Most likely, we're being watched closely, and it's OK.

[Laelth]

This is a response to a thread that was self-deleted by marmar who wanted to understand why views seem so high this evening on DU (immediately following the conclusion of Trump’s second impeachment trial) compared to responses and recommendations. What follows is my theory.

National security and other bots are probably doing repeated word-searches looking for words like:

fight, kill, terrorism, attack, bomb, destroy, plan, meeting, murder, eradicate, secede, secession, war, castrate all Republicans, treason, traitor, vengeance, decimate, decapitate, genocide, annihilate, blast, drown, AK-47, boot, sacrifice, blood, eggs and omelettes, illegal, weapon, killing, homicide, gun, ammo, insurrection, barricade, hang, secret, shoot, poison, anthrax, slaughter, plot, and don’t forget tiny demonic wizards designed to penetrate Trump’s testicles and blow them up from the inside.

If this post doesn’t raise a red flag, then I wrote it very poorly. Seriously, people SHOULD be concerned that true Americans are rightly angry about the blatant miscarriage of justice that we witnessed today. It would make sense for law enforcement to pay special attention to us today.



-Laelth

[applegrove]

1. And you got 500 looks in 1 minute. Right you are. And right the authorities

are.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I think you're most likely right; this makes sense to me. n/t

[Midnightwalk]

3. 490 views in one minute. nt

[Nevilledog]

4. Eggs & Omlets?

[Laelth]

11. Isn't that how Stalin justified killing 20 million of his own people?

“In order to make an omelette, you have to break a few eggs.”



-Laelth

[panader0]

66. I've got my eye on you.

[Laelth]

70. Really? n/t

-Laelth

[Mr.Bill]

13. All I can think of is the saying

You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

Maybe some people use that as code for violent action?

[Laelth]

22. Just so. It definitely implies that the ends justify the means. n/t

-Laelth

[llmart]

5. Trump has testicles???

[llmart]

14. LOL

I'll volunteer.

[dhill926]

28. right now some incel Qnon mental defective in his basement is saying...

"I KNEW it," haha....

[Laelth]

30. I have to stop now, or I will get in trouble.

Nice chatting with you. Talk to you soon.



-Laelth

[Tommymac]

29. Oops you did it again.

I thinks that A word is in someone's list.

[Laelth]

33. Of that I am certain. n/t

-Laelth

[TwilightZone]

6. This is also a busy place at times like this.

But yes, it's quite likely that it's getting attention outside the usual, but I think there might be a lot of right-wing lurkers in the total. That also happens at times like this. They want to see our reactions for the same reason DUers go check out FR, Fox, etc.

[Laelth]

8. Quite true.

I like reading a few of their reactions as well.



-Laelth

[dweller]

7. Hi Agent Mikes

✌🏻

[bdamomma]

9. why look at

Us??? what are those Seditionists/Trump loyalists saying now.

[WarGamer]

10. "Agent Mike"??

[Irish_Dem]

31. The humorous hypothetical government agent we pretend monitors our site.

[Generic Brad]

54. More like "Agent Mike Bot"

[Chainfire]

15. I am way past caring about that kind of thing.

If they ever start to come after mouthy liberals, I will be doomed for my post on gun forums. There are a lot of folks on one forum that would be happy to see me hung, drawn and quartered for my expressed views.

[Laelth]

41. I hear you.

If Gilead ever happens, I am screwn.



-Laelth

[Chainfire]

42. Blewn and tattoonend

Perhaps we can accompany each other to the pearly gates.

[Laelth]

46. It's gonna freak me out ...

... when I meet you on our ordinary, daily walk to the market and you’re somebody else using the same name as my dear, forever-lost friend.



-Laelth

[Chainfire]

53. I'm back!

[dameatball]

16. Does that mean they are not going to be sending us any hearts???

[Laelth]

23. Probably not. n/t

-Laelth

[Hermit-The-Prog]

17. 'Way back before y2k, we used to troll the FBI with such terms in online "chats".

Sorry, I don't remember the (alleged) name of the software they were using.

[Celerity]

36. Echelon

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/29/qanda.janeperrone

[LaelthsDaughter]

18. Let us not forget...

Bust their kneecaps, maim, shoot, gun down, stab, torture, eviscerate, bomb, gas, explode, slash, overwhelm, boil, freeze to death, poison with: wolfsbane, carbon monoxide, hemlock, belladonna, and arsenic, some good old fashioned bludgeoning, and incineration.

All of this to just have fun with poking at the people watching.

[Laelth]

26. I think you might be having too much fun with this. n/t

-Laelth

[LaelthsDaughter]

47. Maybe

Possibly~.

But I'll add one more: defenistration.

[Laelth]

48. Yes. That's too much fun.

Just ask Putin.



-Laelth

[dweller]

19. Well, you didn't break 1k

in over 10 minutes, so I suppose you scared them off ..

good job 👍

✌🏻

[Laelth]

24. This thread has already been flagged and is being recorded.

No need to bot-search for it now.



-Laelth

[Qutzupalotl]

20. Could be just googling impeachment questions

leads to discussion boards and leads to DU. Our reputation is deserved; despite our rowdiness, we can be substantive and sticklers for accuracy, which is useful to those seeking answers. Hi, future members!

[Laelth]

49. Honestly, I expect that the fascists are searching for delicious, liberal tears.

I think that is part of it, anyway.



-Laelth

[ecstatic]

25. But it doesn't fit our MO and they know that

We're not violent terrorists. I resisted the urge to say some extremely nasty things to MoscowTurtle & lyin Ted though.

I'm over it now. I'll probably disappear from all topics related to trump until the *real* trial begins.

[Laelth]

27. They have to monitor us just for the appearance of balance.

Agreed. They know that DU isn’t a violent threat to anyone or anything.

-Laelth

[Sympthsical]

32. I doubt anyone cares much

It's a busy political news day. Not only are we posters and lurkers refreshing threads much more than usual, but outsiders who are curious about partisan reactions to things are surfing around as well.

I'm just guesstimating, but there's maybe, what, 200 regularly active posters here? Maybe? That seems high even. I lurk a lot more than post, and it always seems like I'm reading the same couple dozen people everyday.

If the government and/or bots are going to go snooping around, they're going to go to your Reddits, Facebooks, Twitter, etc. where tens of thousands of people are interacting in real time.

This is a very small corner of the internet. If someone is lurking around here trying to assess anything, they're wasting an awful lot of time.

[Laelth]

34. Small, sure, but it's not that small.

It’s worth monitoring, I would think ... I would hope.



-Laelth

[Sympthsical]

35. I honestly don't think it is

I read a lot of political sites. The only reason I knew of this place is because a friend is a long-time poster and said I should read and post here.

I don't know the membership numbers or anything, but as I said, it feels like I'm reading the same posters most days. It feels like a pretty small community to me. And I'm just comparing that to, say, political subReddits, where there are so many people, I never who anyone is.

I mean, it doesn't matter. As long as the community likes each other and generally gets along, the number doesn't matter. Just the quality you're getting out of it.

I just can't imagine the government particularly cares. Facebook monitoring alone feels like it should be its own Cabinet department.

[Laelth]

38. Admittedly, we're nothing compared to Facebook.

Thank you for your insight.

-Laelth

[Sympthsical]

44. Though, now that you mention it . . .

I just glanced around. There's one post with 11 replies and 5.7k views. That seems . . . odd. However, it's titled "The MFer got away with it again," and that's the kind of post that a lot of outsiders will glom onto to see the reactions.

But, one thing to note is that the site owners can see where traffic is coming from. So, if it was a problem, maybe an admin could chime in? I've run a few sites in the past, and I could always instantly tell if something got linked somewhere. It's there in the stats read out.

[Laelth]

45. We used to be much bigger (in terms of internet share).

This site dates to 2000, and, at one point, was in the top 200 busiest sites on the internet. We do American politics, and we are the largest left-wing, American political forum on the internet. We’re accustomed to being watched. The admins are fully aware of our traffic patterns. It’s no biggie to us.

Compared to our right-wing mirrors, we’re harmless.



-Laelth

[Clearly fogged in]

56. Thank you for sticking up for us harmless lurkers.

People who like to look for the bigger picture of things. People who come here because the relatively small number of posters are those who deliver a consistent and well thought approach to things. In this Orwellian world it seems that anyone speaking above their paygrade bears monitoring. Those damned dangerous words again. I think it's s total bullshit.

[cwydro]

55. I doubt very much anyone looks at us except as a source of amusement at times.

Most of us over 60, the same posters, some of whom post OP after OP umpteen times a day...Agent Mike isn't going to lose sleep over a group that overwhelmingly has posted about how they don't DARE even put a bumpersticker on a car for fear of keying, much less a sign in their yard.

[Laelth]

62. Sigh. I fear that we are quite lame (as domestic terrorists go).

Still, they have to monitor us to create the appearance of “balance.” They know that the really dangerous loons come from our right wing.

-Laelth

-

[KY_EnviroGuy]

37. I noticed long ago that any post with their party name or....

the name of any of their politicians seem to gather huge numbers of views.

That strongly suggest there are bots or trolls searching for Dems saying bad stuff about Rethugs, I guess to prove why they have constant butt hurt and whine on social media 24/7.

I mean, it's not like a bunch of 100% assholes don't deserve a little criticism from the public......

[Laelth]

43. Hear! Hear!

It’s a bit depressing that they’re not really afraid of us. The Republicans who voted to acquit are far more afraid of their rabid right-wing constituents than they are of the majority of their constituents (loyal American patriots who know incitement to insurrection when they see it). It’s somewhat sad that they’re NOT afraid of us.

-Laelth

[dmr]

50. Eggs and omelettes? What's that suppose to mean?

I learned a long time ago (decades) to watch what I say, or how to say it.

Even at home you never know who or what is listening in. Between our smart phones/appliances, Alexa, GPS, TV remotes, etc ....

I try not to think about it, yet, I'm very conscious of what I say and type.
:hi;

[soldierant]

51. Didn't Republicans just demonstrate that

there is nothing there to castrate?

[PurgedVoter]

52. I am quite sure that crypic talk will keep them looking.

So if you need a yellow umbrella to fly, don't dust the chicken.

[Laelth]

59. Roger that. n/t

-Laelth

[harumph]

57. I'd like to respectfully submit the phrase "Fire up the wood chipper."

This is fun.

[Laelth]

58. Shhh ... that one is not approved by ANTINT for public dissemination.

Please delete your post.

-Laelth

[Progressive Jones]

60. There's anteefa dust in the omelettes at Mar-a-lardo... nt

[Laelth]

61. Roger that. n/t

-Laelth

[Klaralven]

63. The grunion run at midnight.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

64. Calzones are ready for harvest.

[Laelth]

69. ANTINT ALERT

Portland, 02-15-21

ANTINT ALERT from Antifa Intelligence, Portland

Be advised that the preceding message was posted in error and did not originate from an authorized Antifa agent. This matter is under investigation, but be advised:

Calzones are NOT ready for harvest.

REPEAT

Calzones are NOT ready for harvest.

Direct all inquiries to ANTINT, Portland.

Thank you.

-Laelth

[JimGinPA]

65. Whenever I'm Driving On A Highway And I See A Police Car

I normally take a quick glance at my speedometer just to be sure I'm not going too fast. 90% of the time I don't need to ease of the gas because I'm within 5 mph of the speed limit. So while it may make me a little uneasy in the short term, after thinking about it a bit I suppose I'm glad they're out there keeping the roads a little safer.

This site goes out of it's way to not promote violence, or hate speech or any other anti-social or illegal activity, not only by the admins of the the site, but by the vast majority of the members as well. So while it may cause some uneasiness to think we might be being watched, it's also a good thing they are out there looking for those other vehicles driving recklessly.

[SmartVoter22]

67. Did you guess those 'keywords'?

or are the actual ones the FBI uses?

Seems to be a pretty remarkable thing, for you to hae access to those keywords, and be able to post them; if in fact they are actual words the FBI uses to search Google.

I am not sure if the FBI even needs Google or Bing or DuckDuckGo to find what they're looking for.

[Laelth]

68. No comment. n/t

-Laelth