Serious Corruption

Obamagate Is Not a Conspiracy Theory

By David Harsanyi
National Review Online


There’s no reason to ignore the mounting evidence that Obama administration officials were corrupt in their handling of the Trump–Russia investigation.

Those sharing #Obamagate hashtags on Twitter would do best to avoid the hysterics we saw from Russian-collusion believers, but they have no reason to ignore the mounting evidence that suggests the Obama administration engaged in serious corruption.

Democrats and their allies, who like to pretend that President Obama’s only scandalous act was wearing a tan suit, are going spend the next few months gaslighting the public by focusing on the most feverish accusations against Obama. But the fact is that we already have more compelling evidence that the Obama administration engaged in misconduct than we ever did for opening the Russian-collusion investigation.

It is not conspiracy-mongering to note that the investigation into Trump was predicated on an opposition-research document filled with fabulism and, most likely, Russian disinformation. We know the DOJ withheld contradictory evidence when it began spying on those in Trump’s orbit. We have proof that many of the relevant FISA-warrant applications — almost every one of them, actually — were based on “fabricated” evidence or riddled with errors. We know that members of the Obama administration, who had no genuine role in counterintelligence operations, repeatedly unmasked Trump’s allies. And we now know that, despite a dearth of evidence, the FBI railroaded Michael Flynn into a guilty plea so it could keep the investigation going.

The Biggest Political Scandal Of Our Time

‘Obamagate’ Isn’t A Conspiracy Theory, It’s An Actual Conspiracy

And the media know it.

John Daniel Davidson
The Federalist

When former president Barack Obama told supporters last week that the Justice Department’s decision to drop the case against former White House National Security Adviser Mike Flynn is a “threat to the rule of law,” he was relying wholly on the fiction, willingly propagated for years by a pliant media, that the Russia-Trump collusion probe launched by his administration was lawful and legitimate.

But of course it wasn’t. A string of recently released documents have confirmed that the entire Russia-Trump investigation, which eventually entrapped Flynn and forced then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself, was an unprecedented abuse of power that amounted to organized effort by the Obama administration to nullify the results of the 2016 presidential election. It was in effect an attempted coup.

If you haven’t picked that up from the news media, it’s not your fault. Instead of grappling with the implications of newly released details about what Obama officials were doing to undermine the incoming Trump administration during the transition, the mainstream media have fixated on Trump’s use of the term “Obamagate,” dismissing it as a conspiracy theory.

A Brief History of the Flynn Case

This is to be expected. For years now the media have done everything they can to push the Trump-Russia collusion hoax—even after a years-long special counsel investigation by Robert Mueller turned up nothing—using the complexity of the scheme to hide the greatest political scandal of our time in plain sight.

Well Beyond the "Conspiracy" Charge

Obamagate Is Not a Conspiracy Theory

A Corrupt Presidency And Its Useful Idiots

David Harsanyi
National Review Online

There’s no reason to ignore the mounting evidence that Obama administration officials were corrupt in their handling of the Trump–Russia investigation.

Those sharing #Obamagate hashtags on Twitter would do best to avoid the hysterics we saw from Russian-collusion believers, but they have no reason to ignore the mounting evidence that suggests the Obama administration engaged in serious corruption.

Democrats and their allies, who like to pretend that President Obama’s only scandalous act was wearing a tan suit, are going spend the next few months gaslighting the public by focusing on the most feverish accusations against Obama. But the fact is that we already have more compelling evidence that the Obama administration engaged in misconduct than we ever did for opening the Russian-collusion investigation.

It is not conspiracy-mongering to note that the investigation into Trump was predicated on an opposition-research document filled with fabulism and, most likely, Russian disinformation. We know the DOJ withheld contradictory evidence when it began spying on those in Trump’s orbit. We have proof that many of the relevant FISA-warrant applications — almost every one of them, actually — were based on “fabricated” evidence or riddled with errors.

Conspiracies Alive

In the End, Who Knows?

The problem with conspiracy theories is that they are almost impossible to falsify.  The lack of evidence is taken to "prove" that indeed a conspiracy exists.  After all, if there is little or scant evidence to hand, it becomes a signal, if not evidence, that a grand conspiracy is afoot.  Little evidence indicates that someone is hiding something, which in turn, goes some way to "prove" the claim.  

We have seen this trope playing out over the case of  Dieuwe de Boer.  Here is a summary of what "went down". 

Dieuwe de Boer, who co-founded the Right Minds NZ website, posted of his experience to his site. He said he was at his Auckland home with his wife and three young children when half a dozen armed police officers "swarmed in the front door" and searched his house.

De Boer says they were looking for a now-prohibited magazine fitted to a .22 lever-action rifle, which he had said he owned during a submission to Parliament when the arms reforms were being discussed. He's now wondering if the raid was "politically motivated" in order to make an example of him.  [Newshub]

The police, on their part, have made the raid out to be a pretty routine matter.  See if you think this rings true:

 A statement from police said they executed a search warrant and armed officers attended as a precaution.  "As has been well-signalled, the Arms Act has been amended and it is the role of police to ensure compliance with the new legislation," the statement said.  "This means we will investigate and act on information or concerns about now-prohibited firearms, to ensure the safety of our community." . . . .

In a statement to Newshub, Police said they "did not use any information from the select committee process". [Emphasis, ours.]

So, the speculations will likely continue to grow because it appears the Police are covering up the reasons why they targeted and raided De Boer.  [There is no other word.  No information via the select committee process implies that information or a "tip" would have to have come from someone else.] 

Or, maybe, the NZ Police were engaged in a practice raid.  After all, the new firearms law is, well, new and some senior officer may have decided it would be prudent to have a few practice raids to fine tune Police procedures.  De Boer just happened to  be an unfortunate guinea pig. 

And so the speculations roll which is normal when a conspiracy is alive and well.  Mistrust grows like a mushroom.  When that happens, no-one wins--at least no responsible person or entity wins.

The Big Double Down

Conspiracy Theories Now Control the Chattering Class


We are all familiar with conspiracy theories.  Grand poppas like the landings on the moon being hoaxes are exemplars of the trope.  The actual landings were staged in the Arizona desert, don't you know.  And then there is 9/11--the actual perpetrators of those terrible murderous acts were employees working with deep operatives of the CIA.  Didn't you know that?

One of the characteristics of empty conspiracy theories is that they can never be falsified.  The more evidence supporting the "official narrative" becomes a proof of the alleged conspiracy.  The appearance of compelling evidence becomes an argument for the depth, power, and cleverness of the conspirators.

Now that the Mueller Report is out this kind of meaningless, fatuous appeal to conspiracies hiding the truth from the rest of the world has marched into our living rooms.  Here are some examples:

The Mueller Investigation ignored the real evidence.

Cenk Uygur

✔@cenkuygur

Let me be clear, I CONCEDE NOTHING! If #MuellerReport didn’t look into Trump’s business ties with the Russians before the elections and didn’t look into his secret meetings with them after the election, then this is an epic debacle that looked into the exact wrong things.

1,239

10:47 AM - Mar 25, 2019

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The Investigation has actual, hard, real, and admitted proof.

Rick Wilson

✔@TheRickWilson

This is DAY ONE and there's HARD, DIRECT, *ADMITTED* collusion.

BYE, Felicia.

14.3K

3:59 AM - Oct 31, 2017

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We Just Know Trump is Guilty

The Hill

✔@thehill

Beto O'Rourke campaigns in Charleston, SC: "You have a president who, in my opinion, beyond a shadow of a doubt, sought to, however ham-handedly, collude with the Russian government or foreign power to undermine and influence our elections."

222

3:15 PM - Mar 24, 2019

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The Truth is Out There--But The Media Have Not Been Aggressive Enough

Ryan Lizza

✔@RyanLizza

Contra a lot of commentary: given the issues, stakes, and seriousness with which special counsel treated all of this, the media’s coverage of Russia-Trump connection and possible obstruction over the last two years was somewhere between about right and not quite aggressive enough

212

9:55 AM - Mar 25, 2019

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Attorney General's Summary of the Mueller Report Is Inadequate

Chad Pergram

✔@ChadPergram

Feinstein: Barr’s 4-page summary of the Mueller report is inadequate and demonstrates why Congress needs to obtain the full report and underlying evidence.

5

12:35 PM - Mar 25, 2019

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And so it rolls.  Conspiracy Theories always operate like that.  They are viciously circular and constantly self-reinforcing.  Evidence to the contrary becomes framed as examples of the cunning and guile of the conspirators putting up false flags. 

As always, sunlight is the best disinfectant.  Those who are captured by conspiracy theories are to be pitied.

Never Trust Large Companies

This Conspiracy Appears Well Past the "Theory" Stage

Here is an interesting tale.  It appears at The Federalist,  entitled  "These Screenshots Show How Google Shadowbans Conservative And Pro-Trump Content".   Author and commentator, Doug Wead says: "It appears that Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter have all gone to war with President Trump, and are punishing anyone who dares to speak up for him."

He presents an extensive account of his own experience as a case study to establish the claim.  It seems like Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter need to be made to take a long draught of castor oil, served up under US Antitrust laws.  (Antitrust laws, also referred to as "competition laws," are statutes developed by the U.S. Government to protect consumers from predatory business practices by ensuring that fair competition exists in an open-market economy.  [Investopedia])

Let's hope that the Trump Administration and the Congress are up for serving up the medicine.  Ah, if we could only see a re-make of AT&T, Kodak, and Standard Oil.  Them's were the days.

We would do well to remember Adam Smith's dictum--when you get a dozen business leaders into the same room, you will be confronted with two dozen self-serving conspiracies.  At least that will be the case when mercantilism is the dominant economic theory--as appears to be case among the giant tech media companies.

Hillary's Conspiracies

‘They Were Never Going to Let Me Be President'

Hillary Clinton's Version of Deep-State: It's Those White Republican Men Who Control Their Wives

Jack Crowe
National Review Online

Hillary Clinton reacted to news of her electoral defeat with a resigned acceptance, claiming she knew victory was out of reach all along.  “I knew it. I knew this would happen to me,” Clinton reportedly said, according to excerpts from a new book published by The Daily Beast. “They were never going to let me be president.”

Chasing Hillary: Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns, and One Intact Glass Ceiling, by New York Times reporter and author Amy Chozick, also captures Clinton’s remorse after describing a subset of Trump supporters as a “basket of deplorables.”

“I really messed up,” Clinton told aides after uttering the now-infamous phrase during an October 2016 campaign speech in New York, according to Chozick’s book.

Chozick, who spent a decade reporting on the Clintons, claims the description of Trump supporters represented a familiar refrain for Clinton.  “Hillary always broke down Trump supporters into three baskets,” Chozick wrote. “The Deplorables always got a laugh, over living-room chats in the Hamptons, at dinner parties under the stars on Martha’s Vineyard, over passed hors d’oeuvres in Beverly Hills, and during sunset cocktails in Silicon Valley.”

The book goes on to describe the Clintons’ conspiracy theories about the election.

“After the election, Bill would spread a more absurd Times conspiracy: The publisher had struck a deal with Trump that we’d destroy Hillary on her emails to help him get elected, if he kept driving traffic and boosting the company’s stock price,” Chozick writes.

Since her defeat, Clinton has found no shortage of external events and actors to blame, from Misogyny to Russian interference to former FBI director James Comey’s public reopening of the investigation into her email server to the control white Republican men supposedly exercise over their wives and professional subordinates.

Allegations of Institutional Evil, Part II

Get the Facts, Then Name and Shame

Rotherham sex grooming and ‘corrupt’ public sector’s collective guilt

Bill Carmichael
Yorkshire Post

THERE was some good news this week when six of the vile monsters behind the Rotherham child abuse scandal were convicted for their crimes. They will be sentenced later today.

Some of the victims were in Sheffield Crown Court to hear the jury’s verdict and see their tormenters finally face justice, after years of being ignored or branded as liars by the authorities.

But before we hang out the bunting it is worth remembering that this is just the tip of the iceberg. A 2014 report by Professor Alexis Jay made it clear that Rotherham’s child rape gangs had acted with impunity for decades and there is likely to be in the region of 1,400 victims in this one Yorkshire town alone.



Professor Alexis Jay unearthed the scale of abuse in Rotherham.

By that reckoning there must be dozens – if not hundreds – of offenders walking free today.

And let us also not forget that significant figures – not least police officers and social workers who actively colluded in the abuse – were missing from their rightful place in the dock of the court.

The SS Global Warming Is On the Verge of Sinking

The Turning of the Tide?

David Siegel is a convert to global warming scepticism. He is one of the lefty-cool set.  After extensive secondary source research he has concluded that global warming is a charade perpetrated upon the masses by an elite few.  He has written a very well reasoned and presented piece laying out his reasons for his paradigm shift from global warming advocate to principled sceptic.  

The entire essay is worth a calm, reflective read.  You can access it here.

If you want the short version, his concluding remarks provide an effective summary of his entire article:

The Secular Mind

Conspiracy Theories and Their Fruit

Sometimes it seems as if modern society is riven by two extremes.  On the one hand, we have the conspiracy fanatics.  On the other, the nihilists.

The "conspiracists" believe that dark forces, hidden and subterranean, control society by various means, but almost always by use of money.  These "forces" have successfully insinuated themselves into the fabric of society to the point that they are able to influence and shape all governmental and economic and social interaction.  They conspire against the rest of us.  They have a secret plan to divide, conquer, and pillage.

There have been various candidates about which conspiracists mutter darkly: the Jews, bankers, capitalists, the masons, the Roman Catholic Church, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, or whatever.  Each of these "candidates" are believed actually to control the estates of government, the media, holding or controlling or manipulating all the levers of power.  Each--and sometimes all--are at work. 

The Left and their minions are reflexive conspiracists because they believe that money and capital control almost everything, which means that the Moneymen are conspiring against us all.  But it is not just the Left.  Secular libertarians have also fallen prey to conspiracy theories.  In this version, everything that happens is a government plot controlled by some dark, sinister forces.

Conspiracy Nutters

VRWC Alive and Well In New Zealand

The Clintons Will Be Impressed

We have just had a powder puff explode onto the political scene.  One of our most virulent conspiracy nutters, Nicky Hagar has released a book just prior to the general election alleging a Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ("VRWC") between the Prime Minister and two right-wing, National Party supporter bloggers.  The "vastness" of the conspiracy evidently turns around the influence of Kiwiblog and Whaleoil--both very widely read blogs in the New Zealand landscape.

The NZ Herald provides a summary of the nothing story thus far:

John Key has come under attack in a book that paints his administration as being obsessed with "dirty politics".  It claims elements of the National Party have turned to "attack blogs" to manipulate public opinion and demonise political opponents. . . .The book is claimed to be based on thousands of emails obtained by a hacker from computers operated by Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater. 

Well, knock us down with a feather.  Who would ever have expected such collusion?  The thing about conspiracy nutters is that they filter all of reality through the conspiracy lens, so that everything, yes everything manifests a conspiracy.  In this case, Hagar, being virulently left-wing, sees all of life as one VRWC.  In this mindset, co-incidence always means causation.  Why, we are sure that if this blog were as widely read in New Zealand, as the aforementioned blogs, Hagar would have somehow woven Contra Celsum into his fantasy.

Keeping Business Honest

Industry Groups and Associations Represent Conspiracies

It may come as a surprise to some to learn that business owners and capital investors are evil people--not in any specific or particular sense (as Marxists believe) but in the general sense of universal human depravity shared by all human beings, born and unborn.  This general truth is at the core of the Christian faith, being explicitly declared in Holy Writ, (Romans 5:12-14) and professed in its creeds and confessions (for example, ". . . all mankind descending from him [Adam] by ordinary generation, sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression."  [Shorter Catechism, Question 16].

Business owners and capital investors share, along with all men, the blight of universal human depravity.  Therefore, it is a reasonable expectation that given half a chance they will take any opportunity to advance their own position, wealth, and well-being at the expense of  fellow men.

The Annals of Soft-Despotism

Potemkin Dialogues

In New Zealand we are familiar with the tools of propaganda-by-stealth.  The way it works is like this.  A government (usually left-wing in orientation) wants to move society towards its longer term goals.  In order to do so, it must persuade the electorate to where it becomes sympathetic with, and supportive of, its programme. 

Infiltrating the schools is an obvious method.  It can work, but unfortunately, it has a very long lead time.  Usually the current crop of politicians and government administrations have long since departed for the netherworld before the crop can be reaped.  More quick payback and progress is required.

In New Zealand the following method was employed by the previous Labour administration, led by Helen Clarke, a left-wing politician who had a very clear view of where she believed society should be heading.  Firstly, fund pressure groups whose ideology and sympathies are similar to your own.

Douglas Wilson's Letter From America

Calvinism and Conspiracy

Politics
Written by Douglas Wilson
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 6:57 am

We live in a time when conspiratorial theories abound, and when tracts, screeds, and web sites advancing such theories proliferate. If you have the time, you might want to research and answer every box on the flow chart (the one with the Masons, the Illuminati, and the Bilderberg Group on it). But if you don't have time (and you shouldn't, really), a far more effective antidote is simply to become a robust Calvinist. If you already are a Calvinist, then perhaps you should just rededicate your life.

As Jonathan Kay has observed, one of the basic features of the conspiratorial mindset is a deep belief in the hypercompetence of the evil cabal that runs the world.