activistpost--2020-06-17--A Quick and Dirty Guide to Cell Phone Surveillance at Protests

As uprisings over police brutality and institutionalized racism have swept over the country , many people are facing the full might of law enforcement weaponry and surveillance for the first time .
Whenever protesters , cell phones , and police are in the same place , protesters should worry about cell phone surveillance .
Often , security practitioners or other protesters respond to that worry with advice about the use of cell-site simulators ( also known as a CSS , IMSI catcher , Stingray , Dirtbox , Hailstorm , fake base station , or Crossbow ) by local law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or rooted in a fundamental lack of understanding of what a cell-site simulator is , what it does , and how often they are used .
The bottom line is this : there is very little concrete evidence of cell site simulators being used against protesters in the U.S .
The threat of cell site simulators should not stop activists from voicing their dissent or using their phones .
On the other hand , given that more than 85 local , state , and federal law enforcement agencies around the country have some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are used upwards of 1000 times per year ) , it ’ s not unreasonable to include cell site simulators in your security plan if you are going to a protest and take some simple steps to protect yourself .
A CSS is a device that mimics a legitimate cellular tower .
Police around the world use this technology primarily to locate a phone ( and therefore a person ) with a high degree of accuracy , or determine who is at a specific location .
There have been reports in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contents and metadata of phone calls and text messages using 2G networks , there are no publicly known ways to listen to text messages and calls on 4G networks however .
Cell-site simulators can also disrupt cellular service in a specific area .
However , it is very hard to confirm conclusively that a government is using a CSS because many of the observable signs of CSS use—battery drain , service interruption , or network downgrades— can happen for other reasons , such as a malfunctioning cellular network .
For more details on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-depth white paper “ Got ta Catch ‘ em All.
” Interception of phone calls and text messages is the most scary potential capability of a CSS , but also perhaps the least likely .
Content interception is technically unlikely because , as far as we know based on current security research ( that is , research around 2G and LTE/4G networks that does not take into account any security flaws or fixes that might occur in the 5G standard ) , content interception can only be performed when the target is connected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noisy ” and easy for the user to become aware of content interception also can ’ t read the contents of encrypted messages such as Signal , Whatsapp , Wire , Telegram , or Keybase .
Police using a CSS to intercept content is legally unlikely as well because , in general , state and federal wiretap laws prohibit intercepting communications without a warrant .
And if police were to get a wiretap order from the court , they could go directly to the phone companies to monitor phone calls , giving them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the physical proximity of the person and the ability to use the evidence gathered in court .
One advantage law enforcement might get from using a CSS for content interception at a protest is being able to effectively wiretap several people without having to know who they are first .
This would be advantageous if police didn ’ t know who was leading the protest beforehand .
This type of mass surveillance without a warrant would be illegal .
However , police have been known to use CSS without a warrant for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is no evidence of police using this type of surveillance at protests .
Locating a specific mobile device ( and its owner ) is anecdotally the most common use of cell-site simulators by law enforcement , but conversely it may be the least useful at a protest .
Locating a specific person is less useful at a protest because the police can usually already see where everyone is using helicopters and other visual surveillance methods .
There are some situations , though , where police might want to follow a protester discreetly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-person team or a helicopter .
If a CSS were to be used at a protest , the most likely use would be determining who is nearby .
A law enforcement agency could theoretically gather the IMSI of everyone at a gathering point and send that to the phone company later for user identification to prove that they were at the protest .
There are other ways to accomplish this : law enforcement could ask phone companies for a “ tower dump ” which is a list of every subscriber who was connected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
However , this would have the disadvantages of being slower , requiring a warrant , and having a wider radius , potentially gathering the IMSIs of many people who aren ’ t at the protest .
Denial-of-service or signal jamming are additional capabilities of CSS .
In fact , it has been admitted by the FBI that CSS can cause signal disruption for people in the area .
Unfortunately , for the same reasons it ’ s hard to detect CSS use , it ’ s hard to tell how often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accidentally .
What looks like signal jamming could also be towers getting overloaded and dropping connections .
When you have many people suddenly gathered in one place , it can overload the network with amounts of traffic it wasn ’ t designed for .
How to protect yourself from a cell-site simulator As noted in our Surveillance Self-Defense guide for protesters , the best way to protect yourself from a cell-site simulator is to put your phone in airplane mode , and disable GPS [ 2 ] , wifi , and Bluetooth , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While GPS is “ receive only ” and does not leak any location information on its own , many apps track GPS location data , which ends up in databases law enforcement can search later . )
We know that some IMSI catchers can also intercept content , however as far as we know none of them can do this without downgrading your cellular connection to 2G .
If you are concerned about protecting your device against this attack , the best thing you can do is use encrypted messaging like Signal or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airplane mode if you see it drop down to 2G .
( There are plenty of legitimate reasons your phone might downgrade part of your connection to 2G but better safe than sorry . )
However an important part of protests can be streaming/recording and immediately uploading videos of police violence against protestors .
This is at odds with the advice of keeping your phone off/in airplane mode .
It ’ s up to you to decide what your priorities at protests are , and know that what ’ s important for you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priority .
Unfortunately , iOS and Android currently offer no easy ways to force your phone to only use 4G , though this is something the developers could certainly add to their operating systems .
If you can turn off 2G on your phone , it is a good precaution to take .
How a cell-site simulator might be detected Unfortunately , cell site simulators are very difficult to detect .
Some of the signs one might interpret as evidence , such as downgrading to 2G or losing your connection to the cell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an overloaded cell network .
There are some apps that claim to be able to detect IMSI catchers , but most of them are either based on outdated information or have so many false positives that they are rendered useless .
One potential way to detect cell-site simulators is to use a software-defined radio to map all of the cellular antennas in your area and then look for antennas that show up and then disappear , move around , show up in two or more places , or are especially powerful .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this such as “ Seaglass ” and “ SITCH ” for 2G antennas , and EFF ’ s own “ Crocodile Hunter ” for 4G antennas .
While it is possible that cell-site simulators are being or have been used at protests , that shouldn ’ t stop people from voicing their dissent .
With a few easy precautions by protesters , the worst abuses of these tools can be mitigated .
Nevertheless , we call on lawmakers and people at all levels of the cellular communications industry to take these issues seriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cooper is a security researcher and Senior Staff Technologist at EFF .
He has worked on projects such as Privacy Badger , Canary Watch , and analysis of state sponsored malware .
He has also performed security trainings for activists , non profit workers and ordinary folks around the world .
He previously worked building websites for non-profits , such as Greenpeace , Adbusters , and the Chelsea Manning Support Network .
He also was a co-founder of the Hackbloc hacktivist collective .
In his spare time he enjoys playing music and participating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post for truth , peace , and freedom news .
Send support to the frontlines of freedom for $ 1 per month to Activist Post ’ s Patreon .
Follow us on SoMee , HIVE , Flote , Minds , and Twitter .
Provide , Protect and Profit from what ’ s coming !
Get a free issue of Counter Markets today .

By Cooper Quintin
As uprisings over police brutality and institutionalized racism have swept over the country, many people are facing the full might of law enforcement weaponry and surveillance for the first time. Whenever protesters, cell phones, and police are in the same place, protesters should worry about cell phone surveillance. Often, security practitioners or other protesters respond to that worry with advice about the use of cell-site simulators (also known as a CSS, IMSI catcher, Stingray, Dirtbox, Hailstorm, fake base station, or Crossbow) by local law enforcement. But often this advice is misguided or rooted in a fundamental lack of understanding of what a cell-site simulator is, what it does, and how often they are used.
The bottom line is this: there is very little concrete evidence of cell site simulators being used against protesters in the U.S. The threat of cell site simulators should not stop activists from voicing their dissent or using their phones. On the other hand, given that more than 85 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies around the country have some type of CSS (some of which are used upwards of 1000 times per year), it’s not unreasonable to include cell site simulators in your security plan if you are going to a protest and take some simple steps to protect yourself.
A CSS is a device that mimics a legitimate cellular tower. Police around the world use this technology primarily to locate a phone (and therefore a person) with a high degree of accuracy, or determine who is at a specific location. There have been reports in the past that advanced CSSs can intercept and record contents and metadata of phone calls and text messages using 2G networks, there are no publicly known ways to listen to text messages and calls on 4G networks however. Cell-site simulators can also disrupt cellular service in a specific area. However, it is very hard to confirm conclusively that a government is using a CSS because many of the observable signs of CSS use—battery drain, service interruption, or network downgrades— can happen for other reasons, such as a malfunctioning cellular network.
For more details on how cell-site simulators work, read our in-depth white paper “Gotta Catch ‘em All.”
Interception of phone calls and text messages is the most scary potential capability of a CSS, but also perhaps the least likely. Content interception is technically unlikely because, as far as we know based on current security research (that is, research around 2G and LTE/4G networks that does not take into account any security flaws or fixes that might occur in the 5G standard), content interception can only be performed when the target is connected over 2G, rendering it somewhat “noisy” and easy for the user to become aware of content interception also can’t read the contents of encrypted messages such as Signal, Whatsapp, Wire, Telegram, or Keybase.
Protect Your Privacy with a Phone Shield Faraday Bag
Police using a CSS to intercept content is legally unlikely as well because, in general, state and federal wiretap laws prohibit intercepting communications without a warrant. And if police were to get a wiretap order from the court, they could go directly to the phone companies to monitor phone calls, giving them the advantage of not having to be in the physical proximity of the person and the ability to use the evidence gathered in court.
One advantage law enforcement might get from using a CSS for content interception at a protest is being able to effectively wiretap several people without having to know who they are first. This would be advantageous if police didn’t know who was leading the protest beforehand. This type of mass surveillance without a warrant would be illegal. However, police have been known to use CSS without a warrant for tracking down suspects. So far, there is no evidence of police using this type of surveillance at protests.
Locating a specific mobile device (and its owner) is anecdotally the most common use of cell-site simulators by law enforcement, but conversely it may be the least useful at a protest. Locating a specific person is less useful at a protest because the police can usually already see where everyone is using helicopters and other visual surveillance methods. There are some situations, though, where police might want to follow a protester discreetly using a CSS rather than with an in-person team or a helicopter.
If a CSS were to be used at a protest, the most likely use would be determining who is nearby. A law enforcement agency could theoretically gather the IMSI of everyone at a gathering point and send that to the phone company later for user identification to prove that they were at the protest. There are other ways to accomplish this: law enforcement could ask phone companies for a “tower dump” which is a list of every subscriber who was connected to a specific tower at a specific time. However, this would have the disadvantages of being slower, requiring a warrant, and having a wider radius, potentially gathering the IMSIs of many people who aren’t at the protest.
Denial-of-service or signal jamming are additional capabilities of CSS. In fact, it has been admitted by the FBI that CSS can cause signal disruption for people in the area. Unfortunately, for the same reasons it’s hard to detect CSS use, it’s hard to tell how often they are disrupting service either purposefully or accidentally. What looks like signal jamming could also be towers getting overloaded and dropping connections. When you have many people suddenly gathered in one place, it can overload the network with amounts of traffic it wasn’t designed for.
How to protect yourself from a cell-site simulator
As noted in our Surveillance Self-Defense guide for protesters, the best way to protect yourself from a cell-site simulator is to put your phone in airplane mode, and disable GPS[2], wifi, and Bluetooth, as well as cellular data. (While GPS is “receive only” and does not leak any location information on its own, many apps track GPS location data, which ends up in databases law enforcement can search later.)
We know that some IMSI catchers can also intercept content, however as far as we know none of them can do this without downgrading your cellular connection to 2G. If you are concerned about protecting your device against this attack, the best thing you can do is use encrypted messaging like Signal or Whatsapp, and put your phone in airplane mode if you see it drop down to 2G. (There are plenty of legitimate reasons your phone might downgrade part of your connection to 2G but better safe than sorry.) However an important part of protests can be streaming/recording and immediately uploading videos of police violence against protestors. This is at odds with the advice of keeping your phone off/in airplane mode. It’s up to you to decide what your priorities at protests are, and know that what’s important for you might not be someone else’s priority.
Unfortunately, iOS and Android currently offer no easy ways to force your phone to only use 4G, though this is something the developers could certainly add to their operating systems. If you can turn off 2G on your phone, it is a good precaution to take.
How a cell-site simulator might be detected
Unfortunately, cell site simulators are very difficult to detect. Some of the signs one might interpret as evidence, such as downgrading to 2G or losing your connection to the cell network, are also common signs of an overloaded cell network. There are some apps that claim to be able to detect IMSI catchers, but most of them are either based on outdated information or have so many false positives that they are rendered useless.
One potential way to detect cell-site simulators is to use a software-defined radio to map all of the cellular antennas in your area and then look for antennas that show up and then disappear, move around, show up in two or more places, or are especially powerful. There are several projects that attempt to do this such as “Seaglass” and “SITCH” for 2G antennas, and EFF’s own “Crocodile Hunter” for 4G antennas.
While it is possible that cell-site simulators are being or have been used at protests, that shouldn’t stop people from voicing their dissent. With a few easy precautions by protesters, the worst abuses of these tools can be mitigated. Nevertheless, we call on lawmakers and people at all levels of the cellular communications industry to take these issues seriously and work toward ending CSS use.
Source: EFF.org
Cooper is a security researcher and Senior Staff Technologist at EFF. He has worked on projects such as Privacy Badger, Canary Watch, and analysis of state sponsored malware. He has also performed security trainings for activists, non profit workers and ordinary folks around the world. He previously worked building websites for non-profits, such as Greenpeace, Adbusters, and the Chelsea Manning Support Network. He also was a co-founder of the Hackbloc hacktivist collective. In his spare time he enjoys playing music and participating in street protests.
Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Send support to the frontlines of freedom for $1 per month to Activist Post’s Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, HIVE, Flote, Minds, and Twitter.
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activistpost--2020-06-17--Fear and Social Control

Fear and Social Control

In this video we examine how fear can be used as a tool to manipulate others , and how those @ @ @ @ @ past and present , have effectively used fear to control certain aspects of society .
@ @ @ @ @ They Were Free by Milton Mayer – http : //amzn.to/1WUNVvI ( affiliate link ) Feardom @ @ @ @ @ Emotions and What You Can Do to Stop Them – http : //amzn.to/27T5X4T ( affiliate @ @ @ @ @ Post for truth , peace , and freedom news .
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By Academy of Ideas
In this video we examine how fear can be used as a tool to manipulate others, and how those in positions of power, past and present, have effectively used fear to control certain aspects of society.
Recommended Readings: They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer – http://amzn.to/1WUNVvI (affiliate link) Feardom: How Politicians Exploit Your Emotions and What You Can Do to Stop Them – http://amzn.to/27T5X4T (affiliate link)
Get the transcript: http://academyofideas.com/2015/11/fea…
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activistpost--2020-06-17--Majority Of Germans Refuse To Install Corona-Warn-App

When it comes to fighting COVID-19 , mass-testing , effective contact-tracing and wearing face masks in public are all claimed to be effective at curbing the disease ’ s spread .
Technological solutions are still being developed across much of the world and Germany has just rolled out its new “ Corona Warning App ” .
Reuters reports that the app , now available for Apple and Android devices , uses Bluetooth short-range radio to measure close contacts between people and issues a warning should one of them later test positive for COVID-19 .
But , as Statista ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have praised the app , the public is divided about using it for privacy reasons .
In April , 47 percent of the German public said they would use such an app and that fell to 42 percent by June , according to polling data from Forschungsgruppe Wahlen .
46 percent currently say they would not use the app , an increase on the 42 percent saying they would not use it back in April .
And so German officials are appealing to the public to help break the chain of infection .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ alert app , claiming the busy summer holiday season could render national solutions ineffective .
However , with the German people refusing to play along with the mass surveillance and Norway having already abandoned their “ tracking ” app , we suspect any EU-wide solution is as fantasy-laden as the likelihood of strong economic growth ever reappearing .
Also Read from Activist Post : Norway Halts Smartphone Contact Tracing App , While Other European States Roll Out Tech Subscribe to Activist Post for truth , peace , and freedom news .
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By Tyler Durden
When it comes to fighting COVID-19, mass-testing, effective contact-tracing and wearing face masks in public are all claimed to be effective at curbing the disease’s spread.
Technological solutions are still being developed across much of the world and Germany has just rolled out its new “Corona Warning App”. Reuters reports that the app, now available for Apple and Android devices, uses Bluetooth short-range radio to measure close contacts between people and issues a warning should one of them later test positive for COVID-19.
But, as Statista’s Niall McCarthy notes, even though experts have praised the app, the public is divided about using it for privacy reasons.
In April, 47 percent of the German public said they would use such an app and that fell to 42 percent by June, according to polling data from Forschungsgruppe Wahlen.
46 percent currently say they would not use the app, an increase on the 42 percent saying they would not use it back in April.
And so German officials are appealing to the public to help break the chain of infection.
“This app isn’t a cure-all. It’s not a free pass. But it’s an important additional tool for containing the pandemic,” Health Minister Jens Spahn said.
Some observers have called for an EU-wide alert app, claiming the busy summer holiday season could render national solutions ineffective. However, with the German people refusing to play along with the mass surveillance and Norway having already abandoned their “tracking” app, we suspect any EU-wide solution is as fantasy-laden as the likelihood of strong economic growth ever reappearing.
Also Read from Activist Post: Norway Halts Smartphone Contact Tracing App, While Other European States Roll Out Tech
Source: ZeroHedge
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activistpost--2020-06-17--The Logic of Totalitarians in Our Midst

The Logic of Totalitarians in Our Midst

Totalitarians in our midst are becoming more prominent , but they are not always identified as such , instead being labeled by the standard labels like socialist , fascist , liberal , progressive , democratic socialist , communist , etc .
Totalitarians are enemies of liberty , enemies of private property and enemies of the rule of law .
This is why it ’ s important to identify them for what they are .
Totalitarians are identifiable .
Their tendencies follow a certain logic , whether they are in government or aspiring to take control of government .
Totalitarians aim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which social ills , real or imagined , are eliminated .
( We need not know their motivations to be able to identify their aim . )
The utopian aim is the principle aim because everything else they stand for flows from that .
Their utopian aim implies that they aim at revolutionizing ( transforming ) society and state , one way or another .
This is because we do not have utopia at present and we can not get it here and now without radical change .
Radical transformation implicitly includes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can get away with it , because there is no other means by which their ideal society can be instituted during their lifetimes .
Liberty hasn ’ t done it , thousands of years haven ’ t done it , recent laws haven ’ t done it , so coercion becomes the necessary alternative .
The use of force to achieve utopia means that they ’ ll sacrifice individuals and all their rights to their larger aim .
The Bill of Rights means nothing compared to the aim .
This means they aim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total control needed to create the perfect society .
Control implies thought control .
This means they use any means to crack down on opposition .
Become an Activist Post Patron for $ 1 per month at Patreon .
This in turn means identifying people and groups of people that they can blame for the existing social ills that they intend to remedy , these people being in opposition to them .
Identification of these enemies implies dealing with them in a range of ways .
One way to cut down opposition is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religious , political , artistic and ideological opponents , or any center of opposition .
A more severe means is to murder one ’ s opponents .
Another method to gain single party rule is by corrupting the election process .
Yet other methods involve creating persuasive myths in order to generate a population that supports totalitarians in power .
Total control includes education and communication because there is no tolerance for opposing views .
The totalitarian is a beast , an idealistic beast , but still a beast .
Among us today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified above .
Especially visible are censors in the business world and the university world .
There are thugs on the streets who blame capitalism for our ills .
There are anti-religious thugs .
There is extensive corruption of political procedures in order to secure one-party rule .
There are groups blaming whole races and propounding racial myths .
There are also worldwide governments and international bodies propounding utopian ideas of “ free ” everything as a right ; and these are totalitarian in nature .
We have seen strong evidence of government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We have seen strong evidence of the totalitarians in the public health area .
And of late we have seen governors of many states who rapidly turned into totalitarians over COVID-19 .
Even if not all of these or others unnamed are pure totalitarians or would strenuously deny this charge and claim that they support democracy , rights , and some other objective like public health , the unpleasant fact is that they have moved in the totalitarian direction and away from liberty .
They reveal to us that they want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to promote liberty of individuals but to create their imagined utopia .
Andrew Cuomo exhibits his totalitarian streak by mandating a measles vaccine over religious objectors .
He said : The New York State Bar Association exhibits its totalitarian character in its recent statement : There is a long list of extremely reasonable objections to both Cuomo and the NYSBA , including that they don ’ t even have the basic facts right about vaccinations , but this is not the time to go into that .
But it is time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an accurate term to describe certain evil and odious tendencies in far too many people both inside and outside government , people who are ready and willing to sacrifice liberty for an unachievable perfection of society and state .
The Best of Michael S. Rozeff Subscribe to Activist Post for truth , peace , and freedom news .
Send support to the frontlines of freedom for $ 1 per month to Activist Post ’ s Patreon .
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Provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s coming !
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By Michael S. Rozeff
Totalitarians in our midst are becoming more prominent, but they are not always identified as such, instead being labeled by the standard labels like socialist, fascist, liberal, progressive, democratic socialist, communist, etc. Totalitarians are enemies of liberty, enemies of private property and enemies of the rule of law. This is why it’s important to identify them for what they are.
Totalitarians are identifiable. Their tendencies follow a certain logic, whether they are in government or aspiring to take control of government.
Totalitarians aim here and now for a utopian society in which social ills, real or imagined, are eliminated. (We need not know their motivations to be able to identify their aim.) The utopian aim is the principle aim because everything else they stand for flows from that.
Their utopian aim implies that they aim at revolutionizing (transforming) society and state, one way or another. This is because we do not have utopia at present and we cannot get it here and now without radical change.
Radical transformation implicitly includes using any means including force if they can get away with it, because there is no other means by which their ideal society can be instituted during their lifetimes. Liberty hasn’t done it, thousands of years haven’t done it, recent laws haven’t done it, so coercion becomes the necessary alternative.
The use of force to achieve utopia means that they’ll sacrifice individuals and all their rights to their larger aim. The Bill of Rights means nothing compared to the aim.
This means they aim for single-party rule, i.e., the total control needed to create the perfect society. Control implies thought control.
This means they use any means to crack down on opposition.
Become an Activist Post Patron for $1 per month at Patreon.
This in turn means identifying people and groups of people that they can blame for the existing social ills that they intend to remedy, these people being in opposition to them.
Identification of these enemies implies dealing with them in a range of ways.
One way to cut down opposition is to censor them. The opposition includes religious, political, artistic and ideological opponents, or any center of opposition. A more severe means is to murder one’s opponents.
Another method to gain single party rule is by corrupting the election process.
Yet other methods involve creating persuasive myths in order to generate a population that supports totalitarians in power.
Total control includes education and communication because there is no tolerance for opposing views.
The totalitarian is a beast, an idealistic beast, but still a beast.
Among us today walk totalitarians who possess the requisite characteristics identified above. Especially visible are censors in the business world and the university world. There are thugs on the streets who blame capitalism for our ills. There are anti-religious thugs. There is extensive corruption of political procedures in order to secure one-party rule. There are groups blaming whole races and propounding racial myths. There are also worldwide governments and international bodies propounding utopian ideas of “free” everything as a right; and these are totalitarian in nature. We have seen strong evidence of government totalitarians within the FBI and intelligence agencies. We have seen strong evidence of the totalitarians in the public health area. And of late we have seen governors of many states who rapidly turned into totalitarians over COVID-19.
Even if not all of these or others unnamed are pure totalitarians or would strenuously deny this charge and claim that they support democracy, rights, and some other objective like public health, the unpleasant fact is that they have moved in the totalitarian direction and away from liberty. They reveal to us that they want to rule us according to their agendas, not to promote liberty of individuals but to create their imagined utopia.
Andrew Cuomo exhibits his totalitarian streak by mandating a measles vaccine over religious objectors. He said:
The science is crystal clear: Vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to keep our children safe. While I understand and respect freedom of religion, our first job is to protect the public health and by signing this measure into law, we will help prevent further transmissions and stop this outbreak right in its tracks.
The New York State Bar Association exhibits its totalitarian character in its recent statement:
‘Some Americans may push back on the COVID-19 vaccination for religious, philosophical or personal reasons,’ says the report released on Thursday by the NYSBA, but, it says, ‘for the sake of public health, mandatory vaccinations for COVID-19 should be required in the United States as soon as it is available.’
There is a long list of extremely reasonable objections to both Cuomo and the NYSBA, including that they don’t even have the basic facts right about vaccinations, but this is not the time to go into that. But it is time to grasp that the term “totalitarian” is an accurate term to describe certain evil and odious tendencies in far too many people both inside and outside government, people who are ready and willing to sacrifice liberty for an unachievable perfection of society and state.
The Best of Michael S. Rozeff
Source: LewRockwell.com
Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Send support to the frontlines of freedom for $1 per month to Activist Post’s Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, HIVE, Flote, Minds, and Twitter.
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activistpost--2020-06-18--Housing Market Outside New York City Booms As City Dwellers Flee

While observing national housing trends , we have recently found wealthy Americans – and anyone else who has the economic mobility – are selling real estate in big cities and have fled to rural communities amid fresh concerns of the second coronavirus wave and ongoing social unrest .
We ’ ve documented this phenomenon , in several pieces , is happening across several major metropolitan areas : • Rich People Flock To Aspen , Park City As America ’ s Inner Cities Burn Real Estate agents told The Wall Street Journal that people are leaving New York City for rural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places in Hudson Valley to southeast Connecticut , due to virus concerns .
The Journal did not touch on riots that plague the city , and we ’ re assuming that was a compounding factor of why people are fleeing .
Living in a high-rise or cramped apartment in Lower Manhattan must have been mentally draining for folks with several months of confinement due to strict lockdowns to mitigate the virus spread .
In the early days of the lockdowns ( mid/late March ) , urbanites fled to suburbs around New York City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city-wide lockdowns .
Now the stay is becoming more permanent as their taste for land , fresh air , and peace of mind outweighs the dumpster fire unfolding in the city .
See : 177 Different Ways to Generate Extra Income Not just agents , but homebuilders in rural communities , such as Wurtsboro , New York , have reported a jump in activity thanks to urbanites leaving the city .
Catskill Farms Inc. ’ s owner Chuck Petersheim said preconstruction sales are booming , and inquires are rising since the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Manhattan with their two daughters , said they ’ re now shopping for a home outside the city .
Manhattan real estate data firm UrbanDigs Analytics LLC said demand for homes in rural communities around New York City surged in the March through May period compared with the same period last year .
Demand was unchanged in Manhattan at the same time , UrbanDigs said .
Skylar Olsen , a senior principal economist at Zillow , said if working from home persists –national housing trends could shift folks out of city centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a note , “ there is no evidence so far of a large-scale exodus from the city .
” Couple pandemic fears and continuing social unrest across the country — the trend is clear — smart money is beginning to abandon large cities for rural communities .
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By Tyler Durden
While observing national housing trends, we have recently found wealthy Americans – and anyone else who has the economic mobility – are selling real estate in big cities and have fled to rural communities amid fresh concerns of the second coronavirus wave and ongoing social unrest.
We’ve documented this phenomenon, in several pieces, is happening across several major metropolitan areas:
Real Estate agents told The Wall Street Journal that people are leaving New York City for rural communities and small towns, such as places in Hudson Valley to southeast Connecticut, due to virus concerns. The Journal did not touch on riots that plague the city, and we’re assuming that was a compounding factor of why people are fleeing.
Living in a high-rise or cramped apartment in Lower Manhattan must have been mentally draining for folks with several months of confinement due to strict lockdowns to mitigate the virus spread.
In the early days of the lockdowns (mid/late March), urbanites fled to suburbs around New York City, looking for rentals to temporarily escape city-wide lockdowns. Now the stay is becoming more permanent as their taste for land, fresh air, and peace of mind outweighs the dumpster fire unfolding in the city.
Not just agents, but homebuilders in rural communities, such as Wurtsboro, New York, have reported a jump in activity thanks to urbanites leaving the city.
Catskill Farms Inc.’s owner Chuck Petersheim said preconstruction sales are booming, and inquires are rising since the pandemic.
“People who are now in the Hudson Valley looking for homes, many of them have never been to the Hudson Valley before,” Petersheim said. “That’s new to the marketplace, that urgency.”
Doug and Ariah Tough, who live in Manhattan with their two daughters, said they’re now shopping for a home outside the city.
“This was something that we wanted to do anyway,” Ariah said. “But this added a little bit of fuel to the fire.”
Manhattan real estate data firm UrbanDigs Analytics LLC said demand for homes in rural communities around New York City surged in the March through May period compared with the same period last year. Demand was unchanged in Manhattan at the same time, UrbanDigs said.
“Suddenly there are a lot more people looking to buy than are asking to sell compared to the same time a year ago” in Greenwich, Conn., New York’s Westchester County and New Jersey’s Monmouth and Bergen counties, said John Walkup, UrbanDigs’s co-founder and coo.
Skylar Olsen, a senior principal economist at Zillow, said if working from home persists –national housing trends could shift folks out of city centers to rural areas.
The Journal made a note, “there is no evidence so far of a large-scale exodus from the city. ”
Couple pandemic fears and continuing social unrest across the country — the trend is clear — smart money is beginning to abandon large cities for rural communities.
Source: Zerohedge
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