Psy-ops and the Strategy of Fear
Torture for all the world to see.
When the Americans first opened Camp Delta torture centre at their Guantanamo base in Cuba to hold hostages from around the world, they released an official photograph of people dressed to be de-humanised in orange overalls, blindfold goggles, earmuffs, nose and mouth masks, gloves and shackled in chains. In enforced, total sensory deprivation - except for touch when tortured or beaten or as in the photo manhandled. I had originally thought that the photo was taken from Cuban territory and published as another expose of the long history of American barbarity in the Caribbean and beyond. Until I saw the by-line. The Times credited the photos to the US Navy.
Guantanamo is not just a torture centre, that would be bad enough in itself, but it is worse and much, much more sinister. Everybody knows that torture doesn't work in providing reliable information. The tortured tell the torturer what is already decided the tortured should say by the torturer before the torture starts. The torturer knows this but the torturer also knows the psychological power that torture has in instilling fear, hatred and opposition in those the torturer has demonised as 'Other', and for whom the tortured is identified with through race, religion, nationality or just their humanity. Torture is very effective in creating enemies.
Instilling fear in those you wish to fight is an old, old military tactic now being spread via a modern and complicit globalised corporate media. The shock-jocks, the columnists, the journalists, the news anchors nearly all of whom corrupt language and soul when they glorify or attempt to justify, make acceptable, the use of torture as state policy.
The primary rationale for Camp Delta at Guantanamo is Psy-ops - military psychological operations. The Statue of Liberty now declares to the world, as she lights the fuse, "This is what happens to you who would dare attempt to defend your land and wealth from me". Its an example for each one of use on this planet to see, to ponder what happens to anybody America thinks may, at some time in the future of this 'long war', possibly harbour a smidgen of animosity to America's arrogance in thinking the world's resources are theirs to steal. Torture is the last refuge of a class petrified that they may lose control as this multifaceted crisis we are in unfolds. Torture, the only answer a paranoid class and it's state can find and which is not really an answer but an admission of weakness. Of not knowing how and not wanting to change.
A pdf of the USA Department of Defence, Information Operation Roadmap 2003 - the military's psychological operations manual - is available at the BBC (scroll down page).
Over the last few weeks this strategy of fear has been refined. No longer is the whole of the world's poor targeted. It is now directed solely at Arabs/Muslims. A Danish paper, known for its support of the extreme right, commissioned some cartoons characterising the Prophet Mohammed and by extension all Muslims, in much the same way that Nazi Germany did with Jews over 70 years ago. Everything bad in the world is laid at their feet, is their fault. The visual similarity is startling. The cartoons are anti-semitic if one accepts that Jew and Arab are both semitic people, as well as being a calculated insult to Islam. (If the previous link doesn't work then refer to Cambridge Dictionary Online and look up - the following link does link to the C.D.O. definition.)
Jewish anti-semitism is quite rightly outlawed in Europe. Whilst the anti-cartoon riots and demonstrations were going on, the Nazi's apologist historian - David Irving - was gaoled in Austria for denying the Holocaust. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingston has been suspended for a month for what were deemed anti-semitic remarks to a Jewish journalist. (For an analysis of the political implications to Livingston's plight, as well as a look at the editorial practise of the organisation the reporter works for, read Mike Marqusee at Znet.) These two actions against Jewish anti-semitism ostensibly codify the anti-racist credentials of european liberalism but in fact disquise the racism of the Arab anti-semitism that is so graphically displayed in the cartoons.
At least two outcomes were expected from the cartoons publication and to a certain extent were achieved. The first was to provoke and inflame the Muslim street and in the process undermine the authority of their own governments. This was not as successful as was hoped because the majority of Muslims seen the cartoons for what they are – provocations and didn't respond with violence. But the riots and death threats that did erupt aided the more successful outcome of shifting European liberal sentiment against Muslims who they now see as being anti-free speech and therefore against human rights – fundamental tenets of liberal ideology despite free speech not being a reality in any European democracy. When an idea gains hegemonic hold it becomes personal to the individual even if the idea is not supported by fact or is absolutely idiotic like believing in fairies or Bush or Blair. Talk about being 'conflicted'.
Although writing and singing about Americans, Phil Ochs had all liberals and social democrats down to a T.
Europeans, unless Muslim, are now more likely to believe that the horrors of Guantanamo will not be visited on them. Easing some of the fear from American practise and redirecting it against the Other. Against the Muslim - the perceived backward and weaker and hence the easier target for expressing our fear. Illegal wars are given justification like this. The problem though is that the greatest warriors are those defending their homes.
If you do not believe that the publishing of the cartoons were a deliberate provocation of Muslims and manipulation of European thinking, then I suggest you read the article by John Sugg at Palestine Chronicle, which exposes the timing of a meeting between the editor responsible and the extreme Christain right in America as well as the history of the paper involved.
Shortly after the publication of the cartoons, further pictures and videos of torture at Abu Ghraib were published in Australia. When the first tranche of pictures appeared two years ago there was an outcry from around the world but the torture has continued unabated throughout the CIA's worldwide Gulag. What has abated however is the level of outrage from the European and American public. It is as if the understanding of what is torture has been raised to the level of acceptability. No longer the hellish outrage and affront to human dignity that it is.
The Bush White House has been fighting the release of these new images in America. So the timing of their appearance, as well as the appearance of the video of British troops viciously beating children, has me, how shall I put this, feeling slightly suspicious about how they came into the public domain.
The British sunday paper (News of the World, owned by Murdoch via ICH) and the Australian TV (via ICH) channel that first aired them, quite rightly so, may have been given a controlled release. But why? Coming so close on the heels of the cartoons, and if it is part of a Psy-ops campaign, then I think it is to intensify the feeling of Muslim isolation from Europe. And test how alienated Muslims are from American, European and Australian feelings following the publishing of the cartoons,. The speed by which the stink dies down compared to the original disclosure two years ago, could be a reliable indicator of public engagement.
Sacrilege has recently been visited on Samarra. The al-Askariya Mosque, shrine to two Shi'a Imams Ali Al-Hadi and Hassan Al-Askari was bombed by men in black. The immediate response in Europe and America was to see civil war. This despite eyewitness reports from the area that American troops and the ING were on patrol around the Mosque all night and left just minutes before the explosion. It took hours to plant the expertly placed explosives.
This has all the hallmarks of Black-ops. The twin of Psy-ops in the dark arts and who never plan without reference to each other. That it was Black-ops was strengthened for me by the speed with which the assassination squads started killing Sunni. Almost as soon as the dust died down the death squads were on the streets. The people to read to get an idea of what is happenning in Iraq are; Truth About Iraqis, Riverbend and Baghdad Dweller. Brave humans all. The Baghdad Dweller link is to an article that carries two eyewitness reports.
What have we become if even the barbarous Mongol Hoards never touched the al-Askariya Mosque, the shimmering jewel of Islamic architecture, out of awe and respect when they invaded and conquered Samarra.
Why the Psy-ops? Well it is obviously a build up to something. Could it be an attack on Shia Iran? I think this is the only possible conclusion that can be drawn. The timing fits with the Iranians plans to establish a Bourse in Tehran and start trading their oil in Euros by the end of March. The shift away from countries having to buy dollars to buy oil would undermine the pre-eminence of the dollar as the world's reserve currency (see Coilin Nunan at Countercurrents). Also at the end of March the Iranians should have on stream their two satellites that the Russians made and launched for them, and which are believed to have 'early warning' abilities. All the claims about Iran having nuclear weapons and that they should be referred to the UN is just hyperbole. The Iranian plans to do as they see fit with their oil and their national security in the face of American/British imperial opposition is the main reason for this build up in tension.
The downsides of a military assault and invasion far outweigh any benefits the American/British could possibly hope to achieve. Iran will prove to be a more formidable enemy than Iraq having not lived through 12 years of sanctions and having built up a well equiped, modern and motivated military. Both American and British forces are overstetched fighting two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq against a strengthening Resistance. Moral is shot.
The imperial powers also have a problem with using nuclear weapons despite having integrated them into their regional battleplans as reported by Chossudovsky at Global Research. (Not that depleted uranium is a nuclear weapon of course!). In 1985 when Gorbachev met with Reagan, he told Reagan the Soviets had already developed a counter to his Strategic Defence Initiative – 'Star Wars'. The Russians have sold to the Iranians and Chinese the dual purpose – conventional and nuclear cruise missile they developed. This thing travels at over Mach2, twice the speed of sound, can fly 9ft above the ground out of sight of radar and then as it nears its target, manoeuvre violently with no chance of intercepting. It is unstoppable as the Americans found out when the Chinese used one for practise in the Pacific. Two years ago it only had a range of 100 miles but with the advances in technology this could have been extented. Underestimate Russian science at your peril, they are not encumbered with such nonsense as 'faith based' scientific research. See Mark Gaffney at ICH.
There is of course the possibility of an attack by Israel. They have certainly upped the rhetoric battle with Iran and have previously bombed a nuclear reactor under construction in Iraq. There are also reports that Israel has war planes stationed in Turkey near the Iran/Turkey border and that they have recently received a large consignment of bunker buster bombs from America. Israel is a nuclear power and would object, to put it mildly, Iran having an early warning system that could thwart a surprise convential attack on their nuclear facilities.
European sensitivity to the guilt of our Jewish anti-semitism ending up in the Holocaust, has been ruthlessly exploited by Israel since its inception as a state in its propaganda campaign against Palestinians. The timing and the political/cultural impact of the trial of Irving and suspension of Livingston, couldn't have happened at a better time if we are in the midst of a Psy-ops campaign as a build up to war on Iran. Both decisions are very supportive to Israel, which claims representation of all Jewry, at a time when all Muslims are being made 'Other' with crude, infantile anti-semitic cartoons.
The Chinese and Russians would not stand passively by. They have both invested to heavily in Iran's oil and nuclear industries and will not appreciate America gaining control of 50% of the worlds oil, which they would do if they tried to annex the big oilfields in south west Iran. For China the loss of their contracts for Iranian oil and gas could damage their growth quite substantially. Expect Europe to get a cut in gas supplies from Russia at the very least.
The present negotiations between Iran and Russia over the uranium enrichment process for the Iranian reactors being done in Russia, seems to be advancing positively. The Iranians come across as quite confident of something being decided. Any protocol adopted through an agreement between Iran and Russia on this may be adopted by the International Atomic Energy Authority. Helpful diplomacy in a time of tension from the Russians is being interpreted in Washington as a threat in that it could place Russia as the premier supplier of enriched uranium to countries around the world who desire nuclear power. The crisis of peak oil has brought back into the energy equation the extension of nuclear produced power with a vengeance. And who are we who have it to tell others they can't have this knowledge and the higher education it requires? The negotiatons are continuing.
Although on the balance of benefit it seems sane not to attack and invade Iran, sanity could have nothing to do with it. The America economy is one big bubble and the opening of an Iranian oil Bourse trading in euros could be the pin that pricks. It is going to collapse at some point anyway so why not suppress the demand for oil by locking it in the ground, engineer a population crash while the America of oligarchs, neocons, gangsters and other assorted members of it's capitalist class, still have a slim chance of maintaining world dominance. They certainly will not be in a dominant position if they allow oil trading in euros and can no longer maintain the economic bubble by issuing fiat dollars to a captive clientèle of oil dependent nations.
Being America's poodle, Britain's continued trading of our oil for dollars at the London Petroleum Exchange is the one and only reason Blair has obfuscated about joining the Euro.
What can we do in Britain besides just campaigning to join the euro? As I have said before and will continue saying, non-violent mass participatory civil disobedience and direct action – from petitions to strikes - are the only means by which we can achieve an end that results in peace. The war machine has to be disrupted. Stopped from killing.
The World Tribunal on Iraq and the BRussels Tribunal have given a lead and produced some of the clearest guides to action against the war. All of our peace and anti-war organisations should be taking them on board and organising around them.
In the short term organising for the demo in London on the 18th March has to be a priority, though this should not detract from local events/actions being conducted on the day. A day out in London is always attractive and when its for a vital cause, why not?
It is never to late for peace.
When the Americans first opened Camp Delta torture centre at their Guantanamo base in Cuba to hold hostages from around the world, they released an official photograph of people dressed to be de-humanised in orange overalls, blindfold goggles, earmuffs, nose and mouth masks, gloves and shackled in chains. In enforced, total sensory deprivation - except for touch when tortured or beaten or as in the photo manhandled. I had originally thought that the photo was taken from Cuban territory and published as another expose of the long history of American barbarity in the Caribbean and beyond. Until I saw the by-line. The Times credited the photos to the US Navy.
Guantanamo is not just a torture centre, that would be bad enough in itself, but it is worse and much, much more sinister. Everybody knows that torture doesn't work in providing reliable information. The tortured tell the torturer what is already decided the tortured should say by the torturer before the torture starts. The torturer knows this but the torturer also knows the psychological power that torture has in instilling fear, hatred and opposition in those the torturer has demonised as 'Other', and for whom the tortured is identified with through race, religion, nationality or just their humanity. Torture is very effective in creating enemies.
Instilling fear in those you wish to fight is an old, old military tactic now being spread via a modern and complicit globalised corporate media. The shock-jocks, the columnists, the journalists, the news anchors nearly all of whom corrupt language and soul when they glorify or attempt to justify, make acceptable, the use of torture as state policy.
The primary rationale for Camp Delta at Guantanamo is Psy-ops - military psychological operations. The Statue of Liberty now declares to the world, as she lights the fuse, "This is what happens to you who would dare attempt to defend your land and wealth from me". Its an example for each one of use on this planet to see, to ponder what happens to anybody America thinks may, at some time in the future of this 'long war', possibly harbour a smidgen of animosity to America's arrogance in thinking the world's resources are theirs to steal. Torture is the last refuge of a class petrified that they may lose control as this multifaceted crisis we are in unfolds. Torture, the only answer a paranoid class and it's state can find and which is not really an answer but an admission of weakness. Of not knowing how and not wanting to change.
A pdf of the USA Department of Defence, Information Operation Roadmap 2003 - the military's psychological operations manual - is available at the BBC (scroll down page).
Over the last few weeks this strategy of fear has been refined. No longer is the whole of the world's poor targeted. It is now directed solely at Arabs/Muslims. A Danish paper, known for its support of the extreme right, commissioned some cartoons characterising the Prophet Mohammed and by extension all Muslims, in much the same way that Nazi Germany did with Jews over 70 years ago. Everything bad in the world is laid at their feet, is their fault. The visual similarity is startling. The cartoons are anti-semitic if one accepts that Jew and Arab are both semitic people, as well as being a calculated insult to Islam. (If the previous link doesn't work then refer to Cambridge Dictionary Online and look up - the following link does link to the C.D.O. definition.)
Jewish anti-semitism is quite rightly outlawed in Europe. Whilst the anti-cartoon riots and demonstrations were going on, the Nazi's apologist historian - David Irving - was gaoled in Austria for denying the Holocaust. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingston has been suspended for a month for what were deemed anti-semitic remarks to a Jewish journalist. (For an analysis of the political implications to Livingston's plight, as well as a look at the editorial practise of the organisation the reporter works for, read Mike Marqusee at Znet.) These two actions against Jewish anti-semitism ostensibly codify the anti-racist credentials of european liberalism but in fact disquise the racism of the Arab anti-semitism that is so graphically displayed in the cartoons.
At least two outcomes were expected from the cartoons publication and to a certain extent were achieved. The first was to provoke and inflame the Muslim street and in the process undermine the authority of their own governments. This was not as successful as was hoped because the majority of Muslims seen the cartoons for what they are – provocations and didn't respond with violence. But the riots and death threats that did erupt aided the more successful outcome of shifting European liberal sentiment against Muslims who they now see as being anti-free speech and therefore against human rights – fundamental tenets of liberal ideology despite free speech not being a reality in any European democracy. When an idea gains hegemonic hold it becomes personal to the individual even if the idea is not supported by fact or is absolutely idiotic like believing in fairies or Bush or Blair. Talk about being 'conflicted'.
Although writing and singing about Americans, Phil Ochs had all liberals and social democrats down to a T.
“In every American community there are various shades of political opinion.
One of the shadiest of these is the liberals.
10 degrees to the left of centre in good times.
10 degrees to the right of centre if it affects them personally.”
Live intro to 'Love Me I'm A Liberal'
One of the shadiest of these is the liberals.
10 degrees to the left of centre in good times.
10 degrees to the right of centre if it affects them personally.”
Live intro to 'Love Me I'm A Liberal'
Yes, I read the Republic and Nation.
I've learnt to take every view.
You know I've memorised Lerner and Golden.
I feel like I'm almost a Jew.
But when it comes to times like Korea
There's no one more red, white and blue.
So love me, love me, love me. I'm a liberal.
I've learnt to take every view.
You know I've memorised Lerner and Golden.
I feel like I'm almost a Jew.
But when it comes to times like Korea
There's no one more red, white and blue.
So love me, love me, love me. I'm a liberal.
From 'Love Me I'm A Liberal' Phil Ochs
Europeans, unless Muslim, are now more likely to believe that the horrors of Guantanamo will not be visited on them. Easing some of the fear from American practise and redirecting it against the Other. Against the Muslim - the perceived backward and weaker and hence the easier target for expressing our fear. Illegal wars are given justification like this. The problem though is that the greatest warriors are those defending their homes.
If you do not believe that the publishing of the cartoons were a deliberate provocation of Muslims and manipulation of European thinking, then I suggest you read the article by John Sugg at Palestine Chronicle, which exposes the timing of a meeting between the editor responsible and the extreme Christain right in America as well as the history of the paper involved.
Shortly after the publication of the cartoons, further pictures and videos of torture at Abu Ghraib were published in Australia. When the first tranche of pictures appeared two years ago there was an outcry from around the world but the torture has continued unabated throughout the CIA's worldwide Gulag. What has abated however is the level of outrage from the European and American public. It is as if the understanding of what is torture has been raised to the level of acceptability. No longer the hellish outrage and affront to human dignity that it is.
The Bush White House has been fighting the release of these new images in America. So the timing of their appearance, as well as the appearance of the video of British troops viciously beating children, has me, how shall I put this, feeling slightly suspicious about how they came into the public domain.
The British sunday paper (News of the World, owned by Murdoch via ICH) and the Australian TV (via ICH) channel that first aired them, quite rightly so, may have been given a controlled release. But why? Coming so close on the heels of the cartoons, and if it is part of a Psy-ops campaign, then I think it is to intensify the feeling of Muslim isolation from Europe. And test how alienated Muslims are from American, European and Australian feelings following the publishing of the cartoons,. The speed by which the stink dies down compared to the original disclosure two years ago, could be a reliable indicator of public engagement.
Sacrilege has recently been visited on Samarra. The al-Askariya Mosque, shrine to two Shi'a Imams Ali Al-Hadi and Hassan Al-Askari was bombed by men in black. The immediate response in Europe and America was to see civil war. This despite eyewitness reports from the area that American troops and the ING were on patrol around the Mosque all night and left just minutes before the explosion. It took hours to plant the expertly placed explosives.
This has all the hallmarks of Black-ops. The twin of Psy-ops in the dark arts and who never plan without reference to each other. That it was Black-ops was strengthened for me by the speed with which the assassination squads started killing Sunni. Almost as soon as the dust died down the death squads were on the streets. The people to read to get an idea of what is happenning in Iraq are; Truth About Iraqis, Riverbend and Baghdad Dweller. Brave humans all. The Baghdad Dweller link is to an article that carries two eyewitness reports.
What have we become if even the barbarous Mongol Hoards never touched the al-Askariya Mosque, the shimmering jewel of Islamic architecture, out of awe and respect when they invaded and conquered Samarra.
Why the Psy-ops? Well it is obviously a build up to something. Could it be an attack on Shia Iran? I think this is the only possible conclusion that can be drawn. The timing fits with the Iranians plans to establish a Bourse in Tehran and start trading their oil in Euros by the end of March. The shift away from countries having to buy dollars to buy oil would undermine the pre-eminence of the dollar as the world's reserve currency (see Coilin Nunan at Countercurrents). Also at the end of March the Iranians should have on stream their two satellites that the Russians made and launched for them, and which are believed to have 'early warning' abilities. All the claims about Iran having nuclear weapons and that they should be referred to the UN is just hyperbole. The Iranian plans to do as they see fit with their oil and their national security in the face of American/British imperial opposition is the main reason for this build up in tension.
The downsides of a military assault and invasion far outweigh any benefits the American/British could possibly hope to achieve. Iran will prove to be a more formidable enemy than Iraq having not lived through 12 years of sanctions and having built up a well equiped, modern and motivated military. Both American and British forces are overstetched fighting two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq against a strengthening Resistance. Moral is shot.
The imperial powers also have a problem with using nuclear weapons despite having integrated them into their regional battleplans as reported by Chossudovsky at Global Research. (Not that depleted uranium is a nuclear weapon of course!). In 1985 when Gorbachev met with Reagan, he told Reagan the Soviets had already developed a counter to his Strategic Defence Initiative – 'Star Wars'. The Russians have sold to the Iranians and Chinese the dual purpose – conventional and nuclear cruise missile they developed. This thing travels at over Mach2, twice the speed of sound, can fly 9ft above the ground out of sight of radar and then as it nears its target, manoeuvre violently with no chance of intercepting. It is unstoppable as the Americans found out when the Chinese used one for practise in the Pacific. Two years ago it only had a range of 100 miles but with the advances in technology this could have been extented. Underestimate Russian science at your peril, they are not encumbered with such nonsense as 'faith based' scientific research. See Mark Gaffney at ICH.
There is of course the possibility of an attack by Israel. They have certainly upped the rhetoric battle with Iran and have previously bombed a nuclear reactor under construction in Iraq. There are also reports that Israel has war planes stationed in Turkey near the Iran/Turkey border and that they have recently received a large consignment of bunker buster bombs from America. Israel is a nuclear power and would object, to put it mildly, Iran having an early warning system that could thwart a surprise convential attack on their nuclear facilities.
European sensitivity to the guilt of our Jewish anti-semitism ending up in the Holocaust, has been ruthlessly exploited by Israel since its inception as a state in its propaganda campaign against Palestinians. The timing and the political/cultural impact of the trial of Irving and suspension of Livingston, couldn't have happened at a better time if we are in the midst of a Psy-ops campaign as a build up to war on Iran. Both decisions are very supportive to Israel, which claims representation of all Jewry, at a time when all Muslims are being made 'Other' with crude, infantile anti-semitic cartoons.
The Chinese and Russians would not stand passively by. They have both invested to heavily in Iran's oil and nuclear industries and will not appreciate America gaining control of 50% of the worlds oil, which they would do if they tried to annex the big oilfields in south west Iran. For China the loss of their contracts for Iranian oil and gas could damage their growth quite substantially. Expect Europe to get a cut in gas supplies from Russia at the very least.
The present negotiations between Iran and Russia over the uranium enrichment process for the Iranian reactors being done in Russia, seems to be advancing positively. The Iranians come across as quite confident of something being decided. Any protocol adopted through an agreement between Iran and Russia on this may be adopted by the International Atomic Energy Authority. Helpful diplomacy in a time of tension from the Russians is being interpreted in Washington as a threat in that it could place Russia as the premier supplier of enriched uranium to countries around the world who desire nuclear power. The crisis of peak oil has brought back into the energy equation the extension of nuclear produced power with a vengeance. And who are we who have it to tell others they can't have this knowledge and the higher education it requires? The negotiatons are continuing.
Although on the balance of benefit it seems sane not to attack and invade Iran, sanity could have nothing to do with it. The America economy is one big bubble and the opening of an Iranian oil Bourse trading in euros could be the pin that pricks. It is going to collapse at some point anyway so why not suppress the demand for oil by locking it in the ground, engineer a population crash while the America of oligarchs, neocons, gangsters and other assorted members of it's capitalist class, still have a slim chance of maintaining world dominance. They certainly will not be in a dominant position if they allow oil trading in euros and can no longer maintain the economic bubble by issuing fiat dollars to a captive clientèle of oil dependent nations.
Being America's poodle, Britain's continued trading of our oil for dollars at the London Petroleum Exchange is the one and only reason Blair has obfuscated about joining the Euro.
What can we do in Britain besides just campaigning to join the euro? As I have said before and will continue saying, non-violent mass participatory civil disobedience and direct action – from petitions to strikes - are the only means by which we can achieve an end that results in peace. The war machine has to be disrupted. Stopped from killing.
The World Tribunal on Iraq and the BRussels Tribunal have given a lead and produced some of the clearest guides to action against the war. All of our peace and anti-war organisations should be taking them on board and organising around them.
In the short term organising for the demo in London on the 18th March has to be a priority, though this should not detract from local events/actions being conducted on the day. A day out in London is always attractive and when its for a vital cause, why not?
It is never to late for peace.
posted by les at 14:14
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