“Handles,” “aliases” and “noms de guerre.”
A long-time reader writes regarding about “handles”, “aliases” and “noms de guerre.”
"Ann Barnhardt makes a pretty good case that guys like me ought to come out of the closet, so to speak. What sayeth you?"
My reply:
There are folks who lurk, take notes and stay dark. Such folks are the ones who scare the shit out of the PTB. (Think weaponizing the idea of the 3%, especially the 100 Hundred Heads Life & Casualty Company.) There are others who post, and by posting tip their hands to the surveillance state. An argument can be made that they should go public if possible. I say, "if possible," because there are others who would suffer retribution at their jobs if they posted publicly. There are others who are known to the surveillance state but they pass on critical tips to folks like David and me without suffering retribution. Still a useful form of resistance. It is therefore too much of a blanket statement to urge everyone to come out in the open. Each person has to evaluate his own situation.
19 comments:
Handles, aliases and "noms de guerre" also harbor the fear of the unknown, a small but effective tactic we have against the enemy in state.
There are many, many hard core Patriots among us who in fact train every day in plain sight completely unnoticed. They conduct extensive surveillance, assess the enemy, run scenarios and dry runs. They are the people next to you on the range whispering to each other. (Hint: They might also be the riflemen who shoot tiny little groups with any weapon in their hands.) They are your neighbors and fellow church goers. They are in line with you at the grocery store and the gas station. Their anonymity is one of their greatest assets.
Part of the reasoning for concealed vs open carry is that with open carry the bad guys can treat obviously armed people as immediate targets whereas concealed carry leaves them guessing and thins out their ability to act decisively.
I feel that a similar argument can be made on this topic.
does anyone really think, in the age of the NSA, that hiding behind a handle works?
does anyone think that just because you don't comment,they don't know who reads what?
this is a 2-sided coin..yes, they probably know who everyone is...but they also know how many of us there are. that should scare the crap out of them.
There is a time and a place for stealth.
Thomas Paine wrote and distributed his famous pamphlet "Common Sense" anonymously.
Ms. Barnhardt has a good point. If someone uses a nom de guerre on line and I run into him at a gun rights rally or some such place, how can I be sure it's he and not some Fed impersonator? There's a place for openness, and a place for secrecy.If you're being secret for a good reason, remember that you're secret from your own allies as well.
I'm pretty sure there are strong arguments both ways. Lotta people, after all; that's a lot of different values and goals.
I'm even more certain that the last line wraps it up---"Each person has to evaluate his own situation."
Does that c#nt really think people are stupid enough to "come out" after the IRS is going after Bathhouse Barry's enemies? Even the cancer patient that pointed out Obongocare failed her got visits from multiple agencies. That c#nt she needs to be demanding Voter ID so voters can come out of the shadows.
I agree with you that allowing readers to post as they wish is the best policy.
Moderators have the ability to delete inappropriate posts before they ever reach the board. They may also add a caveat for posts that might create extensive controversy.
Some people add their names if they wish. I use my Google ID because I am the only person in my state with my name. Allowing me to do so gives me some protection from casual harassment.
Often the comments are more interesting, if posters are able to say what they really feel, without each word they type being aggregated to them.
Dedicated, interesting and knowledgeable posters comment here. The trolls and sock puppets eventually give themselves away.
In the computer age, the right to be anonymous is rapidly diminishing. Think of it as being able to carry a protest sign without wearing a nametag.
Our movement should be thought of as the IceBerg.. only the top 20% is visible..
Yank III
T. Paine has a point; "HIPS" or hiding in plain sight is pretty good camouflage as long as you follow the R.O.E. and keep it reasonably dull-looking and innocuous. As recent press releases from Ed Snowden confirms, what we have known already for years, EVERYTHING is scooped by the surveillance state. Everyone is under surveillance and "hiding" is pointless - let the good guys actually know you're with them. Use startpage.com to do a secure search of "total information awareness" if you're not familiar with the term. Anonymity is both an asset and a liability. As a leader of a publicly visible and constitutional militia for over 15 years, I have noted that the dimwits who get scooped by the federal jackboots (low-hanging fruit, really) are the ones who use pseudonyms and who organize like militia in groups that allow people to use pseudonyms among themselves. These are the people who are known to the feds but who don't REALLY know everyone who they're training with. Nobody knows who these guys are but the feds... So as Mike says, it really depends on your situation. Discretion, as they say, is the better part of valor. I agree with Ann Barnhardt *AND* Mike so let me just close by saying that there's no harm in transparency for MOST of us, but if you're in certain occupations, it's better not to be seen openly waving the flag. Caveat Lector.
I've been doing this a loing time, there is no hiding.
Y'all don't really think that "ExtraChrispy" is my real name, do you?
I cherish my privacy. Anonymity is a means to that end. I have not used my real name online in well over a decade. People who know me, know who ExtraChrispy is. People who don't know me have no reason to.
We all know who we are.
That's the most important thing to remember when the ball drops.
We mostly know who the others are.
That counts too.
Good points!
I went public four years ago when I started writing for Breitbart. I agonized about the decision before making it.
I don't judge anyone who stays behind the curtain, especially a guy who has a job, a wife, and little kids. Those last two categories count more than anything else.
You have to weigh that against the added gravitas that accrues to being out there on the record, under your real name.
In any organization, there will be people with different roles. From general on down to cook and mechanic. Not everyone needs to shout from the rooftops. Some folks need to read, wait, and be ready. Oh yes, and practice their marksmanship. You don't have to talk much to be a good shot.
I have no doubt that the state knows who I am, but then they knew who I was when I started reading SSI and other verboten gun blogs 6 years ago.
It's true that my move from the lurker category to the occasional commenter category might raise me a few notches on The List. I figure though that if Opfor ever gets this far down The List, that's going to entail such a spectacular amount of badness all around that being a few notches higher or lower on The List is likely to be the last of anyone's worries.
Anonymity is a many-layered thing though. My commenting in this fashion still leaves me employable in the private sector, absent a focused effort by TPTB to follow my job search efforts and sandbag me with each individual prospective employer. ...and at risk of repeating myself, I reckon that TS will have unmistakeably HTF long before anyone's worked their way far enough down The List to pay me that kind of personal attention.
Therefore by my personal calculations based on my own personal circumstances I can afford this indulgence without betraying my responsibility to my family.
#HOBO#
Come out? LOL Are you serious? Example to not doing so- I have a friend that rails against the regime daily. His credentials are impeccable. The guy literally has been there done it and got the T-Shirt. Two years ago, he was audited by the IRS, then again this year. We're talking about an 80 year old guy on SSA, retired military, no trust funds no secret swiss bank accounts.
Now.. Why use my real name?
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