Gas Pump Sticky Note Campaign Makes Its Way to Grocery Stores

Gas Pump Sticky Note Campaign Makes Its Way to Grocery Stores.

Gas Pump Activism (via Disrupt the Narrative)

Do you have to take these gas prices in silence? I don't think so. All you have to do is download this pdf, print out a few copies and put them, along with a roll of Scotch tape, into your car. The next time you fill up, instead of watching in horror as the dollar amount on the pump races by as the gallons trickle into your tank, afix one of these to the pump. Take care to not cover vital information regarding safety, etc. and don't cover any adv … Read More

via Disrupt the Narrative

A Revolution’s Key Event

Some excerpts from Revolution and the Muslim World:

. . . Let’s consider the process of revolution for the moment, beginning by distinguishing a demonstration from an uprising. A demonstration is merely the massing of people making speeches. This can unsettle the regime and set the stage for more serious events, but by itself, it is not significant. Unless the demonstrations are large enough to paralyze a city, they are symbolic events. There have been many demonstrations in the Muslim world that have led nowhere; consider Iran.

It is interesting here to note that the young frequently dominate revolutions like 1848, 1969 and 1989 at first. This is normal. Adults with families and maturity rarely go out on the streets to face guns and tanks. It takes young people to have the courage or lack of judgment to risk their lives in what might be a hopeless cause. However, to succeed, it is vital that at some point other classes of society join them. In Iran, one of the key moments of the 1979 revolution was when the shopkeepers joined young people in the street. A revolution only of the young, as we saw in 1968 for example, rarely succeeds. A revolution requires a broader base than that, and it must go beyond demonstrations. The moment it goes beyond the demonstration is when it confronts troops and police. If the demonstrators disperse, there is no revolution. If they confront the troops and police, and if they carry on even after they are fired on, then you are in a revolutionary phase. Thus, pictures of peaceful demonstrators are not nearly as significant as the media will have you believe, but pictures of demonstrators continuing to hold their ground after being fired on is very significant.

This leads to the key event in the revolution. The revolutionaries cannot defeat armed men. But if those armed men, in whole or part, come over to the revolutionary side, victory is possible. And this is the key event. In Bahrain, the troops fired on demonstrators and killed some. The demonstrators dispersed and then were allowed to demonstrate — with memories of the gunfire fresh. This was a revolution contained. In Egypt, the military and police opposed each other and the military sided with the demonstrators, for complex reasons obviously. Personnel change, if not regime change, was inevitable. In Libya, the military has split wide open.

When that happens, you have reached a branch in the road. If the split in the military is roughly equal and deep, this could lead to civil war. Indeed, one way for a revolution to succeed is to proceed to civil war, turning the demonstrators into an army, so to speak. That’s what Mao did in China. Far more common is for the military to split. If the split creates an overwhelming anti-regime force, this leads to the revolution’s success. Always, the point to look for is thus the police joining with the demonstrators. This happened widely in 1989 but hardly at all in 1968. It happened occasionally in 1848, but the balance was always on the side of the state. Hence, that revolution failed.

It is this act, the military and police coming over to the side of the demonstrators, that makes or breaks a revolution. . . .

Revolution and the Muslim World is republished with permission of STRATFOR.

Bolding added for emphasis.

Revolutions and counterrevolutions occur in the rest of the world as well. The attitudes of the forces of order and their understanding of where their duty lies is of critical importance, and, as energy prices skyrocket, The Greatest Depression deepens, and the social fabric unravels, gun-totin’, badge-wearin’ union members will get plenty of opportunities to harden or soften. Military Support to Civil Authorities will be requested by politicians, granted or denied on the orders of other politicians, and provided by citizen-soldiers or possibly even Regulars, many of whom will have had previous experience in dealing with masses of non-compliant Iraqis and/or Afghans.

Egyptian Civilian Irregular Psychological Operations

Egyptian Activists’ Action Plan: Translated

A Media Guide For the Journalistically Challenged

140 Letters at a Time

Imagine “Obama is a Communist revolutionary” suddenly circulating, handwritten, on bill after bill of currency, all around the country.

Imagine “Obama is a racist” suddenly circulating, handwritten, on bill after bill of currency, all around the country.

Shabazz isn’t the least bit serious nor does he give a fuck. Intrinsically marginalized, he’s just interested in increasing membership dues

To him, he’s just slyly doing his part as the bad guy in a WWF bout. However, he’s miscalculating the seriousness of his opponent, who…

…is not ‘in” on what Shabazz’s presumes to be a universally acknowledged, tacit joke, lust like wrestling. He’s showing up to play, and..

…he’s gonna get fucking hurt. All this guy wants is the publicity necessary for a recruitment/funding surge. He’s about to find it’s…

gonna cost more than its worth, as the price of a real battle, not a fake one, always is. It’s war, homey, wake up and smell the napalm.

Buy front-and-centering all these soccer moms for a year now, the Tea Party has suckered the Black Panthers into a battle with its armed…

…combat-experienced, best-in-class-trained, elements, that he is neither numerically or tactically equipped to battle in a serious way.

Sirens, I hear ambulance sirens, and I see the loading of many black bodies than white ones.He’s a fucking lawyer by trade, for Christ sakes

This lawyer and his crew of Starbucks and Gold’s Gym Muslims are going to show up and face two divisions of combat vets. Can’t wait.

There is no way in hell that Barack Obama can any longer survive the attacking force of all of his mortal enemies: the Pentagon, Israel,…

…the anti-Iran Sunni Arab states, the entire American business community, the 40% Conservative American voting population, and, after..

…the November elections, the Democrat Party. The guy is fucking done for. For his own safety, he should head to Paraguay.

Now this is just one humble political analyst’s reading of another man’s situation, but, after careful consideration, I have to say, things

look rather grim for him. He last hope is to beat a substantial political retreat. Absent that, elements of the aforementioned forces are

likely to take grim action. That’s my objective analyst’s call.

Pat Dollard’s Twitter stream, Wed 14 Jul 0808-0813

Cough It Up, Patriots

This is your fight, too.

Currently Arizona faces many legal challenges to its recently passed laws dealing with border security and immigration. Arizona is proud to defend these laws which are aimed at protecting its citizens and the great State of Arizona and will be very aggressive in their defense.

If you would like to contribute to Arizona, please click here

Dig deep. Times are tough all over. Few can pack up and take off for Arizona and be of much use. Many can send money which will be useful. Aren’t you tired of feeling powerless?

Arizona thanks you for your support on its border security and immigration matters.

National Defense University Blogging About Civilian Irregular Information Operators

Deterring Chinese Cyber Militias with Freedom Militias

US defenses are insufficient to stop Chinese cyber attacks. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission estimates that Chinese cyber attacks cost the US hundreds of billions of dollars annually. By way of comparison, this is substantially more than the entire Chinese military budget.
What is needed is a threat that is both capable of forcing China to take notice and that it will believe the United States would execute. Such a threat exists. While China’s regime does not appear willing to be deterred by conventional diplomatic or legal complaints, it has demonstrated considerable concern about threats to its censorship apparatus.
The most effective way to threaten Chinese censorship would be for US and partner nations to develop their own cyber militias. Rather than stealing intellectual property and disabling public institutions, however, Western militias would aim at finding ways to bypass Chinese firewalls to spread internet freedom.

There already are American cyber militias. Pretty much the entire Psychological Operation effort intended for the American domestic target audience is entrusted to them. American cyber militia Computer Network Exploitation is a specialty of Internet Anthropologist Think Tank.

The Jawa Report are outstanding American cyber militia Computer Network Attackers and counterpropagandists, specializing in monitoring and taking down Jihadi websites.

Most of the conservative and libertarian blogosphere would love to be involved in disseminating information that annoys the Chicoms and spreads internet freedom behind the Great Firewall. But who amongst the .gov/.mil Regulars dares to work by, with and through Irregular Information Operators in the current political environment?

Also at GlobalSecurity.org

Countering the Cyber Jihad, 2006/04/28

Geek Battalion, 2006/05/01

Virtual Cyber Militias Must Run with the Ball OGAs Dropped, 2007/09/15

The Unorganized Cyber Militia of the United States, 2007/09/26

Wedges and Mauls, 2007/09/30

Irregular Restrictive Measures — Blogospheric Computer Network Attack, 2007/10/11

Plausibly Deniable Cat Herders, 2007/10/19

People’s Information Support Team, 2008/02/24

Fuzzy Bunny Slippers IO — The Rise of Pajamahadeen, Virtual Militias, and Irregular Information Operators, 2008/05/22

Red Chinese Cyber-Militia, 2008/05/29

Civilian Irregular Auxiliary Counterprogandists Contributed To Victory, 2008/11/22

Public Affairs and Information Operations, 2008/12/31

eResistance in Moldova, 2009/04/07

The amateurization of cyberwarfare, 2009/08/09

Janet Contreras and a Whole Bunch of Us

Just saw Janet on TV a few minutes ago.  Glenn Beck called her the Thomas Paine of our age.  He read her letter on his show the other night.   If you haven’t read it yet, here it is:

I am Janet Contreras, a concerned, home-grown American citizen. I’m a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you’re willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I’m not a racist. This isn’t to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don’t you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don’t you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don’t trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we’ll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let’s have it. Let’s say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let’s just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I’m busy. I’m busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don’t want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we’re morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we’re so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn’t ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when hewill rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don’t care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

I recommend you post this on your blog, and paste it on sites you frequent. Need as many eyes on this as we can get. They will rue the day when they provoked the Silent Majority to action.

Virtual Pickets

1: a pointed or sharpened stake, post, or pale

2 a: a detached body of soldiers serving to guard an army from surprise

b: a detachment kept ready in camp for such duty

c. sentry

3: a person posted by a labor organization at a place of work affected by a strike ; also : a person posted for a demonstration or protest

ledger@17

“I think we all know the solution. Obama and his cronies must be dislodged from Office as quickly as possible.Now, as how to do it – I don’t have a clue. There must be some legal mechanism to dislodge Obama and his gang.”

I too ponder the peaceful path. At this stage of the battle, I think “pickets” are critical. Real pickets. Virtual pickets. Avatars with a message. The Web is part of the arsenal available, still.

I think we need to unleash our own corps, online and off (10 people/shifts), committed to incessantly intercepting each and every elected official at their local and WDC offices, during business hours. Ask to speak to the elected official, and/or a spokesperson, if officials aren’t available. Everyday. Different pointed questions. We’ll need an archive of their responses, for later.

Use questions like: About half of the electorate thinks what you are facilitating is financial rape, and that you are criminal in your support of it. How do you respond to that charge? Capture the response on your handicam or cell phone.

This activity will become the most important topic of conversation, whichever way it goes.

Web videos at eleven. Nationwide. Document and distribute hundreds of clips of peaceful civil unrest; overwhelming the coverage of the MSM (even if they decide to cover the incidents). Sign verbage needs to convey clearly how serious we believe the situation to be. A teabag may be too anachronistic a symbol, as we may have passed by a time when dumping tea expresses the extent of our anger.

The frequency of congress-critters and their staffs making themselves available to answer pointed questions from average angry and organized citizens will inform us. I type while reloading.

 

geoffgo, Mar 23, 2009 – 8:55 am

 

 

 

 

Social networking, flash mobs, cell phone videos posted to youtube and replayed at the end of Special Report w/Brett Baier, imaginative, entrepreneurial innovative use of new media, V for Vendetta meets An Army of Davids.  A real People’s Information War.

 

 

 

Get Ready

Hell is coming to breakfast.

greg54444 — Civilian Irregular Information Operator Extraordinaire

Tracing this outstanding example of 21st Century pamphleteering from Chief Reynolds to Roger Kimball to Texas Rainmaker brings us to  greg54444, a Great American who produced this:

Find a spare 8 minutes and 17 seconds in your life and listen to this.

Every Politically Incorrect American needs to hear this. 

Bloggers — put this video up on your blog.

Commenters — post the link to this video on all the blogs you frequent.

Lurkers — talk this up among your meatspace circle of influence.

Maximum dissemination required.

Cyber-Nationalism

Strategy Page calls it a disease.

This new disease manifests itself when an event, or government propaganda, stirs up nationalistic feelings among many Internet users. There then follows much chatter on message boards, email, messaging and so on. This quickly evolves into the organizing of online vigilantes. Nationalistic hackers proceed to do damage to any available target of these nationalistic feelings. Often there isn’t a target, as in the case of a natural disaster, where the mobilized net users concentrate on helping out. But when the news event involves another nation, or person, there follows hacking attacks, of varying degrees of intensity, against the designated “enemy.”

I don’t think nationalism is a disease. I’m an American nationalist myself. What SP is describing is what the American eResistance, a combination of psychological operations and computer network attack by civilian irregular information operators, will look like. We have much to learn from the Chinese, Grasshopper.

Dissent Is Only Patriotic When The Dissenter Is A Patriot

H/T: Outlaw 13. More like these at The People’s Cube.

FM 3-0 INFORMATION ENGAGEMENT for Civilian Irregular Supporters

7-10. Land operations occur among populations. This requires Army forces to contend constantly with the attitudes and perceptions of populations within and beyond their area of operations. Commanders use information engagement in their areas of operation to communicate information, build trust and confidence, promote support for Army operations, and influence perceptions and behavior. Information engagement is the integrated employment of public affairs to inform U.S. and friendly audiences; psychological operations, combat camera, U.S. Government strategic communication and defense support to public diplomacy, and other means necessary to influence foreign audiences; and, leader and Soldier engagements to support both efforts. Commanders focus their information engagement activities on achieving desired effects locally. However, because land operations always take place in a broader global and regional context, commanders ensure their information engagement plans support and complement those of their higher headquarters, U.S. Government strategic communication guidance when available, and broader U.S. Government policy where applicable.

7-16. Psychological operations are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of psychological operations is to induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to the originator’s objectives (JP 1-02).

 

 

Commanders focus psychological operations efforts toward adversaries, their supporters, and their potential supporters. They may integrate these capabilities into the operations process through information engagement and the targeting process. Psychological operations units may also be task-organized with maneuver forces.

Army forces must contend with the attitudes and perceptions of the American voter.   They have to communicate information, build trust and confidence, promote support for Army operations, and influence the perceptions and behavior of Americans.

Somebody who supports the mission has to convey selected information and indicators to American audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of American  politicians, organizations, groups, and individuals.  Somebody who supports the mission needs to induce or reinforce American attitudes and behavior favorable to mission accomplishment.  Plenty of elements who oppose the mission are doing this.  Domestic oppositional elements deter the military from doing this for itself.  Our defenders serve whatever political masters We The People saddle them with.

That Somebody is us.

FM 3-0 Operations for Civilian Irregular Supporters

1-15. Irregular threats are those posed by an opponent employing unconventional, asymmetric methods and means to counter traditional U.S. advantages. A weaker enemy often uses irregular warfare to exhaust the U.S. collective will through protracted conflict. Irregular warfare includes such means as terrorism, insurgency,and guerrilla warfare. Economic, political, informational, and cultural initiatives usually accompany and may even be the chief means of irregular attacks on U.S. influence.

 

1-26. A political analysis also addresses the effect of will. Will is the primary intangible factor; it motivates participants to sacrifice to persevere against obstacles. Understanding the motivations of key groups (for example, political, military, and insurgent) helps clarify their goals and willingness to sacrifice to achieve their ends.

1-34. Joint doctrine defines the information environment as the aggregate of individuals, organizations, and systems that collect, process, disseminate, or act on information (JP 3-13). The environment shaped by information includes leaders, decisionmakers, individuals, and organizations. The global community’s access and use of data, media, and knowledge systems occurs in the information shaped by the operational environment. Commanders use information engagement to shape the operational environment as part of their operations. (Paragraphs 7-10 through 7-22 discuss information engagement.)

 

1-35. Media representatives significantly influence the information that shapes the operational environment.  Broadcast and Internet media sources can rapidly disseminate competing views of military operations worldwide. Adversaries often seek to further their aims by controlling and manipulating how audiences at all levels perceive a situation’s content and context. Media coverage influences U.S. political decisionmaking, popular opinion, and multinational sensitivities.

1-36. Complex telecommunications networks now provide much of the globe with a vast web of communications capabilities. Observers and adversaries have unprecedented access to multiple information sources. They often attempt to influence opinion by providing their own interpretation of events. Televised news and propaganda reach many people. However, in developing countries, information still may flow by less sophisticated means such as messengers and graffiti. Understanding the various means of communications is important. Observers and adversaries control information flow and influence audiences at all levels.

 

1-43. Army forces interact with people at many levels. In general, the people in any operational area can be categorized as enemies, adversaries, supporters, and neutrals. One reason land operations are complex is that all four categories are intermixed, often with no easy means to distinguish one from another. They are defined as—

An enemy is a party identified as hostile against which the use of force is authorized. An enemy is also called a combatant and is treated as such under the law of war.

An adversary is a party acknowledged as potentially hostile to a friendly party and against which the use of force may be envisaged (JP 3-0). Adversaries include members of the local populace who sympathize with the enemy.

A supporter is a party who sympathizes with friendly forces and who may or may not provide material assistance to them.

A neutral is a party identified as neither supporting nor opposing friendly or enemy forces.

 

1-86. The disciplined and informed application of lethal and nonlethal force is a critical contributor to successful Army operations and strategic success. All warfare, but especially irregular warfare, challenges the morals and ethics of Soldiers. An enemy may feel no compulsion to respect international conventions and indeed may commit atrocities with the aim of provoking retaliation in kind. Any loss of discipline on the part of Soldiers is then distorted and exploited in propaganda and magnified through the media. The ethical challenge rests heavily on small-unit leaders who maintain discipline and ensure that the conduct of Soldiers remains within ethical and moral boundaries. There are compelling reasons for this. First, humane treatment of detainees encourages enemy surrender and thereby reduces friendly losses. Conversely, nothing emboldens enemy resistance like the belief that U.S. forces will kill or torture prisoners. Second, humane treatment of noncombatants reduces their antagonism toward U.S. forces and may lead to valuable intelligence. Third, leaders make decisions in action fraught with consequences. If they lack an ethical foundation, those decisions become much, much harder. Finally, Soldiers must live with the consequences  of their conduct. Every leader shoulders the responsibility that their subordinates return from a campaign not only as good Soldiers, but also as good citizens with pride in their service to the Nation.

 

 

 

People’s Information Support Team

A People’s Information Support Team is a Civilian Irregular Information volunteer auxiliary on-line working group collaborating on electronic media engagement of oppositional, neutral and friendly blogs, forums, discussion groups and websites.  Irregulars have no official Table of Organization and Equipment and are under no obligation to follow doctrine, but this particular PIST  is a five-person element composed of a PSYOP officer Team Chief,  a noncommissioned officer Assistant Team Chief, two PSYOP specialists Civilian Irregular Counterpropagandists with photography, videography, journalism or editing skills; and an analyst with linguistic and area studies specialties.

Capabilities to be developed:

Disseminate selected  public information to target audiences.

 

 

 

Counter enemy propaganda.

YouTube Smackdown

Counter enemy Morale Operations

Cheerleader
Attack anti-military arguments
Publicize heroes
Resist infantalization, victimization, marginalization and slander of American soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen

Engage Hostile Media

Relentless, destructive critique of MSM persons and publications
Expose media bias
Resurrect buried stories
Force corrections

 

 

 

 

The ultimate objective of PIST is to convince domestic audiences to take actions contributing to the defeat of Islamofascist terrorists and their supporters. PIST should promote resistance within the  domestic civilian populace against  hostile ideology or  enhance the image and legitimacy of  friendly ideologies.

Steven Metz, Rethinking Insurgency

p. 12 The most common evolutionary path for 21st century organizations—be they corporations, political organizations, or something else—is to become less rigidly hierarchical, taking the form of decentralized networks or webs of nodes (which may themselves be hierarchical).   Such organizations are most effective in a rapidly changing, information saturated environment.20   Insurgent movements organized as “flat” networks or semi-networks are more flexible and adaptable than rigidly hierarchical ones. Resources, information, and decisionmaking authority are diffused.   Such organizations are effective in
environments where rapid adaptation is an advantage.  In the contemporary era, polyglot organizations which combine a centralized, hierarchical dimension (which gives them task effectiveness) and a decentralized, networked dimension (which gives them flexibility and adaptability) can maximize mission effectiveness.

p.28-29 One other type of militia merits consideration. Some analysts contend that the Internet has made “virtual” militias (and insurgencies) possible and potentially dangerous.66 That runs counter to the definition of militias used here since “virtual” militias do not control territory or assume state functions. Perhaps, though, virtual militias and insurgents should be considered a separate category.   Interestingly, just as the emergence of “real” insurgents sometimes spawn the creation of counterinsurgent militias, the emergence of “virtual” insurgents has led to the formation of virtual counterinsurgent vigilantes. One example is the “Internet Haganah,” part of a network of private anti-terrorist web monitoring services, which collects information on extremist websites, passes this on to state intelligence services, and attempts to convince Internet service providers not to host radical sites.67   The logic is that it takes a network to counter a network.   As insurgents and terrorists become more networked and more “virtual,” states, with their inherently bureaucratic procedures and hierarchical organizations, will be ineffective. Vigilantes, without such constraints, may be.

Would you like to know more?

It’s on.

We were ALREADY at war with Iraq, even if you failed to notice that fact

Every day, I see events unfolding that cause me concern, yet the vast majority of my fellow Americans are content to go about their daily lives just as they’ve always done.  They view these events as unrelated, if they take the time to consider them at all, and the threats continue to grow while they remain unalarmed and complacent.

Every day, I feel myself drawing further and further away from those who are too blind to see these many threats, or too apathetic to care.

Complacency kills, you fucking pogues my fellow Americans. 

Kafir Alalazoo is a talented videographer.  Long comment thread at YouTube.  KA is a Jawa, he impressed Uncle Jimbo and he is rising on the same shit lists I aspire to be on.

” This is nonsense on stilts ”

But if the best possible scenario ever unfolds, if peace arrives even in Baghdad, if the government becomes truly moderate and representative, if rainbows break out in the skies and the fields fill with smiling children and bunny rabbits, somebody, somewhere, will complain that Iraq has been taken over by the imperial powers of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Starbucks.   21st Century Ernie Pyle Michal Totten, via StarCMC by way of Tennessean4Bush