Peter Thiel, co-founder of Paypal and early investor in Facebook, markets himself as a libertarian and Ron Paul supporter; however, do his actions back up such claims? I I read a very disturbing article last evening about Palantir, a company less people in America and the world would have heard about, but which was founded by Thiel in 2004. Of note, the CIA’s investment arm, In-Q-Tel, was an early investor in the company.
So what is Palantir up to these days? We get a little sense from a Business Insider article from a few days ago. Here are some quotes:
Palantir is a company founded by Peter Thiel — of Paypal and Facebookrenown — that has software which absolutely changes the game with intelligence.
It’s one of the best programs at coordinating the vast databases accumulated by the U.S. intelligence apparatus. It’s already in use in federal domestic security.
Palantir is one of the first Silicon Valley companies to view the government as a customer rather than an annoyance and — after stepping into a game dominated by top contractors like Lockheed Martin, IBM, and Raytheon — it’s proven controversial in both what it does and if it should be used.
What it does is assemble comprehensive dossiers on objects of interest, collated from the sprawling databases of intelligence agencies.
Oh, and Thiel is a member of the secretive Bilderberg group. You can’t straddle both sides of the fence. It’s one thing to be an in your face crook like a Jamie Dimon, and it’s another entirely to profess a love for freedom and free markets while you help the government create a Orwellian state behind the scenes. Either you support the Bill of Rights and liberty, or you are an authoritarian oligarch. What’s it gonna be Thiel?
Would love to hear people’s thoughts on this…
Full article here.
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The guy already made his choice. He’s in bed with the den of thieves. For the money he’s making who can blame him?
Who can blame him? You make it sound like if you are making money you are no longer responsible to make decisions based on your values? Do values automatically go out the window if one makes a lot of money? Or do you compromise your values if you cozy up to the wrong crowd?
Glad that you put a spotlight on him, Mike. I read in passing that he was going to work on dismantling the system from the inside. To me, it looks like he is a bright guy — we are doing a me-funded ‘Thiel Fellowship’ with our daughter — who has sold his soul.
his suport of ron paul was damaging if anything and in no way worth the amount of money he acculy contributed to the movement IMO
Hey Michael:
What’s it going to be? What’s it going to be? Seriously?
It’s as though you’re viewing this guy at a psycho-spiritual crossroads. He isn’t. He made his choice long ago. His actions tell you what that choice was. His “liberty” pose is meant to confound, obscure and distract. But that’s all it is, a pose.
Facebook, as even The Onion knows, is a brilliant surveillance tool, employing rank narcissism as a psychological lever, to which the subject files reports on himself, his friends and his movements. It is efficient to the point of the subject’s doing his own dossier data-entry and “checking in.” (Somewhere, Markus Wolf’s eyes tear with envy and pride.) Leaving aside the possibility (the certainty, frankly) of back-doors into its database, it doesn’t take an actuary to calculate the relatively small number (in tech terms) of bot Facebook entities to infiltrate every circle of friends and colleagues on the planet. (It’s fascinating to me that the recent revelation of millions of “phantom” Facebook accounts isn’t being seen in this light–there’s a provocative column for you, Michael. Just posing that question. Sure, it’s possible the purpose of that campaign is two-dimensional, pumping up numbers for the IPO and ad-billings, but then, why not just lie? Every other corporation does, and about stuff that’s way easier to sus out, like accounting. Seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to.)
As for Paypal, oh never mind, it’s a BANK, with all the definitional and operational baggage that term should carry for those who are awake. For more, ask Julian Assange about Paypal, and see our collective future.
Golly, Michael. I’m all for giving folks the benefit of the doubt. I believe in redemption. But rhetorically positioning Thiel at a crossroads is downright credulous.
This is almost as bad as your column that concluded in the last graf that Volcker is a no-good Globalist–like the jury had still been out on that one. Have you read his Wiki? From the 50’s on he was never NOT on the Rockefeller payroll, revolving among the NY Fed, Treasury and Chase. Yikes!
Peace Out.
Hey Michael,
Here’s another gem to read about. It would be great if you discussed it on your site. How COINTEL-PRO operatives and intelligence agents destroy and manipulate groups:
1. COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum
2. Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
3. Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist
4. How to Spot a Spy (Cointelpro Agent)
5. Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression
http://cryptome.org/2012/07/gent-forum-spies.htm
For what does it profit a man to gain the world however forsake his soul?
Our rewards are not found in the material universe but patiently wait for us on the other side.
We all must pass on from this world to be born in the next.
Fear not, as all is illusion even your cherished body and your cherished enemies.
Spend a little more time on philosophical and metaphysical questions to balance the financial ones.
At the end of the day, you cannot take it with you.
Peace out Brothers!
One world at a time…
The time and tide waits for no one.
I agree that many things other than finance matter.
Everyone’s got their own spiritual beliefs, but that’s not the topic here .
Human nature strikes again! What is truly amazing is that the founding fathers had the wit and courageous to try to protect us from the worst aspects of it.
Thiel is an establishment puppet trying to co-opt and mislead the liberty movement or ideal or whatever you want to call it. Just him by his actions not his words. Words in the world of politics and multinational corporations mean absolutely nothing.
Kochs are just like that. Created Cato, but also created ALEC. They don’t cut taxes, they cut taxes for their friends and raise taxes on the poor while not balancing budgets. Absolute frauds.
Thiel looks and quacks like a duck.
Here’s a good review of our loss of freedoms. Might be useful for waking some slumberers:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/07/25/slouching-towards-nuremberg/
My initial comment with various quotes was to do quite the opposite of creating fear of the unknown but rather to reduce it in the physical world.
We are all blind to what’s on the other side however we should keep it in perspective, maintain balance and have an open mind.
To me, freedom is a state of mind, not a location especially when trapped in a physical body.
Palantir is one of the companies that was present at Trump’s recent meeting with Tech Leaders.
See link, number 20 at the table arrangement with Trump:
http://thecapitalist.com/trumps-meeting-tech-leaders-good-sign-industry/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CP-12-15-16