[lbo-talk] It's Raining Conspiracy!

[Joseph Wanzala]

So I sallied forth the last Tuesday to the Commonwealth Club of California 
to hear Slade Gorton and Richard Ben Veniste deliver their report as part of 
their ongoing roashow to usher in more police state provisions per the 
recommendations of the commission. (something Ben Veniste even admitted that 
civil liberties proscription arising from their recommendations were a 
concern of his). The Q&A was handled as per usual by having people write 
down their questions which were then to be read by the moderator. The 
moderator had a hard time sifting though the questions to find 'ok' ones, 
and finally he gave up and lamented alound that 'most of these questions are 
of what I would call a conspiratorial nature' and then paraphrased a bunch 
of them which were of course dismissed out of hand as palpably ridiculous. 
Among other things, Gorton and Ben Veniste had completely denied that there 
was anything amiss about the 'Saudi Airlift' referenced in Moore's movie. 
The interesting thing is that apart from a few 'conspiracy nuts' like myself 
willing to drop $30 to hear the prevarications of the commissioners, most of 
the people there were staid members of the Commonwealth Club, local 
luminaries like Willie Brown and partners from the law firm of Preston Gates 
and Ellis (where Slade Gorton toils, and which is the law firm co-founded by 
Bill Gates' father) which was also hosting a reception at the Fairmont Hotel 
where the event was held. This would suggest that the dreaded 'virus of 
conspiracy theory' (a phrase I am borrowing from my worthy opponent Chip B.) 
is proliferating at an alarming rate.

Chip, get to work.

Joe W.

(this event will be rebroadcast on KEQD 88.5 FM tonight for those of you who 
don't believe it was 'raining' on Tuesday)