Targeted physical attack takes aim at Epilepsy
by Steve Ragan - Mar 31 2008, 17:00
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Thank you Steve for acknowledging that this isn't an isolated event. The hooligans at 7chan /b/ attack epilepsy forums periodically.
Thank you for the article.
I think it explains a lot that didn't get explained in the Wired article, mostly because there just wasn't time with that one.
I really appreciate informative journalism.
I really wish people would move past the scientology thing. It has no real relevance to this discussion. Some of the attackers could be in the anti-scientology movement, or not. It doesn't really matter. Whether they are anti-scientology or not had nothing to do with their choice to attack and epilepsy forum. It's just
I'm glad the CWE stuff is in here, too. I think it's sad to know this has happened before and nothing was really done to get the word out. (Not saying that's CWE's fault, looks like was attempted and didn't happen.) But, if the word had gone out, maybe this last round wouldn't have been as successful.
I hope law enforcement and the site operators will do something to catch these guys.
Since Bgodley has a post here:
He describes 'Anonymous' pretty accurately, except 'Anonymous' has a moral standard and that is the moral standard of each individual who are anonymous.
Instead of disconnecting your children from information online, I'd advice you to talk with them more and to involve yourself in their lives.
As for epilepsy, look up the stories of epilepsy sufferers Tory Christman, Heribert Pfaff and Jocelyne Dorfmann.
Bgodley ,
I hardly see what relevance your being a Scientologist has to do with this matter.
Shame on you using this tragedy as an opportunity to flaunt your ideals and promote your beliefs in the wake of this awful event. I can\'t say i\'m surprised though.
If the truth be known the CoS does not agree with medication administered by medical professionals for the treatment of epilepsy , or any medication at all .
Left to the care of organisations such as your own , many many more fatalities would occur as a total ban on medication for this condition is recommended by this organisation.
Deaths like that of sufferer Heribert Pfaff Scientology doctors prescribed vitamins for Herbert -despite regular attacks ,instead of treating him with proper medication
All thought Anonymous has been known to participate in malicious activity in the past (I know. I've been apart of it for awhile now.), we have never done anything to physically harm a person in the real world. We harm internet reputation, mostly. We never take our lulzy attitude into the real world. Our first attempt ever to take it into the real world was with the Church of Scientology protests (Well, I take that back. We've done SOME things in the real world...such as spoil the ending to a new Harry Potter book...but, besides that...nothing else.)
I would like to say that this is a CoS tactic, it's something they have been known to do in the past.
'ENEMY: SP Order. Fair game. May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.'
Mr. Anonymous, this is indeed consistent with the past actions of both Anonymous and Scientology. You can't really say that it was or was not either one of them. Let's see of they get caught, whoever they are.
I agree with VIr.
These apologetics are right out of the Scientology KSW (Keeping Scientology Working) handbook. Small wonder. In one of it's first posted threats, anonymous made it public knowledge that they were going to refer to Scientology's own playbook in their campaign.
If anonymous thinks the accusation of assaulting people via their computers is a bum rap, they should get WIRED Magazine to print a retraction. I don't see them doing that. Instead, I see them spamming message boards with damage control and spin doctoring, right out of the Scientology playbook.
I am a critic of Scientology. Anonymous has been courting and seducing the critic community, and has gotten previously credible critics to adopt the image of anonymous, to picket wearing Guy Fawkes masks, to attach the Motto of anonymous to their sig lines, to adopt the Credo of anonymous, to adopt the LINGO of anonymous, and to mount verbally abusive attacks on sincerely concerned people (like me) who wish they would dissociate from this image. In addition, I have been 'disconnected' (a Scientology action) because I speak out against aligning with or apologizing for anonymous because SOME OF THEM are not violent, abusive, sociopathic thugs. Unfortunately, some of them ARE. This means adopting their image is a big mistake for people who are innocent of the crimes some of them commit.
Nevertheless, the legitimate critics of Scientology (whose ranks consist of many people who suffered at the hands of Scientology) are being encouraged to wear what amounts to gang colours and show up at pickets arranged by anonymous. This is after Scientology was bombarded by DDoS attacks, pizza bombs, taxi bombs, white powder attacks affecting the entire community, black faxes, crank calls, and other activities which are both felonious and immoral. This makes Scientology appear to be the innocent victim of hate crimes, which under our current laws- IT IS.
According to anonymous, they started these attacks because Scientology pulled a pirated video from YouTube which Scientology owned the copyrights to. They also said they are doing it for the LULZ.
I wish I could make the legitimate critics of Scientology drop their overt association with a movement that started on such dirty ground. But they won't. Anonymous offers them numbers of warm bodies to show up at pickets, which anonymous organizes. Since some of the illegal activities of anonymous fall under the provisions of the Patriot Act as domestic terrorism, everybody who shows up at these events in masks is a potential co conspirator. In addition, Scientology now has the right to investigate them individually in reference to exercizing it's civil rights to practice it's religion unmolested. There is precident to convict picketers of Scientology, google Keith Henson. Anonymous is incriminating all the critics who ascribe to it's methods, adopt it's image, and show up at it's organized events.
It has been stated on another forum that the owners of the targeted site had been attacked by these anonymous thugs in the past- prior to anonymous attaching itself like a leech to Scientology and the critic community. If I were the legitimate and honourable members of the anonymous community, I would do everything I could to dissociate myself from their image. BUT THEY DON'T. They continue to use the logo, masks, mottos of the original thug movement. And come onto these message boards to do damage control.
Sigh.
Anyhow, if anybody would like to examine the effect of anonymous on the critic community, please visit Operation Clambake Message Board.
I would love to see people adversely affected by anonymous to post there. Good people should not apologize for thugs by saying, 'but they are not being thugs NOW...'. They should turn in the bad actors. Otherwise, they appear to be aiding and abeting and apologizing for their crimes.
Love,
Os
'This is after Scientology was bombarded by DDoS attacks, pizza bombs, taxi bombs, white powder attacks affecting the entire community, black faxes, crank calls, and other activities which are both felonious and immoral.'
Wilkes, I hope you and Terryeo can produce some evidence that Anonymous
has sent fake anthrax, you guys have been making this accusation for months now, I guess you must have some factual basis for it. Isn't it illegal for you to not provide this information to the police? But I think most people think that this epilepsy attack was done by some punk kids and the only reason it's coming up now is Scientology has to grasp at
any straw to make it's critics look bad.
As a Scientologist, I once considered these protests to be the hubris of youth, misdirected by the seedy side of an internet culture. But now I know better.
After reading the information gathered some anti-Scientology sites I now understand why they consider the Church to be an evil tyrannical organization that fleeces it's parishoners. If it weren't for what this little campaign has turned me onto, I would just be another sad commentator on the, I am sorry to say, gullibility of the people of my Church. However, this organization has taken on a much brighter side no matter what is professed by some of those in my Church. I was interested in finding out where some of these kids got their info so I visited the sites including the partyvan site where their 'organization' started from.
I must say I was impressed at the profound and thoughtful overtones of the discussion boards. Most were actively calling for peaceful, law abiding behavior at the protests, and they swiftly rejected any ridiculous calls for burning things, overturning cars, etc. In this age where we as Americans are being constantly reminded of how insecure our way of life is in the world. Where we seem to have lost some of the sanctity of personal freedom and the joy of pursuit of our way of life as we see fit, this campaign seems to be exactly what Scientology and our country needs, right now! These individuals know the Church is involved in some nefarious activity, and they have been very active in gathering any evidence of it, which they have promptly given to authorities.
I have seen proof that the Church is fleecing people for profit and run as a pyramid scheme type of business, and I encourage everyone to contact the IRS, your representatives in Congress, and all other authorities and bring them your claims.
Now I clearly understand that what the spokespeople of the Church of Scientology are doing is inciting malice and prejudice. Make no mistake not all in Scientology are the same and some probably just don't know what they are doing. However, they are some pretty nasty characters in there, I have seen it.
It is unfortunate that the leaders of Scientology feed off of our youth to pursue their personal agendas of acquiring wealth and power. Quite despicable really.
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BgodleyMar 31st, 2008 - 18:08:10
As a Scientologist I have been following the activities of Anonymous for a couple of months now. I will say that not all of the group are as malicious as the attacks show. However, there is a definite dark faction of Anonymous that will engage in these types of attacks. If one were to see the communication on some of the message boards and Youtube videos you would get a flavor of the types of persons that align themselves with the Anonymous group.
As a 'collective', this group does not promote any leadership but some within this group are very active in setting up web sites, organizing functions and other such events. There is no moral code that they follow and more importantly no way that they can even enforce on if they had it. So no one person can speak for this group no matter how benevolent they try and state their intentions.
What we are seeing is a degradation of our culture in that many in this group do things like this for laughs. They mock, degrade and now harm in an effort to get some type of personal joy from the effects. Sort of like a kid throwing rocks on the freeway with potential hazardous results.
Unfortunately it is becoming more accepted to allow this behavior. The web is becoming filled with gossip columns which is on the same order of of covert pleasure in someone else's troubles. All we need to do is look at an every day magazine stand to see that we are dropping into this seedy band of covert hostilities. Where people pretend good intentions while wedging a knife firmly in your back.
We have a choice as a culture. We can stand up for our principles and take measures to stop this dwindling slide of our way of life or we can bury our heads and turn on another movie.
We all need to take responsibility for things like this happening and we need to take responsibility for our way of life. It is definitly under attack and you can fight back or you can succumb, the choice is ours. If you are a parent talk to your kids. Get them to turn of the video games and start looking around at the real world. They are being sucked into an electronic existence where reality and fantasy are becoming meshed where it begins to be hard to separate the two.
Be concerned and do something. Don't let yet another tragic event go unchecked and don't assume the 'it has nothing to do with me' attitude. That is the exact attitude that allows things like this to get started in the first place.
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