THAT ' Fund
The Harassment and Torture Charity
1 Cotswold Court, Albert Street, Fleet, Hants. GU51 3XZ. United Kingdom
Goals paper 1
Draft date: 15 May 2007
Author: John Allman
Intended readership: The trustees
C O N T E N T S
Context and purpose of this
paper
Scene-setting quotes
Undesirable features of the
status quo -v- long-term goals
Medium-term goals
Short-term goals
1 Context and purpose of this
paper
The trust was formed partly to fill a gap in
provision of services, a gap relating to remote torture. Other existing organisations address torture
in general. Some, like the World
Organisation Against Torture, acknowledge acts of torture perpetrated remotely,
but do not place much emphasis upon them.
Others, like Amnesty International, do not even acknowledge that such
acts of torture are feasible. None of
them provide practical help to the alleged victims of remote torture (or of
remote harassment that some might argue fell short of full torture.)
The trustees have asked the author to identify
goals. The trust's objects are drawn
sufficiently widely to permit the application of funds other than to work in
connection with remote torture, but an early programme of activities that will
distinguish this trust from all others will be that it expressly sets out to
address the problem of hi-tech remote torture and harassment. The author has therefore responded in the
first instance with this paper, which identifies goals in connection with
remote torture and harassment.
2 Scene-setting
quotes
"There is
abundant evidence in the public domain that non-lethal weapons research is
ongoing and funded annually in the tens of millions of dollars, or more. Given
the fact that chemical and biological weapons, mind control drugs and radiation
have been tested on unwitting civilian populations, it is possible that
non-lethal weapons have also been tested on unwitting citizens... To date, organized and academic medicine
have acted as if non-lethal weapons do not exist." [Emphasis the
author's] - Dr. Colin A. Ross, Psychiatrist, p. 106 of Bluebird: Deliberate
Creation of Multiple Personality By Psychiatrists
"Non-lethal
weapons is a broad category which includes devices for beaming various kinds of
energy at human targets in order to temporarily incapacitate them, or to
control or affect their behavior. Non-lethal weapons research has been conducted
at universities in the United States on contract to the CIA, and has overlapped
with research on hallucinogens and brain electrode implants. Funding
of the experiments began in MKULTRA." - Dr. Colin A. Ross,
Psychiatrist, p. 103 of Bluebird: Deliberate
Creation of Multiple Personality By Psychiatrists
“[The European
Parliament] calls for an international convention introducing a global ban on
all developments and deployments of weapons which might enable any form of
manipulation of human beings” - Resolution A4-0005/99 Paragraph 27
Electro-Magnetic
(EM) weapons are one of the newest and most serious military developments in
the world today. Enormous secrecy surrounds their development … Unless this
development is stopped, we are entering an Orwellian '1984' type scenario,
which could potentially permanently transfer enormous power to those in control
of the technology. … We regard the unsuccessful attempts in the 70s … to have
these weapons controlled by a UN Convention as having been a major missed
opportunity, which has now led to a new arms race in this field. We have sought
to renew the attempt … to outlaw these weapons and the research that leads to
them, primarily that concerning external manipulation of the human central
nervous system. - Dr Caroline Lucas MEP, 2004 (Dr Lucas was a medical doctor before she
stood for the election to the European Parliament)
“counterfeit
miracles, signs and wonders” – the
apostle Paul, the bible, 2 Thessalonians 2:9
“Voice to skull
devices. … Nonlethal weapons which includes (1) a
neuro-electromagnetic device which uses microwave transmission of sound into
the skull of persons or animals by way of pulse-modulated microwave radiation;
and (2) a silent sound device which can transmit sound into the skull of
persons or animals. NOTE: the sound modulation may be voice or audio subliminal
messages. … Acronym: V2K” - US
Army Military Thesaurus, Center for Army Lessons Learnt, For Leavenworth
“… let me be frank: for
reasons of national security no one in Government, that's no one, will ever do
anything other than neither confirm nor deny whether UK has access to … ‘V2K
weapons’. They will deny there is any experimentation on the minds of
arbitrary members of the public …” –
Simon Watkin, Team Leader, Covert Investigation Policy Team, Intelligence and
Security Liaison Unit, The Home Office, writing to the author on 15 November
2006
“[Your constituent] …
asked ‘whether the UK has access to V2K weapons’. It has been the policy of successive governments, in the
interests of protecting national security, neither to confirm nor [to] deny the
capability of our national security mechanisms.” – Dr John Reid, Home Secretary, writing to an
opposition MP on 24 November 2006
“Isn't what we want
to call public attention to Remote Targeting by Directed Energy Weapons?” – Carole Smith, Australian
Psychotherapist practising in London, 7 October 2006
“Nowadays, you
don't have to be locked up at Guantanamo Bay, or in Abu Ghraib prison, in order
to be tortured. You can be tortured at home, even in your own bed.” – the author, paraphrasing
Carole Smith above
“The only
continent of the world from which I have never received an appeal for help from
an alleged victim of individually-targeted electronic harassment is
Antarctica.”
– the author
“I would not
open windows into men's souls” - Queen Elizabeth I
"If there
were no capacity for monitoring subjects' unarticulated verbal responses,
abusing individuals using what the military calls V2K weapons would be as
pointless as trying to play darts in a darkroom." - the author
"[Technological
thought reading by] the law enforcement agencies and the intelligence services
[of the UK] … [is] subject to independent oversight by the Office of the
Surveillance Commissioners and the Intelligence Services Commissioner …"
- Intelligence and
Security Liaison Unit, The Home Office, 2004
"The research was predicated on existing evidence that verbal ideas or thoughts are subvocally represented in the muscles of the vocal apparatus. If the patterns of this muscle activity are at all similar to those involved in normal overt speech, a reasonable assumption is that electrical activity of the brain during verbal thinking may be similar to that during overt speech. … It was determined that, if all the sources of error could be eliminated, significant gains in correct word classification using biological responses would be achieved (perhaps approaching 90% or better). … EEG responses for covert speech mimicked those of overt speech … correct computer classification … was significant at p < 0.001. We conclude that both overt and covert speech [(verbal thinking)] can be identified by computer classification of electrophysiological responses"
Dr Lawrence Pinneo et al, 1975
“the secret
power of lawlessness” - 2 Thessalonians 2:7
“… the Investigatory Powers Tribunal … provides
remedies where a public authority acts in a way that is incompatible with a
human right.”
- Dr John Reid, Home Secretary, writing to an opposition MP on 30 October 2006
"The
Investigatory Powers Tribunal has never upheld a complaint since it was
formed" - Intelligence and Security Liaison Unit, The Home Office, 2003
"We need
a program … for political control of our society. The purpose is physical control of the mind [of] … everyone who deviates from the given norm. The individual may think that the most
important reality is his own existence, but this is only his personal point of
view. This lacks historical
perspective. Man does not have the
right to develop his own mind. This kind of liberal orientation has great
appeal. We must electrically control
the brain. Some day armies and generals
will be controlled by electric stimulation of the brain." - Dr Jose Delgado, a
publicly-funded pioneer of the technology of Electrical Stimulation of the
Brain (ESB); his remarks as they appeared in the February 24, 1974 edition of
the Congressional Record, No. 262E, Vol. 118
"If we're
not willing to use [electromagnetic directed energy weapons] here against our
fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use [them] in a wartime
situation." United States Air Force
Secretary Michael Wynne, Tuesday 12 September 2006
“The individual
is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot
believe it exists.” - J. Edgar Hoover, former Director of the FBI
3 Undesirable features of the status quo -v- long-term goals
This section of the paper consists of
pairs of statements (or sets of statements).
The first statement (or set) in each pair is a statement that is true,
in the opinion of the author, about the present “climate”, the status quo. The second statement in each pair is one
that the author would like to be true about a future “climate”. This section thus defines long term goals,
which might take a decade or so to achieve, even given adequate funding. The abbreviation TI is used throughout to
denote the self-explanatory phrase "targeted individual". Naturally, all TIs are technically merely
"alleged" TIs.
3.1 Public education
Today, the families and friends of TIs
typically dismiss TIs’ testimony of abuse out of hand. This is largely because the phenomena to
which TIs testify are poorly acknowledged and publicised by trusted sources,
such as the political class, academia, the mainstream mass media, faith
community leaders and the medical profession.
We aspire that
in future the families and friends of alleged TIs will not typically
dismiss their claims out hand, because, those families and friends form part of
general public better educated as a result of the fund’s efforts, and because
(amongst other trusted sources) the political class, academia, the mainstream
mass media, faith community leaders and the medical profession have
acknowledged the problem publicly.
3.2 Academic
research
Most previous and ongoing scientific
research that presents the case for remote torture being feasible or which set
out to develop counter-measures, has been undertaken by amateurs, and other
than under the auspices of respectable universities.
In future, a great deal of the research
will be conducted professionally and under the oversight of universities and/or
equally respectable institutions.
3.3 Reception
centres/centres of excellence
Targeted individuals would often
benefit from periods of residence in reception centres which were also centres
of excellence, staffed by personnel with expertise in dealing with TIs, but
there is no provision.
There will be enough reception centre
provision to meet worldwide demand, and enough expertise for this provision to
be beneficial.
3.4 Empowerment
Mutual support group meetings of TIs
are attended only by a minority of self-declared TIs, because of the cost of attending
such meetings. Many TIs live in
poverty.
Attendance will be subsidised or fully
financed for TIs in poverty. Grants
will be made to TIs in order to relieve poverty. Assistance with finding employment, and support in continuing in
employment, will be provided. Being a
TI will be recognised as a disability, for the purposes of the UK's Disability
Discrimination Act, and similar legislation in other jurisdictions.
3.5 Advocacy
and litigation
TIs often need lay advocacy in
non-judicial or quasi-judicial confrontations, and legal advice and
representation in regarding formal litigation, but provision is inadequate and
unfunded.
Future provision of such services will be
adequate to meet demand, and will be subsidised or fully financed for TIs in poverty.
3.6 The
media
There is little or no mass media
coverage of the issue of remote torture.
Consequently, there probably exist numerous TIs who either are unable to
consider the possibility that they might be TIs or are vulnerable to the
"delusion of grandeur" that they are unique, as opposed to being just
one of many TIs worldwide. Their
efforts to explain their plight are often inept, and counter-productive insofar
as their explanations tend to mimic the symptoms of psychoses.
There will be mass media coverage of the
issue of remote torture commensurate with the importance of the issue. The consequences identified of the issue
being so poorly publicised will be ameliorated or eliminated.
3.7 Faith
communities
TIs complain that when they turn to faith
community leaders for help, they receive none.
Faith community leaders will be aware
that there are TIs, and willing and able to offer them help if and when
approached for help.
3.8 Medicine
Medical science does not acknowledge
the existence of remote torture (see first quote above by the American
psychiatrist Colin Ross) and has not developed scientific diagnostic tests that
add credibility to, or subtract credibility from, the subjective self-diagnoses
of alleged TIs. The promulgated
diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia and persistent delusional disorder have
evolved over decades in such a manner as to place TIs at unprecedented risk of
stigmatising psychiatric diagnoses delivered summarily, diagnoses which
discredit their testimony.
Medicine will acknowledge the condition,
have diagnostic tests for distinguishing it from other conditions, and will
co-operate in the cross-referral in both directions of individuals between
remote torture centres of excellence and conventional medical facilities.
3.9 The
political class
Such openly expressed political support
as there is for addressing at the political level the menace to human rights
posed by remote torture capabilities is sparse, and has not translated into
determined political action. TIs who
seek help from their elected representatives typically receive no help
whatsoever.
Ignorance as to the seriousness of the
situation will no longer feature as one of the reasons for political inaction
or lack of help to TIs on the part of elected representatives. (It would be ultra vires for a charitable trust to spend money
addressing any other reasons for
political inaction or lack of help.)
3.10 Reaching
TIs and their associates
There are probably a large number of
TIs who are not aware that so much work has already been done on the subject of
remote torture, and who are therefore isolated and afraid, and possibly
mentally ill as a result of this. Their
families and friends are usually equally unaware.
It will have become less likely that any
TI, or any TI's family and friends, will remain who are completely unaware of
the existence nowadays of individually targeted remote torture and harassment.
3.11 Other
agencies
There are many trusts, political
groups, etc that deal with torture in general.
None of them deal adequately with TIs who approach them for help. They don't even refer them to those
specialising in this field.
Every agency that deals with torture will
have in place a procedure for helping TIs, even it amounts only to referring
TIs to another agency, such as this trust.
3.12 Reduced
incidence
The low level of awareness in key
sections of the population and amongst the general public as a whole ensures
that there is little apart from self-regulation and limited budget that
restrains the remote torture industry.
Increased public awareness of remote
torture will have led to a reduction in the practice.
3.13 Counter-measures
At present, there is no method of
protecting oneself against remote torture.
In future, there will be methods of
protecting oneself against remote torture.
4 Medium-term
goals
4.1 At
least one reception centre
At least one reception centre will be up and
running.
4.2 Liaison
with other sectors
Channels of communication will have been opened with
key sectors, such as the mass media, academia, the medical profession and the
most influential faith community leaders, and other players in the same sector.
4.3 Advocacy
We will have become able at least to meet the demand
in the UK for advocacy services.
4.4 Professional
services
We will have access to the professional services of
sufficient lawyers, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and other relevant
professionals to meet demand in the UK.
4.5 Academic
respectability
At least one literature review paper, probably one
by John McMurtrey, will have been published in a peer-reviewed learned journal
that is PubMed-indexed.
5 Short-term
goals
5.1 "Sales
pitch" training and materials
A documented, systematic "sales pitch"
method of "closing customers" on a "staircase" of
preliminary propositions will be developed.
This method will be "product-neutral". That is to say, it can be used equally
effectively to get members of the general public on our side, whatever it is we want from them, once
they are on our side. Whatever
"sale" we hope to "close", after we have closed the
customer, one by one, on all the preliminary propositions (disbelieving any one
of which would be an obstacle to closing a "sale"), the same method
can be used right up until the final stage of closing the desired
"sale".
For example, when the customer is an academic with a
doctorate, we might wish him or her to agree to co-author a paper we are trying
to get published in a learned journal, written by a scholar with only a masters
degree. If a customer is a millionaire,
we might wish him or her to make a large donation. When our "customers" are the relatives of TIs, we might
wish them to place greater credence in their loved-ones' testimonies of abuse. And so on.
Whatever we are trying to "sell", the majority of the sales
pitch will have the same structure and content, with only the levels of detail,
intellectual rigour and effort applied, and the final "close",
needing to be adjusted.
5.2 Charitable
status and Gift Aid
The trust must acquire charitable status, and become
registered with the Inland Revenue under the Gift Aid scheme.
5.3 Teamwork
To form a team of TIs and non-affected activists who
are competent to assist one another and others in advocacy and to disseminate
information already known.
5.4 Remuneration
and expenses
The trust must raise enough money for the trustees to be able to authorise remuneration and reimbursement of expenses for those who work for the trust.