University of California in Davis (UCD) history professor Kathryn Olmsted has only recently published her new book, “Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11,” the third in a series of works created to let people know of the lies, deceit and conspiracies they were subjected to by their own government. The work includes some of the most unbelievable conspiracies to date, all very well documented, which will most likely make many Americans wonder if their trust in the government and the central authorities is well placed.
Some of the conspiracies presented in the new book include the US plot to kill Fidel Castro, either by poisoning his food or by placing a bomb at his usual swimming place, plans to attack the civilian population to justify an attack on Cuba, sabotaging John Glenn's rocket during his historic flight, as well as scientific studies that were carried on the general population, when hallucinogenic substances were dropped into the glasses of unsuspecting bar customers, who were then studied.
Although these things may sound like the ramblings of paranoids, they are all as true as they get, and the author has documented these plans very well. The simple fact that the US contemplated attacking its own citizens in order to get the support of the population to begin an offensive against Cuba is appalling. It certainly brings to one's mind certain similarities to the 9/11 attacks, which some say that were either carried out by federal agents, or were allowed to happen.
Following that dark date, the US population became more than willing to support the war for oil (not freedom) in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though concrete pieces of evidence that Osama bin-Laden and his acolytes had been really behind the attacks were never introduced. In addition, the US military failed to demonstrate that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, be they chemical, biological or nuclear.
“By the end of the 1970s, Americans knew more about their government's secrets and misdeeds than any people in history. And the more they learned, the more they suspected that the government was still hiding bigger, more explosive secrets,” the author writes. US citizens have lost their confidence in the federal government, polls show, with a whooping 50 percent of respondents suspecting the authorities of involvement with the groups that set up the 2001 attacks.
“When you live in a democracy, you have to educate yourself about your government to hold it accountable. I always tell my students that being a citizen in a democracy is a lot of work. You have to be skeptical of your government, and you have to be skeptical of conspiracy theories about your government. Trusting either totally is a mistake,” Olmsted concludes.
Find us on Google+
