The sad part is that I think the global conspiracy was more of an accident than a planned event. Poor decisions, poor planning, and a severe lack of accounting for human nature and greed led to a few opportunists seizing power. There's definitely social engineering at work now, and the power elite do exist and are the real puppet masters. Anybody who doesn't believe that really is a fool. I'd say the corporations themselves (they are individuals after all) are the real controllers. I do believe they are organisms unto themselves. The problem is that you can't anthropomorphize them because they are not human. For lack of a better term, "Satan" is the ghost in the machine. "Satan" in the sense that profit above all else is the overlying theme of the corporate monster, and it's protected by the 14th amendment. Profit will lead to cost externalization, bought off politicians, controlled masses through careful use of language and popular culture, indoctrination through education (privatized), destroying faith in the government (after all, gov is by the people and people are the only thing that could stand in the way of the corporate beast's insatiable hunger for profit above all else - so it's better to make the people distrust and hate their democratic government by infiltrating it, sabotage, and ultimately controlling it). But, as in the Matrix, being part of the system, plugged in so to speak, is easier than not being plugged in. That's why we won't see change. I can't predict how bad it's going to get. At some point, even the social engineers have to let up because they are outnumbered.

Good call on "The Corporation". Love that movie - I'm a fan of Chomsky. I'll have to look at the other speakers and lectures you guys posted.