7/19/2002
High Priests of the Technocracy: The Information Awareness Office :.Since the end of the Cold War, governments around the world have been increasingly viewing their own states' populations as threats to national security. What we are now witnessing is a struggle for control of ideas. The battlespace is the Internet. In current national security parlance, terrorists, individuals, non-governmental organizations and other actors are considered asymmetric threats. When compared to state actors, asymmetric actors exhibit a marked lack of congruence in terms of military power. What the non-state actors lack in military muscle, they make up in speed, agility, intelligence and personal conviction. In the story of David and Goliath, David was an asymmetric threat to Goliath. Today, lots of individuals armed with information technology and brain power pose a similar threat to the established order. Clearly, the U.S. government is frightened. They're not just scared of terrorists. Think back to the circumstances that touched off the American Revolution. Now start thinking about the endless string of trillion dollar swindles that have been accelerating over the past twenty years. The degree of corruption and high level criminality under way today makes the circumstances of, "Taxation without representation" seem desirable in comparison. The fraudsters running the show realize this, and they also know that people are waking up, discussing issues, sending email, creating websites and reading websites, etc. In order to keep such a large genie in the bottle, the U.S. government needs a new way to view the threat. Over the last twenty years or so, several states, lead by the U.S., implemented the ECHELON surveillance system. Today, those efforts have resulted in an overabundance of raw data; much more data than can be analyzed effectively. The government wants to be able to spot definite patterns in what looks like noise on top of noise. They want to unravel the structure of loosely organized networks of individuals. In other words, they want to use the Internet---the tool which has the potential to set us all free---to track some of us down and silence us when we become too much of a threat. The Information Awareness Office is brand new and is lead by John Poindexter. Remember him? His CV states that, "He was directly involved in implementing The President's policies on a strong defense, freedom and democracy around the world, human rights, world hunger, economic and military assistance." However, it fails to mention his multiple felony convictions. Woops. I think Wired sums the situation up pretty well: John Poindexter, head of the Pentagon's new data mining service, the Information Awareness Office.
Master of Delete: After serving as Reagan's national security adviser during the Iran-Contra scandal, Poindexter was found guilty of five felony counts (later overturned on a technicality), including obstructing Congress by erasing more than 5,000 incriminating emails.
Data Hunter: In January, Poindexter, 66, was tapped to lead the IAO. The office, funded by Darpa, works to counter "asymmetric threats" (such as terrorist cells) with IT solutions. It's building a prototype system for collating billions of previously unconnected data points - everything from the classified files of lone-wolf agencies like the FBI, CIA, and DEA to personal Internet communications and credit records.Now, last, but definitely not least, if you thought the logo for the Babylon project was good (used to be here, but it has been removed, see google cache), wait until you see the logo for the Information Awareness Office. Yes, friends, that's the, "All Seeing Eye" of Illuminated Free Masonry's fame. Yes, the same one that's on the back of your one dollar bills. These guys are out of the closet now. They're in control, they know it and they're not afraid to show it. The Latin phrase below the symbol, "Scientia Est Potentia," means, "Knowledge is Power." Also, notice the part of the world that's indicated in the symbol, Central Asia, the region which has been targeted for imperial occupation because of its rich oil and natural gas deposits. TR submitted this very interesting information: Subject: Scientia est potentia
These guys at the Information Awareness Office either don't know their Latin very well, or they are being blantantly evil.
Potentia means power but it has the connotation of unconstitutional private power. Power attained by private means and used for personal ends. What they should say is "Potestas." This is power attained by and for the public good. As in this famous quote by Francis Bacon: Ipsa scientia potestas est. Knowledge itself is power.
In my copy of the "New College Latin and English Dictionary" potentia is defined as: "force, power; political power (esp. unconstitutional power)". Whereas potestas is defined as: "power, abililty, capacity; public authority, rule, magisterial power; possibility, opportunity, permission..."
So by saying "Scientia est potentia" they're just coming out and saying, "Knowledge is unconstitutional political power for a few private individuals." Sounds about right to me. Maybe they do know their Latin after all.
posted by Kevin at 7:28 PM
7/18/2002
Calling All Southern California Area Freaks: Dave Emory in Santa MonicaI'll see ya there! DAVE EMORY SPEAKS, SATURDAY, JULY 20, 7:30PM, UNITARIAN CHURCH, 1260 18TH ST., SANTA MONICA (CORNER 18TH & ARIZONA) �BINLADENGATE: FASCISM, ISLAMISM AND THE GOP� ($10)
posted by Kevin at 3:54 PM
.Gov has Definitely Gone Insane :.If I told you the government expected you to run an NSA program on your computer to make it "secure," you would probably think I was joking. Well, it's no joke. And anyone who thinks I'm going to run an NSA executable on my system has totally lost their marbles. Relying on Uncle to provide information systems security is like asking a wolf to watch your chickens. Windows is a disaster. Unless you know how to lock it down, you're asking for trouble. If you want to do your part, in terms of computer security, run BSD, or, if you're not insane, MacOSX: Clarke said the recommendations -- which currently number 77 but could change before the official announcement -- will include government-provided software and other tools to make them easier to implement.
Collectively called the "Gold Standard," the package is a small program that probes computers for known security flaws and makes suggestions on how to eliminate holes used by hackers.
posted by Kevin at 3:26 PM
7/17/2002
FEMA Preparing for Mass Destruction Attacks on Cities :.Read this: RESETTLEMENT TO EASTERN EUROPE A Nazi euphemism for deportation. The forced relocation of Jews and Gypsies as well as Slavic native populations from their homes to other localities, usually to ghettos or concentration camps, labor camps and killing centers. Nazis referred to deportations as "evacuations" or "resettlements" to disguise this component of mass murder. :.Now read this: FEMA, the federal agency charged with disaster preparedness, is engaged in a crash effort to prepare for multiple mass destruction attacks on U.S. cities - including the creation of sprawling temporary cities to handle millions of displaced persons, NewsMax has learned.
FEMA is readying for nuclear, biological and chemical attacks against U.S. cities, including the possibility of multiple attacks with mass destruction weapons.
The agency has already notified vendors, contractors and consultants that it needs to be prepared to handle the logistics of aiding millions of displaced Americans who will flee from urban areas that may be attacked.
The agency plans to create emergency, makeshift cities that could house hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans who may have to flee their urban homes if their cities are attacked.
Ominously, FEMA has been given a deadline of having the cities ready to go by January 2003 � in about six months.Research credit: TR
posted by Kevin at 1:58 AM
Selected Passages from The National Strategy for Homeland Security :.Terrorists Here, Terrorists There, Terrorists EverywhereThey're calling on Joe and Jane Six Pack to spy on their neighbors. Terrorists may live and travel among us and attack our homes and our places of business, governance, and recreation. In order to defeat an enemy who uses our very way of life as a weapon�who takes advantage of our freedoms and liberties�every American must be willing to do his or her part to protect our homeland.Corporations = SecurityWas this written by Third Reich Alumni? Since when have corporations served the interests of the public!? Private companies are a key source of new ideas and innovative technologies that will enable us to triumph over the terrorist threat. There are, for example, pharmaceutical companies producing new vaccines against dangerous biological agents and information technology firms investing in new communications technology for first responders. The President has sought to tap into this creative genius establishing a national Homeland Security Advisory Council and calling on private citizens to serve on similar boards at the state and local level.Establish a Department of Pre-CrimeI thought Minority Report pretty much sucked, but hey... This is about as disturbing as it gets: Develop systems for detecting hostile intent. Terrorism ultimately requires individual human beings to carry out murderous actions. These individuals, whether they intend to commandeer an aircraft, detonate a suicide bomb, or sneak illicit material through customs, may behave in a manner that reveals their criminal intent. The Department of Homeland Security would work with private and public entities to develop a variety of systems that highlight such behavior and can trigger further investigation and analysis of suspected individuals.Wet IdentificationThe point of all of this nonsense it to ensure that you pay ALL federal, state and local taxes. The primary purpose of your existence is to transfer wealth and resources away from you and your community to the people who run the show. This can only be accomplished once the subject population is tethered with biometric IDs. Surveillance of increasing numbers of dissidents also becomes manageable with a unified ID system. People who refuse to get their biometric IDs? Well, they're terrorists. Also, pay attention to how they equate Afghanistan to the U.S.: Apply biometric technology to identification devices. As our military, intelligence, and law enforcement efforts in Afghanistan and other countries have demonstrated, bringing justice to terrorists and their supporters is complicated by the fact that they hide among innocent civilians and in remote places. Finding terrorists and preventing terrorist attacks here in the United States is difficult for the same reason�for example, a terrorist on the FBI�s Watch List may sneak past security personnel at an airport thanks to false documents and a simple disguise. These challenges require new technologies and systems to identify and find individual terrorists. The Department of Homeland Security would support research and development efforts in biometric technology, which shows great promise. The Department would focus on improving accuracy, consistency, and efficiency in biometric systems. Furthermore, the Department would explore biomolecular and other new techniques, as well as enhancements to current techniques such as noise suppression methods for voice authentication.
posted by Kevin at 1:47 AM
7/16/2002
U.S. Planning to Recruit One in 24 Americans as Citizen Spies :.It's over. Game over. But I'll continue to report this nonsense. The Terrorism Information and Prevention System, or TIPS, means the US will have a higher percentage of citizen informants than the former East Germany through the infamous Stasi secret police. The program would use a minimum of 4 per cent of Americans to report "suspicious activity".
Civil liberties groups have already warned that, with the passage earlier this year of the Patriot Act, there is potential for abusive, large-scale investigations of US citizens.Related: "Security" Stasi Style, Get Ready America :.To ensure that the people would become and remain submissive, East German communist leaders saturated their realm with more spies than had any other totalitarian government in recent history. The Soviet Union's KGB employed about 480,000 full-time agents to oversee a nation of 280 million, which means there was one agent per 5,830 citizens. Using Wiesenthal's figures for the Nazi Gestapo, there was one officer for 2,000 people. The ratio for the Stasi was one secret policeman per 166 East Germans. When the regular informers are added, these ratios become much higher: In the Stasi's case, there would have been at least one spy watching every 66 citizens! When one adds in the estimated numbers of part-time snoops, the result is nothing short of monstrous: one informer per 6.5 citizens. It would not have been unreasonable to assume that at least one Stasi informer was present in any party of ten or twelve dinner guests. Operation TIPS websiteResearch credit: TR
posted by Kevin at 2:43 AM
7/14/2002
.mil Takes a SniffDoes anyone out there know if there's a way to determine more about where this visitor originated, i.e. what agency? NIPRNet is a gateway to the public Internet for clients on classified DoD networks. The center in Virginia is operated by the massive CIA cutout known as Scientific Applications International Corporation, SAIC. Spell SAIC backwards for the open joke. Get it? This is the first obvious visit from .mil/.gov. I wonder why they don't cloak themselves as AOL or Earthlink, etc. clients?! Maybe they do... My log entry: Jul 14 at 02:32:08 (JavaScript not enabled in visitor's browser) 198.26.132.99 WCS3.NORFOLK.NIPR.MIL Whois backtrace: Norfolk NIPRNet Connectivity (NORFOLK1-DOM) 7990 Science Applications Ct. MS CV 50 Vienna, VA 22183 Domain Name: NORFOLK.NIPR.MIL PLA: NONE NONE Technical Contact: System, Administrator (AS3) (800) 365-3642 (FAX)(703) 676-1749 ACTION@NIC.MIL Administrative Contact: DoD, Hostmaster (HOSTMASTER) (800) 365-3642 (FAX)(703) 676-1749 HOSTMASTER@NIC.MIL Record last updated on 03-Mar-2000. Domain servers in listed order: CON1.NIPR.MIL 199.252.175.234 EUR1.NIPR.MIL 199.252.154.234 PAC1.NIPR.MIL 199.252.180.234
posted by Kevin at 6:25 PM
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:. Reading
Fatal
Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture by Andrew Kimbrell
Readers will come to see
that industrial food production is indeed a "fatal harvest"
- fatal to consumers, as pesticide residues and new disease vectors
such as E. coli and "mad cow disease" find their way
into our food supply; fatal to our landscapes, as chemical runoff
from factory farms poison our rivers and groundwater; fatal to
genetic diversity, as farmers rely increasingly on high-yield
monocultures and genetically engineered crops; and fatal to our
farm communities, which are wiped out by huge corporate
farms.
Friendly
Fascism: The New Face of Power in America by Bertram Myron Gross
This is a relatively
short but extremely cogent and well-argued treatise on the rise
of a form of fascistic thought and social politics in late 20th
century America. Author Bertram Gross' thesis is quite straightforward;
the power elite that comprises the corporate, governmental and
military superstructure of the country is increasingly inclined
to employ every element in their formidable arsenal of 'friendly
persuasion' to win the hearts and minds of ordinary Americans
through what Gross refers to as friendly fascism.
The
Good Life
by Scott and Helen Nearing Helen
and Scott Nearing are the great-grandparents of the back-to-the-land
movement, having abandoned the city in 1932 for a rural life based
on self-reliance, good health, and a minimum of cash...Fascinating,
timely, and wholly useful, a mix of the Nearings' challenging
philosophy and expert counsel on practical skills.
Silent
Theft: The Private Plunder of Our Common Wealth by David Bollierd
In Silent Theft, David Bollier
argues that a great untold story of our time is the staggering
privatization and abuse of our common wealth. Corporations are
engaged in a relentless plunder of dozens of resources that we
collectively own—publicly funded medical breakthroughs,
software innovation, the airwaves, the public domain of creative
works, and even the DNA of plants, animals and humans. Too often,
however, our government turns a blind eye—or sometimes helps
give away our assets. Amazingly,
the silent theft of our shared wealth has gone largely unnoticed
because we have lost our ability to see the commons.
The
Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-To-Basics
Guide by John Seymour The
Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the only book that
teaches all the skills needed to live independently in harmony
with the land harnessing natural forms of energy, raising crops
and keeping livestock, preserving foodstuffs, making beer and
wine, basketry, carpentry, weaving, and much more.
When
Corporations Rule the World by David C. Korten
When Corporations
Rule the World explains how economic globalization has concentrated
the power to govern in global corporations and financial markets
and detached them from accountability to the human interest. It
documents the devastating human and environmental consequences
of the successful efforts of these corporations to reconstruct
values and institutions everywhere on the planet to serve their
own narrow ends.
The
New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques
for the Home and Market Gardener
This expansion
of a now-classic guide originally published in 1989 is intended
for the serious gardener or small-scale market farmer. It describes
practical and sustainable ways of growing superb organic vegetables,
with detailed coverage of scale and capital, marketing, livestock,
the winter garden, soil fertility, weeds, and many other
topics.
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