Hi Michael,
The answer is, in my view...If one is wise, one never does...Else that
person might never turn up again, because they know that you know.
Expensive and boring open meetings are the least attractive to a secret
agent, and it can be very difficult to get them to attend. They need
real secrets to get the adrenalin going, something concrete to give to
their controllers. So much information is made up these days, that they
have to come up with stuff wot is really credible. Spying is really all
about economic power versus intellectual power, counter intelligence
versus amateur over the counter intelligence.
The best way NOT to find out is to put out the collection plate half way
through the meeting. The person or persons who put nuffink or the least
money onto the plate are the most likely candidate(s) for consideration,
as they are the least likely to support the cause and have to keep to a
budget and don't want to compromise the state or the cost of a free pint
afterwards in the pub paid for out of their petty cash. If they manage
to stay to the end of the meeting, then it is practically definite that
they are a secret agent, as they have to stay on to the end to make up a
full report. Either way, you and your organisation wins...There is
nuffink better than getting the state to subsidise an alleged subversive
or dissident organisation and meeting. Voluntary contributions are
always better than entrance fees. And even better still when one
manages to get a high turnout. "The audience is the massage...", to
paraphrase some famous US philosopher. There are of course, other
selectors...but that is for another time. I would hate for the minds of
our colleagues to become overloaded with useless information...:-).
After all, data is NOT knowledge, as they say in A.I.
An old British Communist called Wal Hannington used that trick, amongst
many others when he held meetings...read it in his book Mr. Chairman...
see url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wal_Hannington
Secret meetings are best...as via a great mental feat of mathematical
calculation involving algorithms, artificial intelligence and
statistical analysis, one can deduce with absolute certainty that all
the audience are secret agents...otherwise they wouldn't be there! It
is just a question of working out to which agency they belong...:-).
ATB
Dougie.
On 26/11/2015 16:50, Michael Best wrote:
By making a game of it, naturally. https://www.defcon.org/html/defcon-15/dc-15-stf.html
"Like a paranoid version of pin the tail on the donkey, the
favorite sport at this gathering of computer hackers and phone
phreaks seems to be hunting down real and imagined telephone
security and Federal and local law enforcement authorities who
the attendees are certain are tracking their every move... Of
course, they may be right." - John Markhoff, NYT
Basically the contest goes like this: If you see some shady MIB
(Men in Black) earphone penny loafer sunglass wearing Clint
Eastwood to live and die in LA type lurking about, point him out.
Just get my attention and claim out loud you think you have
spotted a fed. The people around at the time will then (I bet)
start to discuss the possibility of whether or not a real fed has
been spotted. Once enough people have decided that a fed has been
spotted, and the Identified Fed (I.F.) has had a say, and informal
vote takes place, and if enough people think it's a true fed, or
fed wanna-be, or other nefarious style character, you win a "I
spotted the fed!" shirt, and the I.F. gets an "I am the fed!" shirt.
NOTE TO THE FEDS: This is all in good fun, and if you survive
unmolested and undetected, but would still secretly like an "I am
the fed!" shirt to wear around the office or when booting in
doors, please contact me when no one is looking and I will take
your order(s). Just think of all the looks of awe you'll generate
at work wearing this shirt while you file away all the paperwork
you'll have to produce over this convention. I won't turn in any
feds who contact me, they have to be spotted by others.
DOUBLE SECRET NOTE TO FEDS: This year I am printing up extra "I am
the Fed!" shirts, and will be trading them for coffee mugs, shirts
or baseball hats from your favorite TLA. If you want to swap bring
along some goodies and we can trade. Be stealth about it if you
don't want people to spot you. Agents from foreign governments are
welcome to trade too, but I gotta work on my mug collection and
this is the fastest way.
On Thu, Nov 26, 2015 at 6:23 AM, doug <douglasrankine2001@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:douglasrankine2001@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Ooops! I forgot to ask. How does one catch a secret agent at a
meeting... VIQ this one... :-).
ATB
Dougie.
On 26/11/2015 09:08, Doug wrote:
Oh! Michael,
I went to lots and lots of meetings over the years...on all
sorts of subjects... And for all sorts of reasons...I went
dressed up as a communist, socialist, liberal, conservative,
social democrat, trade unionist, actor, player, poet and in so
many other guises that I can't remember them all. Sometimes I
even switched roles during a performance and became a raging
environmentalist, or a compliant and grovelling subject...ever
so 'umble to m'lord; even worse, changed or forgot my lines
altogether half way through; though my best role was as a
plain loonie; in that position I felt that I performed at my
best because I was at my most sincere. Once, I even went to
Cinderella's Ball dressed as a transvestite... A most janusian
and existential experience, to all gathered there, if I may
say so.
Now how would you, armed with such truthful, concise and
congealed information supplied by such an independent and
reliable open source as my goodself on the Cryptome mailing
list, to which you subscribe...categorise or classify me in
that great mind of yours? How would you, in an assumed role as
an amateur spy, report my chis to an imaginary superior? This
is purely in the interests of an academic exercise in your and
our intellectual development, of course...😉😉...say no
more...😇😇😇.
ATB
Doug.😈😄😴
On Nov 26, 2015 01:55, Michael Best <themikebest@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:themikebest@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
"Anybody know the half life of an FBI file? It's longer
than any of our natural lives."
Always thought Cryptome was just based in Manhattan, not
supplying dialogue for the show about the project ;)
On Nov 25, 2015, at 8:48 PM, Michael Best
<themikebest@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:themikebest@xxxxxxxxx>>
wrote:
"You know, there were times I envied the spies. They
never worked alone. Rendezvouses, meetings, signals,
betrayals... one big, happy family. Wanna hear a joke?
How do you catch a Communist? Hold a meeting. Not a
joke, actually, a real tactic. The FBI... a bunch of
amateurs... but even they know how to read a hotel
registry or a passenger manifest. The best blacklists
are the ones the traitors sign all by themselves."
The writers were practically channeling JYA.
