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TO CONSPIRE, OR NOT TO CONSPIRE.
THAT IS THE QUESTION.
The litany of lies, criminal behavior and corrupt practices linked to President George W. Bush and his family (father, brothers and in-laws) is extensive and shocking. At least that is the conclusion one could likely draw from reading the excess of information available about the Bushes on various Internet sites that disseminate views contrary to those which one can extract from most common media sources. Some of their alleged offenses, which have netted them personal billions of dollar, include insurance fraud, real estate fraud, looting HUD, cronyism with the energy industry, Iran-Contra-related drug smuggling and murder. The Bush family, even within the context of the corrupt world of the powerful, is seemingly conspicuous for their greed and craven acts of contempt for humanity.
If the First Family is in league with every evil-doer from Enron's Kenneth (Kenny-Boy) Lay to possibly, Satan himself, why are journalists, including those in the so-called "alternative" press, doing so little to expose their alleged immorality? There are many possible explanations for this apparent information blackout. One possibility is that the allegations are completely false. Surely a Woodward or Bernstein would have emerged to bust this conspiracy wide open if there truly was one, right? Another explanation, one postulated by Al Martin, former Bush insider and self-styled whistleblower who runs a site called Al Martin Raw, is that the American press and public already know that the people at the highest levels of power are dishonest, and they don't care.
His argument goes something like this: US citizens accept that their leaders are gutting the treasury, misusing power and lying to the populace but believe they are powerless to change this state of affairs. So they anesthetize themselves by buying more "stuff," (which is heavily marketed to them by corporations); watching more television (which is full of lies from the media corporations); and taking more antidepressants (that are pushed by pharmaceutical corporations) — all to feel better about this state of decrepitude.
If apathy is merely taking the path of least resistance, then knowing what is wrong but preferring to ease back the recliner and channel surf rather than fomenting rebellion, can be called apathetic. On the other hand, the primary examples of people reacting to the state of the world are crazed fanatics like Timothy McVeigh and Mohammed Atta. When America's only collective paradigm for response to oppressive global issues is either cynical indifference or ignorant, crazed immolation of self and innocent others, then cynical indifference appears to be the sensible response.
It is possible that Martin is wrong and that most people truly do not know or believe the extent to which the people controlling government and finance are conniving to further their own interests — both by legal and illegal means. The criminal allegations against world leaders are so stunning on some of the particularly alternative Internet news sites, that they read like the plots of convoluted John Grisham novels. Yet, how often has it been said that facts are frequently more unbelievable that fiction?
Though Martin, and others dispensing similar information, have been labeled "conspiracy theorists," a catchy name that works wonders to discredit their views, they might just be right — at least in part. Certainly the daily revelations of nefarious misconduct by the Enron corporation, and its ties to the highest levels of government, have left many wondering if there is more to "business as usual" than meets the eye.
The Internet is a treasure trove of kooky suppositions about world leaders, politics, finance and "conspiracies" that would keep several firms of libel lawyers busy for a lifetime. While there are many voices emanating from a variety of sites, some of which seem truly deranged, others appear reasonable, educated and cogent. What follows is a truncated sampling of opinionated websites where one can begin to read the ideas of some people not usually found in mainstream outlets. They might be nuts; but then again, they just might be on to something.
Al Martin Raw
http://www.almartinraw.com
Referenced in this piece, Al Martin, is a retired Lt. Commander from the US Naval Reserves and former black ops specialist who claims to have insider knowledge of the Iran-Contra affair, its players and those who benefited through dirty deals, frauds, and treasonous operations. Foremost among these, according to his book, "The Conspirators: Secrets of an Iran Contra Insider," is former president George Bush and his extended family. He posts a well-written, informative weekly column on his site, in addition to some links to sites that seems less reputable. The "facts" he purports are as fascinating as they are inflammatory. He is alleged to be living in hiding from the powerful people he "knows too much" about.
Michael Moore
http://www.michaelmoore.com
At his site, filmmaker and author, Michael Moore, writes a weekly column about the American political scene. Some of his articles are written in the form of scathing letters to President Bush, and all are informed by his brand of credible, journalistic fact-finding combined with an amused intolerance of nonsense. His recently released book, "Stupid White Men," reached number one in sales at Amazon.com even though his publisher balked at printing content which stood in contrast to the castrated, preponderant, "for us or against us" party line of the post-September 11th American media.
Open Secrets
http://www.opensecrets.org
This is a well-organized news journal site published by the Washington, DC based Center for Responsive Politics. On the site you can click on buttons to determine "whoÕs giving" and "whoÕs getting" as well as follow the ongoing Enron scandal and the "Money in Politics" alert. Open Secrets presents just the facts with a determined anti-establishment slant.
The Wage Slave Journal
http://www.wage-slave.org
Among other things, this site has a fabulous clip-and-save calendar of events about the Enron scandal and a George W. Bush "scorecard of evil." Online publisher Jesse Berney is literate and amusing.
The Online Journal
http://www.onlinejournal.com
A newspaper-style site that takes a lefty-look at the issues of the day: questionable presidential policies, pollution, accounting scandals, NAFTA, the works. Online Journal is well organized, literate and seemingly well reported.
Soft Skull Press
http://www.softskull.com
Soft Skull is the publisher of "Fortunate Son," the book about G.W. Bush that was dropped by St. MartinÕs Press and almost eradicated by the Bush dynasty before the 2000 presidential election. Follow the links to read the story of the book, how it was squelched and redeemed.
P.S. Daily newspapers published in big cities are increasingly dying endeavors because many now tune into 24-hour cable news channels for their information rather than reading. This is a misfortune for both the publishers and the public. The NY Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Denver Post and many others are vital, literate and chock-full-o-facts that fill out the protracted headlines that pass for news on television. You can find some of these papers online: nytimes.com, latimes.com, or the BBC news for a refreshing, up-to-the-minute European viewpoint: news.bbc.co.uk.
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 I don't know anyone who does not actively dislike the advertising that precedes the showing of films in movie theaters. Going to the movies costs upwards of $8.50 these days. So, after spending almost $15.00 to watch a film — including the popcorn and Raisinettes – one sits down in the darkened theater only to first be assaulted by a number of commercials.
I'm not talking about previews of coming attractions. They have an entertainment value of their own, though much could be said about the abysmal practice of passing off the six most dramatic plot points as indicative of a movie's entire value, when they are more likely the only six dramatic moments.
No, I'm talking about those ads in the form of short films that tell us to subscribe to the LA Times, or that persuade us to drink Coke. The Laemmle art houses where I go to see my Miramax favorites, show some nauseatingly pretentious flics for local college radio station, KCRW. They are enough to make me rethink my emotional attachment to NPR.
Theater chain owners claim they make little money on the films that pay Tom Cruise $13 million, and must make up the difference with concessions and advertising. I say, tough. It is time to boycott forced exposure to advertising — not to mention Tom Cruise.
I'm not sure how to do this, but how about standing conspicuously outside the theater door until the movie begins. When your friends ask you to sit down, tell them you are waiting for the ads to finish, and ask them if they will wait with you. I'm not sure that will work, but it was the only thing I could think of besides handing out flyers of protest — which isn't a terrible idea either.
I am open to and welcome suggestions. Maybe moviegoers everywhere just need to boycott films at theaters entirely and wait for them to be released for rental. There's always live theater and music for a night out. Besides, if housewives could get the dolphin out of the tuna, maybe we can get the ads out of the movie theater. Next: product placements.
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