The Heisenberg Effect in tandem with the Hindenburg Effect
I think I am — and this blog is — a study in the Heisenberg Effect, visa vie L’Affaire Larouche. This puts me in a better spot than Larouche and the cabal in the boiler room in Loudon, though, who are currently studies in the Hindenburg Effect. It is a shame that it took a suicide for events to proceed for them to unravel, but in considering Ken Kronberg’s situation, short of Witness Protection, Ken Kronberg had no immediate way of escaping the torment that was coming.
It may be best to leave this new thread alone — anything I might add would only sully it in terms of raw knowledge. Ignoring for a second the hysterical efforts by the Larouchian that derails the effect (Decent strategy, I suppose, particularly as a new thread starts up. But the damage of the thread starting with what it did is already done. It is one of those attacks on FACTNet which only makes sense in the Larouche-world). Coming off of the analysis of that last memo, we move to a stringing together of the contradictions arising from Larouche’s frantic cover-ups. These two series probably belong together, thus I have cut and pasted them over here. Next follows some excruciatingly inside inside baseball, which comes across like uncovering a new 8th circle of the concentric circles of Hell, answering the question: What was going on in the cult while Larouche was in prison? (Tangent-wise: what happens when Larouche passes away?) The cabal in the boiler-room in Loudon probably learned a couple things from that.
They have apparently passed on an identity for the poster “xlcer”, a matter I do not have much interest in one way or the other — to the young Larouchies for debating and argumentative purposes. They might have even sent a second name, seemingly picked out of the Washington Post article from a few years ago. The phrases used are “Get Larouche Task Force” and “Weak link of”. Entertaining enough concoction, I suppose.
“The Weak link” is a phrase with its own internal logic, used to slam shut in the mind of the Larouchie the debate — in his/her own mind, at least, and that’s all that is needed for these purposes. The second phrase is the “circle the wagons” and toughen up against the external enemy, who seem to have no particular motivation except their own evil hearts to “Get” Larouche. In reality, I suppose the “Get Larouche Task Force”, such as it is, concerns the likes of Dennis King and Chip Berlet, and the world of former Larouchites who have fed them much of their information. In the Larouche world, it rolls to them from the supposed drug-laundering money of John Train, and now the nefarious financiers of FACTNet. And Felix Rohatyn — can’t forget old Felix Rohatyn.
I think we can now reassess the “Get Larouche Task Force” for the current moment. A handful of journalists — the old standby of Dennis King. Also the old standby of Chip Berlet — who I haven’t really seen, but he is just popping up in the coffers. And then Avi Klein — presumably about to throw out a fair and balanced assessment. Scott McLemee, who I now have to add based off of one article for “Inside Higher Ed”, one blog entry, and one Pacifica Radio interview. And then there is Nick Benton — more on him later.
There are a couple of bloggers. No comment on them; they are moving along as best they can, back to the Heisenberg Effect.
And a good handful of former members, several of whom have congregated on a freaking message board. I walked past a point that I made in commenting on that last memo, the one that fingered the “Star Trek Groupie and Robert Beltran Stalker” — because my main purpose was to defend myself from the statement on “not knowing Ken Kronberg” (which I would do so again). The people on the FACTNet board knew Ken Kronberg.
The “weak link” of the “Get Larouche Task Force” appears to have developed an impressive little Intelligence gathering agency, in so much as he keeps all of those g-danged Internal Memos, and can interpret them based on his experiences. Which leads us to the final unspoken membership of the “Get Larouche Task Force”, and answer me the question “Why the Hell am I able to read these things?” It’s not like I’m reading things marked “INTERNAL” from Steve Jobs at Apple Computers.
Sitting at a conference call, getting your marching orders for the day. Look to the guy to your left. Then to to the guy to your right. Then to the guy behind you. One of those people? In the “Get Larouche Task Force”.
Also seemingly half of the membership in the national org in and around Loudon. (BTW: I quit using the name “Leesburg”, because the reaction to the New Republic piece suggests that the Cabal in the Boiler room in Loudon will harp on any mis-statement of specific location, even if only predetermined to be false. I do not know where the boiler room is. Is it in Leesburg? Is it in Round Tree? La La Land? Is it even a boiler room?)
It gets more interesting as one pieces together how internal each internal memo is. Some are probably not too troublesome to find their way to the public — indeed, that last one was written for public conception as much as internal conception. Some? Probably would rather not get out. But then again, the honorary member of the “Get Larouche Task Force” is probably Jeff Steinberg, who I am told and suggested at is piecing together his post-Lyn apparatus.
Good luck with that one. I am one that thinks Larouche will survive this crisis. In the same way that a chicken with its head cut off runs around in a circle for a half hour. That is roughly what Helga and Steinberg will have to work with. It has been a steady process that has gotten me to arrive at the point where I can use a reference to the metaphorical fork which one sticks things into. I think I arrived there at around the time I saw Larouche’s response to that Dennis King piece.
……………………….
Worth taking a look at is the wikipedia article on Nick Benton. Worth taking a slightly longer look at is the wikipedia history page on Nick Benton.
Somewhere in the history page, you will find that a Larouchie added this to the wikipedia entry, later edited out:
“As a member of the National Committee, he was a trusted friend and associate of Mr. LaRouche. It seems that Mr. Benton has never adequately explained his departure from trusted leader, to unflagging adversary.”
Hat tip to “tuer07”, and sorry if the following comes across as something of an attack (and I guess it is a little more critical than my last reference to Nick Benton — one part is only quasi-critical, the other a bit more so). The wikipedia article notes that:
Benton asked the famous question of Ronald Reagan, as to whether Michael Dukakis ought to make his health records public, to which Reagan replied, “I’m not going to pick on an invalid.
Which was part of a Larouchian smear job on Dukakis, spreading the rumor that Dukakis had a history of mental illness, promulgated through Executive Intelligence Review, the meme picked up by the mainstream media, which followed the Dukakis presidential campaign for an entire news cycle.
That was 1988. Meaning it took him a decade to make the phased exit he describes, the big major step seemed to have been the 1987 establishment of his “Century News Service”. The timeline gets a little tricky in terms of hitting heavy clean up duty for Larouche — clearly had his mind on the way gone, but still doing Larouche’s dirty work.
I note that historical recollections are a little screwy as time has passed on, and I have heard the Dukakis story mistakenly passed on — by John Gorenfeld on the Thom Hartmann Show — as coming from Reverend Moon’s Washingon Times — which ticked me in the way that spotting rivial mistakes you know are wrong can sometimes do.
Somewhere on a page of Republican dirty tricks performed by the Larouchites at Dennis King’s website, and I cannot find it right off the bat, I saw a reference to the effect that “Michael Dukakis is owed an apology.”
I’m just saying… I probably shouldn’t, though. It is a little harsh, and it is water under the bridge in that this is now basically a footnote to the 1988 presidential campaign, ultimately insignificant to the results.
At any rate, I will state that I know Dianne Bettag’s April reference to “not knowing who I was using” — a meaningless misdirection, though I will say that Benton’s name was vaguely familiar at the time. But it was possibly vaguely familiar from non-Larouche land, ie: seen an article here or there.
August 12th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
The irony of all this is that you are probably right about the “Get Larouche Task Force†being run and promoted from inside the LaRouche organization by those individuals who are jockeying for power. That is the only place I know of where a conspiracy would work–i.e., once you take away the free will of a number of people, you can make a conspiracy work. Otherwise the idea of a large conspiracy against LaRouche is laughable, it is like herding cats.
Why is LaRouche et al so worked up about the posting of true recollections by former members on the Internet? Are/were there forced abortions? If not, say so. Are the members paid a decent wage? If so, say so. What’s the big deal. The recollections are either true or not. The more LaRouche et al attack the forums, and not the postings, it becomes clear how worried they are about the content.
As for Benton, what does it matter when he quit LaRouche? What’s the point? That he didn’t quit? As far as I can see, his only crime is writing first hand about his experiences with LaRouche, in his own name, in a public newspaper. Clearly, he quit many years ago, what is the big deal? As for Dukakis, did he have a mental health problem? I don’t remember. With all the exposes these days about the candidates, the question about Dukakis seems rather lukewarm.
As you know from first hand experience, writing about LaRouche takes courage. Why focus on the former members? [I still think you are doing great work]
August 12th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
To answer one of Tuer07’s questions; Larouche and his minions are worked up about all this because if the information winds up in the government’s hands, and there is sufficeint interest in pursuing it, LHL’s lifestyle goes down the drain and some number will wind up in jail or paying heavy fines. Not a happy thought. They will be exposed as charlatans and the whole thing goes down the drain. LHL is already carrying the onus of ‘convict.’
August 12th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
1. Not sure what the significance of this is, but Nick Benton quit way before 1998–not long after 1988….
2. Boiler room is in Leesburg–it’s called the “phone team room.” There’s also an “NEC room,” etc. etc. Right smack dab in the middle of lil ole Leesburg.
3. Jeff Steinberg is trying to be on both sides of the fence–so he’s investigating the Get LaRouche Task Force at the same time that he’s trying to send signals to it that he sympathizes with it in some vague way. (nonsense, of course.)
Awkward position for him to be in–playing for all the marbles, only to find out that there AREN’T any marbles.
4. Current members, former members, non-members–as eaglebeak recently said in another context (as I remember) on FactNet–they’re all part of the GLTF, but I do think that Jeff has to be exonerated from that charge. He’s just doing his spook job of trying to follow every lead, poor guy. Trying to hold it all together, till the old boy pops off.
So if I were LHL, I’d keep a weather eye on Steinberg. Really I would.
August 12th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Hm. It’s a timeline thing, but I don’t know. I had assumed on first reading that he was out before the mid 1980s — Just how the “saw what it was in the late 1970s, made a steady exit) read to me. Looking around a bit I see references to him in 1986 and that one in 1988, and was a little startled to see the reference to him in 1988, and for a quasi-famous incident. I assume that he had his mind toward the exit with his venture in 1987.
It is a tricky matter, and I can’t begrudge him too much. I am mistaken in calling it a “Republican Dirty Trick”, because from the Larouchian perspective, it’s the standard wacky story about how the Democrats need to Dump their assured nominee and nominate Larouche instead! But the irony is in the current climate of who the Larouchians target — Bush the Elder (or, to be political here for a minute — “Bush the Better”). Cheney thrown into that mix. Part of the group they helped elect with that stunt. Yes, LYMers, you too can fight the Cheney Agenda!
August 15th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Hi,
There is no “Get LaRouche Task Force.” It is a fiction generated by LaRouche’s throbbing engourged priapic ego.
A group of conservatives invites a group of progressives to present their research at a formally structured discussion at John Train’s house. Big deal.
LaRouche invites sharing of information among journalists and political activists due to his amazingly inflated self-perception. There is no GLTF being run from inside the LaRouchites. There are only journalists and activists who get thrown together as odd bedfellows by LaRouchite paranoia and self-aggrandizing claims on behalf of an aging, politically impotent, and intellectually flaccid demagogue. Time to mop up the LaRouchites.
August 15th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
How neatly Chip Berlet puts it. There IS no GLTF–only a group of people trying to understand what the heck LaRouche is about.
But to LaRouche, any scrutiny = slander and attack. The question is not, What has he got to hide? The question is, What HASN’T he got to hide?