Warning: A Conspiracy Against Conspiracy Theorists

I was recently doing some web surfing and came across a document called
"Conspiracy Theories Cass R. Sunstein * Adrian Vermeule"

I was kind of disturbed by what I read.

Conspiracy Theories

Many millions of people hold conspiracy theories; they believe that powerful people have worked together in order to withhold the truth about some important practice or some terrible event. A recent example is the belief, widespread in some parts of the world, that the attacks of 9/11 were carried out not by Al Qaeda, but by Israel or the United States.

Those who subscribe to conspiracy theories may create serious risks, including risks of violence, and the existence of such theories raises significant challenges for policy and law. The first challenge is to understand the mechanisms by which conspiracy theories prosper; the second challenge is to understand how such theories might be undermined. Such theories typically spread as a result of identifiable cognitive blunders, operating in conjunction with informational and reputational influences. A distinctive feature of conspiracy theories is their self-sealing quality.

Conspiracy theorists are not likely to be persuaded by an attempt to dispel their theories; they may even characterize that very attempt as further proof of the conspiracy. Because those who hold conspiracy theories typically suffer from a “crippled epistemology,” in accordance with which it is rational to hold such theories, the best response consists in cognitive infiltration of extremist groups. Various policy dilemmas, such as the question whether it is better for government to rebut conspiracy theories or to ignore them, are explored in this light.

They later go on to say,

Our main though far from exclusive focus – our running example – involves conspiracy theories relating to terrorism, especially theories that arise from and post-date the 9/11 attacks. These theories exist within the United States and, even more virulently, in foreign countries, especially Muslim countries. The existence of both domestic and foreign conspiracy theories, we suggest, is no trivial matter, posing real risks to the government’s antiterrorism policies, whatever the latter may be.

Terrorism-related theories are thus a crucial testing ground for the significance, causes, and policy implications of widespread conspiracy theorizing. As we shall see, an understanding of conspiracy theories has broad implications for the spread of information and beliefs; many erroneous judgments are a product of the same forces that produce conspiracy theories, and if we are able to see how to counteract such theories, we will have some clues about how to correct widespread errors more generally

The whole document is about how dangerous conspiracy theories are to National Security.

I later found this article related to the document
Top Obama czar: Infiltrate all 'conspiracy theorists'

Sunstein also recommended the government send agents to infiltrate "extremists who supply conspiracy theories" to disrupt the efforts of the "extremists" to propagate their theories.

"We can readily imagine a series of possible responses. (1) Government might ban conspiracy theorizing. (2) Government might impose some kind of tax, financial or otherwise, on those who disseminate such theories."

In the 30-page paper – obtained and reviewed by WND – Sunstein argues the best government response to "conspiracy theories" is "cognitive infiltration of extremist groups."

Sunstein said government agents "might enter chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups and attempt to undermine percolating conspiracy theories by raising doubts about their factual premises, causal logic or implications for political action."

Some "conspiracy theories" recommended for ban by Sunstein include:

"The theory of global warming is a deliberate fraud."

"The view that the Central Intelligence Agency was responsible for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy."

"The 1996 crash of TWA flight 800 was caused by a U.S. military missile."

"The Trilateral Commission is responsible for important movements of the international economy."

"That Martin Luther King Jr. was killed by federal agents."

"The moon landing was staged and never actually occurred."
Sunstein allowed that "some conspiracy theories, under our definition, have turned out to be true."

TPTB will be knocking down peoples doors soon. Look out


Mod Edit: All Caps – Please Review This Link.

I, don't even know what to say ... nor react. We really can't say anything anymore these days.

Truth is certainly a great threat to those whose power is based on deceit.

reply to post by MathiasAndrew


Very interesting

I can't wait to hear more opinions on this thread, nice job

whoa, I've been here for a while
and have never even heard of the
conspiracy that MLK was killed
by agents. So that's a new one
for me.

u do know ole chap that Sunstein
is the one who brained the idea
of the wikileaks takeover right ???

Well CT'ers have always complained about not being taken seriously.

Now it looks like we are being taken seriously more and more.

As the saying goes "Be careful what you wish for."

reply to post by anon102


I don't have much more to add besides:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6e4bac5c2b6c.jpg[/atsimg]

Cass Sunstein is a brilliant and outspoken mind.
No doubt, I and many others take issue with his benevolent government diatribes against theorists.
As a Jew, I'm sure he denies any and all criticisms of Judaism or Zionism.

reply to post by Moonsouljah


On some things he says I agree but this is not one of them. Cass should do his own research into some of the theories mentioned above. Those theories are what America is all about. The freedom of free speech and the duty to question our government is what makes us Americans. The writing he wrote was from 2008 I think. Old hat.

Originally posted by boondock-saint
whoa, I've been here for a while
and have never even heard of the
conspiracy that MLK was killed
by agents. So that's a new one
for me.

He wasn't

so those ones theyre trying to ban have now been proven?!! haha thanks i was still up in the air about them but if they wanna ban em they must be true!
they have proof about things that cause death and still dont ban them but are going to ban people having theories on subjects hahaha that cant be for real?!

let them try,
let them bring their guns and big man
im waiting.

Yet again, George Carlin said it best:

reply to post by KoolerKing


It really is un-American even within a new cyber landscape or whatever- no excuse. Whats sickening is that this is who Obama taps. The line is in the sand. Us vs. them. And the GOP is no better- they slash welfare and highway repairs but increase the Pentagon's budget by 6 billion.
So I guess you have big nanny government w/ the dems and big shadow government w/ Reps. Sad, sad joke.

While none of the the intention for dis information really surprised me, nor any of the conspiracies that were mentioned one line lit up like a spotlight and that was this line

Sunstein allowed that "some conspiracy theories, under our definition, have turned out to be true."

That admission could turn out to be priceless to conspiracy theorists, what we need to do now is try to ascertain which ones they are, one can only presume that Sunstien whilst having some knowledge would not have full knowledge of everything, it is a huge indication that we are not all mad, well i might be quite mad but at least some on here are not

reply to post by PrinceDreamer


Here's a few of the true conspiracies that he named.

Of course some conspiracy theories, under our definition, have turned out to be true.

The Watergate hotel room used by Democratic National Committee was, in fact, bugged by Republican officials, operating at the behest of the White House.

In the 1950s, the Central Intelligence Agency did, in fact, administer '___' and related drugs under Project MKULTRA, in an effort to investigate the possibility of “mind control.

” Operation Northwoods, a rumored plan by the Department of Defense to simulate acts of terrorism and to blame them on Cuba, really was proposed by high-level officials (though the plan never went into effect).

In 1947, space aliens did, in fact, land in Roswell, New Mexico, and the government covered it all up.
(Well, maybe not.) Our focus throughout is on false conspiracy theories, not true ones.

The mere fact he was selective in the particular subjects to be on the look-out for is telling.
I guess it's just the conspiracy theorist in me...

This quote from the conclusion was telling as to the existence of government agents online.

Some conspiracy theories create serious risks. They do not merely undermine democratic debate; in extreme cases, they create or fuel violence. If government can dispel such theories, it should do so. One problem is that its efforts might be counterproductive, because efforts to rebut conspiracy theories also legitimate them.

We have suggested, however, that government can minimize this effect by rebutting more rather than fewer theories, by enlisting independent groups to supply rebuttals, and by cognitive infiltration designed to break up the crippled epistemology of conspiracy minded groups and informationally isolated social networks.

reply to post by MathiasAndrew

This video will probably be banned soon ..... check it out while there's still time