“Conspiracy theorist” is a derogatory term for someone who provides an explanation for an event that’s unacceptable to those profiting from — or at least accepting — the status quo. According to that definition (mine), I’m proud to accept the label. I came by it early — when I realized how much our government was lying to cover up the truth of the Vietnam War, finally revealed in Daniel Ellsberg’s The Pentagon Papers. My other main departures from accepted “truth” have included the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King, Jr. — I don’t think lone gunmen with twisted minds were solely responsible for those  historically momentous murders. The assassination of Malcolm X could be another example. With those four men, the leaders of an entire generation were eliminated. 9-11 is my other biggie. Along with 50% of Americans even ten years after the attack on the Twin Towers, I believe the Bush administration, probably at the instigation of Vice President Dick Cheney, knew the attacks were planned, and not only allowed them to happen, but made sure there would be no military response by planning distracting military exercises for that day. (See my posts “Who Killed JFK?” (11-29-13) and “9-11 Ten Years On” (9-15-11) for more on these events.)

Why am I going back over all this history? To make a point: that with untrustworthy governments — and they’re all untrustworthy — you need to be constantly on your guard. And another: just because the Trump administration is being so apparently openly weird, doesn’t mean it isn’t hiding anything. In fact, much of the weirdness may be designed to distract us from what’s most important, even though it’s public. All this Russian stuff, for example, is much less important than the Trumpists’ disdain for democracy, sexism, racism, Islamophobia, and homophobia, and the actions they’re taking and may take in the future in those areas. My post yesterday about the administration’s crackdown on dissent is just one example — far more important, in my opinion, than former national security advisor Michael Flynn’s alleged communications with Russian intelligence. (Unless it ends up bringing down the entire Trump edifice, which would be more than fine with me!)

So, stay alert, read news sources you trust, and think critically! We’re in the midst of the end-stage of capitalism, the dinosaur is thrashing its tail, and people will be hurt. We need to be able to spread the word and act on a moment’s notice in order to minimize the damage.