General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSaturday FACT. Know your enemies, act accordingly. I'll see you at the Antifa meetings.

Duncanpup
(15,391 posts)2naSalit
(99,038 posts)I'll bring the cornbread.
GoneOffShore
(17,944 posts)Please note that this shared with permission.
The Weasel Spotters Field Manual
A Practical Guide for Those Who Suspect Everything and Everyone (Correctly)
1. The Prime Directive: Assume the Weasel
What are these weasels up to now? Jeremy Paxman
Begin every inquiry with suspicion, but dont confuse suspicion with cynicism.
The goal is not paranoia; its pattern recognition with moral purpose.
Every institution will insist its the exception. It isnt.
2. Field Signs and Droppings
Weasels rarely appear in the open. Look for:
Sudden opacity: formerly public data becoming restricted for security reasons.
Overly smooth language: safeguards, transparency, and ethics board are often camouflage.
Technical bafflegab: the more impenetrable the jargon, the likelier the rot.
Selective audits: audits that never seem to find anything meaningful.
The charisma trap: a genius, a visionary, a saviour. Always a red flag. Yeah, exactly who you think I might be talking about
3. The Kit Bag
Essential equipment for the lone investigator:
A notebook and a second real notebook you never write names in.
Freedom of Information laws.
Open-source data tools (OSINT, procurement databases, WHOIS lookups).
A trusted network of fellow spotters: lawyers, coders, moral philosophers, and the eternally disenchanted.
A humour supply portable, renewable, and life-saving.
4. Rules of Engagement
1. Never accuse before you can demonstrate.
2. When they call you a conspiracy theorist, youre likely to be one document away from vindication. Plenty of shrapnel but still no smoking gun.
3. Always ask: Who benefits if this fails in precisely this way?
4. Follow the money remains a universal solvent.
5. When confronted by a billionaire, imagine them as a small child hiding crumbs behind their back. The dynamic is identical.
5. Psychological Survival
Expect exhaustion. The weasels have better lawyers.
Celebrate small, verifiable wins.
Keep perspective: cynicism is how the weasel wins inside your own head.
Cultivate solidarity. The lone spotter is vulnerable; the pack is formidable.
6. Closing Invocation
We do not hunt weasels to destroy them,
but to keep the meadow honest.

Timeflyer
(3,538 posts)Remember, resist and raise hell, and serve snacks if you got 'um. See you at the next meeting!