Dan Feidt's log on Minnesota, Information Operations, spinstorms and latent contradictions.
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
Starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away
You better stop, hey what's that sound, everybody look what's goin down...
There is one thing you really ought to reflect on this week. Halliburton has a contract to build detention centers in the United States now. Upon some random catastrophic event (or as they say in conspiracy land, a False Flag terrorist attack orchestrated by the government to start Fascism®™), then all the political subversives get taken away. This is the Angry Paranoia™ version from PropagandaMatrix: "Halliburton Detention Camps For Political Subversives" (admittedly it's funny, and I personally nearly ended up in the New York Political Dissident Holding Tank pictured, so I can relate). But this is totally for 
real. Here is the KBR/Halliburton press release:
KBR Awarded U.S. Department of Homeland Security Contingency Support Project for Emergency Support Services
ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 24, 2006--KBR announced today that the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) component has awarded KBR an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contingency contract to support ICE facilities in the event of an emergency......
With a maximum total value of $385 million over a five-year term, consisting of a one-year based period and four one-year options, the competitively awarded contract will be executed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District. KBR held the previous ICE contract from 2000 through 2005.
"We are especially gratified to be awarded this contract because it builds on our extremely strong track record in the arena of emergency operations support," said Bruce Stanski, executive vice president, KBR Government and Infrastructure. "We look forward to continuing the good work we have been doing to support our customer whenever and wherever we are needed."
The contract, which is effective immediately, provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to augment existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) Program facilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs. [sounds juicy!] The contingency support contract provides for planning and, if required, initiation of specific engineering, construction and logistics support tasks to establish, operate and maintain one or more expansion facilities.
The contract may also provide migrant detention support to other U.S. Government organizations in the event of an immigration emergency, as well as the development of a plan to react to a national emergency, such as a natural disaster. In the event of a natural disaster, the contractor could be tasked with providing housing for ICE personnel performing law enforcement functions in support of relief efforts.
Ahh the Post-Nuclear Bird Flu concentration camps of North Dakota. 2008 will really be a doozy.
I am intrigued by the Russian moves on HAMAS, because Russia is always intriguing. Russia is huge, they are playing games with the energy (when they shut off the European gas, it was a clever way to remind everyone they can make the European winter very cold & expensive). Israelis are plenty pissed with Russia about the Hamas thing -- Bee stings not bear hugs in Haaretz. More on this later but I don't want to deal with it now. Raimondo on this.
Hamas Assumes Control of Parliament. On the new Hamas agenda: 'learn to queue like the British'
Meanwhile all these strange things are happening in Israel (what else is new). "Hilltop - or down-to-earth? By Avraham Burg" about the crisis of religious Zionism - the Gaza withdrawal kinda shattered the settler messianic theology of "build this settlement or God breaks out the lightning bolts for YOU." So are religious Zionists going to get pragmatic or not?
Favorite Internet List via the geniuses of GorillaMask: The 213 Things Skippy is No Longer Allowed to Do in the U.S. Army: This guy who was in psychological operations (around Albania apparently) made a list of things that were expressly forbidden - either because he did them, or was asked about it and ordered not to do said things. There are some damn good ones:
2. My proper military title is "Specialist Schwarz" not "Princess Anastasia".
3. Not allowed to threaten anyone with black magic.
4. Not allowed to challenge anyone's disbelief of black magic by asking for hair.
7. Not allowed to add “In accordance with the prophesy” to the end of answers I give to a question an officer asks me.
10. Not allowed to purchase anyone's soul on government time.
11. Not allowed to join the Communist Party.
12. Not allowed to join any militia.
13. Not allowed to form any militia.
14. Not allowed out of my office when the president visited Sarajevo.
20. Must not taunt the French any more.
21. Must attempt to not antagonize SAS.
22. Must never call an SAS a “Wanker”.
23. Must never ask anyone who outranks me if they've been smoking crack.
24. Must not tell any officer that I am smarter than they are, especially if it's true.
26. Never tell a German soldier that “We kicked your ass in World War 2!”
29. The Irish MPs are not after “Me frosted lucky charms”.
31. Not allowed to let sock puppets take responsibility for any of my actions.
32. Not allowed to let sock puppets take command of my post.
41. “Keep on Trucking” is *not* a psychological warfare message.
44. I am not the atheist chaplain.
49. Not allowed to trade military equipment for “magic beans”.
51. Not allowed to quote “Dr Seuss” on military operations.
54. “Napalm sticks to kids” is *not* a motivational phrase.
58. The following words and phrases may not be used in a cadence- Budding sexuality, necrophilia, I hate everyone in this formation and wish they were dead, sexual lubrication, black earth mother, all Marines are latent homosexuals, Tantric yoga, Gotterdammerung, Korean hooker, Eskimo Nell, we've all got jackboots now, slut puppy, or any references to squid.
59. May not make posters depicting the leadership failings of my chain of command.
60. “The Giant Space Ants” are not at the top of my chain of command.
66. There is no “Anti-Mime” campaign in Bosnia.
67. I am not the Psychological Warfare Mascot.
68. I may not line my helmet with tin foil to “Block out the space mind control lasers”.
69. May not pretend to be a fascist stormtrooper, while on duty.
71. I must not flaunt my deviances in front of my chain of command.
75. May not conduct psychological experiments on my chain of command.
84. Must not use military vehicles to “Squish” things.
85. Not allowed to make any Psychological Warfare products depicting the infamous Ft. Bragg sniper incident.
94. Crucifixes do not ward off officers, and I should not test that.
106. I may not trade my rifle for any of the following: Cigarettes, booze, sexual favors, Kalishnikovs, Soviet Armored vehicles, small children, or bootleg CD’s.
140. I am not authorized to sell mineral rights.
155. Teaching Albanian children to taunt other soldiers is not nice.
158. The revolution is not now.
162. Past lives have absolutely no effect on the chain of command.
174. Furby ® is not allowed into classified areas. (I swear to the gods, I did not make that up, it's actually DOD policy).
198. Not allowed to lead a “Coup” during training missions.
I was a bit suspicious this was recently written by some recruiter-like guy to make the military seem more palatable, but it's apparently quite a few years old, and he's not in the military any more. It is too bad they are tangled up in all this mess - really such sarcasm ought to be the general mission. Mineral rights?
Blogs are getting big at the U for classwork. Strib website is messed up. Can you believe it takes three steps to even find the index of reporters & staff?
If you can do this ridiculous bouncing object thing for more than 18 seconds, you are amazing.
United Arab Emirates chosen for sub-orbital tourism spaceport. What more can I say?
Christopher Hitchens is a fat boozy British son of a bitch who has believed in everyone from Trotsky to Wolfowitz. Which admittedly isn't very far. But between bottles of scotch he likes to act like some kind of demented nanny: "Garrison Keillor, Vulgarian". Who cares? I don't know. Sorry I wasted your time.
The Recording Industry Jihad. They are trying to screw everyone using the DMCA to say that you can't make backups of your own CDs, as they claim this is basically the same as piracy. So, for them, "Freedom" means "if you break your CD, you are free to go to Sam Goody and Buy a New One," rather than the current legal arrangement, "you are allowed to make fucking backups, because this is not East Germany."
The [submitted arguments in favor of granting exemptions to the DMCA] provide no arguments or legal authority that making back up copies of CDs is a noninfringing use. In addition, the submissions provide no evidence that access controls are currently preventing them from making back up copies of CDs or that they are likely to do so in the future.
A bit more here.
The Onion: Senate Ethics Committee To Meet In New Ethics Committee Mansion.
Sorry that's all for now. Happy Mattress Sale Day.
Posted by HongPong at February 20, 2006 12:48 AM