The only issue I have with conspiracy theorists is that they make a jump in logic from the system being fucked up to an absolute need to combat the system from outside of it.
History shows clearly, without reservation, that change must come from within.
Apart from this one failure in their logic, they typically come up with some fairly realistic issues. Kolah is a guy who, despite our disagreements over the years, actually comes up with quite a few interesting conspiracy theories (or rather, reports them here).
It's hard to know which direction to move in, frankly--and it'll be hard to tell which way is the right way in the immediate sense, because these things move in baby steps.
I've thrown my lot in with democrats, mostly because I figure if I'm going to lose my freedom I'd rather lose it to an overall secular worldview as opposed to the bible being codified into legislation. I've read the bible. I've followed it--it didn't work for me.
Apart from that there are two other reasons why I throw my lot in with them:
1. I find very often Republicans paying lip service to this idea of "government overreach" and then turning around and fervently supporting these VERY types of programs (and their secrecy--look at some of the congressional oversight hearings looking to declassify CIA and NSA reports and see which congressmen are defending their right to secrecy the most). This doesn't pass the smell test for me.
2. Supreme court justices appointed by Republicans have, historically, participated in more of the erosion of freedom and inclusion in this country. You might disagree, but this is the way I see it.
I think by now it's pretty clear that we're not going to get anywhere if we don't, as a nation, pick a horse and run with it.
I'd rather we pick one now while the races are still competetive. In about 25-30 years we're going to be witnessing the end of the GOP, and if you're worried that they're shuffling in puppets now--imagine how easy it will be when one party has a virtually unopposed stranglehold on elections.
On the other hand, the Republican party strikes me as the party where it's a bit easier to elect every day Americans (even though it rarely happens--it seems easier here), and that could be a way to get a sensible foot in the door. That's gonna have to come with a big turnaround from them on race relations, immigration, and entitlement though. I'm just not sure if its possible at this point.
Drones in the sky? Scary.
Pretending we can fix it without playing the game? Even scarier, to me. It's that type of thinking that got us to this point, and it's not the right way to pull us back from it.
Until more than 50% of the voting population is ACTUALLY VOTING--we're never gonna have a chance to see the type of turnaround on this shit that we deserve. Sad but true. Libertarianism is not the answer.
