Why do people believe conspiracy theories?

[dogman6126]

Once again you have shown you don't bother reading what i post....

I told you that flouride calcifies the pineal gland

We are running into the problem of we are both typing here, so lets give each other a 2 or 3 post leeway before claiming not reading posts. We don't see each others posts while we are typing our responses.

 

[dogman6126]

I'll say it again they were injecting people with thimerosol for decades before finally conceeding that there are problems

I'll say it again a babies body does not have the same capacity to process mercury that an adult body can

There is no point applying adult standards to babies who were being dosed with repeated shots of mercury

Now they are still being dosed with all the other ingrediants in the vaccines

Robert kennedy on thimerosol:

[video=youtube;zrIM2hwrLoc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrIM2hwrLoc[/video]

They did not concede that there where problems, they conceded that there was the possibility to problems, and they had the option to either do expensive research or revert to other viable options instead of thermisol. However, since autism rates have not decreased since thermisol was removed, obviously thermisol is not the cause. And we are not applying adult standards to babies considering they redesigned vaccines to use a different preservative (or no preservative) for the babies because of the possibility of a danger. But again because autism rates have not decreased, its apparently not the cause.

 

[muir]

We are running into the problem of we are both typing here, so lets give each other a 2 or 3 post leeway before claiming not reading posts. We don't see each others posts while we are typing our responses.

You've been doing it a lot often with days inbetween

In the vaccines thread i had to keep repeating myself or finding more stuff to say what i'd already covered

 

[dogman6126]

Show me the government funded research on this

Tell me which rich patron whether a private client or corporation such as big pharma or the industry that produces the flouride chemicals has paid out of their pocket to do that research and then tell me which journals and publishing houses owned by the corporate round table group the CFR will publish that research?

I was asking you. And the corporation conspiracy is not even related. If these people have fluoride calcifications in the brain, they can go and see what concentrations of fluoride led to that calcification. I looked at the article you quoted, and they said nothing about that important piece of information. Convenient. Again, your showing your confirmation bias. choosing what you want to believe and what you don't want to believe. If your going to post that article about fluoride calcification, you should also clarify the cause. Otherwise your working with conjecture AGAIN.

 

[muir]

They did not concede that there where problems, they conceded that there was the possibility to problems, and they had the option to either do expensive research or revert to other viable options instead of thermisol. However, since autism rates have not decreased since thermisol was removed, obviously thermisol is not the cause. And we are not applying adult standards to babies considering they redesigned vaccines to use a different preservative (or no preservative) for the babies because of the possibility of a danger. But again because autism rates have not decreased, its apparently not the cause.

http://www.autism-world.com/index.php/2007/04/01/autism-rates-drop-after-mercury-removed/

[h=2]Autism Rates Drop After Mercury Removed[/h] April 1st, 2007
An article in the March 10, 2006 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons shows that since mercury was removed from childhood vaccines, the alarming increase in reported rates of autism and other neurological disorders (NDs) in children not only stopped, but actually dropped sharply – by as much as 35%.
Using the government’s own databases, independent researchers analyzed reports of childhood NDs, including autism, before and after removal of mercury-based preservatives. Authors David A. Geier, B.A. and Mark R. Geier, M.D., Ph.D. analyze data from the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and the California Department of Developmental Services (CDDS) in “Early Downward Trends in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following Removal of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines.”
The numbers from California show that reported autism rates hit a high of 800 in May 2003. If that trend had continued, the reports would have skyrocketed to more than 1000 by the beginning of 2006. But in fact, the Geiers report that the number actually went down to only 620, a real decrease of 22%, and a decrease from the projections of 35%.
This analysis directly contradicts 2004 recommendations of the Institute of Medicine which examined vaccine safety data from the National Immunization Program (NIP) of the CDC. While not willing to either rule out or to corroborate a relationship between mercury and autism, the IOM soft-pedaled its findings, and decided no more studies were needed. The authors write: “The IOM stated that the evidence favored rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal and autism, that such a relationship was not biologically plausible, and that no further studies should be conducted to evaluate it.”
As more and more vaccines were added to the mandatory schedule of vaccines for children, the dose of the mercury-based preservative thimerosal rose, so that the cumulative dose injected into babies exceeded the toxic threshold set by many government agencies. Mercury is known to damage nerve cells in very low concentrations.
The concern about vaccines may actually be underrated, as it is generally acknowledged that the voluntary reporting of such disorders has resulted in vast underreporting of new cases. For example, the Iowa state legislature banned thimerosal from all vaccines administered there after it documented a 700-fold increase in that state alone. California followed suit, and 32 states are considering doing so.
Up until about 1989 pre-school children got only 3 vaccines (polio, DPT, MMR). By 1999 the CDC recommended a total of 22 vaccines to be given before children reach the 1st grade, including Hepatitis B, which is given to newborns within the first 24 hours of birth. Many of these vaccines contained mercury. In the 1990s approximately 40 million children were injected with mercury-containing vaccines.
The cumulative amount of mercury being given to children in this number of vaccines would be an amount 187 times the EPA daily exposure limit.
Between 1989 and 2003, there has been an explosion of autism. The incidence of autism (and other related disorders) went from about 1 in 2,500 children to 1 in every 166. Currently there are more than a half million children in the U.S. that have autism. This disorder has devastated families.
In 1999, on the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics and U.S. Public Health Service, thimerosal was removed from most childhood vaccines as a “precautionary” measure – i.e. without admitting to any causal link between thimerosal and autism.
The Geiers conclude that mercury continues to be a concern, as it is still added to some of the most commonly-used vaccines, such as those for flu:
“Despite its removal from many childhood vaccines, thimerosal is still routinely added to some formulations of influenza vaccine administered to U.S. infants, as well as to several other vaccines (e.g. tetanus-diphtheria and monovalent tetanus) administered to older children and adults. In 2004, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) retreated from the stated 1999 goal of the AAP and the PHS to remove thimerosal from U.S. vaccines as soon as possible.As a result, assessing the safety of TCVs [thimerosal-containing vaccines] is a matter of significant importance.”

 

[the]

If anyone is interested, this is a link to government debate on the subject:http://ci.valparaiso.in.us/index.aspx?NID=1322

 

[dogman6126]

I worked with autistic kids too in the past

The problem with speaking to medical staff (and i know a lot of medical people) is that they do not always have the technical background to research these things

So the problem is that they end up believing what they are told by the authorities

The 'authorities' are basically government and the corporate lobby

The corporate lobby is big pharma, big industry, the media, finance, publishing and magazines and journals and so on...all of which have a vested interest in maintaining certain illusions

Doctors often just believe what drug companies are telling them and sometimes (and i have been told this by a doctor) they receive kickbacks from the drug companies; in fact there has been a scandal in recent years involving glaxo smith klein being caught bribing doctors

That's how its done...bribery and corruption

The idea that autism is genetic fails to explain the dramatic rise in autism:

Since this lecture was given, the rate has increased from 1/110 to 1/88

[video=youtube;9feDusrlb4U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9feDusrlb4U[/video]

Wake up!

Ok then muir. Also, in addition to vaccines, not holding your child enough will cause autism. ADHD too. Oh, and also improper heart growth. Doctors may disagree with me, but I know that's the truth.

That's basically what your saying muir. Your doing confirmation bias! That's why I hate conspiracy theories. You don't use real science.

 

[dogman6126]

You've been doing it a lot often with days inbetween

In the vaccines thread i had to keep repeating myself or finding more stuff to say what i'd already covered

That's because you've actually shown such effects. In this case, the cause is obvious, the delay in our response. Before, it was more apparent in the number of times I had to repeat myself. All the same, that's irrelevant. Here, we can know that our responses are delayed.

 

[muir]

I was asking you. And the corporation conspiracy is not even related. If these people have fluoride calcifications in the brain, they can go and see what concentrations of fluoride led to that calcification. I looked at the article you quoted, and they said nothing about that important piece of information. Convenient. Again, your showing your confirmation bias. choosing what you want to believe and what you don't want to believe. If your going to post that article about fluoride calcification, you should also clarify the cause. Otherwise your working with conjecture AGAIN.

You fail to realise how research works

Research requires financial backing

Big money is only interested in reearch that can make them money...they want to discourage research that will harm their profits

This was all covered in that canadian documentary i posted above where they speak to lots of scientists and doctors

If you had watched the documentary then you would know how research is skewed by money

 

[muir]

Ok then muir. Also, in addition to vaccines, not holding your child enough will cause autism. ADHD too. Oh, and also improper heart growth. Doctors may disagree with me, but I know that's the truth.

That's basically what your saying muir. Your doing confirmation bias! That's why I hate conspiracy theories. You don't use real science.

No that's not what i'm saying

It's what tens of thousand sof parents from dozens of countries are saying as well as many scientists and doctors

If you would just look at the stuff i'm posting you would know all this

 

[dogman6126]

http://www.autism-world.com/index.php/2007/04/01/autism-rates-drop-after-mercury-removed/

[h=2]Autism Rates Drop After Mercury Removed[/h] April 1st, 2007
An article in the March 10, 2006 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons shows that since mercury was removed from childhood vaccines, the alarming increase in reported rates of autism and other neurological disorders (NDs) in children not only stopped, but actually dropped sharply – by as much as 35%.
Using the government’s own databases, independent researchers analyzed reports of childhood NDs, including autism, before and after removal of mercury-based preservatives. Authors David A. Geier, B.A. and Mark R. Geier, M.D., Ph.D. analyze data from the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and the California Department of Developmental Services (CDDS) in “Early Downward Trends in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following Removal of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines.”
The numbers from California show that reported autism rates hit a high of 800 in May 2003. If that trend had continued, the reports would have skyrocketed to more than 1000 by the beginning of 2006. But in fact, the Geiers report that the number actually went down to only 620, a real decrease of 22%, and a decrease from the projections of 35%.
This analysis directly contradicts 2004 recommendations of the Institute of Medicine which examined vaccine safety data from the National Immunization Program (NIP) of the CDC. While not willing to either rule out or to corroborate a relationship between mercury and autism, the IOM soft-pedaled its findings, and decided no more studies were needed. The authors write: “The IOM stated that the evidence favored rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal and autism, that such a relationship was not biologically plausible, and that no further studies should be conducted to evaluate it.”
As more and more vaccines were added to the mandatory schedule of vaccines for children, the dose of the mercury-based preservative thimerosal rose, so that the cumulative dose injected into babies exceeded the toxic threshold set by many government agencies. Mercury is known to damage nerve cells in very low concentrations.
The concern about vaccines may actually be underrated, as it is generally acknowledged that the voluntary reporting of such disorders has resulted in vast underreporting of new cases. For example, the Iowa state legislature banned thimerosal from all vaccines administered there after it documented a 700-fold increase in that state alone. California followed suit, and 32 states are considering doing so.
Up until about 1989 pre-school children got only 3 vaccines (polio, DPT, MMR). By 1999 the CDC recommended a total of 22 vaccines to be given before children reach the 1st grade, including Hepatitis B, which is given to newborns within the first 24 hours of birth. Many of these vaccines contained mercury. In the 1990s approximately 40 million children were injected with mercury-containing vaccines.
The cumulative amount of mercury being given to children in this number of vaccines would be an amount 187 times the EPA daily exposure limit.
Between 1989 and 2003, there has been an explosion of autism. The incidence of autism (and other related disorders) went from about 1 in 2,500 children to 1 in every 166. Currently there are more than a half million children in the U.S. that have autism. This disorder has devastated families.
In 1999, on the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics and U.S. Public Health Service, thimerosal was removed from most childhood vaccines as a “precautionary” measure – i.e. without admitting to any causal link between thimerosal and autism.
The Geiers conclude that mercury continues to be a concern, as it is still added to some of the most commonly-used vaccines, such as those for flu:
“Despite its removal from many childhood vaccines, thimerosal is still routinely added to some formulations of influenza vaccine administered to U.S. infants, as well as to several other vaccines (e.g. tetanus-diphtheria and monovalent tetanus) administered to older children and adults. In 2004, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) retreated from the stated 1999 goal of the AAP and the PHS to remove thimerosal from U.S. vaccines as soon as possible.As a result, assessing the safety of TCVs [thimerosal-containing vaccines] is a matter of significant importance.”

I question the validity of those statistics. There are conflicting answers as to prevalence of autism over the last 20 years. Here's a Wikipedia quote and source

Attention has been focused on whether the prevalence of autism is increasing with time. Earlier prevalence estimates were lower, centering at about 0.5 per 1,000 for autism during the 1960s and 1970s and about 1 per 1,000 in the 1980s, as opposed to today's 1–2 per 1,000.[2]


Bar chart versus time. The graph rises steadily from 1996 to 2007, from about 0.7 to about 5.3. The trend curves slightly upward.


Reports of autism cases per 1,000 children grew dramatically in the U.S. from 1996 to 2007. It is unknown how much, if any, growth came from changes in autism's prevalence.[23]
The number of reported cases of autism increased dramatically in the 1990s and early 2000s, prompting investigations into several potential reasons:[24]
More children may have autism; that is, the true frequency of autism may have increased.
There may be more complete pickup of autism (case finding), as a result of increased awareness and funding. For example, attempts to sue vaccine companies may have increased case-reporting.
The diagnosis may be applied more broadly than before, as a result of the changing definition of the disorder, particularly changes in DSM-III-R and DSM-IV.
An editorial error in the description of the PDD-NOS category of Autism Spectrum Disorders in the DSM-IV, in 1994, inappropriately broadened the PDD-NOS construct. The error was corrected in the DSM-IV-TR, in 2000, reversing the PDD-NOS construct back to the more restrictive diagnostic criteria requirements from the DSM-III-R.[25]
Successively earlier diagnosis in each succeeding cohort of children, including recognition in nursery (preschool), may have affected apparent prevalence but not incidence.
A review of the "rising autism" figures compared to other disabilities in schools shows a corresponding drop in findings of mental retardation.[26]

The reported increase is largely attributable to changes in diagnostic practices, referral patterns, availability of services, age at diagnosis, and public awareness.[2][3][23] A widely cited 2002 pilot study concluded that the observed increase in autism in California cannot be explained by changes in diagnostic criteria,[27] but a 2006 analysis found that special education data poorly measured prevalence because so many cases were undiagnosed, and that the 1994–2003 U.S. increase was associated with declines in other diagnostic categories, indicating that diagnostic substitution had occurred.[28]

A 2007 study that modeled autism incidence found that broadened diagnostic criteria, diagnosis at a younger age, and improved efficiency of case ascertainment, can produce an increase in the frequency of autism ranging up to 29-fold depending on the frequency measure, suggesting that methodological factors may explain the observed increases in autism over time.[29] A small 2008 study found that a significant number (40%) of people diagnosed with pragmatic language impairment as children in previous decades would now be given a diagnosis as autism.[30] A study of all Danish children born in 1994–99 found that children born later were more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age, supporting the argument that apparent increases in autism prevalence were at least partly due to decreases in the age of diagnosis.[31]

A 2009 study of California data found that the reported incidence of autism rose 7- to 8-fold from the early 1990s to 2007, and that changes in diagnostic criteria, inclusion of milder cases, and earlier age of diagnosis probably explain only a 4.25-fold increase; the study did not quantify the effects of wider awareness of autism, increased funding, and expanding treatment options resulting in parents' greater motivation to seek services.[32] Another 2009 California study found that the reported increases are unlikely to be explained by changes in how qualifying condition codes for autism were recorded.[33]

Several environmental risk factors have been proposed to support the hypothesis that the actual frequency of autism has increased. These include certain foods, infectious disease, pesticides, MMR vaccine, and vaccines containing the preservative thiomersal, formerly used in several childhood vaccines in the U.S.[2] Although there is overwhelming scientific evidence against the MMR hypothesis and no convincing evidence for the thiomersal hypothesis, other as-yet-unidentified environmental risk factors cannot be ruled out.[3] Although it is unknown whether autism's frequency has increased, any such increase would suggest directing more attention and funding toward changing environmental factors instead of continuing to focus on genetics.[34]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_autism
and from the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
and science daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131016213046.htm (this one has some interesting points comparing the U.S. and UK)
And a statistic from some data accountability website
http://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/change-in-school-autism-rates-by-state.jpg
http://247wallst.com/investing/2011/03/10/can-america-afford-the-rising-cost-of-autism-education/

However, I'm not sure why the discrepancy of information. I have a few ideas, but I'm to tired to check them all.

 

[dogman6126]

You fail to realise how research works

Research requires financial backing

Big money is only interested in reearch that can make them money...they want to discourage research that will harm their profits

This was all covered in that canadian documentary i posted above where they speak to lots of scientists and doctors

If you had watched the documentary then you would know how research is skewed by money

Well then nothing science says is right. Even private research. The moon actually IS made of cheese. We are NOT made of atoms, but rather spiritual plasma or something. That group that you keep talking about muir? They are actually aliens from mercury. Not rich people. Oh, and the sun is actually cold, not hot.
Each discrepancy from the "truth" that I just listed is all a ploy by the aliens from mercury trying to make us all stupid so we will be easier to take over.

 

[dogman6126]

No that's not what i'm saying

It's what tens of thousand sof parents from dozens of countries are saying as well as many scientists and doctors

If you would just look at the stuff i'm posting you would know all this

But far more doctors and scientists are saying otherwise.

 

[muir]

I question the validity of those statistics. There are conflicting answers as to prevalence of autism over the last 20 years. Here's a Wikipedia quote and source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_autism
and from the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
and science daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131016213046.htm (this one has some interesting points comparing the U.S. and UK)
And a statistic from some data accountability website
http://247wallst.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/change-in-school-autism-rates-by-state.jpg
http://247wallst.com/investing/2011/03/10/can-america-afford-the-rising-cost-of-autism-education/

However, I'm not sure why the discrepancy of information. I have a few ideas, but I'm to tired to check them all.

The reason for the discrepancy is what i've been trying tom tell you throughout this debate:

IN THESE SITUATIONS BOTH SIDES WILL BRING FORTH THEIR CONTRADICTORY SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE

There comes a point man where you have to stand back a little from it all, lok at the bigger picture and begin to use the wits that nature gave you

 

[dogman6126]

@dogman6126
Can you show how Fluoride added to our water is a good thing?
Do people generally believe fluoridation is good, a nice perk of living in America, something we are blessed to be dosed with?

First, sorry I missed responding to your comment

That would in fact be the next step of the question after we determine our perspective on fluoridated water toxicity. If it is toxic, then it is defiantly a bad thing. If it is not toxic, then your question is the next one to pursue. Unfortunately we have not passed the toxicity stage of this argument. To answer it in a quick note, there are many studies that have well proven that fluoride does improve dental health. Apparently there was a study on old skeletons that's showed communities that lived closer to water sources with fluoride had fewer incidences of cavities. Now this raises the question of is that a causation? Also questions of is the levels of fluoride in our water supplies sufficient to have such an effect? Are there other more effective means? Among many others. These are just those off the top of my head.
For me, I think that the fluoride in our water is not dangerous in any way, and there is a possibility of it being beneficial (I don't know for sure on if its beneficial) so I'm ok with it.

Also, I am very much ok with changing my mind on something, but I need proof in this case. All the evidence I have seen (reliable evidence) does not show in any way that it is dangerous. There are a few points that are of interest to me, for example the difference between sodium fluoride and fluosilicic acid, however concentrations are just so low that its not much of a consideration. Then I have questions about buildup, how fast the body expels the fluoride, and if there is buildup, what concentration is need before buildup begins and at what amounts of buildup occur. I have seen a few scraps of information relating to this, none direct, but each imply that the body expels it fairly quickly, and buildup only occurs when blood concentrations are high.

I'm open to agreeing fluoride is toxic, I just need evidence.

 

[dogman6126]

The reason for the discrepancy is what i've been trying tom tell you throughout this debate:

IN THESE SITUATIONS BOTH SIDES WILL BRING FORTH THEIR CONTRADICTORY SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE

There comes a point man where you have to stand back a little from it all, lok at the bigger picture and begin to use the wits that nature gave you

How did I know that is exactly what you would say. I posted a few government sites, a few non government sites, and yet you still dismiss my points as part of the conspiracy. Notice this is yet another thing we predicated that conspiracy theorists will do. Your argument is non falsifiable. That is not a logical or scientific argument.

 

[muir]

Well then nothing science says is right. Even private research. The moon actually IS made of cheese. We are NOT made of atoms, but rather spiritual plasma or something. That group that you keep talking about muir? They are actually aliens from mercury. Not rich people. Oh, and the sun is actually cold, not hot.
Each discrepancy from the "truth" that I just listed is all a ploy by the aliens from mercury trying to make us all stupid so we will be easier to take over.

It's all smoke and mirrors...they denied for years that cigarettes were harmful. They produced 'scientific evidence' to show that cigarettes weren't dangerous and so on but at the end of the day people figured it out and whistleblowers exposed it; eventually it became such common knowledge that hollywood made a film about it:

[video=youtube;5rkvxi5hdbA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rkvxi5hdbA[/video]

Its a shame hollywood couldnt make a film about it before it became common knowledge...but then they never would because they are involved with the council on foreing relations:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Members_of_the_Council_on_Foreign_Relations

Members of the Council on Foreign Relations

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Main article: Council on Foreign Relations
There are two types of Council on Foreign Relations membership: life, and term membership, which lasts for five years and is available to those between the ages of 30 and 36 at the time of their application. Only U.S. citizens (native born or naturalized) and permanent residents who have applied for U.S. citizenship are eligible. A candidate for life membership must be nominated in writing by one Council member and seconded by a minimum of three others (strongly encouraged to be other CFR members).[SUP][1][/SUP]
Corporate membership (250 in total) is divided into "Basic", "Premium" ($25,000+) and "President's Circle" ($50,000+). All corporate executive members have opportunities to hear distinguished speakers, such as overseas presidents and prime ministers, chairmen and CEOs of multinational corporations, and US officials and Congressmen. President and premium members are also entitled to other benefits, including attendance at small, private dinners or receptions with senior American officials and world leaders.[SUP][2]

[/SUP]
Board of directors

The Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations is composed in total of thirty-six officers. Peter G. Peterson and David Rockefeller are Directors Emeriti (Chairman Emeritus and Honorary Chairman, respectively). It also has an International Advisory Board consisting of thirty-five distinguished individuals from across the world.[SUP][3][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP]

Co-Chairman of the Board	Carla A. Hills
Co-Chairman of the Board	Robert E. Rubin
Vice Chairman	Richard E. Salomon
President	Richard N. Haass
Board of Directors
John Abizaid	former Commander-in-Chief, United States Central Command
Peter Ackerman	founder, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict
Fouad Ajami	professor in Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Madeleine K. Albright	former Secretary of State
Henry S. Bienen	former president, Northwestern University.
Alan Blinder	economics professor, Princeton University
Mary Boies	managing partner, Boies & McInnis
David G. Bradley	chairman, Atlantic Media Company
Tom Brokaw	former editor, NBC Nightly News
Sylvia Mathews Burwell	Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Kenneth M. Duberstein	former White House Chief of Staff
Martin Feldstein	economics professor, Harvard University
Stephen Friedman	former chairman, Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
Ann M. Fudge	former CEO, Young & Rubicam
Pamela Gann	president, Claremont McKenna College
J. Tomilson Hill	vice chairman, The Blackstone Group
Donna Hrinak	former U.S. diplomat
Alberto Ibargüen	John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Shirley Jackson	president, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Henry R. Kravis	co-founder, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Jami Miscik	former Deputy Director for Intelligence
Joseph S. Nye, Jr.	Kennedy School of Government
James W. Owens	chairman, Caterpillar Inc.
Peter G. Peterson	chairman, Peter G. Peterson Foundation
Colin L. Powell	former Secretary of State, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Penny Pritzker	CEO, Pritzker Realty
David M. Rubenstein	co-founder, The Carlyle Group,
George Erik Rupp	president, International Rescue Committee
Frederick W. Smith	CEO, FedEX
Joan E. Spero	former ambassador
Vin Weber	CEO, Clark & Weinstock
Christine Todd Whitman	former Governor of New Jersey, former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Fareed Zakaria	editor-at-large, Time

[TH="colspan: 3"][/TH]

[TD="align: left"] Office [/TD]
[TD="align: left"] Name [/TD]

[TH="colspan: 3"][/TH]

[TH="colspan: 3"][/TH]

Corporate membership

There are several levels of corporate membership. As of June 7, 2013 current members are:[SUP][5][/SUP]

• Founders
  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch
  • Chevron Corporation
  • ExxonMobil Corporation
  • Goldman Sachs, Inc.
  • Hess Corporation
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co
  • McKinsey and Company
  • Nasdaq OMX Group

• President's Circle
  • Alcoa, Inc.
  • American Express
  • Barclays plc
  • BlackRock, Inc.
  • Bloomberg L.P.
  • BP plc
  • Bridgewater Associates
  • CA Technologies
  • Citigroup
  • Coca Cola Company
  • Credit Suisse
  • Dell, Inc.
  • Deutsche Bank
  • DynCorp
  • Eni
  • Fortress Investment Group
  • Golden Tree
  • Guardsmark
  • Kingdon Capital Investment
  • Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
  • Lazard
  • Lockheed Martin Corporation
  • Mars, Incorporated
  • McGraw–Hill
  • MetLife
  • Moody's Corporation
  • Morgan Stanley
  • New Media Investments
  • NRG Energy
  • Parsons Corporation
  • Reliance Industries Limited
  • Shell Oil Company
  • Soros Fund Management
  • Standard Chartered Bank
  • Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
  • Veritas

• Premium members

• • ACE Limited
  • Airbus Americas, Inc.
  • Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd.
  • American International Group
  • Anglo American, plc
  • Apollo Management, LP
  • Aramco Services Company
  • AREVA Inc.
  • Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder Holdings, Inc.
  • Arnold & Porter LLP
  • American Telephone & Telegraph
  • Baker, Nye Advisers, Inc.
  • Baldwin-Gottschalk Group
  • Bank of New York Mellon Corporation
  • BASF Corporation
  • Bingham McCutchen LLP
  • Blackstone Group LP
  • Boeing Company
  • Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
  • Bunge Limited
  • Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
  • Caterpillar Inc.
  • Caxton Associates
  • CIGNA Inc.
  • Cisneros Group of Companies
  • CIT Group Inc.
  • Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
  • CNA Financial Corporation
  • ConocoPhillips Company
  • Continental Properties
  • Control Risks Group
  • Corsair Capital
  • Covington & Burling
  • Craig Drill Capital Corporation
  • Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank
  • Deere & Company
  • Deloitte
  • Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC)
  • Duke Energy Corporation
  • Economist Intelligence Unit
  • Edelman Financial Field
  • Energy Intelligence Group, Inc.
  • Equinox Partners, L.P.
  • Estee Lauder Companies Inc.
  • Expedia, Inc.
  • FedEx Corporation
  • Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc.
  • Future Pipe Industries, Inc.
  • General Atlantic LLC
  • General Electric Company
  • Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Google, Inc.
  • Granite Associates LP
  • Greenberg Traurig, LLP
  • Hitachi, Ltd.
  • Houlihan Lokey
  • IBM Corporation
  • Indus Capital Partners, LLC
  • Investcorp International, Inc.
  • Invus Group, LLC
  • ITOCHU International
  • Jacobs Asset Management, LLC
  • Kroll Inc.
  • MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc.
  • Mannheim LLC
  • Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
  • Marubeni America Corporation
  • MBIA Insurance Corporation
  • MeadWestvaco Corporation
  • Mercantil Servicios Financieros
  • Merck & Co., Inc.
  • Microsoft Corporation
  • Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP
  • Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas)
  • Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc.
  • Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc.
  • Moore Capital Management LLC
  • News Corporation
  • Northern Trust
  • Northrop Grumman
  • NYSE Euronext
  • Occidental Petroleum Corporation
  • Olayan Group
  • Palantir Technologies
  • PepsiCo, Inc.
  • Pfizer Inc.
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC)
  • Prudential Financial
  • Raytheon Company
  • Rothschild North America, Inc.
  • salesforce.com, inc.
  • Sandalwood Securities, Inc.
  • Siguler Guff & Company L.P.
  • Silver Lake Partners
  • Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
  • Sony Corporation of America
  • Standard & Poor's
  • Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
  • T. Rowe Price Group
  • Tata Group
  • Telefonica Internacional U.S.A.
  • Thiel Capital LLC
  • Thomson Reuters
  • TIAA-CREF
  • Time Warner Inc.
  • Tishman Speyer Properties, Inc.
  • TOTAL S.A.
  • U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  • UBS AG
  • Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
  • Vornado Realty Trust
  • Walmart
  • Warburg Pincus LLC
  • Western Union
  • WPP
  • Wyoming Investment LLC
  • Xerox Corporation
  • Ziff Brothers Investments LLC
  • Zurich Insurance Group

• Associates
  • AARP
  • Banca d'Italia
  • Hemispheric Partners
  • Japan Bank for International Cooperation
  • Oxford Analytica Inc.

Notable current council members

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• Roger Ailes (Chairman and CEO of Fox News)
• Madeleine Albright (64th United States Secretary of State, 20th United States Ambassador to the United Nations under Bill Clinton)
• Lamar Alexander (45th Governor of Tennessee, United States Republican Senator, 5th United States Secretary of Education under George H.W. Bush)
• Eliot Abrams (international lawyer, former state department official under Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush)
• Morton I. Abramowitz (diplomat)
• John Abizaid (U.S Army General, former head of CENTCOM)
• Michael F. Adams (President of University of Georgia)
• John B. Anderson (former Republican/Independent congressman from Illinois)
• Anthony Clark Arend (international lawyer, and academic)
• Fouad Ajami (academic, middle east analyst)
• Bruce Babbitt {16th Governor of Arizona, 47th United States Secretary of the Interior under Clinton}
• Howard Baker (13th Senate Majority Leader of the United States Senate, 12th White House Chief of Staff under Ronald Reagan, husband of Nancy Kassebaum Baker)
• James Baker (61st Secretary of State of the United States under Bush-41, and 67th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States under Ronald Reagan, 10th & 16th White House chief of staff to President's Reagan and George H.W. Bush)
• Thurbert Baker (former Democratic Party attorney-general of the state of Georgia)
• Michael D. Barnes (former United States Democratic congressman from Maryland, and president of the Brady Campaign)
• Charlene Barshefsky (former United States Trade Representative)
• Evan Bayh (former Democratic U.S senator and 46th Governor from Indiana)
• Peter Bergen (journalist, national security analyst for CNN)
• Joe Biden (47th Vice-President of the United States)
• Josh Bolten (22nd White House chief-of-staff under George W. Bush)
• Rudy Boschwitz (former Republican United States Senator from Minnesota)
• Sandy Berger (19th United States National Security Advisor under President Bill Clinton)
• Warren Beatty (actor, film producer, director)
• Jeffrey Bewkes (president of Time Warner)
• Stephen Biddle (theorist setting U.S. counter-insurgency policy)
• Michael R. Bloomberg (108th Mayor of New York City, founder of Bloomberg L.P.)
• Max Boot (military historian, and foreign policy expert)
• Bill Bradley (former Democratic senator from New Jersey, NBA hall of fame basketball player)
• Ian Bremmer (Eurasia Group founder and president)
• Lael Brainard (Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, wife of Kurt M. Campbell)
• Bill Brock (50th chairman of the Republican Party, 8th U.S. trade ambassador and 18th United States Secretary of Labor under Ronald Reagan, former Republican United States Senator from Tennessee)
• Dan Burton (former republican party United States congressman from Indiana)
• Erin Burnett (journalist, CNN anchor)
• George H.W. Bush (41st President of the United States)
• Tom Brokaw (NBC journalist)
• Howard Berman (former Democratic Party United States Congressman from California)
• Peter Beinart (academic, columnist)
• Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group)
• L. Paul Bremer (diplomat)
• Edgar Bronfman, Sr. (a member of the Bronfman dynasty, president of the World Jewish Congress)
• Ethan Bronner (deputy foreign editor of The New York Times)
• Zbigniew Brzezinski (10th United States National Security Advisor under President Jimmy Carter)
• Stephen Gerald Breyer (United States Supreme Court justice)
• Jonathan S. Bush (healthcare CEO, son of Jonathan Bush, brother of NBC entertainment reporter Billy Bush)
• Sanford Bishop (Democratic Party United States congressman from Georgia)
• David Boren (former Democrat U.S. senator from Oklahoma and president of the University of Oklahoma)
• Kurt M. Campbell {Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, husband of Lael Brainard}
• Jimmy Carter (39th President of the United States)
• Frank Carlucci (16th Secretary of Defense and 15th U.S. national security adviser under Ronald Reagan, 13th deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency under Jimmy Carter)
• Dick Cheney (46th Vice-President of the United States)
• Juju Chang (journalist, reporter for ABC News)
• Bill Clinton (42nd President of the United States)
• Hillary Rodham Clinton(former First Lady of the United States, former United States Senator from New York, 67th United States Secretary of State under Barack Obama)
• Henry Cisneros (10th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Bill Clinton)
• Mario Cuomo (Democratic politician, 52nd Governor of New York)
• Michael Crow (president of Arizona State University)
• Katie Couric (former CBS and NBC journalist, talk show host)
• Stephen F. Cohen (professor of Russian studies at NYU, husband of Katrina vanden Heuvel)
• Edward F. Cox (international attorney, chairman of the New York Republican party, son-in-law of Richard Nixon)
• William M. Daley (24th White House chief of staff under Obama, 32nd secretary of commerce under Bill Clinton)
• Kathryn Wasserman Davis {American philanthropist}
• Kenneth Duberstein (13th chief of staff under Ronald Reagan)
• Peggy Dulany (fourth child of David Rockefeller)
• Joseph Duffey (academic, educator)
• Chris Dodd (Former United States Senator from Connecticut)
• Thomas R. Donahue {former Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO}
• William H. Donaldson (former chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission)
• Michael Dukakis (65th and 67th governor of Massachusetts, 1988 Democratic Party nominee for the Presidency)
• Mervyn M. Dymally (former Democratic congressman from California)
• James S. Doyle (journalist & activist)
• Jesse Dylan {film director}
• Esther Dyson {philanthropist, technology analyst, daughter of Freeman Dyson}
• John Edwards (former Democratic U.S. senator from North Carolina, 2004 Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee)
• Karl Eikenberry (United States Army General, former ambassador to Afghanistan)
• Ari Emanuel (head of Endeavor Agency)
• Luigi R. Einaudi {former secretary-general of the Organization of American States}
• Mallory Factor {academic, banker, conservative activist,}
• Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. (former vice-chairman of the Federal Reserve)
• Noah Feldman (academic and author)
• Dianne Feinstein (United States Democratic Party Senator from California)
• Bernard T. Ferrari (dean, Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School)
• John B. Fitzgibbons, an American businessman and philanthropist
• Donald M. Fraser (former Democratic United States congressman from Minnesota)
• Bill Frist (Republican politician, former United States Senate Majority Leader of the United States Senate)
• Mikhail Fridman (Russian oligarch, International Advisory Board member)
• Thomas Friedman (columnist for The New York Times)
• Martin Feldstein (economist, Harvard professor)
• Tom Foley (57th speaker of the United States House of Representatives)
• Francis Fukuyama (political scientist, for state department official)
• Pamela Gann (President of Claremont McKenna College, former dean of Duke University School of Law).
• Robert M. Gates (22nd United States Secretary of Defense under Bush & Obama, 15th Director of Central Intelligence under George H.W. Bush)
• Robert P. George (Academic, professor at Princeton University, theologian, philosopher)
• David Geffen (president of Universal Music Group)
• Leslie Gelb (former journalist for the New York Times)
• Dick Gephardt (22nd Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives)
• Sam Gejdenson (former Democratic Party United States Congressman from Connecticut)
• Jim Gilmore (68th Governor of Virginia)
• Alan Greenspan (13th Chairman of the Federal Reserve)
• Maurice R. Greenberg (former chairman and CEO of AIG)
• Bob Graham (Democratic Party 38th governor of Florida and United States Senator)
• Janet G. Mullins Grissom (Republican lobbyist,former state department official)
• Timothy Geithner {75th secretary of the treasury under Obama, 9th president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York}
• David Gergen (advisor to Richard Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton, commentator for CNN)
• Peter C. Goldmark, Jr. (former CEO of New York Port Authority, president of Rockefeller Foundation, publisher of International Herald Tribune)
• Mikhail Gorbachev (former President of the USSR)
• Roy M. Goodman (former Republican member of the New York State Senate)
• Porter Goss {former Republican congressman from Florida, 19th Director of Central Intelligence Agency under George W. Bush}
• Newt Gingrich (58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives)
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg (United States Supreme Court justice)
• Tenzin Gyatso (14th Dalai Lama)
• Richard N. Haass (former State Department official)
• David A. Harris (director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC))
• Lee H. Hamilton (former United States Democratic congressman from Indiana)
• Michael Hayden (United States Air Force general, 15th director of the National Security Agency under Bill Clinton, and 20th director of the CIA under George W. Bush)
• Gary Hart (former Democratic U.S. Senator from Colorado, Council for a Livable World chairman, advisory board member for the Partnership for a Secure America)
• Heather Higgins (women's advocate, chairman of the Independent Women's Forum, president of the Randolph Foundation)
• Chris Heinz (heir to the H. J. Heinz Company ketchup fortune)
• Leo Hindery {businessman, philanthropist}
• Carla Anderson Hills (5th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Gerald Ford, 10th United States Trade Representative to George H.W. Bush)
• Deane R. Hinton {former diplomat}
• Kim Holmes (foreign policy and defense expert)
• Douglas Holtz-Eakin (economist)
• Auren Hoffman (investor/entrepreneur)
• Warren Hoge (American journalist, formerly of the New York Times)
• Malcolm Hoenlein (vice-chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations)
• Katrina vanden Heuvel (editor of The Nation, wife of Stephen F. Cohen, daughter of William vanden Heuvell}
• William vanden Heuvel (diplomat and international lawyer, father of Katrina vanden Heuvell)
• Frederick Iseman (businessman, inventor)
• Angelina Jolie (actress, UN Goodwill Ambassador)[SUP][6][/SUP]
• Vernon Jordan (advisor to President Bill Clinton)
• Nancy Johnson (former Republican United States congresswoman from Connecticut)
• Woody Johnson (investor, owner of the New York Jets, heir to Johnson & Johnson)
• Sheila Johnson (businesswoman, president of the Washington Mystics)
• Walter H. Kansteiner, III (American diplomat)
• Peter J. Katzenstein (political scientist, academic)
• Robert Kagan (cofounded Project for the New American Century)
• Nancy Kassebaum (former Republican Senator from Kansas, daughter of Alf Landon, and wife of Howard Baker)
• Thomas Kean, Sr. (Republican politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey)
• John Kerry(former United States Senator from Massachusetts, 68th United States Secretary of State under Barack Obama, 2004 Democratic Party nominee for the Presidency)
• Vanessa Kerry (doctor of medicine, liberal activist, daughter of John Kerry)
• Raymond Kelly {former police commissioner of the NYPD}
• Henry Kissinger (8th National Security Advisor under Richard Nixon and 56th United States Secretary of State under President's Nixon and Ford)
• Joe Klein (Time Magazine columnist)
• Richard Kogan (former CEO of Schering-Plough from 1996 to 2003, board member of Colgate-Palmolive and The Bank of New York Mellon)
• Paul R. Krugman (economist, columnist for the New York Times)
• Anil Kumar (businessman, former senior partner at McKinsey)
• Charles Krauthammer (columnist for the Washington Post and political commentator at Fox News)
• Zalmay Khalilzad (26th ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush)
• Philip Lader (diplomat, chairman of WPP Group)
• Richard W. Lariviere (Scholar, President of the University of Oregon)
• Jim Leach (former Republican United States congressman from Iowa, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under Obama)
• John Robert Lewis (Democratic United States congressman from the state of Georgia, famed civil-rights leader)
• Jim Lehrer (journalist, former anchor for PBS)
• Joe Lieberman (former United States Independent Senator from Connecticut)
• Lewis Libby (attorney, former chief-of-staff to Vice-President Dick Cheney)
• Herbert London {academic, conservative activist, former dean of Gallatin School of Individualized Study}
• Nigel Lythgoe (television producer)
• Fred Malek (businessman, former President of Marriott Hotels and Northwest Airlines)
• David Malpass (economist, Republican Party politician)
• John McCain (United States Republican Senator from Arizona, 2008 Republican Party nominee for the Presidency)
• Bud McFarlane (13th national security advisor to Ronald Reagan)
• William Green Miller (United States Ambassador to Ukraine under Bill Clinton)
• George J. Mitchell (17th Senate Majority Leader of the United States Senate}
• Walter Mondale (42nd Vice-President of the United States)
• Robert Mosbacher, Jr. (businessman, son of Robert Mosbacher)
• Les Moonves (President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS)
• Bill Moyers (former press-secretary to Lyndon Johnson, public commentator for PBS)
• Langhorne A. Motley {former diplomat} and state department official}
• David Mulford (former United States Ambassador to India and current Vice-Chairman International of Credit Suisse)
• Rupert Murdoch (founder/chairman/CEO of News Corp and Fox News)
• Heather Nauert (journalist and anchor for Fox News)
• Janet Napolitano (3rd United States Secretary of Homeland Security under Obama, 21st Governor of Arizona)
• John D. Negroponte (former United States Deputy Secretary of State and former Director of National Intelligence under George W. Bush)
• Joseph Nye (academic)
• Sandra Day O'Connor (former United States Supreme Court justice)
• Stan O'Neal (former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Merrill Lynch)
• George Pataki (Republican politician, 53rd Governor of New York)
• Henry Paulson (74th United States Treasury Secretary under George W. Bush)
• Robert Pastor (national security adviser, son-in-law to Robert McNamara)
• David Petraeus (United States Army General, former head of CENTCOM, 22nd director of the CIA)
• Peter G. Peterson (20th United States Secretary of Commerce under Nixon)
• Steve Pieczenik (former state department official, 911 conspiracy theorist)
• Kitty Pilgrim (journalist and anchor on CNN)
• Richard Pipes (academic, father of founder/director of Middle East Forum Daniel Pipes)
• Daniel Pipes (academic, writer, historian, son of Richard Pipes)
• Norman Podhoretz (former editor-in-chief of "Commentary", senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, Project for the New American Century (PNAC) signatory)
• Steve Poizner (California businessman and Republican politician)
• Roman Popadiuk (former United States Ambassador to Ukraine, Executive Director of the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation)
• Arturo C. Porzecanski (Wall Street economist and university professor)
• Colin Powell (65th United States Secretary of State under Bush-43, 16th National Security Advisor under Reagan, 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Bush-41)
• Tom Petri (Republican United States congressman from Wisconsin)
• Priscilla Presley (actress and former chairwoman of the board of Elvis Presley Enterprises)
• Charles Prince (former chief executive officer of Citigroup)
• Jennifer Raab {President of Hunter College}
• Janet Reno (78th United States Attorney General under Clinton)
• Condoleezza Rice (66th United States Secretary of State under Bush-43)
• Dan Rather (journalist, formerly anchor at CBS)
• Charles Rangel (United States Democratic Congressman from New York City)
• Alice Rivlin (economist, former U.S. cabinet member)
• David Rockefeller, Jr.
• John D. Rockefeller, IV (United States Democratic Party Senator of West Virginia, 29th Governor of West Virginia)
• Charlie Rose (PBS journalist and The Early Show anchor)
• Liz Rosenberg (novelist, poet, columnist for The Boston Globe)
• Chuck Robb (64th Governor of Virginia, former Democratic Party U.S. Senator from Virginia, son-in-law of Lyndon B. Johnson)
• Edward Regan (former state comptroller of New york)
• Robert Rubin (70th Secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton)
• Haim Saban (founder of Saban Capital Group)
• Jeffrey D. Sachs (American economist)
• Diane Sawyer (ABC News journalist)
• Stephen M. Schwebel (jurist, former judge on the International Court of Justice)
• Michael Shifter (academic, president of the Inter-American Dialogue)
• Dan Senor (former foreign policy advisor to George W. Bush, former Fox News foreign policy analyst)
• Amity Shlaes (Bloomberg News columnist, and historian)
• Timothy Shriver (chairman & CEO of the Special Olympics)
• David Stern (commissioner of the NBA)
• John Spratt (former Democratic United States congressman from South Carolina)
• Karenna Gore Schiff (daughter of Al Gore)
• Olympia J. Snowe (former Republican United States Senator from Maine)
• Brent Scowcroft (9th & 17th United States National Security Advisor under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush)
• George Shultz (60th United States Secretary of State under Reagan, 62nd United States Secretary of the Treasury and 11th United States Secretary of Labor under Richard Nixon}
• Frederick W. Smith (CEO and founder of FedEx)
• Andrew Ross Sorkin (business journalist for New York Times and CNBC)
• Walter B. Slocombe (former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy)
• George Soros (currency speculator, investor, businessman)
• Lesley Stahl (CBS News journalist)
• Donna Shalala (18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under Bill Clinton, President of the University of Miami)
• Eduard Shevardnadze (2nd President of Georgia)
• Eric Shinseki (7th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs under Obama, 34th Chief of Staff of the United States Army under Clinton & Bush)
• Adlai Stevenson III (former Democratic United States Senator from Illinois, son of Adlai Stevenson II)
• George Stephanopoulos (former White House press-secretary under Bill Clinton, Good Morning America anchor, This Week with George Stephanopoulos host)
• Laurence H. Silberman (United States federal judge)
• Robert Silvers (editor of New York Review of Books)
• Stansfield Turner (United States Navy Admiral, 12th director of the CIA under Jimmy Carter)
• Doug Turner (Republican party operative/Politician, public relations operative)
• Richard Thornburgh (76th Attorney-General of the United States of America under Reagan & Bush, 76th Governor of Pennsylvania)
• John L. Thornton (chairman of Brookings Institution, academic, former president of Goldman Sachs}
• Fred Thompson (attorney, actor, radio talk-show host, former Republican United States Senator from Tennessee,)
• Frances Townsend {former United States Homeland Security Advisor}
• Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Former Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, member of the Kennedy family)
• Tom Vilsack (30th United States Secretary of Agriculture under Obama, 40th Governor of Iowa)
• Paul Volcker (12th Chairman of the Federal Reserve)
• Peter J. Wallison (20th White House Counsel to Ronald Reagan, former lawyer to Nelson Rockefeller)
• Barbara Walters (ABC News journalist)
• Vin Weber (former United States Republican Congressman from Minnesota)
• Steven Weinberg (American physicist)
• Juleanna Glover Weiss {American lobbyist}
• John C. Whitehead (chairman of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, former United States Deputy Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan, former Goldman Sachs chairman)
• Christine Todd Whitman (50th Governor of New Jersey, 9th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under George W. Bush)
• Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby (British member of parliament, International Advisory Board member)
• Richard S. Williamson (diplomat, lawyer, former chairman of the Republican Party of Illinois)
• Oprah Winfrey (media mogul, actress, founder of Harpo Inc.)
• James D. Wolfensohn (former president of the World Bank)
• Paul Wolfowitz (10th President of the World Bank, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense under Bush-43)
• James Woolsey (16th Director of Central Intelligence under Bill Clinton)
• Dov S. Zakheim (academic and Department of Defense official under Reagan and George W. Bush)
• Paula Zahn (journalist, former anchor at Fox News and CNN)
• James Zogby (academic, political commentator and pollster)
• Robert Zoellick (11th President of the World Bank)

Current Emeritus and Honorary Officers and Directors

• Leslie H. Gelb (President Emeritus)
• Maurice R. Greenberg (Honorary Vice Chairman)
• Peter G. Peterson (Chairman Emeritus)
• David Rockefeller (Honorary Chairman)

Notable historical members

• Herbert Agar {writer, editor of The Courier-Journal}
• Harold Agnew {physicist, director of Los Alamos National Laboratory}
• Umberto Agnelli {Italian industrialist, ceo of Fiat}
• Les Aspin {democrat congressman from Wisconsin, 18th United States Secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton}
• Kenneth Bacon (American journalist)
• Conrad Black (International Advisory Board member)
• Tom Braden (former CIA agent and liberal journalist)
• George Wildman Ball (American diplomat)
• Spruille Braden (American diplomat, businessman)
• McGeorge Bundy (National Security advisor for Presidents John F. Kennedy & Lyndon B. Johnson)
• William Bundy (Central Intelligence Agency agent, historian)
• William F. Buckley, Jr (commentator, publisher, founder of the National Review)
• Jonathan Bingham (Democratic congressman from New York, diplomat)
• Paul Cravath (lawyer, one of the founders of the Council on Foreign Relations)
• Heidi Nelson Cruz {Investment banker, wife of Texas Senator Ted Cruz}
• Monica Crowley (former Richard Nixon aide, radio host, and columnist)
• John Chafee (former Secretary of the Navy, and Republican senator from Rhode Island)
• Warren Christopher (former United States Secretary of State)
• Thomas E. Dewey (47th governor of New York, former Republican nominee for President in 1944 and 1948)
• Michael Raoul Duval (attorney for Richard Nixon & Gerald Ford)
• C. Douglas Dillon (57th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States under John F. Kennedy & Lyndon Johnson, under-secretary of state under Dwight D. Eisenhower)
• Allen Dulles (former Director of the CIA)
• John Foster Dulles (52nd Secretary of State of the United States under Ike Eisenhower)
• Fred Dutton {lawyer, lobbyist, democrat party operative}
• Paul A. Dyster {mayor of Niagara Falls, New York}
• Lawrence Eagleburger (former United States Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush)
• Jeffrey E. Epstein (financier)[SUP][7][/SUP]
• Rowland Evans {journalist}
• John Exter {economist}
• Gerald Ford (38th President of the United States of America)
• Geraldine Ferraro (former Democratic New York congresswoman, first woman on a major party presidential ticket in 1984)
• Alexander Haig (United States Army General, 59th Secretary of State of the United States under Ronald Reagan)
• Sidney Harman (businessman, owner of Newsweek)
• Armand Hammer (businessman, investor)
• W. Averell Harriman (48th Governor of New York, diplomat, 11th United States Secretary of Commerce under Harry S Truman)
• H. John Heinz III (former Republican United States Senator from Pennsylvania)
• Richard Holbrooke {diplomat, investment banker, 22nd United States UN Ambassador}
• Herbert Hoover (31st President of the United States)
• Henry Hyde (former Republican congressman from Illinois)
• Sergei Karaganov (International Advisory Board member)
• Irving Kristol (journalist, writer, dubbed "The godfather of neoconservatism, father of Bill Kristol)
• Jack Kemp (Hall of Fame quarterback, Republican congressman from New York, 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Bush-41, 1996 Republican Vice-Presidential nominee)
• George Kennan (diplomat, historian)
• Jeane Kirkpatrick (diplomat, 16th United States Ambassador to the United Nations)
• Ivy Lee (founding father of public relations)
• Robert A. Lovett (4th Secretary of Defense of the United States under Truman)
• Robert Matsui (former Democratic Party congressman from California)
• John J. McCloy (lawyer, banker)
• Charles Peter McColough (businessman)
• George McGovern (former Democratic senator from South Dakota, 1972 Democratic Party nominee for President)
• Robert McNamara (8th Secretary of Defense under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, 5th President of the World Bank)
• Daniel Patrick Moynihan (diplomat, former Democratic Senator from New York)
• Edmund Muskie (58th Secretary of State of the United States)
• Richard M. Nixon (37th President of the United States)
• Paul Nitze (Secretary of the Navy under Lyndon Johnson)
• David Rockefeller
• Nelson Rockefeller (41st Vice-President of the United States, and Governor of New York)
• John D. Rockefeller 3rd
• Felix Rohatyn (investment banker)
• Mark B. Rosenberg (President of Florida International University)
• Eugene Rostow (former dean of Yale law, legal scholar)
• Walt Rostow (7th National Security advisor to Lyndon Johnson)
• Dean Rusk (54th Secretary of State of the United States under Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson)
• Abraham A. Ribicoff (former Democratic United States Senator from Connecticut)
• William V. Roth, Jr. (former Republican United States Senator of Delaware).
• Carl Sagan (American scientist)
• Arthur Schlesinger (historian, academic)
• Raymond P. Shafer (former Republican governor of Pennsylvania)
• Tony Snow (former press secretary to George W. Bush, journalist, radio talk-show host)
• Ron Silver (actor, director, producer, co-founded One Jerusalem)
• Strobe Talbott (diplomat, chairman of Brookings Institution, journalist)
• Shirley Temple (actress, diplomat)
• Cyrus Vance (57th Secretary of State of the United States under Jimmy Carter)
• Rick Warren (American Christian leader, Senior Pastor of the Saddleback Church)
• Vernon A. Walters (United States Army General, 17th U.S. ambassador of the U.N.)
• John Wheeler III (Vietnam veteran, military consultant, presidential aide; found murdered on Dec. 31, 2010)
• Paul Warburg (banker)
• Caspar Weinberger (15th Secretary of Defense for the United States under Ronald Reagan)
• Albert Wohlstetter
• Roberta Wohlstetter

List of Chairmen

• Russell Cornell Leffingwell 1946–53
• John J. McCloy 1953–70
• David Rockefeller 1970–85
• Peter G. Peterson 1985–2007
• Carla A. Hills (co-chairman) 2007–
• Robert E. Rubin (co-chairman) 2007–

List of presidents

• John W. Davis 1921–33
• George W. Wickersham 1933–36
• Norman H. Davis 1936–44
• Russell Cornell Leffingwell 1944–46
• Allen Welsh Dulles 1946–50
• Henry Merritt Wriston 1951–64
• Grayson L. Kirk 1964–71
• Bayless Manning 1971–77
• Winston Lord 1977–85
• John Temple Swing 1985–86 (Pro tempore)
• Peter Tarnoff 1986–93
• Alton Frye 1993
• Leslie Gelb 1993–2003
• Richard N. Haass 2003–

Big lies are easy to achieve because many people always believe authority figures in uniforms

There was even a film about the big tobacco thing, called the insider:

 

[muir]

But far more doctors and scientists are saying otherwise.

The problem with speaking to medical staff (and i know a lot of medical people) is that they do not always have the technical background to research these things

So the problem is that they end up believing what they are told by the authorities

The 'authorities' are basically government and the corporate lobby

The corporate lobby is big pharma, big industry, the media, finance, publishing and magazines and journals and so on...all of which have a vested interest in maintaining certain illusions

Doctors often just believe what drug companies are telling them and sometimes (and i have been told this by a doctor) they receive kickbacks from the drug companies; in fact there has been a scandal in recent years involving glaxo smith klein being caught bribing doctors

That's how its done...bribery and corruption and ignorance

 

[muir]

How did I know that is exactly what you would say. I posted a few government sites, a few non government sites, and yet you still dismiss my points as part of the conspiracy. Notice this is yet another thing we predicated that conspiracy theorists will do. Your argument is non falsifiable. That is not a logical or scientific argument.

I can say the same thing to you

The difference is that you are defending liars and murderers

You were confused why none of your sources agreed and i explained it to you and now youre grumbling about it! lol

 

[dogman6126]

[MENTION=1871]muir[/MENTION]. Another example of your extreme competency at copy and paste. And at straying off the topic. Your conspiracy theory does not prove that fluoridated water is toxic.