Whew, I guess I've been gone for awhile.  What's this?

John Pavao

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        As a memeber of a cabal, I think you're missing the midle
ground.  A conspiracy is an authoritarian (usual via oligarchy) organized
plan to get "it" done.  A cabal is a loose organization of people who
have common goals.  Low fat is part of the cabal.
        A good example of a cabal at work would be the Satanbusters(tm).
The actual cabal consisted of unethical psychotheripists, preachers who
saw a chance for a revitalization movement, and those who were out to
make a quick puck (Geraldo, anyone)?  While die-hard Satanbuster Bob
Larson is still at it, most have fallen by the wayside as "Satanic Ritual
Abuse" has been shown to share aspects with UFO abduction stories and
fairy kidnappings.  (See Carl Sagan's "Demon Haunted World").  I would
not be too quick to denounce a cabalistic theory, as there is a lot of
money to be made by keeping people afraid and ignorent.  We live in an
anticivilization where the tools of communication are actually tools of
misinformation.  The best thing to do to keep yourself informed is to
never read a newspaper and turn off your television.