Threats of all kinds

I guess all the forces are closing in. Lots of little threatening anomalies going on, and intimidating people, but I'll leave you to decipher the clues and possibilities.

[Edit: The second entry in the 'Comments' area is my own response.]

Editing posts

Please know that I compulsively edit blogposts (eg, 'Calling all psychos!').

Also, not to sound like I'm making excuses, but my writing skills have definitely gone downhill in the past few years. Chalk it up to mental stress, deep frustration, sheer terror, or whatever.

Other stuff:

Just so you know, this is how the weblog should look (see below). For some reason, it isn't showing up properly in certain browsers, like Internet Explorer; the sidebar is empty.


Normal sidebar



Normal sidebar - 2

Learning to be different

Yet another note to my former peers: I didn't mean to imply that I've gossiped about my academic experiences to others. I haven't. And I apologize for blah-blahing about this all over my blog. But how else does one reach out, in order to be understood?

The fact is, when I got hung out to dry, I was in much pain, and therefore, I avoided any mention of school whatsoever, plus I was fully occupied with other problems in my life - like government surveillance and being harassed. Believe it or not.

While I do celebrate my friends' achievements in getting their degrees, I tended to avoid the topic of education altogether. With those of my equally few friends from outside of school, I never discussed my scholastic endeavours or experiences, once I had left the programme, other than to say I got the boot.

And, for me, it's not so much about getting the degree. The following are my key concerns:

1. You can laugh at this, if you want, but I put my whole heart and self into my studies, and I continue to do so; I feel I deserve a fair chance.



2. I put in two years of time and produced a lot of 'material,' if not a lot of concrete results - I tried the best I could.
   
   
3. My mother, regretfully, subsidized my education. I feel an obligation, in this sense. While I may qualify for student loans, the very thought of all the paperwork held me back, plus I had just finished paying off a previous student loan (with help), and I didn't want to carry another one. I also thought I'd eventually find a part-time job, so I could pay for my own tuition. Hasn't happened yet.
   
   
4. I was the ultimate critical, contentious, and angry rebel; I deserve credit for that, at least.
   
   
5. Finally, I like to have a sense of accomplishment and closure. As I've often said, I'm not an overly big believer in mainstream schooling and institutional learning, so it's definitely not about getting the degree, itself - it's all the other stuff.
   

American activist Emma Goldman's wise words effectively summarize my own view of education:

Since every effort in our educational life seems to be directed toward making of the child a being foreign to itself, it must of necessity produce individuals foreign to one another, and in everlasting antagonism with each other. - Emma Goldman [Source.]

Belated Christmas gifts

Maybe I need to get away from all my dreariness? I was really happy - or at peace - when I was making these homemade Christmas gifts back in December and...um, January. One person snorted at my el cheapo gifts. Thanks. :)

I actually give because I like to give. Yet, I now believe this foolish mentality - which is strongly encouraged by spiritual doctrines everywhere - actually reinforces extreme socio-economic polarities. (I'll skip my usual rant here...)

Fridge Magnets - 1




Fridge Magnets - 2

Calling all psychos!

I spent yesterday photocopying all of my psychological assessment records since March 2000. I seem to bear the brunt from both sides: mental healthcare folks see me as more ill than I am, and refuse to believe in my dire situation - while everyone else doesn't see me as sick or hurting, in any way, so they mock or disbelieve me, and only see my actions as self-serving grabs for power. (The latter may be true, but I do it for a just cause, as well as for personal protection.)

I don't believe I have a pathological disorder. However, I am extremely sensitive, and my relationship and mood management skills need a lot of work. Hey, I'm not perfect - I never graduated from Social Politics 101.

If anything, many people in power may be closet sociopaths. [1] Certainly the relentness tyranny I've been experiencing from my surveillers, and their apparent willingness to kill, seems psychopathic to me. [2]

Still, I have no right to impose my pain, anger, or personal ideas on anyone else. However, I should have the right to safety, privacy, relative freedom from abuse or oppression, and personal dignity. Or so I thought.


Security or Harassment?

I mentioned getting digital gadgets and computer equipment to help me record everything (camera, voice recorder, etc). [3] I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. My mother's not too thrilled: I've just put her into more debt, since I myself don't qualify for credit card approval.

Without further adieu, here's a snapshot of recent events:

First, read my March 12 post ('Electronic surveillance of citizens is no joke'). Scroll down to the part where it says, 'one's pets may be harmed, or one's car may be tampered with, just as a subtle setback to you.'

Now, read this email from a relative, who lives in New York, and two responses from other relatives. I've changed the names for privacy reasons, and have edited out more personal stuff.

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005
Subject: RE: Sherlock...

> C and T:
>
> What sad news about Sherlock. I share you pain and
> loss and I mourn with you. But I know that was the
> best for Sherlock because otherwise he would only suffer more.
>
> Both of you treated Sherlock with love and care; you
> can be comforted by the fact he had a good life with you.
>
> Take care. Love, B
>
------------

> My heartfelt condolence to you both.
>
> I am deeply saddened by the loss of Sherlock. He has
> been part of the family. Another soul is gone forever.
>
> In the past whenever I visited NY he was always there,
> part of my visit. It certainly will be different next time
> I visit, without him. Same as your visit here without him.
>
> He is not that old. Is he?
>
> He is such a good dog. [...] I wonder if he knew that his
> end is near. Taffy seemed to know when I took him to the
> the hosp. It's the sad eyes that look at you that shatters
> your heart to thousand pieces. I cried for 2 weeks. [...]
>
> I wonder if they have another kingdom of after life. I feel
> like praying to him.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Sent: March 15, 2005 2:25 PM
> Subject: Sherlock...
>
> T. and I had Sherlock put down this morning.
>
> It was a very difficult decision, and very sudden,
> even for us. Last week, after a bout of diarrhea, we
> noticed that he was having difficulty breathing. His
> breathing was very quick, and short
> and did not ever stop at that rapid pace.
>
> On Saturday we had x-rays taken, and the sac around his heart
> was filled with fluid. The vets told us to rush him to
> the animal hospital. There, they drained the fluid, and told us
> that if it comes back soon, it wouldn't be good.
>
> Yesterday he had a great day, back to normal and
> very interested in life. But this morning, he was having
> difficulty breathing, and not even interested in going outside.
> So we took him to the hospital again.
>
> They said that they could do tests, and should it be cancer
> they might be able to operate. But at best it would only give
> him a few extra months. So instead of putting him through all
> of that, we decided to let him go. We are quite saddened by it.
>
> We will miss him terribly.
>
> c & t

********************************************

I've told everyone countless times we're being watched and threatened by Big Brother, and that all our emails are being tapped, but they still haven't clued into this notion.

Also, I don't know yet, because I haven't asked, but I'm guessing that Sherlock took ill on either Thursday, March 10, or Friday, March 11. That Thursday, I had heard a certain radio announcer mention that his dog was sick. I've called into his show before; he talks about his pet regularly on the air, and I probably showed some reaction, like, Oh-oh.

When I wrote my March 12 post about pets and cars as targets, I was indirectly referring to this DJ's much-loved canine. I have expressed concerns before about the potential vulnerability of people's pets. [4] Just like Sherlock, this particular dog's name is quite symbolic. I didn't know yet about my relative's situation.

While this may seem ridiculously farfetched to you, dear readers, I do have my reasons for believing these incidents are related. If you look back over the course of my blog, certain things I've suggested sound like complete fantasy, self-aggrandizing delusion, or a silly hoax - yet, gradually, I think you'll find my offbeat ideas do have some substance. Please stay tuned.


Drugs, Chemicals, Bio-Warfare

I recently had an email discussion with someone about mental health drugs, and I agreed to support their efforts in this area. The next day, I received this targeted spam.

Subtle threats?

What's strange is that my email forwarder is 'oneadv@...com,' and if this were truly random spam, one shouldn't know what 'oneadv' stands for. Yet, the other email addresses included are: 'oneadventure,' 'oneadvent,' 'oneadven4u,' etc. Also, notice the word 'aspirate' and other bizarre, almost psychotic, words at the bottom.

The same night that I'd been emailing with this person re: drugs and other stuff, I had also saved a complete back-up copy of this weblog, OneAdventure: Surveillance in Toronto, and I named the folder 'onea.' If you'll notice, the other addresses in this spam message are all a variation on 'onea_'. The number four (4) also appears twice, plus the word 'guy.'

So many people say to me, 'Everyone gets spam!' Yes, I know that. I'm not talking about your average spam. [5] In my opinion, this email is too specific and well-timed to be part of a random mailing (other examples to come).

More pharma-drug coincidences? I was staying at my mother's when I received this spam message. The next day, I went to my place for a few hours, and guess what happened? I got a phone call for some person, who works at 'the pharmacy.' When I asked the woman what number she had dialled, she recited my old Ident-A-Call number (recording to come).

I knew it'd be a wrong number, when I answered. Any time the phone rings, just as I arrive home, it's usually a wrong number or crank call. Or, it'll be a call from specific individuals, whom I believe are, or have been co-opted as, moles (examples to come).


Car Troubles

Cars make good targets: they offer an easy way of sending out warning signals and harassing people, without their owners ever suspecting anything.

Aside from my mother's car battery suddenly expiring (see below), two of her siblings have had unexpected car troubles, within the past six weeks. One of them had to get theirs fixed to the tune of $3000. Apparently, the entire internal chassis has dropped down. (There's more to this scenario, but it's too hard to explain.)

The other relative's spouse had swerved into a ditch. This could be the driver's fault and/or the weather. Yet, check out these two emails, and note the small, yet odd, details:

Sent: Friday, February 25, 2005
Subject: good news and bad news

[...] The bad news is this Monday, in the snow storm, R's car slipped into the central island ditch on exiting from 401 on Dixie. While the towing charges were covered by CAA, the slippage broke the [steering column] (between the steering wheel and the chasis), causing repair costs of $700.


Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005
Subject: RE: good news and bad news

No, R was not injured. And I misunderstood the problem. [...] it is the pipe that connects the steering wheel to the chasis.

R called CAA for help. Waited half hour. When it came, it pulled R out of the ditch. R asked him to wait a minute. He didn't. Probably he didn't hear him. A lot of times, I have difficulties hearing him too. After the CAA truck pulled away, R found the steering wheel did not work. He was about to call CAA again, when a policeman came up. He said Dixie was a busy road, he should get his car off the street rightaway. There were quite a few commercial towing trucks around. So R quickly asked one of them to help. [snip...] [Emphasis added.]

What if this little problem with the steering wheel and column had actually caused R. to swerve in the first place? Then, the timing of this event becomes a little more relevant.

Two weeks after this incident, on Friday, March 11, my mother's car battery suddenly conked out, just as she came to pick me up. We had to call a towing company for a car boost, and we waited for over an hour.

I know, I know - these things happen. Yet, after my various posts about academic and activist Ward Churchill, I actually began wondering to myself how much a vehicle could be rigged.

My mother's car has undergone persistent electrical, mechanical, and cosmetic problems in the past year - all at very specific times. Then, just like a thought-fulfilling prophecy, a whole new slew of auto anomalies have been dogging my mother and I these past few weeks - ever since my outspoken blogposts about Ward Churchill, where I mentioned that his wife had died in an untimely car accident. Below is just one of several odd happenings:

Magic touch

Guess what my mother's doing? She's 'tapping the starter.' Apparently, the guy from the service garage had told her that's how he managed to start her car right away, when she had gotten stuck in a parking lot back in January. This was just two days after an expensive $800 tune-up. I'm no mechanic, but that doesn't sound like a probable method to me: it's kind of like a fairy tapping her magic wand.

This is a six-year old car; my mother gets it serviced twice a year. Given the recent wallet-whipping tune-up job, having the car fail twice in two months is strange, annoying, and costly. Once was due to the starter. The second time was because of a completely dead battery (above). The battery was so kaput that the engine wouldn't even turn over (ie, make that *vrooom* noise), and the car's alarm system kept going off, as we tried to get the vehicle started.

Note: My mother's been having her car serviced at the same place she had bought it from six years ago. Yet, I first began to suspect this garage of co-operating with authorities in purposely creating problems for my mother and her car about a year ago. [6] Hearing this account of their magical cure for the car's failing starter simply adds to my concerns. Details on other well-timed car incidents to come.


Three days after my mother's car battery died, on Monday, March 14, her front door lock broke; she had to call a locksmith.

Shattered lock mechanism

Door jamb

I remained at my mother's place until Friday, March 18. She then drove me home on her way to a dental appointment. When she returned to her house, just a few hours later, she found the front door unlocked, and the curtains on the door were shut. Kind of ominous. She called me to ask if I had done this. I hadn't, of course.

(recording to come)


Off the Hook

My mother has received several blocked and wrong number calls since February (eg, Feb. 22 and 27; then, March 5, 7, and 12). [7] So have I, but this is normal for me.

You may not know this, but a person has to actively block a call by dialling * - 6 - 7. So, if you receive a wrong number call, and it's *blocked*, then it's almost certainly a CRANK CALL.

Blocked Call - March 12, 2005

So, what might have brought on this run of bad luck for both myself and others? You're looking at it, folks. These past few weeks, I've been busily researching, and then purchasing, the necessary equipment to help me finally keep track of what's going on. Oh, and I've also been distributing my weblog link to a number of people.


----------

[1] A former classmate introduced me to the term sociopath.

[2] See other links on sociopathy and psychopathy:

• 'The Sociopathic Cult' by Lew Rockwell
• 'The Psychopathic or Sociopathic Personality' - author unknown (good summary)'
• The Psychopathic Personality' - OregonCounseling.org (handout; Mar. 29, 2004)
• 'THE PSYCHOPATH - The Mask of Sanity' - Quantum Future Group

[3] My purchase of the Zippy Recorder was anything but smooth; yet, I suspect this was due to government intervention. I neither endorse, nor reject the supplier.

[4] I've warned people before that their pets could be unwitting targets, just as some people's loved ones seem to be. Explaining the strategic timing of such misfortunes is pretty difficult.

[5] More strange email spam: 'Post from the past...' (Sept. 10, 2004).

[6] Read other posts about my mother's car:

• 'Playing nice' (Jan. 30, 2005)
• 'More anomalies for mother' (Nov. 15, 2004)
• 'The magic of cars' (Aug. 22, 2004)

[7] Blocked, wrong number calls usually coincide with controversial posts that I write, while staying over at my mother's place. For example, these are the blogposts I wrote on March 5 and March 12:

• 'Free and civil society (1)' (Mar. 5, 2005)
• 'Electronic surveillance of citizens is no joke' (Mar. 12, 2005)

Protecting my privacy

Some examples of my homemade security systems:

File Protection

I draw squiggle marks over the tape with permanent marker. Being able to take digital pictures now helps a lot. Cost-wise and environmentally, digital cameras do seem to have a lot going for them. But who knows? One would have to measure the overall impacts (eg, electricity use vs. chemical disposal, and so on) to really say for sure.

Privacy safeguards



Basic home security

I'll be posting more information about privacy issues and security measures later. People seriously need to hold onto the little bit of privacy and freedom that they (mistakenly believe they) may have, and fight for it! Going digital doesn't have to mean becoming a conformist, slavish, easily manipulated drone for society's greedy and controlling masterminds.

Security, secure - I - see

Someone kindly posted a weblog link, which describes some of the invasive and illegal surveillance I've been alluding to. Not to be a fear-monger, but I believe these same surveillance activities and transgressions are happening in Toronto.

People think I'm crying, 'Wolf!' Yet my suspicions and urgent concerns are repeatedly borne out in actual phenomena. However, to avoid being called a slanderer, gossip, or paranoid freak, I'll be sticking to my own situation for examples of surveillance-based harassment. (Info to come.)

What's equally disconcerting is the number of UNCANNY correspondences between my life, interests, ideas, or experiences, and what's going on in world affairs, or what's showing up in media, and how some of these news events are being played out.

Bizarre coincidence? Boundless egotism, on my part? Maybe. I'll let you be the judge. Please stay tuned for some inane harassment adventures.

Me, the politician

Warning: This neurotic post may bore you to tears. For actual updates on surveillance and harassment, please visit again soon. Thanks.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Still sorting stuff out, so I’ll just babble about whatever's percolating right now...

A) Community Taskforce

I'm reneging on an email comment I made a couple of months ago: I've decided to apply as a volunteer for a community taskforce. Crass, blunt, and seemingly antagonistic loudmouths like myself, are probably the last thing they want on this committee. But what the hell - sometimes you need oddballs to keep things lively and happening.

These are the strengths I feel I can offer:

- I'm obnoxious, in my own special way...
- I strive for holistic solutions that I believe are fair and practicable;
- I usually fight for the underdog;
- I embody multiple perspectives and awarenesses by virtue of my identity and experiences;
- No worries about careerism, or my being a 'yes-person'; and finally,
- I lack the finesse of a true politician - this keeps me honest, though often embattled.


B) Family Ties

In wanting to volunteer on a city committee, I find myself recalling comments I've made about my family and the seeming harassment I believe that we - and many others - are all under. I even mentioned quoting from a relative's book in this post. Yet I'd merely sourced quotes by past prime ministers from this person's work, and included them in an email post - not an essay. Call this nepotism, if you want, but where any cause or issue is concerned, I seldom schmooze with, or endear myself to, anybody - not even my own family - hence, my 3-year isolation.


C) Money-Bags, Techno-Wiz, and Materialist

I'll soon be posting some ‘evidence’ of my harassment, with the help of new techno-devices (and $3000-plus growing debt). Yet, reluctant memories of how much 'goss' (as one Aussie friend calls it) a former school friend had once spread about me are coming back to haunt my thoughts.

Rather than presume to know what people think, I’ll just clarify my computer-owning history, for today (other topics soon to come). If you still suspect my surveillance may be due to high-tech crime, or something like that, there’s not much I can say or do to convince you otherwise.

[Flashback to 1999...]

Heading back to school as a 'mature student' (in physical age, if not in other ways), I knew essay-writing would be a nightmare for me, plus I'd previously worked in communications, and had done some desktop publishing, so investing in a computer made sense.

My then-neighbour Keith helped me get a new system for $1200 (?). Probably more than I should've spent, but I was clueless about where to buy a computer, how much they cost, etc. More to Keith's taste, as a techie and a gamer, he suggested I opt for a larger monitor, and he got me a slightly fancier keyboard (at that time). I've used this computer for five solid years, but replaced the hard drive last summer, due to problems.

(Don't know exactly what a hard drive is? I hear you. Grasping even the basics of this miraculous, yet befuddling invention called a 'computer' is a perpetual challenge.)

Anyway, back to this friend... She was a few years younger, and hadn't been out in the work world, yet. So, I think when she saw the computer, she thought I had money to burn. Never mind my used furniture, second-hand clothing, and so on.

Oh, and I had the occasional use of my father's 15-year old, gas-guzzling Oldsmobile. Never mind the fact that many folks commute by car, and I, personally, was having great difficulty being in public spaces. I also wasn't the only one in my faculty, who was reluctant to 'fess up about using a car. But, once again, 'the stickiness factor' kicked in: Asian = business/corporations, Asian = materialism, Asian = polluters, meat-eaters, and so on (see next post, to come).

As I had just come back from living in India for a year, plus I was struggling with school courses, among other things, I was quite a social wreck. Yet, even now, people don't believe how severely depressed and disoriented I was back then - not even my mother. However, this being my eighth year out of permanent work should give a clue as to how long the 'recovery process' has taken me.


Small Things Can Turn Into Big Things

So why harp about these petty details from the past?

Besides my notoriously outspoken ways, and my frustrations with racial pigeonholing, tidbits about my life - or rather, one person's subjective experience of me - became open season for gossip. I sense certain perceptions about me remain as strong as ever, and are probably being twisted all out of proportion, due to my hyper claims of government surveillance. (Like, maybe my folks are selling nuclear secrets, or something. Who knows?)

I don't *know* if people are making such conjectures - I just *feel* it. But rest assured, my coming updates on surveillance won't be nearly so groundless.

Why else might people have wild ideas about me?

Well, 1) I'm obviously guilty of TMI ('Too Much Information') in my emails and listserv posts; 2) I make extreme comments about myself and others - no subject is too sacred; and 3) I tend to come out fighting on topics I feel strongly about, and often create a fracas within groups. (Okay, okay, so I haven't been emotionally well. I wasn’t always like this. All I can say is B.P.D., folks. [1])

One listserv I joined was particularly activist-oriented. Yet, being pretty ‘outside the box’ at school, I was finding people’s assumptions and prejudices painfully limiting, and this tended to affect my email posts: I wanted ACTION!

I'll say it again: I had just come back from a year in India, and had also lived in Asia before that, plus I'd been on a New-Age high and crash-landed big time. So, I was completely out of sorts.

Also, being away from home, one tends to see things anew. Exiled Irish writer James Joyce and his Dublin-based novels (Dubliners, Finnegans Wake, etc) are a classic example of how distance makes for enhanced clarity.[2] As well, I found the school had a certain vortex-like intensity, which magnified social tensions. Honest. This is nobody's 'fault,' it's just the result of putting sensitive, intelligent people together in a political environment.

I've often expressed praise for this place of learning, in spite of any possible discontents I may have had. Sure, I've ranted, at times. Don't we all? But I've seldom gossiped, named names, or poisoned anybody's character or credibility. However, I have tried to counter inaccurate assumptions and judgements I felt others may be making about me: a pointless endeavour.

The sad thing is, I now believe this unique and important bastion of free thought and empowering action has been thoroughly co-opted by intelligence agencies. This seminal institution is suddenly enjoying a much-deserved upswing of bountiful projects, support, funding, cross-border connections, interviews, and media attention - yet I believe the mysterious backings for this divine windfall lie elsewhere.

By observing the social environment at this school, plus my email jousts and personal laments, security bodies lucked out. Knowing how to create social divides and cause shifts in allegiances - something I frequently and inadvertently instigate - is like discovering how to make fire. The potent mix of social judgements and resentments, combined with self-righteousness, can inspire widespread change, and even, move an entire nation. Just ask Adolph Hitler. Nazism didn't start off as a 'terror mentality' - it began with a surge of nationalistic pride, optimism, and buoyancy.

(Seen any of the new TTC ads lately? It's all about you.)

No one may believe me on all this. Yet, it does make sense. In one deft swoop, I believe conservative elites have learned how to parlay both competitive social drives and uneven group dynamics into real power. They’ve also figured out how to capitalize on environmentalism, while reinforcing social hierarchies and oppression, while still looking good in the process. How’s that for killing two birds with one stone? Or is that three?

If you think about it, 'environment' encompasses everything, from geography to biology, forces of nature, food, water, architecture, animals, energy sources...and so on.

PS - I don't speak much about 'natural environments,' as they do just fine without us. It's *our* relationship to nature and various environments that needs addressing.

--------

[1] Labels are limiting - especially in mental health – yet some descriptions of Borderline Personality help me make sense of the chaos.

[2] According to The James Joyce Centre's website, Joyce was also 'concerned with issues such as censorship and cultural identity.'

By the way, Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Use FireFox

If you're not seeing any links in the sidebar of this weblog, please try using Mozilla FireFox or Opera to browse with, instead.

Official stories and media massages

Below is just one example of the many critical and extremely sound arguments that were presented at the Citizens' Inquiry into 9-11 (Phase 2 held in Toronto).

This online video is a must-see: Pentagon Strike.

Electronic surveillance of citizens is no joke

(I'm trying to get more organized, so posts may be sparse for the next while...)

Detailing my seeming surveillance and oppression is tedious. There are so many other issues and news events I'd rather be discussing. Unfortunately, the whole idea of governmental control, harassment, and privacy invasion seems so removed from people's daily lives that very few grasp how critical this subject really is - or how quickly it's all being implemented. So, while I'd love to move on to other topics, I still need to show how electronic surveillance is controlling and influencing all aspects of society, and thus, our collective futures.

Times have changed, and technology is key for the powers-that-be. During the overtly totalitarian regimes of Hitler's Nazi Germany and Mao's Cultural Revolution, much physical maintenance and broad co-operation from countless people were required. Yet, today, with the mere click of a button, a few individuals can spy on and control the lives of many, while creating an illusion of freedom and autonomy.


Information is Power

Internet and email provide a false sense of security and privacy. People's thoughts and actions tend to be more open and less guarded online. And yet, one's entire correspondence, activities, habits, interests, online pictures, contact info and address, financial status, spending, health records, and social networks may be tracked and recorded via digital means. Not to mention the subtle tactics that I've already suggested government operatives are using to sway public opinions with, both on and offline.[1]

The implications of technological eavesdropping are well summarized in this post, below. Based on my own experiences, and judging from articles I've read, some of these are realistic scenarios. Many such 'security measures' are already being introduced, unbeknownst to most:

August 17th, 2004, 09:56 PM
eyespy4u
Re: Don't Fear Internet Anonymity Tools

Well why not have a camera put in your living room so the police can watch your every move? After all your not doing anything illegal, right? This has been a concept discussed by government and police.

While your at it why not allow insurance companies to put a GPS tracking unit on your vehicle, so everywhere you go can be tracked and recorded? For insurance purposes only of course.

Why not allow random strip searches, of women at airports? You don't have anything to hide, right? Why just limit them to airports?

And you could also just sit back and allow every product you buy to be tagged with tracking devices, like Walmart is now doing, along with other major retailers. Which are not shut off when you purchase their products.

Better yet, why not just sign an agreement with the government that states "I hereby agree to give up all my privacy rights to you, because i'm not doing anything wrong or illegal in any way and therefore don't require any privacy from you in any way."

I'll tell you why, because some of us still value their privacy and realize that no matter what you are doing, as long as it is not illegal in any way, it is no one else's damn business, that's why.

Some of us don't feel government has the right to collect information on us, without our knowing about it, and keeping those records indefinitely. Why should a government be allowed to collect information on our private lives under the guise of looking for terrorists or law breakers?

But with the new Victory act looming on the horizon it looks like many more of our freedoms will just be stripped away, again. As if the Patriot act was not enough. So just be prepared to kiss your privacy good bye if your not willing to fight for it. But given the 'who cares' attitude i've seen when it comes to privacy rights, i doubt it many will do much anyway. [Source.][2][3]

U.S. security measures must inevitably affect Canada:

'The wrong stuff: what it takes to be a TSA terror suspect' by John Lettice, The Register (April 7, 2004).

'Hoover's Long Shadow' by Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Pacific News Service (Nov. 25, 2003).

'News Gathering Is Illegal Under New Patriot Act II' by Alex Jones, Rense.com (Nov. 20, 2004).


Interesting snippet from EPIC.org's (Electronic Privacy Information Center) 'USA Patriot Act' page:

* Petition Drive Launched to Protect Reader Privacy. The Campaign for Reader Privacy has been launched by booksellers, authors and librarians. The campaign, which urges concerned citizens to sign a petition to Congress, seeks to amend Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act to "restore the privacy of our bookstore and library records." (April 1, 2004)

National and global data-mining are taking place, without our explicit consent as citizens and consumers. This means all electronic records of our reading habits and personal interests, for example, are being collected en masse; such information can be used by Big Brother, in any way, and at any time.

For no lawful reason whatsoever, one may be thoroughly profiled just for expressing an opinion, subscribing to certain listservs, or simply receiving a random email from a whacko like me. More people than you care to know are climbing on the 'security' bandwagon (or just plain receiving kickbacks) to the point where one's pets may be harmed, or one's car may be tampered with, just as a subtle setback to you for being on the wrong side. (Actually, it's the 'right' side. But night is day, and day is night, where major power abuses are concerned.)

Also, by not signing the missile defence agreement, is Canada simply making a conspicuous and token gesture of independence?

The bottom line is: Canada and the U.S. are merging, and we're rapidly becoming an integral part of the U.S. military complex.


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[1] See my various posts on media and moles (use search bar above).

[2] I've seen posts on listservs and in community forums that I suspect are not posted by 'real people,' eg, men conspicuously posing as women, activists who are moles, and so on. Okay, no big surprise. But while most may be genuine, random posts from unconnected folks just doing their thing, what if some aren't? Who's to say that psycho-social response testing isn't being perpetrated on an unsuspecting public? I have good reason to believe some email posts on listservs and in community forums are well-disguised efforts to mould public attitudes and responses, or influence group dynamics. Lists covering such disparate topics as environmentalism, web design, weblog creation, social activism, and so on, are all fair game.

[3] What is the Victory Act? (Unable to find brief summary.)

Also see:

- 'Victory Act would be no victory for public' by Charles Levendosky, Casper Star-Tribune (Aug. 26, 2003).

- 'Bigger Brother?' - MotherJones.com (Aug. 23, 2003).

- 'Attorney General John Ashcroft’s Assault on Civil Liberties' - American Civil Liberties Union (Oct. 30, 2002).*

*(Please see the part about 'postal workers' halfway down. Updates on my constant mail delays and probable searches to come.)

[3] What is the Patriot Act? Also see Slate.com's 'A Guide to the Patriot Act, Part 1.'


Both the Bush and Clinton administrations downplay any foreknowledge of plans to attack the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. And, despite billions and trillions spent on defense funding - the U.S.'s number one budgetary expense - their aerospace defense (NORAD) and other military forces were completely unable to prevent, or even thwart, the four supposed plane crashes on September 11, 2001. Then, within six short weeks, a powerful and thorough 300-page legislative proposal, namely the Patriot Act, was quickly passed through the U.S. Congress, largely unread by their representatives.

Even just recently I saw an article (was it in Now Magazine or The Toronto Sun?) claiming that the U.S. is still culturally inept, in terms of countering terrorist efforts. Hmm. Considering the U.S. is the largest, richest, most powerful, best militarily equipped, multicultural country in the world, and given that the FBI and CIA probably have the most extensive intelligence operations worldwide, plus their powerful global surveillance technologies, connections within institutions, plants in academia, electronic access to all the critical thinking and graduate theses in the western world, and what they've learned more recently by studying me and observing my clumsy interactions with other social or environmental activists, etc, is it really likely that the U.S. is not up to speed in controlling different communities, cultures, or countries?

Big Brother has got the best enablers of all. They're employing people within various communities (eg, ethnic, activist, queer, etc) as their agents. Plus, they're playing up social pecking orders among different groups - be it based on cultural or regional differences, traditional animosities, religion, language, or what-have-you. Divide and conquer.

Anyway...(big sigh) if I'd been learning more about surveillance, skimming news articles, and watching TV back in 2003, or even 2001, as I'm doing now - instead of dealing with emotional issues, and randomly spouting my views and ideas - perhaps I might've been more circumspect. Now I can see exactly how much I've been feeding into Big Brother's plans, and boosting their ammunition, for the past few years. Ultimately, I have no one to blame but myself for not recognizing how impossible it is to change institutions, society, or basic human nature.

(more info to come)

News to come...

Been so busy philosophizing recently, in my usual wiser-than-thou way, I've been neglecting the updates on my suspected surveillance. Rarely a day or week passes without some form of harassment, or subtle reminders of my surveillers' presence and their sheer power. More news to come...

Free and civil society (1)

It's Your World...

A NEW WORLD ORDER is forming right under our very noses. Yet, the actual methods and mentality are very old.

I strongly believe political theorist Hannah Arendt's observations on human nature's evil ways apply to any and all, especially folks who try to assert widespread control by undermining individual rights, privacy, and freedom. I believe this is called totalitarianism. The problem is, it's being achieved through extremely pleasant and beguiling means (eg, media, entertainment, internet, cellphones, etc).

[Totalitarianism:] A special version of authoritarian control - political or cultural - that invades the individual's private sphere in all aspects of life, and operates by the willing participation of the people in their own oppression. Totalitarianism is often confused with regular tyranny, and shouldn't be: totalitarianism is far more rational, systematic, and invisible than little-fish dictators. Along these lines, totalitarianism could only emerge in the twentieth century, thanks to information technology. There were three in the past hundred years: Stalin's Soviet Union, Hitler's Third Reich, and Mao's People's Republic. Many thinkers see today's global economy and entertainment-based soothing of outrage as the foundations of the next totalitarian system, McWorld.
[Emphasis added; see source.]

The Power of Many

Hannah Arendt's political insights resonate with my own experiences over the past few years, as I'm finding alarming numbers of people are actively supporting, and participating in, a network for supposed 'security'. If you knew how many people I know of, whom I believe have been co-opted by authorities, you'd be truly SHOCKED. Many do it by choice, but some are being extorted.

Please beware of 'Good Cop/Bad Cop' approaches in the news, media, politics, and so on. Also be wary of people who seem to step in just when you, or your organization, need help.[1] Just because people seem friendly or supportive, or things appear glossy, entertaining, and appealing, doesn't mean they're acting in your best interest - now, or in the long run.

In a way, Arendt theorized about primal or psychological drives that exist within all people, which can '[push] to unprecedented extremes murderous fantasies of domination and revenge.' Laws, governments, and legal systems are supposed to help keep these things in check. But what if those very things may be bought, bribed, or bent? [2]

(Hello, Toronto's Union Station deal. [3])

Innovations and improvements to our socio-political systems are good, and much-needed. Yet, corruption and rigging things from the inside are different matters altogether. Our urgent attention to these concerns is necessary.


It Could've Been You

Hannah Arendt's writing and ideas are worth bearing in mind. In particular, her articles and books on the Jewish holocaust, and on Adolf Eichmann - the man who helped schedule an efficient system for mass killings of Jews in Europe, a mere 60 years ago - suggest that such twisted strivings and death-dealing are not limited to any one individual, group, or nation. As one biographer notes:

Her portrayal of a bureaucrat who did his duty and followed orders, rather than a raving ideologue animated by demonic anti-Semitism, was strikingly original. Far from embodying "radical evil," Eichmann exemplified "the banality of evil," Arendt argued - and thus the danger [of race- or supremacy-based murder, genocides, or insidious social control] could not be confined to the political peculiarities of the Third Reich. [Emphasis added; see source.] [4]

Reading Eichmann's Final Plea, I see cowardice, and a profound lack of acknowledgement and accountability, from one who fully wanted to excel in his work. A sick travesty beyond words.

Yet, today, growing numbers of people are helping corrupt authorities create a new totalitarianism. Countless people and communities in Toronto, and elsewhere, are co-operating with Big Brother in supporting deadly agendas, while keeping a nice face on it: same goals, different strategies. [5]

People may later use the same excuses, as Eichmann once did - either in their own minds, or to others. Yet many of them did, and do, have choices. Some actually enjoy the lies, threats, and cruelty. This has been both fascinating and utterly disheartening.

It's strange, for example, that two people whom I suspect of being moles, both studied evolutionary biology and seem to be pretty well connected. [6]

Portents of change are in the air (or food, or water...). It'd help if we paid close attention. The fact is, if we don't exercise our rights as citizens, the demise of real democracy, decency, and basic equality will continue unabated.

Even the worst wars or natural disasters cannot compare to what the future holds. Today, we have unprecedented control over the planet, its natural resources, and all the world's populations. Negative uses and abuses of science and technology are far too common. Beyond ethical concerns, irreversible damage is being done to our rapidly deteriorating ecosystem, and many human and non-human lives are suffering because of this. Add to the mix, global surveillance and all-consuming quests for power, and the common masses are basically doomed - or we will be bought, controlled, and silenced.

Many distractions and deceptive persons will continue to hide the threatening global agendas being developed. Perhaps these are necessary 'survival tactics' that may somehow create socio-political balances in the long run - who knows? They just haven't been good for me.

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[1] I myself am guilty of rushing in to help with projects. People were right to distrust me. Yet, I was/am coming from a frantic place of: a) being threatened, b) being politically inept, and hence, angry and frustrated, and c) trying to lessen the possibility of infiltration and control by authorities. What a fool I am, eh?

[2] See the movie Runaway Jury.

[3] Former mayor of Toronto and journalist John Sewell has done excellent coverage on the city's municipal politics. See his Citystate column in eye magazine. (Search 'Union Station.')

[4] Please recall what I've been saying about surveillance, and read Adolf Eichmann's biography (scroll halfway down).

[5] How such vast numbers of people, who are literally as diverse as this very planet, can be so easily co-opted by security bodies is a complex subject. I believe intelligence agencies benefitted from my interest in holistic and transformative learning, co-operatives, circles, and intercultural communications; plus, they've observed my experiences of, and thoughts about, social prejudice. More discussion to come.

[6] Further info on evolutionary biology:

- The Talk.Origins Archive;
- Harvard University's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology;
- University of Oxford's Evolutionary Biology page;
- Recently created BioBar, a Mozilla FireFox browser extension.
.

Setting standards for a civil society...sort of

What I want to know is, how do we intend to create and maintain a civil, just, and free society under increasing government surveillance, and powerful control by large corporate monopolies?

This is a huge topic, so I'll just dive in by saying these two articles are worth a quick glance... [1]

1) 'Faking Democracy' by Lynn Landes (April 6, 2004)

Written seven months before the U.S. election in November 2004, this piece clearly explains the state of democracy in America, within this new digital age. Ballot-fixing is a real concern, regardless of electronic or manual voting systems. [2]

We've come to accept, and expect, foul play and corruption in our goverments, and from big businesses. Yet, this also means: good-bye freedom and autonomy, good-bye free speech and free thought, good-bye safe and healthy society for ALL, good-bye social integrity, good-bye responsible and lawful governments...and good-bye democracy.

A brighter future? It's your call.

Question and Suggestion: If governments fear the general public are too uninformed, or too easily swayed, to make an intelligent choice, perhaps there should be educational processes and a voter qualifying system. [3] Just a thought.


2) 'Kinsey and the Homosexual Revolution' by Judith Reisman, President of The Institute For Media Education (July 13, 2002)

Having been on a Kinsey kick recently, I'm posting this essay about the disturbing implications of how research data may have been collected for the Kinsey Report. Reisman rightly stresses the dire importance of, and need for, ethics in science and research. An urgent topic - both socially and environmentally.

A key factor in all of this is public perceptions. I've been suggesting for awhile that shifting media patterns may affect our collective way of thinking, now and in the future. Example: I'm noticing loose parodies of unethical research experiments, both past and present, being increasingly woven into TV sitcoms and movies. Coincidence? Maybe.

Sure, it's hilarious. Yet, the overall effect:

a) Takes people's minds off the moral implications;
b) Lessens expectations of professionalism and integrity; and
c) Detaches people from the topic being spoofed.

Sorry to be so vague, but...

Humour's great, and we need more of it! Yet, it can also make important issues seem less so. Like bunny wabbits and other creatures being used for commercial product testing: If we don't see the suffering, why worry about it?

Human guinea pigs are, likewise, a shocking and horrifying fact of life, as Reisman's essay suggests. Besides the mind games and mass manipulation I keep alluding to, do you want to become tomorrow's chemical or biological experiment? [4]

Again, it's your call.


(I know this is all a bit fuzzy, but please bear with me here.)

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[1] Certain sites and hard-hitting articles I've posted have disappeared from the internet, so I may have to copy the contents beforehand, so people can still access the information.

[2] Thoughts on democracy and voting processes in both Canada and the U.S. can be found throughout this weblog. Also see:

'Canada's democratic future'
'Questions about U.S. election'
'Voting issues, no news coverage'

[3] Coincidentally, a bill motion has just been put forward to lower the voting age in Canada (article to come).

[4] Mild examples of questionable research practices may be found in want ads, like Now Magazine's classifieds (print version). Read the occasional calls for human research subjects: they don't offer ethical or long-term guarantees. Women have always gotten short shrift in this respect, for various reasons. I also suspect people who participate in mental health services or activities (eg, therapy, groups, etc), or those who may have addictions or addictive tendencies, are being closely and invasively studied - right across North America. (Vancouver seems to be a growing hotspot.)

'Gannon' stoking conservative flamers?

Why doesn't this recent story about a news reporter named 'Jeff Gannon' surprise me? See '"Jeff Gannon" exposed!'

Wildly eclectic, and apparently using a false name, 'Jeff Gannon' (a.k.a. James Gluckert) appears to be the antithesis of all things stereotypically conservative. (Descriptions in the link above almost remind me of me.)

Why is it also of little surprise that FOX News is backing Gannon/Gluckert's creds as a bonafide journalist?

Funny how this gun-toting, ultra-right conservative, White House correspondent supposedly has an out-out-outrageously queer past. (Or present...?)

Remember what I said about the Bush administration making itself queer-friendly? They almost seem to be courting the publicity from this story. And, this is yet another oddly hyped news event, popping up out of nowhere, much like Ward Churchill's recent media flogging.

This also caught my attention:

Let's not forget that it was Gannon who
reported the invasion of Iraq 4 hours before
any other news outlets had the story... [posted by Kim H.]

Note: I haven't confirmed above statement.

More thoughts at 'Undernews: Jeff Gannon Case'.

By the way, the closest-sounding word I could find to Gannon was guenon, 'any of various long-tailed chiefly arboreal African monkeys'; etymology French. Gannon could also be like 'cannon,' which is both phallic and a type of weaponry. *wink* [1]

Hey, don't take me too seriously. I'm just a lunatic who thinks I'm being subjected to surveillance and harassment.

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Afterthoughts:

[1] French, African, monkeys, queer...AIDS? Cannon...boom-boom? I know, it's a stretch - but what the heck. (See other posts.)