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Pay for Comments: Confessions of a paid disinformation internet shill

mysterious man graphic
Note from WuW: Government trolls. Disinformation shills. Call them what you want, they are real.

Every day at WuW, we see "comments" submitted on our articles that are blatantly composed by trolls. Lengthy, well written comments designed to steer the conversation in a pro-government, pro-status quo direction. They pose as readers and first-time commenters, but post essay length commentary quoting "expert" government research on a range of topics, question those who question the government line, and urge us to believe in the path chosen for us by our trusted leaders. If we believe them, everything is and has always been ok. No further questions need to be asked. Those who do are paranoid.

Site moderation is something we take very seriously at WuW. We offer a platform for different voices and opinions to be expressed, and it is therefore quite rare that we suppress a reader's comment from being posted on the site. But we're not stupid, and we won't let our site be undermined. We know government trolls and paid disinformation shills are real, and we can pick their work a mile away. It has a certain... quality. And they prove us right! The troll comments we supress are often re-submitted, again and again, word for word, from a variety of reader aliases and email addresses.

Like I said... we're not stupid.

This is the story of a man who, due to economically hard times, accepted a job as an internet disinformation shill. After only 6 months, he resigned. He was no longer was able to look himself in the mirror.

Cult

Germany to re-legalize circumcision

Germany's Parliament approved a bill on Wednesday that explicitly legalizes circumcision, following months of uncertainty over the law after a court declared the practice illegal.
circumcision
The surgery is one of the most common medically unnecessary procedures performed around the world, and while it is mostly safe, it also carries the potential for some side effects. One such botched circumcision is what triggered a lawsuit in Germany earlier this year, ultimately leading a district court in Cologne to ban the practice in June.

Fearing prosecution for child abuse, German doctors stopped performing circumcisions, leaving the deed to devout religious leaders. The decision outraged religious Muslims and Jews, who joined forces to push back against the ban.

Crusader

Switzerland arming in preparation for European meltdown?

Swiss Army
© Reuters / Thomas HodelMembers of Switzerland's Army Forces
The Swiss Army is preparing contingency plans for violent unrest across Europe. A nation mostly famous for its banks, watches and chocolate fears it may face a massive influx of European refugees in the near future.

One of the world's richest nations openly expressed concerns over the possible outcome of Europe's continuing financial troubles, and is currently conducting army exercises against the possibility of riots along its borders.

In September, the Swiss military conducted exercises dubbed 'Stabilo Due,' with scenarios involving violent instability across the EU.

Switzerland has maintained an avowedly neutral stance for decades, and refused to join the eurozone when presented with the opportunity.

Bern's biggest fear is likely the disorganization of neighboring nations' armies that would follow general instability; the eurozone crisis and the severe austerity measures in the EU are forcing member-states to significantly slash their military budgets. If protest continues to spread across Europe, police and armed forces may find themselves ill-equipped to manage the unrest.

Vader

Despite its war crimes, European Union wins Nobel peace prize

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© Aris Messinis/AFPA Greek protester feels the full force of the EU's peace n love in front of the Greek parliament during a 24-hours general strike in Athens on February 7, 2012
Nobel committee praises EU as force for peace after second world war

The 2012 Nobel peace prize has been awarded to the European Union, with the Norwegian committee ignoring the current economic crisis and instead praising the EU's decades-long historical role in promoting reconciliation and peace.

Speaking in Oslo, Thorbjørn Jagland, head of the Nobel committee, shrugged off the euro's woes and said the EU had been a force for peace both after the second world war, binding Germany and France together, and following the bloody slaughter of the 1990s in the Balkans.

He said: "The main message is that we need to keep in mind what we have achieved on this continent, and not let the continent go into disintegration again." The collapse of the EU could lead to a resurgence of the "extremism and nationalism" that had led to so many "awful wars", he warned bluntly.

Comment: Blessed be the peacemakers ...

List of EU war crimes since 9/11:
  • Complicity in the deaths of 1.5 million Iraqis as all EU member states joined the U.S. in invading Iraq under the false pretext of non-existent WMDs.
  • Complicity in the deaths of 40,000+ Afghans as all EU member states joined the U.S. in invading Afghanistan under the false pretext of the 'War on Terror'.
  • Complicity in the deaths of 40,000 Libyans as several key EU member states joined the U.S. in bombing Libya back to the stone age.
  • Complicity in the deaths of 30,000+ Syrians as several key EU member states joined the U.S. in arming, training, funding and directing the Free Syrian Army aka al-Qaeda in Syria.
The official EU position supported and facilitated ALL of these illegal wars, with troops, funding, use of member states' air bases and other material, therefore the EU politburo should be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity.


Mr. Potato

World gone truly mad! European Union wins 2012 Nobel Peace Prize


The European Union was announced the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2012. A heated debate emerged over the validity of the award amidst the backdrop of Europe's as-yet-unsolved economic crisis.

The 27-nation organization was awarded the prize for its role in "uniting the continent," and its contributions "to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe."

The unanimous decision was made by a five-person panel chaired by Thorbjoern Jagland, the Council of Europe's Secretary-General and a strong advocate of the EU in Norway. "The EU helped transform Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace," Jagland said.

The EU will receive a $1.2 million award on December 10 by the Nobel Committee.

The news came 60 years after the creation of the EU's predecessor organization, the European Coal and Steel Community, which helped rebuild a continent decimated by two World Wars.

Comment:
European Union



Rocket

Massive U.S.-Israel air drill set for this month

Three-week defense exercise, postponed from spring, will be largest of its kind to date, simulate missile defense scenarios.

Israel drill
The US and Israel will commence the largest-ever joint air defense drill of its kind in Israel on October 21, an army source said on Tuesday.

The exercise, named Austere Challenge 12, was originally scheduled for last spring but was postponed due to regional tensions with Iran.

On October 14, large numbers of American soldiers are expected to begin arriving in Israel, where they will set up aerial defense positions on Israeli territory and on US Navy vessels off the Israeli coastline.

Comment:
The exercise, named Austere Challenge 12, was originally scheduled for last spring but was postponed due to regional tensions with Iran.
And there are no such tensions now? Do they expect us to believe that this is "unrelated to any pinpoint developments in the region"? And what about the curious coincidence with the earthquake drill scheduled for the 21st of October that assumes mass casualties of 7,000 and 70,000 wounded?


Monkey Wrench

Engineering Collapse: S&P cuts Spain credit rating to near junk

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
© Reuters/Sergio PerezSpain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Standard & Poor's on Wednesday cut Spain's sovereign credit rating to BBB-minus, just above junk territory, citing a deepening economic recession that is limiting the government's policy options to arrest the slide.

The S&P downgrade comes with a negative outlook reflecting the credit ratings agency's view that there are significant risks to economic growth and budgetary performance, plus a lack of clear direction in euro zone policies.

"In our view, the capacity of Spain's political institutions (both domestic and multilateral) to deal with the severe challenges posed by the current economic and financial crisis is declining," S&P said in a statement.

Comment: With elections looming, the U.S. government could certainly do with some additional distractions and unsettling images of a collapsing Spanish economy to scare voters with. The above speculation about Moody's next move seems redundant, given the current direction global financial manipulations.


Monkey Wrench

Your right to resell your own stuff is in peril

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A Supreme Court case could limit the resale of goods made overseas but sold in America.
Tucked into the U.S. Supreme Court's agenda this fall is a little-known case that could upend your ability to resell everything from your grandmother's antique furniture to your iPhone 4.

At issue in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons is the first-sale doctrine in copyright law, which allows you to buy and then sell things like electronics, books, artwork and furniture, as well as CDs and DVDs, without getting permission from the copyright holder of those products.

Under the doctrine, which the Supreme Court has recognized since 1908, you can resell your stuff without worry because the copyright holder only had control over the first sale.

Put simply, though Apple Inc. has the copyright on the iPhone and Mark Owen has it on the book "No Easy Day," you can still sell your copies to whomever you please whenever you want without retribution.

Eye 1

U.S. Army calls social network use and 'frustration with mainstream ideologies' indicators of violent extremism

social networks army
© AFP Photo / Behrouz Mehri
When the US Army asked the Asymmetric Warfare Group for a guide to identifying the radicalization of troops into violent extremists, some items - like asking about WMDS - were expected to make the list. But how about involvement in social networks?

Documents obtained by Wired's Danger Room reveal that the AWG, a US military unit created during the War on Terror to provide additional means of support to American troops, may have had a rather peculiar notion about what breeds extremism among US troops. According to presentations that Danger Room has come to possess, frustration with mainstream ideologies and displaying a concentrated rhetoric among other recruits may be warning sides of radicalization, as well as factors such as being "highly emotional," involved in "social networks" or being a "youth" also indicating a great risk for expediting the process into identifying as a violent extremist.

Oscar

Selling War: NYPD chief says city on alert for "Iran terror"

Commissioner Raymond Kelly says New York City's police force placed on high alert as concerns mount over possible retaliation by Tehran, Hezbollah over tightening international sanctions

Raymond Kelly
© APCommissioner Raymond Kelly
New York City's police commissioner said Wednesday that a potential retaliatory attack on New York City by Iran is an ongoing concern for the NYPD.

Commissioner Raymond Kelly spoke at the NYPD Shield Anti-Terrorism Conference.

According to the New York Post, Kelly said that a possible conflict between Iran and Israel was of concern to the law enforcement agency due to the city's large Jewish population.

"We've been concerned about Iran for a while, and I think the history of those events throughout the world since January give us cause for concern," he said.

"Obviously if there's any action involving Israel and Iran we have to be very cognizant of the potential of retaliation here in New York City," Kelly was quoted by the New York Post as saying.

Comment: All that is needed now is a false-flag attack on U.S. soil and Netanyahu will have the war he so much desires. Rest assured that if there is a terror attack on the U.S. in the near future it will not be perpetrated by Iran, as Iran has everything to lose and nothing to gain from such a move. For Israel's Mossad, on the other hand, it is a different story.