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DSK AND CONSPIRACY THEORY
The New York Times ^ | May 31, 2011 | ROGER COHEN

Posted on 05/31/2011 1:14:42 PM PDT by Cincinna

After Osama bin Laden was killed, a prominent French radio station called me for an interview. It turned into a mildly hallucinogenic experience. Everybody from the president of the United States to Al Qaeda itself was saying Bin Laden was dead, but my interviewer kept pressing me for “the proof.”

I talked about DNA samples, the word of the American president, the accumulated intelligence, but it was clear that a Gallic conspiracy reflex — especially active with regard to France’s sometime American savior — had kicked in. The view that this might all be some U.S. plot or hoax had taken mysterious hold. I was put in mind of an unpleasant Paris dinner when a France Télécom manager with international experience began to expound on the theory — more than plausible to his mind — that Jews had not turned up to work at the twin towers on 9/11 because Israel and the Mossad were behind the planes-turned-missiles that turned lower Manhattan into an inferno.

And now we have the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case, viewed, it seems, by close to 60 percent of French society as a conspiracy against the putative Socialist presidential candidate — a sting operation that somehow placed a West African immigrant maid in a $3,000 a night Sofitel suite whose number, 2806, corresponds to the date of the opening of the Socialist party primaries in France (06-28).(snip) France remains a nation of Napoleonic centralism where the functionary’s mentality holds sway. The ingrained reflex of mind-set is look to the state for salvation, to believe in some all- orchestrating higher power. The nation’s world-class private sector, believers in agency rather than dependency, follows the old principle of “vivre heureux, vivre caché” — to live happily, live hidden.In this view, personal responsibility does not loom large.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dsk; france; imf; welfarestate
"...A rough rule goes like this: The freer a society the less inclined it is to conspiracy theories, while the greater its culture of dependency the more it will tend to see hidden hands at work everywhere.work everywhere."
1 posted on 05/31/2011 1:14:43 PM PDT by Cincinna
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To: Cincinna
The problem with conspiracies is that you can never provide enough proof. Conspiracy theorists will insist its doctored, the CIA did it, bla bla bla.

Don't argue with crazy people

2 posted on 05/31/2011 1:19:11 PM PDT by Silverfiddle (Stand With The Heroes, Fight The Zeroes!)
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To: Cincinna

“the word of the American president”

...is worth crap.

This Roger Cohen is a funny leftist tool!


3 posted on 05/31/2011 1:20:39 PM PDT by Batman11 (Obama's poll numbers are so low the Kenyans are claiming he was born in the USA!)
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To: Cincinna
DeGaulle was right, you can't govern a country with 257 varieties of cheese.
4 posted on 05/31/2011 1:20:48 PM PDT by AU72
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To: Cincinna; caww; neverdem; Fishtalk; nctexan; MassachusettsGOP; paudio; ronnie raygun; Minette; ...

Excellent analysis of conspiracy theory, welfare state relationship.
I know, that’s where we’re heading, but in America, it is not intrinsic to our system. It can be stopped.

Left wing blogs that comment on French Politics are jumping all over this.

*** FRENCH POLITICS AND CULTURE PING LIST *** 
FREEPMAIL ME IF YOU WANT TO JOIN  ***

 I’ll keep you all informed  about the DSK case in detail, as well as covering other French political and cultural events. 


5 posted on 05/31/2011 1:24:35 PM PDT by Cincinna ( *** NOBAMA 2012 ***)
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To: Cincinna

it fits with the even bigger leftist conspiracy that “globalist bankers” (those darned Joooooos again!) wanted him out as IMF head because he was going to cut Greece and Portugal a break and not extract repayment from their social programs.


6 posted on 05/31/2011 1:24:40 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Cincinna

Has there been ANY real, true, bona-fide, proven, multiple-party assassination conspiracy since the attack on President Lincoln in 1865? That REALLY was one!


7 posted on 05/31/2011 1:35:30 PM PDT by 2harddrive
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To: AU72

246, but who’s counting ;•}
I seem to remember another comment about governing a country with hundreds of religions(I think he meant us, and wasnt aware that different denominations of Christianity are all one religion- Christian. Same for Jews and different branches of Judaism.
Of course the main religion in France is humanism/statism, ie Atheism, but they never can look in the mirror.


8 posted on 05/31/2011 1:36:14 PM PDT by Cincinna ( *** NOBAMA 2012 ***)
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To: 2harddrive

And still unsolved!


9 posted on 05/31/2011 1:38:09 PM PDT by Cincinna ( *** NOBAMA 2012 ***)
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To: Cincinna

Best case - he uses vulnerable humans as if they were an appliance.

Best case pig. Worst case - violent pig.


10 posted on 05/31/2011 1:43:56 PM PDT by DManA
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To: Cincinna

On what foundation does this administration have to compel us to believe anything they have to say? As far as I’m concerned they liars first and foremost until proven otherwise.


11 posted on 05/31/2011 1:51:59 PM PDT by rwoodward ("god, guns and more ammo")
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To: 2harddrive

Anton Cermak

Taken out by the Chicago mob because of the squeeze he was putting on then-boss Frank Nitti and the favoritism shown to The Outfit’s competition Roger Touhy

http://www.newcriminologist.com/oc/home.asp?nid=201


12 posted on 05/31/2011 1:57:03 PM PDT by Emperor Palpatine (One of these days, Alice....one of these days.....POW!! Right in the kisser!!!!)
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To: Cincinna
Lincoln's has been.

The mastermind:


13 posted on 05/31/2011 2:05:57 PM PDT by Emperor Palpatine (One of these days, Alice....one of these days.....POW!! Right in the kisser!!!!)
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To: Cincinna
I think a society with humans running it, produces actual conspiracies of large and small scope. Theories about conspiracies abound because people in the society have first hand knowledge.

To suggest otherwise one either has to lie outright, or be a reclusive bachelor.

Because anyone who ever was or who ever raised an eleven year old girl has seen them group up and perpetrate the most absurd cruelties upon one another.

Conspiring is not an exclusively female trait, but they start it early and they get elaborate with it.

14 posted on 05/31/2011 2:06:25 PM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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To: Emperor Palpatine

Chicago mob thug-ocracy hasn’t changed a bit seen the days of Eliot Ness & The Untouchables!


15 posted on 05/31/2011 3:12:57 PM PDT by Cincinna ( *** NOBAMA 2012 ***)
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