Why is this Important?
If you are someone who cares about the world you live in and are interested in that illusive thing called "the truth" - if you interested in true personal transformation through the truth - then it may be worthwhile to acknowledge the following. Our world is filled with violence: bombings, acts of terror, trauma. In watching or reading the news, we almost begin to think that this is the normal way things are supposed to be. When people watch the news, say CNN, Fox, NBC, they may get to a point where they can't take it anymore, and then they just tune out. It becomes too confusing, too violent, too negative. People begin to wonder, "why keep this in my life?" Tuning out from the politics is part of a larger symptom; the spread of a sense of hopelessness. Many people can feel this, even if they can't see it or put it into words. A loss of control, a sense that the vehicle you are driving is actually being driven by someone else. It comes with this sense of confusion about the world, in which the politics around us don't seem to make any sense, and there doesn't seem to be any way out. However, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, this is by design. The confusion, the helplessness, is not an accident. Maybe once long ago, we might have believed that the political establishment was working for the people. Corrupt, sure, but more or less something that worked on behalf of the public. It is was our society still tells us, everyday; that ever so slowly we are moving toward greater inclusion, greater democracy. Right? Well, maybe not. The confusion and helplessness are no accident, and there is a reason for this.
What is a False Flag?
A false flag is an action done be a person, usually a group, say a government or an intelligence agency, that's then blamed on someone else, like terrorists. This action is then used to justify reactions that could not otherwise be justified, like passing authoritarian laws, or justifying military invasions, and financial takeovers of entire nations (i.e., Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, or Syria). This action can even be used for something as straightforward as diplomatic pressure and propaganda victories. For example, it is well established that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has the ability to conduct cyber attacks and leave phony cyber fingerprints that would implicate another nation. Undoubtedly, there are other nations with similar capabilities. False flags are genuine phenomenon; they are real. Sometimes people will say that false flags are conspiracy theories (a term weaponized by the intelligence agencies), but there have been many verified false flags. False flags are part of the world. They are form of propaganda. After all, propaganda is nothing more than a language of deception and manipulation in order to persuade people to support a particular position. There are many levels of propaganda in our world, from the basic forms of cultural conditioning (i.e., education), to the incessant cultural distractions that tell you "look over here!", or "buy this new product!", to the mainstream media [that's owned by a very few massive corporations that select and spin information in extremely self-serving ways (by which they omit nearly all of the genuinely important news information about our world)]. Opening our eyes to false flags can help us uncover somethings inside us: strength we didn't know we had, insights that never came to us before, and the courage to evaluate our beliefs and lives in a way that can open the door for positive change - not just personally, but for society. Don't buy into the fear. Now is the time to wake up.
A History of False Flags
False Flags are in the Official Playbook of the U.S. Intelligence Agencies
Countries worldwide recognize false flags as part of a new form of warfare - hybrid warfare. Hybrid warfare uses the conventional tactics of the military, but it also includes "irregular warfare": which may include cyberwarfare, media propaganda, terrorist actions, and other kinds of clandestine activities; to protect the identity of the culprit. If the identity is protected, the victims can't really fight back.
One key element of hybrid warfare is psychological operations, or psyops (Department of the Army, 2007). Nowadays, the military calls it by a different name - Military Information Support Operations (MISO) - but the mission is still the same. "MISO are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals in a manner favorable to the originator’s objectives" (Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2010). In other words, influencing populations through propaganda, spin, and deception.
The military and intelligence community practice three kinds of psyops: white, gray, and black.
The United States Central Intelligence Agency’s May 1954 “Principles to Assure Coordination of Gray Activities” defined white, grey, and black propaganda as follows:
“White. Acknowledged as an official statement or act of the U.S. Government, or emanates from a source associated closely enough with the U.S. Government to reflect an official viewpoint. The information is true and factual. It also includes all output identified as coming from U.S. official sources.
Gray. The true source (U.S. Government) is not revealed to the target audience. The activity engaged in plausibly appears to emanate from a non-official American source, or an indigenous, non-hostile source, or there may be no attribution. Gray is that information whose content is such that the effect will be increased if the hand of the U.S. Government and in some cases any American participation are not revealed. It is simply a means for the U.S. to present viewpoints which are in the interest of U.S. foreign policy, but which will be acceptable or more acceptable to the intended target audience than will an official government statement.
Black. The activity engaged in appears to emanate from a source (government, party, group, organization, person) usually hostile in nature. The interest of the U.S. Government is concealed and the U.S. Government would deny responsibility. The content may be partially or completely fabricated, but that which is fabricated is made to appear credible to the target audience. Black activity is also usually designed to cause embarrassment to the ostensible source or to force the ostensible source to take action against its will” (United States State Department, 2017).
One key element of hybrid warfare is psychological operations, or psyops (Department of the Army, 2007). Nowadays, the military calls it by a different name - Military Information Support Operations (MISO) - but the mission is still the same. "MISO are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals in a manner favorable to the originator’s objectives" (Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2010). In other words, influencing populations through propaganda, spin, and deception.
The military and intelligence community practice three kinds of psyops: white, gray, and black.
- White psyops are openly acknowledged statements or actions of a government, or at least are attributed to a source associated closely with that government. They would reflect an official viewpoint, like a statement by the president or government official. That doesn't mean they're truthful, by the way. After all, presidents can be pretty good at lying.
- Gray psyops are statements or actions in which the source is deliberately ambiguous. In other words, even though the true source would be the government, you wouldn't know. For example, government collusion with mainstream media in which the media spins and misleads, posing as objective journalism, when, in fact, they're working directly for the government (i.e., Operation Mockingbird). This might involve journalists conducting espionage for the CIA while in a foreign country. It might involve planting false stories. It might involve controlling editorial policy.
- Black psyops involve perpetrating actions that are blamed on an enemy.
The United States Central Intelligence Agency’s May 1954 “Principles to Assure Coordination of Gray Activities” defined white, grey, and black propaganda as follows:
“White. Acknowledged as an official statement or act of the U.S. Government, or emanates from a source associated closely enough with the U.S. Government to reflect an official viewpoint. The information is true and factual. It also includes all output identified as coming from U.S. official sources.
Gray. The true source (U.S. Government) is not revealed to the target audience. The activity engaged in plausibly appears to emanate from a non-official American source, or an indigenous, non-hostile source, or there may be no attribution. Gray is that information whose content is such that the effect will be increased if the hand of the U.S. Government and in some cases any American participation are not revealed. It is simply a means for the U.S. to present viewpoints which are in the interest of U.S. foreign policy, but which will be acceptable or more acceptable to the intended target audience than will an official government statement.
Black. The activity engaged in appears to emanate from a source (government, party, group, organization, person) usually hostile in nature. The interest of the U.S. Government is concealed and the U.S. Government would deny responsibility. The content may be partially or completely fabricated, but that which is fabricated is made to appear credible to the target audience. Black activity is also usually designed to cause embarrassment to the ostensible source or to force the ostensible source to take action against its will” (United States State Department, 2017).
Characteristics of False Flag Events
It's not that every false flag has all of the following qualities, but they usually have many of them. In a sense then, we can create a kind of false flag profile.
This is not a formula. There are patterns to look for, but we need to remind ourselves that this phenomenon is ever-changing. In the modern era of false flags, for instance, there are other developments to look for:
Overall, we see increasing levels of sophistication in 21st century false flags, including a seamless integration with mainstream websites, search engines, and even cooperation with certain so-called alternative websites, that maybe aren't so alternative after all.
- A spectacular and emotional event
The target audience needs to be affected by the event, and the target audience is often the general population. By spectacular and emotional, it is usually traumatic in some way. A major act of violence, but not any kind of violence, sometime that is unusual that seems designed to attract attention. It is not true, of course, that every violent, sensational act is a false flag. - Instant media saturation
Just like the first characteristic, this doesn't mean automatically mean a false flag has occurred. However, when combined with the first characteristic, that is when we have a spectacular, traumatic event followed by instant comprehensive media coverage, citizens need to start paying close attention to what is happening. Regarding media coverage, it is helpful to distinguish between powerful state-sponsored (state-friendly) media compared with smaller independent sources. In other words, when we find the major media organizations all covering the event in the same way, right out of the gate, in a manner that is clearly friendly to state interests, we need to pay close attention. If you look carefully, you will sometimes find local or independent news sources that have different information, sometimes critically important information, that's different. This will only happen in the immediate aftermath of the event. Furthermore, the major media outlets will often be out in front of government action. That is, proposing or at least opening the door for the very measures that the government apparatus will soon be proposing, typically either new restrictive laws or military action. - Case is quickly closed
Once this happens, citizens really need to be suspicious. In real life, investigations are messy - they can be filled with false leads and rabbit holes that are dead ends. In the case of a false flag, this doesn't happen. Instead, within days, sometimes one day (i.e., 9/11 or the JFK assassination), the official narrative has been rendered and apparently, there's no need to continue an investigation. We're already informed by authorities that we know who committed the crime. In all cases where a false flag has been perpetrated, the major media outlet will refuse to question the authorities or the official narrative. - A convenient scapegoat
Often, the individual or group identified with the attack are well-chosen and useful for immediate political purposes. Whether in the case of the Nazis using Poles or Communists in their false flags, Stalin using fictitious reactionaries during the purge of the 1930s, or the use of white supremacists and Muslims more recently. The false flag will use a patsy or a scapegoat that's identified with a group or a nation currently being demonized - Decisive and negative government action
This is often the whole point of false flag attacks. Such an action always supported by a compliant media machine will inevitably lead to one of two things, and sometimes both at the same time: first, an erosion of citizens rights in one form or another (this is nearly always done in the name of safety and protection, but it inevitably leads to greater police powers or other forms or regulatory power by the state); and secondly, the false flag, especially if its done internationally, can lead to an invasion of another country that could not ever otherwise be justified, and if not an invasion, something perhaps even more popular, regime change (creating a fake revolution to switch out and undesirable government has, perhaps, become more preferred than old fashioned invasion or even military coup. Giving the pretense of democratic uprising always has its advantages. In our time, the goal of most false flags come down to three results: an erosion of rights, invasion, and regime change. A good investigator can usually determine if any of these were in the words, or at least actively desired, before the false flag took place. And if so, we might find some leading suspects. - Important anomalies and questions
A false flag, no matter how well pulled off, will usually leave behind clues to a smart investigator. When there are serious discrepancies raised in the aftermath of a shocking event that instantly spurs dramatic government action, we need to ask a logical question: "was the government itself guilty of the act it supposedly is protecting us from?" - Outcome - Who benefits?
These are basic questions we must always be asking ourselves, "does this alleged terrorist action (or whatever it is) give a clear benefit to any government, and corporation, or financial institution?" We need to look behind the headlines, and what we are clearly being pressure to think. If there is any beneficiary, we need to be aware of it. Throughout history, there have always been a privileged few, but not like today. Today, a very tiny group of people and their corporations are looking to own all of the natural resources and manage these for their profit. Today, the eight wealthiest people in the world have as much money as the poorest half of the entire human race (nearly 4 billion people). It's really not that complicated, when the 1% move so far ahead of the remaining 99%, in terms of ownership of everything worth owning, they will do everything possible to keep us out of the way while they do it. They will influence government around the world, especially the most powerful. They will ensure the passage of corporate-friendly laws that will cement their position indefinitely. But this select few is going to take everything worth taking in this world, they can't simply tell you what they're up to. So they must rule by deception, by confusion, by spin and propaganda. There usually is a benefit to certain interests when these events occur, and it's not anti-government to ask questions about it. Indeed, it's the mark of someone who still has the ability to think independently.
This is not a formula. There are patterns to look for, but we need to remind ourselves that this phenomenon is ever-changing. In the modern era of false flags, for instance, there are other developments to look for:
- the existence of multiple drills going on during the day of the false flag, or drills that actually mimic the event that occurs;
- a connection of suspects to the intelligence agencies (i.e., the CIA or the FBI in the United States, or their equivalent agencies in other countries.
Overall, we see increasing levels of sophistication in 21st century false flags, including a seamless integration with mainstream websites, search engines, and even cooperation with certain so-called alternative websites, that maybe aren't so alternative after all.
There are many proven and provable false flags that have shaped our world over the past century. By examining the evidence, you may gain a perspective that will enable you to understand why we have false flags and, perhaps, most important of all, how to identify them as they happen. Because there will be more false flags to come. Our jobs as citizens of the world is not allow governments to have us live in fear. Our job is to see the world clearly without illusion, beyond the propaganda and trauma. Through awareness we are empowered. Through honest exploration, we can see through the fear-mongering narrative we're exposed to daily. We've all heard, that the truth shall set you free. Reaching the truth requires stripping away the illusions around us. Don't buy into the fear.
References
Department of the Army. (2007). Psychological Operations Process Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures. [online] Available at: https://info.publicintelligence.net/USArmy-PsyOpsTactics.pdf [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].
Joint Chiefs of Staff. (2010). Military Information Support Operations. [online] Available at: http://jfsc.ndu.edu/Portals/72/Documents/JC2IOS/Additional_Reading/1C1_JP_3-13-2.pdf [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].
United States State Department. Foreign Relations of The United States, 1950–1955. The Intelligence Community, 1950–1955. DOCUMENT 181. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1950-55Intel/d181. Last accessed [9 Oct. 2017]
Joint Chiefs of Staff. (2010). Military Information Support Operations. [online] Available at: http://jfsc.ndu.edu/Portals/72/Documents/JC2IOS/Additional_Reading/1C1_JP_3-13-2.pdf [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].
United States State Department. Foreign Relations of The United States, 1950–1955. The Intelligence Community, 1950–1955. DOCUMENT 181. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1950-55Intel/d181. Last accessed [9 Oct. 2017]