False Flags for Skeptics

When it comes to a conspiracy theory claiming something like 9/11 was an inside job, the first question any skeptic asks is "Why would a government do that to itself." Typically, a skeptic is not aware of the term false flag and if they are they seem to believe the term is rather new, possibly created by the conspiracy community itself. Without a healthy understanding of the term and a knowledge of its history, we cannot expect a skeptic to even begin to believe even the most plausible of theories. Even then, the term is used at such a rate that it has fallen victim to semantic satiation on a vast scale.

False flag, as a term, finds it origins in naval warfare. A ship, in order to close the distance between itself and the enemy, would raise a flag other than it's own so as to fool the opposing ship into thinking they were friendly. This ruse was an acceptable tool of war but only if the ship's original flag was restored before the attack commenced, otherwise it was a violation of the laws of war. In modern times the term has been expanded to describe any covert operation designed to appear as though an entity or nation, separate from the actual perpetrators, is carrying out the activity or attack. The means and motives of false flags can vary from case to case, being used as a pretext for war, oppression, and persecution. 

The earliest known false flag operation dates all the way back to the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. The infamous Emperor Nero secretly ordered men to go out into the city and set fire to it and subsequently blamed the already unpopular Christian sect. This incident gave the Roman Empire a pretext to carry out its first persecution of Christians. Weather or not this was the actual intention in setting the fire is debatable. 

The Russo-Swedish War was built on the pretext of a false flag attack carried out by Swedes dressed as Russian soldiers. The attack on Puumala, a Swedish outpost on the border of Russia, gave King Gustav III the support he needed to initiate a war with Russia in 1788. The war was rather insignificant and only lasted two years. King Gustav III was assassinated in 1792, although it was most likely unrelated.

In 1931, Japan invaded a region in northeast China known as Manchuria after Chinese dissidents attempted to destroy a Japanese railroad using dynamite. It wouldn't be until the Lytton report of 1932 that the truth of the situation would be realized. It was actually Japanese military officers who carried out the bombing, which explains why the rail wasn't even damaged in the process. This incident lead to Japan withdrawing from the League of Nations and is cited as one of many precursors to the Second World War. 

Although it was never implemented, the U.S. Department of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff plotted to use false flag tactics in order to start a war with Cuba in 1962. Operation Northwoods called for CIA operatives, posing as Cuban nationals, to hijack planes and carry out terror attacks inside U.S. cities. Documents pertaining to the operation detailed plans to sink boats of Cuban refugees, blowing up U.S. ships off the coast of Cuba and orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo. The only thing that prevented this atrocious plan from being carried out was President Kennedy rejecting it. One year later, JFK was assassinated. 

I can understand skepticism to an extent but when it comes to false flags you need to understand that it is a reliable tactic that has been practiced throughout history with much success. Ignoring these facts will only allow the deceit to continue unchecked, leading to more and more unnecessary wars. 

It's not paranoia, it's informed vigilance.