And it's a lot more trackable than it used to be. I used a butterfly ballot for a couple decades. Of course that was after Johnson and the ballot box or JFK and the mafia.

You have a paper record of what?

How could you possibly tell if your votes as you recorded them on your ballot were actually 'entered' and added accurately?

Some pretty smart folks have developed ways that one can actually do what I am saying above cannot currently be done, WITHOUT LOSS OF THE SECRET BALLOT.

YouTube News Video: Tucker: WHO BELIEVES THE 9/11 CONSPIRACY THEORIES
1/3 of Americans suspect 9/11 government conspiracy.

The movement toward truth has been growing... I'm proud to say that some of US knew right away.

Put Conrad, a homemaker from Hampton, Va., firmly in the camp of the 34 percent of people who say they believe in ghosts, according to a pre-Halloween poll by The Associated Press and Ipsos. That's the same proportion who believe in unidentified flying objects — exceeding the 19 percent who accept the existence of spells or witchcraft.

Forty-eight percent believe in extrasensory perception, or ESP. But nearly half of you knew we were about to tell you that, right?

To put the roughly one-third who believe in ghosts and UFOs in perspective, it's about the same as, in recent AP-Ipsos polls, the 36 percent who said they are baseball fans; the 37 percent who said the U.S. made the right decision to invade Iraq; and the 31 percent who approve of the job President Bush is doing.

A smaller but still substantial 23 percent say they have actually seen a ghost or believe they have been in one's presence, with the most likely candidates for such visits including single people, Catholics and those who never attend religious services. By 31 percent to 18 percent, more liberals than conservatives report seeing a specter.

Fourteen percent — mostly men and lower-income people — say they have seen a UFO.

Spells and witchcraft are more readily believed by urban dwellers, minorities and lower-earning people. Those who find credibility in ESP are more likely to be better educated and white — 51 percent of college graduates compared to 37 percent with a high school diploma or less, about the same proportion by which white believers outnumber minorities.

Overall, the 48 percent who accept ESP is less than the 66 percent who gave that answer to a similar 1996 Newsweek question.

One in five say they are at least somewhat superstitious, with young men, minorities, and the less educated more likely to go out of their way to seek luck. Twenty-six percent of urban residents — twice the rate of those from rural areas — said they are superstitious, while single men were more superstitious than unmarried women, 31 percent to 17 percent.

The most admitted-to superstition, by 17 percent, was finding a four-leaf clover. Thirteen percent dread walking under a ladder or the groom seeing his bride before their wedding, while slightly smaller numbers named black cats, breaking mirrors, opening umbrellas indoors, Friday the 13th or the number 13.

Generally, women were more superstitious than men about four-leaf clovers, breaking mirrors or grooms prematurely seeing brides. Democrats were more superstitious than Republicans over opening umbrellas indoors, while liberals were more superstitious than conservatives over four-leaf clovers, grooms seeing brides and umbrellas.

Perhaps the issue is that with the currently polarization a few missing votes are now a bigger issue.

Poll: One-third believe in ghosts, UFOs



CharlieRay,

Other than the 9/11 and creationism conspiracies, do you believe in other conspiracy theories or things like ghosts, UFOs, ESP, witchcraft or other various superstitions? I'm wondering if an interest in one of these issues leads to an interest in other similar sorts of issues.

Does anyone else hold beliefs of this sort?

Poll: One-third believe in ghosts, UFOs



CharlieRay,

Other than the 9/11 and creationism conspiracies, do you believe in other conspiracy theories or things like ghosts, UFOs, ESP, witchcraft or other various superstitions? I'm wondering if an interest in one of these issues leads to an interest in other similar sorts of issues.

Does anyone else hold beliefs of this sort?

Public Enemy

911 is a Joke

Ns with A.

I'm open on the question of UFOs. There are just too many reports from highly qualified pilots for me to have confidence in dismissing the possibility.

I'm wondering if an interest in one of these issues leads to an interest in other similar sorts of issues.

I love Ns with A

I like Flav.

Exactly....

I can watch that dude all day, it's a fucking train wreck.

He was on the Surreal Life. Nice to kids, a decent drummer, big heart. Liked Brigitte Neilsen though. Can't see that.

Nothing makes my current vote any more valuable than my past ones. I want an impartial count, that's it. Parties look for any way to gain advantage, and the counting is hardly the only way they cheat. (or try to)

My grandmother was psychic, and I've seen a few unexplainable things, but I don't consider it a conspiracy.

Creationism conspiracies?

I'm open on the question of UFOs. There are just too many reports from highly qualified pilots for me to have confidence in dismissing the possibility.

Poll: One-third believe in ghosts, UFOs



CharlieRay,

Other than the 9/11 and creationism conspiracies, do you believe in other conspiracy theories or things like ghosts, UFOs, ESP, witchcraft or other various superstitions? I'm wondering if an interest in one of these issues leads to an interest in other similar sorts of issues.

Does anyone else hold beliefs of this sort?

That's the one that I'm most liberal about. However, I'd only go so far as to say that it seems likely given the size of the universe and the apparent fact that life arises naturally in this universe, that life exists elsewhere in the universe. It seems improbable to me that UFOs regularly visit us though. I'm more apt to attribute sightings to natural human perceptual limitations, imagination, hopeful thinking, and other human foibles. On the other hand, if we get some good footage or wreckage, I'd be more than happy to have someone qualified do a detailed investigation. I look forward to the day we discover life elsewhere in the universe, presuming we aren’t on the menu. Our radio and TV signals are about 60 light years out by now, so anyone in a 60 light year radius should be aware of us, presuming we use the same technology. Of course that’s a very small distance relatively speaking. I think there are about 20 stars in a 12 light year radius from us. Perhaps a few thousand in a 60 light year radius. Out of billions and billions of stars, that’s nothing, and little hope that someone is nearby, IMHO. But you never know. It’s just an unknown at this point, IMHO.

That's the one that I'm most liberal about. However, I'd only go so far as to say that it seems likely given the size of the universe and the apparent fact that life arises naturally in this universe, that life exists elsewhere in the universe. It seems improbable to me that UFOs regularly visit us though. I'm more apt to attribute sightings to natural human perceptual limitations, imagination, hopeful thinking, and other human foibles. On the other hand, if we get some good footage or wreckage, I'd be more than happy to have someone qualified do a detailed investigation. I look forward to the day we discover life elsewhere in the universe, presuming we aren’t on the menu. Our radio and TV signals are about 60 light years out by now, so anyone in a 60 light year radius should be aware of us, presuming we use the same technology. Of course that’s a very small distance relatively speaking. I think there are about 20 stars in a 12 light year radius from us. Perhaps a few thousand in a 60 light year radius. Out of billions and billions of stars, that’s nothing, and little hope that someone is nearby, IMHO. But you never know. It’s just an unknown at this point, IMHO.

"the apparent fact that life arises naturally in this universe"?...

Where else besides earth have you observed this phenomenon?... and how do you know that life wasn't created?

That would be my categorization. It's a well-funded religious movement in opposition to science, with a penchant for false witness, inaccurate and out of date info, unaccredited advocates, and a tendency to prey on the scientifically illiterate in an effort to push a theo-political agenda. I'd throw it into the same category as the 9/11 conspiracy theorists, and seeing that CR accepts both, I wondered if there were other connections of that sort as well.

Assuming it was created by a creator, why only here, with billions of other possible places as well?

Asking the wrong entity here... better to go to the source on that one.

I don't believe in genetic sexual orientation in the vast majority of cases... it's a superstition and a conspiracy concocted to take away people's responsibility...

Creationism isn't a conspiracy theory... but yeas, I do believe in other conspiracy theories... believe it or not, conspiracy is a real thing that happens all the time... you have many of your own... for example, it seems if any scientist purports to be a christian, then you automatically think that they're part of a conspiracy...

I don't buy into witchcraft, at least not in the way that most think of it... ESP?, I don't know about that one, at least not in the way that most think of it... UFOs?, again, I jUSt don't know, I've seem some strange stuff but nothing confirming... "other various superstitions"?... ?

Pray tell me what other superstitions and conspiracies do you believe in Innocent?

:~)

New Internationalist: Why should progressive people be sensitized to the issue of conspiracism? Doesn't conspiracism help build a constituency that challenges that status quo? That's what people like Michael Parenti argues.

Domhoff: Conspiracism is a disaster for progressive people because it leads them into cynicism, convoluted thinking, and a tendency to feel it is hopeless even as they denounce the alleged conspirators.

Conspiracism is so contrary to what most everyday people believe and observe that it actually drives people away because they sense the tinge of craziness to it.

What social psychologists who study social movements say is that a social movement definitely needs a clear and visible opponent that embodies the values that are opposed, and which can be vilified and railed against. But in opposition to the conspiracists, these opponents are readily identifiable and working through visible and legitimate institutions.

So, I would say that the opponents are the corporate conservatives and the Republican Party, not the Council on Foreign Relations, Bilderbergers, and Bohemians. It is the same people more or less, but it puts them in their most important roles, as capitalists and political leaders, which are visible and legitimate...If thought of this way, then the role of a CFR as a place to try to hear new ideas and reach consensus is more readily understood, as is the function of a social club as a place that creates social cohesion. Moreover, those understandings of the CFR and the clubs fit with the perceptions of the members of the elite.

but yeas, I do believe in other conspiracy theories...

for example, it seems if any scientist purports to be a christian, then you automatically think that they're part of a conspiracy...

I don't buy into witchcraft, at least not in the way that most think of it...

Pray tell me what other superstitions and conspiracies do you believe in Innocent?

What does it mean to be a psychic, and was it something you accepted as true? The conspiracies were to the left, and the superstitions were to the right. I'd consider belief in "psychic powers" to be a superstition rather than a conspiracy, similar to a belief in witchcraft. These are obviously my own categories.

Before phones she'd hop a train and go take care of sick relatives. Lots of little things culminating in the day she died. She called my mom to clear a few things up and was doing ok. Mom was fine most of the day, but later took to crying and was very upset. For no reason at all since she'd talked to grandma in the AM and all was fine. She got the call later that grandma had passed away right about the time she had become so upset. I was there that day, though very young.

Since then I've looked at various people and though there are many charlatans, I think some have some power or gift we don't understand. James Van Praagh being the most noticeable I've seen. Not that guessing the first letter of a name BS, but names and causes of death.

Interesting stuff on psychic detectives on court TV as well. Not magic, but maybe science we don't understand. A thousand years ago a radio receiver would be consiedered magic.

It was a long time before I was bored enough to watch psychic detectives. Having done so for a while now, I have been most pleasantly surprised. There are some very skeptical cops out there who have become believers when nothing else worked and the psychics delivered.

I doubt we see the cases where the psychics couldn't help, but the ones where they have are very impressive.

I can get San Francisco on the radio at night in certain positions, and not at all during the day or when it's turned wrong. I have theories about energy and waves, but I'm thinking science is a long way from studying psychic activity seriously. How long did it take mankind to have a Franklin and his kite?

I've always been quite skeptical of the idea that we have large areas of our brains which we just don't use. I think we just don't know their function.

Looks like the right wingers have gotten to former presidentt Clinton............Him responding to hecklers.

Heres the clip for inyer charlie ray and all the others who say its an inside job.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c68_1193347304&p=1

Like what? I not debating the validity of any particular conspiracy theory, just curious about how the acceptance of one may lead to the acceptance of others.
I'm sorry, but you are mistaken in this perception. I’d again direct you to The Biblical Flood: A Case Study of the Church's Response to Extrabiblical Evidence written by a conservative Christian at Calvin College. It’s quite excellent. It incorporates both conservative theology and accurate geology in a revealing synthesis.
In what way. For instance, I recognize Placebo and Nocebo effects as possible explanations for voodoo curses and the effect of religious belief on general health.
None.

Like I said before, you believe in plenty of conspiracies...

I'd meet in the middle to say that mistakes have been made on both sides of the evilution/creation debate...

Like?
I've studied way too much biology, and science generally, to accept pseudo-science as being on par with science. I'm sorry.

The way I figure it, as long as you are not working in the medical, agricultural, or research fields, your belief in pseudo-science over science isn't going to dramatically affect scientific progress in this country. If you join the theo-political movement to water down science represented by "creationism," even though that is damaging to our country scientifically, militarily, and economically, at least worldwide science itself will continue to progress.

God created tadpoles and anyone who has watched a tadpole morph into a frog has witnessed creation.