I visit this site daily when I am in town. I dont think we appreciate the amount of free open communication that goes on here. News stories and research are produced at levels that rival most major companies. We take for granted that with the flick of a switch this could all be gone for good. What would we do in those first hours, days, weeks, years?

Hypothetical Scenario 1: ATS gets shut down as a part of Govt. legislation HR1955 or a similar anti-terror, anti-free speech bill.

Hypothetical Scenario 2: The government is cracking down and the police state is now a reality and the nation is being divided to be controlled. Communication is cut off or totally controlled and monitored. Internet is gone or regulated out the waazoo.

Hypothetical Scenario 3: Major disaster event or war. Power is gone regionally or nationally resulting in no internet for a long time.

My point is this. ATS is a rare place where free thinkers can collaborate and communicate across country. It brings us together and makes us stronger. Alone and dived we are weak.

If a police state is about to happen, if the stuff is hitting the fan, you know ATS and free thinking websites will be some of the first to disappear.

What is our plan of action to remain united when our forum exists no more?

I think, in those cases, we're pretty much Fooked. I think that maybe you should find people you really think you can trust and exchange some personal info so if something happened and ATS got shut down, you could still contact your fellow conspiratorialists by other means. Other than that, there's nothing you could do. If it was a major disaster or war, there'd be no fair warning. It would just be gone.

I have been thinking of this myself. We really should try to figure out a way to keep discussions going if ATS goes down.

I think the best technology to use would probably be a irc channel. Its not centralized and everybody with internet access would be able to connect to it, unless they shut down the irc servers.

So I suggest we set up a emergency irc channel now asap, with a selected server name and channel name.


[edit on 30-10-2007 by Copernicus]

There are a few things to keep in mind...

1) We have a reasonably strong law firm and the ability to defend ourselves in the event something like this would happen.

2) There are several "patriots" inside the "system" that appreciate what goes on here, and in the event this unlikely scenario were about to happen, we'd would have significant advanced warning.

3) We are very high profile and about to be even more so... the resulting mayhem of the government "shutting down" a media outlet would be far worse than letting it continue.

4) I have a saying for "scary" situations like this: "This are never as bad as you fear, but once in a while, they're worse than you can possible imagine."


I honestly don't think this is an issue... really. While there are many topics on ATS that could easily be labeled as seditious, in reality we are very tame as compared to some highly-intense racist and anti-bush websites out there. For example, the last time I looked at some of the stats of "those sites," there were over 1,000 distinct blogs/sites advocating the murder of abortion doctors... if anything, those are the people who should be concerned about the legislation.


And in case the fan ever is coated with feces, ATS is somewhat portable and can be hosted offshore.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
1) We have a reasonably strong law firm and the ability to defend ourselves in the event something like this would happen.

2) There are several "patriots" inside the "system" that appreciate what goes on here, and in the event this unlikely scenario were about to happen, we'd would have significant advanced warning.

3) We are very high profile and about to be even more so... the resulting mayhem of the government "shutting down" a media outlet would be far worse than letting it continue.

4) I have a saying for "scary" situations like this: "This are never as bad as you fear, but once in a while, they're worse than you can possible imagine."

And in case the fan ever is coated with feces, ATS is somewhat portable and can be hosted offshore.

Thank you for those encouraging replies to my fearful questions. Far better news than I was anticipating. The lawfirm is sadly a requirement these days.

The ability to host offshore? Mmmm I like the way you think!

Discussing alternative communications and strategy for the unthinkable scenarios is still important, in my view. Its good to get ideas out there and flowing while we can. Just in case.

ATS is a place for forward thinkers, that's why I come here. Fact is, 'after' any of that goes down, you will have a local audience amazed that you were pondering it all 'before' it happened. So let's Ponder!

I have been addicted to the internet since it's inception. Everytime the power goes off in a storm I have to control myself and not have anxiety attacks. I have been known to change hotels if their internet connection goes down.

The thought of not being able to get connected makes me shiver. So, I have a generator in case of a long time power failure. My laptops are very light so I can travel to get a connection.

I believe that in the worst possible event people like the ATS owners will find a way to transmit and we will be able to communicate. We may have to do so under cover but it can be done.

Sounds like an interesting challange to me.

I'll be on the NWO side so I'll hook you back up

I find many here enlightening, but I also find many here that I’m just as happy to keep a good distance from, and will not miss what they have to say. So if ATS was shut down to any of your scenarios I would think what is happening in your neck of the woods (like survival) would hold your interest more than trying to communicate with a group that most likely cannot do a thing for you.

[edit on 30-10-2007 by Xtrozero]

Maybe ATS should set up a shortwave broadcast, just in case. If there was some horrific event that killed the internet, and it's inferstructure (EMP), I'm thinking shortwave radio would be the only way. We could at least get ATS mix that way.

I've been watching this and similarly focused topics here on your site for some time, and would like to add a few thoughts gained through direct personal experience.

Firstly, there need be no overt concern for closure of your beloved interweb locality. With regard to your often rebellious topics, it is far more valuable to observe such chatter than it is to remove it.

Secondly, there need be significant concern amongst reactionary groups that muster both on line and off. I can say with absolute certainty that a significant number of such groups have been heavily infiltrated by, and influenced by, provocateurs. As many of the more astute observers here have written, the goal is to direct these groups toward ultimately self-destructive behaviour.

An amateur SW broadcast would do wonders if worst came to worst...but....Why are we talking end game here ??

Who started the end of times talk ? Sure its nice to think about the future and stuff, bit I don't believe the end of times will happen so quickly we won't be able to get alternative communications out there...

I'm sure the members and owners of this site have this possibility covered...If not, maybe now is the time to put contingency plans in place to deal with a worse case scenario...

Peace

Why, i would be with you guys in spirit.

If the place got shut down i would have to rely on my own intelligence gathering, which is quite dangerous for one of such... *ahem* meagre renown.

Still, if it happens, then i might try and do something about it.

What i fear is that even after the troubles, ATS (and numerous other sites) would be permanently shut down, and i don't like that one bit.

I say we setup our own ham sub system that could still send packet data, or voice in an emergency lots of open amateur freq out there and I think its almost next to free now to get an amateur radio licence. But in the event of total disaster that or gw communication would be the only hope unless some smart thinker puts up mirrors on hills aligned to pv recivers we could then modulate lasers to do rx tx functions on a basic scale. Ideas folks?

Also anyone with a license and existing personal antenna could be a repeater and we could make an internal list of their locations , that way we would keep our own mesh network topology working and redundant.

I think the theories of the entire internet going down will only happen if there is a nuclear war. Corporations all over the world needs the Internet. There is no way its going to get shut down.

I do however think that some sites can be turned off, and blacklisted in dns servers so it doesnt matter if you try and move them around. I have zero trust for the US government.

If they shut down ATS, they will say its because we spread false information or something ridiculous like that. And there will be laws to allow them.

I still think we need a irc channel so we can communicate after ATS goes down.


[edit on 31-10-2007 by Copernicus]

I still think the internet going dead is a real issue, check my post/link earlier in this thread about how it outgrows itself every 4 years. Plus, w/ the communication issues, bills and laws in the FCC's hands -- we could be back to tv, radio and phones at the drop of a dime.

I think friends of friends on ATS should exchange phone numbers and addresses in the case of NWO danger. Hey, you never know. . . .