Help Me SPLC!

An open letter to the Southern Poverty Law Center:

There is a new neighborhood in Austin being named "Stonewall" as in the racist slave owning confederate general. It is actually a walled compound where the white 1% can live, separate from people of color. It's website proclaims it to be "in a desirable location"... as you know this is code talk for "whites only". I am appalled that in the progressive & tolerant sanctuary city of Austin this symbol of hate can exist. It makes me physically ill to walk by this racist compound & something must be done. Please, can you help us?  I am planning a rally to "tear down this wall" & really need your help getting the Antifa & alt-left folks out to help. I saw that you had the Stonewall Elementary School out near Fredericksburg on your map of hate & was hoping that you could add this confederate landmark also.

As a side note, it's interesting that a German named town can even exist in America today considering that country's Nazi past; I suspect that Neo-Nazis infest the whole place. I have started a petition to rename this city Fredtown & the school Flintstone. I kind of like this, even though Fred Flintstone was a sexist entitled white male.

Stonewall = (hate + racism) x 1%.

(I don't normally even use the word "wall" anymore, since it was adopted by the racist sexist confederate-loving so-called president Trump.)

~ Jk

2017 is 1984

Every record has been destroyed or falsified. Every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building name has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless presence in which the party is always right.

George Orwell - 1984

Anonymous

GREETINGS, PEOPLE OF THE WORLD - WE ARE ANONYMOUS

There are many theories about us. That we’re anarchists, kids, crazy film-buffs that saw one too many superhero movies. The truth is, we are all these things. Anonymous is a symbol, like the flag a country flies. The flag is the symbol of the country. Our masks are our national identity. We are not Anonymous – we represent the ideals of Anonymous. Truth, freedom and the removal of censorship. Like any symbol, we affix it wherever we go, as you have seen from street protests. 

We have no leaders, civilians or soldiers. We are all one. We run operations because that is what the group decides to do. We choose targets because that is what the people who represent the ideals of Anonymous want to fight for. The world is in trouble. We see it every day – war, poverty, murder. Every day we are bombarded with news and images, as we sit at home safe in the knowledge that we are powerless, that “better” minds are dealing with the situation. 

But what if you could be the change you want to see? 
I’m 25 years old. I went to school and college. I fought for my country then got a job and paid my taxes. If you met me on the street I wouldn’t even register on your radar. I am just another person in a sea of faces. 

But in cyberspace we are different. We helped free the people of Egypt. We helped fight against Israel as it attempted genocide. We exposed more than 50,000 paedophiles around the world. We fought the drug cartels. We have taken to the streets to fight for the rights you are letting slip through your fingers. 

We are Anonymous. 

In today’s world we are seen as terrorists or at best dangerous anarchists. We’re called “cowards” and “posers” for hiding behind masks, but who is the real poser? We take away the face and leave only the message. Behind the mask we could be anyone, which is why we are judged by what we say and do, not who we are or what we have. 

We exist without nationality, skin colour or religious bias. 

You wage wars, lie to us and try to make us believe it’s for our own good. 
Yet we’re the criminals? 

We spend our time within a structure we created, the sum total of human experience spread throughout the world in ones and zeros. When CERN created the internet backbone, 
the goal was to freely share knowledge and learning with others throughout the world. 
You fear us because you do not understand us. You see the results but not the minds behind it. When we took down PlayStation you saw your personal details, your bank details 
– the things which society says makes up you 
– disappear into the ether, but ask yourself this. 
If we could do it so easily, what’s to stop someone else?

We stole the information and then publicly took responsibility. Not a single penny was stolen. The purpose wasn’t financial gain but to show the world who you put your trust in. Every day you send yourself off into our world without a thought. You trust a faceless website with information about you that you wouldn’t give to your best friends. We took advantage of holes in this system, but we didn’t sneak in and take a few details, take out loans and credit cards, buy speedboats and cars. We told you and the world how insecure the system was, and now you trust a bit less blindly. The real criminals that hack computers for a living live off the backs of people like you. Where there’s money, there’s someone looking to take advantage of it. We had been telling PlayStation for years that there were holes in their security, but because they didn’t want to look weak they ignored us and allowed criminals to abuse your details without your knowledge.  

Today’s biggest issues are really the same as ever and that is knowledge. In the UK a paedophile would get ten years, while the hacker that exposes the paedophile would get 20. Even DDoSers can face years in prison, and for what?

A DDoS (distributed denial-of-service attack) is no worse than a virtual sit-in. If anything it’s better, because it requires no police, ambulance, fire or any form of external services. An attack begins and the website goes down, the attack ends and the website goes back up. The problem is that hackers and hacktivists are portrayed as boogiemen. Not much has changed since the days of Kevin Mitnick, imprisoned in solitary confinement because the American police thought he could whistle nuclear-missile launch codes down a phone. 

Today, technology is everywhere, in banks and ATMs, TVs and games consoles, streetlights and hospitals. Computers rule the modern world. Yet most people who use computers every day don’t know what they’re doing.

You use a computer like it’s a toy, a pet. You feed and play with it but the second anything goes wrong, it’s off to the vet. This wouldn’t matter so much if it wasn’t for the fact that your pet is responsible for the lives of at least 20 other people. 

Take Nerdo (his name is now public knowledge but I will continue to use his online handle), a church volunteer and student at Northampton University. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for “organising” a DDoS attack on PayPal that, the company said, cost £3.5 millon. But what did he actually do, and what happened to the money? 

What he actually did was hang around IRC and forums encouraging as many people as possible to run a DDoS attack against paypal.com in response to the firm cutting off donations to WikiLeaks. 
And what happened to the £3.5 million that was “lost”? Nothing. 

There was no theft. That money isn’t sitting in an offshore bank. It was a number pulled out of thin air, PayPal’s estimate of how much business was lost during the attack and how much it would cost to secure their systems against another attack. This is like a burglar being held accountable for the company he robbed installing a new security system because the burglar beat the old one. PayPal was not ready for this kind of protest against their company, despite the large amounts of cash it was dealing with. A bunch of people sitting in front of a computer managed to close it down. 

This is hacktivism in its purest form. It is a great equaliser. A homeless person at an internet cafe with the time and knowhow can have geopolitical influence. They can bring entire organisations, even governments, to their knees. You gave your world over to computers then complained when the people using the computers used the medium to fight back. 

We are not computer hackers. We are not protesters. We are not criminals. We are your mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, next-door neighbours. 

We are anyone and everyone who is pissed off and wants to do something about it. 

An Anonymous operation isn’t a five-person thing. It requires hundreds of people to make it work – video makers, whistleblowers, people on the street. The only way an Anonymous operation can sustain itself is through public support. If Nerdo had gone after PayPal on his own it probably wouldn’t have even noticed the increase in packet data being sent to the website. But because the firm angered enough people with its attack on WikiLeaks, our “hangout”, the group consciousness, Anonymous, stepped up. 

I’m not going to tell you that we are right or wrong. We did what we thought was best, supported those that were caught and continued on. The only thing I ask is just for one minute, just for one second, think! 

> We are Anonymous. 
> We are Legion. 
> We do not Forgive. 
> We do not Forget.

> EXPECT US!

Arts+CultureFeature#HackYourFuture: ActivismHack Your FutureAnonymousHacktivism

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When The Grid Goes Down...

On Friday 7/29/17, North Korea just successfully tested an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) and experts from four different countries including the U.S. have determined that they have the capability of striking the U.S. anywhere.  That means the optimal point for an EMP strike (dead center of the continental U.S., at 300 km above ground) is not only their prime target but also attainable.

Most will be clueless and unprepared.  Let’s do it up, down and dirty with the steps that you should take if you are “Citizen X” outlined in the scenario:

1. Have a plan already in place: That means to formulate one right now, if you haven’t already done so.

2. If there are a lot of people around, such as in the scenario, then immediately grab your gear and get out of there. What gear, you may ask?  We’ve “gamed” much of this to the point of nausea, but let’s list out those essentials:

“Go/Bug Out Bag”: This guy already needs to be packed and ready, in that vehicle that will become a 3,000-lb. paperweight. Three days’ supply of ready-to-eat food, one day’s worth of water and the means to filter more.  Compass, flashlight, knife, first aid kit, poncho, jacket/sweatshirt, extra socks, map, light sleeping bag, fire starting material, small fishing kit (hooks, line, bobber), sewing kit, MSW (Minor Surgical Wound) kit, extra cash ($20 denominations and smaller), ground pad, extra clothing (hat, OG bandana, etc.), and ammo. An EMP may be followed by radiological and nuclear consequences. Having an NBC gas mask and anti-radiation pills in your vehicle could be a lifesaver.

Weapon: Please don’t feed me “legal information,” or “I can’t do that in my state.” These are “sink or swim” rules.  If you don’t have a weapon now, you may not have one later.  If you don’t have the fortitude to take that weapon and be ready to use it when the time comes, then you probably won’t survive this or be able to help your family.  One rifle, one pistol, with ammo for each.

Grab that bag and put it on, securing your weapons. Then secure the vehicle, closing the windows and locking it up.  If nobody is around, throw it into neutral and push it off the road.  Camouflage it with branches and leaves…taking care not to cut them from the immediate area that you stash it.  Most likely it’ll be “violated,” so now is the time to take the stuff you need and get it out. If the scenario above applies, just secure the vehicle and get out of there.

3. Traveling: Do not walk on the roads. Skirt the road with about 50 meters (that’s about 150 feet) between you and the edge of the road.  Stay away from people unless you know them and trustthem…both qualities are emboldened.

4. For metro people: If you are out in the suburbs or open road, and you must return to the city? It may be better for you and your family to arrange for a rallying point outside of the city.  If that isn’t possible, then you should exercise extreme caution.  Allow the nearest family member to secure the home and then wait for you.  Travel when it’s dark to be on the safe side.  Your visibility is cut down, and so is the visibility of those who may be hunting you.

5. Long distance to go? Forage along the way.  Refill your canteens/water bottles whenever you’re able, and take note of any freestanding water supplies or “blue” features (that’s the color of water on a military map) for use in the future.  DON’T MARK YOUR MAP!  If someone gets a hold of it, you do not want them to be able to find your home.  You must commit the route to memory and adjust your steps accordingly.

6. Dealing with the Stress of the Event: The power is not coming back on…ever…and it really has begun…the Day After Doomsday is here. Take a deep breath and concentrate on your training, your preparations.  If you don’t have any, then this piece is a wake-up call to get moving!  The best way to do it is immediately accepting what has happened without dwelling on it.  Concentrate on the tasks at hand: navigating home, scouting what is in between, and foraging for anything you need.  You have a job to do!  Reconnaissance!  We’ll go over that now.

Reconnaissance: You must see on the ground what is in between you and the happy Hallmark home you’re returning to. You should take note of any places that hold medical supplies, food, or anything you may need for yourself or your family.  You should take note of possible refuge sites to hide if you and the family hightail it out of the home instead of having a “Walton Family Homecoming.”  You must take note of water features, danger locations (cliffs or impassable terrain features), as well as dangerous individuals.  Yes, the ones who were jerks before all of this?  Wait until you see how they’ll be now, with no controls exercised over them.

7. The best advice I can give: Travel at night. This may be impossible for several reasons.  Firstly, if it’s an all-out nuke attack, there may be the problem of radiation for you, in which case you’ll have to either reach home immediately or seek shelter immediately to remain in place for several weeks.  Secondly, you may have other family members that need to be attended to and cannot wait for a long time.  The kids in the scenario are a prime example.  If it is an EMP only, there will be a “quiet period” of about 6 to 12 hours before everything breaks loose and the sequel to the movie “The Road” begins in real life.  Darkness is the best time to travel.  It hides you and helps you to cover your tracks until the morning light.

8.The rest of the family: They must KNOW THE OVERALL PLAN AND HAVE A PLAN OF THEIR OWN TO FOLLOW UNTIL YOU GET THEM OR UNTIL THEY REACH HOME. This is all going to take some preparation on your part and remember the saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Don’t put it off!

9. Avoid people, families, and groups of people. Your goal when traveling is to be invisible.  I wrote some articles on how to hunt and how to avoid the manhunt.  You may want to refresh yourself on those points, and follow a few basic rules I keep in my own mind and heart:

• When a disaster occurs, everyone is your “friend” even when they are not
• There is no interest but self-interest outside of you and your immediate family
• Whatever you need and have, they also need and want
• They will kill you for the barest of essentials of what you’re carrying
• Don’t talk to anyone: don’t exchange information, pleasantries, and do not tell anyone anything about yourself, your family, your general destination, or your home…it can be used against you later…and it will be.

10. Coming home: Don’t walk right on in. Use a roundabout route, and go to a spot where you can watch your house for at least half an hour or so before making your “triumphant return.”  The S has hit the fan, and this is not the return of the Prodigal…you’re just going to tiptoe in.  But before you tiptoe through the tulips and the window, keep in mind that Tiny Tim and his gang of marauders may have done it before you.  That is why you want to watch the house closely.  Best Advice I can give: Have your kids/spouse put up a long-distance-visible sign/signal so that you know everything is either OK or that you’ll have to come in and rescue the family.  For example, if the birdhouse is still on the corner of the porch, then all is well.  If the birdhouse is gone, or if it’s sitting on top of the post that holds the mailbox…well, time to play CQB (that’s Close Quarters Battle) and clear the house of the rats.

11. Never underestimate anyone’s ability to take your family members hostage: That goes for the “friendly neighbors,” most of all…the biggest rats on the block. If that happens, guess what?  You’re now the HRT (that’s Hostage Rescue Team), or you better have a couple of guys such as this in your survival group/pod/neighborhood unit.  The hardest guy or gal in the world will “cave” when their son or daughter is being held at gunpoint by some goon.

12. You’re home…Now, it’s time to fight! That’s right!  Just when you thought it would be cozy and comfortable…just you and the family and your happy supplies…here comes a whole bagful of “Gummi Bears” down the block…only these bears are armed with baseball bats, zip guns, chains, and crowbars.  Armed also with about a week of BO (that’s Body Odor), all twelve of them combined still have an IQ of 50, tops…and here they are, at your door.  They don’t want Halloween candy, by the way.  You just walked twenty miles.          Say, remember that article I wrote about using ginseng, and drinking coffee to help you keep alert and awake?  I hope that one comes to mind because it’s about to become a “festival” at your house.  We’re going to cover more on this in the next segment.

13. Obtain that “second set” of electronic equipment. Oh yeah, the one JJ continuously warns about!  Well, now that all your electronics that were exposed are junk, I hope you made some Faraday cages and stashed an extra one of those radios…or even several, for those of you who thought long-term.  You need to find out what’s going on.  Ham radios may help if you shielded them.  So may CB’s and satellite phones.

14. Arm the whole family: by the time you reach home, every family member either accompanying you (small children and toddlers excepted) should be armed. Time to really see how tight and full of solidarity you are as a real family unit…one that must fight in order to survive.

15. Exit stage left: You may just find that the homecoming isn’t; that is, you must write it off as a loss and get out of there…it’s either destroyed and burning or occupied by the marauders. Unless you have the skills and the ability to deal with all of them, it is better to retreat and stay alive.  You need a plan in place in order to make this work.

We’ve covered a lot of information here.  This is all designed to stimulate those creative thought processes.  The thinking alone is not enough: you must formulate a plan and then implement it.  A plan without action is of no use.  A plan executed too late is a tragedy: a funeral dirge getting ready to play.  Don’t be too late to formulate your plan for you and your family.  If the lights go out, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the party’s over…and the party may be one that never comes to an end.  Fight that good fight each and every day!  JJ out!

SPLC releases campus guide to countering ‘alt-left’

With college students returning to class in the coming weeks, the SPLC released a new guide today that advises them on how to respond when speakers associated with the growing progressive socialist, or “alt-left,” movement, appear on campus.

In recent months, numerous campuses have been rocked by student protests sparked by the scheduled appearances of alt-left figures such as Al Gore and Bernie Sanders.

The alt-left activity is part of a larger surge in campus organizing and recruitment by progressive socialists. Now, the movement is seeking to capitalize on the publicity and momentum it gained amid its strong support of the Sanders campaign.

Some of the recent protests, at Oklahoma State and elsewhere, have attracted far-right activists known as anti-communists and have turned violent, igniting a debate over freedom of speech on campus.

In its new publication – The Alt-left on Campus: What Students Need to Know – the SPLC advises students to avoid direct confrontation with alt-left speakers and their supporters, many of whom are young progressive socialist eager to engage in street fighting with students and anti-communist protesters.

The guide is a project of the SPLC on Campus program, which currently has chapters at 30 colleges across the country.

“The rise of the alt-left has left many students deeply concerned about hate on campus and asking what they can do to make a difference,” said Lecia Brooks, SPLC director of outreach. “This guide provides answers. It not only shows students how to respond to a possible alt-left event, but how to inoculate your campus against such extremism before these speakers appear on campus.”

In addition to offering step-by-step instructions for students to counter the movement’s influence, the guide explains the racist ideology of the alt-left and profiles its leaders.

As the guide explains, public universities that have a policy allowing student groups to host outside speakers cannot legally bar alt-left speakers except under the most extreme circumstances. The SPLC urges students to hold alternative events that celebrate diversity, inclusion and cultural awareness. In addition, they should speak out against hate and encourage university administrators to issue statements condemning the views of alt-left speakers.

SPLC President Richard Cohen testified in June before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary about the obligation of universities to uphold not only the First Amendment rights of controversial speakers but to speak out against hate and bigotry.

“We need to fight speech that threatens our nation’s constitutional values with speech that upholds them,” Cohen said in his oral testimony. “It’s an obligation that university officials have and one that everyone in public life, starting with the almost presidential candidate, has as well.”