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Too good to be true?
Copyright ©1998 Lee Adams. All rights reserved.
     Maybe you've looked through the Spy & CounterSpy Web site and now you're thinking to yourself, Gee, this is too good to be true.
     An attitude like that shows common sense. It's smart to be skeptical. Being skeptical is one of the first things you learn in countersurveillance. Take nothing for granted. Take nothing at face value. And that includes the Spy & CounterSpy Web site.
     We don't mind being held up for close inspection. Keep reading and we'll explain how you can test us and prove to yourself that we're not an agent-provocateur for the FBI.
     Yes, it's okay to be cautious, even a bit suspicious. But you don't want your choices to become limited by fear. You don't want to let fear run your life.
     And it can easily happen. Here's why.
     The urban setting.  Surveillance often occurs in an urban setting. Offices. Homes. Streets. Sidewalks. Motels. Restaurants. Neighborhoods.
     Surveillance is urban conflict. It's that simple. As soon as you become aware you're being watched, surveillance becomes urban conflict.
     A number of governments have done research into urban conflict. Why? Because governments create urban conflict with their security service, undercover cops, and other operations. They do research so they can understand how to fully control the urban conflict they create.  (Example: intelligence units of US Marines are currently mapping Chicago.)
      Urban conflict is stressful. Extremely stressful. Here's how it affects the people who are involved. In this discussion we'll refer to them as combatants.
     75% of combatants in urban conflicts suffer from an affective disorder. That's shrink-talk for your mood – you're stressed-out, high-strung, on edge. It also includes measureable things like an exaggerated startle reflex, as well as your ability to concentrate and stay focused.
     25% of combatants suffer something more serious called a neurotic disorder. That's shrink-talk for anxiety. You're being really cautious, really suspicious – a bit paranoid.
     And, finally, nearly 10% of combatants have a psychotic episode – forget the shrink-talk for these folks, they're just plain gone.
     The conclusion?  Urban conflict is very stress-inducing for people like cops, narcs, SWAT teams, riot squads, informants, you know the type. It's also stressful for surveillance teams – and for the targets of surveillance. That means people like you and me. This is just part of the unavoidable damage a surveillance team inflicts on you, no matter whether you're guilty or innocent.
     Here's what you need to do.  First, remember that you're not alone. All targets of surveillance go through this. It's natural. It's part of the game.
     You need to be careful not to fall into the trap of being too suspicious, too cautious. You've got to be careful to avoid becoming one of the 25% who let fear run their lives. Even falling into the 75% category can significantly degrade your ability to function under surveillance.
     The best way to avoid this? Think things through. Logically. Sensibly.
     Of course the FBI doesn't want you to do that. The FBI would prefer you let fear make your decisions. Don't let the FBI win that head-game.

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Thinking it through...
     There are three factors that affect you and the Spy & CounterSpy Web site. You should think them through. These three factors are lawfulness, dataveillance, and openness. The good news is – you're in the clear in all three of these factors.
     Lawfulness.  This is the first factor affecting you and the Spy & CounterSpy Web site. It is completely legal for you to read Spy & CounterSpy. Even though the information is extremely sensitive, it has been compiled using accepted methods of investigative journalism. Plus, the Constitution of the United States recognizes your right to protect yourself from the government's secret agencies. So you're not doing anything wrong by being interested in surveillance and countersurveillance.
     Of course, an FBI or ATF surveillance team will do their best to make you feel guilty about trying to learn more. That's because they don't want you to level the playing field. The goons prefer to have you always fighting an uphill battle. They don't want you to get smart.
     Dataveillance.  This is the second factor affecting you and the Spy & CounterSpy Web site. Dataveillance is spy-talk for using data as a surveillance tool. If you've browsed this site, you've probably already browsed other controversial sites. That means you're already on a list somewhere.
     The National Security Agency routinely monitors electronic communication in the USA. Not just some of it. All of it. That means telephone conversations, fax transmissions, telexes, email, and the Internet. All of it. They're continually scanning for communication that might interest them. And they're very good at what they do.
     The NSA has some very powerful computers. And they've come up with some clever ways of using them. They use them to search for keywords. They also have some powerful voice-recognition software. For the NSA, tracking someone on the Internet is child's play.
     So don't kid yourself. If you've done any serious browsing on the Internet – or if you've ever engaged in any "interesting" telephone conversations – then your name is already on an NSA list. And the NSA shares its information with the FBI, ATF, DEA – even other countries. They've already got you pegged as someone with a predisposition, whatever that means.
     So you're not necessarily attracting new surveillance by reading Spy & CounterSpy. In practical terms, you invite surveillance simply by being an American citizen with a diverse range of interests. Don't feel guilty about what you're doing – you're not the problem, the government is. They're the ones running the secret agencies who function as thought-police in the USA.
     Openness.  This is the third factor affecting you and the Spy & CounterSpy Web site. It simply doesn't matter if the FBI, ATF, DEA, or any other surveillance team sees you reading this stuff. They don't gain any advantage. You don't suffer any disadvantage.
     Think of it this way. Reading Spy & CounterSpy is like reading a book about playing chess. The fact that your opponent knows you've been studying books on chess doesn't hurt you. It's irrelevant. What counts is what happens on the board.
     Likewise, the fact that the FBI knows you've been reading articles about countersurveillance doesn't hurt you. It's irrelevant. What counts is what happens on the board.
     Spy & CounterSpy will teach you techniques for use in specific situations that surveillance teams can't avoid. But, even more important, Spy & CounterSpy will teach you the concepts and principles of countersurveillance. When you understand these concepts, you'll be able to adapt to many different surveillance situations. Best of all, the FBI simply has no way of knowing how you're going to use what you've learned.

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Where do you want to be?
     Let logic, not fear, run your life. Think things through. Consider where you are now. Then consider where you'll be if you take advantage of the information and know-how available through Spy & CounterSpy.
     Privacy is your right. Just because you want privacy doesn't mean you're hiding anything. You put letters inside envelopes, don't you? You close the bathroom door when you shower, don't you? You have a pre-existing right to privacy that is recognized by the US Constitution.
     So if you're presently engaging in behavior that you don't want the FBI to find out about – here's what you should do. Suspend your activities while you read Spy & CounterSpy. You'll soon see that our articles have the ring of truth to them. You'll be able to apply what you learn right away – and you'll start seeing results right away.
     SECURITY NOTE – Are we an agent-provocateur? Well, we can't prove a negative. We can't prove we're not an agent-provocateur. But we can prove a positive. We can prove that we provide reliable, useful, hard-hitting information about countersurveillance, antisurveillance, and methods for underground urban activists. We're not asking you to take our word for it. We're asking you to try it for yourself.

Who funds us?
     Spy & Counterspy is not beholden to anyone – not government, not big business, not multinational corporations, not the mainstream news media, not the military-industrial complex, and not the newly-emerging police-industrial complex.
     So our articles are hard-hitting. We point fingers. We name names. We don't pull our punches. Everyone here works hard to make Spy & CounterSpy a trustworthy source of information about how to protect your right to be left alone.
     So where do we get funding? From people just like you. From supporters who understand the value of an ongoing independent source of information about countersurveillance, antisurveillance, and methods for underground urban activists. People who understand how important it is to protect freedom against what they see as a growing threat of government tyranny.
     CONTRIBUTIONS – If you would like to make a contribution, please make your check, money order, or bank draft payable to Here's-how, Right-now! Seminars Inc. and mail it to PO Box 8026, Victoria BC  V8W 3R7  Canada or send it by courier to 3273 Tennyson Avenue in Victoria. If you prefer to use your credit card, call Vickie at 250-475-1450.
     We are grateful for this support, because it helps us keep up our corporate front. The corporate veil is one of our defense mechanisms against the goons.

Spy school for the rest of us.

Here is the small print.  It appears here because we have found that maintaining a corporate front is the only way we can protect ourselves against interference by governments and their agencies.  The legal underpinnings of our corporate front are our first line of defense against audit-attacks and other methods of economic warfare that the authorities use to suppress dissent, protest, and activism.  They are also determined to prove their hypothesis that Spy & CounterSpy is funded by a foreign intelligence agency or terrorist group – but our double entry accounting record of corporate revenue and expenses is our shield against fabricated evidence by an overzealous investigator or case officer.
Contents Copyright ©1998 Lee Adams.  All rights reserved.  Published by Lee Adams Seminars.  Provided for entertainment and information purposes only.  Spy & CounterSpy and Spy school for the rest of us and How To Make People Say Yes! are trade-marks in USA, Canada, and/or other countries.  Lee Adams Seminars is a division of Here's-how, Right-now! Seminars Inc.
OFFICE:  3273 Tennyson Avenue, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
MAIL:  PO Box 8026, Victoria BC, CANADA V8W 3R7.
TELEPHONE:  (250) 475-1450.
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