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Title: Security Culture: The Puppet Show Author: CrimethInc. Date: April 25, 2009 Language: en Topics: security culture, play Source: Retrieved on 29th October 2020 from https://crimethinc.com/2009/04/25/security-culture-the-puppet-show
Over the past three decades, Earth First! has waged a life-or-death
campaign to halt the destruction of the natural environment. Right now,
the Earth First! Roadshow is halfway through a five month revival tour
across the United States, sharing direct action skills, ecodefense
history, and opportunities to get involved in protecting the wilderness.
Consult their schedule here to see if they’ll be passing through your
bioregion before the tour ends at this summer’s Earth First! rendezvous
in Cascadia. One of the acts on the roadshow, a puppet show teaching
basic security culture skills, is especially timely in view of recent
government efforts to entrap and frame environmental activists. We’ve
obtained the script and an audio file, and are sharing them here to
equip you to put on the puppet show yourself if you so desire. If your
community could use a refresher in protecting your privacy and safety
against snooping, evil-intentioned G-men, just build some puppets and
adjust the show to your local needs! You can even use the audio
recording if you prefer not to memorize the script yourself. The
Mysterious Rabbit Puppet Army Presents: Donny, Don’t!
Olivia the Owl: Hello, eco-warriors! We’re here today to talk about the
for-profit extermination of all life on this planet, and your heroic and
sheroic efforts to stop it. We’ve been noticing that as you good folks
become stronger and more effective, those ecocide profiteers and their
lackeys in the FBI have been coming down really hard on y’all. They’ve
been exploiting your good nature and trusting community and turning
those things into a weakness. So we’re taking the day off from eating
mice—
Brian the Bear: …and stealing picnic baskets!
O: —to give you a quick lesson on keeping your community safe. And here
to help us are all of our woodland friends. I’m Olivia the Owl and this
is Rita the Raccoon, Brian the Bear, Peter the Pig, and Ben the Snapping
Turtle.
Ben the Snapping Turtle: What!?
O: And the star of our show: Donny Don’t. Peter will be playing a cop.
Peter the Pig: Hey, why do I always have to play the cop?
O: I dunno it just… seems to fit.
O: So! Today’s lesson is about security culture.
Ben: AKA common sense 101.
O: So, kids, remember—the name of the game is don’t do what Donny Don’t
does. The first thing we’re going to talk about is GOSSIP.
Donny: Hey, did you see on Indymedia that somebody pulled up all the
survey stakes at that development on Winding River Road? Y’know, where
the winding river used to be?
Rita the Raccoon: Yeah, that’s so cool. I’m really glad that happened.
D: Yeah, I bet we know who did that. Last night Ben…
Everybody: DONNY, DON’T!
B: Now, Donny, when you speculate and gossip, you not only put other
people at risk, but also put yourself at risk. If the police think you
know who did it, they could target you as well.
D: You mean I could go to jail just for knowing something?
O: Yes, the pigs call it “obstructing justice.”
P: The cops, you mean.
O: Right. Whatever. The next thing we want to talk about is BRAGGING…
Take it away, Donny!
D: Hey, have y’all seen all that graffiti downtown protesting Bank of
America’s investment in coal?
R: Yeah, I really hate Bank Of America! I’m glad that happened.
D: Yeah, it took me like 5 hours last night to…
Everybody: DONNY, DON’T!
B: While we’re all happy that you took action against those heartless
corporate monsters, sharing your secrets with other people puts yourself
at great risk. Even people who you trust might share your information,
or crack under pressure during interrogation. Aside from that, you’re
also putting your friends at risk, because you’re giving them a piece of
information that the cops want.
Ben: INDIRECT BRAGGING.
R: Hey Donny, we’re having a demonstration against the new Cliffside
coal power plant. You wanna come?
D: No, I try to stay away from above-ground demonstrations these days.
I’m trying to keep a low profile. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea
for me to be seen around there. Ya know what I’m sayin’?
Everybody: DONNY, DON’T!
O: Now, Donny, what you just did is called indirect bragging. It’s the
practice of implying or eluding to things. It’s just as bad as bragging.
In these situations you should make a clever excuse, like a lunch date
or a meeting. Also, you could just not show up, and invent an excuse
later. It’s not easy having your friends think you’re uninvolved in
important political actions, but it’s also not easy going to jail for
yourself or the people who would be supporting you from the outside.
Ben: NEED-TO-KNOW BASIS.
R: Ok, I’m going out to see a movie. See ya later, Donny.
D: What movie? Can I come?
R: Eh, Hoot. Naahh, I think we’re just going to go on our own.
D: What theater is that playing in? And why are you wearing all black?
R: Ummm, I’m going to the one downtown. I wear black all the time.
D: Who you going with? Why’s your backpack so big? Are you smuggling in
popcorn?!
R: Just some folks… Why are you giving me the third degree?
D: Oooooooh. I get it. I see what’s going on. You’re going to see a
“mooooovieeee…”
B: Alright, stop right there, folks. Social norms within a resistance
movement need to be a little different than other people’s. If your
friends are acting evasive or don’t seem to be forthcoming with
information, it’s important to trust them and just let whatever it is
rest.
O: Being in a community of resistance means having a higher level of
trust than many people are used to in a lot of circles.
R: Don’t ask, don’t tell. It’s not just a good idea for vegans eating at
restaurants, it’s also a great way to keep everybody you care about as
safe as can be.
Ben: ENTRAPMENT.
R: Hey, there’s that guy Peter who comes to our anti-biotech meetings.
D: I like him, he’s really enthusiastic and helpful.
R: I think he’s cute.
P: Hey kids!
R&D: Hi, Peter.
P: So, all this protesting we’ve been doing is great and all…
R: It sure is…
P: I was just thinking the other day that maybe it’s time to step it up
a bit…
D: Like lock downs and banner drops?
P: Like maybe we should just get rid of that lab once and for all…
R: I dunno…
P: I’ve got a recipe for plastic explosives and I can pay for the stuff.
D: Sounds like a good idea to me!
Everybody: DONNY, DON’T!
B: Trying to get activists to build explosives and then charging them
with possession of unregistered fire arms or conspiracy has become a
popular tactic of federal agents in recent years.
O: If somebody you don’t know that well asks you to build a bomb, just
say no. If you’re going to build bombs, build them because you want to,
not because somebody else thinks it’s cool.
R: Thinking for yourself, now THAT’S cool.
Ben: WHEN THE PIGS COME A-KNOCKIN’…
P: Eh, guys, that’s not cool! [Whole cast snickers] (Knock knock knock)
P: Hello, I’m agent Peter Pecker with the FBI. I’m looking for Donny
Don’t.
D: That’s me, what do you want?
P: Your friend Rita may be in big trouble but we thought maybe you could
help clear some things up.
D: What are you talking about?
P: Does she talk about Animal Liberation a lot?
D: She talks about it but she’d never—
Everybody: DONNY DON’T!
B: Donny, this is very important. Never ever talk to the FBI or police.
If they already knew enough to get you or your friends in trouble, they
wouldn’t be asking you questions. Does that make sense?
D: But I was just trying to find out what they wanted, or I could have
lied to them to throw them off track…
O: These people are specially trained to get you trapped in a
conversation, making it harder and harder to stop answering questions.
They can observe when you stop answering or which questions make you
squirm. They are trained to make you trip up and contradict yourself.
Really, avoiding talking to them is the only safe option. They won’t be
able to scare you, trick you, confuse you, or convince you of anything.
Ben: Just say no, dare to resist Gestapo swine.
P: Oh, cut it out, would ya!? It’s not funny!
Ben: New fangled contraptions, technological alienation, social mapping,
and you…
D: Hey, did you see the new pics on my Myspace page?
R: No, lemme see what you’ve got…
D: Check this out!
R: OMG, Donny, what are these? Is that you holding a molotov cocktail?
D: Yeah, and this is all that graffiti from the Bank Of America.
R: Oh, and you’ve got a whole blog on here about shoplifting and
scamming when you travel!
D: Yeah, read the entry about South Florida.
R: Donny, what if the FBI or police read this?
D: I mean, they can’t prove anything…
R: Donny, Myspace assists law enforcement with about 150 investigations
A MONTH, and in the past, people’s Myspace pages and blogs have been
used to attack their character in court so that they are denied bail!
D: But it’s set to private!
R: Right, because Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Myspace and Fox News, is
all about privacy. Y’know, the FBI used to spend a large portion of
their budget for tracking activists and social mapping, which means
figuring out who knew who and who was into what. Now here’s all of your
friends across the country. Oh, and a list of your interests; you’ve
done the work for them. In a worst-case scenario, if somebody we know
had to go on the run, would it be safe for them to stay with anybody
they were publicly networked with?
D: Wow, I hadn’t thought of that…
Ben: Electronic Surveillance.
P: Hey, y’all!
R/D: Hi, Peter.
P: Hey, so I wanted to talk to y’all about this idea I had for a great
action.
D: Let’s take our batteries out of our phones so the feds can’t listen
in!
P: So, like I was saying, there’s this I-69 contractor who has an office
downtown…
R: Um, maybe this classroom isn’t the best place for us to discuss this,
it’s pretty well known that we hang out here a lot.
P: Rita, it’s not bugged. I’d know if it was bugged, and it’s not.
D: Sounds like impeccable logic to me! So, what do you wanna do at the
office? Let’s fu-
Everybody: Donny, Don’t!
O: With the rise of techno-industrial civilization, our enemies are able
to carry out surveillance in ways that were unthinkable 50 years ago.
There are safe places and unsafe places to talk about sensitive
subjects. Safe places are walks in the woods, beaches, and restaurants
that aren’t well-known hang-outs. Unsafe places are cars, houses, well
known hang-outs, or cabins in remote areas, even if your friends say
they’re safe. It has also been shown in court cases against mafia
members that your cell phone can act as a microphone or GPS tracking
device, even when it’s off, as long as the battery is still in. Even
corporate CEOs take their batteries out before high-level meetings
sometimes.
B: If something doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not. Stopping a friend
from a dangerous security faux pas doesn’t mean you think they’re
stupid, or a cop. Or a stupid cop. It just means they could make a
mistake that could be dangerous for them or for you. Does that make
sense?
R: Safety first!
B: Also, folks, it’s important to recognize that there is a possibility
that even with solid security culture, something could go wrong and you
could wind up in interrogation for something you did or didn’t do. If
this does happen, it’s important to remember 2 things:
R: I’m going to remain silent. I’d like to speak to my lawyer!
O: Every question they ask you is an admission that they don’t have
enough evidence to convict you or your friends. Otherwise, you’d be
rotting in a cell, and they wouldn’t need to ask you anything. This is
where remaining silent during their questioning becomes important. If
you start a conversation and then the talk turns in a direction you
don’t like, it could be more difficult to end the conversation than to
have stayed silent in the first place. They’ll try to trick you by
telling you that your friends have already snitched or they’ll be all
like it looks bad now, but this is the chance to clear your name. Let’s
try a role play in the interrogation room.
P: So, your name is Rita Raccoon. And your address and social security
number?
R: I’m exercising my right to remain silent and want my lawyer.
P: I’m just trying to clarify a few things, we’re not talking about the
case here.
R: Right, silent.
P: I mean, I get what you guys are doin’. My daughter works for
Greenpeace, and used to lock herself to every damn thing. You guys been
into environmental stuff for a while now?
R: Well this one time I was SILENT!
P: You got any tattoos or scars?
R: Siiilent night…
P: We’re gonna find out eventually, anyway.
R: Is my lawyer here yet?
B: They will do everything they can to shake your faith in your friends,
your movement and yourself, but it is so important that we all sit tight
and believe in each other and ourselves so that the cops can’t break us
down.
O: No matter what they promise you, you should know that most people who
snitched during the green scare have gotten comparable time in prison to
those who maintained their integrity.
B: One last important thing is that while y’all must keep yourselves
safe, y’all must also stay visible and get your message out to others.
You must learn to publicize your successes through magazines, web pages,
press offices and new creative ideas that keep everyone safe while
ensuring that the movement doesn’t fade into obscurity.
O: It’s also very important to deal respectfully with people who know
less about security culture or who make an honest mistake. If it’s
avoidable, don’t call them out publicly or make them feel stupid.
Security culture makes it very easy to become paranoid and stifle all
conversation, which is exactly what the government and corporations
want. You must learn to communicate clearly but without endangering
yourselves any more than necessary.
R: So remember: No compromise in defense of the earth, stay safe, and be
yourself. Good night everyone!