Saturday, November 5, 2011

Remember, remember...


Evey: "Are you like a crazy person?"
V: "I am quite sure they will say so."
--V for Vendetta







Remember, remember...

...the Fourth of July, 2008.

No, it doesn't rhyme with "Fifth of November". But it has everything to do with anarchy, and nothing to do with gunpowder, treason and plot.

Well... not unless you embrace any hierarchical system that is antithetical to anarchy. In which case, you may prefer to join with Pat Murphy who, in his fraudulent e-mail purportedly sent to the FCC, described John Poet of The Crystal Ship thusly:

"He is a treasonous voice of dissent and needs to be silenced."

Doesn't quite sound like the voice of a true anarchist, does it?

Rather than any concise or even particularly coherent theme for Guy Fawkes Night, these are just some musings on the nature of anarchy related to, and the ironic juxtaposition of opinions about, anarchy within the pirate/free radio scene.

Besides, everything else about Guy Fawkes has been written better than I could manage. Musing about his reemergence in pop culture and role as an icon of Anonymous would require either a treatise on semiotics or a significant dedication of time and energy immersed in the quirky quasi-collective anarchistic sub-culture of the interbutt. And unless you're familiar with V for Vendetta, either the graphic novel - with its greater emphasis on anarchy - or the movie, delving into the tropes inspired by that contemporary personification of Guy Fawkes would be pointless. Suffice it to say, there's more to it than the mainstream media-coined descriptions of Anonymous as hacktivists or trolls.

Let's take a look at a few comments on anarchy within the U.S. shortwave pirate radio scene over the past few years:

"LISTENING to pirate radio is illeagle? (sic)"
http://www.frn.net/vines/Forum1/HTML/002642.html
March 03, 2007

Rockin' Rick
March 09, 2007 02:28
"Why are people so afraid of anarchy? It is not chaos."

Bill O. Rights
March 09, 2007 10:41
"The anarchy point was well put, but I'm afraid lost on this group..."


"Pirate Radio NET ??"
http://www.frn.net/vines/Forum1/HTML/002945.html

Bill O. Rights
October 26, 2007 23:21
"I have also observed, over the years, many well intentioned efforts to "organize" pirates to do one thing or another. These too end in disaster, as pirates don't like to be told what to do, even if its done nicely. They are anarchists of the truest form and aren't people who join or like to be in groups."


"Seriously, thank you everyone and Merry Christmas!"
http://www.frn.net/vines/Forum1/HTML/004705.html

Pat Murphy said...
December 27, 2010 12:22
"For a bunch of anarchist who can't stand to be grouped or told what to do, the Pirate Radio bunch has come a long way."



Those are some mighty fine pretty words about anarchy, Mr. Murphy.

But, oh, those nights of July 4th and 5th, 2008, and the subsequent "pirate war"... that was real anarchy!





Off-air recording of computer voice rant from July 4-5, 2008, accusing then-Free Radio Network administrator Pat Murphy of rampant sockpuppetry, multiple personality disorder and other abuses.

The first 30 seconds are from a 2006 WBNY "feud" show, which featured a backward recording. In this case the recording was corrected including the pitch shift used for the Commander Bunny voice. This in part contributed to Murphy's dislike for European pirates, since Alfred (former owner of the Alfa Lima site) was blamed for correcting the recording. In Alfred's defense, he was only responding to a challenge from Commander Bunny to solve the hidden message. Since that recording was publicly available online for a couple of years, it could have been downloaded and reused by anyone, so this should in no way be interpreted to implicate Alfred for the computer voice rant.

The computer voice rant begins at around the 30 second mark. Toward the end is heard audio from Brother Stair for reasons unknown, perhaps for dramatic effect. The source of this broadcast remains unknown, although Murphy and Kracker variously accused at least three different people, in their typical "fling enough poop, maybe something will stick" fashion. (Note: One of the persons named as a Murphy sockpuppet was very definitely incorrect - DB is not a Murphy sockpuppet. He's a DXer, a good fellow and lives nowhere near Murphy.)


T
hat was the overture to this comic opera
which we, merely your Shakespearean Chorus, endeavor to describe in a fashion that may amuse, bemuse and confuse. Since then we've enjoyed the arias during the 2009-2010 era, a time when several new and independent minded operators joined the fray with numerous quality shows that could be heard loud and clear - all minus the ego driven melodrama that characterizes Murphy's influence.

This year we've heard a sort of post-modern deconstruction, a cacophony of echoes melding a reprise of the 2008 overture mixed with offstage noises by rebellious players, and improvisations by various and sundry passersby. Will the entire theatrical set collapse before the final act? Who cares? It's a comic opera. Catastrophe could only make it more entertaining.


WHAT! NO MATCHES? NO BLOWING UP PARLIAMENT
AND
NO INDEPENDENCE DAY 2008 ANARCHY
FOR YOU, MR. FAWKES!



But, in summary... a computer voice broadcast played two or more times beginning July 4, 2008, accused Pat Murphy of abusive sockpuppetry; interviewing himself (by staging "interviews" with Commander Bunny of WBNY and Bill O. Rights of Radio Free Speech); and permitting, even encouraging, Kracker to repeatedly post abusive rants targeting other FRN participants, including exposing real names and addresses. In his frenzied retaliation against the still-unknown perpetrator of that anonymous computer voice broadcast, Kracker lived up to the accusations by threatening stalking and physical violence against at least two former participants on the FRN.

In the process Kracker also exposed the real identity and location of another pirate radio operator, screeching over the airwaves "...you traitorous fucking piece of shit!" and "... I've got your fucking address! You ordered a fucking t-shirt!"

Somehow, the concept of "traitorous" and anarchy don't quite seem to mesh. But no matter in the Bunnyman's through-the-looking-glass and down-the-rabbit-hole funhouse.

So, why were these abuses - purportedly violations of some nebulous "pirate code" - tolerated and even given tacit approval?

Anarchy. Real anarchy, not gentlemen's agreement, Marquis of Queensbury, bourgeois weekend hobbyist anarchy.

It is the type of anarchy preached and practiced only by the hapless zealot Lucian Gregory of G.K. Chesterton's classic allegorical novel The Man Who Was Thursday, in which it was revealed that of the council of seven anarchists, all but one turned out to be police detectives who not only had infiltrated the council but actually led the band of so-called anarchists.

As fantastic and improbable as that quaint novel seemed (and which apparently inspired Gabriel Syme's imaginative and very entertaining Voice of Next Thursday programmes), the U.S. pirate radio scene under Pat Murphy's influence far surpassed Chesterton's imaginings in duplicity, conniving and cunning. To this day, Murphy still seems to believe that the faithful will trust him when he claims to support anarchists in pirate radio. And he does, in the same condescending way the owner of a doberman might assure you that your yappy little chihuahua is just as good a watchdog. In practice, however, he and his sycophantic Krackwhore do as they please, including exposing identities of pirates they consider rivals or slandering and defaming anyone they consider enemies.

Because that is precisely what a genuine, diehard anarchist would do.

So Murphy and Kracker are the genuine anarchists whilst those of you who try to obey the "rules" they've concocted are closer to amateur radio operators licensed by the FCC or Industry Canada. Murphy is counting on you to play by a set of rules he prescribes, but which he has no intention of heeding. As he wrote in 2007 under his "Beans" sockpuppet: "I don't get it!" And he probably never will.

"Murphy is counting on you to play by a set of rules he prescribes, but which he has no intention of heeding."


That's why Murphy - under his Commander Bunny persona - can continue to repeatedly publish on his WBNY blog Poet's full real name and address, even though the street address was never specified on the FCC notice. Because the "pirate's code" applies only to you, not to him.

That's why Murphy and Paul McElligott - Kracker's real name according to publicly available court documents - can repeatedly slander, defame, cyber-stalk and harass women shortwave listeners like Gayle Van Horn and Lori Easterly - corq to her friends - despite having absolutely no evidence that either woman has had anything to do with the Tales of Radio Paranoia blog, other than to read it. Because the "pirate's code" applies only to you, not to Murphy and Kracker.

And that's why, as with this entire weekend, they can QRM the broadcasts of rivals without fear, whilst claiming that the station who was on first was actually to blame for the interference. Because the rules only apply to you, not to them.

Is this hypocritical? No! Because, again, that is precisely what a real anarchist would do. Anything goes. In the absence of any sort of codified order what emerges is any interpretation anyone wishes to apply to the like of the Golden Rule of the Judeo-Christian concept, the Thelemic "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law", or karma, which Murphy seems to equate with revenge or vendetta.

The problem with anarchy is that few have the stomach for total anarchy. Most of us believe we want anarchy in certain areas of our lives - typically, free speech, if you're a pirate radio hobbyist or practitioner - but if pressed would probably admit we'd be more comfortable with order even if it meant certain limitations on liberties.

Despite his proclamations supporting anarchy in pirate radio, particularly under his Bill O. Rights persona (not a mere sycophantic sockpuppet like his Beans, Mosby, Thumper and Bouncer characters), Pat Murphy seemed to be drawn toward imposing *his* order rather than trusting true anarchy. But like any good totalitarian propagandist who's counting on climbing the corpses of other anarchists who led the charge, Murphy is counting on you to swallow his pablum about supporting free radio anarchists. Because under his exemplary leadership, in anarchy all things are permissible, nothing is forbidden... to him, or to his sycophants. But for you, well... some anarchists are more equal than others.

As with the hamster cannibal radio wars on the 20 meter band the past decade (14275 and 14313), the strongest signal and clearest message wins. The messenger, and his or her character, or lack thereof, hardly matter.

John Poet of The Crystal Ship may have summed it up best in an unintentionally prescient post on the FRN in 2007:


October 27, 2007 16:54

"The war is over. The anarchists have won. God Save The country and Free Radio."
--The Poet

So, remember, remember...

39 comments:

  1. In his latest on-the-air-rant, Pat Murphy/Michael Graves/Cmdr Bunny complains about people who don't broadcast, saying that "pirate radio is about pirate broadcasting". Typical of his narcissistic behavior, Pat can't comprehend the fact that in reality, pirate radio is a two way street. It's about both the operators and the listeners. Without the other, neither can enjoy the hobby.

    Granted, it is questionable whether Part has actually enjoyed the hobby of pirate radio for some time. All he seems to do is complain, complain, complain. Meanwhile, a lot of the other ops, and most of the listeners, are having fun. It might be telling that I rarely, if ever, see a logging of another pirate station by Murphy (sockpuppet loggings of his station don't count). I'm pretty sure he owns a receiver of some sort. But of course, it's always all about Pat, isn't it? Logging another station would be taking away from him, somehow.

    For Pat Murphy, the entire universe is a zero sum game.

    Meanwhile, I often get comments from other ops thanking me for the report, and for listening to them. And I send them reports thanking them for broadcasting. It's a symbiotic relationship between operators and listeners. Well, with most ops. Murphy is just a parasite.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous @ November 6, 2011 11:48 AM; Excellent synopsis, I think folks feel that the dissent is somehow small or that many of the non-vocal ops and veteran listeners of pirate radio somehow condone the WBNY nonsense.

    At one time Pat and WBNY was a welcome aspect of the eccentric nature of the scene, and somehow in the last few years, he and kracker have resorted to the "All Attack Radio" format.

    I know others have more to lose by publicly opposing these characters, so perhaps they do remain silent. I would say to them: "Go with your conscience, this isn't dream of 'free speech' you were looking for."

    For being confused with Guise Faux I've gotten a huge laugh out of the whole mess, but it's pretty damned obvious others have something to lose for expressing their opinions.

    So, I wasn't any kind of Bunny 'hater' before this, I prefered to think of myself as Chaotic Neutral.

    But now that Pat/Jerry/Michael has chosen sides for me, well, Free Speech has taken on a new meaning.

    I'm just glad I'm not a hostage to the blowing league, wondering what may happen when I fall out of favor.

    For my own part as a DXer, I can tell you it's not really a big deal.

    However, Ops will have to put more careful weight to the decision, and cover their flanks.

    I can only promise that the air is fresher outside the Bunny Camp, the Speech is indeed 'Free' and well... we have cookies!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I see that today Commander WBNY is back to the Alex Vranes running from the cops business again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. HA HA!! hey kracker!! i know where you live!! sleep with one eye open you dirt bag!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I bet there's some gangstas in St. Louis who would like to know where Kracker ran off to- after he turned stool pigeon on them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. kracker is bunny's sweet meat

    the pig with sunglasses is from
    blodwyn pig ahead rings out
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahead_Rings_Out
    pig was used a mascot for KSHE 94.7
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSHE
    The station mascot is a sunglass-wearing pig named Sweet Meat

    ReplyDelete
  7. On the plus side of things, WBNY is doing a far better job of making themselves look like complete jackasses than any third party ever could. Between the vitriolic, childish rants on their website and the QRM activities they were seemingly responsible for earlier this evening, they really are becoming their own worst enemy.

    This is fine by me; I'm a fundamentally lazy person, and if doing nothing is as effective as expending effort in terms of their eventual demise, I'm all for it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, I am 'treasonous' if not 'silenced', everyone knows that ;-D

    Seems almost everything the 'cowardly computer voice' said turned out to be true...

    Corq has an interesting post up as well, telegram for mr. graves . I mean, Corq, the REAL Corq...

    ReplyDelete
  9. On FRC, Lex claims to have heard WBNY trying to jam Northern Relay Service on 6930 from 0200-0300 UTC.

    The rabbit's beginning to sound a lot like LAD.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I took a look at the Kracker PDF court document at the link and gained an understanding of what he means by making someone internet "famouse". :shakehead:

    A recent commenter here suggested that Kracker might be tiring of Jerry Graves' antics, I don't think so, these two work largely from the same playbook.

    I got to wonder what holds the adherents of the Bowling League to the likes of these two? There's no doubt that a number of radio-related projects are paying the costs of their association with McElligot and Graves. The most obvious example is the sunk ship that is the FRN, but there are others.

    The redeeming irony in the Pirate Radio War 2K11-edition is that the tables have been so completely turned on the Bunny-Kracker ticket and it is now they who are "famouse". That Computer Voice of 3 years ago had Jerry Graves/Pat Murphy stone cold nailed and it's uncanny how he has since played completely to type. I don't think Graves can help himself as his head explodes each week on his rage-blog. I will definitely steer a wide berth from him if he shows up handing out fridge magnets at Winter SWL Fest in Plymouth Meeting.

    ReplyDelete
  12. So what was the criminal complaint about? Was Kracker stalking the members of Devo?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Where's Kracker?

    You'll find him in an apartment in Worthington,Ohio.

    The woman he was shacking up with owned the house that was sold. She put him out and got a restraining order against him.

    I understand she still has problems with him stalking her? Not a smart thing for a three time loser to be doing.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  15. http://www.furryhams.org/photos/album/125

    ReplyDelete
  16. http://forums.hamisland.net/member.php?18-w3bny

    ReplyDelete
  17. http://w3bny.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  18. http://forums.hamsexy.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=4345&sid=41c9185093d6f6c0cdf6c6e0e62ff034

    ReplyDelete
  19. http://www.furryhams.org/photos/album/126

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh dear, I think the idea that this w3bny fella might be mistaken for Graves (w3bny shows a sense of humility in his posts, not for a minute could Graves even fake this.)

    If Jerry decides to take umbrage, this could get messy.

    ReplyDelete
  21. HAH! For those that dont know what the "Rodent Revolution" is... here is the basics with some MP3's as well! So yeah...you caught me. I knew about WBNY and the R.R but never heard an on air broadcast. So I decided to legitimize the call by adding the "3" and it was available. If not, I would have been K3BNY but I really do like W3BNY and glad that it was available.

    So officially.... NO, I am not THE WBNY nor am I the voice of the rodent revolution. Do I support same...well...SQUIRREL!!!

    Have a good evening and wear your ears...PROUDLY!

    ReplyDelete
  22. So officially.... NO, I am not THE WBNY nor am I the voice of the rodent revolution. Do I support same...well...SQUIRREL!!!

    Sounds like a troll to divert attention !!Maybe this Rene guy was getting some heat from someone. Is it just me or is the SSTV picture on this guys blog the same one on the HFU page for WBNY.

    http://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/WBNY

    It looks to be the identical picture line for line. Which is strange since this RENE guy claims to have received the SSTV picture on his blog.
    Does anyone know who received the picture on the HFU site??

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Is the Russell Morris single pictured on this hour's WBNY blog-rant update borrowed from the WTAR record library? Or WYVA-fm?

    ReplyDelete
  25. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Someone does know it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Remember Pat knows squat about radio ,he's a broadcaster not a radio man.Ever met a broadcaster who knows about transmitters??

    No wonder all the hostility toward hams over the years. When anyone would criticize the WBNY signal in any way, even constructively, the sockpuppets would attack instantly.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Alas, we see a few marginally problematic comments sneaked through whilst we were offline today. A swarm of rogue rodents gnawed holes in the bagged milk which fuels our generator here on Umbrage Island.

    Let's be careful regarding too-specific comments about names and locations. Simply because a fellow in the radio hobby may be acquainted with Murphy, Kracker or some other person who done ya wrong doesn't make that fellow equally culpable.

    That's the same sort of flawed logic the Lagomurph used to target anyone and everyone north of the border simply because he had a pissy fit over Doc John's satirical programmes. And the same sort of hilariously illogical brain-bumblings Krackwhore McIdiot used in 2008-2009 to conclude that Fansome and Smolinski must be the same person because... well, because... come to think of it, he never did quite explain what the hell he meant.

    ReplyDelete
  29. What 'WBNY signal'?

    It's been over a year since I heard one.

    ReplyDelete
  30. My freinds! You "GF" is part of The Plan!!! He is Tres Diabolical!!! Do not be fool! I will prove you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hey, hey, Cal! Ixnay on the anplay, amico! I promised you'd get your chance soon.

    ReplyDelete
  32. whats krackwhores home addresse??
    i really want to make a personal visit to him.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I can't figure out one thing. Who keeps giving the Commander Chicken
    Heart and his ilk the Hater Ade?
    Every time he takes a deep chug, he seems to post about "Haters keep on Hating". Well, I guess a Keyboard Pounding Hypocrite can only blog about what he knows?

    ReplyDelete
  34. I can't figure out one thing. Who keeps giving the Commander Chicken
    Heart and his ilk the Hater Ade?
    Every time he takes a deep chug, he seems to post about "Haters keep on Hating". Well, I guess a Keyboard Pounding Hypocrite can only blog about what he knows?

    ReplyDelete
  35. The Lagomurph needs to hire a teenager to handle his agitprop. He fails to grasp the concept of memes, so he ends up self-pwning every damn time.

    He's making it harder for others to parody him when he's his own worst parody.

    ReplyDelete
  36. "He's making it harder for others to parody him when he's his own worst parody."

    Ding ding ding ding ding! We have a winner!

    I've tried really hard to not jump to any conclusions regarding the Lagomurph's activities. Note that this wasn't out of any particular sense of wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt; it's more because the amount of giving a damn I care to put into this is pretty damn tiny. As a spectator to all of this, 'next to nothing' seemed like the correct amount of effort to be putting into my peripheral involvement. But what he's doing to himself right now makes even that much entanglement look like a gross overestimate.

    Well done, Pat. If you ever expected the antics we've seen from you to engender any form of public support for WBNY's platform (whatever that may actually be beyond harassment, stalking, and low-grade insults), you were way off the mark.

    Credibility - the bunny has none any more.

    ReplyDelete
  37. That is why Pat has become the new Radio Bob, Boob Two.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Pat gets a double salute for serving in both the Marines AND the Air Force!

    ReplyDelete
  39. The sock-puppet air force?

    Pretty disgusting, claiming service that never happened in attempts to "legitimize" your sock-puppet. Disrespectful to those who actually did serve in the Air Force.

    ReplyDelete

Anonymous comments are welcomed to encourage frank participation. No need for your e-mail, OpenID, or Google accounts. Use a freebie proxy if you prefer when visiting ToRP, there are many.

Comments may be deleted if they:
1. Expose personal info about people who aren't public figures or limited-purpose public figures (if you're not sure, Google those terms). Don't drop dox, kthxbai.
2. Threaten real-life violence or stalking. This is just the interbutt. Got aggro? Go play some video games.
3. Fail to amuse us. But we're easily amused.

There may be a short delay before your comment appears, especially if links are included in your comment.