Gary, I know for an honest fact that its been pointed out more than once, that no one here has an issue with conspiracies or theories about conspiracies.. what we're looking for is actual, factual evidence that those conspiracies are taking place. I know Ive said it at least three different times, but I'll say it again.. its not about being right or wrong, its about putting our personal feelings and political views aside and looking at what's actually there instead of inferring based on a bunch of guesses and half concocted ideas with nothing to support them.
The issue that comes up most is that "we dont believe and are sheep" just because we have a different point of view, and dont run around screaming the sky is falling with out actually having evidence to support the fact that the sky is falling. We dont solely rely on Youtube videos, or internet blogs, or left/right leaning websites. We use all of it, then we turn around and look at the science.. does it add up? Is there another solution that is much more logical and feasible? If there is, then it negates that theory completely.. end of story. That doesnt mean that a conspiracy doesnt exist, what it means is that the premise for that particular theory is flawed and is there-fore bunk.
I'll bet ten years worth of pay that every single one of the same people you have issue with, would support a conspiracy theory IF there was any true and factual evidence (not based on supposition, intuition, superstition or false premises), and would run with it. Science and debunking has nothing to do with ego or personal gain, it has to do with looking at what's in front of you and using your brain in combination with critical thinking skills while leaving your personal bias at the door. Its not easy to do.. all of us are affected by our personal beliefs to some extent or another.. its the ability to sit back and say.. yanno what, Im a left winger/right winger/moderate/anarchist, and those beliefs are taking me down this path with this particular argument.. what happens if I remove that from the equation.. what do I see? If your views on a subject change based on that subtraction, then guess what.. RUN with it.
Why do you think I asked (in another thread) for supporting documentation other than right winged websites? Its not because I have an issue with the anyone right winged (I hold quite a few of those tendencies myself), its because I need information from more than one point of view to find any kind of intelligent consensus. That's what Mick, the others, and myse;f are getting at when we come back at people, including you (now and then) and Cube. There's no political motivation, but just the fact that the information you guys are providing tends to either be straw-men arguments or you change the "angle of your attack" to get around what's being asked of you to be delivered. Remember, the onus is on the person with the counter argument to provide the evidence and the proof, not the other way around.
Take a look at every single one of the DEBUNKED threads. They all have the EXACT same forumla... The Scientific Method. The OP finds a topic, and asks a question about said topic. Op says to himself.. hmm.. this doesnt sound right. Didnt I just read about this? OP then commits himself to several hours/days of reading and research. If he comes across actual evidence that supports the theory he's looking into, he drops the subject.. if he doesnt, he continues. Finally, he sits down and writes out the post listing everything he's found, provides all of the scientific data he can get his hands on to, along with a bibliography of where he finds his research.. most of the time multiple sources. This includes talking to people here, and people who have more information on the topic.. not just those that agree with or support his own assertations. The onus is on them to provide the evidence.. if there's a disagreement on the evidence, then counter-evidence MUST be provided to prove the assertion incorrect. Not just NOPE YOU'RE WRONG cuz the guy on TV said so! (extreme example).
Now go back and take a look at the same people who have problems here on the site.. what do they do? You have your drive by posters who come in here, yell and scream, rant and rave, throw insults and never return.. then you have those who come here so entrenched in their own ideologies they absolutely refuse to see anything else, no matter what's put in front of them, you have those that do things for their own personal gain and sling threats and insults, but dont stick around long, and you have the people who are honestly curious about how "the other side" thinks, come here with their own ideas and see what's been posted and go.. gee, that kinda sounds reasonable, I never thought of it that way.. but I still have my own beliefs.. people just like you, Gary.
There's no political motivations, there's no hatred.. sure there's anger.. especially when you're being attacked, either directly or in passive aggressive ways, but that's human nature.
This is why, ESPECIALLY in this thread about Bin Laden..and the 9/11 threads in general because its still a very touchy subject for a lot of people... Mick and the other mods do their best to make sure things stay civilized and allow for discussion of fact to take place.. This is why the comments were made about Cube being "gishy." No one was attacking him, they were pointing out that every time he's replied, his assertions remained the same, no actual evidence (for the most part) was provided, and he brings up different topics/ideas/questions but doesnt support any of it.. Which is what a Gish Gallop is.. in this case though, it was broken up over several posts instead of just being one huge wall of text bouncing around all over the place with a million questions that cant be answered. Please dont take this as an attack on you either Cube, its an explanation of events.. nothing more.
I apologize for the novel, but this is one of those things that cant really be done in just a few words.
*Edited for clarity, punctuation, continuity and grammatical errors.