A few months ago, by coincidence, I met two people on the same day who believe in the same conspiracy theory about the world.

The conspiracy goes something like this: The world is being run by a small group of people involved in a few secret societies, the Bilderberg group, the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, etc., with the Yale Skull and Bones Society thrown in.

The Conspiracy has trace elements of Anti- Semitism thrown in, as it involves allegations that major powerful Jewish families such as the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers are among the major players in a plan to control the world through the financial system. The main conspiracy theory has some variations which are either more extreme or more rational. The more extreme version, which was proposed by one of the two people I met, claimed that those elites which are in control of the world, actually worship the devil in the form of an ancient Egyptian God which takes the form of an owl, and represents money. In other words, instead of worshipping God, these elites worship money. They practice human sacrifice at Bohemian Grove, a place where these elites meet somewhere in California.

The slightly more normal form of the conspiracy theory, which I call “World Conspiracyism” was popularized in the video Zietgeist. I watched a short, ten minute part of this film on YouTube, and which can be seen here.

This conspiracy holds that, in addition to the idea that the world is being controlled by a small group of people that are using the financial system, that 9/11 was planned and orchestrated by the government to justify limiting civil liberties. It also alleges that there is a plan, not discussed publicly and hardly known, to form a North American Union which would erase borders between Mexico the US and Canada. Eventually all the world would be united under one world government. And in this world, everyone would be required to have an RFID chip implanted in their body, with which all of their movements and financial transactions could be tracked. Basically, a person could not exist without this RFID chip. The video consistently refers to “they” or “the men behind the curtain”, without really clarifying who “they” are, except with reference to Bush, Nelson Rockefeller, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Of course, the actions of the Bush administration have made people vulnerable to this kind of theory, because Bush has done a number of things to limit civil liberties. But it doesn’t mean that these rights will never be regained by Americans.

The video, which speaks in ominous tones designed to make us feel fearful and shocked, discusses a proposed North American Union. The Wikipedia entry on the North American Union states that there is no intention for an North American Union, according to the leaders of the three countries, although a lone American University Professor has advocated for a North American “Community”. Wikipedia says that:

The Task Force’s recommendations included developing a North American customs union, common market, investment fund, energy strategy, set of regulatory standards, security perimeter, border pass, and advisory council, among other common goals.

Even if such a Union were planned, it doesn’t seem to me that it is such a cause for alarm. The video alleges that it is being implemented without anyone knowing about it or even discussed in Congress, but it seems hard to believe that it would be accepted without at least approval by Congress. The fear that it will somehow negate the Bill of Rights in the Constitution is only a concern if the Bill of Rights is NOT replaced by some similar guarantee of liberties. Further, in comparison with the European Union, I would say that Americans currently have fewer rights than Europeans, except the “right” to bear arms. (see here) (see Global Research on  North American Union)

The idea that all of the “Unions” (like the African Union and the Asian Union) of the world will one day be united in a “World Union”, is still a bit far- fetched, as the African Union and ASEAN are still quite limited in the degree of cooperation. I’ve never even heard of the Asian Union. Even if it were true, I cannot see why this need be cause for immediate alarm- in fact it may be better to have a world government for a variety of reasons (which I would discuss in another post).

One of the main pieces of evidence in the movie relies on the testimony of person named Aaron Russo, who was a film producer and ran for Governor or Arizona as a Republican. He is basically a Libertarian, though, as he founded his own party and spoke at the 2000 Libertarian Convention. He claims that he was friends with Nelson Rockefeller, and that Rockefeller offered him to become a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and that Rockefeller hinted at the 9/11 attacks, months before they actually happened, as a ruse to further the agenda of world domination and reduction of civil liberties, including the use of the RFID chip. This means that the US government actually coordinated the 9/11 attacks.

Of course, this all depends on the credibility of Aaron Russo. (see here) Unfortunately we can’t submit him to a lie detector test because he has since passed away. I’m not sure why Rockefeller would befriend such a person, who is a relatively low level politician with Libertarian views, who had made his negative views on NAFTA and a National ID card known in a TV show which he released on video. Further, why would Rockefeller reveal these plans to a person who would be so likely to oppose them (due to anti-NAFTA and Libertarian tendencies)?

The idea that 9/11 was conducted by the US government seems unlikely to me, though I have never investigated the claims and conspiracies. Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and recently blamed the origin of the conspiracy theory on Iran and Hezbollah, saying that it had traced the origin of the theory to those two sources. It claims that Iran and Hezbollah did this to prevent Al Qaeda from getting credit for the attack. Of course, there are some who deny that Al Qaeda exists, but that is getting really far- fetched I think. Ask a Pakistani whether they think Al Qaeda exists.

The RFID chip, which is covered near the end of the video, is perhaps the most interesting and concerning part. It is alleged that the RFID chip is already in the new US passports (as of 2006). Further, the video reveals that some people have already had the chip implanted, or had their children implanted.

I think this is a valid concern, although the Wikipedia entry on the subject clarifies that the chip cannot be read at a distance greater than a few hundred meters, making it difficult for the RFID chip in its current form to be used by governments to track passport holders while they are overseas. Another concern raised in this article is that unauthorized people may be able to access the person’s passport information using RFID readers. (see here)

Personally, I can’t see any reason for the use of the RFID chip, and if anyone uses it, it should be purely voluntary. The inclusion of the RFID chip in the passports of several countries without any input from its citizens is a violation of the principles of a free and democratic society. It seems like just another form of modern technology that is being forced upon us.

The video in general plays on trends common among some citizens of the US, including irrational fears of the United Nations, and fear of socialism. Its not only a world government that is alleged, but a SOCIALIST world government. Why this is so frightening for some of these people probably has more to do with their misunderstanding of what socialism is, and its many different forms. It is perhaps associated with denial of civil liberties as in former Communist states. However, I think this is totally irrational as the US is obviously one of the most capitalistic in the world, and some socialistic programs, such as socialized health care, have nothing to do with a denial of civil liberties. In fact, they may give greater freedom, as people would be freed from onerous medical care payments. High payments for health care can lead people to get into debt, and force them to undertake more work in order to pay for it.

While talking about this with one of my friends, I stumbled upon the idea that these conspiracy theories may actually be a form of psychological warfare, which is used to confuse people and cause them to lose trust in their government. Its not really clear who is behind these allegations, although one of the distributors of the videos, polytyk, is linked to an Islamist website. (see polytyk) Further, the idea that conspiracy theories can be used to harm a body politic is revealed by the Mitrokhin archives. These archives from a former KGB agent reveal that the KGB propagated a conspiracy theory that the US government killed Martin Luther King, Jr.

Overall, there is little doubt that groups like Bilderberg and the Trilateral Commission exist. But I think that their alleged power is probably vastly exaggerated. They may have a lot more power than most, but there will always be certain things that are beyond their control. Further, since the conspiracy theories can not be proven to be true or false (because the meetings of these groups are secret), it falls outside the realm of science and becomes totally the realm of belief. In fact, these groups are the perfect realm for conspiracy theories, because by their secretive nature, their actions and intentions can never be known, and the theories never be validated or debunked.

A few years ago, I was watching a BBC documentary discussing The DaVinci Code, saying that it is a trend in modern Western societies for people not to believe their governments, and common explanations for things. Perhaps this is good thing, especially if it leads people to be more active and to investigate things more deeply. But a fair amount of skepticism is needed when approaching these theories, and it certainly is no reason to bury one’s head in sand in fear.

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