I continue to be utterly mystified.

[Jarqui]

229. In the 60s, I was kind of independently minded.

At that time, I'm sure one might cite exceptions but generally, Republicans and Democrats were Americans first.

I haven't given it tons of thought but significant trust or faith in government was lost with Watergate and Nixon, Vietnam war, assassinations, etc. It kind of went downhill from there.

Now on many issues, I realize there's always the backdrop of which party is behind whatever stance and what their position is. We can't look at everything in a vacuum.

And when we look at any issue, we might consider the influence of "vast right-wing conspiracy". But when I look at climate change, I'm looking at sea levels, temperatures - scientific facts. I don't give a crap about "vast right-wing conspiracy". Same for the economy, gay marriage, social security, minimum wage, etc, etc, etc. As I look at those things for the facts and sound arguments, I have to cut through the smoke of "death panels","he's a Kenyan", etc, etc.

When the VP of the US reports and Colin Powell and others report stuff like the 9/11 terrorists meeting with Iraqis in Europe, allegations Iraq was funding the terrorists - stuff like that had 68% of Americans thinking Hussein was behind 9/11 (in part at least). Those reports cited were US intelligence = which to me equal the best facts available as we knew them. And there were no credible reports published at the time to contradict those meetings didn't take place for example (even though, as it turns out, Cheney already had the CIA memo that they were BS). Show me the hard evidence that was published for all Americans to see before the war that those reports were BS. You can't because it didn't exist in the media. That was a big part of the scam and why/how they duped 72% of the American public and media.

Now if we have to believe conspiracy theorists, then Obama is really a Kenyan imposter and the 9/11 truther wackos are right. I won't bite on that crap. I need evidence. The only key evidence I got leading up to the war was evidence that justified the war. "vast right-wing conspiracy" remains where to me it belongs: as hearsay - not something I can give much weight to one way or the other. In the wake of what happened, I have to consider it as a possibility more so than ever before because another layer of trust in the executive branch has been eroded. But like many Americans, it was not front and center in my mindset at the time.