I'm not arguing nor trying to be persuasive toward any point here ..
Having said that, those that spend too much of their lives swimming against the current (borrowing your analogy) often times seem to find a need to justify the time they've spent. Bad example, I know, but I have a couple of friends that have spent nearly 30 years trying to prove the existence of aliens/UFOs. I don't really take a position as to whether extra-terrestrial life exists, but I choose to not spend MY life chasing around the country and world to find proof. More power to them for doing it, in fact.
Problem is, after 30 years of doing it, they are constantly seeing things that aren't there and crop circles, for example, are something the government does to throw the public off the trail in an attempt to have 'us' ignore the 'real signs' we're being visited.
I see most conspiracy theories as containing extreme reaching. That's fine. I just warn, I guess, against spending so much time, that life goes by and too many waste time on something that either isn't real or can't be proven. Chase it, try to prove these things, but use caution in the analysis of your findings.
That's all. Much respect to all of you and what you're into.