Huffpost Politics The Blog   David Sirota Headshot  Fear,
Loathing & the Crisis of Confidence  Posted: Updated:  In my new
nationally syndicated column out today, I explore the root cause
of America's anger at our federal government and the growing
embrace of conspiracy theories - trends displayed in recent
Scripps Howard/Ohio University studies. It is not just a
reaction to fear in the age of terrorism, but is a more
fundamental crisis of confidence in our public institutions.
Certainly, some of the conspiracy theories out there are
offensive, inaccurate and should be ignored. However, the growth
of conspiracy theories as a phenomenon should not be ignored,
because they represent something deeper - a distrust of a
government. This distrust, though it can go in crazy directions,
is not crazy unto itself. In fact, it is quite rational. After
all, everywhere we look, we see proof that our government
actively conspires against the public.  The most pristine
example, as I say in the column, was the recent behavi