Political Plants on ATS

I am relatively new here to ATS so this is the first time I have witnessed the madness of election season. At first I was in heaven because I love politics so I was right there in the center of the storm posting threads and responding like an eight year old who drank a gallon of Extra Caffeinated Coke and has ADHD.

After awhile though I began to become disenchanted with the content being posted. For my part I was mostly sharing News stories, which really is not what ATS is all about we all have the internet and can read the News on our own time. So I stopped. Then My participation was limited to replying to other threads. And then I began to see that there was an obvious agenda (of course silly its political season) to take one candidate or the other down a few, or many, notches.

Then in the last day or two this thread Disinfo On High Traffic Forums was posted by PPLwakeUP. It was a real eye opener.

Specifically the content posted by Blackop719:

Taken straight from the SCL site:

Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) is the world’s first provider of strategic communication solutions that can change minds, reduce casualties and manage major incidents.

Our History

Formed in 1993, SCL is a successful project company with 12 years experience of managing and executing military and humanitarian strategic communication campaigns for governments worldwide.

Its customers include NGOs, police departments, military forces, municipal authorities, and the UN.

During this time the company has invested nearly $20 million into research at the Behavioural Dynamics Institute (BDi), the world’s leading authority on persuasion, communication psychology and public diplomacy. The powerful new methodologies developed from this research are proprietary to the company and have allowed SCL to help its clients achieve outstanding results through the use of strategic communications.

SCL was formed as an agency that did not rely on creativity (such as advertising) for results, but on proven scientific method. The demand for the agency grew out of the failure and frustration many clients experienced when trying to apply traditional marketing techniques to non-commercial issues, such as resolution of wars and civil strife, strike aversion, international crises and riot control.

SCL’s management board comprises: Chairman Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Pattie PC, Chief Executive Nigel Oakes, Directors - Alex Oakes and Alexander Nix, and advisory board members Rear Admiral John Tolhurst CB, Peter Varnish OBE, Dr Andrew Stewart, Lord Birdwood and Lord Ivar Mountbatten.

Funding for SCL has been provided by a number of private high net worth individuals all based in the UK.

Now I always figured there may be some people on ATS with some sort of agenda but I really NEVER considered the possibility that there was such an organization that could be utilizing methods to sway the public’s opinion.

Now I am not saying that there is some high powered company with plants on ATS but I am saying it is a possibility. Further more, back to my point, I have noticed that there are some individuals who are recent additions to the ATS community that are predominantly posting political threads of one ideology or another.

So my questions are as follows. Do we have political plants here on ATS? Am I simply paranoid? How would a community flush out potential plants? We use the term “witch hunt” for a reason and I am in no way attempting to begin one here, so how would a site like ATS monitor and act on such possibilities?

Originally posted by Animal

So my questions are as follows. Do we have political plants here on ATS?

With the traffic ATS generates it would be foolish to ignore it, so I'm pretty sure there are people here who have an agenda. Hell, Obama has an entire team designed to fight rumors on the net, You can bet they drop in here on a daily basis.

As for how to flush them out or stop them, why would we want to? They have a right to their opinion, even if they're getting paid to push it.

The membership of ATS is generally smart enough to make up their own minds as to what is fact and what is opinion. I am anyway.

I hear you.

What I notice is how Ron Paul is excluded despite his popularity but both the candidates we have are in agreement with current policy of war and more war.

That's twisted or staged or something. It doesn't sit right.


sarc

Having been in the thick of politics all my 61 years I can assure you that seemingly normal people do become rabid when it comes to their favorite candidate.

This rabid state knows no boundaries. That sweet little old grandmother, that timid little man down the street, and even the teenagers that seem to be in a fog most of the time can and do become fierce advocates of their preferred candidate during election time.

Ever been to an election party after the polls close to await the results? It's a madhouse of anticipation. The energy in the room oozes out of the tiniest crack in the building.

No agency needs agents to cause disinformation during election times. We, the people, do it for them. We all have an agenda.

reply to post by dizziedame


Avery good point thank you for sharing it I will do my best to try to learn for your years of experiance.

Still I am the paranoid type so....

We need a good witch hunt here on ATS. I support a witch hunt.

OzWeatherman and Semper Fortis - who cuts their paycheck?

Why dies oz magically appear at every chemtrail thread? How does he manage to stay on them until they die?

Originally posted by doctormcauley
We need a good witch hunt here on ATS. I support a witch hunt.

OzWeatherman and Semper Fortis - who cuts their paycheck?

Why dies oz magically appear at every chemtrail thread? How does he manage to stay on them until they die?

Hmmmmmmm burning witches leaves the Mod room all sooty and the least senior mods grumbling about having to clean up.

But on a serious note, perhaps OZ and Semper post in those type of threads because that is a topic that they find interesting? A huge chunk of my posts are in the aviation forum and I wade into EVERY Boeing versus Airbus discussion but that does not make me a Boeing employee or anything.

Many members have a favorite topic and will follow and participate as many threads about that particular topic. With the political season upon us many posters are signing up to debate the upcomming election. Are some of them paid to do so? Perhaps, but unless they admit as much, its hard to tell for sure. All posters are held to the Terms and Conditions of the site and some people are more single topic focused or passionate about thier chosen candidate.

But on the other hand it isn't fair to the MANY "regular" posters who want to discuss chemtrails or other weather phenomena when the regular people come on and dominate the topic when many of us layman would like to discuss the observations we have made without being shut out by supposed experts who don't want to allow average discussion'


I think this should be moderated a bit more closely because it almost seems like info control.

Originally posted by interestedalways

I think this should be moderated a bit more closely because it almost seems like info control.

The only info control on ATS is making sure that the members are within the T&C's of the board. I was once a mod and I can give you my word this is absolutely true.

I will never fear what someone else has to say, whether I believe them or not is up to me.

As far as disinfo agents go - I think it's a given. The mainstream media is dominated almost entirely by corporate-military-industrial (broadly speaking - money) agendas some of which play out as party political and capitalist industrial information wars.

By comparison the decentralised structure of the internet provides a kind of wild west frontier of genuine unfiltered information exchange. Forums like ATS provide an ideal conduit. Why would it not be tapped into and exploited? Companies like Strategic Communication Laboratories would have the expertise to provide the necessary subterfuge.

Unsurprisingly, a major target for government planted disinformation is Wikipedia: Wikipedia, the Source of Disinformation

Couple of things to look out for:
Multiple identities - Poster offers the same personal anecdotes on different threads under different user-names.

The weak advocate - very effective. Seems to be attacking government line but does so using duff information or poor arguments. One or more disinfo agents can argue against the weak advocate using better logic, grammar and sources. In this way the thread is swamped by a pseudo-argument that can only go one way. Sensible objections by genuine posters can be largely ignored in the melee.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they not out to get you.
Anonymity is a double edged sword.


[edit on 3-7-2008 by EvilAxis]

No, it would be wrong to stage a witch-hunt for political plants on ATS. Anyone with a brain and a mind and a political opinion can be considered a political plant, inasmuch as he is executing a service for his chosen political candidate in the interest of swaying a few votes and in anticipation of a favorable political outcome.

That's why anyone talks politics to begin with, to provoke a conflict and hopefully to influence a few bystanders in one political direction or another. And that's why people for ages have observed that, if you don't want to get bloodied up in a political fistfight, then don't participate in political discussions. Period.

Same thing goes for religion. If you don't want to take part in a melee, then don't talk religion. This isn't something new and peculiar to ATS forums. Go sit in on any forum anywhere on the Internet, and you'd swear that there were political and religious "plants" everywhere.

And there are. Except that they're just normal people with opinions who choose to vent. They're not witches who need burning.

When I signed on to ATS about 19 months ago, I plowed into every topic like a pig in a wallow, and I hammered a lot of ignorant atheists and pseudo-scientists and brainless 911 conspiracy theorists and seething political neophytes. I have no idea if I set any of them straight — I seriously doubt it — but I derived a great deal of satisfaction in blasting those asshøles out of the water.

However, because I often chose to be the devil's advocate, I was eventually pegged as a "Disinformation Specialist" by a few birds out there with ruffled feathers. They were following me around, dogging me for months, warning others not to engage me because I was a plant of some sort. This, of course, was a load of bullshît.

I kept my wits and humor about me through that ordeal, even modifying my member title and avatar to reflect the "Disinformation Specialist" aspersions — it was a slap in their faces, set their brains on fire with rage. But now they're gone and I'm still here.

So I have some experience with witch hunts, from the perspective of the witch. And it sucks. If I was a less emotionally stable sort, I may have buckled under the onslaught, but I didn't. There are millions of others out there who might not enjoy the same degree of flexibility, and they will freak out when villagers carrying torches start chanting at their doorsteps.

What I'm saying is, witch hunts are wrong and hurt innocent people. I can laugh it off now, but somebody else may not find it so funny. Besides, once you get the ball rolling, it's hard to stop hunting witches, and the next thing you know you're hunting commies and Jews and anyone who doesn't agree with your dogma. And before long you've put ATS out of business.




[edit on 7/2/2008 by Doc Velocity]

Mod Note: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 7/6/08 by FredT]

Originally posted by mrwupy

Originally posted by interestedalways



The only info control on ATS is making sure that the members are within the T&C's of the board. I was once a mod and I can give you my word this is absolutely true.

I will never fear what someone else has to say, whether I believe them or not is up to me.

i can see it this way as well and think this is wise. it is up to each individual to the research.

i would love to say witch hunt, witch hunt! and get those who don't have a clue what they are talking about but just continue to slander the other while leaving unanswered questions about their own candidate unanswered, but that is why i should never and will never be considered a mod. lol

there is also the case of ppl like me that became jaded toward it all and bc of all this extreme right and EXTREME left propaganda, i have found myself becoming quite passionate and defensive toward what this nation REALLY stands for........ and that's not such a bad place to be. for the first time since the talk about this election, i have turned over my decision to NOT vote and decided to vote. this could not have happened had i not seen and been upset by the ignorance some will go to in order to get their candidate out there.

ultimately it is the choice of the individual to buy into or not buy into what they want. seems sad, but that is what decides the fate of this country which is ultimately what was meant to happen... meaning it was always up to us to be informed and decide which direction we go in.

whether we like it or not, that is the american way. can't blame ppl being misinformed on anyone else but themselves.

still, good info to be aware of.

Mod Edit: Fixed quotes

[edit on 7/6/08 by FredT]

I wholeheartedly agree that everyone has a right to express themselves on ATS.

The point I was trying to make earlier is that there are times and certain subjects which draw a regular circle of members who claim to be experts in anything that happens in the sky. Be it weather, planes, trails, etc.

I understand a person with knowledge wanting to share that knowledge, perhaps for the purpose of educating the rest of the membership as to some things which could be considered false beliefs, or misunderstanding.

BUT..................

There is a consorted effort by a group, or groups of individuals who force thier understanding based on thier supposed expertise in the field of all which happens above our heads when we look up, and frankly I would like to be able to discuss such matters with others besides the so called experts dominating each and every thread when such discussions are brought up.

Say if I worked in the field of maybe theology or biblical study and I had a team of about 5 or 6 others I consorted with. Would it be fair for myself and my aliases to dominate each thread regarding such discussion? NO, it wouldn't. There is a time to share what you know and a time to back off and let others have thier say. No man is an island and if the same few play and jest and make 10 post or more per page what is happening is the information IS IN FACT being controlled because most posters acting alone simply don't have the energy to keep coming back and reading the same ole explanation that was given on the last 30 threads, which by the way I thought was against the T&C as far as posting same content thread after thread.

Ok, my rant is over.

Originally posted by interestedalways
There is a consorted effort by a group, or groups of individuals who force thier understanding based on thier supposed expertise in the field of all which happens above our heads when we look up, and frankly I would like to be able to discuss such matters with others besides the so called experts dominating each and every thread when such discussions are brought up.

WELCOME to the WONDERFUL WORLD of DOGMA...

Again, this isn't exclusively an ATS curiosity. This same sort of thought and idea control is in force all around us in the world, 24/7/365. Just consider all the things that you don't wonder about, the things that most people take for granted — The Ironclad Facts of Science, The Inevitability of Death and Taxes, The Inviolability of our Mandatory Free Education System, the concepts of Social Safety Nets, Gay Rights, Racism, Feminism, Naziism, Hate Crimes, Fossil Fuel Dependence and on and on and on...

These and a thousand other discussions are largely accepted as the "pressing issues" of human life on Earth, and we're daily bombarded with mind-bending propaganda on each issue to reinforce our acceptance. Most people don't even attempt to enter these discussions, because they rightly believe that the dogmatists will descend on them like locusts. Most people simply accept this as the state of the human condition.

"What is the world coming to? Ah, well, can't do anything about it. Why even try?"

And that's what keeps the dogmatists in power.

These and a thousand other "pressing issues" are nothing but tightly defended circles of thought that exist not to enlighten us but to patrol and put down all opposing views or fresh examinations. None of that shît even exists outside of our minds, yet we're conditioned not to question the status quo.

The only thing that we can do is to consistently keep challenging the "facts" that the dogmatists are using as both a shield to deflect fresh inquiry and as a club to destroy new thoughts and better ideas.

Here endeth the foaming rant.




[edit on 7/2/2008 by Doc Velocity]

Originally posted by doctormcauley

Why dies oz magically appear at every chemtrail thread? How does he manage to stay on them until they die?

Perhaps because he actually knows what he;s talking about and naively hopes that if he tells the truth time and time and time and time again it might finally get through to those who only believe what they see on youtube?

Nah, that'd be daft though. He must be a CIA/Reptilian/Narnian operative paid $100,000 a year to make those posts. That's far more likely innit ....

Let's face it: if you had a question about some meteorological phenomena you'd seen and didn't understand, who would you rather respond to your questions?

If your car broke down would you trust a mechanic with 20 years experience or a 17 year old supermarket checkout girl to be most likely to tell you what was wrong with it?

And the more pertinent question: why when they don't give you the answer you want, when the inexplicable turns out to be mundane, do you turn on them?

Interesting sociological question

the thing about plants is that they won't flourish if you don't water them
"Being There" is a good movie about that

reply to post by Animal




Hey Animal....glad to see that you were also taken back by the information that was on that company web site. It pretty much confirmed what I knew all along.

One would have to be seriously ignorant to believe that soem of these folks arent here to try and sway public opinion in some fashion or another. ATS is a big site and a lot of people read here, so best believe the spooks want to reach that target audience as much as anyone else.

Wont name any names but I get the feeling I have encountered one of these people here just recently. You can see a fine line between someone simply disagreeing with what you are posting as opposed to someone who out and out launches an attack trying to suppress or undermine what it is that you are saying.

I for one could care less. It is still a free country as far as I know, and their presence wont sway my thoughts or alter my approach. It is what it is, they can like it or not like it, but they cant stop it.

reply to post by BlackOps719


Thanks for posting the information in the first place man.

Originally posted by doctormcauley
We need a good witch hunt here on ATS. I support a witch hunt.

OzWeatherman and Semper Fortis - who cuts their paycheck?

Why dies oz magically appear at every chemtrail thread? How does he manage to stay on them until they die?

A witch hunt hypes everybody up when things get boring same same.

ATS is privately owned. Its rules are like all the others' rules about manners not content.

I wonder -- when I hear Granny talk about things -- whether everybody can make it here.

She would piss off the Pope.


sarc

[edit on 3-7-2008 by sarcastic]

Where do I go to apply to this company. Sounds like a real good gig if you can get it..wonder what it pays to sit on the computer and just disagree with everybodies point of view???

Zindo