ATS -- A Conspiracy of its own?

I have inside information the three amigos have purchased a huge hack saw to cut through the ATT-NSA 12'' solid-copper data sucking link.

I guess this proves the old adage about leading a horse to water.

First of all, I have never thought and don't believe I said that I thought there was anything credible to the matter of conjecture.

What I did hope to convey was that I thought it was as healthy and fair to raise this topic as any other.

What I was trying to show you was what I thought would be one good way to answer the charge. Not by ridicule, but rather by hinting to you that one good way (not the only way of course) would be to show the questioner some examples of ATS success which would provide factual evidence to the contrary of the original assertion - just like we see in all the other threads.

I didn't realize there weren't any (of the type I suggested).

Big sigh. So what, ATS is a great source of information and excellent entertainment, and lets face it, imho we do tend to demonise the intelligence services which is a bit unfair as there not all bad, i hope. Even if i found out that ATS was run by government agency’s it wouldn’t stop me from coming here and posting. of course there are spooks on this site i would expect there always has been. And besides you know what they say don’t you, you do, im sure you do, they say, keep your friends close and your enemy’s even closer. Mwahahaaaaaa

Personally, I think that most everyone here has considered that "they" are running this site or at least monitoring it. Anyone who does not expect such a thing is definately not paranoid enough to be posting here.

The key is...don't post anything that you might get whacked for or end up at guantanamo for....or at least be aware of the risks.

Originally posted by eaglewingz
Yep, you posted one month to the day after :

I have a really bad feeling about ATS

Congratulations! You're the ATS conspiracy poster of the month

Haha, that was the thread that I made. Well, it's true. But I don't really care, I still like ATS.

Originally posted by afterdark

Originally posted by eaglewingz
Yep, you posted one month to the day after :

I have a really bad feeling about ATS

Congratulations! You're the ATS conspiracy poster of the month

That sucks im thrown in the same boat as that guy. I guess it was inevitable that it had been posted before. Oh well. Repetition is not a foreign idea on ATS.

Hey c'mon...I'm not that bad. lol. I am a girl, not a guy.

Look, this is pretty simple...

If the FBI was willing to pay this Eco-nut a little visit based on a speech he gave, then I think you can bet the FEDS pay attention to sites like this one...and others like it.

So, if you are concerned that the ownership, MODship, or membership may be in on government gig, my question to you is... so what?

To date, substantive posts are rarely, if ever, censored. You have the unfettered ability to say what you want, as long as it's within the T&C.

What impact would the Fed's participation have on this site? Disinformation? There is already plenty of that without government involvement.

In the end, I see little material impact if what is alleged is true. In fact, I'm hoping they might actually learn something while here at ATS. My view, is they could use some sound advice....

If it makes you nervous to post, then just read.... But imho, I think you'd be short changing yourself.

There is way too much fear these days... THAT is the mechanism of control... Why give that up so freely?

I say post on!

[edit on 13-4-2006 by loam]

I've missed all the fun! Don't worry I'm here now, the 'smoking gun' Agent himself

You know that the partisan cheerleading that goes on around here a lot of the times is kinda tiring too...

I think some of it is warranted and valid and even needed but I may be one of a small minority that thinks it often goes over the top.

But I do have a real question to ask that is relevant to this thread and that will hit directly at the issue of ATS and its ability to be an independent platform for the airing of conspiracy theory (if that is a fair assumption to make by myself that is):

If the rumoured and hoped for 'Hollywood' (for lack of a better term to use), adoption of the concept employed by ATS comes to fruition, how objective and independent will any conspiracy theories presented be?

Do the thinking people behind this website truly believe that the MSM will allow them free-reign to present conspiracy theory 'straight-up?'

All the same I think that the official approach here is a tad conservative (but seems to be improving surprisingly recently??), and maybe relies too much on evidence and facts which some would have to agree in the circumstances to be most difficult to produce or obtain. I agree that facts and evidence have credibility but often they are subject to debate themselves so I don't believe they resolve any arguments anymore either. Increasingly I think that the only thing that can make a difference in proving anything is that people from the inside have to come forward and speak out. We are a society that reveres authority and expertise as almost a religion in itself and it seems that is all the collective is going to pay attention to anymore. Common sense, logic, and sufficient evidence to create great doubt don't seem to work with a good percentage of the population due to the conditioning they have been exposed to.

That is why I am interested in the direction that ATS is attempting to go into... will you be helping the rest of us or hindering us?

I'm not going to attempt to answer that question because I am not in a position to do so and well some people around here need to do this I believe.

Laugh all you want MrW & Dae, I hit the nail right on the head!
Now Im laughing at this ridiculous notion of this thread being posted once again!

I'll say it again, the Government has more important people to look after!
Sorry but we are all just not that important to them! And Sorry to bust your bubbles!

But this much I'm sure of, that We are important to ATS, so why not try to support their hard work they have done for you! Unless of course, your not on our side at all like I said before, but from someone else's company who don't like the new looks ATS worked so hard to bring to us, hmmmm maybe that is the conspiracy we all need to watch for!

A new member writing for the first time to see how to do it. lol::

So, author, you see how you are attacked? Most newcomers are attacked no matter what they do or say.

If you were just another atscon nut then why all the response?

Gotta make ya wonder.

Muhahahaha, oh wait is that too childish? Or off topic? Or offensive? Or irritating?

Originally posted by LazyMind
Sorry I am not familiar with the entire history of your site.

On right and wrong. My view is that we are each like molecules of water passing through a collander. There is no right or wrong direction, each takes the path that makes sense to it based on it's starting point and the forces acting upon it.

When I read insulting things like "if you can figure out how to use it..." (which I thought moderators were supposed to oversee and prevent) by the more experienced members - what am I supposed to think?

I have never made any bones about the fact that I'm not very computer savvy, but if you look over the few postings I have made I think you'll see that I am always trying to be genuinely helpful.

This came up as a new thing so I took a look at it. It is in my nature to speak up against what appears to be bullying.

I am still waiting for a reply which addresses the one salient point I raised regarding whether the ATS has ever had an actual success. This would be one way to clear up whether or not ATS is for real.

Yep I posted my thoughts about god and reality on an astral travel thread and was warned I was off topic. But other can talk about their sick cat and how they need to take them to the vet and thats on topic.

I have come to see this community suffers from cliques just like anyother group.

I posted a thread for Iraqi veterans, I got 18 totally unrelated replies and noting was done about it. There is definately 2 standards working here.
If you are new and have no points then your just a pile of sht and your not an expert on anything. Unlike our supermods who know everything, everyone, and every detail of every detail.

My suggestion to you.

if you want a better life for you and your children.

run for school board, be a volunteer, fix kids bicycicles in your neighborhood, go to the supermarket and strike up a conversation with a stranger, build something, invent something, make a website, call a long lost friend, go fishing, etc, etc, etc.

I tried to contribute to this community. I was flamed, deleted, moved, censored, and warned. FOR NO GOOD REASON.

In time this will be just a group of choir singers singing to themselves.

Blah Blah Blah

When other posters start saying things like this

o.p. by SwitchbladeNGC
use your brain

to me, I start saying things like this

o.p. by me and LazyMind
if you can figure out how to use it

to them, and that is just how it goes. Nothing a Mod needs to address, unless one feels the need, and that's not up to me, or you, its up to the Mods. I respect that.

Not that its any of your business, LazyMind, but SwitchbladeNGC and I have communicated via U2U, as I so abrasively suggested, and smoothed things over. We might even have some areas of mutual interest for future discussions.

Colander is spelled with one 'l', I know because I looked it up in the dictionary before I posted my comment. Do you want me to post a link to Webster's New World (Order) Dictionary for you? Yes, I can be rough around the edges, but I mean well.

If you can't handle it, I suggest you make like a molecule and form a covalent bond!

Take a look at Valhall's FEMA Detainment Camp Thread, which drew responses from Oklahoma's FEMA coordinator in the wake of Katrina last year, or more recently the Flt. 93 thread by esdad71 (even though I suspect he may be an agent) which has some real depth, or the 911 Scholar for Truth Murdered thread by billybob which didn't just 'go away', if you want to see the kind of good work this site can really do. I am honored to be part of that, and you are welcome to participate.

Peace. Out.

In defense of the ATS conspiracy conspiracy theorist, the ATS staff is made up largely if not completely out of skeptics, that in it self does not look good.

Gazrok is by far the most open-minded staff-member on ATS, the rest are doubting EVERY conspiracy theory, if it's 9/11 or roswell, and it irks me off...

To date I received 2 applauses from staff that were for being skeptic and one for bitching about one...lol

So in other words, you'll be respected by the ATS staff if you remain skeptical unless your name happens to be valhal...

Why do I have a feeling i'll get warned for this again...?

Anyway, best sollution to this thread is to lock it and link to other topics with similar theories.

Originally posted by GrOuNd_ZeRo
In defense of the ATS conspiracy conspiracy theorist, the ATS staff is made up largely if not completely out of skeptics, that in it self does not look good.

I have written and spoken (podcast) on this site many times about the night I came across a Bigfoot. In those posts i've often stated that I could never tell someone they did not see a ghost or an alien, for after all i've seen a Bigfoot with my own eyes.

That does not mean that when someone posts a pic of a seagull and claims its a ufo i'm not going to say, "Hey dude, thats a seagull."

I have the right to state my opinion.

To be honest, I'm not that interested in the conspiracies in general, I just want to know the truth.

I believe that is what we're all searching for.

wupy

Gimme Shelter

Originally posted by LazyMind
Now when I come across that family that's still waiting for shelter, that may or may not have had anything to eat that day or the day before and see that they get fed, a hot shower, their laundry done, etc. - I'll be sure and remind them that all is going to be okay because there's a lot of really mean-spirited people with a lot of make believe points out there working on the problem.

To the extent you can spare them the sanctimony and self-congratulatory harangues you have seen fit to regale us with, I'm sure they will be as grateful as we would be.



To avoid ridicule, avoid being ridiculous.

Despite what may seem like animosity on my part, I do find your barbs amusing. After all, I'm a fan of witty repartee myself, and apologize if my candor has bruised your ego too painfully.

However, this business of feigning mock indignation is well... laughable.

Oh come now.

Let's Think Of It As "Until Next Time"

If this is truly goodbye, then I wish you well, wherever the road of life may take you.

If not, then I pray you might come to better understand that which you see fit to denigrate in such a passive-aggressive fashion.

We're really not so bad once you get to know us. But the first step is getting to know us, which is clearly one you have not yet taken, though a year has passed since you registered on ATS.

If any member thinks I have been too harsh with you (including you), I welcome honest criticism. No worries, I can take it. And in fairness, though I am by no means pulling punches in disagreeing with you, I truly mean you no personal disrespect.

We disagree on some things, but that doesn't make either of us bad people.

Charity Toss

I'm planning to travel quite a bit over the next several days, and may not be able to check in often (if at all), which leaves the door wide open for you to rebut my pithy opprobria and have your way with me in this thread, and indeed, I invite you to do so, if you wish.

After all, discussion is what ATSers do, and even bitter and self-disenfranchised members are more than welcome to opine on whatever they want.

But I suggest not whining about it when your arguments are challenged, because they will be. Being tolerant of criticism and differing opinions is the price of admission.

For whatever it might be worth, though I may disagree with much you have posted, I do respect your right to hold whatever opinions you choose, and readily concede that between us, I may be wrong about much more than I realize.

No problem. It wouldn't be the first time.

I recommend thinking all this over, relaxing and not getting too puffed up (unless you enjoy it, like me ), and accepting the fact that a little intellectual jousting is de rigeur for our venerable BQ&B forum.

And please, don't leave on my account!

I'm a big fan of dissent.

Regards from a fellow keyboard gladiator and BQ&B troll,

Majic

Originally posted by GrOuNd_ZeRo
In defense of the ATS conspiracy conspiracy theorist, the ATS staff is made up largely if not completely out of skeptics, that in it self does not look good.

First, I strongly disagree. Many on our staff are long-time conspiracy theory researchers. As is typical of anyone who spends time on any given subject, you tend to gain an understanding of the facts, possibilities, and realities of the various subjects that make up ATS. As a result, when new members when a mistaken outlook on any given subject encounter a more experienced staff members, the initial reaction may often be that the "corrective" response is of a skeptical stance.

Many people misunderstand my name, "SkepticOverlord" as meaning I'm skeptical of conspiracy theories... that's an incorrect assumption. The "skeptic" part is in reference to my skepticism of the surface-story we see in news, history, and the "official version" of controversial events. However, because I've been interested in these subjects since 1978, I've seen and discovered a great deal that leads me to believe there is just as much (if not more) disinformation flowing from "conspiracy theorists" as there is from "official" sources.

As for ATS having nefarious motives, ownership, or governance... this topic has been floated in various ways for the past three years and will likely never go away. And it's been clear that the only way it could possible go away is if we take an activist stance on some of our topics. It seems that some of our most virulent critics are also critical of our "lack of official position" other than no position.

It can be off-putting and insulting to see these accusations appear over and over and over again. I and several others have invested a significant amount of blood, sweat, and tears into this community. It takes a significant effort to maintain any data-intensive website that experiences over 350,000 page-views and over 50,000 users every day... much less one comprised mostly of hyper-critical conspiracy theorists that tends to attract more hacking attempts than other sites (we fend off an average of 3-5 targeted attempts to compromise our servers every day). And most recently, a member of Navy Intelligence sought to disrupt services here by threatening us with a serious hack.

The only way we can eventually disprove our detractors is to continue to grow the community in response to the demands and desires of our members as we've been doing for the past 3+ years in an ethical and fair manner. The proof is in our actions... if our detractors examine that, I'm certain their concerns will be rectified.

Life is too short, and I am way too straightforward and single-minded, for anagrams. Never looked for them, never paid attention to them, never will. I am, however, very good at word searches and crossword puzzles.

SO, watch out for those Naval Intelligence types, they have been after me for years. They never give up, and they never go away. I didn't do anything wrong either, just showed up unexpectedly on the psychic radar one night. An unauthorized foray into forbidden mindspace, you might say.

If they catch up to you and get ahold of you, they will make you give up your code word and take secrecy oaths, and all of a sudden things will get very boring.

We can't have that now, can we?

Too bad for them, I am off limits, at least so far. I hope they realize I am no threat, and may actually turn out to be on their side.

You familiar at all with Uncle Kracker? We're not related or anything, I just like his music, especially

"No Stranger to Shame"

I've been known to wake up in some dirty places
The sun only shines on deserving faces
The mind erases, forgets the stars
See each and every city has a corner bar
That's where I am in a world so grim
The lights are as bright as the day is dim
See I'm priceless in a class of my own
I used to stay out late but now I don't go home

[edit on 14-4-2006 by Icarus Rising]

Okay SO, you got a point, I guess I remember the times that things are debunked by the likes of AgentSmith rather than seeing the good input by many of the moderators.

Thanks for clearing up the name, I was quite confused about that...

i'm a depressed person with some serious mental problems and I think everyone is against me sometimes, I do love this community and sometimes I just get bouts of depression and say stupid things...

I will try to curb these accusations or suspicions because i'm sure you are not a US Government Agency or something or run/funded by them...unless google ads are the government lol.