Mathematics Of Tim Russert

(Conspiracy Nation, 06/13/08) – Tim Russert, dead today of an apparent heart attack, might actually have died due to a heart attack.

On the other hand, how do we know for sure Russert was not murdered?

In a new novel, “Child 44”, author Tom Rob Smith presents a Stalinist dilemma: How do you explain a serial killer in a workers' paradise? The State cannot admit there is a killer on the loose, because such crime is a Capitalist aberration. So the Soviet explanation is, “railway tragedies.” Children are warned in the schools, “Stay away from the railroad tracks.”

In an intriguing twist, a disgraced Soviet intelligence officer realizes the truth. Yet he cannot openly investigate, since to do so implies criticism of the “perfect” Communist system.

This book, “Child 44”, is an eye-opener about how bad Stalinism was. The spotlight is turned on a system gone mad. But can we reverse the spotlight onto our own society and system?

The spotlight is turned on the Stalinist system. Disgraced MGB agent Leo Demidov dimly realizes, No one can be sure they aren't guilty, since no one can ever be sure exactly what the crimes are. (Stalinism Lite: Here in the U.S., no one can be sure they aren't guilty, since so many laws mean we don't always know what the crimes are.)

The Stalinist system: “Everyone understood that it was necessary, in order to survive, to compromise.” (Stalinism Lite: Here in the U.S., in the 1970s, monopoly media advised, “It is necessary to make little compromises.)

Did Leo Demidov love his wife, Raisa? Not really. He had married her only as “another step toward the perfect Soviet life – work, family, and children.” (Stalinism Lite: Here in the U.S., it pays to be a “family man.”)

Raisa Demidov wonders “how much of her soul she'd have to slice off and sell in order to survive.” (Stalinism Lite: Here in the U.S., how many “little compromises” must we make with our own souls?)

Conspiracy theories can be mathematicized. Relational databases and artificial intelligence could exponentially expand the capabilities of conspiracy theorists.

The first step in the mathematics of Tim Russert is to assemble the puzzle pieces. The following paragraphs, beginning with asterisks, are all sourced from mainstream news accounts.

*** Russert had a Jesuit education. He was married to Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair Magazine. (“NBC's Tim Russert dead at 58”, by David Espo and Laurie Kellman. AP, June 13, 2008)

*** Russert's wife was in Italy, on June 13, 2008, when he died. (“NBC News Delayed Russert Announcement”, by TMZ Staff. June 13, 2008)

*** Russert died in NBC's Washington, DC newsroom. He had recently returned from a trip to Italy. Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, claimed he had learned the undercover identity of Valerie Plame from Tim Russert. Russert testified he had not divulged Plame's secret role. (“US media giant Tim Russert dies of heart attack,” AFP, June 13, 2008)

*** Russert was a graduate of John Carroll University. In 1985, while working for NBC, Russert “negotiated an appearance by Pope John Paul II, a first for American television.” (“Tim Russert dead, heart attack”, by Mark Silva. Chicago Tribune weblogs, June 13, 2008)

*** Incidentally, Washington, DC experienced a power blackout which brought much of the nation's capital to a standstill earlier that day. (“'Friday the 13th' blackout hits nation's capital,” by Sarah Karush. AP, June 13, 2008)

Summarizing the puzzle pieces, we have Jesuit trained Tim Russert, a graduate of the Catholic John Carroll University, who had recently been to Italy. His wife, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine, was still in Italy at the time of Russert's death. Russert may have incurred the wrath of the Dick Cheney faction in the Valerie Plame affair. The power blackout in Washington, DC earlier that day is incidental to these circumstances.

Look with careful eyes at the evils of the Stalinist state, yes. But do not neglect to see our own Stalinism Lite.

Tim Russert may have died from simply an unfortunate heart attack. But comrade, How can you know? These are the puzzle pieces, the mathematics of Tim Russert, at this point in time.

Conspiracy Nation

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