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10/18/2002
Reader Email and My Response :.Have you ever wanted to know what a discussion between two guys out on the lunatic fringe sounds like? Yes, indeed, this is the type of conversation that really attracts the ladies. <--- (Sarcasm.) Snip from what YS wrote: Finding information that John Q. simply can�t ignore is difficult. Circumstantial and derived evidence is useless for this purpose. We need smoking gun (de?)classified government document type stuff, and lots of it. We need all of the testimony of all of the ex-CIA guys in one place. We need all of the embarrassing quotations � in the PROPER CONTEXT � of all of the powerful people who blurted out The Score�. We need to be able to prove continuity of horror up to the present time. And we need to make it accessible to a busy population.Snip from what I replied: I was a system administrator for two years and I've followed developments in information warfare since 1995. You can keep your boss or your younger sister from knowing what you're doing online, but .gov and .mil are IN THE ROUTERS, they are in the choke points of the Internet in the U.S. and most of the rest of the world. It's a matter of point and click to determine who is accessing the Internet via ISPs. (There are a few exceptions, such as public libraries that don't require ID to surf.) Few people have "clean," that is anonymous Internet access. The people who "think" they have it are paying extra for it, and may just be supporting a NSA honeypot. I get a good chuckle when I seen webwasher and anonymiser hits in my log.
Read Sun Tzu's, "Art of War." If he wanted people to think they were anonymous online, so he could learn their maneuvers and tactics, how would he go about it? He'd set up an ISP offering "anonymous" surfing and post ads for it all over the dissident backwaters of the Internet. He might even require clients to run an executable in order to access the "anonymous" browsing system. That way, he gets every keystroke, in addition to all Internet activity. This is but one example. My point is this: If .gov or .mil decided they wanted to know who I am, where I am, and what I ate for breakfast, it would take them about 15 seconds and a few mouse clicks.
posted by Kevin at 9:04 AM
Express Your Grievances: Go to Jail :.Things are getting more absurd by the minute: MINEOLA, N.Y.- A store owner was charged with aggravated harassment for sending in his utility bill along with reams of newspaper clippings scrawled with the message "Stop wasting our money!"
Kip Kohn, 44, pleaded innocent Thursday. The charges carry up to a year in prison.
The company that handles bills for the Long Island Power Authority received the bulky package earlier this month and evacuated its mailroom. A bomb squad and hazardous-materials crew were called in to inspect the parcel.
posted by Kevin at 8:52 AM
10/17/2002
Mobile Phones Used to Track Individuals in Britain :.As usual, the U.K. leads the world in implementing new and terrifying surveillance tactics: Secret radar technology research that will allow the biggest-ever extension of 'Big Brother'-style surveillance in the UK is being funded by the Government.
The radical new system, which has outraged civil liberties groups, uses mobile phone masts to allow security authorities to watch vehicles and individuals 'in real time' almost anywhere in Britain.
posted by Kevin at 6:13 AM
U.S. Empire: Iraq Next, Won't be the Last :.This article is the best one I've seen yet on the U.S. move into an overt imperial role. Pass this around to anyone who has any doubts about what is happening: This war, should it come, is intended to mark the official emergence of the United States as a full-fledged global empire, seizing sole responsibility and authority as planetary policeman. It would be the culmination of a plan 10 years or more in the making, carried out by those who believe the United States must seize the opportunity for global domination, even if it means becoming the "American imperialists" that our enemies always claimed we were.
Once that is understood, other mysteries solve themselves. For example, why does the administration seem unconcerned about an exit strategy from Iraq once Saddam is toppled?
Because we won't be leaving. Having conquered Iraq, the United States will create permanent military bases in that country from which to dominate the Middle East, including neighboring Iran.Research Credit: JM
posted by Kevin at 5:09 AM
Insanity: U.S. at "It" Again, Arming Afghan Militias :."The past is never dead. It isn't even past." ---William Faulkner The U.S. is, right now, manufacturing new enemies that will require a new war at some point in the future. This is the height of folly, since we've seen what happened the last time they did this in the 80s. Remember Osama bin Laden? Remember who supported him in the 80s? The U.S. is at it again. The goal can only be the maintenance of perpetual war. Divide and conquer. This is the foreign policy of the U.S.? Arming psychopaths and warlords? Oh, excuse me, this nutso-wacko stuff has been standard operating procedure for decades: BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) - U.S. troops are giving confiscated weapons and ammunition to warlords in Afghanistan, a practice that critics say strengthens private militias and undermines attempts to establish a national army.
The national army was envisioned as a key to the stability of the fledgling government of President Hamid Karzai, which is under threat from powerful local warlords and wields little influence outside the capital, Kabul. But many of those same warlords are crucial to helping America fight the war on terror.
"If you have forces that are in contact with the enemy, or subject to being in contact with the enemy, they need to have adequate weapons," Col. Roger King, the spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said this week. He added that many of the warlords are nominally aligned with the central government anyway, though not formally part of the fledgling army.
Every week, U.S. troops combing eastern Afghanistan find huge weapons caches. On Friday, the military uncovered an arsenal in a warehouse in Khost and filled 35 trucks with everything from 120mm rockets to anti-tank guns.
Militia fighters traveling with U.S. troops got first crack at seized weapons and ammunition, followed by other nearby forces, King said.
posted by Kevin at 5:06 AM
Australian Perspective :.An observant reader from Australia sent in an update on the situation there. There are some very interesting things happening that are absolutely not mentioned in American media. (Shocking, I know.) Well, since most Americans would be hard pressed to find Australia on a map... Oh, but they will, as U.S. and Australian military forces team up to make Indonesia safe for natural gas and oil exports: The Howard government was reelected by grandstanding implicitly racial border protection issues. The Howard government has allowed the Florida-based Wackenhut Corporation to manage refugee detention centers and refused UN inspections of the facilities. Only recently, investigative journalist Ross Coulthart (the Sunday programme www.sunday.ninemsn.com.au ) has uncovered federal complicity in the active scuttling of refugee boats docked in Indonesia, resulting on one occasion in the deaths of 350 men, women and children.
Within hours of the Bali explosion, al Qaida was being fingered as the likely culprit with absolutely no evidence presented. John Howard was issuing decrees that we must unify and step up our efforts in the War on Terror. The leader of the (left-wing) opposition, Simon Crean, who was recently toying with an anti-war stance due to large numbers of Labor Party voters switching to the more progressive Greens, announced that under the circumstances we must all show bi-partisan support in bringing those responsible to justice. Worst of all, we were told Australia itself was being attacked.
posted by Kevin at 4:58 AM
10/16/2002
Share Cars in Metro Areas :.This looks like a great idea. Now, take it a few steps further, publicly fund it and drop the cost of the service by 95%! Whaaa? Uh, how would they pay for it? Slap a one cent tax on each share of stock that is bought and then sold within a six month period. All futures, options and derivatives contracts also get a one cent tax, regardless of how they're used. Impose a .1% (that's point one percent, not one percent) tax on every international currency transfer. These taxes could be used to literally transform societies, and the costs to the organizations who dabble in the money game would be almost unnoticeable. Taxing speculation to pay for a public good!? I can hear the gasps going up from some of my Fortune 100 readers (yes, I know you're reading). That's right. Don't bother calling me a Communist/Fascist or whatever other "ists" you have on hand. I happen to trade equities regularly, and I think the entire thing is a racket. The international financial system is a massive and obscene swindle that extracts real wealth out of average people and enslaves them in filthy, expensive urban shitholes. (And the 'burbs aren't looking too good either.) Institutional speculators are the ultimate externalizers of costs. There are NO consequences for their actions. Tax these scum bags to make life livable in urban areas? I say HELL YES. Oh woops, there's one minor problem: Any politicians who tried to implement the above plan would be assassinated... Zipcar is an environmentally responsible company with a mission: to offer members affordable 24-hour access to private vehicles for short-term round-trip use as an efficient means of complementing the public transportation network.
Our vision is for every urban resident to have a transit pass and a Zipcard. These, coupled with feet and bicycle wheels, should meet the transportation needs of every urban dweller. Imagine cities with few private vehicles: Zipcars parked on every block; no need for reservations. You'd walk up to a Zipcar, unlock it with your Zipcard, and go!
posted by Kevin at 4:36 AM
10/15/2002
Military May Will Deploy Against Maryland Area Killer :.I'm almost to the point where I'm ready to throw in the towel on this web site. Trying to stop what is happening in this country is the epitome of futility. I just heard the imbeciles on CNN mumbling, "Should civilians have access to sniper weapons and training?" They had a story from the Gunsite firearms school in Arizona. At the end of the piece, the reporter stated something to effect of, "The more the government talks about limiting access to guns and training, the more students show up at this school." I'm not saying that what is happening with this sniper situation is not serious, but did anyone talk about deploying the U.S. military to direct traffic after 10 people were killed in a single traffic pileup in Wisconsin? Keep it together, folks. Try to remember that everything you are exposed to on TV is intended to mentally swindle you into acting stupid. Wake up. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- At the request of federal law enforcement, the Pentagon is looking at what types of military reconnaissance and surveillance equipment might be used in the investigation of the Washington-area sniper attacks, CNN has learned.
posted by Kevin at 3:19 PM
U.K. to Pitch War Toys to Iraqi Generals on Shopping Trip :.Commentary posted twice on purpose! Why not profit off of your enemy before you annihilate him? In case this concept is new to any of you, understand that this is standard operating procedure for all states that profit off of arms and dual use technology swindles. The U.S., U.K., Russia, France and Germany are the worst offenders (roughly in that order). But keep in mind, the U.S. supplies 50%---yes, fifty percent---of total armaments sold IN THE WORLD, more than the other top nine exporters combined! Oh yeah, Bush is right, the world is a dangerous place. What he forgets to say is that primarily U.S. and British corporations, and members of the Bush regime, personally, profit by keeping the world dangerous: A British Minister will lead a major sales drive by UK weapons and military technology firms at an exhibition attended by high-ranking Iraqi military officials this week.
The news has sparked outrage among arms control campaigners and groups opposed to military action against Iraq. 'It is absurd that we are gearing up to fight a war against these people and simultaneously rubbing shoulders with them at an arms bazaar,' said Martin Hogbin of the Campaign Against Arms Trade.
Around a dozen British firms will be displaying equipment such as tanks, thermal imaging night sights and state-of-the-art air defence missiles at the exhibition in Amman, Jordan. Machine tools that could be used to produce weapons will also be on show. [I wonder if the hookers will have to be flown in for this???]
posted by Kevin at 4:00 AM
Bush Wants Legislation that Would Aid Iraq's War Machine :.Commentary posted twice on purpose! Why not profit off of your enemy before you annihilate him? In case this concept is new to any of you, understand that this is standard operating procedure for all states that profit off of arms and dual use technology swindles. The U.S., U.K., Russia, France and Germany are the worst offenders (roughly in that order). But keep in mind, the U.S. supplies 50%---yes, fifty percent---of total armaments sold IN THE WORLD, more than the other top nine exporters combined! Oh yeah, Bush is right, the world is a dangerous place. What he forgets to say is that primarily U.S. and British corporations, and members of the Bush regime, personally, profit by keeping the world dangerous: Alarmed critics fear Congress, at the urging of the Bush administration, may pass little-noticed legislation that can help Saddam Hussein�s war-making prowess. The measure would weaken already-lax controls over the export of computer technology.
Ironically, the bill, passed by the Senate before 9/11, has been readied for House consideration just as the lawmakers have been debating whether to give President Bush the go-ahead to use military force against the very same Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein.
It is formally known as the Export Administration Act, but a very concerned Center for Security Policy (CSP) refers to it as the "Arm Saddam Act.�
posted by Kevin at 3:38 AM
10/14/2002
TR and I Encounterd an Interesting Satellite Earth Station :.TR and I stumbled upon what we thought might be a NSA earth station in Perris, California. Luckily, nerds never travel anywhere without digital cameras and portable GPS receivers, so we brought back images and the exact location of this place. You know, just in case any of you freaks would be interested in our antics.
posted by Kevin at 4:45 AM
10/13/2002
Getting Australia On Board: Bali Blast :.I've said repeatedly, all over this site, that the rest of the world still needs to be convinced that U.S. actions abroad are necessary and proportionate for dealing with a clear and present terrorist threat. This blast in Bali may go a long way in that regard. The anti-war protestors and voices of reason MUST be drowned out by events so that the U.S. may ratchet up its operations. Watch for Americans to be among the dead. Watch for an increase in U.S. troop strength in Indonesia. (Yes, yet another oil rich nation with a terrorist problem. Do you get it yet?) KUTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Described as the worst act of terrorism in Indonesia's history, a massive car bomb is believed responsible for a blast that tore through a nightclub in Bali, killing more than 180 people -- most of them thought to be Australian tourists.
The death toll from the bombing stood at 182 late Sunday afternoon, with at least 250 people injured, many with severe burns, stretching local hospital and medical facilities to breaking point.Update: Unocal is One of the Major Swindlers of Indonesian Natural Gas and Oil :.Question: What's the difference between Indonesia and Afghanistan? Answer: A few thousand miles. Remember: The U.S. installed Hamed Karzai, a former Unocal executive, as the leader of Afghanistan. Indonesia, the world�s fourth largest nation by population, is endowed with a wealth of natural resources. In the waters surrounding its 17,000 equatorial islands are extensive reserves of oil and natural gas. For more than 30 years, Unocal Indonesia Company, a subsidiary of Unocal Corporation, has played a key role in exploring and developing these resources, investing almost US$5 billion in the national and local economy. Today, Unocal holds varying interests in about 6.6 million acres (26,709 square kilometers) offshore Indonesia.
In addition, Unocal has assisted Indonesia in harnessing its geothermal resources, generating both electricity and revenue for the country by investing US$730 million in geothermal power development. Unocal has interests in three geothermal contract areas that generate 440 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
posted by Kevin at 4:58 AM
Getting Scandinavia On Board: Helsinki Blast :.And so now, is it beginning in the West? Anyone who thinks this isn't going to start happening in the U.S. is in deep denial. I'll be holding my breath as the Christmas shopping season gets under way in the U.S. Obviously, I don't have any specific information, but it just seems like the next logical step in all of this madness. Authorities are not calling this current blast terrorism yet, but consider the implications of targeting Finland! Nobody seems to be getting this just yet. Finland, a peace loving country that respects human rights and the dignity of its people and foreign refugees, experiences a savage terrorist attack? What does that tell you? No, more importantly, what does it tell Europeans who are almost unanimously against the widening of the U.S. War on Terror? Nobody is safe. Not even in Scandinavia. Join the coalition or suffer the consequences! VANTAA, Finland (AP) - Police searched for a motive Saturday behind a blast in a quiet suburban Helsinki shopping mall that killed seven people, including the suspected bomber, injured 80 others and shocked this normally peaceful nation.
``Nothing like this has happened in Finland before,'' Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen said of Friday's bombing at a crowded mall in Vantaa, about 10 miles north of the capital, Helsinki.
Police said the male suspect, a Finnish chemistry student with no criminal record, was killed in the blast, but did not say why they thought he set off the bomb, which was packed with shotgun pellets.
posted by Kevin at 4:55 AM
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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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