What "They Say" About JFK

                The most fascinating responses to conspiracy theories have to be about the John F. Kennedy assassination. So many theories are out there debating who was behind the murder of this beloved president. In regards to conspiracy theories it is hard to determine what “They say” because everyone says something different. Was it Lee Harvey Oswald acting on his own will or not?? I hate to admit it yet again, but when I read different justifications I get so confused! I seem to believe everyone, maybe it could be this or maybe it could be that…I think that’s what makes these conspiracy theories so intriguing to me. We will never really know the real answer to these mysteries.

JFK’s assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald is a mystery. He was influenced by so many groups, and people had real motive to carry out such a horrible deed. All of the following theories influence my thoughts, so I will tell you what “they say” and you can decide for yourself what “you say.”

-          The Cubans: Pat Anders describes this theory as “the weakest theory.”  It is believed that since Kennedy did not allow US forces to participate in the Bay of Pigs, the people that were exiled from Cuba were not happy with Mr. President.

o   Another theory was that Castro had him murdered. There had been assassination attempts against him and he was under the impression he was in a “kill-or-be-killed situation”

-          The Mafia: The mafia had many alleged reasons for murdering the president. One having to do with the Cubans. The mobsters had stake in the Cuban casinos so after the Castro revolution they paid exiles and tried to kill Castro. They did not receive very good treatment from the Kennedys.

o   Sam Giancana, mobster, shared a mistress with JFK, maybe it was jealousy?

-          The US Government: The CIA was not happy with Kennedy; He had just given away Cuba and they wanted to prevent him from giving away Vietnam as well. Kennedy had also just fired CIA director Allen Dulles, who probably was not too happy. The CIA had a lot of connections and was very sneaky back then.

-          The KGB: Oswald had family ties to the KGB. Pat Anders asks, “How could the KGB NOT have a hand in the shooting??” They had just had a huge showdown in Cuba the year before, and Kennedy had just removed the missiles aimed at Russia. It is thought that the Government may be covered it up because they would then be forced to go into war with Russia.

-          The Zero Game: Has anyone ever noticed every president elected in a year ending in zero has died in office? Far right-wing writers are the ones to claim this option.  

More info on the theories found at - http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/4/jfk.htm

9/11 Conspiracy: true or not? and why is it so popular?

                Conspiracy theories have been brought to my attention recently by one of my friends who showed me a youtube video on 9/11. So this week I read an article from the Times called “Why the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Won’t Go Away?”  Lev Grossman explains in this article that there are two kinds of interpretations of the puffs of the “little puffs of dust spurting out from the sides of the towers.” The difference being the planes caused the destruction or they did not. He then presents the arguments conspiracy theorists make to justify the government planning the attack to the world trade center. I think he does this to try to lure the readers into considering the conspiracy theory as an option. He even tells us that 36% of a sample of adults admits that this could be “very likely” or “somewhat likely”. To present this data he is using psychology, by showing us that we wouldn’t be alone in believing this accusation.

Then the switch is made in his motives when he describes the video game, called “Loose Change.” He kind of implies that this is a joke, due to the fact that it is a video game, not made by professionals.  Then he really jabs at this theory with giving the facts from www.nist.gov as a resource. The most concrete point in his article is when he talks about the psychological explanations of conspiracy theories. I felt like I was tricked into considering this possibility at the beginning of his article. These findings also answer the question in the title of the article, why won’t it go away?? The answer is…it is comforting for people.

I think the pitch is different throughout the article, at first he wants you to believe the conspiracy theory then he wants you to understand why it is bogus and why it is so popular now-a-days. The complaint is the increase in belief of this theory he stresses that A LOT more people than you think are starting to believe it. The first aspect that effects the moment is that 9/11 is the last major nationwide disaster and people are still affected by it. Also, the fact that it is still talked about partially because of the video game revolving around the conspiracy.

Lev Grossman responds to two different “They Say” points of view. He responds to the people that believe the conspiracy theory and the people who do not. It seems like he tries to prove both sides as well. He goes into more detail and provides more support for the plane crashing scenario, but that’s towards the end. This article was intriguing because you got both points of views, so after you read it you’re even more unsure then when you started it!!

Check out the article -- http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1531304-1,00.html

Why Conspiracy Theories??

Well I decided to revolve my blog around conspiracy theories, because I have always thought of them as kind of rediculous. Everything that people claim is untrue or was planned by the government seems so outrageouos! Although I think these accusations are stupid, I hate to admit it but a tiny little part of me does not. I am intrigued, I want to know more information. What if the landing on the moon was fake?? What if 9/11 was a conspiracy by the government?? That would turn people's attitudes one hundred and eighty degress! In the upcoming sememster I hope to explore a couple of the conspiracies and let everyone see for themself.

Who am I??

Classmates,
        This post is to you guys to let you know a little bit about me. My name is Katie and I am from Richmond, Virginia. I have lived there pretty much all my life with my mom, dad, little sister Lindsey, and my dog Hershey. I am one of those people who absolutely loved high school, yes I know what you might think. But I just thought it was so fun, our whole entire class was very close and I miss everyone. But on the other hand I also love college, I have met so many different people and I am brodening my horizons so much more. I am a pretty laid back kind of girl, nothing really bothers me too much. I like to have fun, but can also be serious when I need to.
       Personally, me and wiritng have never really become friends. I feel like I have never really reached my potential throughout highschool. Thats why I think that this blog will be a much better system for me to express my thoughts. All my life writing has had so many rules, that I never really thought about the message I was conveying. I am exciting for this semester and I am looking forward to reading everyone's blog!!