The Self-Conspirator

There's an inexplicable tendency to disregard conspiracy theories by nature of them being a conspiracy theory. Ignoring the fact that people conspire against each other all the time over trivial dumbass bullshit. Many theories may not be plausible or even based in reality, but the accusation of "conspiracy theorist" is treated like it holds some kind of water, while the same people accuse their political opponents of conspiring against "us folks."

The stereotype of a conspiracy theorist as the wide-eyed fanatic, reviewing the Zapruder Film over and over and over again for any kind of proof that the shot came from the grassy knoll, gets recalled in people's minds constantly even as a conspiracy is exposed.

Andrew Breitbart made a joke of himself (again) by siccing one of his flunkies on Mark Ames for exposing the Koch Brothers' involvement in the Tea Party. While Ames has already responded to the "Johnny Chen" investigation in the most hilarious way imaginable, what's more interesting is the sprawling exposé (please don't give them traffic) where Joel Pollak cries gigantic crocodile tears over what a mean guy Mark Ames is and how he lied about those nice wholesome Koch Brothers!  BOO HOO HOO!

But the main thrust of the piece seems to be how crazy it is to even accuse the Koch Brothers of a conspiracy.  Really?  After all the astroturfing, lobbying, payoffs, bribes, and phony legislation penned by their "think tanks" we're really supposed to believe that the Koch Brothers aren't conspiring to turn America into their personal vision of an economic raider's paradise?  Genghis Khan would marvel at such a strategy of conquest, and Joseph Goebbels would feel ashamed that Aryan white stooges like Breitbart are capable of so thoroughly shaping the minds of their Dittoheads.  The propagandists of the past in Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States used methods and developed theories so intricate and insidious that it makes me ashamed to live in a world where Rush Limbaugh can so easily dominate the conservative discourse.

Ultimately the most insidious thing about a conspiracy, is that the main players on the stage are usually unaware of their own role within it.  Mentally deficient ideologues like Breitbart will never understand just how much of a tool they really are for the monied interests that dominate this country.  The same goes for liberal pundits and every other talking head in the media who claims some pretension to journalistic objectivity.

ADDENDUM: Mathew Fleischer did a much better rundown of the Ames/Breitbart feud than I could've accomplished.

ADDENDA:  Mother Jones has just released an audio recording of a secret Koch seminar, where Charles Koch refers to Obama as "Saddam Hussein," and the 2012 election as "the mother of all wars."  But there's no conspiracy here, folks.  Nope.  Just a coupla nice, wholesome, freedom-loving Americans doing what they think is right for are country.