> This is a point that Noam Chomsky makes too. Aside from the truth or > falsity of conspiracy theories, generally they are utterly unimportant > compared to the broader historical forces that shape our lives. What > capitalism does routinely is far worse than than the occasional secret > exceptional cases. Too much focus on conspiracy theory implies that > oppression is exceptional, carried out by "rogue" operatives rather > than being the routine policy neccesary to an operating capitalism. But conspiracies like the Iran-Contra affair are necessary to an operating capitalism. If the CIA et.al. had not worked to subvert Nicaragua, the Sandi's may have set an example for other nations and thus undermined ruling class hegemony. Conspiracy is one of the means by which the ruling class maintains its hegemony. The stuff about rogue operations is plausible deniability. The ruling class has to conspire where it would be difficult to carry out operations otherwise. The Boland amendment ment that the ruling class had to resort to black ops. An interesting example is Monika Stevenson's book _Kiss The Boys Goodbye_. She says there were MIA/POW's in Vietnam but the CIA left them there to protect the identity of the "sensitive" nature of the activities they were engaged in. Things like bio/chemical warfare experimenation, torture and mind control stuff, drug dealing etc. Plausible deniability. > > > In general, this is the problem with the portrayal of the CIA (and the > rest of the intelligence alphabet soup) as rogue agencies. There are > no "rogue" U.S. intelligence agencies. U.S. intelligence carries out > policy of the U.S. government and of U.S. capital, pretty much as > instructed. > Right. As the posts on 'skull and bones' made clear, members of the intelligence "community" often become members of the capitalist class and vive versa. William Casey was director of ABC/Cap cities for a time I believe. Bush has oil interests. The brothers Dulles were directors of United Fruit at the time of the coup in Guatemala. Sam Pawlett
