jewish banking,
world domination myth. In the US, the John Birch Society and a
handful of old time anti-Semites and American Hitler freaks.
Conspiracy theories were out on the margin of the margins in 1963.
Last year - was it? - on 'The X Files', one of the FBI agents
dismissed someone as "one of the people who believe Elvis is dead".
(Or so I have been told; I've never watched an entire episode of 'The
X Files'.)

These days we've got conspiracy theories everywhere; and about almost
everything.


CONSPIRACIES WITHOUT EVIDENCE

Here are a few choice examples from the last few months - this is the
stuff the Big Breakfast show wanted to hear about.

Two conspiracy theory books about the OJ Simpson case appeared in the
Tom Davis catalogue in December. In the interesting one, the Davis
catalogue summary says, the FBI blacklisted bar applicants - i.e.
would-be lawyers - because of anti-war activities. Unemployed for
years, these unemployed lawyers assassinated Nicole Simpson and
framed OJ Simpson to compel the FBI to disclose the blacklist. Only
in America, with one million lawyers, the home of the lawyer joke,
would someone imagine a murderous cabal of unemployed lawyers!

Nearer to home (but nearly as far off the planet) somebody called
Michael Todd, who lives in Selby, in Yorkshire, for a mere #95, is
offering to provide evidence of a world-wide conspiracy called
Operation PELT, with a secret HQ in Ireland and thirty offices
world-wide. The aim of PELT, by the way, is to destroy the entire
alternative movement; health, green, eco etc. I wrote asking for
evidence, but did not get a reply.

The Administrator of the anti-fluoride, National Pure Water
Association wrote to me suggesting that the reason for the
vilification of Yorkshire Water in the summer and autumn of last
year, was Yorkshire Water's refusal to add fluoride to their water.
She wrote: "Much of the persecution of that Company this year -
leaks, dry reservoirs etc. - is, we are sure, orchestrated
`punishment' for their decision." I wrote asking her for evidence,
but received no reply.

A UFO buff I know slightly tried to persuade me that the US has a
secret base built under Loch Lomond in Scotland, from which emerge
mysterious craft. (The UFOs as underwater craft is one of the minor
themes amongst UFO theories.) Why, said I, would they put such a base
under the single most popular tourist spot in the west of Scotland,
visited every day by hundreds, if not thousands of people?

The difficulty - or the delight - for people like me is that buried

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