Connecticut Elementary School Massacre

[Iamwhomiam]

Yes, Jack it is imprecise, but its use so widespread all understand its general meaning, much like "Wet Willie," known the world over as a saliva soaked and dripping finger inserted in another's ear and then twisted. I'm afraid we're stuck with it. Any suggestions for its replacement? "Plot" is so 19th century.

[MacCruiskeen]

It's not just imprecise: it's a pejorative, an epithet, a plain insult. It is synonymous with the term "moron", though only ever used in a particular set of circumstances, i.e. when the word of established authorities -- most especially political authorities -- is in doubt.

So it is not just a useless term; it is, as Jamey Hecht said, "worse than useless", because it is a positive obstacle to understanding - a huge one. It is a massively effective thoughtstopper. It is the rhetorical equivalent of a baseball bat.

Wrong In All Directions: The Term "Conspiracy Theory"

This phrase is among the tireless workhorses of establishment discourse. Without it, disinformation would be much harder than it is. "Conspiracy theory" is a trigger phrase, saturated with intellectual contempt and deeply anti-intellectual resentment. It makes little sense on its own, and while it's a priceless tool of propaganda, it is worse than useless as an explanatory category.

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/w ... union.html

[Iamwhomiam]

"It is a massively effective thoughtstopper."

Seems many here, myself included, would disagree strongly with your statement. But outside our RI world, I agree that 'conspiracy theorist' now connotes 'Nut case' in the mind of its readers and utterers everywhere.
Clearly, it has not altered the investigating being done by many interested in researching Sandy Hook.

[conniption]

It's not just imprecise: it's a pejorative, an epithet, a plain insult. It is synonymous with the term "moron", though only ever used in a particular set of circumstances, i.e. when the word of established authorities -- most especially political authorities -- is in doubt.

So it is not just a useless term; it is, as Jamey Hecht said, "worse than useless", because it is a positive obstacle to understanding - a huge one. It is a massively effective thoughtstopper. It is the rhetorical equivalent of a baseball bat.

Wrong In All Directions: The Term "Conspiracy Theory"

This phrase is among the tireless workhorses of establishment discourse. Without it, disinformation would be much harder than it is. "Conspiracy theory" is a trigger phrase, saturated with intellectual contempt and deeply anti-intellectual resentment. It makes little sense on its own, and while it's a priceless tool of propaganda, it is worse than useless as an explanatory category.

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/w ... union.html

Yes, yes, yes...All that.

A "thoughtstopper" by design, but not for me.

For me, it's Brain Candy. yum

Regardless, I will not use the term Conspiracy Theorist around here anymore, or wear it as a badge of defiance/courage/honor, as I often do, just to spite them.

You guys are taking this thread off topic. If you want to talk about conspiracy theories then start another thread and take this post with it.

whale

'Conspiracy theory' (Name Calling)
Name Calling

Fascism is inherently conspiratorial, and the study of it is often maligned as 'conspiracy theory.' ---Alex Constantine

[Using Matrix terminology blue pills are called Pyjama people, red pills Conspiracy theorists. A 'conspiracy theorist' is a Rationalization (pejorative) term created by the medical industry (also the Elite) for a Truth seeker.Wink This suppresses allopathic criticism, knowledge of the medical conspiracy, and the beliefs of alternative medicine, not to mention the other conspiracies/cartels. Helped by the fact they have become internal forbidden beliefs to avoid waking up and facing the real reality (See: Slavery and the eight veils by Don Harkins, Ego denial).

The favourite 'Name Calling' term, a word that has, what the CIA call, a slide attached to it (as in Snakes and Ladders), where you are conditioned to go down the (invisible) slide to the belief package they have waiting for you at the bottom, way back on the road to truth---that 'there-are-no-conspiracies' (people will believe anything!), and that the person labelled such is a mentally ill--a 'nut', 'paranoid', 'kook', or a charlatan, quack, crank (that covers non-allopaths). They have conveniently written down what they want you to think in this classic what-to-think article in Wikipedia (how helpful of them), what they called 'Conspiracism,' similar to another what-to-think page called Crank. They attached a similar slide to the word anti-vaccine (which is why it fell out of use--who wants to be labelled a nut?)--they even made a page to it on Wikipedia called Anti-vaccinationist, where they put a link in to the crank page, but the whale editor has thrown a few spanners into that page--have a laugh at the Anti-vaccinationist assertions page, they have managed to cut the assertions in half! An Allopathic editor even banned anyone calling him an Allopath!--he didn't want anyone (and probably himself as well) from seeing that he had a pecuniary and professional interest in vaccination. This is all propaganda in action.]

continued

Lew Rockwell

Will the Real Paranoids Please Raise Their Hands?

by Butler Shaffer

When one dares to dig beneath the surface of governmental programs to reveal undisclosed purposes, he or she is usually met with charges of being a "paranoid" defender of "conspiracy theories." More often than not, such an accusation silences the questioner, as it is designed to do. I long ago came to the conclusion that those who chastise others for spouting "conspiracy theories" tend to do so because they don’t want the implications of their own schemes revealed to the public. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!," intoned the Wizard of Oz, an admonition designed to intimidate the inquisitive into silence.

I, for one, gladly admit to the embracing of any conspiracy theory for which there is credible evidence. But those who condemn me for my views never seem interested in examining the evidence, their purposes being more to prevent the raising of discomforting questions. Having read a good deal of history over the years, I ask my critics to account for the countless foreign intrigues, plots, assassinations, alliances, and other cabals that have been at the heart of so much of the history of the world. Do Shakespeare’s tragedies – almost all of which are grounded in conspiracies of one kind or another – have nothing to teach us about the machinations of human behavior?

continued

whale

CONSPIRACY THEORY AS NAIVE DECONSTRUCTIVE HISTORY

by Floyd Rudmin
April, 2003
newdemocracyworld.org

Floyd Rudmin is a member of the Psychology Department, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.

"Conspiracy theory" is usually used as a pejorative label, meaning paranoid, nutty, marginal, and certainly untrue. The power of this pejorative is that it discounts a theory by attacking the motivations and mental competence of those who advocate the theory. By labeling an explanation of events "conspiracy theory," evidence and argument are dismissed because they come from a mentally or morally deficient personality, not because they have been shown to be incorrect. Calling an explanation of events "conspiracy theory" means, in effect, "We don't like you, and no one should listen to your explanation."

In earlier eras other pejorative labels, such as "heresy," "witchery," and "communism" also worked like this. The charge of "conspiracy theory" is not so severe as these other labels, but in its way is many times worse. Heresy, witchcraft, and communism at least retain some sense of potency. They designate ideas to be feared. "Conspiracy theory" implies that the ideas and their advocates are simple-minded or insane.

All such labels implicitly define a community of orthodox believers and try to banish or shun people who challenge orthodox beliefs. Members of the community who are sympathetic to new thoughts might shy away from the new thoughts and join in the shunning due to fear of being tainted by the pejorative label.

There is currently a boom in books on conspiracy theory, most of them derogatory, as is evident in some recent titles: Architects of Fear: Conspiracy Theories and Paranoia in American Politics; Conspiracy Culture: From the Kennedy Assassination to the X-Files; Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From.

Within popular US culture, there is also now a boom in movies, novels, and web sites that feature conspiracy theories. The apparent popularity of conspiracy theories is often cited as a cause of concern, that our society is breaking down. For example, Canadian journalist Robert Sibley has said that conspiracy theory is "a nihilistic vortex of delusion and superstition that negates reality itself."

I think that just the reverse is true. There is nothing insane or sinister about conspiracy theory research. It is rather matter of fact. A wide range of ordinary people from many walks of life take an interest in the political and economic events of our era. They think things through on their own, use the library, seek for evidence, articulate a theory, communicate with other people with similar interests. It is heartening that some citizens invest time and effort to unearth and expose some of the conspiracies that damage our society, our economy and our government.

But it certainly does seem that some historians and journalists are quite frightened of conspiracy theory and its wide popularity. Those are the two professions whose job it is to interpret our world for us. When ordinary people take on the task of doing this themselves, it must mean that they don't believe what the authorities say we should. Maybe the professionals feel threatened when amateurs think about political events for themselves.
continued

[MacCruiskeen]

What an utter fake and phoney Biden is! Look at this quite astoundingly hammy performance (and listen to it). I've rarely seen or heard anything so utterly cringeworthy:



(Incidentally, that''s a fine specimen of The Nose-Tap on the 20-second mark, followed immediately by a shamefaced Mouth-Wipe.)

[Laodicean]

Sandy Hook Principal Dawn Hochsprung's Daughter to United Way: Give Newtown Victims' Families the Money

NEWTOWN — Family members of at least one of those killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings have taken to social media, demanding United Way of Western Connecticut give donated funds to the victims’ families.

UWWC has raised about $9.9 million, and a committee was formed to decide what to do with the money. More than two months after the shootings, no plans for the millions have been decided.

Cristina Lafferty-Hassinger, daughter of Sandy Hook Principal and shooting victim Dawn Hochsprung, took to social media Monday and Tuesday expressing her frustrations with UWWC.

Her Facebook post stated, “The United Way of Western Connecticut gallantly stepped up to manage the influx of donations, but who are they really helping? They offered their trusted name to evoke confidence from eager donors, but more than two months later the victims’ families are being asked for proof of hardship before even the smallest disbursement is issued. Proof of hardship?”

http://www.countytimes.com/articles/201 ... 859773.txt

[MacCruiskeen]

Fair use, etc.:

The Bulletin (CTBulletin.com)

News
Search Warrants for Adam Lanza's House, Car Still Sealed; Police Records Too

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN
Associated Press

http://www.countytimes.com/articles/201 ... viewmode=2

Also see our Cool Justice Oped: OPINION: Adam Lanza, Secrecy and Danbury Fair Mall; Woody Allen and O.J.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — There is no doubt who is responsible for the Newtown school massacre. [sic] The shooter is dead and the prosecutor handling the case has said he does not expect any charges.

Yet authorities are continuing to keep search warrants and police records secret. Media outlets have pressed for the release of more records, which could shed light on a crime that has revived the national debate over gun control and could change the way guns are regulated.

The massacre has led to proposals for universal background checks on gun buyers and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. It also prompted reviews of school security and mental health care and led to proposed legislation in Connecticut that would forbid arcades and other establishments from allowing children under 18 to play point-and-shoot video games.

The 20-year-old shooter, Adam Lanza, killed his mother at their home before killing 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14. He killed himself as police arrived.

Prosecutor Stephen Sedensky III successfully argued in December to keep search warrant affidavits and applications related to Lanza's house and the car he drove to the school sealed for 90 days, saying disclosure would jeopardize an ongoing investigation. He said at the time no arrests were anticipated but had not been ruled out.

News media advocates say the records should be unsealed, arguing the public has a right to see such records, which include what was found in the house and car. They say records may be sealed only when an investigation would be hurt by disclosure.

"There seems to be absolutely no reason that they would need to. It's not going to jeopardize the case in any way," said Linda Petersen, chairwoman of the Freedom of Information Committee of the Society of Professional Journalists.

William Fish, an attorney who has represented the news media in high-profile cases that were sealed in Connecticut, also said the sealing does not appear justified since no prosecution is likely. He conceded, however, that "it's not a surprise to me that a court has in fact sealed the records just because it's so horrible."

Newtown police denied requests by The Associated Press for 911 calls and any police reports involving Lanza or his family. State police also declined to release records, citing the pending investigation.

In an editorial last week, The Hartford Courant said such records should be released sooner, not later, since they might answer the public's questions about the murders and could guide legislators making policy decisions in reaction to the crime.

Richard Hanley, graduate journalism director at Quinnipiac University, said he understood the 90-day sealing while the investigation unfolded but said there should be no extension of that sealing.

"This was a case that had a profound impact on people beyond the immediate area and it will have a profound impact on public policy," Hanley said Monday. "It's imperative that the authorities release the full investigative records, the 911 calls and other documents relative to this slaughter, because the overriding interest is the public's right to know."

Sedensky, the prosecutor, noted that authorities have disclosed details about the weapons used in the shooting: a Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle was used to kill the children and educators and a handgun to kill himself. He said he advised Newtown officials not to disclose the 911 calls.

Danbury Superior Court Judge John F. Blawie on Dec. 27 granted the 90-day seal on search warrant affidavits and applications after concluding that the state's "interest in continuing nondisclosure substantially outweighs any right to public disclosure at this time."

Sedensky said he has not decided yet whether to seek an extension of the sealing. A police report on the probe may not be ready until the summer, he said.

In denying a request by the AP for police reports and 911 calls, the Newtown Police Department said releasing the documents was prohibited by state law "as information to be used in a prospective law enforcement action." AP's request sought all police calls for service to the Lanza house and to Sandy Hook Elementary School, 911 calls and any police reports involving Lanza and his family.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe has said there were only two calls to the Lanza house several years before the shooting. One was in 2006 in which Lanza's mother Nancy reported someone rang the doorbell and ran off and the other was to report a larceny in 2003 that turned out to be in another jurisdiction, Kehoe said.

URL: http://www.countytimes.com/articles/201 ... 653333.prt

© 2013 The Litchfield County Times, a Journal Register Property

[Iamwhomiam]

Any suggestions for its replacement? "Plot" is so 19th century.
"Hobbyist investigators"?

Off Topic? Hardly, when one responds to another's comment.

So, Mac, any suggestions for an appropriate replacement term? Sincerely.

[JackRiddler]

My inner academic wonk wants to cleverly point out that a "theory of conspiracy" is a hell of a different thing than "conspiracy theory," but let's note some of the many alternatives useful for different contexts and cases, and with the caveat that they all mean and refer to at least partly and sometimes wholly different things: deep state, parapolitics, power elite, networks, circles of influence, circles of complicity, collusion, secret plot, confluence of interests, organized crime, racketeering, criminal acts, secret operations, ops, hidden government, hidden realms of government, shadow government, behind closed doors, "Top Secret America," covert branches of government, corporate crime, corporate malfeasance, concealed plots, secret policy, para-policy, rogue policy, freelance policy, covert policy apparatus, etc. etc. (An attempt at an exhaustive list is impossible and a dogged attempt would run for pages and pages.) All of these are useful for having specific meanings and identifiable referrents. Also, since there really is "conspiracy theory" that is ridiculous and baseless: imagined plots, fantasy land, bullshit constructs, smear campaign. And clearly, there is a self-designated "CT community," so there's no getting around that.

[MacCruiskeen]

BREAKING: Adam Lanza was "much more disturbed" than ̶L̶e̶x̶ ̶L̶u̶t̶h̶o̶r̶ ̶A̶d̶o̶l̶f̶ ̶H̶i̶t̶l̶e̶r̶ Jeffrey Dahmer:

Stone, a Columbia University professor known for his expertise as the "Doctor of Evil," said that Lanza was "totally unable to open his mouth and make communication of any sort toward the end of his life"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/2 ... 68273.html

"Totally unable to open his mouth"? Whoaaa, creepy or what? But at least it meant he couldn't actually eat anyone.


This man has read lots of hard books.

Dr. Stone, who is "known for his expertise", knows all this ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶c̶l̶a̶i̶r̶v̶o̶y̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶b̶s̶e̶r̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶A̶d̶a̶m̶ ̶L̶a̶n̶z̶a̶ ̶c̶l̶o̶s̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶w̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶e̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶e̶ because he pulled the entire crock of shit out of his ass in order to keep his own name in what is, preposterously, still known as the news.

(Guess which photo of Adam Lanza accompanies this hogwash.)

[Iamwhomiam]

And watch for James Alan Fox's name to pop-up. The Man's a fraud and I can prove it.

If I see his name appear in relationship to the Sandy Hook Slaughter I will be convinced something more nefarious than a random mass murder is afoot.

[Iamwhomiam]

Bumping, just to remind our investigators not to give up their quest for truth.

[MacCruiskeen]

One Newtown Response to Adam Lanza's Crime: $420,000 For Armed Guards in Schools
Published: Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Mark Zaretsky
mzaretsky@nhregister.com
@markzar on Twitter

NEWTOWN — The Board of Finance voted unanimously Monday night to set aside $420,000 in the contingency funds for the coming fiscal year for 4.3 armed security positions, allowing all seven of public schools to have armed police officers or the equivalent.

The Finance Board also voted 5-1 to set aside $180,000 in the Board of Selectmen’s budget so the town’s three private schools can apply for one-time grants to also have armed security officers.

The second motion, which would provide up to $60,000 per school, passed despite misgivings by some board members about providing public money to private schools.

...

http://www.countytimes.com/articles/201 ... =fullstory

Post-Sandy Hook, South Dakota and Georgia move to protect schools with guns
By Patrik Jonsson, Staff Writer / March 9, 2013

A day after the Georgia legislature ended bans on guns in bars, churches, and college classrooms, South Dakota passed the first law in the United States aimed expressly at allowing school districts to arm teachers.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2 ... -with-guns

[MacCruiskeen]

BREAKING:

Sources said... Sources said... sources close to the investigation into the shooting have told...
Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources now say... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources now say... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... A source familiar with the investigation said ... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... But two sources [wow!] said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said... Sources said...

Well, they would, wouldn't they?

[Iamwhomiam]

I know! Frustrating as hell! You'd think they'd have something to hide