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Hacks and Other Sounds of the Night

We had intentioned to publish two more newsletter issues this year; one in October and another in December, but that was not to be.  Beginning in August we began experiencing probing activity ‘en masse’ whenever we were updating our webpage to our servers.  The activity progressed into September-- although we notified our ISP (Internet Service Provider) several times, the activity persisted.

Later in September we were hacked and our site was down from September 26^th until October 22^nd, so our first newsletter had to be postponed as we struggled to resolve the source code issues that ran havoc upon our website.  We were able to be operational through most of November but once again on November 28^th, we began experiencing new difficulties updating our site, this time thanks to our telephone company.

Some of you have kept abreast of the developments and read our notices regarding the obstacles being placed in our way; the following is a description of what transpired and how we interpret these events.

For some reason our website, its content, is being perceived as a threat by person or persons, who perhaps fear exposure in some manner or form.

As most of our loyal readers are already aware, this website's content was made unavailable from 09-26-06 through 10-22-06 as a result of an intentional hack of our website by a third party. The attack was subtle yet devastating since it created a malicious crisis of 'logic' for our software by altering the file structure of our data.  Simply put, even though our data continued to be present on our servers, the titles of the files changed, therefore the software couldn't 'find' what it was 'looking for.'  A virtual induced state of amnesia, or 'computerized Alzheimer's', was created.

Then Just after Thanksgiving our telephone service was altered; providing us with a dial tone but an inability to make telephone calls, thus we were unable to update the website.  Once again we were ‘down’ until 11-28-06.

After some ‘digging’ we discovered that our phone service had been changed on VERIZON’s computer system. Someone changed the computer’s protocols when dealing with our telephone account so as to only respond to rotary dialing (also known as PULSE).

PULSE is an antiquated system that was superceded by TONE dialing in the late 1960’s.  As a result of this change we could neither make calls on our TONE based telephones nor could our computers connect to the Internet.

Why would our telephone service be changed to the antiquated rotary service?  Well that's a question to ponder.

Our service seemed normal, as we picked up the phone we heard a dial tone and we could receive calls but we couldn't make any. This provided someone with a neat way to create a plausible wiring fault explanation at our location; so as to blame our inside wiring as the culprit; except when we disconnected our inside wiring-- the problem persisted at the NID (phone service entrance box).

Therefore it wasn’t the inside wiring, as VERIZON personnel tried to convince us. We later had the problem identified as an alteration to our phone service.

So our new found difficulties, this time, were rendered by someone at VERIZON who had access to setting computer protocols on customer accounts.  Yes, the proverbial 'inside job'.

Was it a mistake, or was it instead a deliberate attempt to ‘knock’ us off the web.  Hmm, well what do you think?

Our Interpretation of Events

If anything, we believe that these attacks symbolize a manifested will to silence us, given our non-mainstream version of the analysis of truth regarding current events that we have always sought to present to our readers.

Do we give up? No. Today, our intention remains the same; to serve our readers, and expose those who seemingly profit with impunity, by violating the principles of our American Constitution, and the inherent code of civilized society.

Machiavelli, is not among our heroes, but rather we place him on the list of malefactors and destructors of our world.  Corruption has many adherents, but it is society at large that ultimately pays the price.  We refuse to be silenced; refuse to look the other way; refuse to profit at the cost of others' misery.

Eventhough it seems true to form, today in America, that the lessons of Machiavelli's Prince are embraced by many in government and 'business,' we are sure that, in time, they will be unmasked and defeated by the forces of conscience and principle; or if not, then surely by the excesses of their own greed. Avarice has no true friend and many enemies, both known and unknown to it.

In our own case, we 'stumbled', but arise once again, our spirit more committed than ever, no matter the odds against us, because even if one day we succumb to the forces against us, we shall prevail--our spirit unwavering and unbroken to the principles of a better world for every human being on the face of our planet-- whatever their religious beliefs, color of their skin, sexual orientation, or economic standing. Our heroes are Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine, tempered by the spirit of John Paul Jones...

We all deserve a better world, an egalitarian one, one empty of war, violence, or the oppression of others for profit.  We have striven to create a website that embodies such a spirit, such a hope; hope for a better world, an existence bounded by equality, fairness, and reason.  It is unfathomable that such ideas could be deemed so threatening.

Yet, I know that my fellow human being is my brother. The happiness I seek for my own, could it be that he also not seek the same, in peace, for his?

What a paradise our world would be, if only we had the courage to embrace each other as brothers, and imagine our planet Earth as a place to be revered and conserved, rather than exploited and ravaged solely for profit's sake.

Across the silent night of winter, amid the sonorous threats, and putrid grins of avaricious Machiavellian fat men, I choose to hear instead the poetry of John Lennon reverberating in my memory--yes he was right; Imagine war is over; Imagine a better world.

Somewhere from within, I hear a whisper becoming a clamor: 'Dare to dream a dream worth fighting for, no matter what may come in the night!'

by Victor Saraiva,

Editor

Victor Saraiva is senior editor, he can be reached by email editor1@thecitizenfsr.org

Posted  December 07, 2006

URL:  www.thecitizenfsr.org                     SM 2000-2011 

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