+2 more
posted on Jun, 3 2015 @ 01:50 PM
This happened a few years ago. Shortly after, I stopped reading and posting on this site for some time.
In another neighborhood in another city hours from where I live now, I knew a man who knew a lot about local law enforcement. He seemed to be retired,
and never specified his former position, but also never bragged on it. He just knew stuff, and enjoyed sharing relatively innocuous bits of it
sometimes. He'd stop by to bum cigarettes off me and we'd talk about all manner of subjects. He knew everything about the town, and had lots of
anecdotes about what it was like during the late 60s, and so on.
Without naming the city in question, I'll say it's small but well-known, and in commuting distance to a genuine Big City. Through the 50s to the
70s, both cities, due to their strong countercultural movements, are on the record as having had a huge amount of intelligence activity, safehouses,
etc. To me, this is mundane. Anyone who has read about the history of the CIA and military intelligence in the US knows 90% of the work is dull,
ordinary, or otherwise like any other job, except for the security measures (and in some corporations they're not so different).
My friend's stories, over time, seemed to indicate he had been connected to undercover work in "radical" groups, though I sensed he hadn't
personally infiltrated them, but was probably involved with analyzing data. He had no animosity towards such groups as such, but seemed instead deeply
interested in humans in general, with a kind of fondness for humanity despite what he saw as its antics and foibles.
During the time we were acquainted, I became more active here on ATS. I enjoy reading on many subjects I don't necessarily believe are based in
empiricism. From Fortean high strangeness to alternative models of world politics, I never get tired of the edges of human thought and experience. I
might find some ideas amusing rather than persuasive, but rarely do I see a tale which is pure nonsense. Somewhere in there are some truths, if not in
the details related, then in the diversity and variability of human perceptions.
I didn't mention any of that to my friend directly. But our conversations made it clear we were both skeptical of official narratives inherently, and
both agreed most important events and processes occur secretly, or are occluded.
Once, I noticed what seemed to be a low-flying, shiny object off the normal flight paths (the city is near several airports).
"What's that?" I asked my friend.
He smiled in a way I'd seen before, a kind but almost pitying smile. "Homeland Security," he said wryly.
Later, maybe in the same conversation, he said: "Listen, let me give you some advice. Don't look at the sky." It was odd. I'm not a "chemtrail"
person, and I didn't express any particular fascination with the sky. But it was like a warning, not that I would see anything overt, but that
watching the sky and thinking about it too much would only worry me to no purpose.
The best, most interesting thing he told me: "There's tunnels, you know, access tunnels all under the city. We could walk from here to [next city
over] underground."
He didn't say things like that very often, or with much gravitas. He was almost mischievous about it: here's a little secret that isn't very
secret. He wasn't paranoid, and he never made outrageous claims. He was a clear thinker. Mostly we discussed philosophy and politics, but in a
removed way, abstract, not tied to current events.
He could be very pushy at times. He became pushy about introducing me to a man he knew. He was subtle at first, but I gathered he'd be offended if I
didn't agree, so eventually I found myself taking a ride with this other man. Right away, I sensed something was off. My friend's friend was very
different. He was intense, focused, both sharing a lot of information and asking a lot of sudden, odd questions. I thought oh, he's a bit strange in
the mind is all.
Then his questions meandered to a point. He mentioned the "New World Order". He started asking me what I knew about it, what I thought. His
questions and remarks were uncannily identical to threads I'd been reading on ATS--not in general, but a lot, and all around that time. Everything he
said seemed to hint at one basic point: did I believe in all this, and would it lead me into some kind of dramatic or violent action?
He acted as if he believed it, but from my reading here, I sensed his presentation was false. He knew all the talking points, but he lacked an
understanding of the distinctions between various theories/models proposed by different kinds of people. He wasn't disorganized, but rather too
organized, as if he'd studied people who think that way as a whole group, and was trying to emulate a gestalt.
Of course, I'm far from violent or inclined to the stuff he hinted at. And his act was so awkwardly blatant I felt like saying "Really, Officer,
it's cool, I'm not dangerous."
After that encounter, I started to avoid my friend, but I was so shaken by how specifically his friend referenced the exact stuff (and I'm not
talking about books everyone in the subject knows, but personal theories and encounters) I'd been reading here, I decided to quit for a while.
That's it. It really happened. I'm pretty sure he was checking me out for signs of going unhinged, or possibly even trying to entrap me. I don't
think much of it now. These things happen all the time. Still...it was a heck of a ride.