Mic Check Radio

It's story time on Mic Check Radio this week. While this is a follow up to the We're So Fucked episode from two weeks ago, the bulk of this show is a reading which diagnoses just how fucked we human beings are by the industrial-technological system that we human beings have created...and what some potential options are for dealing with this system. [Click to Listen]

A little history lesson from the archives of Pacifica Radio. The Democratic Convention of 1968 and the heavy handed tactics of the Chicago Police Department thru the fantastic reporting of Phil Watson.

A discussion of the topics raised by looking at the "Signs" of the Occupy Movement.

We are all affected by it...call it advertising, propaganda, programming, social engineering, psychological operations, or whatever other term could be applied. The act of a force outside of your mind trying to convince you to do something. In this installment we take a look at a perfect storm that developed starting in the 1950's. After WWII, there was a mass exodus of white citizens leaving the major cities of America and settling in the newly created suburbs. This is the birth of the 'cute' little suburban home with the white picket fence and 2.5 kids. We look specifically at a place called Levittown as well as just how powerful "car culture" became, economically speaking. Once everyone is sectioned off in their suburban homes...along comes TV. Literally, a box of bright, flashing, blinking images set to audio is sold to the American public - and we all wanted one. What better device than this to sell the idea of the "American Dream". The TV was specifically used as a psychological weapon to target Women. There was a concentrated effort to get Women into the kitchen, to stay put in the home and be grateful to have found a man to provide everything. I suggest standing up for the last few minutes of this show as we will be playing audio from advertisements trying to sell consumer goods to women and the sexism will make you want to pace and curse. [Click to Listen]

More details on Police State tactics of surveillance. The FBI (and the court system) has determined that there is no reasonable expectation of privacy once a citizen has left his or her home. So, if you are outside of your house, you will be monitored. How? Two of the new surveillance weapons used by the United States Intelligence Community are the DRT Box and the StingRay. They both work in similar ways. They are "cell-site simulators" or "ISMI catchers". From the ACLU website: "Stingrays, also known as "cell site simulators" or "IMSI catchers," are invasive cell phone surveillance devices that mimic cell phone towers and send out signals to trick cell phones in the area into transmitting their locations and identifying information. When used to track a suspects cell phone, they also gather information about the phones of countless bystanders who happen to be nearby.Law enforcement agencies all over the country possess Stingrays, though their use is often shrouded in secrecy. The ACLU has uncovered evidence that federal and local law enforcement agencies are actively trying to conceal their use from public scrutiny, and we are continuing to push for transparency and reform."
The DRT Boxes are now being used in the air (plane, drone, helicopter, etc.) to sweep up even more information from cell phone users. It doesn't seem like there is even an expectation of privacy within the walls of your home anymore. [Click to Listen]