Basket weaving is fun, but I have actually worked as an investigator on lawsuits that exposed covert operations. I have also published articles on the topic. The difference here is the focus on what is a fact and what is then logical speculation--versus imagination run rampant and rooted in right-wing conspiracy theories about secret elites that blossomed in the late 1700's in an attempt to hold back the Enlightenment. The former is a subversive critique, the latter a hegemonic critique.
Hakki wants us to believe that the Pan Am 103 Lockerbie terrorist attack that brought down the jetliner was part of a U.S. government operation. Part of his "proof" is the claim that former FBI stooge Buck Revell (who I have written about in very negative terms) knew about the bombing and took his son off the plane. This is not only a hoax claim, but has been litigated. See: http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2000-07-06/news.html
Hakki want's us to believe that the Berlin disco bombing was a Mossad operation when the Berlin court just ruled it was a Libyan operation.
The basic paradigm is that a handful of evil individuals conspire to cause these events. Underlying this claim is the liberal notion (in the bad sense of the word liberal) that society would be just great if it were not for a handful of evil elites and their treacherous agents. The X-Files view of history.
I think this is not a progressive notion at all. Further, it wastes time better spent on studying and debating the systems, institutions, and structures of power by which actual elites dominate society. If I wanted to launch a covert operation to protect entrenched power in a society, I would encourage conspiracists to spread their stories and distract leftists from subversive critiques and send them off on the hegemonic hunt for the bad guys who--if removed--would restore some idealized past when everything was suposedly better.
-Chip
----- Original Message ----- From: "Hakki Alacakaptan" <nucleus at superonline.com> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 3:50 PM Subject: RE: Osama, September 11, London, Illuminati
>
>
> || -----Original Message-----
> || From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> || [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Chip Berlet
>
>
> || Capitalism and imperialsim are not secret conspiracies. If you
> || think they are,
> || join a militia list where you can obsess about the Freemasons.
> ||
> || :-)
> ||
> || -Chip
> ||
>
> Anyone who believes that covert operations are not an integral part of
> politics should be on a basket-weaving list.
>
> Hakki
>