Repost in honor of Patty Pieniadz expose of OSA's terrorist tactics.
Michael Pattinson
Copyright 2002 by Michael Pattinson. All rights reserved.
Permission to publish or copy is granted provided the text is not
altered and credit is given to the author.
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TERRORISM: THE 21ST CENTURY BATTLEFIELD".
***CHECKLIST OF THE MAIN TRAITS OF FANATICAL TERRORIST GROUPS***
This list may be useful in inspecting the degree of totalitarian
fanaticism or even the destructive potential of groups which are
trying to insert themselves into an area or which are under
investigation.
The points are indicators of danger to the community or country. The
more points present the greater the danger.
I would imagine, also, that it could be useful in preventing
injustices from witch hunts by groups who find themselves wrongly
attacked. They could show by real evidences how few of these
characteristics their group possesses.
My own experience in drawing up this list lies with over two decades
in the cult of Scientology plus four years of part-time internet
research since then, and also with some general research into Al
Quaeda based on events since September 11, 2001. The major parallels
between such fanatical and/or terrorist groups with a totalitarian
vision dressed in religious garb such Al Quaeda and Scientology can be
listed as below. Other cults and groups share these traits to
differing degrees.
NOTE: Both Al Quaeda, according to my research, and Scientology, per
my own experience and research have these NEGATIVE traits as part of
their core structure.
SUMMARY OF COMMON TRAITS OF TERRORIST GROUPS
******************************************************
(not in order of importance)
0. Mainline strategy is to spread the group's beliefs and/or behavior
patterns in a totalitarian fashion and by all methods, legal or not,
to large zones of humanity regardless of the free will of those people
to be so converted.
1.The group as an entity considers its own survival paramount. All
other human associations deemed inferior and expendable.
2. Self-serving authoritarian leaders ignore plight of main body of
membership.
3. Critics or apostates of group actively pursued and persecuted.
4. Terrorist "cells" used to perpetrate crimes, abuse or outright
destruction of persons or property.
5. Cocoon of internal isolated realities blind members to the outside
world. Dependency created on group for member's very existence and
loyalty cemented by fear of expulsion.
6. Language terms invented and ordinary words redefined to promote the
group-think and propaganda.
7. Access to media denied to members (no T.V, radio, newspapers).
8. Deeply distorted or hateful belief system. Beliefs do not permit
the qualities such as love, kindness, compassion, etc to be part of
members' behavior patterns.
9. Totalitarian aims intended to be imposed on mankind as a whole by
force.
10. World domination a part of plans of group to comply with the
commanding intention of the group's guru or leader(s). Definite plan
is to convert entire world to their group's belief system.
11. Fanaticism forced on society by a few members unknown to (or often
disapproved of if known by) mainline membership. Zealous commitment
encouraged and used to enforce group's aims.
12. Highly compartmentalized group structure which enables cells to
operate independently of group but funded by group.
13. Access to working with "inner circle" or management by invitation
only.
14. Activities and operations of leaders or high management kept
secret from main membership.
15. Operations spread over many countries to ensure wide base of
activity despite being banned in some countries.
16. Bases of operation outside areas of tight law enforcement to
preserve continuity despite actions of individual governments.
17. Intention to gain control of territories or zones of influence
whatever current population wants in those areas.
18. Use of all types of power gained to perpetrate corrupt and/or
destructive activities.
19. Use of "front groups", "religiosity" or "charitable" appearances
to mask real agenda of operatives and group leaders and gain power and
influence by deceit.
20. Infiltration by trained group members under covert control of
group into government agencies, institutions, corporations and
associations in order to exert internal control and enable group
influence to be imported or opposition to group nullified.
21. Secret accounts, money channels and financial irregularities to
get past legal restraints.
22. Immigration falsehoods enforced on countries by deceit.
23. Operatives trained in specific activities using normal
educational/training establishments but for socially destructive
purposes. (such as Flight Schools for Al Quaeda, or Law Schools for
Scientology operatives).
24.Leaders are fugitives from justice in one or more countries or
zones.
25. Leaders place themselves in positions of non-accountability by
isolation from operations they have created or by geographical
separation from the areas they are influencing.
26. Complex financial structures mask destination of member funding
and eventual use of funds. This may include money laundering.
27. Identities stolen or falsified by group operatives or cells to
mask source of illegal and/or destructive operations.
28. Ideological basis "justifies" crimes or illegal actions in the
eyes of operatives to the point of utter contempt for the law of the
relevant lands.
29. Major business scams or illegal financial schemes used to finance
group expansion activities (i.e. possibly such things as drug
trafficking, major "ponzi schemes" where investors lose their funds
but group uses those funds, investment fraud scams, etc..).
30. . Major funding through deceit of membership as to eventual use to
which their contributions will be put.
31. Certain types of individuals, ethnic groups, or apostates slated
for active personal destruction or murder by the group. Breaking up of
families who do not go along with group's aims.
32. Para-military aspect of group used to recruit operatives under
tight discipline and self-denying loyalty to group objectives.
Recruiting and training of suicidal or self-destructively devoted
members. False army, navy uniforms but real munitions etc used to
give a war-like face to intentions of group, but group is not an
official armed force of a country.
33. Justice by the group leaders towards members and to outside
"offenders" or "infidels" is by whim and can be very savage.
34. Abuse of those considered "inferior", i.e. women, gays, other
"competitor" religions or groups, critics, and those not 100% loyal to
the dictates of the leaders, etc...
35. Intensely planned attack strategies, mostly covertly directed for
destructive ends against perceived enemies, whether real enemies or
not.
36. Group dictates what members must think. Penalties accrue to those
who dare to think differently.
37. Group pretends to align with non-group environment but this is
very superficial and fake. No real or deep harmony with group's
surrounding environment or culture.
38. Central conspiracy somehow separate from main body of group but
using group for its fanatical ends and/or personal power or
enrichment.
39. Physical and/or mental torture to obtain loyalty and compliance.
40. Destruction of non-group properties, persons, businesses etc..to
force compliance with group demands and aims.
41. Extortion of funds, contribution or silence by illegal means.
42. Murder, attempted murder or deliberate injury of those who appear
to stand in the way of group's aims.
43. Oblivious attitude to consequences of the group's destructive acts
on individuals or society.
44. Society, or parts of it, deemed "expendable" and to be replaced
by group's own agenda and resulting culture.
45. "Religious Police" or "Morality Enforcers" part of tyranny of
fanaticism.
46. Group's "Public Relations" spin divorced from reality. Pure
propaganda of lies to deceive.
47. Personal confessions, private information used to blackmail
dissenters into compliance.
48. Group boasts of achievements that have no basis in reality.
49. Brainwashing of members by various processes of mind control
and/or false information inculcation from within and denial of true
information from outside the group sphere.
50. Savage physical or emotional violence to keep fanatically tight
group discipline.
51. So-called "bringing of new order" by cruel devices rather than
reason or love.
52. Violence enacted in the name of God or a guru thought of as a kind
of deity.
53. False friendly, charismatic or benign "front" or façade used to
slick over atrocities to hide them and continue the deception to
further advance group's hidden agenda.
54. Heartlessness as a consistent attitude.
55. Reign of emotional and/or physical terror is the normal operating
basis by leaders over the main membership to enforce loyalty or
compulsory contribution.
56. Use of fighters or covert operatives to force group's aims on
dissenters or non-compliant areas or populations. Group hires thugs,
P.I.s and unethical individuals to stifle criticism by all available
means.
57. Killing (or extreme duress forced on people) away from the eyes of
the world.
58. Obsession with destroying anything and anyone "different" from
them.(ethnic cleansing, book burning, perversion of justice systems,
introducing confusions into orderly institutions etc....)
59. Generally maintained group consideration that the group or its
leaders are "above the law".
60. Attitude of "we know it all" without openness to self-inspection
and use of this to promote self-arrogance and destroy and discredit
perceived opposition by defamatory claims. Socializing done
exclusively within membership of group.
61. Accusation of others of committing crimes or atrocities that the
group or its operatives really committed.
62. Irresponsibility for the free will of others.
63. Advance of group leaves wake of destruction.
64. Highest order of "duty" to the group is self-sacrifice, not
personal achievement, success and power.
65. Emphasis on past-lives, future lives, paradise etc...used to deny
importance of current member lifetime and to obtain total
self-sacrifice to the group.
66. Sweepingly false propaganda used to instill false ideas into group
at rallies, events or meetings.
67. Group's own views get forced into public and political arenas by
devious, sly means, sometimes by the use of opinion leaders or
misinformed or complicit celebrities.
68. Group states it is friendly and benign but is really hostile,
aggressive and armed to the teeth.
69. No limits to the extremism of the group "for the cause". "Fair
game" not limited in its application.
70. Socially benign or "religious" cloak hides non-religious agenda
and violent determination.
71. Leaders of group operate members like puppets to the detriment of
the individuals concerned.
72. Network of false front groups not apparently connected to main
leadership or group but furthering group's expansion of political
influence, finances, community control and false "public relations" by
deceit and hidden agendas.
73. Use of group's beliefs or methods used "in reverse" to harm
non-members.
74. Use of highly complex structures of corporate networks and legal
intricacies to avoid responsibility for legal consequences of group's
destructive activities.
75. Group violates human rights in the advancement of its own agenda.
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Michael P.Pattinson