Britain: Terrorists Use “Conspiracy Theories” in Attempt to Discredit Government and Recruit New Members
August 31st, 2010Obviously, too many people are figuring out the scam. The-bloggers-are-with-Al-Queda meme seems hilarious and dumb now, but this is the set up phase. After the false flag nuke is lit off (or whatever the spectacle will entail), guess where the fingers will point…
See: DoJ Terrorism and Criminal Extremism Terms and Concepts Guide
Via: BBC:
Secrecy surrounding counter-terrorism operations is fuelling mistrust of authorities, a study by independent think tank Demos suggests.
It urges the government and secret services to be more open to stop extremist groups using conspiracy theories to discredit them.
A Demos spokesman said: “Less-secret services could make Britain safer.”
The study calls for greater communication with trusted community leaders and individuals.
The report – entitled the Power of Unreason – says groups use conspiracy theories to recruit and radicalise people to commit acts of violence.
An example of one such theory is that the bombings in New York and London, on 11 September 2001 and 7 July 2005 respectively, were “inside jobs” carried out by authorities in the US and UK.
Other theories highlighted were that “freemasons control the world economy through manipulation of paper currency”, that the UK government is “consciously seeking to destroy Islam” and that a “conspiracy between the Japanese government, the US, and the Jews existed to gain world domination”.
The study claims such theories are frequently adopted by extremist groups to demonise outsiders, discredit moderates and push them in a more extreme and sometimes violent direction.
The report’s authors made a number of recommendations concerning the counter-terrorism work carried out by MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and the government.
The publication of all National Security Council annual reports, including outlining the risks to national security and the current terrorist threat, was among their suggestions aimed at improving transparency.
They also called for increased openness in terrorism trials through reporting court proceedings and transcripts and for the provision of more information about policing around counter-terrorism.
However, the study did acknowledge that there were limits to what the government could do to restore trust and urged society as a whole to do more to counter the conspiracy theorists.
One way in which this could be done is by helping young people to think more critically, it said.
It recommended lessons on conspiracy theories and online sources like blogs, Wikipedia and newspapers for secondary school students that focused on digital literacy and ‘counter knowledge’.
“More needs to be done in schools to teach young people digital literacy, such as being taught to tell the difference between propaganda and honest and accurate reporting,” argues the think tank.
Jamie Bartlett, an extremism expert at Demos, said: “The more open the government is, the harder it is for extremist groups to make stories out of silence.
“Clearly, there are occasions when more transparency is not possible for reasons of national security, the safety of certain individuals, or resource constraints. But the degree to which conspiracy theories make up part of the extremist mind-set and world view suggests it needs to be confronted.”
He said such theories “destroy the trust that exists between the government and communities, which is the basis of effective counter-terrorism work”.
California Students Get Tracking Devices
August 31st, 2010Make sure that the little zombies-in-training get a breakfast stick or two to start the day off right. *sigh*
Similar: In-School Suspension Program
Via: San Jose Mercury News / AP:
California officials are outfitting preschoolers in Contra Costa County with tracking devices they say will save staff time and money.
The system was introduced Tuesday. When at the school, students will wear a jersey that has a small radio frequency tag. The tag will send signals to sensors that help track children’s whereabouts, attendance and even whether they’ve eaten or not.
School officials say it will free up teachers and administrators who previously had to note on paper files when a child was absent or had eaten.
Sung Kim of the county’s employment and human services department said the system could save thousands of hours of staff time and pay for itself within a year.
It cost $50,000 and was paid by a federal grant.
Cryptogon Reader Signs Up for Hosting with BlueHost
August 31st, 2010Thanks to the owner of ecdce.net for signing up for hosting with BlueHost. Cryptogon received $90.
Do the Evolution
August 31st, 2010Via: Pearl Jam – Do the Evolution / YouTube:
Research Credit: MC
Is China Looking at a $430 Billion Loss on U.S. Treasury Bonds?
August 31st, 2010WARNING: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument.
I don’t see how they could be looking at a loss of that magnitude right now. The only way that’s possible is if there’s some unthinkably large position that they have not acknowledged.
Initially, this feels like Information Operations to me. By whom and for what? I have no idea.
Via: STRATFOR:
Rumors have circulated in China that People’s Bank of China (PBC) Gov. Zhou Xiaochuan may have left the country. The rumors appear to have started following reports on Aug. 28 which cited Ming Pao, a Hong Kong-based news agency, saying that because of an approximately $430 billion loss on U.S. Treasury bonds, the Chinese government may punish some individuals within the PBC, including Zhou. Although Ming Pao on Aug. 30 published a report on its website indicating that the prior report was fabricated by a mainland news site that had attributed the false information to Ming Pao, rumors of Zhou’s defection have spread around China intensively, and Zhou’s name has been blocked from Internet search engines in China.
STRATFOR has received no confirmation of the rumor, and reports by state-run Chinese media appeared to send strong indications that Zhou is in no trouble at the moment. However, the release of this rumor and its dispersion throughout the public is significant, particularly as the Communist Party of China (CPC) is preparing for a leadership transition in 2012.
More: “Knowledgeable U.S. Government Officials” Deny It
Via: Washington Post:
Two knowledgeable government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had no evidence of Zhou’s defection and that he was not in U.S. custody.
“There’s no indication at this point that he’s defected,” said one. “It doesn’t pay to give too much attention to rumors.”
A nonpartisan congressional China expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the losses cited for the PBC were ridiculous.
“I’m not sure how exactly anyone could have ‘lost’ money on investing in U.S. Treasuries since they have been doing a lot better than U.S. stocks,” he said by e-mail.
More: ZeroHedge Takes a Stab at the Math
Via: ZeroHedge:
Assuming average 6 Year duration on holdings (completely arbitrary), and a 2% drop in rates, means $430 billion is 12% of total notional, so somehow China must be short $3.5 trillion in notional or synthetically.
Recovery: 1 in 6 Americans in Government Anti-Poverty Programs
August 31st, 2010Via: USA Today:
Government anti-poverty programs that have grown to meet the needs of recession victims now serve a record one in six Americans and are continuing to expand.
More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, the federal-state program aimed principally at the poor, a survey of state data by USA TODAY shows. That’s up at least 17% since the recession began in December 2007.
“Virtually every Medicaid director in the country would say that their current enrollment is the highest on record,” says Vernon Smith of Health Management Associates, which surveys states for Kaiser Family Foundation.
The program has grown even before the new health care law adds about 16 million people, beginning in 2014. That has strained doctors. “Private physicians are already indicating that they’re at their limit,” says Dan Hawkins of the National Association of Community Health Centers.
More than 40 million people get food stamps, an increase of nearly 50% during the economic downturn, according to government data through May. The program has grown steadily for three years.
The Private Jets of African Dictators and Other Heads of State
August 30th, 2010No shark tanks?
Via: Telegraph:
This year Brighton’s international photography festival has been curated by British photographer Martin Parr, and, rather than plump for well-known headline names, he has decided to showcase the work of obscure or niche practicioners. Among the most left-field on the shortlist is Nick Gleis, who photographs the pimped up private jets that belong African dictators and other heads of state.
DoJ Terrorism and Criminal Extremism Terms and Concepts Guide
August 30th, 2010According to the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, here are some terms “criminal justice professionals” are likely to encounter during terrorism and extremism investigations. These terms below are intermingled with all of the Nazi and international terrorist groups.
Precious metals are big trouble. Man, you’re a nutcase several different ways if you’re into gold and silver. The U.S. Constitution is another topic that lots of terrorists and extremists are into *sigh*:
Antiauthoritarian: A political position in opposition to capitalism and government control, corporation or group, and supportive of decentralization and autonomy; generally, a libertarian position that is sometimes equated with anarchy.
Bilderbergers (Bilderberg Group): Along with the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations, one of the three groups targeted by right-wing extremists for conspiring to dominate the world.
Constitutional Money: Gold or silver. Ignoring judicial interpretations of the Constitution and federal law, many antigovernment extremists claim that gold and silver are the only constitutional forms of money in the United States.
Constitutionalists: A generic term for members of the “patriot” movement. It is now often used to refer to members of the sovereign citizen or common law court movement. Sometimes the word “constitutionist” is also used.
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR ): Along with the Bilderbergers and the Trilateral Commission, one of the three key groups that conspiracy theorists claim operate behind the scenes to control the world and to establish the “New World Order.”
Executive Orders: The formal means by which the President of the United States determines the conduct of business in the Executive Branch. Typically, such executive orders take two forms: (1) orders governing administrative or policy matters in Executive Branch agencies or (2) orders for which the authority is derived from congressional authorizations. The “patriot” movement, however, contends that executive orders are “presidential laws” that bypass Congress and subvert the Constitution.
Illuminati: An intellectual society and social club formed by a university professor, Adam Weishaupt (1748–1811), in southern Germany in the 1770s in the spirit of the Enlightenment. It was suppressed by Bavarian authorities in the 1780s. Weishaupt spent the rest of his life writing about the Illuminati. People who believe Illuminati conspiracy theories believe the society never died away but lived on, run by people intent on controlling the world through devious means.
Information Warfare: Synonymous with cyberwarfare, information warfare is the offensive and defensive use of information and information systems to deny, exploit, corrupt, or destroy an adversary’s information, information-based processes, information systems, and computer-based networks while protecting one’s own. Such actions are designed to achieve advantages over military or business adversaries.
Luddites: A movement in the early nineteenth century in England that opposed the Industrial Revolution; more recently used to describe people who fear modern technology and the effects that it is having on the world’s economy and environment.
New World Order: A term used by conspiracy theorists to refer to a global conspiracy designed to implement worldwide socialism.
One-World Government: The concept that there will ultimately be a single governing body that will control the world. Some right-wing extremists fear this occurring, believing that white people will be in the minority, with Jewish people ultimately controlling the world.
Precious Metal Dealers: Dealers in gold and silver who form perhaps the most significant source of financial support for the “patriot” movement. Gold and silver dealers such as Viking International, Discount Gold and Silver Trading Company, and others sponsor shortwave radio programs whose hosts urge people to put all their money into gold and silver so they can survive the “coming collapse.” These cynical dealers will accept Federal Reserve Notes in exchange for precious metals.
Resistance (Passive and Active): The term “resistance” is a term used to describe civil disobedience, knowingly breaking the law as a form of protest. Active resistance is any aggressive action. Passive resistance occurs when an activist fails to comply with a lawful order of police but otherwise does not act proactively.
Silver and Gold: The only “biblical” and “constitutional” money, according to members of the “patriot” movement. Some members go so far as to refuse to use paper money, conducting all of their transactions in silver or gold or through barter.
Survivalisists: The survivalist movement feared a coming collapse of civilization, generally as the result of nuclear war, and tried to prepare themselves to survive it. Survivalists typically stockpiled food, water, and weapons, especially the latter, and instructed themselves on topics ranging from first aid to childbirth to edible plants.
Trilateral Commission: A group, along with the Bilderbergers and the Council on Foreign Relations, that is viewed by the “patriot” movement as being one of the major organizations seeking to implement the “New World Order.” Formed in 1973 by David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski, the Trilateral Commission consists of slightly over 300 members from Europe, Japan, and North America (the three main democratic-industrial regions of the world, thus the term “trilateral”). Members include prominent figures in the media, politics, business, and academia. Conspiracy theorists claim it is a group of elitists determined to promote a one-world government.
Via: Public Intelligence:
In order for criminal justice professionals to effectively combat terrorism/extremism, it is imperative to obtain as much information as possible. Extremist groups often develop languages of their own. Some have created terms that are unique in the English language, while others have given new or expanded meaning to relatively common words and phrases. In addition, certain symbols, events, organizations, and individuals have particular significance for members of some extremist organizations, none of which may be familiar to an investigator or prosecutor who has not previously been involved with such cases.
Investigating Terrorism and Criminal Extremism—Terms and Concepts is a glossary designed primarily as a tool for criminal justice professionals to enhance their understanding of words relating to extremist terminology, phrases, activities, symbols, organizations, and selected names that they may encounter while conducting criminal investigations or prosecutions of members of extremist organizations. Included are terms that may be germane to members of an extremist movement. Also defined are words that are singularly employed by specific extremist groups. Legal terms that have been given new meanings by groups’ adherents are also defined. Similarly, certain terms that describe activities and tactics commonly undertaken by extremists are also included. Significant groups, organizations, movements, and publications that are important for an understanding of terrorism/extremism in the United States and that may be encountered by law enforcement officers and prosecutors are also documented. Inasmuch as this publication is primarily intended to define terms, individuals indexed by name are limited in occurrence. However, there are some people who are of such importance to certain segments of the extremist movement that their very names are equated with that cause. Therefore, some of the better-known terrorists are included.
The key criterion for inclusion of a term, phrase, or name in this publication is the likelihood that investigators and prosecutors may encounter it during the scope of their duties. The fact that an entry appears in this publication does not imply a connection to illegal activity. As an example, the location Waco, Texas, appears in the glossary. Investigators may hear reference to this location while working on certain antigovernment cases. Many terms and names appear under one or more individual entries. For this reason, a concerted effort was made to create a thorough index, allowing for a comprehensive search of terms of interest.
Tests Find Sickened Family Has 50.3 PPM of Corexit’s 2-Butoxyethanol in Swimming Pool
August 30th, 2010? ? ? ? ?
Via: Florida Oil Spill Law:
“Our heads are still swimming,” stated Barbara Schebler of Homosassa, Florida, who received word last Friday that test results on the water from her family’s swimming pool showed 50.3 ppm of 2-butoxyethanol, a marker for the dispersant Corexit 9527A used to break up and sink BP’s oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
The problems began for the Scheblers a few weeks after the April 20 blow-out. “Our first clue were rashes we both got early in May. Both my husband and I couldn’t get rid of the rashes and had to get cream from our doctor,” Schebler noted, “I never had a rash in my life.”
Then, on “July [23], my husband Warren mowed the lawn. It was hot so he got in the pool to cool off afterward. That afternoon he had severe diarrhea and very dark urine. This lasted about 2 days,” she revealed.
Initially, they reasoned this was caused by the heat. The following week Mr. Schebler again mowed the lawn and went in the pool, and again he was sickened with the same severe symptoms.
Suspicious that the pool may be a problem, the family set out to get the water tested…
How Long Has the U.S. Postal Service Been Converting the Value of International Mail Shipments from U.S. Dollars to IMF SDRs?
August 30th, 2010Is this new?
Via: U.S. Postal Service:
323.6 Preparation of Insured Priority Mail International Parcels
323.61 Mailing Receipt and Insurance Number
All Priority Mail International insured parcels must be numbered. PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note — CP 72, and the mailing receipt issued at the time of mailing will serve as proof of mailing and proof of insurance. Volume mailers may use PS Form 3877, Firm Mailing Book for Accountable Mail, as the sender’s receipt.
323.62 Accepting Clerk’s Responsibility
The accepting clerk must do the following:
1. Indicate on PS Form 2976-A the amount for which the parcel is insured. Write the amount in U.S. dollars in ink in the “Insured Amount (U.S.) block.”
2. Convert the U.S. dollar amount to the special drawing right (SDR) value and enter it in the SDR value block. For example:
INSURED VALUE
$100.00 (U.S.)
65.76 SDR
3. See Exhibit 323.62 for a table showing the conversion of U.S. dollar values up to $600 to SDR equivalents. To determine SDR equivalents above $600, multiply the insured amount, rounded up to the next full dollar, by the conversion factor of 0.6576.
Note: Use the following rates when converting between U.S. dollars and SDR values:
1 U.S. $ = 0.6576 SDR
1 SDR = $1.52 ($1.5206 U.S.)
4. Write a bold capital “V” in the space provided adjacent to the boxes for Insured Amount and Insurance Fees as an indicator that additional insurance was purchased.
5. Indicate special contents for fragile, liquid, and perishable items.
6. Round stamp PS Form 2976-A in the appropriate place on each copy.
