I wrote:
> At least one 9/11 debunking site has protested as to why so many >> conspiracy theorists ignore the most obvious conspiracy at the center: >> there is no evidence that Iraq had anything to do with 9/11 and the whole >> war was based on lies. >> > > That was not a conspiracy, which is defined as a surreptitious organized > movement. That was a political lie. > There have been wars started by conspiracy. The Mukden Incident is a good example. It was a staged "attack" on a railroad -- a small explosion that actually caused no damage. It was a bogus casus belli, done by hothead Japanese army officers to trigger a war. This was a small conspiracy. It was planned and carried out in by two Japanese army colonels, beginning in May 1931. The incident took place in September. No doubt some enlisted men took part in it, building a bunker and assembling some explosives, but I doubt anyone told them what they were up to. If thousands had know the plans would have leaked. It did not actually fool anyone in the know. Japanese newspaper readers might have believed it, but everyone back in army headquarters in Tokyo, and all of the Chinese, knew this was a staged attack. Before the attack, army headquarters in Tokyo got suspicious, and sent people to try to stop it. After the attack, the Japanese army succumbed to right wing pressure and went ahead with the war. It was a quagmire that culminated in the disastrous war with the U.S. and the U.K. It is typical of dysfunctional Japanese organizations that power is invested in the lowest levels, and the so-called commanders are bumbling figureheads. Low level people make decisions and carry out initiatives, often without permission. The tail wags the dog, as we say. No one tells anyone else what they are up to. That is a hothouse for secrecy and conspiracies. During the war that followed, Chinese officers joked that if you want to negotiate with the Japanese, don't bother contacting Tokyo. Look for a low ranking field officer, because they make all the decisions. - Jed
