ATTN: FSM SCUMBAGS

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I have a lot of unused domains, and I'm only using a fraction of my server space, if anyone wants to do anything creative with websites.

Among the unused ones I have:

Airmeat.com
Freakplex.com
Fruitbase.com
Gaymofo.com
Infernogenesis.com
Paleprunygirls.com
Squirrelmayhem.com
Whorecow.com

I was thinking about registering Bacondisco.com but I haven't yet.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

my list is

discoflux.com
theoppositionparty.com
cwyohba.org (lail)

[Cain]

My ego is insisting that we create a new base of operations somewhere other than PD, though.

I'm not so sure thats a good idea, unless we can convince the majority of people here to sign up there, and make sure new people who are here sign up there as well.  The more input we can get on such an endeavour, the better, and the easier the access to it, the more likely people are going to want to pitch in.

On the operational side, however, some covert transfer of information will be necessary.  Emails could play a role here (actually thinking about the code I mentioned before, it would be easy to pre-arrange a time, place and variety of signals via email, to indicate a variety of information, if operations may be subject to change due to situations on the ground.  That saves us from having a predetermined code which may be broken).

[Cain]

(Again, we 'revolutionaries' apparently have short attention spans. )

Not me.  I've managed to plan for months just to pull a couple of (admittely pretty cool) hijinks off.

I believe the idea is we create the structure first, then we consider our options with the resources we have assembled.  Pranking the election cycle would be a good start (trying to instigate fights between local supporters of mutually hostile campaigners and embarking on disinformation seems like a solid goal), however other cells may also have the ideas, but lack only resources and expertise, which we will provide.

Oh, I forgot to add, when talking about structure, the more centrally controlled it is, the more spectacular and long plan operations tend to be in their results.  Less centralized leads to less spectacular operations, but at a far higher tempo.  Its probably worth having an emergency planning committee or whatever for the times you want a more centralized approach, but to use it sparingly and mostly keep a relatively high tempo of medium level operations running.

[Cain]

Well, here's my thought. Our first goal should be successfully putting a group of Discordians together in some semblance of apparent order, for the sake of a big game of disorder. That alone would be enough to make us Mystical Discordian Heroes and we could spend the rest of our lives traveling around the lecture circuit and writing books on "How I got Discordians to all act together for five minutes".

Our second goal should be training the group, Cain has already started with essays of netwar. What I envision is a series of posts/discussions etc and a few planned raids on unsuspecting forums/networks. I think this will let us see the potency of what we're working with, and if successful (like many of our past forays) it may well keep the Discordians interested for more than 5 minutes.

Let's say this process should take no more than the next month. During that time we should build solid projects for the graduates . Both virtual and IRL., Virtual attacks to keep them excited and interested and a bit of immediate gratification (as well as a bit of chaos where needed)... IRL stuff to further recruit in meatspace as well as see how well we can pull off something IRL.

We have to build the Machine and test the Machine before we'll know how useful it actually is. We don't have a strong dogma to hold us together, we don't have a coherent view of The Enemy, these things may limit our ability to pull something like this off...

Of course, we could, through judicious use of propaganda, promote the lack of dogma and a coherent enemy as a very Discordian agenda, maybe we could play it as a strength rather than a weakness... I'll have to think more about that.

Anyway, that's what I see as goals. Build the Machine, Test the Machine, Use the Machine.

I say 6 weeks for initial recruits, but otherwise agree.  We infiltrate, identify those probably most open to the message, then organize them in the last 3 weeks or so.  That way, we can keep a high tempo and not have people bored waiting for us to get our act together.

Then will come training, which will probably only take a week, to be honest, since I'll just upload my Rogue Discordian Collection of books and teach them the realities of online and offline operations.  Mostly they'll learn while doing it, so its not worth fretting over that section too much.

As for a coherent view of the enemy, I wouldn't worry too much about that.  Rather like the teacher appearing when the student is ready, an enemy will become apparent when we are ready.  There are an abundance of choices for an enemy, too.

[Cain]

Also, perhaps a slightly more user-friendly way of reading some of the ideas in here. I think I'm going to copy and paste a lot of Cain's stuff into a text file that I can print and read hard-copy tonight because, honestly, I have a hard time processing a lot of this stuff as I read it, particularly because I do my reading on this board in the office, which doesn't give me the opportunity to focus and reflect the way I should.

OK, I'll try, although the subtelties of the ideas are what really sells it.

Basically, most ordinary organizations are designed like pyramids.  Orders come down from the top, are filtered by a middle level, then farmed out to the lowest level grunts.  They then either succeed (unlikely) or it turns out their information was wrong, their expectations too high etc and they inform the top level by relaying this information up the chain of command.  The apex then think about this information, make a new policy, and send the orders down the chain.  Decision taking makes forever, and the structure is vulnerable to attack from flexible attackers, or those who target the top of the organization successfully.

Instead, I propose a network, where there is very little real command or autonomy, where information is shared freely.  Organized into cells which are in a mutual relationship working towards common goals, we can react faster, take advantage of changing situations faster, have better defensive bonuses, additional tactical advantages and more in common with Discordian philosophy.  Creation of such a network will be harder, but it will work faster, with ever increasing returns, multiple inputs and with near autonomy, all based on current and accurate information.

[Cain]

recruitment - infiltrate grassroots movements of campaigns destined for failure (read: ron paul, dennis kucinich) and begin actively recruiting after their candidate loses or gives up.

Agreed, and an excellent suggestion.

[Cain]

Completely un-thought thought:

"Hey!  You read Illuminatus!  Remember Hagbard Celine and the LDS?  Well, it exists, and you can be part of it!"

So maybe dusting off some old memes:

Erisian Liberation Front, Legion of Dynamic Discord,  Gold& Appel... what else?

Again agreed.  I'm not going anywhere tonight, I'll cull some tracts from Illuminatus and, as LMNO says, plunder the mythology.

[Triple Zero]

about the central control, i wonder if your target audience (discordians) aren't generally a lot less likely to follow orders from a central command?

but if i understand your new post, about the decentralized stuff, it sounds like i just need to find a few buddies and do whatever the hell seems a good idea?

i admit i still have to read most of the longer posts in this thread.

[Cain]

I wanted to add when I mentioned code, Cainad put a link to cryptography, but I actually meant code (word/meaning substitution, not letter substitution.  The latter is crackable with time, the former is easier to learn and, unless the people putting it together are stupid, is uncrackable at all).

Since this is the only thing that I think I can contribute to at my current level of skill (that being the level of "N00b who talks a lot"), should I start making a code system that we might use for in-the-field communication?

If you want, though note my other comment on it above (one of the posts where I quoted Vexation)

[Cain]

Organizational adaptation: the Limited-Time-Only network.

It exists for the period of a Mission and then completely disbands.

The only thing that remains in place is a loose affiliation with other people you've been with on other missions, and a mysterious voice from the heavens telling you what to do next and who to call for help.

Might be useful later on, once people feel committed, but in the early days I think some semblance of structure as well as knowledge of who you are dealing with.  For a covert operation, however, it would be perfect, and is covered somewhere in my Netwar notes.

[Cain]

I suggest the extra domains and websites become depositories of flyers, essays, notes, plans, media related material and redundant channels of information.  I'm still not convinced of the need for a place apart from PD.com to plan, and the above would up our netwar capabilities.

[Cramulus]

Step 1: Create a huge discordian network
Step 2: ????????
Step 3: Profit!


TBH, if I were an outsider to this plan, I would be hesitant to get involved until I knew what the hell we were talking about. But I guess the Idea (at this stage) isn't so much to DO anything, but to organize ourselves "properly"...

I have an idea about putting a system in place so that if my cabal (for example) needs some help in hijinks we can contact other cabals for assistance. I mean, that's what we're going for, right? A way so that we can get as many Discordians as possible to "work together"? Right now if I wanted help in spreading propaganda or whatever I'd have to contact you guys, 23ae, EB&G, myspace spags, etc etc etc. Maybe a code word like "Golden Apple Seed Mission". (note: name tentative)

So THIS is how it works...




FIRST, we contact every Discordian sect we can find and tell them that we've started using a new code-word for Discordian projects which need assistance. We let them know that there are Discordian-oriented tasks they can help out with, called Golden Apple Seed Missions.

We'll note that a complete list of all active Golden Apple Seed Missions will be kept over at pd.com forums. Or Discoflux. Or wherever we put HQ.¹ So if YOU need Discordian help, go post a thread in the Golden Apple Seed section. People will reply with advice, status reports, etc...

but if they want, they can also host the Golden Apple Seed Missions on their own websites or whatever. In that case, just post a link here to where the info is. So if a regular from 23ae needs help prank calling some senator, he'll post a topic at 23ae, then link us to it. Any Discordian who has time on their hands can check it out and participate, even if they're not regular 23ae readers.

We could even make the missions a blog or rss feed or something to make it easy to keep track of.



To me, this seems like the essence of The Game. To maximize our available resources so we can all further our goals.




I think the first Golden Apple Seed Mission is to inform other Discordians about Golden Apple Seed Missions.







¹ I think the real central HQ will be here no matter where we put it, because we're probably more activist than a lot of Discordian sects. But I think we should host it elsewhere because our particular brand of Discordianism rubs a lot of Discordians the wrong way. I mean, we're never going to get major cooperation from the Discordian community if we expose them to this (rather hostile) climate.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

Also we should consider the politics of hosting a major HQ here accessible to everyone, a la the MW invasion of EB&G. Even if there is common ground for these missions, any influx of new people is going to spread outside the project zone, and I'd hate for PD to become a battleground (again (again)).

[Cain]

Hopefully, PD.com's time in the sun will be short, if we get the mix between control and decentralization right.