Conspiracy Theory, let alone Kooky, is an overstatement of what we are seeing; ludicrous and laughable wishy-washy
PR releases at intervals from the manufacturer. Complete suppression of technical information that is not convenient to the corporate line. Inability to identify the root cause of the two fires. These and many other issues are what has led to the lack of credibility.
May I suggest that if dishonesty was intended by those involved, rather than saying they have been unable to determine a root cause, they would dissemble by saying that, indeed, they have determined one -- and not to worry.
Please understand that I am not stating that the world is perfect -- just that sometimes, despite extreme efforts, certain things may be destined (for the immediate future) to remain unknowable.
While there are certainly plenty of lobbyists in Washington, DC who know not what they say, I am only suggesting that when dealing with an issue as potentially critical as these batteries are to both human safety and institutional survival, I find it difficult to believe that any responsible parties are trying to be willfully ignorant or consciously venal.
While I have great respect for the technical knowledge of many of the posters on Pprune, if Boeing, et al. and the FAA say they are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the problems with the lithium ion batteries have been neutralized and plane is safe, I am willing to believe them. The fact that they have not made public to someone's satisfaction the precise evidence is not a requirement.
And I am not trying to start an A vs. B war, or an FAA vs. JAA war. Both A and B make exceptionally fine aircraft whose safety record is beyond compare in any transportation industry. Further, I will note that when the BEA came out with its several interim reports on AF447, there were many on this board who claimed it was patent that the BEA was in the pocket of A and that it was misrepresenting what happened. Now once the FDR and CVR were recovered there was elaboration to the interim BEA reports, I can't think of any major interim conclusion of the BEA that turned out to be unfounded once the final evidence was uncovered. All of these guys are the best at what they do. I am willing to give them a lot of deference.