What conspiracy theories do you buy into even a little bit?

[skinfan2k]

Jordan was suspended by the league for gambling but it was a cover up and suggested he would play baseball for his dad. His dad was murdered by the guys who he owned money to

[10fttall]

Don't forget, the moon landing program was spearheaded by JFK!!!

[Switchgear]

I don't have anything to back it up so it may be shot down quickly, but I never 100% discounted that Flight 93 wasn't brought down by our military.

I remember that morning when I first learned 9/11 was going down (about 7:30ish am Mountain Time). One of the guys at work said that 2 jets had hit the Towers, and a 3rd was heading for DC but F-16s were going after it....this was while it was pretty much going on "live".

I can't find the entire thing online, but the documentary "Clear the skies - 9/11 Air Defense" from the BBC is a really good behind the scenes look at what was happening in real time. Here's the only clip I could find:

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I was in class near Langley AFB that morning, I am sure I heard the jets scramble. I thought at the time it didn't sound like a normal takeoff.

Anyway, it clearly says in the clip that Cheney had authorized shooting down any unauthorized aircraft approaching DC. I have no doubt that had the F-16s gotten to 93 or 77 before they crashed, they would have shot them down.

I did find a transcript:

09:33:00

On the radar screens an Air Traffic Controller spots an unidentified blip. It's a plane with its transponder turned off and its heading straight for Washington DC. It's flying low at 800 kilometres per hour. Air Traffic Control immediately warns the Secret Service.

Gavin Hewitt, BBC presenter: 'Here at the White House, Secret Service agents rushed into the Vice President's office. Sir, they said, we have to leave immediately. Before he could respond they grabbed him under the arms, practically lifting the Vice President off the ground. They took him to the White House basement, along a tunnel, to an underground bunker.'

Vice President Dick Cheney, now secure, takes charge (at the Presidential Emergency Operations Centre). One of those who joined the Vice President there was his wife Lynne Cheney.

Lynne Cheney: 'My husband had talked to the President and they decided that the thing to do if the airline continued to approach was to shoot it down. That was one of the more horrific moments I can remember.'

Eckmann: 'They said - all aeroplanes, if you come within (I believe it was) 30 miles of Washington DC, you will be shot down.'

Also in the bunker Norman Mineta. He was talking to the Federal Aviation Administration as a suspect plane approached the capital.

Norman Mineta, Secretary of Transportation: 'The young man said to the Vice President - 'The plane's ten miles out. Do the orders still stand?' - and the Vice President whipped his head around and said of course they do.'

09:45:00

All flight controllers are told to go to condition Air Traffic Control Zero. It means clearing the skies of all private and commercial planes - something never attempted before.

Mineta: 'It's just an immediate reaction to bring the planes down because at that point also we probably had maybe about ten unaccounted for aeroplanes.'

[****pit Voice Recording, Flight 93] 'This is the captain. We'd like you to remain seated. There is a bomb on board. We are going to turn back to the airport. We have our demands, so please remain quiet.'

Controllers intercept an alarming message from United Flight 93 bound for California. It appears to be turning back east, possibly towards the Capital. And it is not responding.

[Recording of ATC trying to talk to hijackers] 'United 93, I understand you have a bomb on board, go ahead. United 93, Cleveland, do you still hear the centre? United 93, do you still hear, Cleveland.'

Marr: 'I have determined of course that with only four aircraft, we cannot defend the whole north eastern United States. That was the sensation of frustration of - I don't have the forces available to do anything about this.'

09:48:00

Two jets are diverted from a training mission in a desperate attempt to head off United Flight 93. These planes, like others called on that day, have not even been armed.

Marr: 'Sometimes the only way to stop an aircraft is with your own aircraft if you don't have any weapons.'

10:03:00

The fourth plane - United Flight 93 - crashes into the ground in Pennsylvania. For a time the President didn't know if fighter planes have shot it down. Only later does the story emerge that passengers had fought with the hijackers. Had it proceeded to Washington, Flight 93 would have been intercepted.

Lynne Cheney: 'It was a great relief, I can assure you to everyone, when we learned that the plane had not been shot down, that in fact it had crashed for other reasons - we weren't sure why. But I remember my husband saying that he suspected there were heroes on that plane.'

[Baculus]

I used to be a truther, but Occam's razor killed it for me. But I do love UFO sort of conspiracy theories. Even if it isn't true, even if UFOs aren't real (which would be sort of disappointing), it's still fascinating stuff.

What can I say -- I grew up on "In Search Of."

[CoolUsernameHere]

The most interesting one to me is the moon landing. That's the one I am the most open-minded about.

[Chachie]

[No Excuses]

I really want to believe in the Roswell conspiracy theory.

[Beans]

I've always thought it possible that the uber affluent conspire to generate crises for personal gain, power, control, etc. "Never let a good crisis go to waste". I am also extremely distrustful of those secret squirrel clubs and meetings they attend/belong to.

[GhostofSparta]

Quick - What's Sirhan Sirhan's middle name?

I'm gonna go with my gut on this and say....Sirhan?

Can't buy into 9/11 or moon landing conspiracies at all. As Bac said and others have alluded to, Occam's Razor cuts those to shreds too easily for me. I can maybe buy like, 5% into the "Oswald had help/backing" or "FDR knew Pearl Harbor" myths, but really not much more than that. FDR wanted to get us into WWII, and the military knew the Japanese fleet was basically AWOL in the Pacific....but back before satellites and advanced radar, the Pacific was a pretty huge place to hide a fleet. So I've read that the gov't was anticipating some type of attack, but had at least a half dozen targets in mind with Pearl being at the bottom of any such list. And Oswald was the only shooter, there was no "magic bullet," but I can't say 100% for sure that the idea of shooting Kennedy didn't come from some communist or pro-Castro Cuban buddies of his (even if in passing remarks).

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I buy into the theory that we did not land on the moon...

A very small part of me wants that to be true. I think it would be cool and less malicious than some others (JFK, 9/11, etc.).

[10fttall]

The Flight 93 stuff only comes out because people have no idea what goes on with multiple agencies, multiple communications methods, and multiple logs; especially in the pre-9/11 world. At that time, seamless communications and omnipotent controllers only existed in the movies. And some people believe what they see in the movies.

[TheDoyler23]

I believe Michael Jordan was secretly suspended. Baseball was a publicity stint and an opportunity to stay close to elite athlete shape. Competing was something so natural to MJ that he couldn't fathom not competing. Its why he's always playing golf, or showing up on an NBA court or gambling,

I also think Donald Trump doesn't have anywhere near the financial empire that he projects. Probably not a "conspiracy theory" in the most correct sense, but if you really have an empire like that, you're too busy to sell a stupid ass tv show and do constantly show his face to the media.

[War Paint]

Conspiracy theories I buy into....

The New World Order

Professional sports sometimes rigging or altering games for desired results.

JFK

Building 7

[No Excuses]

Jordan was suspended by the league for gambling but it was a cover up and suggested he would play baseball for his dad. His dad was murdered by the guys who he owned money to

I believe Micheal Jordan was secretly suspended. Baseball was a publicity stint and an opportunity to stay close to elite athlete shape. Competing was something so natural to MJ that he couldn't fathom not competing. Its why he's always playing golf, or showing up on an NBA court or gambling,

I buy the Jordan suspension theory as well. I think Jordan still gambles quite a lot.

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

I buy the Jordan suspension theory as well. I think Jordan still gambles quite a lot.

For sure...it seems highly plausible

[ixcuincle]

Massive NBA conspiracy

Look at the game tape

Look at Game 6

Look at the Knicks lottery

It's like the NBA is not even trying to hide it anymore

[grego]

I used to be a truther, but Occam's razor killed it for me. But I do love UFO sort of conspiracy theories. Even if it isn't true, even if UFOs aren't real (which would be sort of disappointing), it's still fascinating stuff.

What can I say -- I grew up on "In Search Of."

ditto that! leonard nimoy was the man. what a great show.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Massive NBA conspiracy

Look at the game tape

Look at Game 6

Look at the Knicks lottery

It's like the NBA is not even trying to hide it anymore

Eventually Stalin realized that cover ups were no longer necessary. He could do as he pleased. No one would challenge him.

[zoony]

the "magic bullet" was thoroughly debunked with computer modeling. the car had stadium seating (rear seats raised above the front seats), and LHO wasn't as far away as is often reported, and Kennedy turned around after he heard the first shot.

i strongly believe all the popular conspiracy theories are pretty much total bunk (moon landing, truthers, birthers, jfk, chemtrails). they just represent what people very much wish to believe either as an ideological choice or merely as an aesthetic affectation to their personality or worldview. conspiracies are inherently enticing because humans are drawn to mystery and the fantastic. unfortunately, reality is almost always far more tedious. i admit i don't understand why people cling with such fervor to many of them, even after being shown far, far simpler explanations that fit the facts much more plausibly and easily without inventing all kinds of weirdness.

i guess it is comforting in a weird way to many people to believe that our government is capable of covertly controlling information on such an enormous scale, all available evidence to the contrary.

You stole my post, beginning to end. I tire of the characterization of "magic". It ain't magic, it's physics.

The JFK conspiracies are bull****. If the military industrial complex wanted Kennedy dead, they would have poisoned him. Think, people. Seriously. You really think people powerful enough to off the POTUS and hide the evidence would choose to do so with an idiot like Oswald right in the middle of a ****ing parade? REALLY?

And yes, me and Mad Mike are the same person.

One thing I would add about conspiracy theories, ESPECIALLY the Kennedy assassination, is that a lot of their appeal imo comes from simple disbelief that sometimes **** just happens. Especially when those people and institutions we hold in such esteem are brought down by what, quite frankly, are a bunch of dip****s.

Could 19 out of work losers from Saudi Arabia really cripple the United States in a matter of hours, with little more than a couple of boxcutters? The answer, unfortunately, is yes.

Could a washed up drifter named Lee Oswald really singlehandedly assassinate with horrifying precision our hope for the future, our beloved leader of the free world? Again, the answer is yes. Deal with it.

....

[sportjunkie07]

What is the blank you are referring to? Are you suggesting that evolution is a conspiracy?

i think it is, i mean come on, where did the first particle of matter come from? but thats a different debate. (and i do believe in some tenets of evolution).

but what i was talking about was events/things that happened in the past (ie the brontasaurus, human developement, geographical features, ice ages, etc). scientists try to say that they know that certain events happened at certain times during the world's timeline. its a crapshoot. scientists can't even decide if global warming is a joke or not (i think its false btw). expand that by a couple billion years, and you see how stupid it is when scientists try to say what happened so long ago.

[TheDoyler23]

Again, the answer is yes. Deal with it.

....

[addicted]

Holy ****. That seriously needs its own thread. Speechless. Disgusted. Are there any federal laws on the books to stop this horse ****?

Haven't done any research, but since Texas obviously changed some laws (according to the article) to allow Pickens to create an 8-acre municipality (population 2) that will allow him to drain a huge aquifer, does that mean anyone can do the same, or do you have to give 1.2 million to Texas state legislators?

Texas has a law that states if you can tap into something thats under your land and you own the mineral rights on the land you get to keep it that it belongs to you. Pickens is currently sucking the water out of the largest water reserve this nation has and bottling it and selling it back to you and me. For a long time he boasted about this until people started asking questions. The saddest part about his scheme is that the water is not replenished and exists in other states but by Texas law what he is doing is legal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI6BMmmpsTM

[Hubbs]

i think it is, i mean come on, where did the first particle of matter come from? but thats a different debate. (and i do believe in some tenets of evolution).

but what i was talking about was events/things that happened in the past (ie the brontasaurus, human developement, geographical features, ice ages, etc). scientists try to say that they know that certain events happened at certain times during the world's timeline. its a crapshoot. scientists can't even decide if global warming is a joke or not (i think its false btw). expand that by a couple billion years, and you see how stupid it is when scientists try to say what happened so long ago.

So, wait, you think that dinosaurs might have been alive, say, 1 million years ago?

[No Excuses]

i think it is, i mean come on, where did the first particle of matter come from? but thats a different debate. (and i do believe in some tenets of evolution).

Organic compounds are present all over the Earth.

but what i was talking about was events/things that happened in the past (ie the brontasaurus, human developement, geographical features, ice ages, etc). scientists try to say that they know that certain events happened at certain times during the world's timeline. its a crapshoot. scientists can't even decide if global warming is a joke or not (i think its false btw). expand that by a couple billion years, and you see how stupid it is when scientists try to say what happened so long ago.

This is too vague. What do you question about human development? Geographical features? Ice ages? I'd be interested in seeing evidence that suggests contrary to accepted scientific belief.

Scientists don't pass evolution as a hardcore fact. Information is being corrected and added continuously. Modern understanding of evolution Is a relatively new field of science yet the data available is overwhelming.

[sportjunkie07]

So, wait, you think that dinosaurs might have been alive, say, 1 million years ago?

million years, no. several thousand years, yes. but that is another debate entirely.