THE 9TH DOT 101 – THE BASIC TRUTHS

O.K., let’s file this one under…

THE 9TH DOT 101 – THE BASIC TRUTHS

Lee Falk, who created the comic strip The Phantom, regularly included a series of four panels at the beginning of his comic strips that began: “For those who came in late”.

This explanation of the character of The Phantom’s origin and purpose was literally for the audience who might stumble upon the comic strip for the first time, and would need this “Cliff’s Notes” version to be brought up to speed. 

So I thought it would be helpful to do somewhat the same thing here periodically.

The Phantom comes to mind because the character is timeless in more ways than one.  He’s a hero who walks as a ghost through the ages fighting evil-doers.

There seem to never be a shortage of those.

The Phantom legend is not only about human heroism, but also about perception.  This same concept is also central to this blog.  The same event perceived from various points of view.  Only one of which can actually be the truth.

So for those who came in late to this blog…

My roommate Jeff and I have been living in this same apartment since film school.  We get along about as well as two guys probably can when crammed into a tiny East Village two bedroom.

Jeff’s a self proclaimed conspiracy theorist. 

Jeff’s world-view is that there is a Phantom with an agenda much different than that of Lee Falk’s… 

A man behind the curtain holding the control levers… 

An unseen Geppetto holding the strings… 

Actually, Jeff thinks there are many more than just one of these men, since the very nature of a conspiracy theory requires multiple unseen, malevolent individuals. 

Perhaps Jeff is just a little bit paranoid, so his last name is not included here. 

As to me, some would call me a debunker. 

But I would like to debunk that label right here and right now.

I’m an actually investigator. 

I try to be a reality check in a world where reality has come to be more and more manufactured.  That sad fact has actually helped to give credence to the possible existence of those very men behind the curtain.  

Of this, I am painfully aware.

But, sometimes, bad things are simply done by lone individuals.

You know why I think the paparazzi follow celebrities?  They are looking for that one real moment.

I know that less and less is left to chance.  It’s this lack of randomness which also helps give rise to conspiracy theories.  People need to give order to a world that becomes increasingly harder for one person to fully grasp.

But, sometimes things do happen randomly.

I do not deny that there are bad people who do bad things, sometimes working together, and even working in secret. 

And, Jeff does not deny that sometimes there is randomness and sometimes there are loners. too.  

That is what keeps us friends, and keeps our arguments healthy.

Both Jeff and I have agreed to keep an open mind in pursuit of objectivity. 

Like the nine dots of the puzzle that gave its name to this blog, we both try to think outside the box and let our journey take us where it might.

I’ve also been making little documentaries about our investigations and arguments about some of Jeff’s theories since film school. 

We’ve got a great one coming up, I’m editing nightly.  I’m not certain where it will lead yet either.

It’s about someone who dared to think outside the box as well.

That’s the fun of being an investigator, you don’t know the answer until you get there. 

So pass on the URL to this blog, you never know from where the next piece of evidence is going to come, or where that evidence might take us…

One thing I have always admired about Jeff, his intentions are good, he desires to expose those whose intentions are not so good.

That is an agenda I am happy to share and, like the character The Phantom, one that is worthy enough to continue for generations.

So for those who came in late, glad that you found the blog.  

Feedback is always welcome.

Sam Moore