The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’

Posted on | November 24, 2013 | 40 Comments

Barrett Brown promotes atheism on Fox News, January 2009

Until this afternoon, I had never heard of Catherine Fitzpatrick, but in September she put up an excellent and lengthy article debunking the Barrett Brown victim myth. Fitzpatrick first encountered Barrett circa 2005 in the online virtual world Second Life, where he was part of a pack of so-called “griefers” who engaged in destructive activity:

In Second Life, by his own admission, Brown participated in raids which crashed the servers of people holding live music events or discussions or just hanging out. I have no idea if he personally crashed my servers, but I believe that he did, because he stopped by my blog here several times to heckle and the group was small in SL and tended to do everything together. The PNs as they were called were notorious and everyone knew about them in this relatively small community. I was singled out for attack because I began blogging about their vigilantism and harassment tactics starting in 2005. When they attacked the John Edwards Campaign in Second Life in 2006 and committed other coercive acts of hacking against speech they didn’t like, I quickly saw that far from fighting for freedom from cults like the Scientologists, they were in fact engaged in a turf war for power over the Internet, and wanted to impose a regime where no one could live unless they accepted their arbitrary rule.

Fitzpatrick’s insight about “vigilantism and harassment tactics” is crucial to understanding all such anarchist activity. This is not about politics, but about the use of illegal “coercive acts of hacking” to attack one’s enemies. To accept political claims as justification of these crimes — Barrett Brown and others, including Jeremy Hammond, have characterized their crimes as “civil disobedience” — is to invite a sort of Hobbesian war of “all against all” where the sole determination of authority is simply who is more skillfully ruthless.

Few conservative writers have paid any attention to Barrett Brown, with the result that nearly all journalism about him is by liberals who sympathetically repeat the self-serving claims made on Brown’s behalf by his hacker buddies, a reverential attitude which ignores the fact that many members of Anonymous resented Barrett’s arrogant glory-hogging and never really trusted him. Catherine Fitzpatrick also points out that the paranoid conspiracy theories Barrett and his supporters created about HB Gary are fundamentally wrong:

The tech press is filled with so many gloating accounts of the hack of HBGary . . . that it is hard to clear away the cloud of hacker obfuscation and social-hacking to realize: Aaron Barr and his colleagues did nothing wrong by planning to respond to the challenge of hacking through various measures which are legal — and if unethical, no different than any that Anonymous itself first used, with far greater damage. Aaron Barr and Greg Hoglund were never indicted for any crimes, nor did any of the people they identified wind up being falsely arrested. Instead, real hackers who committed real crimes were arrested and sentenced, or turned informants, or are awaiting trial, like Brown.
A key reason is because Jennifer Emick . . . an Anonymous “hacktivist” who had joined the movement in 2008 to fight Scientology for personal reasons of seeing a relative caught up in the cult, and had been inspired by the fight for Internet freedom in Tunisia and elsewhere, became repulsed and concerned when she saw the hackers turn against others including HBGary. She enlisted the FBI’s cooperation, and eventually one of the chief LulzSec hackers discovered — Sabu — was turned into an informant, and his information led to the arrest of others. Naturally, those hackers who remain at large continue to attack her viciously in all the infamous ways that Anonymous has become known for — exposing her private information, a form of harassment known as “doxing,” stalking her and her family, making harassment phone calls, pizza deliveries and even prank calls to police or child welfare authorities. I’ve had a lot of this done to me over the years merely for blogging about the criminality of these people, so I have a sense of what it is like.
It is not journalism. It’s crime. . . .

You really should read the whole thing and notice that Catherine Fitzpatrick feels obligated to say she doesn’t like me because my “violent statements and extreme views are really a turn-off,” even while she references my own analysis of Barrett Brown’s illegal activities.

This is an important point: You don’t have to like me to agree with me when I’m right. (Although, of course, I’m always right.)

 

Category: Barrett Brown, Crime

Comments

40 Responses to “‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’”

  1. MrEvilMatt
    November 24th, 2013 @ 4:19 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’: Barrett Brown promotes atheism on Fox News, January 2009 Until this after… http://t.co/ys9VUO5Cj4

  2. Resista38176897
    November 24th, 2013 @ 4:19 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’: Barrett Brown promotes atheism on Fox News, January 2009 Until this after… http://t.co/yd6y2NEWNH

  3. CHideout
    November 24th, 2013 @ 4:19 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’: Barrett Brown promotes atheism on Fox News, January 2009 Until this after… http://t.co/rHOjtsle20

  4. jwbrown1969
    November 24th, 2013 @ 4:19 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’: Barrett Brown promotes atheism on Fox News, January 2009 Until this after… http://t.co/m0PhK0lstu

  5. Lockestep1776
    November 24th, 2013 @ 4:19 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’: Barrett Brown promotes atheism on Fox News, January 2009 Until this after… http://t.co/lRxHOb8wLJ

  6. Citzcom
    November 24th, 2013 @ 4:19 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’: Barrett Brown promotes atheism on Fox News, January 2009 Until this after… http://t.co/3RBoarFqzJ

  7. rsmccain
    November 24th, 2013 @ 4:30 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/NFSic61ZMl Hat-tip @catfitz

  8. ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ | Dead Citizen's Rights Society
    November 24th, 2013 @ 4:52 pm

    […] Read the rest … […]

  9. DetectiveJake
    November 24th, 2013 @ 5:08 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/YXjKFuRvos

  10. wjjhoge
    November 24th, 2013 @ 5:37 pm

    RT @rsmccain: ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/NFSic61ZMl Hat-tip @catfitz

  11. Joe Dokes
    November 24th, 2013 @ 5:43 pm

    Lawlessness.

  12. DaveO
    November 24th, 2013 @ 6:05 pm

    I’d say the guys with real guns, loaded with real bullets and red-dot sights are more ruthless than the virtual thugs. Sure the guys with guns may have their credit slashed and have their personal information scattered across the web. The guys with guns can scatter a virtual thug in a very un-virtual manner. Brown is learning that lesson.

  13. McGehee
    November 24th, 2013 @ 6:34 pm

    That is the allure of anarchy among those adherents who understand what it means.

    Most self-proclaimed anarchists, of course, have no clue.

  14. MrPaulRevere
    November 24th, 2013 @ 6:48 pm

    I just noticed Charles Johnson and his new good buddy Neal Rauhauser seemed to have a falling out over Brown on twitter. I guess even oddballs have some standards.

  15. Anon Y. Mous
    November 24th, 2013 @ 6:48 pm

    Hmm… I didn’t think about it until I read the linked piece, but I wonder if Brown was involved in the “flying penises” interview with Anshe Chung (Wikipedia link):

    http://tinyurl.com/c2m7et

  16. BobBelvedere
    November 24th, 2013 @ 6:59 pm

    RT @rsmccain: ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/NFSic61ZMl Hat-tip @catfitz

  17. MattRoss
    November 24th, 2013 @ 7:34 pm

    That’s a good point, regarding the resentment of other Anons, from my observation at least, they don’t get into taking credit. Brown was doing that. Then again, Brown seems narcissistic and psychotic.

  18. janptaylor
    November 24th, 2013 @ 7:36 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ hackers and more– http://t.co/cJDx0fBqQi

  19. Kimberlinunmask
    November 24th, 2013 @ 7:44 pm

    RT @rsmccain: ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/NFSic61ZMl Hat-tip @catfitz

  20. cmdr358
    November 24th, 2013 @ 7:53 pm

    Being new around here I wasn’t quite sure about who and what this guy is and represents so I did a bit of reading.

    If I’m reading this guy and his philosophy and actions correctly I come to conclusion that he’s a douche bag representing douche bags.

    Does that about cover it?

    (My apologies to the ladies for the vulgarity but it’s just been my experience that vulgarity is needed when speaking of vulgar people)

  21. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    November 24th, 2013 @ 7:57 pm

    Has CJ ever shown loyalty to anyone? He would sell out his mother.

  22. Professor_Why
    November 24th, 2013 @ 8:07 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/SZT3cFAq94

  23. MrPaulRevere
    November 24th, 2013 @ 8:30 pm

    Well he has shown some level of loyalty to ‘Killgore Trout’ but those two are forever notorious for midnight raid at Hot Air where KT posted racist comment after the mods had went to bed.

  24. AmPowerBlog
    November 24th, 2013 @ 8:55 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/nVJLekJ0ob via @RSMcCain

  25. Josh_Painter
    November 24th, 2013 @ 8:59 pm

    RT @AmPowerBlog: ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/nVJLekJ0ob via @RSMcCain

  26. Prokofy
    November 24th, 2013 @ 9:08 pm

    I’m very familiar with that incident, and while it’s always likely (you can’t tell who is behind an avatar), I think that the griefer who was behind the attack on Anshe Chung was the day-old alt of another banned avatar called “Plastic Duck” (real name: Patrick Sapinski) who is a Canadian.

  27. jeannebodine
    November 24th, 2013 @ 9:11 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ : The Other McCain http://t.co/vlK4bCp4uy

  28. Shutterbugfun
    November 24th, 2013 @ 9:32 pm

    RT @rsmccain: ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/NFSic61ZMl Hat-tip @catfitz

  29. DJM1968
    November 24th, 2013 @ 10:36 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ http://t.co/6znbiofyay

  30. vermontaigne
    November 24th, 2013 @ 10:40 pm

    ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ : The Other McCain http://t.co/XiayM0zWFl

  31. Steve Skubinna
    November 25th, 2013 @ 12:05 am

    Whenever I see a slacker in an anarchist tee shirt, I am always struck by the impulse to knock him down and take his wallet, merely as an experiment. I just have a sneaking hunch that he’d abandon his principles and call the cops.

  32. Steve Skubinna
    November 25th, 2013 @ 12:07 am

    I think a problem for these people is an inability to distinguish between cyberspace and meatspace. They think their online personae and cloaks of invisibility are real. Much like the anonymous trolls who think they’re gutsy for typing statements they’d never say to a person’s face.

  33. robertstacymccain
    November 25th, 2013 @ 8:35 am

    “They think their online personae and cloaks of invisibility are real.”

    You make an excellent point, and it is especially true for young people (Barrett Brown is 31) who have been online since they were children. They have no useful concept of what life was like before the Internet. They seemingly cannot fathom, for example, that journalism used to require leaving one’s home and going places to talk to real people involved in making the news, and then going to the office of a news organization to prepare the information for publication. Merely wanting to be a journalist did not count. You had to find someone with a press (or a radio or TV station) who would pay you to do the job, and you had to demonstrate real competence in order to get hired, and then follow orders every day just to keep your job.

    But nowadays any clown can throw up a Web site and call himself a journalist. As a result many people have become confused as to what is involved in doing the job. Barrett Brown got away with his imposture for a long time, and there are still people who don’t recognize what was wrong with Barrett Brown’s “journalism,” most of which had to do with an utter lack of discipline.

  34. Quartermaster
    November 25th, 2013 @ 11:48 am

    “Although, of course, I’m always right.”
    RSM always speaks Ex Cathedra.

  35. rsmccain
    November 25th, 2013 @ 1:06 pm

    RT @CHideout: ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’: Barrett Brown promotes atheism on Fox News, January 2009 Until this after… http://t.co…

  36. DaveO
    November 25th, 2013 @ 3:13 pm

    The ladies around here can type a blue streak when they’ve a mind to. It’s the consistently erudite typists and grammarians you have to watch for.

  37. robcrawford2
    November 25th, 2013 @ 9:19 pm

    Meh. The modern “anarchist” marches alongside the Marxists. They are totalitarians, who hide their goal of supreme power under the guise of “anarchism”.

    Remember, Marx’s end-goal was the “withering away of the state” — anarchy — and paradise.

  38. McGehee
    November 26th, 2013 @ 6:49 pm

    That may have been his stated end goal — kind of like “if you like your plan, you can keep your plan.”

  39. cmdr358
    November 26th, 2013 @ 7:22 pm

    You’d have to ask yourself would it be worth it finding out over a library card, an EBT card and a BART pass :-

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    November 30th, 2013 @ 8:08 pm

    […] ‘It Is Not Journalism. It’s Crime.’ […]