Tinfoil-hat time.

[brainshrub]

I got home Thursday night from Crawford, Texas and was looking forward to checking my email and updating my site. Unfortunately, I couldn't get online because my cable-service was shut off. At the time I didn't think much of it: It was late, and I figured that my lack of access was a sign from God that I needed to rest a bit before posting anything to the web.

The next morning I started trouble-shooting my internet connection. I called my my internet service provider, Charter Communications, and asked them if my service had been disconnected. They said no, my bill had been paid and my account had never been disconnected.

A diagnostic test on my cable modem showed it was working properly, and I checked each component of my computer to make sure that there were no lose wires or bent pins. Everything was connected properly.

After running out of ideas as to what could be wrong, I walked over to my neighbors house and asked them if their service had been interrupted. They said no, but then they mentioned something that piqued my interest:

"We haven't had a problem, but there was a guy in a black SUV with tinted windows in front of your house on Tuesday. He put a ladder on the telephone pole in front of your house and was doing something. We thought he was the cable company."

After my neighbor told me this, I called Charter Communications again to make absolutely certain that no one had been sent to my house.

"Sir, we have no record of anyone doing anything to your cable line," they assured me.

I then called every organization I could think of that would legitimately need access to my houses electricity or communications. The electric company, the telephone company, the water service and land-lord all assured me that no one worked on the lines in front of my house while I was gone these past two weeks.

So now I'm creeped out. Someone did work on the wiring to my house last week and inadvertently disconnected my internet access. I don't think they meant to disconnect me because it would be to obvious, and there are other ways to get online these days. But who the hell was on the telephone pole this past Tuesday?

Am I being paranoid? Should I get fitted for a tin-foil hat?

One annoying aspect about all this is that, due to the Labor Day weekend, Charter Communications will not be able to sent a truck out to re-connect me until Tuesday at the earliest. Perhaps I should call Karl Rove and see if he can help me out?

[sakabatou]

1. Swooky.

[moc]

2. Holy shit.

:wow:

[NMDemDist2]

3. ok brainshrub, now you're creeping me out. Glad you're home safe

and sound though...

and how are you online now? do you have a backup dialup?

[brainshrub]

16. I don't have a telephone line, I use my cell-phone for calls.

I don't have a telephone line, I use my cell-phone for calls. I am using the internet connection from WPVM, a local community radio-station, to post this.

[libhill]

81. Buy a gun

if you don't already have one. Sounds like the Government is after you. I don't trust the ass hats any further tahn I can spit. And no one had any business fucking with your internet access, as long as your bill is paid.

[librechik]

4. Yes--Agent Mike! If you want to continue spying on brainshrub

He needs a working cable line. Duh!!! Get somebody over there to fix it ASAP!

[brainshrub]

22. Exactly!

If I'm under surveillance, (And I'm not saying that I am yet.) you'd think Agent Mike would make sure that I had internet access so they could catch me wiring money to the "Terra-ists."

[Henny Penny]

30. Perhaps agent Mike just wants to freak you out! n/t

[yowzayowzayowza]

63. lol

n/t

[madame defarge]

5. I have a really stupid question...

I missed the memo that explained the "tin-foil hat" thing. Can someone please explain it to me, the resident newbie idiot? Thanks... B-)

[NMDemDist2]

6. tinfoilhats are the standard uniform of conspiracy theorists and welcome

:hi:

[seito]

8. The tinfoil hat prevents the government from scanning your brain waves

:tinfoilhat:

[madame defarge]

10. Ah, thanks...

Guess I better add that to my shopping list.

[brainshrub]

24. The shiney-side of the tinfoil should be facing outward.

That is very important. Otherwise, the govt will still be able to read your mind.

[petgoat]

52. I stick a feather in mine and call it macaroni. n/t

[madrchsod]

12. here you go if you want to be fashionable

http://www.ericisgreat.com/tinfoilhats/
tfh - tin foil hats

[moc]

23. LOL!

:rofl:

[Up2Late]

54. Excellent, some of those are quite stylish

The voice have been telling me to make a new one. :tinfoilhat:

(just kidding)

[chalky]

62. I want a fez!!

:rofl:

[mcscajun]

64. I want a purple cowboy hat with a custom tinfoil lining.

:rofl:

[madame defarge]

65. Too cool!

I want the Kutcher one but I'll wear it backwards to be extra cool..

[MadeinOhio]

7. You were visited.....Karl Rove on the job with his minions....

I can tell. There is no damn way black tinted SUVs show up and interrupt everybody's cable service unless they have motive, means and a way to do it.....and know who you are somehow..

:crazy:

[HereSince1628]

70. Carl drives a white pick-up, but it could have been Agt. Mulder

[fooj]

9. You aren't paranoid, at all.

Two weeks ago, I was holding for the Guy James Show down in Crawford. My dog started barking and I looked out my second story and there was a white van parked in front of my house. It just sat there for a few minutes and I noticed the government insignia on the left side of the license plate.

I live in a sleepy, oceanfront town where there is no reason for a govt. van to park in the front of my house. Especially on a Saturday. It was just too creepy.

A lady with a govt. uniform stepped out and swung open the back doors. (the only ones with tinted window. No other windows in van) I just about crapped my pants. She then slammed the doors, looked at the house and got back in the van. A few minutes later she took off. Too weird for me.

Peace.

[nicknameless]

79. Yikes, fooj!

The official "Intimidation Wagon" making its rounds?

[fooj]

82. Who knows?

Peace.

[madmax]

11. Doesn't sound to me like tinfoil hat time.

What company uses black suv's with tinted windows, no logo? I don't sounds very creepy to me.

[acmejack]

27. Check out the type of vehicles the Secret Service used in Crawford.

Black Suburbans with tinted windows. Coincidence?

[Maine-ah]

13. could you keep us updated? Let us know what happens on tues.

I generally wear the TFH all the time. My first thought was a bug.

[RagingInMiami]

14. There are ways to find out if your phone lines are tapped

Don't be surprised if you find out they are.

[brainshrub]

29. I don't have a land-line phone.

That must have frustrated Agent Mike when he found out I don't have a phone-line to tap.

For the record, I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.

[RagingInMiami]

47. If you use wireless internet

They can intercept everything you do online through a simple transmittor.

[Up2Late]

55. But you use a Cell Phone for you Phone call you say.

Those are much easier to listen in on, and with the USA Patriot Act, it might not even be illegal anymore. AND the Cable company might be barred from telling you if someone is tapping you lines or monitoring you.

It might be time to visit some of the Tin foil hat sites to find out what they use for counter measures against their non-existent surveillance problems.

[Terran1212]

15. Sister works for homeland security, I have been a roleplayer in simulation

In a simulation used to protect the georgia capitol (with undercover agents), most of the agents dressed as pedestrians and nothing particularly obvious.

If homeland security uses the same form of undercover agents as other agencies, it's most probable they'd never do something that fits the same profile as in the movies.

[brainshrub]

34. I was just thinking the same thing.

I am going to ask my neighbor today to describe the vehicle she saw. To be honest, I can't remember if she said black van or SUV, I was so surprised that anyone was working on the line in the first place I didn't pay close attention to the description.

[Terran1212]

35. There is a thing called a "mobile command unit"

Sister described it to me as a van with flat-panel LCD's they use, I guess for monitoring or situation rooms.

Honestly though, I'm pretty sure homeland security does not do intelligence work outside of surveillance of public places/government offices. I think the FBI does surveillance on private individuals, so I really can't help you with them, I only have experience with how homeland operates in atlanta..

[The Doctor.]

49. Any chance your neighbor may

just be messing with you?

Are they a practical joker?

Did you accidentally trim their dogwood at the trunk?

Just thinkin'

[MuseRider]

17. I am so glad you are home

safe but damn, that is scary shit.

I believe you might just want to keep that tin-foil hat on tightly.

Let us know if you learn anything or need anything.

:hug: It was such a pleasure to meet you.

[brainshrub]

41. Same here.

It was great meeting you. I hope we can spend more time talking in DC.

[seemslikeadream]

18. When the whole Bev Harris thing first started at DU

I had printed out a lot of stuff about the source code and such. One day I went to get on line and EVERY THING connected with AOL and internet connection was completely gone off my computer, and there was a remote person with access to my computer showing up.


I had to reinstall everything

[mongo]

19. Too bad your neighbors didn't get pictures

Man, I'd be creeped out. I hope you can be there when the cable company restores your service.

Do you run any kind of server on your computer, or was it turned off while you were away?

If I were you, I'd start putting hairs across my doors to see if my house has been entered.

[brainshrub]

39. My computer was off.

My computer was off, and I don't run any server on my machine. I'm not going to put hairs on the floor. For now I'm going to assume that my neighbor has an over-active imagination and that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.

It's not like we live under an administration that targets peaceful civilians for investigation just because they non-violently protest the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

... erm ...

Oh never mind.

[mongo]

48. LOL

Oh wait - that's not funny....

[mogster]

20. This is shocking and very creepy

Both your and fooj's experiences.

You should see if there are something attached to that pole, if it's new you may see what it is. Do you know any tech-savvy people?

[Lilyhoney]

21. Honestly,

I think that if someone were checking on you, they would have gone into your home to do it. Sorry, but I don't think a professional would have done the pole thing.

[Gold Metal Flake]

25. Perhaps you should get off your ass and get a goddamn ladder.

Find out what the fuck was done. Look for yourself. Look for anything that looks new. Get some neighbor who is familiar with things with wires and get them to look around. If I were nearby, I'd be all over your motherfucking house looking at shit.

[CountAllVotes]

31. yeah or better yet ...

Hire an electrician that you can TRUST and have him/her climb up there and have a look in case you don't know what to be looking for. I would personally not have a clue.

*eeeeekkkkkk* is right!

:kick:

[Gold Metal Flake]

37. Yeah, I understand that lots of folks ain't hip to electrical stuff.

Expecting everyone to be an ameture electricion or plumber or mechanic is not fair. I have a certain fixation with things mechanical and I simply can not help but learn about them. Also, I'm a cheap bastard and I save money fixing my own stuff.

Outside, the metal parts of cable stuff oxidises and looks dull. New or recent stuff looks shineyer (sp?). Also, you usually have a cable from the ground or pole going to a juction/splitter or just a male/male mate that ties the companies cable to your house cable. Anything that looks added or new is suspect.

Are the phone lines near that stuff?

Can pictures be taken? I'd love to see what is going on up there. SERIOUSLY. I wanna help if I can.

[murray hill farm]

26. give up on the tin foil hat...

we might as well just throw them away...they apparently dont work anyway..hehe!! first ...any chance the neighbor could be pulling your leg...folks often do that to tin foil hat folks like us...they like to get us excited cause they think we are nuts...and sometimes like to get us going, etc. So..check with the nieghbor to make sure this is not the case. there could be many diff reasons why your internet is not working...maybe there was someone working on lines...or whatever..and your connection got shorted out or such...or maybe it just shorted out..mouse chewed through wires..lots of things. NOW..that out of the way! It is my belief that when a thing is just toooooooo much of a coincidence, then it is likely that it is not one........when a thing happens that is not likely to ever happen..and there is no reasonable explaination for it's occurance, then it is likely that it did not just occur on its own. After the holiday is over...u will have a better idea of just what did happen...for now it is just annoying...so chill...and do not let the paranoia get ya...YET! you will be better able to get a handle on what is happening once the guy gets out to check it out and reconnect.

[madrchsod]

28. no- you ain`t being paranoid

i`m sure they tapped your line...i`m an old timer that went thru the drug -political phone taps, and informers back in the 60`s. there was a planted spook at camp casey, i can asure you of that. ------------------loose lips-sink ships--------------------------------

[ToolTex]

46. Yeah, that is what the Church Committee Hearings were all about.

It is why we had a wall between FBI and CIA. People didn't remember history, so now we get to repeat it. Very sad. Checking the pole is probably useless. Moving to Canada might be a good plan.

[brainshrub]

50. One of the benefits of Camp Casey was that there was nothing to infiltrate

Anyone who even hinted at violence, drug-use or vandalism was asked to leave. Any agent provocateur the Bush Administration might have planted would have gotten very frustrated, since attempting to cause problems was meet with swift condemnation by everyone.

"Infiltrating" Camp Casey was like infiltrating a cub-scouts meeting.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

32. I would call all of the utility companies back and explain again what

happened and ask them to get people down there as someone might be either tapping into (theft of service) or sabotaging their property. They might act on that.

[Up2Late]

59. Exactly, tell the Cable company the you think someone is stealing...

cable service by hooking into you line at the pole, they REALLY hate that kind of thing and, most likely will have someone their in an hour.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

68. Exactly! nt

[oddtext]

33. You here in Asheville? -- WPVM?

i'm in Montford. if there is a black SUV to look out for in this nabe, let me know.

[McCamy Taylor]

36. Suggestion call ACLU---Dont touch the stuff on your roof. Have

an expert check it out to see what was done up there. If they can find a bug, you can make a civil case and a media stink, which is what the administration fears most and the main reason they dont put bugs on everyone. If it was cut, then see if you can file criminal charges.

Dont let Charter Communications fix it without some kind of legal presence documenting what is discovered.

[MelissaB]

42. Excellent idea! n/t

[IndyOp]

44. I second this motion - call the ACLU -

they are overworked, but at least they can keep a database.

Peace.

[Terran1212]

43. Watch out when calling ACLU

Their recent FOIA lawsuit found that the FBI is actually doing surveillance of the ACLU as well. You might be talking to an informer..

[jus_the_facts]

58. hmmm...maby the ACLU might be a bit busy for such mundane problems....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3956844

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3954289

[Matariki]

38. i have a friend who worked for Seattle City Council

She was assigned to record collecting and management for the WTO inquiry the city was doing.

She started getting paranoid because stuff like that was happening around her house, cable wires pulled away from her house, utility trucks outside her house way too often. She also told me she was out for lunch with a politically active friend and this woman came in and sat in the booth behind them in an obvious platinum blond wig, sunglasses and a large 'medallion necklace'. She sat there with one cup of tea for the entire hour & a half they ate and talked and even followed my friend to the bathroom. Apparently they wanted my friend to know she was being spied on.

We kind of teased her but one day we were over there on a sunday (about 6pm) and sure enough there was a 'water department' truck in front of her house and two guys messing around with the man-hole cover in the street. We took a walk to a nearby park and the truck cruised by there too. She called the water department the next day and they said 'no' they didn't send out a truck to her neighborhood and that they never did on sundays.


Like I said, in her case it seemed like someone wanted her to feel watched. It very well could have been a clumsy attempt by the Seattle police since that's where a lot of the investigation was being aimed.

[Terran1212]

45. When I roleplayed in homeland security exercise...

Two of the "agents" were actually posing as capitol interns. They were talking about how bad the security was inside, and they were pretty obvious as well.

Others were pedestrians, mostly old white men but some black men and college-age students also.

[Usrename]

40. I 'KNOW' they are watching me: Hey, FIX BRAINSHRUBS CABLE

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

51. I have my own internet problem after return from Crawford story

We have Comcast and they auto deduct the bill from our account. We've had this since 2002 and never a problem.

Well, shortly after I returned from Crawford, we received a notice that our bank didn't recognize the account and didn't complete the withdrawal.

My husband and I were saying, WTF, nothing has changed as far as the account and we had the money there waiting.

I called Comcast, and they didn't know why it happened. I took the notice to my bank who said that the acct. number listed on their notice belonged to someone else, entirely.

Neither seems to know why this happened. I just have to make a manual payment, and restart our account.

I really didn't think too much of it until I saw your post.

Now, I'm a little worried. MKJ

[Up2Late]

60. Your problem sounds like I.D. Theft, I had that problem too

I hope you have called the bank already to close your bank accounts and restart new one, or ask the bank what to do for I.D. theft.

[shance]

53. Am very glad to hear your neighbors saw it. A thought that comes to mind

is to talk with your neighbor and perhaps call the police to come over and take a look around with you and talk with you and the neighbor. If you know someone at your police station or you have an officer that oversees your neighborhood that would be even better.

It doesnt sound like your neighbor was able to get a license plate number, if he did that would be a good place to start of course.

Sounds like you've handled it really well Brainshrub by checking out all the possibilities and any "glitches" and it certainly doesn't look like any glitch. Thank you for posting. Its important for all of us to be aware right now and to share any *curious* experiences.

[undergroundpanther]

56. I have been folowed by tinted windowless vans

they have sat outside the house,Once our car trunk was opened but we keep nothing in there. So,yeah they spy on people I think because they get off on gaslighting. It takes a special kind of sadistic soullessness to be a government spook.We were also threatened as in being set up by a windowless van with NO liscence plate.. to crash our car on the highway.
But we out manuevered it.

So am I paranoid? only when I have to be.

[jus_the_facts]

57. perhaps THIS has something to do with it....paranoia runs deep.....

...think these people have any internet access?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3956844

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3954289

[Up2Late]

61. I have Comcast-cable Modem and have had similar problems, no black...

...SUV's though, but here are a few things to try.

1) Try changing your DNS server. here are 2 numbers, one in Atlanta, one in Orlando:

199.166.28.10

199.166.31.3

It's better to use a local DNS server, but this should work for now. I'm having trouble connecting to the site where you can search for a local DNS, below is the links to them.

ORSC Public Access DNS Nameservers
<http://support.open-rsc.org/.servers/>

How To Use New Domain Names
<http://support.open-rsc.org/.servers/>

2) If you don't have a Router connected between the Cable and your Cable modem, get one. They act as an effective "Fire wall."

3) If you don't have a Software "fire wall" other than Microsoft's get one. Microsoft's "fire wall" offers only minimum protection.

Both #2 and #3 do have a learning curve and should not be attempted until you have you connection working again, but once you do have your connection working again, I would get a basic 4 line router from "Linksys" or "Network Everywhere." "Network Everywhere" IS just a re-packaged "Linksys," but sometimes are less expensive.

Let me know if you need more help or post to the Computer Support Group, that's where I get most of my help.

[growlypants]

67. im dumb with computers. where can one get a firewall? Can they

be downloaded for free or is it something you must purchase?

[Up2Late]

73. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for with Firewall software.

It's not something you want to do "on the cheep."

Norton Personal Firewall from Symantec, is one of the best. If you buy it as a stand alone, it cost about $50.00, but a lot of computers already have a program on them that will qualify you for the $20.00 rebate: <http://www.symantecstore.com/dr/sat1/ec_MAIN.Entry17c?CID=0&PN=5&SP=10007&SID=49997&PID=750305&API1=65&API2=GOOGLE&API3=fw_norton_firewall_exa&API4=Empty&API5=Empty&DSP=&CUR=840&PGRP=0&CACHE_ID=0>

Or

If you buy it as a package deal as part of the "Norton Internet Security 2005" for $70.00 ($69.95) which includes:

Norton AntiVirus™ 2005
Norton™ Personal Firewall 2005
Norton AntiSpam™ 2005
Norton™ Parental Control

Which also has a rebate of $30.00 which, if you have any Anti-Virus software on you computer, you most likely qualify for.
<http://www.symantecstore.com/dr/sat1/ec_MAIN.Entry16?PN=1&SP=10023&S1=&S2=&S3=&S4=&S5=&V1=648691&V2=&V3=&V4=&V5=31033611&xid=49997&DSP=0&CUR=840&PGRP=0&CACHE_ID=0>

or their is: "Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition" <http://www.symantecstore.com/dr/sat1/ec_MAIN.Entry16?PN=1&SP=10023&S1=&S2=&S3=&S4=&S5=&V1=732491&V2=&V3=&V4=&V5=31033611&xid=49997&DSP=0&CUR=840&PGRP=0&CACHE_ID=0> for another $10.00, which includes an anti-spyware program, but I use a different one (SpySweeper) which is considered the best available.

The Norton Firewall program program can be a bit confusing, and it throws up a lot of alerts for the first few days, until you tell it what is O.K. to allow and what to stop, but in this situation and the state of Internet crime these day, it's almost essential if you use Windows XP or Windows 2000.

[growlypants]

74. Thanks! I have Norton antivirus, so I suppose it has the firewall

contraption included.

[Up2Late]

76. Sorry, I guest you misunderstood, Firewall is NOT included with...

...Norton Anti-virus.

What I was saying is that, if you have an older version (older than 2005), the older version can be used to qualify for the $20 or $30 Dollar rebate, so that it doesn't cost as much, that's all I was referring to.

[growlypants]

78. oh, ok. I'll investigate. THANKS!!

[growlypants]

66. one of my friends wrote a paper about George Bush for college

and visited a ton of site re. terrorism and a bunch of anti-government sites. So one day the SECRET SERVICE showed up at her off campus apartment and questioned her for HOURS then TOOK HER TERM PAPER and her HARD DRIVE so she had nothing to turn in. She said the professor didnt believe her and failr her for the course (she was PISSED). So anyway, this was about a 2 years ago. NOW whenver she goes to apply for a job and do a backround check on her, she comes up as FLAGGED by the giverment and has had problems getting hired. She has a job NOW, but apparently its because her frind worked for the company and didnt require a backround check. Scary.

[sam sarrha]

83. CHECK IT FOR BUGS

[bigbrother05]

69. Now we know where Dick Cheney has been

Pretty much SOP for these creeps. Anybody messes with their plans and they will stop at nothing. A number of years ago, we were making life a bit uncomfortable for some local powers in Texas and our phone started to make odd noises. After 'official' maintenance vans began to park in the neighborhood, we just started to talk at random to the 'other side' when the noises appeared during calls with some of our co-conspirators. They finally seemed to back away when somehow one of our calls ended up ringing into their receptionist instead of a friend (had hand dialed and was not even close to the number we called). These were low level tyrants, but they had ties to local phone execs and the county GOP, so can only imagine how much easier it would be now. Looking back on it, maybe just Texas politics, but you must be making them nervous.

The smartest thing we did was take everything public, became too visible to lean on and cultivated the local paper. Was quite an experience in hands on politics in the Great State of Texas. They tended to operate by the Dick Cheney Doctrine, "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission."

[Malikshah]

80. "He's just a lineman for the county...."

:)

[MissWaverly]

71. depends on where you live

where I live, my telephone guy said that the system is overloaded so
when they connect 1 person, they usually knock someone off, my best
bet is the main telephone provider, ask your neighbors if they had
a fax line or a DSL put in recently.

[cascadiance]

72. Just Thursday morning I had some problems too...

All of a sudden (not too long before I headed out to work), I lost network connectivity to my Mac (which was connected via WIFI to my router/hub that was connected to my DSL modem. A month earlier or so, there was a remote host that was down that lead to similar symptoms. I said to myself, "Oh well, time to go to work. I'll get on the net at work and it will be up again by the time I get home.

I get home, and it is still not functional. I call up my ISP, and they have me look at a few things. While waiting for them, I go to my PC that's in another room directly connected to my router. It is working fine there, even though my Wifi connected Mac is still hosed.

I talk to the rep thinking that I might have to reboot my Mac to get the net up again. I'd already power cycled my router, but this time I turned off both router and DSL modem and then powered them up again, and suddenly I was getting net connectivity.

Don't know how it got into that state, but something makes me wonder if I had someone drive by with some sort of Wifi jamming device and/or was trying to hack into my G4 laptop through a separate Wifi connection or the like, leaving it dangling and not on my local wifi net.

Oh well, probably something innocent, but your post had me pondering for a moment if "Bro" is out there looking for all of us!

:tinfoilhat:

[Up2Late]

75. Here's another bunch of info regarding changing you DNS settings

This post is old, but most of the DNS numbers a most likely still good.

The site is also very good for testing the speed of you Cable Modem and DSL connection.

<http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,13154925>

<http://www.broadbandreports.com/stest>

<http://www.broadbandreports.com/tools>

[RevCheesehead]

77. Wasn't that also an episode of the X-files?