The Classic Liberal Blog

Answers to Yesterday's Pop Quiz:

1. Ronald Reagan
2. Barry Goldwater
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. Barry Goldwater

What? You mean ... the conspiracies are real?  Not exactly ...

Among the mistakes made by conspiracy theorists is that they exaggerate things, way out of proportion, then insist history can be viewed only through the lens of the given narrative.  In my opinion though, the most fundamental flaw in these stories is what can be best described as a hallucinatory concept of power.

Basically, they all boil down to a handful uber-wealthy international banker types (the Rockefeller and Rothschild families), secretly controlling everything in the world, including U.S. Presidents.  The problem with this belief, in Lord Acton's famous words, is that:

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

In other words ... if the handful of men who "control" the world are as powerful as the theorists claim, then it's simple psychology.  Human nature dictates that eventually they'll all turn on each other.  Yet, these theorists want to believe that "the powerful," just simply play their assigned roles and work in relative harmony, all while precisely carrying out their devious plots, generation after generation throughout multiple centuries.

The icing on the cake are the claims of U.S. presidents being mere "puppets!" We can discuss whether the president has too much power or not another day, but in the world as it is now ... the U.S. president IS the most powerful man in the world ...

Nevermind that power corrupts ... just close your eyes instead, and believe the actual most powerful man, the U.S. president, simply bows down and whimpers to his masters.  I mean let's face it ... the type of person who runs for the office of president must have a weak ego ... that job's for wimps!

Of course, what do I know ... I've been drinking the water with all the  government mind-control drugs.

Not the Guy from Star Trek:

The conspiracy doesn't matter.  Members of these groups hold significant positions in government.  These people make-up a large portion of high-level staff positions, top executive branch positions, high-level advisory positions ... organize summits, advise other governments, have significant influence over federal policy as well as write law.

It's common sense to want to know more.  All of the following are real.

• North American Union
• Amero
• Trilateral Commission
• Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
• The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP)
• New World Order

Conspiracy?

Well ... here's how Richard Wall puts it:

Like any other such grouping, the professional-criminal class of politicians will conspire, that is to say, they will meet together to plan and organize their actions. Who knows, they may even conspire to do good - there is no golden rule which says that all conspiracy has to be bad in intent ...

Nevertheless, such groups will also conspire continually to develop and perfect their techniques for staying ahead of opponents or potential challengers, both domestic and foreign. When applied to government, this mission statement, implicitly understood and absorbed by all members of the group, leads to a natural tendency to consolidate power, to conduct its proceedings in ever greater secrecy, to restricting the free flow of information, and to the erosion of the personal and civil liberties of the ruled.

Russell Kirk, author of The Conservative Mind (1953) is considered the man who "gave American conservatives an identity and a genealogy and catalyzed the postwar movement." His book really started the modern conservative movement.  Check out The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal website.

From Ronald Reagan:

As the prophet of American conservatism, Russell Kirk has taught, nurtured, and inspired a generation. From . . . Piety Hill, he reached deep into the roots of American values, writing and editing central works of political philosophy. His intellectual contribution has been a profound act of patriotism. I look forward to the future with anticipation that his work will continue to exert a profound influence in the defense of our values and our cherished civilization.

Skepticism:

Kirk was skeptical of power.  He warned about the temptation to "overthrow the limitations upon power, for the sake of some fancied temporary advantage." Because the chains used to bind down and restrict the power,  now unleashed ... will never be tamed, never stop growing, and will fall to the "wrong" hands.

Ninth, the conservative perceives the need for prudent restraints upon power and upon human passions. Politically speaking, power is the ability to do as one likes, regardless of the wills of one's fellows. A state in which an individual or a small group are able to dominate the wills of their fellows without check is a despotism, whether it is called monarchical or aristocratic or democratic ...

Knowing human nature for a mixture of good and evil, the conservative does not put his trust in mere benevolence. Constitutional restrictions, political checks and balances, adequate enforcement of the laws, the old intricate web of restraints upon will and appetite-these the conservative approves as instruments of freedom and order ...

Be skeptical of power.  Be alert.  That's all.

And now ... a few words from the Gipper.

In March of 1980, Ronald Reagan was asked during the campaign if he would allow Trilateral Commission members to serve in his cabinet, to which he responded:

I don't believe that the Trilateral Commission is a conspiratorial group, but I do think its interests are devoted to international banking, multinational corporations, and so forth. I don't think that any Administration of the U.S. Government should have the top nineteen positions filled by people from any one group or organization representing one viewpoint. No, I would go in a different direction.