RE: [Ryan Lackey in Iraq] Wiring the War Zone
Eric Cordian writes:
RAW forwards...
Wiring the War Zone
It's a typical morning at Camp Anaconda, the giant US military base 50 miles north of Baghdad - light breeze, temperatures heading to 100 degrees, scattered mortar fire. Ryan Lackey is getting ready for today's assignment: installing a pair of satellite Internet connections at Camp Warhorse about 30 miles away.
Ryan Lackey needs to star in an Ayman al-Zawahri produced video, making short-lived gurgling and whistling noises.
Making a fast buck off an illegal war of aggression is a far cry from running a secure data repository on an oil platform.
Eric, I think you could nuance this a bit. Ryan isn't supporting Bush's little war - the military has plenty of comm channels for C&C which Ryan wouldn't be allowed near. What he's doing is supplying US soldiers with an independent, uncensored and unreviewed channel through which they can find out outside views of the war, information which their superiors won't pass down to them, and a means by which they can pass back their own views and opinions. Frankly, I'm suprised the brass are letting him do it. How do you think the prison abuse photos got back to the US media? Would you rather the soldiers rely on Stars & Stripes for info on the changing situation back home? If anything, what Ryan's doing advances the so-called 'cypherpunk agenda' more than anything being done at the ideologicaly pure but practically insignificant Sealand. Just my opinions.... Peter Trei
Peter Trei writes:
Ryan Lackey needs to star in an Ayman al-Zawahri produced video, making short-lived gurgling and whistling noises.
Making a fast buck off an illegal war of aggression is a far cry from running a secure data repository on an oil platform.
Eric, I think you could nuance this a bit.
My first comment was more a parody of Pat Robertson's ridiculous call for the US to murder the President of Venezuela. I'm sure the State Department supports my right, as a private citizen, to say silly things just like Pat. While I don't wish Ryan any misfortune, I have some difficulty seeing how taking cash from Big Brother to create modern digital infrastructure that creates a more comfortable life for Big Brother's forces, is actually a cunning scheme to undermine morale in the unecessary, unjust, outrageous, and illegal occupation of Iraq.
Ryan isn't supporting Bush's little war - the military has plenty of comm channels for C&C which Ryan wouldn't be allowed near.
He's taking cash to provide aid and comfort for members of the military, so that they may chat with their wives and girlfriends, access really good porn, socialize online, play games, blog, video conference, and otherwise recreate, activities which are undoubtedly not encouraged on the C&C comm channels.
What he's doing is supplying US soldiers with an independent, uncensored and unreviewed channel through which they can find out outside views of the war, information which their superiors won't pass down to them, and a means by which they can pass back their own views and opinions. Frankly, I'm suprised the brass are letting him do it.
US soldiers are so brainwashed by the military whispering in their ear "you're fighting for their right to protest" every time they encounter outside views of the war, that they view themselves as beleagured noble warriors safeguarding the free speech rights of unworthy unwashed unpatriotic hippies who don't know what they're talking about, and tend to interpret criticism of the war through that filter. Joining the military is not an intelligence test, and the troops, at least at the leafy parts of the command tree, are generally not talented critical thinkers with long term political memories. So I think the "aid and comfort to the illegal occupation" aspects of Ryan's work must surely outweigh the "opposing points of view" aspects. If it didn't, would he even be allowed to do it? 1% of propaganda is lying. 99% of propaganda is context. The military controls the soldiers' context in which outside views are interpreted. Net access hardly threatens their loyalty to the cause. The Iraqi people do not wish US occupation of their homeland, and given that this was an unprovoked war of aggression, that means that occupying troops, mercenaries from private military corporations, military contractors, and Ryan Lackey, are there illegitimately.
How do you think the prison abuse photos got back to the US media?
If I remember correctly, they were souvenir photos taken by service members, sent back to their families, and accidently posted with world access on what the family members thought was a private online album. They were noticed by the press, and the effluent hit the fan.
Would you rather the soldiers rely on Stars & Stripes for info on the changing situation back home?
If anything, what Ryan's doing advances the so-called 'cypherpunk agenda' more than anything being done at the ideologicaly pure but practically insignificant Sealand.
I think that's an oversimplification. It's not impossible that after the HavenCo fiasco, Ryan has given up on the Cypherpunk Agenda, and is currently selling his services for cash and no questions asked. In any case, I invite Ryan, if he can take a few minutes from hauling those suitcases of cash to the bank in Dubai, to post to the list, and clarify exactly what he is trying to do. He did say at the end of the piece, that he looked forward to the military opening up additional new markets for him, I assume in places like Iran and the other four as-yet-uninvaded countries on the Neocons' list of seven. That seems to say "mercenary" more loudly than it says "Cypherpunk," so I certainly look forward to more information on the subject. -- Eric Michael Cordian 0+ O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"
What he's doing is supplying US soldiers with an independent, uncensored and unreviewed channel through which they can find out outside views of the war, information which their superiors won't pass down to them, and a means by which they can pass back their own views and opinions. Frankly, I'm suprised the brass are letting him do it.
Now that is the biggest line of shit I have heard in a while, enough that I am actually motivated to respond. Troops are NOT (I say again NOT) being filter from political sites in any way / shape / form. I have worked Bosnia (SFOR), Kosovo (KFOR), and for the past year in Iraq (MNFI). Current working on some sensor systems but handled Information Assurance (govspeak for network security to include site filtering) for the entire Balkans theatre and have a good working relationship with the guy in country doing it for Iraq. CENTCOM has a clear (and heavily enforced) policy on web filtering and political websites are cleared mandated as being ALLOWED. There is a arbitration process incase your favorite I Hate Bush site is being blocked by some other category (most likely 'Hate' or 'Personal Website') to get it unblocked. The military does NOT categorize all of this, has better things to do. Websense handles all this. Any false positives are clearly in there folk and effects anybody who uses their product. Troops are purchasing independent access not to get around political censorship but to get around corporate (military in this case) usage policies, e.g. we block most (would like to get all but not going to happen) software download sites, sex, instance messenger, bandwidth intensive items (mp3's, video's, etc etc), VOIP ... items troops want. They also want a connection in their hooches where they can chat back home, use VOIP, webcam with the families, download gigs of porn and music, and play games. This is not a censorship issue.
Would you rather the soldiers rely on Stars & Stripes for info on the changing situation back home?
Thats unfair. Stars and Stripes is highly accurate of the situation 'back home' and does a good job reporting them surprisingly. You get week long flamewars going on in the editorial over very non-PC items (worthlessness of national guard / reserve units, dying for oil, bring on troops home, etc). The simply sad fact of the matter is the majority of the troops truely believe Fox is the gospel and watch is 24x7 religiously. Hell, they even webcast Fox over the SIPRNET now just incase you are in a location that doesn't get AFN.
If anything, what Ryan's doing advances the so-called 'cypherpunk agenda' more than anything being done at the
He is doing nothing of the sort. He is doing the same thing as me and countless of others, making money. I work as a merc, he's a war profiteer ... same shit different name. At least I am stealing from the tax payer in an abstracted way (or as I look at it, getting my money back ... I will die in the black ... the government will have paid out more money to me that I have paid in to them), he is taking it right out of lonely kids who miss their families pockets. That crazy profit he is making is buying ripping folks off. He is dropping something along the lines of 500 folk per 1 MB link WITH total bandwidth caps and restrictions all while charging them a hundred or two a month (not counting the initial install / equipment charge). While I am here though, let me rant a bit about the article and once again state how much I despise Wired magazines coverage of anything. Might as well just print IRC chat logs and call it a magazine. "Inside, everything is painted black" -> No there not. "crew chief distributes earplugs" -> only because your a journalist. If you were some Jo or a contractor you either bring your own or do without. This is not standard SOP. Big sign at LP says 'Bring your own hearing protection' "But not too far. Blackhawks fly just 100 feet above the ground, at 200 mph. It's a smooth, exhilarating ride, landscape zooming past like a dream of flying" -> Also bullshit. I fly these things weekly all over the country. Smooth sometimes, exhilarating never, hot yes. As for low level, we aren't in the cold war dodging radar here. The helo's fly usually up around a thousand feet (not 100 like you seem thing) as part of SOP ... the biggest worry here is ground fire, not aircraft. Flying low will get you killed. "In a freak accident at the helipad, the rotor wash hurls one of the boxed satellite dishes into Lackey's chest like a massive Frisbee. His armor saves him from anything worse than bruises." -> Give me a break. How exactly does a 'boxed' dish look like a Frisbee (implies round). I install 2 and 3 meter dishes about once a month (and we fly them out also) .. they ain't going anywhere with the helo wash. Armored saved him from anymore than bruises my ass. Would like to see those bruises. "After five minutes in the midday Iraqi sun, metal can sear an ungloved hand" -> No it can't. Nobody here uses gloves (just to damn hot) and nobody gets burned. Metal gets hot sure but not that hot. "The iDirect system is robust enough for Iraq's extreme heat, dust, and wind, and even handles voice-over-IP calls." -> Nice product placement. They might also want to mention any satellite provider (and there are a bunch, they make it sound like he is the only game intown) with an off the shelf UHF dish can do all this. "He winds up stranded at Warhorse for two days before catching a ride back to Anaconda on an armored convoy. This means spending an hour in the back of a truck traveling through some of the most active insurgent territory in Iraq." -> My ass. Any flight that requires moving equipment requires an AMR. You can't miss an AMR, they will wait for you. Also, there are flights between Annaconda and Warhorse multiple times a day, daily. As for convoy, thats utter bullshit. Military will NOT (I repeat NOT) led civilians ride in military convoys anymore (to damn hot and bad press when killed). No commander will sign that risk. You will be told to wait till you can catch a helo. Got stuck at a truly remote base for two weeks once waiting on a flight. "Back in Anaconda, he has to deal with Blue Iraq's literal cash flow problem. The military pays in greenbacks, meaning he routinely has to fly on a cargo plane to deposit thick wads of currency at his bank in Dubai." -> Or just go to bank at the green zone and make a deposit. If he is going to Dubai, its for pleasure (Los Vegas of the Middle East, gambling, drinking, drugs, whores on demand). Wired, you don't have make a dull article about just another ISP in Iraq into a war romance porn novel. Get your facts straight and learn how to report. -Peter "I think everyone understands that it's getting better every day. Or course, every nation that's got IEDS and drive-by shootings and suicide bombers definitely got some security issues" -LTC Gibler, Mosul, IQ 05MAY30 You Think?
participants (3)
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Eric Cordian -
Peter Thoenen -
Trei, Peter