Absolutely fascinating interview with British journalist and Times of London columnist David Aaronovitch regarding his new book, Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History.

I tend to fall into Mr. Aaronvitch's camp, at least philosophically.  I think almost every conspiracy theory out there is bunk.  As much as I thought President Bush's presidency was one of the worst this country has had the misfortune of living through, there was no way I could subscribe to the idea that people in government were involved in 9/11.  Similarly, I subscribe to Mr. Aaronvitch's conclusions regarding why we look for conspiracy surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy (and, yes, I believe Oswald acted alone):

After the JFK assassination, it was unbearable to many people that they could live in a country where a lone gunman could kill a president. In those circumstances, it’s not surprising that an overarching conspiracy theory emerges. It suggests that somebody is in control, rather than that we’re at the mercy of our neighbors and to some extent of ourselves.

Regardless of your opinion, here's the interview:

http://www.salon.com/books/history/index.html?story=/books/feature/2010/02/03/david_aaronovitch_conspiracy_theories