You Might Be a Patriot Extremist If............

.......  you pay for your coffee with cash

.......  you purchase storage containers and hydrogen peroxide at the same time.

.......  you use portals or anonymizers to shield your IP address.

.......  you shave off your beard or otherwise change your appearance before participating in paintball.

........  you incorporate hand-to-hand combat into your martial arts training. (did this suddenly become a non-contact sport?)

.......  you carry a backpack when you go to the mall, especially in warm weather.

.......  you own a gas mask or other biologically protective gear.

.......  you have left the country to perform charity work, particularly if it was religious in nature.

.......  you rent a boat for an extended period of time.

.......  you purchase a GPS device and batteries at the same time.

.......  you behave impatiently at the farm supply store.

.......  you deposit money orders, third party checks and payroll checks all into the same bank account.

.......  you purchase firearms and ammunition outside of hunting season.

.......  you make a large purchase from a retail store using cash.

.......  you ask for a room in a specific or remote part of a hotel or motel.

.......  you use a camera or video recorder at a bus, subway or train station.

.......  you purchase water-proofed match containers.

.......  you ask about the fuel capacity of a car you intend to rent.

.......  you pay your rent in cash, especially if you pay it ahead of time.

.......  you are either late paying the rent for your storage unit or you pay for several months in advance.

.......  you get a tattoo in a concealed spot on your body, particularly if you pay cash for it.

Today's list of threats to America has been brought to you by your friends at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  For more helpful hints check out their website, Public Intelligence

Happy Purim! Let's Start a War!

Right now, someone with their finger on the button of the war machine of the United States is saying, "Let's score some points with our friends the Zionist supremacist bankers!  Why don't we celebrate Purim by bombing the crap out of Iran!?!"

Some things have to be shared whether all the readers like it or not, and the topic of PURIM is one of them.  Purim (pronounced  poor-um) is a Jewish holiday that can be celebrated in two very different ways. 

The first, and most common way, is a celebration of salvation of the Jews from Haman through the leadership of Queen Esther.  It is a joyous celebration of the release from oppression.

The second way of celebrating Purim is very dark.  Even though Queen Esther's efforts saved her people, a thirst for vengeance caused some of those same near-victims to rise up and slaughter 75000 Persians in one day in retaliation for a massacre that never happened.

There are certain sects that openly practice terrorism as a way to celebrate Purim.  Some see it as a day to call for war, to plan genocide, and to kill and terrorize those whom they consider "enemies of the Jews". One  fairly recent example of Purim mayhem took place on Purim 1994, when BARUCH GOLDSTEIN attacked a mosque in Palestine, killing 29 and injuring 125 Palestinian Muslim worshippers.  His grave site became a pilgrimage site until a law forced it's dismantlement in 1999.

Historically, Purim has been a day marked by many bloody occurrences, triggered by this second train of thought.

The troubling thing is, it seems that the United States government has been an enthusiastic celebrator of Purim, the dark version, having had a hand in several of the very bloodiest of these episodes of extreme violence.  In fact there is a blatant pattern over the past 20 years:

MAJOR US MILITARY ACTIONS OFTEN

TAKE PLACE ON PURIM.

This underscores the accusations of Zionism control in the United States, begging the question of who is really in charge of our country:  the President of the United States or AIPAC?

Purim 1991:  Desert Storm ended on Purim with the punctuation of a massacre of 150,000 retreating Iraqi soldiers on the HIGHWAY OF DEATH

Purim 2003:  US President George Bush began the INVASION OF IRAQ with his "shock and awe" campaign, an attack of which the legality is still in question, as it was undertaken without the authorization of the UN. This war has an unofficial DEATH TOLL of 162,333 people, and horrifyingly, more than 114,000 of the dead were made up of civilian men, women and children.

Purim 2011: OPERATION ODYSSEY DAWN began with the firing of 115 American Tomahawk missiles on Libya, to end 8 months later with a death toll of more than 30,000 people.

Anyone following the news is well aware of the current tensions in the Middle East.  The United States government has been relentlessly bullying Iran with sanctions and, of course, their presence in the Gulf of Hormuz, despite strenuous objections of the Iranian government.  The media has been trumpeting this information to all who will listen, in order to prepare us for the fact that we'll be going to war....AGAIN.

This year, Purim occurs from sundown March 7 and lasts until sundown March 8.

Mark your calendars.

The next celebration of violence and vengeance, the war on Iran, and potentially World War III, will begin on the same day.

CHAG SEMEACH PURIM.

FARBLUTIKT PURIM.

(Happy Purim, Bloody Purim)



Thanks again, NinaO.  Creds. 

FOOTNOTE TO READERS:

Let's get one thing straight.  Making an observation is not the same thing as passing a judgement.  Disagreeing with the actions of some of a group of people is not casting hatred upon that entire group of people.  In a free country, with the privilege of free speech, we are all allowed to research and report on our observations.  Readers are free to agree or disagree as well.  None of these is inherently racist, bigoted or anti-Semitic.

There are topics that I have avoided writing about in the past because I didn't want my message to be lost in accusations of bigotry.  Please comment respectfully. If the comments section on this post turn into a hate convention, I'll simply disable the comments.  I refuse to see an entire community painted with one brush on my blog.

What is the REAL Reason Behind the March 8 Internet Interruption?

In a highly publicized effort to rid the internet of an extremely malicious virus, the FBI has announced that many of us could be without internet service on March 8.  According to KREBS ON SECURITY, an investigative blog specializing in cyber crimes and computer security,  OVER 4 MILLION have been infected with the virus.

The virus that is being targeted is a DNS CHANGER TROJAN, which is designed to reroute internet traffic to unsolicited and possibly fraudulent websites.

In the US, infections have been found in half the Fortune 500 companies and in the systems of 27 government agencies.

The FBI's plan to rid the world of this virus is to target all systems that are infected with this virus.....and deny them internet service.  Basically it's like quarantining a person with a contagious illness so that he or she cannot infect those with whom they come in contact.

If this is legitimate, the best thing you can do is check out your system to make certain it isn't affected.  The FBI has a WEB PAGE upon which you can type in your DNS information and see if you are compromised.  (PLEASE USE CAUTION AND GOOD JUDGEMENT IN DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO VOLUNTEER YOUR INFORMATION TO THE FBI - personally, I'm opting out of using their site and just running anti virus programs on my own.)

This raises a question in my mind.  If you'll allow a conspiratorial tangent, what better way to sneak in some extra censorship than to cut off the internet when everyone is expecting it?  Denial of communication services could serve nefarious purposes if the government were to simultaneously, perhaps, make use of the allowances of the NDAA and begin rounding up "extremists". 

We live in a country that has been taken over by a government that does not support the Constitution.  Like the early colonists, members of the resistance have systems in place to warn others of danger.  Many of those systems revolve around internet groups, patriot websites and and alternative news media.  The internet is our Paul Revere, galloping across the country via routers and servers, alerting other patriots of impending threats against our freedom.

If I were an unethical "leader", looking for a way to make a big sweep of resistors, I would definitely disable communication as a first step.  The fact that we are all expecting this to happen would mean that nobody would be alarmed by the initial disruption in service. Vast secretive round-ups could occur and no one would be the wiser until all of the victims of those raids were firmly ensconced in Guantanamo, never to be seen or heard from again, as per the provisions of the NDAA.

March 8 - it could be the day the internet died, or it could be much much worse.

A very special thank you goes out to NinaO for collaborating with me on this one....you have a gift for seeing right through the machinations to the reality of a situation.

The Resistance Needs YOU

Not all freedom fighters are decked out in camouflage and armed to the teeth, ready to take on the entire corrupt US government in a bloody fight to the death.

Not all freedom fighters are operating secretly, in little groups, surreptitiously planning ways to undermine the efforts of the NWO and Agenda 21.

Not all freedom fighters fall into the categories of being a grizzled and disillusioned veteran, a crazy young rebel, or a well-groomed statesmen, attempting to get enough votes to be able to implement changes.

If you want to see the Freedom Fighters that will turn America around and take her back to her Constitutional roots, then look in the mirror.  Yeah, you.

It's up to all of us - the regular, everyday Joes and Janes, to take the country back.  The Resistance is going to be made up of soccer moms, grandparents, college students, and construction workers.  The army of the Resistance is you and me - the ones who see what is happening and feel compelled to stop it.

Of course, it's much easier to be an armchair revolutionary, typing "Oooh Rah" on our keyboard in a comment on a Patriot website.  Actually mobilizing to make a difference is more difficult.

The time has come when there must be action behind the thoughts.  No, Men In Black, don't come get me, because I'm not promoting violence.  I am promoting a large collection of voices saying

NO

We have to become the squeaky wheels.  The mainstream media is the enemy and they aren't going to educate people about the reality of what is going on.  We have to make news big enough that they have to cover it in order to answer the questions of the people.  We must use our freedom of speech while we still have it.

Is it risky?  Certainly.  Could it put you on "a list"?  Very likely.  Consider, though, if you are reading this article and others like it, that bell has been rung and you are decidedly on the list of people to watch.  Could I be putting myself and my family at risk for retaliation?  Absolutely - you must be as careful as possible to remain safe.

What it boils down to is this:  No war was ever won, no revolution was ever fought, and no resistance ever succeeded, in which the people did nothing.  Apathy will get you exactly what you are getting now, ever-dwindling freedoms that are given and taken through the machinations of those who are not here to look after the best interests of the people.

YOU are the resistance.  You can choose to do nothing, like a great number of readers will, and just bemoan the fate of the nation, or you can choose to take action.  Even if that action doesn't succeed, every word we say out loud spreads the word of discontent that much further.

Here are some easy ways to mobilize.  Just choose one and take half an hour to fight for your country today:

VOLUNTEER TO AID IN ELECTIONS. 

If there is a vote occurring near you, find out how you can help.  The Republican primaries this year have been nothing but a joke, with  More than a month after the fact, the Iowa caucus results keep getting recounted with different results, South Carolina proved that 953 DEAD PEOPLE  were apparently still civic-minded enough to vote, and FIFTEEN STATES DO NOT REQUIRE PHOTO ID TO CAST A VOTE., leaving those votes open to question as well. As discovered by the Ron Paul campaign, our election system is seriously compromised and many watchful eyes are needed to make sure the rules get followed. 

REFUTE THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Instead of simply preaching to the choir on patriot websites where everyone is on the same page already, consider logging on to the mainstream news sites and spreading your truth there.  Use the comments section and spend some time putting seriously considered comments to exposes the lies and the blackouts of the media.  Don't let your message get lost in abusive language or insults, simply take the time to submit a rebuttal to the status quo.  This is one way to get the word out to people who rely simply on the mainstream.

USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO YOUR BENEFIT.

Despite the fact that I spend lots of blog time sharing the pitfalls of Facebook, Google and the rest of the nation's cyber spy system, I consider it to be knowing my enemy.  Many people can be reached through social media networking that might otherwise remain in the dark.  I have over 700 "friends" on Facebook, having lived in a lot of places.  Every time I post a link to a good article on my Wall, those 700 people are exposed to it.  If 10 of the 700 say, hey, that's interesting, and share it, then I reach all of their friends too.  Social Media is a tool that can get the word out in exponential numbers.

If you aren't on Facebook or any of the networking sites, just your own email contact list is another way to share information.  Find a blog that points things out in a way that you'd like to share?  Forward it to everyone on your list.  If you don't want to hit everyone, target the people that you think might be starting to see that something is wrong in this country.

PROTEST

While I'm not 100% on board with the goals (or lack thereof) of the Occupy movement, the thing I am forced to admire is how they MADE the media cover them through sheer volume of the people who showed up.  No matter what awful things the Gestapo police put them through, they continued to stand strong. 

The Occupyers brought a lot of media attention to the abuses of the police and to the fact that their right to peacefully assemble was being denied.

The solidarity of standing with others against injustice is not to be underestimated.  Engage respectfully and protect your safety, and then go out there and say "NO."

BE THE SQUEAKY WHEEL

We've all heard that phrase, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Well, be that squeaky wheel.  When you see injustice or trampling of constitutional rights, say something and say it persistently.  You can send emails to all parties involved.  You can send emails to groups who would be likewise appalled by what you've discovered.  You can ask for meetings with local councilmen and law enforcement bigwigs.  You can write letters to the editor of your local paper.  You can make flyers and stand there and hand them out to let people know what is going on.  You can take your local government to court over infractions.  However far and publicly you take it is up to you.  Just remember to engage intelligently and persistently.

DON'T ALLOW MEDIA BLACKOUTS

We've all been witness to the ongoing media blackout of the Ron Paul campaign.  Dr. Paul has been ignored, disrespected and treated as a third line candidate.  Only through the well-coordinated efforts of his staffers and volunteers does he receive the positive publicity given for free to the other, more governmentally cooperative candidates.  Other media blackouts include:
Monsanto's former executive MICHEAL TAYLOR HAS BEEN HANDED THE REINS OF THE FDA
In Sicily the mobilization of thousands of citizens in THE PITCHFORK MOVEMENT (they don't want us to get any bright ideas from the Sicilians)
The complete echoing lack of coverage of the SYRIAN CRISIS

We can combat media blackouts by making sure the alternative websites get the stories.  We can also inundate the mainstream media sources with emails asking why a topic is not being covered.  We can send email blasts using their contact pages, as well as pointing it out vigorously in the comments sections.


This Resistance to the tyrannists who have overturned the government isn't going to be won by guns blazing and bombs going off.  It is going to be won by everyday people saying

NO

Please share comments or ideas about local ways that people can get involved and bring to light the subtle undermining of our way of life.  Don't be an armchair patriot!  Get involved today - do ONE THING to shed light on a dark evil corner of new fascism surreptitiously creeping it's way across America.



How to Become a Government Spy in Three Easy Steps

If you thought that your childhood dreams of being a spy were dashed on the rocky cliffs of reality, have I got news for you!

The Department of Homeland Gestapo Security is looking for spies right now.  In fact they are actively recruiting everyday folks in the name of anti-terrorism to perform surveillance.  Your country needs you, my friend!

The requirements are not as stringent as you might think.  Back when you applied for that position in the FBI, you needed a certain degree, an impeccable record and a background check. 

Today, all you need is a check list and access to a phone or a computer. It really is that simple, so let's get started and fight some crime!


STEP ONE:

If you SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING.  The DHS has a website chock full of tips to allow you to determine whether your neighbor has a bomb building facility in his garage or if he's just planning to dig up and fertilize a big garden.  There's even a patriotic acronym to help you remember what information a good spy should provide.

S SIZE:   note the number of people in the group, details of their appearance, gender and approximate ages.

A ACTIVITY - describe exactly what they are doing.

L LOCATION - document exactly where the suspicious activity taking place

U UNIFORM - remember what they are wearing, including shoes

T TIME - provide the date, time of day and duration of the activity

E EQUIPMENT - be able to describe the vehicle, camera, weapons or suspicious packages

STEP TWO:

Go undercover as....yourself.

No matter what your occupation, the DHS has a flyer for you. The FBI has produced a series of handouts to help you get your junior agent badge.  These "suspicious activity reporting flyers" can be found at PUBLICINTELLIGENCE.NET.

The "threat menu" provides linke to documents that will help you spot a budding terror cell in the following settings or occupations:

Airport Service Provider

Beauty Supply Store

Pharmacy

Bulk Fuel Distributors

Construction Sites

Diving or Marine Shops

Electronics Stores

Farm Supply Stores

Banks and Financial Institutions

Hobby Shops

Home Improvement Stores

Hotels or Motels

Internet Cafes

Shopping Malls

Martial Arts Studios

Paintball Arenas

Mass Transit

Military Surplus Stores

Peroxide and Explosive Vendors

Rental Car Agencies

Rental Properties and Apartment Buildings

Moving Van Rental Businesses

Storage Facilities

Tattoo Parlors

Of course, these locations don't give all of us the opportunity to surveil those around us.  For the rest of us, thankfully, there's WAL-MART.  We all know that Wal-Mart is a veritable hub of terrorist activities but the DHS has it covered, with ads promoting "hometown security" at a check out near you.

(HINT: Be especially certain to keep a watchful eye on those people purchasing excessive amounts of rice...it's a dead giveaway that the buyer is an anti-government extremist.)

STEP THREE

If all else fails and you are stymied with your observations of your friends, neighbors and coworkers, you can consider a career change and become a HOT DOG VENDOR and be personally trained by the TSA.

Through a branch of their FIRST OBSERVER PROGRAM,  a secret spy organization comprised of school bus drivers and other transportation providers, the TSA trained over 8000 hot dog vendors and park employees covertly to keep their eyes open during the Superbowl.  The fearless trainees were instructed to beware of those wearing hooded sweatshirts, using a video camera, recording the action on a cell phone or having the audacity to drive a van to the big game.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Folks, it's never too late to live your dream!  Being a secret agent has never been easier.  You have been empowered by the United States government to look out for your country and become a hero.  Songs will be written about you and children will venerate your name...it may even be added to the Pledge of Allegiance. 

You, my friend, have been recruited to rat out your neighbors to save the country....it's time to take action and kick some terrorist butt!

(Please Note:

Secret Decoder Ring is

not included in membership

and must be purchased

seperately.)

Cell Phones: The New Bat Signal

In the United States there are more cell phones in use than there are people.  CELL PHONE USAGE IN AMERICA IS CURRENTLY AT 103%.  Basically this means that virtually every person in the United States has one or more cell phones currently activated and in use.

Cell phones seem like an innocuous way to keep in touch with the kids, to access the internet from any location, and a way to call for help if your car breaks down.

In reality, though, the phone attached to your hip is not so innocuous.  This part of everyday American culture is little more than a personal locator that can be activated at any point in time by persons who may or may not have our best interests at heart. Because it's entertaining, modern and cool to have, we gobble it up without a second thought towards our privacy.

Your locator beacon mobile device has a lot of little tricks of which you may be unaware.

Since 2002, the FCC has mandated that ALL cellphones be equipped with a GPS locator.  The technology was mandated under the guise of response to 911 calls.  ALL cellphones can be tracked to within 50-200 meters of your physical location.

That's great if you need to call 911, but where does that leave you in terms of physical personal privacy?

Well, not only can the government and law enforcement locate you at will, regular folks with nefarious purposes can also do so.  Dozens of websites like howtotrackacellphone.org can help anyone channel his or her inner James Bond.

If your cell phone is with you and turned on, you may as well shine the bat signal into the sky and say, "Come and get me!!!"

The reality is that anyone can locate you at any time.  YOUR CELL PHONE IS A PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON.  For law enforcement purposes it will find you using the same technology used on a parolee with an ankle bracelet.

The invasion of your privacy doesn't end with merely your physical location, however.  

The FBI can use something called a ROVING BUG with which they can tap into your phone calls, unbeknownst to you.  Not only can they listen to the calls made on your phone, but they can activate the microphone and listen to conversations you are having in proximity of the phone.  Even if the phone is turned off, the microphone can be activated. The only way to escape the roving bug is by removing the battery.

In Michigan, the state police have a handy dandy little device called a "data extractor".  A MOBILE FORENSIC EXTRACTION DEVICE is a hand held gadget that can take information directly from your cell phone, such as recent text messages, phone numbers dialed, and calls received.  It can also gather deleted information, user passwords and file dumps.  The Michigan State Police have commented that the device is only used with a warrant or with permission.  Thank goodness we can always trust what police officers say...oh wait...it isn't against the law for them to lie. 

The FBI, by the way, is where it's at for cool gadgets these days.  A technology called TRIGGERFISH actually simulates a cell tower, taking your call and routing it, while also, of course, listening to it and pinpointing your location.  The fun of Triggerfish is that no warrant is necessary.  No probable cause is required.  The users of this technology answer to no one regarding their snooping.

All of these things can be classified as "for the greater good."  We can find missing children via the GPS in their cell phone.  Police can see if the occupants of a vehicle pulled over for a traffic stop are joking via text about the drugs or firearms in the car.  The FBI can heroically catch the bad guys.

There are some ways to protect yourself...read THIS ARTICLE  to find out how...but keep in mind, despite our best efforts to defend ourselves from intrusion, Big Brother has more resources to find new ways to keep an eye on us.

Unfortunately all that good stuff comes at a very high price.  That price is the freedom of your very thoughts and personal communications.

The words penned by Benjamin Franklin way back in 1759 are ringing eerily prophetic in today's technological police state.

 "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

What If Someone Could See Everything You've Ever Googled?

What if there was a little box that could be placed in your home that could.....

.... track every Google search that you ran?

.... see who you email?

.... see from whom you receive emails?

.... watch your keystrokes to learn all your passwords?

.... turn on a camera and watch you at any given time?

.... gather information about your likes, dislikes, political affiliations and religious beliefs?

.... dispense all of the above personal data to fusion centers, whose only purpose is to put together profiles of you and your family?

As it turns out, there is such a box, and if you are reading this, you're on it right now.  You not only voluntarily brought this device into your home, you paid good money for it.  Your computer is spying on you.

The home computer is bar none the greatest information sharing device ever created.  We can study anything our little hearts desire.  We can meet other people anywhere on the globe who have similar interests to us.  We can be kept constantly up to date with news, communication with friends and family and updates to our inboxes about myriad topics.

Unfortunately there is a dark side to having a home computer.  A home computer means that someone else could have constant access to US.



Here are just a few little tricks that your computer may be up to, unbeknownst to you.

GOOGLE:

Google has the best reputation in the world as a search engine extraordinaire.  But the times are changing and Google is becoming less and less trustworthy. 

First there is the Gmail scandal.  If you are a user of the free email service, you may have noticed that the ads running down the side of the homepage seem uniquely targeted to your current interests.  That is precisely because they ARE - Gmail scans every single email sent, gleaning information for "advertisers".  That's right, every single email you send through Gmail is read.  Apparently it is read by a computer, but the point is, your emails are not private.  Password, smassword.

Next there is the issue of censored searches.  Unless you specifically use keywords that will hook you up with alternative news sources, Google searches are now directing you towards the most politically correct answers.  Gone are the days when you can simply type in, for example, 9/11, and find information that is provided based on ratings - now you actually need to already have the source that you want the information from to get a clear picture...for example, "Infowars 9/11.  Some websites, like Infowars, are no longer coming up in Google searches unless you include them in your search terms.    At the end of 2010, Google blacklisted Infowars and Prison Planet from it's search aggregates, despite the fact that those sites get more hits than many mainstream media sites that show up front and center.

Finally, let's talk about Google's new "privacy policy."   As it turns out, that policy isn't keeping very much private at all.  As of March 1, in an effort to its ads to the tastes of individual consumers, Google will integrate information from all of it's services, including the search engine itself, Youtube and the aforementioned Gmail.  Google refers to this as a "more intuitive Google experience."  Unfortunately for users who prefer more privacy, there is no option to "opt out" of this information gathering and sharing.  Check out THIS ARTICLE that recently appeared in The Washington Post for more information on the new lack-of-privacy policy.

YAHOO

Not to be outdone, Yahoo also "analyzes" the content of your emails. And according to their guide for compliance with law enforcement officers, Yahoo hangs on to your information for far longer than the privacy policy states they will.  Here are some alarming statistics, directly from Yahoo, wrapped up in a menu-priced
17 PAGE GUIDE

~  All IP addresses that you use to log into your Yahoo mail account are retained for one year, giving an excellent way to track your movements, find your workplace, or see who you visit.
~  Instant messages and chats are logged for a minimum of 60 days.
~  The information provided to law enforcement agencies is not a matter of civic duty - the major communications companies all have "price lists". The US Marshall Service admitted to having PRICE LISTS FOR DATA INTERCEPTION SERVICES from Yahoo, Verizon, Cox Communications,  and ComCast.

FACEBOOK

Over half a billion people worldwide voluntarily provide information about their personal lives, their friends, their families, their religious beliefs and their political agendas on Facebook.

Nowhere can be found a bigger fountain of personal information.  As a way to increase the information Facebook learns about it's users, when a person is logged into Facebook on a computer, a cookie tracks all other sites visited on that same computer.  If you are logged into Facebook, the door to your home computer usage is wide open.

Facebook uses facial recognition technology to "tag" people in photographs.  Facebook is also like the evil town gossips, making assumptions about you based on who your friends are.  Ads that are targeted to your "friends" can also make it onto your own page. Facebook figures you'll have the same interests.

Facebook uses GPS technology to post the location where photographs have been taken and/or uploaded, making even your physical location public information.

Skype

Purchased in May of 2011 by MICROSOFT, Skype is the world's #1 provider of VoIP services.  Two years before making the purchase Microsoft began efforts to patent technology to intercept VoIP calls. 

The information can be used in many ways.  Criminally speaking, credit card numbers, social security numbers or other personally identifying information can be easily procured.  Information and keywords gathered from phone calls can be used in legal proceedings.  Data-mining techniques can be used to gear advertisments and marketing based on conversations that you think are private.

Even more alarming is the fact that once Skype is downloaded on your computer, it is possible to turn on your webcam from a remote location.  That's right.  You might be sitting there reading the latest blog from your favorite afghan-knitting granny and somebody, somewhere, might be looking back at you.

You owe it to yourself and your personal security to learn as much as you can about how your computer, your home and even your thoughts, if you are careless enough to type them in somewhere, can be accessed.

FUSION CENTERS

Finally, know that fusion centers really do exist and they are the final clearinghouse for all of this information.  Sometimes loosely cloaked as "marketing research" facilities, they have systems for corralling the information gleaned from your computer usage that will provide a very complete profile of you.  That profile may contain information about your relationships, your sexual orientation and fantasies, your political ideologies, your religious beliefs, your family, your friends, your bank accounts, where your money comes from, photo recognition profiles....absolutely everything there is to know about you. 

The fusion centers are the real threat - if personal freedoms continue to erode at the current rate, you may one day be deemed an enemy of the state based on your Facebook status updates.  Information compiled there could, potentially, make you a target of the government.


Personally, I have no intention of ceasing my usage of the internet.  The internet and the continuous access to knowledge make this a great time to be alive.  I will continue to do my research, I'll continue to share my opinions and information.  But I will do these things knowing that nothing is private anymore.

Big Brother is not just watching - he's making a scrapbook.