[CTRL] [Fwd: Rejected posting to CTRL@LISTSERV.AOL.COM]
Original Message Subject: Rejected posting to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 18 Aug 2000 18:35:33 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/cybercrime000811.html By Paul Nowell The Associated Press C H A R L O T T E, N.C., Aug. 11 Saying prevention is better than prosecution, federal law enforcement officials and private companies unveiled a new effort today to protect banks, utilities and other businesses from computer hackers and terrorists. You cant do much after the cow is out of the barn, said U.S. Attorney Mark Calloway at the launching of InfraGard, a program that is opening its first state chapter in North Carolina. The North Carolina InfraGard chapter, with 100 members, will hold its first meeting Sept. 1 at the headquarters of Duke Energy in downtown Charlotte. Plans are in the works to open a satellite office near Research Triangle Park. Grass-roots Crime Fighting InfraGard is a grass-roots effort to respond to the need for cooperation and collaboration in countering the threat of cyber crime and terrorism to private businesses and the government. By the end of September, there will be InfraGard chapters in all 50 states, Calloway said. With advice from the FBI, each local chapter will be run by a board of directors that includes members of private industry, the academic community and public agencies. Banks, utilities, and other businesses and government agencies will use a secure Web site to share information about attempts to hack into their computer networks. Members can join the system at no charge. A key feature of the system is a two-pronged method of reporting attacks. A sanitized description of a hacking attempt or other incident one that doesnt reveal the name or sensitive information about the victim can be shared with the other members to spot trends. Then a more detailed description also can be sent to the FBIs computer crimes unit to determine if there are grounds for an investigation. Service Free for Members The key is the sharing of the information, said Doris Gardner, who is in charge of the FBIs computer crimes unit in Charlotte. When someone learns that someone from Brazil is trying to get into their personal computer, all they know is that they were knocking on the door, she said. They dont know if that same hacker is trying to do the same thing to a state agency in Raleigh. Cybercrime has jumped in recent years across the nation, particularly in hotbeds of financial commerce and technology like Charlotte. Ten years ago, all you needed to protect yourself was a safe, a fence and security officers, said Chris Swecker, who is in charge of the FBIs Charlotte office. Now any business with a modem is subject to attack. FBI agents investigating computer hacking that disrupted popular Web sites including Amazon.com, CNN and Yahoo! this year identified several North Carolina victims. The investigation has also identified computer systems in North Carolina used by hackers to commit such attacks. Prosecutions of hackers have been hampered by the reluctance of businesses to report security intrusions for fear of bad publicity and lost business. Meanwhile, too many corporations have made it too easy for criminals by sacrificing security for speed and accessibility. Jack Wiles, who will lead the local InfraGard chapters board, said a recent report estimated 97 percent of all cybercrime goes undetected. Wiles, a computer security expert, has a firewall on his personal computer to prevent hackers from getting into his files. I get at least one report a day that somebody was trying to get into my computer, he said. The Net is a wonderful place, but its also a dangerous one. *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Feel free to distribute widely but PLEASE acknowledge the source. *** ~~ http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,38170,00.html http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,353892,00.html http://www.rwor.org/home-e.htm http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/empowerment/ -- Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Webmail account today at http://home.netscape.com/webmail/ A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and
[CTRL] Court Puts Crimp in Big Brother Monitoring
Original Message Subject: Court Puts Crimp in Big Brother Monitoring Date: 18 Aug 2000 19:47:47 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Thu, 17 Aug 2000 00:19:12 -0500 (CDT) Michael Eisenscher [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: August 16, 2000 Court Curbs Agents' Ability to Monitor Cellular Phones F.C.C. Must Rethink a Much-Disputed Rule By STEPHEN LABATON FORUM Can Privacy be Protected Online? WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 -- A federal appeals court today struck down parts of a government order that broadly expanded the ability of law enforcement agents to monitor cell phone conversations of criminal suspects. The outcome was a partial victory for the telephone industry and privacy groups that had challenged the order, and was a setback for the government, which must now consider revising its rules for electronic surveillance of wireless communications. The decision, by a unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, did give the authorities some of what they had sought: it upheld a provision that enables federal agents to determine the general location of a cell phone user by identifying which cellular antenna is being used by the phone company to transmit the beginning and the end of a call under surveillance. On the other hand, the opinion not only set out statutory parameters on electronic surveillance but pointed to important constitutional ones as well. At various points in the decision, the court suggested that agents who wanted a warrant to monitor the location of suspects through their cell phones must meet a high burden of proof. The government order under challenge before the court was issued last August by the Federal Communications Commission in an effort to make it easier for law enforcement authorities to monitor conversations on cell phones. The agency acted after years of fruitless negotiations by the government, industry and privacy groups to implement the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. That legislation required telephone companies and equipment makers to build their networks in a way that would enable law enforcement to intercept certain kinds of communications. But it also imposed constraints in the name of privacy and ordered regulators to adopt standards in a manner least costly to industry. The decision today struck down a provision that required companies to install equipment to detect telephone touch tones once a call is placed, enabling agents to monitor the use of cell phones to make banking transactions, get voice-mail messages or send paging messages. It also voided comparable provisions that required the companies to install equipment to enable agents to monitor conference calls, call forwarding, call waiting and messages left on cell phones. The appeal on which the court acted was filed last year by a coalition of telephone industry groups that complained that the government order would be too costly to implement and privacy rights organizations that said it violated the constitutional protections of cell phone users. The issue posed by that appeal, United States Telecom Association v. Federal Communications Commission, was whether the agency, in imposing the order, had exceeded its authority or failed to consider privacy concerns and the financial costs of the new standards adequately. The court's decision, written by Judge David S. Tatel and joined by Judges Douglas H. Ginsburg and A. Raymond Randolph, found that in four of six provisions at issue, the F.C.C. had failed to explain the basis for its order properly. The judges also found that the commission had failed to examine whether the standards were too costly. In addition, the court said the agency failed to consider possible privacy implications when it required that companies install equipment to monitor touch tones. Justice Department lawyers had defended the provision on the ground that after a telephone call is made, some callers use "dial-around" services like 1-800-CALL-ATT to then charge long-distance calls, a procedure that can be used to circumvent surveillance. But the court accepted the concerns of the privacy groups that an effect of the provision would be to permit agents to also monitor activities like banking and paging by cell phone. A partial victory for the phone industry and privacy groups. Lawyers on both sides of the case said they had not decided whether they would appeal. If there is no appeal, then the F.C.C. must begin new proceedings to reconsider and possibly rewrite its rules. In the interim, government lawyers said, law enforcement agencies will be constrained in their ability to monitor certain kinds of communications through
[CTRL] vacation
Original Message Subject: vacation Date: 19 Aug 2000 22:36:33 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I am going on a vacation. This message is being sent to all the lists I have been posting to. Some are news and activist forums and some are discussion forums. The below links are for any that would like to keep updated on the issues I have been covering. In the past few weeks we have seen much transpire regarding the struggle for social justice. Not all has been pleasant news. We are running out of time: the media-military-industrial-prison complex is working fast to consolidate power. Email can't save the world. Knowing what's really going on is useless from a chair. Save yourself. Go outside. Do something! http://www.infoshop.org/news.html http://www.worldnetdaily.com/resources/major_news_wires.shtml http://www.villagevoice.com/ http://www.salon.com http://www.motherjones.com/index.html http://www.alternet.org/ http://www.magicnet.net/~jza/news.html http://www.mediachannel.org/ http://www.hackernews.com/ http://www.phillyimc.org http://www.thepartysover.org/ http://www.la.indymedia.org *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Feel free to distribute widely but PLEASE acknowledge the source. *** ~~ http://www.prichard.org/ http://www.salon.com/business/feature/2000/08/18/nader_mastercard/index.html http://la.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=2239 http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/elect2000/pres/demconven/lat_scouts000818.htm -- Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Webmail account today at http://home.netscape.com/webmail/ A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html"Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/"ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Waco Remembered
Original Message Subject: Fwd:Waco Remembered Date: 19 Aug 2000 22:42:31 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On 18 Aug 2000 00:38:22 - Agent Smiley [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Subject: Waco Remembered From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (FMARTINO3) Date: 2000/08/16 Newsgroups: alt.culture.ny-upstate Copyright © 1995 Public Domain Written by Frank Martino Here are the circumstances surrounding the death of twenty-three childen at Waco, April 19, 1993, much of which was sworn testimony given before a Congressional hearing: a) The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobbaco and Firearms (BATF) arranged for an attack with tanks and helicopter gunships. They were allowed the use of military weoponry legally only by swearing an affidavit that drug manufacturing was being done on the site. That claim was not only false but was a deliberate perjury by the Feds. The ones responsible for that affidavit were neither prosecuted for the perjury of swearing a false affidavit nor were they fired from their positions. Moreover, the National Guard units which supplied the military equipment and personel were from the States of Alabama and Texas. Those units were selected for the reason that they specialized in anti-drug activity, hence the reason for the perjured affidavit concerning drug manufacturing at Waco. Neither the governor of Alabama nor the governor of Texas gave consent for the use of the National Guard at Waco either verbally or in writing, as is required by law when the National Guard is utilized for any mission other than training. The Economy Act requires the Justice Department to reimburse the Department of Defense for the cost of equipment and personnel support provided to it. The Justice Department indeed reimbursed the Department of Defense for the use of National Guard personnel and equipment used at Waco. That tells us that the personnel and equipment were not under state control at Waco but were indeed under Federal control. The use of military personnel and equipment for law enforcement against the American citizenry except in the case of illegal drug activity is a clear violation of the Posse Commitatus Act. The Joint Chief of Staffs approved of the use of National Guard units at Waco and the National Guard commanders followed their orders. However, it is not within the powers of the Joint Chief of Staffs to commit National Guard units into service. Only the Governors of the States or the President of the United Staes has the legal authority and power to do that. Janet Reno swore under oath at the Congressional hearings that the White House had no roll in the Waco planing or execution. Bill Clinton also stated publically that he had no role. Some time later, during the investigation of illegal campaign finances to the Democratic Party, Robert Conrad, head of the Justice Department's investigation, questioned Clinton about James Riady's visit to the White House on April 19, 1993, the day on which the farmhouse in Waco burned. Clinton made the following statement to Conrad about Waco: "I gave in to the people in the Justice Department who were pleading to go in early, and I felt personally responsible for what happened, and I still do. I made a terrible mistake." From that statement, the following facts are determined: a) Janet Reno committed perjury and obstruction of justice when swearing that the White House was not informed about Waco at the Congressional hearing. b) Clinton had lied to the public. c) Clinton violated the Posse Commitatus by directly ordering military equipment and personnel to assault a farmhouse in Waco. The Feds claimed Posse Commitatus was not violated by virtue of Bill Clinton not signing a sheet of paper, but Bill Clinton, nevertheless, gave the orders. b) The Feds staked out the place for two months, watching with binoculars everyone's coming and going. They swore they never saw Koresh go into town. The Feds committed perjury. c) An unidentified newsman tipped off Koresh's brother-in-law that the Feds were about to stage a raid. The brother-in-law then telephoned Koresh. Thus the Feds had compromised security and thusly contributed to the possiblity of a stand-off. The fact that Koresh knew they were coming was welcomed (if not planned by the Feds) because they were wanting a media event, which is why they had arranged for both the tanks and the news media to be there. It is also why they didn't call off the raid upon learning that Koresh knew. The Feds later denied knowing of Koresh's knowledge of the raid. The Feds committed perjury. d) The Feds knew that the children attended local schools. Had they waited to serve the warrant the next day, on a Monday instead of a Sunday, the children would not have been there. With the children present, they were able to stage a media event with "hostages." They staged an event with maximum rather than minimum danger to the children. By serving the warrant on Sunday
[CTRL] L.A. Police Go on Rampage at Peaceful Rally
Original Message Subject: Fwd:L.A. Police Go on Rampage at Peaceful Rally Date: 19 Aug 2000 22:43:52 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On 18 Aug 2000 00:40:11 - Agent Smiley [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Thu, 17 Aug 2000 09:16:34 -0400 DAMN [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Title: L.A. Police Go on Rampage at Peaceful Rally Date:16-AUG-2000 Author: Jim Smith Source: LA Labor News (http://www.lalabor.org) Forwarded by: Biodun Iginla, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.biodun.homeestead.com/bioddun.html Style: First-person report Shortly after an 8-year old boy sang the National Anthem to open the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, an 11-year boy was shot in the back, nearby, with a rubber bullet by L.A. Police Officers. Abraham Mejia was one of scores of innocent people who were hit as police fired volleys of cork-like rubber bullets into the crowd that was attempting to leave the official protest center across the street from the convention site. The two locations are separated by a 13-foot high fence. Others who were hit included an L.A. Times reporter; Carol Sobel, a lawyer with the ACLU, Ted Hayes, a well-known homeless activist; and Karl Manheim, a Loyola Law School professor. After firing the rubber bullets and using tear gas and water cannons, the police - on foot, motorcycles and horseback - went on a rampage chasing protesters for blocks through downtown Los Angeles. I interviewed two young environmental activists who were shot while attempting to exit the rally and concert site. They were completely different in demeanor and dress (they wore white) from the black-clad anarchists that police say provoked the incident. The man was hit twice. A large, red bump protruded from his forehead, scarcely an inch above his left eye. They said police opened fire without warning. The rifles the cops used shot multiple rubber bullets with each volley, making it impossible to target alleged troublemakers. The police did not wait until the rally could be cleared of the overflow crowd, which had swelled to 15,000, before attacking. A hastily assembled coalition is calling for an independent investigation of the LAPD because of ³the indiscriminate use of force and subterfuge against peaceful demonstraors, journalists, activists and conference participants. Signers of the call include the D2KLA coalition, ACLU, Global Exchange, the Ruckus Society, State Senator Tom Hayden, U.S. Senatorial Candidate Medea Benjamin (Green Party), the Shadow Convention and the Independent Media Center. A few minutes before police attached, I had gone up to the fence between the rally and the convention center. Police were lined up in military ranks, each one clutching a rifle with both hands. As I observed, police were given an order to move up from approximately 20 feet away from the fence to barely 10 feet away. I saw hatred and contempt in the faces of the police. Several were massaging the trigger area of their gun as if they were about to open fire. Later, police said anarchists were attempting to climb over the fence or tear it down. Both of these activities are very unlikely. It is possible to climb a few feet up the chain link fence, but the last several feet of the fence curve inward toward the demonstrators at a 45 degree angle. The fence runs for blocks around the convention center and is extremely sturdy. It would probably take an armored vehicle to knock it down. Most demonstrators I talked with believe the real reason for the timing of the police assault was to clear the area before delegates left the hall. Shortly before the convention recessed, police swept north on Figueroa Avenue, chasing everyone in site. The proprietor of one of the few open restaurants, which was already full of dining protesters, yelled to everyone running from police to get inside. Police, looking disappointed that their prey had gotten away, ran up to the door of the restaurant, which was quickly locked. Down the street, others were not so lucky and were hit repeatedly with batons. A statement issued by the D2KLA coalition said, The protesters believe that the LAPD provoked an attack in order to subordinate the political message of the protesters and clear us out before the delegates streamed past the protests. The theme of yesterday¹s protests was Human Need, Not Corporate Greed, because the protesters feel that politicians serve corporate interests and do not serve the interests of the vast majority of people. The police violence capped what had been the biggest day of protests so far. About 10,000 assembled at Pershing Square for the big march, which was the third one of the day. As marchers arrived at the rally site, a number of people noted that it looked like a trap. The rally site, that was won through the legal efforts of the ACLU, is surrounded by the 13-foot high fence on three sides. The only side open is on Olympic Blvd. on the north. Hundred of police were already lined up
[CTRL] LA: Labor Video Project Press Release On Attack Of Photographers
Original Message Subject: LA: Labor Video Project Press Release On Attack Of Photographers Date: 19 Aug 2000 22:44:28 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Thu, 17 Aug 2000 22:54:09 -0500 (CDT) Michael Eisenscher [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Labor Video Press Release Attack On Labor Video Project Photographers, Demonstrators The Media By Los Angeles Police For Immediate Release 8/16/2000 Labor Video Project On 8/14/2000 at approximately 9:30 PM two photographers from the Labor Video Project, Bill Sparks and Bud Gundelach were attacked by the Los Angeles police simply for shooting video for the project. We were also filming for the Los Angeles Independent Media Center (www.la.indymedia.org) Sparks was hit by a rubber bullet on the arm in two locations and Gundelach was attacked with a baton which left a large bruise in his stomach. They were not the only ones under assault. Thousands of demonstrators and people who were observing the demonstration as well as Democratic Party delegates such as Miguel Contreras, Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles Country Federation of Labor all faced a barrage of police going wild. Miguel Contreras said "officers shoved him even though he identified himself." USA Today of August 15, 2000 reported. Based on many other interviews and evidence, we believe that these attacks were premeditated and were organized with the intent of terrorizing dissenters and preventing the protesters from meeting and debating with the thousands of delegates who were attending the convention. We also believe that these actions were encouraged by the Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan and Democratic officials who gave the "ok" for the massive attacks. On Monday night, there were confrontations between a small group of demonstrators and the police. The massive police assault however against the 10 to 15,000 participants who were peaceful did not begin until after Clinton had finished speaking to the convention. According to the New York Times of Wednesday, August 16, 2000 "police officials strongly defended their tactics and Democratic officials were on the roof watching and approving their tactical decisions backed them up." According to television producer and videographer Jesse Escochea of Street Heat Productions in Los Angeles, the order to clear the area came only after Clinton was done speaking. He was listening on a police band and heard the orders given out. This was despite the fact, that the permit for the rally had more than an hour remaining. In our view, the reason for this was to clear the area quickly, so no delegates would be confronted with the demonstrators. Over ten thousand participants in an enclosed "cage" were charged by police on horses with batons. With only a small exit they were literally pinned in. At the same time, hundreds of police used their clubs to beat and shoot thousands of protesters with rubber bullets, bean bags and gas concussion grenades. Besides targeting the press, they also targeted Los Angeles activists who they knew. Homeless advocate Ted Hayes was shot point blank on Olympic Boulevard by a rubber bullet fired by the police and was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. Many reporters including from CNN and the Los Angeles Times have also been targeted with the rubber bullets or police batons. These bullets can blind or cause serious injury. Many of those hit were bleeding or displayed deep, silver dollar-size bruises. On Tuesday morning this reporter asked Mayor Richard Riordan at his restaurant "The Pantry" what he felt about the demonstrations. The mayor said that the demonstrators had been throwing concrete and other objects and the police "had done a fantastic job" handling the protestors. He also said "$25 to $50 million had been spent on the FBI, State and local police forces" and that because of this, the money was not going to the inner cities. This is not a new experience for the Los Angeles police department. They have falsified charges, murdered innocent civilians and continuously attack journalists and photographers. In the Laker riot under the glare of helicopters, the police created a wedge not against the rioters but against the media who were convering the event. This was also caught live on televison. According to Escochea, helicopters were "banned" from the convention area so the actual assault was not filmed from above. This was clearly designed to be a "clean" action without spotlights and video from above. The previous week, the same Los Angeles police had been used to break up a picket line of the union busting New Otoni Hotel in Los Angeles. Again democratic rights were violated when over 10 workers were arrested. These illegal actions have taken place for years in Los Angeles County. One of the most publicized incidents was the beating of dozens SEIU janitors in Century City who were trying to win a contract. The use of the
Re: [CTRL] ahem...
Conspiracy Theory Research List [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Howdy, what did the bounce message say? The list is completely automatic. I do not see posts before they go to list. There maybe some problem with isp's matching? Send me a copy of bounce message and I can send it to the folks at lsoft. The distribution of your message dated 16 Aug 2000 18:55:29 - with subject "Is This Democracy?" has been rejected because you have exceeded the daily per-user message limit for the CTRL list. Other than the list owner, no one is allowed to post more than 7 messages per day. Please resend your message at a later time if you still want it to be posted to the list. -- Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Webmail account today at http://home.netscape.com/webmail/ A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html"Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/"ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Is This Democracy?
Original Message Subject: Rejected posting to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 18 Aug 2000 18:33:55 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=9610 Is This Democracy? Don Hazen, AlterNet August 13, 2000 It's a frightening and ultimately depressing scene. The already cold and forbidding environment around the Staples Center in Los Angeles -- home of the 2000 Democratic Party Convention -- has been turned into an armed camp, with an atmosphere more appropriate to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. The Convention headquarters itself is encircled by a double set of tall, heavy-duty fences with concrete bases whose 12-foot sections each weigh 9,700 pounds. The Convention perimeter is cordoned off for blocks around. By Saturday, hundreds of police cars and thousands of cops on motorcycle, foot, bicycle, and horseback -- both LAPD and California Highway Patrol (CHP) -- had blanketed the area, flooding the streets and manning virtually every corner of every block, even before any activities had begun. One veteran activist noted, "I've been to dozens of protests over many years, but I've never seen such a blatant show of police force." Another observer, a visiting psychologist from Oakland, said: "This is really scary and depressing. This is the Democratic Party, with elected officials who supposedly represent the people, yet they seem terrified of the people. What kind of democracy do we have?" Local activists speculate that police brass have invoked doomsday scenarios -- fantastic scenes of 50,000-plus protestors rioting in the streets -- to justify huge outlays for security. All police are on 12-hour shifts, for example, costing LA a minimum of $1.5 million a day just for overtime. Yet, it's abundantly clear that without significant union support -- and labor has pretty much coalesced around the Gore candidacy -- the protesters won't begin to approach those numbers. The enormous use of police force, along with the uninviting environs of the Staples Center, will tend to intimidate all but the hardiest demonstrators. Even then, attorneys have had to work hard to ensure that protesters even have the chance to express themselves without police efforts silencing their voices entirely. One place where at least some dissenting voices will be heard is at Patriotic Hall, some 6 blocks away from the Staples Center. Here, during the four days of the Democratic Convention, the Shadow Convention will focus its attention on three core issues that seem to have slipped off the Democrats' radar screen: the gap between rich and poor, the failed drug war, and the corrupt politics that result from current campaign financing. Upstairs from the Shadow is the Indy Media Center, a gathering of anti-corporate media activists who will be reporting from the street on protest activities. Patriotic Hall makes an odd and potentially alienating environment for these activists. Surrounded by car dealers, gas stations, and concrete pillars, one tiny burrito stand offers the only promise of human comfort in view. The site was built to honor veterans of World War I, so it's a thoroughly military environment, though rather seedy and nostalgic. Military regalia, paintings, photos, and murals are proudly, if dustily, displayed throughout the hall. Most strikingly (so to speak), Shadow participants who gather in the "cafe" will encounter a full-sized replica of Raytheon's Patriot missile, along with its slogan: "A Revolution in Air Defense." So participants face a militaristic atmosphere both inside Patriotic Hall and on the streets outside. A dozen blocks away is Pershing Square, the site of Sunday's rally and march protesting the planned execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal. A number of other protests will be held at the Square during the course of the week. Needless to say, the police presence dominates here as well. Yet just two blocks from Pershing Square is the newly rebuilt and stunningly beautiful Los Angles Pubic Library. There, unlike on the streets, security is at a minimum. Lots of kids, many of them Latino-, Asian-, and African-American, dash toward the children's section, gape at the murals, read, and study. Currently at the library, from July 15 to October 15, is an extraordinary photography display. In "The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America," thirteen prominent photographers have documented the lives of the homeless across the land. Their work also offers encouraging examples of solutions that have helped homeless people in various cities get off the streets. Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz offers joyful portraits of older women housed in the Time Square Residency, where 652 adults now live, half of whom have been homeless. Jodi Cobb 's brilliant photos of the homeless in Miami are dedicated to the outreach workers, many of whom were once homeless themselves. Joseph
[CTRL] Riot police use rubber bullets to disperse street protests
Original Message Subject: Rejected posting to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 18 Aug 2000 18:36:29 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist - Forwarded Message - DATE: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 21:55:42 From: Rick Rozoff [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Americas/2000-08/riot160800.shtml "Dozens of people were shot in the back and the legs as they sought to escape the scene, which coincided with President Bill Clinton's speech to the convention delegates'We were trying to walk away with our joined hands in the air, and they just shot us from behind''They had them pinned against the stage and were charging them with their batons like polo ponies.'When six concert-goers sat down in protest, they were trampled by police horses." The Independent (UK) Riot police use rubber bullets to disperse street protests By Andrew Gumbelin Los Angeles 16 August 2000 Less than 24 hours into the Democratic Convention, smouldering tensions between street protesters and phalanxes of heavily armed riot police erupted into violence. Mounted officers, reacting to a fringe group of anarchists, swung batons and fired rubber bullets indiscriminately into a crowd leaving an open-air concert opposite the convention centre. Dozens of people were shot in the back and the legs as they sought to escape the scene, which coincided with President Bill Clinton's speech to convention delegates. Hundreds more shrieked in panic and burst into tears as the mounted police pinned them against the concert stage and charged at them, trampling at least six people underfoot and beating several others with long wooden sticks. A leading community activist for the homeless, who is black, was hit in the chest with a beanbag and taken to hospital. A television cameraman trying to film the scene was knocked over by a police rifle butt. A Los Angeles Times reporter, a civil rights lawyer and a professor from a nearby law school were also injured. "We were trying to walk away with our joined hands in the air, and they just shot us from behind," said Tracy Robson, a San Diego teacher who was following the convention protests for a class project. Her right shoulder blade was heavily bruised and bleeding from a rubber bullet. Yesterday, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups roundly condemned the behaviour of the Los Angeles police, saying it was out of all proportion to the provocationand threatened to poison the atmosphere on the streets for the rest of the week. An ACLU statement said: "Had the police cooperated with the rally organisers, the night could have ended calmly and smoothly. Instead, the police response tonight created huge risks. When people see batons raised, riot gear and mounted police clearing an area, a tense situation becomes a volatile one." The event that sparked the confrontation was a concert by the highly political rock band Rage Against the Machine, whose latest album is called Battle in Los Angeles. The police, concerned that the band's frenzied anti-government lyrics could provoke trouble, had sought to prevent the concert taking place. It was only once the band's 90-minute set was over that the trouble began. A group of 50-100 black-clad anarchists climbed the security fence dividing the venue from the convention centre, set fire to a rubbish bin and an American flag, tore up handicapped parking signs and lobbed lumps of concrete at the ranks of riot police. They also squirted bleach and spray paint at the lenses of nearby television cameras. At first the police reacted by pepper-spraying the trouble-makers and appeared to have the situation under control. Their decision to charge caught most of the 8,000 concert-goers unawares. With all possible exits cut off, several demonstrators begged the police for clemency, to no avail. Tim Pershing, a documentary film-maker who filmed much of the action said: "They had them pinned against the stage and were charging them with their batons like polo ponies." When six concert-goers sat down in protest, they were trampled by police horses. One man who tossed a half-empty water bottle in the air in indignation was hit by rubber bullets three times. The police action far outweighed anything protesters faced during the anti-globalisation demonstrations in Seattle last winter. David Kalish, a spokesman for the Los Angeles police made no apology. He said: "Today, tomorrow or the next day, or the next day, or the next week, our response will be exactly the same." Organisers of the protests and civil rights lawyers were concerned that the crackdown could only lead to further trouble. One concert-goer, a travelling hippie called Prem Ananda, nursed his rubber bullet bruised foot and said: "There'll be more of this tomorrow night." - End Forwarded Message xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox Claudia
[CTRL] Media Unconcerned as LAPD Attacks Peaceful Crowd, Harasses IMC
Original Message Subject: Rejected posting to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 18 Aug 2000 18:37:13 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Thu, 17 Aug 2000 11:21:54 -0400 FAIR-L [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: FAIR-L Fairness Accuracy in Reporting Media analysis, critiques and news reports ACTION ALERT: Media Unconcerned as LAPD Attacks Peaceful Crowd, Harasses IMC August 16, 2000 On Monday, August 14, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) stepped up its assault on free speech rights, using the pretext of a bomb scare to shut down the Independent Media Center's (IMC) satellite cast and, later the same night, turning a peaceful, legal concert and rally into what the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called "an orchestrated police riot." Cops Crash Newscast There has been virtually no mainstream coverage of the LAPD's interference with the IMC's "Crashing the Party," a live independent news show hosted by Laura Flanders which is being broadcast nationwide via satellite during the convention. According to Free Speech TV, one of the groups producing the show, Monday's broadcast of "Crashing" was prevented when the LAPD closed the parking lot outside the IMC and evacuated the show's satellite van, ostensibly in response to a bomb threat. Representatives from the IMC point out that the police action began just as "Crashing" was about to air and ended 10 minutes after the satellite broadcast window for the show had closed (Village Voice, 8/15/00). According to a report on the IMC web site, police told a member of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) that they had received the bomb tip that morning. Yet police did not take action until late afternoon, just before the show was scheduled to begin. The IMC report also states that the NLG's Ben Rosenfeld witnessed the county police searching the van "without waiting for the bomb squad to arrive," and that "for a time, the bomb squad refused to come to the scene, citing insufficient evidence." This incident raises serious questions about whether the LAPD was targeting members of the independent media for harassment, and should ring alarm bells for journalists everywhere. The Raging Machine Similarly, mainstream media response to the police violence after Monday night's Rage Against the Machine concert has been, by and large, dangerously misleading. Eyewitnesses from the IMC, the ACLU and the NLG report that the gathering of 8,000 to 10,000 concert-goers and activists was peaceful until a few people on the fringe of the crowd began throwing debris at police. The IMC's Jennifer Joos witnessed the incident from the balcony of the Staples Center, and estimates that no more than 15 to 20 people out of several thousand were involved in throwing objects. "They were isolated and not inciting the rest of the crowd," says Joos. According to the ACLU, rally organizers tried to defuse the confrontation and offered to end the concert themselves. Police refused their assistance, instead declaring the assembly unlawful, ordering the crowd to disperse, and eventually firing on the crowd with a variety of weapons, including rubber-jacketed bullets, pepper spray and "bean bag" guns. The ACLU has called the events a "police riot" characterized by "extreme use of force and undifferentiated attacks on a crowd of people" Though the exact number and severity of injuries to civilians is still unknown, the ACLU reports that "numerous legal observers and members of the media were assaulted by the LAPD," and that the LAPD dispersed at least one team of legal observers "for no other reason than to eliminate witnesses to LAPD misconduct" (ACLU letter to the Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney, 8/15/00). The ACLU filed suit today against the LAPD for singling out members of the media "for attack" on Monday night. This very serious evidence of police misconduct has been obscured in many mainstream reports by references to the "violence" of protesters and misinformation about the size and nature of the disturbance that the police responded to with such force. In one article, the Washington Post (8/15/00) referred to Monday's peaceful marches as "a rollicking daylong siege" and falsely stated that "a few hundred protesters" were involved in throwing debris at police officers before the LAPD opened fire on the crowd. The Post article does not mention any complaints that the police action may have violated civil liberties. In fact, the article's only reference to protesters' criticism of the police is the paper's contention that earlier in the day "demonstrators tried to provoke officers... into showing less restraint" by chanting "pigs" at them. Likewise, USA Today incorrectly reported that "several hundred people" threw objects at the police (8/15 and 8/16/00). Describing the incident as a protester "rampage" in one report (8/16/00), the paper claimed (8/15/00) that "the downtown
[CTRL] NWO Hackers: The Covert War Against Antiwar.com
Original Message Subject: Rejected posting to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 18 Aug 2000 18:38:42 - From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.disinfo.com NWO Hackers: The Covert War Against Antiwar.com A covert army of pro-establishment hackers has emerged dedicated to harassing, disrupting, and intimidating on-line opponents of US and NATO-backed "humanitarian" operations in the former Yugoslavia. Antiwar.com, a bipartisan, libertarian-oriented Web site providing critical news and commentary for those opposed to US military entanglements overseas, has become a digital flashpoint for this clandestine ground war. On July 30th 2000, the site experienced a nearly lethal cyber-invasion by a trio of prowling information warriors who gained access to Antiwar's Internet Service Provider (ISP) and proceeded to dislocate the sites web structure and delete large quantities of data. Fortunately, the intruders left behind several electronic footprints, subsequently traced to three computer-savvy Bosnian government officials. That war-torn nation's continuing financial dependence on American tax dollars and military muscle provides an obvious motive for someone within the Bosnian government to undermine any organization opposed to the cozy and lucrative relationship between Washington and Sarajevo. Additional evidence suggested that the online assault's origin was not as clear-cut as it seemed. Joe Vigorito, owner of Eagle Net, Antiwar's ISP, made the startling discovery that the "DNS server for the IP address was coming out of a [German].mil address on the day of the attack." This portentous revelation seems to point toward military or NATO involvement in the attack. If so, this wont be the first time Antiwar has attracted the attention of the national security state. Vigorito notes that among his many clients, Antiwar "gets attacked more than anybody," and cites "40 or 50 attempts to get into the site" over the past 18 months. "Thats an extremely high number," he adds. In late Spring, the software programmed to tabulate the number of visitations the site receives each day inexplicably crashed after thousands of hits began emanating from a cabal of Pentagon-funded cyber-soldiers known as the Army Computer Emergency Response Team (ACERT). Conceived in 1997 in response to CIA reports alleging a rise in Internet espionage, ACERT was formed to detect cyber-spies, protect military computer networks, and ensure greater Internet security. However, not unlike the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), which promotes its defensive capabilities while wielding the deadly tactical arsenal displayed during the 1993 WACO siege, the program possesses an impressive offensive capability as well. A "hacker demonstration was conducted as part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony," recounts Master Sgt. Joan Fischer in a 1997 article discussing the newly formed military unit which appeared in the Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) Journal. As an ACERT official later explained, it is imperative that one must "think like a hacker and try to break into a system." This offensive strategy was further alluded to in Federal Computer Week (September 23rd, 1999) when an anonymous naval spokesman confirmed the existence of an "Information Operations Cell" used during the 1999 Balkan campaign whose mission included "actions taken to affect adversary information systems." Does this broad mandate include American organizations deemed politically suspect? "Any government functions that are involved in national security can be changed from offensive to defensive in the flick of a mental switch," responds Eric Garris, Director of Antiwar.com. Repeated attacks on Antiwar.com and others may signify a tactical shift in government Internet surveillance. Invasive technology like ECHELON and CARNIVORE may soon be complemented by these proactive COINTELPRO-type measures. Acting under cover of anonymity, state-sponsored hackers have the potential to effectively disable dissident Web sites while remaining free of constitutional scrutiny. Garris predicts that the presence of these online thought cops will metastasize in the coming years. "They're just getting started," he warns. Research by Cletus Nelson [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Feel free to distribute widely but PLEASE acknowledge the source. *** ~~ http://monkeyfist.com/ http://www.magicnet.net/~jza/news.html -- Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Webmail account today at http://home.netscape.com/webmail/ A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational
[CTRL] CELL PHONE RULE GIVES POLICE UNTOLD POWERS
Original Message
Subject: Rejected posting to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: 18 Aug 2000 18:38:20 -
From: "Oscar " [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Mon, 14 Aug 2000 23:51:29 -0500 (CDT) Michael Eisenscher [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
From: radman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2000 15:09:08 -0700
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: CELL PHONE RULE GIVES POLICE UNTOLD POWERS
PRIVACY GROUPS SAY CELL PHONE
RULE GIVES POLICE UNTOLD POWERS
By Eric Rosenberg
HEARST NEWSPAPERS
Washington In what privacy rights advocates say is
a significant threat to civil liberties in the digital
age, law enforcement agencies may soon be able to turn
the cellular phone into a ready-made tool for nosing
around in private lives.
If a federal rule stands up to a court challenge here,
the FBI and local police will be allowed to track a cell
phone user's location or monitor bank and data transactions
made with the device without the need for a court-ordered
wiretap.
Barry Steinhardt, associate director of the American
Civil Liberties Union in New York, said the rule was the
equivalent of ''putting a peep hole in a every new home
through which law enforcement can look. {It} ''means that
cell phones become location-tracking devices, which can
be used to monitor our movements.''
Nearly 100 million Americans use cell phones and an
ever-increasing amount of communications and commerce
including Internet activity is conducted over cellular
phones.
David Sobel, general counsel for the Electronic Privacy
Information Center, a watchdog group, said the government
is ''seeking surveillance capabilities that far exceed
the powers law enforcement has had in the past and is
entitled to under the law,'' he added.
Shari Steele, executive director of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation, a privacy oversight group based in
San Francisco, said that the proposed rule is ''a really,
really big grab'' to expand government's investigative
powers.
Under current federal rules, if investigators want to
tap a phone, either a cell phone or a regular one, they
must get permission from a judge. As part of the petition
for a wiretap warrant, the agency must provide the court
with evidence of probable cause that the suspect whose
phone is to be tapped is engaged in a crime.
But under the new rule, law enforcement would gain the
additional power to track the approximate location of a
cell phone user without having to ask a judge. ''That
gives them a tremendous amount of power they didn't have
before,'' Steele said.
The technology exists to allow investigators to
determine the general location of a cell phone user. The
country is divided into ''cells'' several miles wide that
provide service for cell phone users. By knowing in what
cell a call begins and ends, investigators glean a fairly
good understanding of a user's movements.
The government disagrees with the privacy critics,
asserting that law enforcement agencies need to be able
to monitor cell phones in order to keep pace with
criminals, who are increasingly turning to the devices
and to the Internet to conduct illicit dealings.
The Justice Department said in a court filing in
Washington that privacy interests ''are adequately
protected'' under the rule.
Meanwhile, the use of wiretaps is surging. In 1999,
the number of wiretaps ordered by federal and local
authorities on pagers, cell phones, e-mail and faxes
increased about 20 percent over the previous year,
pushing the total number of government wiretaps to a
record 1,350, according to the Administrative Office of
the U.S. Courts. The Justice
Department accounted for 601 of the court-approved
wiretaps.
About three-quarters of the wiretaps were used in
drug investigations.
In one high-profile case last year, federal agents
arrested 98 people in a drug-smuggling ring stretching
from El Paso to the Northeast. The arrests in part were
facilitated by the use of a 'roving wiretap'' to track
the use of several cell phones used in drug transactions.
The FBI recently ran headlong into a major controversy
over another digital-age eavesdropping capability known
as Carnivore. Carnivore scans the Internet and captures
''packets,'' the standard unit of digital communication
that the FBI also is seeking in the cell phone rule.
Carnivore, which would be installed at Internet
service providers like America Online, scours the on-line
activities of a suspect. Members of Congress and privacy
groups, outraged that the device gives the FBI access to
the entirety of the Internet provider's electronic traffic,
assert that the system is rife for potential abuse.
At issue in the cell phone case is a proposed Federal
Communications Commission regulation issued at the behest
of the Justice Department nearly one year ago. It directed
that by Sept. 30, 2001, cellular phone companies must be
able to provide authorities with the general location
of cellular phone users. Under the
[CTRL] ahem...
Oscar Patterson here [EMAIL PROTECTED] I had to resub to the list under a different name to see what the hell is going on. Yesterday I attempted to post exactly seven posts and had ALL of them bounce. I know it is not because I must wait a full 24 hours to post a whole new bunch because the day before I only posted three. Today, I have attempted to post two messages to the list and BOTH have bounced saying I have exceeded the limit. What the hell is goin on? -- Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Webmail account today at http://home.netscape.com/webmail/ A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"www.ctrl.org/A DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html"Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]/A http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/"ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
