Sock-Puppets vs Bloggers vs Extremists | WTF?

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Owen Myles, Contributing Writer
Activist Post

Looking at global affairs I sometimes wonder why I continue to write instead of retreating into a beer-drenched stupor. With recent events in Norway, the economy, and the general unfairness that seems to hunt those with the thinnest pockets, it would be easy to resign in despair. But realistically, one hasn’t a choice, and opting out is not an option. We are all captured by a society which has left no space for the wandering ascetic. Opting out would inevitably end in violence or incarceration, unless it was a funded project. It is a little like a prison, more dynamic, and with more privileges; but with no reasonable chance of escape. But rather than proceeding with this frightening picture, I will push on toward the lair of the worm.

A serious trend has been forming over the last several years. The hybrid offspring of post 9/11 have exploited the threat of the Islamic terrorist to its fullest extent, both profiting and fortifying their cyst in society along the way. While heroic efforts at deception may win many loyal subscribers, without sufficient proof, dissenters will surface and begin to question. Much to the appreciation of society, proof has been insubstantial and largely hypothetical so far.

Imaginations have even been employed to run wild with hypothetical terrorist scenarios. Examples can be found in Dallas Boyd’s fantastic – but flawed – essay on The Virtues of Self Restraint, which intriguingly discusses the perils of modern security in an age of ominous threat agents. We might rejoice in the general failure of successful terrorist attacks, but only to find there is yet another monster lurking around the corner. This monster has yet to be specifically identified, but subjects such as journalists, activists, and “right wing extremists” have been implicated, along with individuals engaging in an extremely ambiguous description of suspicious behavior.

One obviously prefers not to think that sources of immense power like the DHS, FBI, and law-enforcement would insidiously endeavor to incriminate such people. What would they gain? You can speculate on that yourself. What has become evident through legitimate documentation, is that they have, and for whatever reason are doing so with great speed and effort.

One of the more disturbing projects is the Pentagon’s project to interfere with foreign journalism, i.e. bloggers and alternative media. With massive funding behind the Pentagon, information seems to have become a tempting battleground – one to be occupied by well financed soldiers. Due to the effects of information on the world, It is absolutely necessary to consider any source which seeks to modify it to its own agenda. Most people are unwilling to accept advice from hypocrites and those who engage in criminal activity. For practical reasons, people are neither inclined to place much faith in those with a solid history of severe mismanagement and deception.

The US military has been the victim of abuse, and those behind such abuse are likely enough to seriously influence such a project. Civilian-killing drones, unconstitutional wars, oil gluttony, contractor abuses, incessant lies and psy-ops, and the somewhat recent history of the detainment of suspected terrorists – specifically that of Murat Kurnaz (video interview) in this example – should compel serious consideration here. The case of Kurnaz was one amongst many results of a military-funded program to set bounties on the heads of terrorist suspects – mostly hunted and apprehended by the Northern Alliance which was too often involved solely for the bounty.

A documentary further covering this odious failure of a program can be seen in Taxi to the Dark Side (Video Documentary). Amnesty International also has an article covering the issue here. I think without doubt we would prefer such projects not exist, especially at home. With recent developments in the conquest to hunt homegrown terrorists (and “extremists”), it may be on the way, if not already here.

The US Military has openly admitted via General [B]etraeus to contracting with various corporations to further Operation Earnest Voice, and plans for DARPA’s Social Media in Strategic Communication are progressing as well. Such programs are said to be expressly prohibited from operating on the US population, but to that I can only say Langley. They claim the purpose of these programs is to hinder disinformation, and prevent the proliferation of malicious propaganda, yet continue to do exactly that themselves. Yemen?

After 9/11 the US population was lead on an roller-coaster ride of anti terrorism operations which had an appropriately dizzying effect, and in the end finally managed to kill an invisible man through the work of a small group of Navy Seals. It also seemed to jumble the heads of bureaucrats enough to have them chasing figments of domestic hallucination when after stepping off the ride, they found themselves surrounded not by hostile Muslims, but by fellow Americans who were a little irritated by it all. They were irritated by other things too, like the behavior of Haliburton and Blackwater, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, and the fact that the evidence for WMD in Iraq was forged with the help of our British friends and a half decent graphic designer.

Now that the US economy faces potential annihilation, and the citizenry feels a bit nervous about their futures, and lie after lie has been told by those who demand our loyal obedience, TPTB have begun laying the framework to deal with such problems.

Until the US no longer champions the largest prison population per-capita in the world, I will continue to attack this horrid fact – a fact which is critical when considering current trends to demonize cynics, activists, alternative journalists, and those who are compelled to initiate discourse on their observations and thoughts.

Within hours of the tragedy in Norway, Obama expressed a need to elevate already extra-atmospheric counter-terrorism measures. In the case of Breivik, the extremist theme is being hastily exported to the US for full exploit. While I too wish by all my will to prevent such things from occurring here, much of the current methodology of the DHS and law-enforcement will do very little to prevent it. Short of stationing armed security at every possible publicly accessible location, and casting magical spells to banish all guns; tormenting bloggers, journalists, and anyone with a notepad will simply not prevent a psychopath from attacking others.

Clearly we must mitigate against such horrifying situations, but let us not accept a flurry of inapplicable consequences as either effective or sound reactions unless they can be illustrated beyond hokey videos to actually be so. To trust the experts on this matter may mean to trust someone who may be desperately holding onto a job which only serves itself, and burdens others at their expense.

The Eccentric Intelligence Agency: Helping the Ouroboros finish itself.