In front of a wildly enthusiastic throng of supporters, listeners, activists, and those just needing to learn and listen, Ruppert explained to them that although the 9-11 cause is still alive it is no longer useful as a political tool by activists. The window on 9/11 has closed. Simple as that.

Mike told the crowd to be prepared for a tremendous devaluation of the dollar; that the housing boom is ending; that we should begin to look at putting our money, or whatever cash we have left, into precious metals; that we must rid ourselves of debt, get out of the stock market and begin to think about a more self-sufficient living style. We must reduce personal consumption. We should understand that OIL and natural gas are the governing issues that control what the present administration does and we should stop the pipedreams of launching criminal action against the Cheneys, Bushes, et al., because it just isn't going to happen. Not in this version of America.
posted by Kevin at 11:21 AM

Poor Rummy. He needs to start using the State Department to make sure he's not wanted for crimes against humanity in the states to which he's planning on traveling. This strategy has worked well for Henry Kissinger, another war criminal:

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cancelled a planned visit to Germany after a US human rights organisation asked German authorities to prosecute him for war crimes, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) has learned.

Rumsfeld has informed the German government via the US embassy that he will not take part in the Munich Security Conference in February, conference head Horst Teltschik told dpa on Thursday.

The New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights filed a complaint in December with the Federal German Prosecutor's Office against Rumsfeld accusing him of war crimes and torture in connection with detainee abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

Rumsfeld made it known immediately after the complaint was filed that he would not attend the Munich conference unless Germany quashed the legal action.
posted by Kevin at 9:50 AM

In yesterday’s inaugural address, George W. Bush gave notice to the world that American imperialism intends to press forward with its drive for world domination. The US president issued a call to arms, a jihad, making clear that no country or government will be permitted to stand in America’s path.

With this speech, Bush and those elements in the ruling elite for whom he speaks set out to dispel any illusions that either the disaster in Iraq or mass international opposition to Washington’s militarism will deter his new administration from pursuing its reactionary goals.

True to form, Bush delivered a series of disconnected assertions, lies and banalities. He made no coherent argument, but repeated certain key phrases over and over again, centering on the God-given mandate of the US to intervene anywhere in the world to advance the cause of “freedom.” In a 20-minute speech, the president uttered the words “free” or “freedom” 34 times, and the word “liberty” another 12 times.

The absurd repetition of “freedom” is unlikely to deceive anyone, certainly not victims and opponents of his first administration’s crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the rest of this government stand waist deep in blood and filth, responsible for the killing of more than 100,000 Iraqis and the death and maiming of thousands of American soldiers.

The US government and military have spelled out what sort of “freedom” they have in mind for the Iraqi people and the rest of the world in Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib and Fallujah: repression, torture, military occupation, the destruction of entire cities. Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan also promised to “liberate” the populations of Europe and Asia.

The reactionary, fantastical substance of Bush’s speech cannot be separated from its setting. The freedom that Bush continually invoked to justify militarism and war was conspicuously absent at the inauguration. Virtual martial law had been imposed in the nation’s capital. Thousands of protesters were kept out of sight by an army of police.

At one point, while Bush was reaffirming his dedication to the cause of liberty, a policeman could be seen demanding that a banner be taken down. Toward the end of speech the television cameras showed protesters, who had apparently dared to boo Bush’s remarks, being taken into custody.
posted by Kevin at 9:47 AM

JM helping to keep food in the belly!
posted by Kevin at 5:33 PM

Secret candidates. Secret polling places. Oh sure, this is a victory for Democracy!

US authorities say Iraqis will vote in the insurgent centres of Fallujah and Ramadi but officials will keep the number and location of polling stations secret until the last minute to prevent attacks.
posted by Kevin at 3:48 PM

What the #%!*??? Any guesses on the nature of the "supreme being" that these guys serve? Does it unfurl before them and require an oath of allegiance? Perhaps an offering of bones or entrails?

"We have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom, and America will always be faithful to that cause."

America will always be faithful... to a calling from beyond the stars???
posted by Kevin at 2:41 PM

My mantra has always been: Trade with China should be outlawed. Trade with states that trade with China should be outlawed.

It's so simple and obvious, yet it sounds like the ravings of a lunatic under the present economic paradigm.

Note to the people who write in to defend the Chinese regime- I'll make you look foolish in public this time. You have been warned:

China remains "highly repressive," with routine violations of basic rights and widespread corruption despite promises of legal and political reform, the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch said Friday.

Human Rights Watch complained of a "culture of impunity" for abusive officials and said a justice system that relies heavily on confessions leads police to torture suspects.

The report said that in its campaign against separatists in its northwestern Muslim region of Xinjiang, China also has tried to crush peaceful dissent. It said the campaign is marked by "systematic human rights violations including arbitrary arrests, closed trials and extensive use of the death penalty."

Human Rights Watch welcomed promises last year by communist leaders to reform the ruling party's internal workings and to promote the rule of law. But it said that such commitments have "been compromised by continuing widespread official corruption (and) party interference in the justice system."

And though the government allows more independent news reporting, it tightened controls last year on the Internet and other media, expanding a list of topics for censorship and banning reporting on rural land seizures, the report said.

Human Rights Watch also complained of abuses against Chinese workers and residents who are evicted for real estate development.

Workers "have yet to reap the benefits" of China's two decades of economic boom due to lack of enforcement of safety and wage laws, the report said. It noted that many areas of the country have seen huge labor protests.

The group urged the United States and other governments that hold human rights dialogues with China to set specific goals for improvement and a timetable for achieving them.
posted by Kevin at 6:14 AM

The dollar cannot avoid further declines against other major currencies unless the US trade and current account deficits improve, legendary investor and businessman Warren Buffett said.

"I think, over time, unless we have a major change in trade policies, I don't see how the dollar avoids going down," the world's second-richest individual told CNBC television.

"I don't know when it happens. I don't have any idea whether it will be this month or this year or next year, but we are force-feeding dollars on to the rest of the world at the rate of close to a couple billion dollars a day, and that's going to weigh on the dollar."
posted by Kevin at 5:51 AM

What am I supposed to write?


posted by Kevin at 5:10 PM

Cryptogon has been swamped with recent traffic from .gov (U.S., Canadian and Australian) and .mil. domains.

Users from Department of Homeland Security, National Security Agency, Internal Revenue Service, Treasury Department, State Department, Special Operations Command, Central Intelligence Agency, every branch of the military and many others are showing up regularly. And there are thousands of hits from IPs that originate in Northern Virginia and Maryland and Washington DC that don't resolve to any specific domain. Sure, some of them are regular home and business users. But you can bet your life that some of them aren't. If I can make my web activity look like it originates from a different domain than the one I'm physically connected to, all of the rest of these guys can do the same thing. It's not hard. What I don't understand is why any of these domains still resolve at all!? You would think .gov and .mil would have done something about that by now.

It's funny. I'm a guy who shows up to a restaurant before 8am, because if you get their before 8am, an omelet and all the coffee you can drink costs only $4. I haven't bought new clothes (except for a pair of boxers that were on sale for $5) in about two years. I'm a guy who laughs at the stupidity of government. I have a degree in International Relations and I've never once tried to get any job related to government work. The entire thing is a scam, a lie that is feeble at best! Even so, I have people from all branches of the military and most of the government reading my site on a daily basis. In some bizarro twist of fate, more people in government are reading my bum level analysis than would have ever read my work if I had become a paid, appearance-maintaining bullsh*t scribbler for any of those acronym agencies you see below.

Man, it's a weird, weird world.

Recent .gov

fernwood-arbiter-b.net.nih.gov, internet1.irs.gov, sherman.state.gov, nwg001-ce2.customs.treas.gov, nat.jccbi.gov, gatekeeper4.fcc.gov, clayton.state.gov, vicce004.net.gov.bc.ca, dknrgwpxav01.defence.gov.au, internet2.irs.gov, res11.gtwy.uscourts.gov, relay1.ucia.gov, moltar.llnl.gov, ip209128029254.gov.nf.ca, dal.net.va.gov, internet3.irs.gov, ws125-042.f04.nsf.gov, lsm9n.gtwy.uscourts.gov, lgraves.wasc.noaa.gov, denver-254.blm.gov, n021.dhs.gov, gk-west-24.srvs.usps.gov, cerf.grc.nasa.gov, amcproxy.jccbi.gov, cache2.cdc.gov, mdrd.aphis.usda.gov, www.ns1.ftb.ca.gov, wolfson.health.gov.il, tias-gw1.treas.gov, gk-east-7.usps.gov, c329972.ne.anl.gov, secfwopc.sec.gov, troy.defcen.gov.au, ellisonjgx270.ornl.gov, lnx121.ncep.noaa.gov

Recent .mil

gateway-fincen.uscg.mil, rockriwkcg938.ria.army.mil, ce1.leavenworth.army.mil, ca160itn.aphill.army.mil, firewall.msiac.dmso.mil, wdelhjk4z01u.hq.af.mil, cacheflow2.plk.af.mil, falcon3.langley.af.mil, bluecoat01.randolph.af.mil, dhcp097079.apg.army.mil, gate1.dsid56.usmc.mil, cache2.amc.af.mil, gate16-quantico.nmci.usmc.mil, wwwgate.benning.army.mil, masonary.everett.navy.mil, p533wp1.patrick.af.mil, hulk.gunter.af.mil, webproxy.crrel.usace.army.mil, usma-cce.usma.army.mil, gate8-norfolk.nmci.navy.mil, hic1.hickam.af.mil, ce.heidelberg.army.mil, in40-91.in.nps.navy.mil, m1b-166.dau.mil, tensors.3tc1c170.rl.af.mil, cits-pr2.hickam.af.mil, gate5-sandiego.nmci.navy.mil, asoc3.soc.mil, bliswk99.bliss.army.mil, sc215019.robins.af.mil, cits-pr1.hickam.af.mil, gate5-norfolk.nmci.navy.mil, python.brooks.af.mil, spfwall.ssp.navy.mil, wdelw2101au.hq.af.mil, dodig.osd.mil, host-141-116-244-98.ptr.hqda.pentagon.mil, noca.ior.navy.mil, oki198-248.oki.med.navy.mil, eg-046-016.eglin.af.mil, system212-8.losangeles.af.mil, gate2-hawaii.nmci.navy.mil, wcs2-scott.nipr.mil, gtp000001gts.polk.army.mil, n02241.efdsw.navfac.navy.mil, fsh-proxy.samhouston.army.mil, dna-proxy.kadena.af.mil, cumulus.centcom.mil, dmafb1.dm.af.mil, scully2.mugu.navy.mil, gate6-sandiego.nmci.navy.mil, gate3-sandiego.nmci.navy.mil, jcassell.nocc.disa.mil, zues.robins.af.mil, nocc.ior.navy.mil, netcache2.redstone.army.mil, gate17-quantico.nmci.usmc.mil, gate3-norfolk.nmci.navy.mil, r3cacheflow.ddeamc.amedd.army.mil, jtfgtmo.southcom.mil
posted by Kevin at 11:13 AM

This is excellent:

In today's security-obsessed, post-9/11 era, one might think that it would be difficult to haul a convincing replica of an atomic bomb across the country. Not so, as John Coster-Mullen inadvertently proved in October 2004.

"We drove a full-scale WMD 800 miles across the United States and no one stopped or questioned us," Coster-Mullen told me. "In fact, it was quite easy!"

In this case, the "weapon of mass destruction" would more appropriately be called a "weapon of mass duplication"--a nearly 600-pound, shiny steel replica of "Little Boy," the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, painstakingly recreated by Coster-Mullen with help from his son Jason.
posted by Kevin at 10:09 AM

Those of you who contributed to Cryptogon, and read my essay on militant electronic piracy, should find this especially interesting:

A bill introduced in California's Legislature last week has raised the possibility of jail time for developers of file-swapping software who don't stop trades of copyrighted movies and songs online.

The proposal, introduced by Los Angeles Sen. Kevin Murray, takes direct aim at companies that distribute software such as Kazaa, eDonkey or Morpheus. If passed and signed into law, it could expose file-swapping software developers to fines of up to $2,500 per charge, or a year in jail, if they don't take "reasonable care" in preventing the use of their software to swap copyrighted music or movies--or child pornography.

Authors of any software capable of transmitting information over a network would be subject to this! What about FTP or email clients, etc.?
posted by Kevin at 9:20 AM

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmed Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state. Well done Condi:

In 90 minutes, four suicide car bombings Wednesday killed at least 25 Iraqis in and around Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
posted by Kevin at 9:15 AM

Lots of women read Cryptogon. How do I know? Not only do they send in story tips, but about 30% of the financial contributions come from women. So, guys, if you think this is "off topic" or otherwise unpleasant, relax, and pay attention. You might actually find this interesting.

What I'm about to tell you is pretty incredible, but, believe me, it's no joke. It's real. It works.

The Ladycomp uses a woman's basal temperature to determine when she's ovulating, and when she isn't. Each morning, upon waking, she holds a thermometer under her tongue for a few seconds. After a few months, the machine can calculate when she can get pregnant and when she can't. It literally gives her a green light or a red light. When the light is green, she can have sex without any form of birth control and not get pregnant. When the light is red, to avoid pregnancy, barrier methods (condoms) or abstinence are the options.

I know. This sounds nuts. But why? The pharmaceutical companies have trained people to believe in the medical industrial complex. As a result, women by the millions eat dangerous birth control pills everyday. And they pay, every month, with their money and their health. The pharmaceutical companies like it that way.

Of course, those pills are unnecessary!

The Ladycomp was designed by doctors in Germany and clinically tested in Germany, Switzerland and Mexico. The device has a Pearl Index score of 0.7. This means that over the course of a year, less than one percent of women who use the device will get pregnant. In other words, it's as effective at preventing pregnancy as the birth control pill.

So, if you know someone who is taking (or considering taking) birth control pills (the shot, the patch, etc), let them know about the Ladycomp.

The Ladycomp isn't cheap, but it will pay for itself within one to two years, depending on the cost of the birth control drugs it will replace. When you consider the potential risks of pharmaceutical contraception, it may be a VERY smart investment, regardless of the cost.

My girlfriend uses the Ladycomp, and we're both very happy with it. ;)

If you want to have a baby, check out the Babycomp. Its capabilities are almost frightening. I don't even want to get into it. Check it out for yourself.

Cyclebeads are a somewhat less hi-tech (and much less accurate) version of the Ladycomp that demonstrates the concept. They cost about $11. Ex-girlfriend and current Cryptogon reader, JH, told me about Your Fertility Signals: Using Them to Achieve or Avoid Pregnancy Naturally by Merryl Winstein, which gives women detailed, physical protocols to determine where they are in their monthly cycle.

Well, since we're on the subject of pregnancy, lets talk about what happens each month when women don't get pregnant! Isn't this fun?

Several years ago, I was in a health food store and I noticed a little cup shaped thing called the Keeper. I picked up the package and read a little bit about what the device was used for. It's a re-usable cup that women can use during menstruation. Women can simply use, wash and reuse the cup, rather than having to buy disposable pads and tampons throughout their childbearing years.

There are several reasons why the menstrual cup makes sense. First, billions of tampons and sanitary pads (and their packaging) wind up in landfills each year. That's very bad. Second, these products cost a lot money. Again, corporations love it when women use these products, thinking that there is no other option.

There are actually two types of cups that I know of. There is the Keeper (mentioned above), which has been around for a long time. Then there is the DivaCup, which is newer and made out of silicone. You can read about both and decide which one is best.

I don't know exactly how this topic came up, but I mentioned to my girlfriend that I saw a cup-type-thing a long time ago and that it seemed like an interesting concept. (She may have run out of, you know, feminine hygiene goods that month. I think that's why I mentioned it.)

She got on the Internet and looked at both types of cups. She decided that she liked the DivaCup and ordered one. She loves it! When she tried it for the first time, she came out of the bathroom and did a little dance. "It's so cool!"

So, that's the update on technology for women that makes sense. I hope you found it useful.
posted by Kevin at 6:45 AM

This article indicates that 5% of all computer users are running Firefox.

Look at the numbers for Cryptogon!

MS Internet Explorer 51.9%
Firefox/Mozilla 30.1%

Firefox is great. I use it with the Googlebar and occasionally, the Web Developer toolbar. <--- Don't hurt yourself with that thing! That plugin is sick. I've recently been using it to determine the nature of Drupal's style sheet system. The webdev toolbar allows you to take any web page, and in-split screen mode, modify the CSS code and see the results in realtime. Nice.
posted by Kevin at 3:42 AM

WARNING: This document is FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. It contains information that may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). This document is to be controlled, handled, transmitted, distributed, and disposed of in accordance with DHS policy relating to FOUO information and is not to be released to the public or other personnel who do not have a valid “need-to-know” without prior approval of the Homeland Security Operations Center Senior Watch Officer (HSOC SWO) at (202) 282-8101. Where appropriate, U.S. person identities have been removed. Should your agency have a requirement for particular U.S. person identity information, contact the HSOC SWO.
posted by Kevin at 4:32 AM

The "total loss" of a US$73 million satellite on Saturday morning left several Pacific Islands and Scott Base in Antarctica without telephone communications to the outside world.

The Bermuda-registered Intelsat IS-804 Satellite, on which Telecom New Zealand rents capacity, moved out of alignment and was lost at 11.32am on Saturday, leaving Scott Base, the Cook Islands, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Chatham Islands, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Vanuatu, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Tonga without communications to other countries.

Scott Base has access to emergency-only back-up services through the United States' McMurdo Base.

Telecom says communications have since been restored to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, Western Samoa and Solomon Islands through alternative satellite options.

Most of the islands still without satellite services have local phone and data services but will be without international calling and data access until alternative arrangements can be made, Telecom spokeswoman Sarah Berry said in a statement.

Several other countries not serviced by Telecom were also affected but have alternatives available.

New Caledonia, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, East Timor, Vietnam, Korea and Saipan were among those with alternative arrangements.

"Telecom customers in New Zealand, along with customers of all other providers internationally will not be able to make calls or send data transmissions to those islands which have been isolated," Ms Berry said.

"Bank services, eftpos services, Reuters, and airline data circuits have also been impacted and this could lead to some flight delays to and from these locations.

"Some services out of New Zealand and Australia may also be partially affected to east Asian locations such as Vietnam and Beijing."
posted by Kevin at 3:17 AM

This message should be ignored by most Cryptogon users.

I think I'm going with the Drupal content management system. If you have hard, specific information about why I shouldn't use Drupal, please let me know. (I'm going more for functionality and less for form. Mambo is nicer to look at, out-of-the-box, but Drupal seems to offer more possibilities for user management, subscriptions and interaction.)

-Begin Rant-

The open source CMS community represents the epitome of BAD when it comes to complexity and crappy documentation. Drupal seems pretty good, relative to the rest of the nonsense available. These packages are way too complicated and difficult to use, even by someone with a fair amount of technical acuity. I find myself in the unenviable position of knowing more than a little, but not enough to make this happen in a sane way.

I'm managing to make this project work only because I must like struggles with mysterious nonsense. I'd like to provide a more useful and informative site for Cryptogon readers, but, my God, at what cost to my sanity? The more I'm forced to use "modern" web technologies, however, the more I hate computers.

I seriously contemplated taking the whole damn show back 10 years to the days of plain text and simple, static html. I agree with just about everything Ran Prieur says, and I'm starting to like his web development strategy more with each hour I spend pounding my head against these content management systems. And look at Cryptome! John is going strong and he could code that thing with notepad (or vi, or pico, etc.).

I have a feeling that, no matter which CMS I go with, it's going to crash and set my show up the bomb in a serious way. If I can't even visualize the structure of how that thing works, how would I troubleshoot it when it breaks? And it will break, you can practically bet money on it. *sigh*

Thank you. That is all.

-End Rant-
posted by Kevin at 5:38 PM

Do you get it yet?

A charismatic leader who said he ate a McDonald's product most days, Bell was diagnosed with colorectal cancer just weeks after being named to the company's top job in April.

Related: Red Meat Newly Linked to Colorectal Cancer
posted by Kevin at 6:20 AM

U.S. Special Forces are now carrying out target selection operations inside Iran:

"We're not dealing with a set of National Security Council option papers here," the former high-level intelligence official told me. "They've already passed that wicket. It's not if we're going to do anything against Iran. They're doing it."

This is a sweeping article that covers much more than the SPECOPS that are underway now. As usual, Cryptogon readers are already up to speed on most of it.

This story is everywhere: BBC, Guardian, CNN, etc.
posted by Kevin at 5:18 AM

There's no free lunch, even for disaster victims, but there's always room for Jesus! Notice how the dispicable freaks use classic PSYOP strategy by engaging in recruitment efforts when people's lives have been shattered:

Many evangelical Christian groups, which put a stronger emphasis on winning new converts, believe relief can be packaged with religion as long as immediate needs are addressed first. After all, they say, this is when people are asking life's deepest questions.

That logic motivated Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family to include excerpts from a book written by Dobson, founder of the influential media ministry, in 300,000 survival packets bound for the region.

The convergence of these opposing philosophies could lead to conflict, some relief workers say. The agencies that shun evangelization say those that follow other rules risk undermining everyone's work with locals and government officials.

It remains to be seen whether U.S. Christian relief groups will inflame religious tensions or enhance the image of Americans abroad. The Bush administration has expressed hope that U.S. tsunami relief efforts will improve relationships, especially with Muslims.

Related: Villagers Furious with Christian Missionaries :.

Rage and fury has gripped this tsunami-hit tiny Hindu village in India's southern Tamil Nadu after a group of Christian missionaries allegedly refused them aid for not agreeing to follow their religion.

Related: Dawn of the Dead

Related: Multi-Level Marketing
posted by Kevin at 5:10 AM

Check out Rigorous Intuition. Here are a few recent stories that I found interesting:

Unholy mess brewing on the Temple Mount

Michael Chertoff and the sabotage of the Ptech investigation

Project Seal: "Tsunami Bomb" papers declassified
posted by Kevin at 5:05 AM

As far as I can tell, this story is real:

Guy Hovis, a former singer on the "Lawrence Welk Show" who runs Mr. Lott's state office, will perform "Let the Eagles Soar," a song written by Mr. Ashcroft and a favorite of Mr. Lott's.

Related: Ashcroft Performs "Let the Eagles Soar"

Related: Ashcroft Performs Other Jesus Related Songs
posted by Kevin at 4:28 PM

President Bush said the public's decision to reelect him was a ratification of his approach toward Iraq and that there was no reason to hold any administration officials accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in prewar planning or managing the violent aftermath.

"We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections," Bush said in an interview with The Washington Post. "The American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me."

...And: Ohio Goes Back to Paper Ballots
posted by Kevin at 2:32 AM

The state of Washington wants to require people to obtain permits in order to collect rainwater.

Let that sink in for a minute...

The state of Washington wants to require people to obtain permits in order to collect rainwater.

What other activities will require a permit? Keeping chickens? Organic gardening? Clearly, the Humanure Handbook is a terrorist operations manual and composting toilets are weapons of mass destruction:

Introduced by Sen. Paull Shin on January 13, 2005, to authorize the department of ecology to require any person using rain barrels and cisterns to collect rainwater to receive a permit from the department prior to collection of rainwater. Rainwater must be intended for beneficial use on the same property from where it was collected.

Related: The Humanure Handbook (Free Online Edition)

Research Credit: KH
posted by Kevin at 2:15 AM