If any of you gentle readers find yourselves with nothing to do today:

Please:

A. Tell me how you did it.

B. Consider reviewing the Navy's Community Conversation held on 6/15 and giving us a synopsis. It can be accessed via realAudio at:

http://www.netcastinc.com/events/navy_y2k.html

My proxy prevents streaming downloads, so I'm stuck. And very curious...

And for what it's worth, I've learned that the company hired by the White House to organize the Community Conversation program, (and I suspect, run the spin machine) is:

The Rendon Group (TRG)

http://www.rendon.com

"...an organization that specializes in crisis management and helps government and private enterprises anticipate and plan for emergencies before they unfold into uncontrollable disasters...."

Do a Yahoo search if you're curious. The results are, As Diane would say: Amazable.

Gotta go.

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), June 25, 1999

Answers

Thanks Lewis,

The Rendon Group (TRG)... Hotlink...

http://www.rendon.com

Can't DO Real Audio either, but can do some research... off to the White House first.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 25, 1999.

A sample of TRG's work: http://www.rendon.com/docs/tmc071797.html

-- (1@2.3), June 25, 1999.

For those interested in PR Firm tactics (and lack of ethics), "Toxic Sludge is Good for You" is a great book to start with.

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nohwere.com), June 25, 1999.

Fascinating.

Here's some dispensed advice: (from the Newsletters section)

Without planning and preparation, a company or government could easily find itself making what Rendon calls the most common mistake, a crucial misstep that undermines any attempts at damage control. "They lie."

"It's better to put all the bad information out at one time than to let it come out over a six-week period," he says. "It's easier to get that example across (beforehand) than if you try to do that in the middle of a crisis when everyone is already worn down."

-- Lisa (lisa@work.now), June 25, 1999.

Well, after a little more sniffin, it is clear that The Rendon Group is one of the Big Kids. Major league perception managers and political advisors.

Check this out: an announcement for a class at Georgtown taught by Mr. Rendon hisself:

http://www.cosc.georgetown.edu/~denning/cosc511/spring99/schedule.html

_________________

February 8: Open Sources, Psyops and Perception Management

Media manipulation. Softwar. Distortion, lies, denouncement, harrassment. Advertising. Censorship.

Speakers: John Rendon, President, The Rendon Group, http://www.rendon.com/management.html.

_____________________

I should point out that the course was not "How to Shred the Constitutuion 101". These guys aren't evil, but they do seem to have an interesting approach to the concept of truth in advertising.

This are the guys who can spin you so well, you don't even know you've been spun.

I like the quote you found, Lisa. Let's hope that's the approach Mr. Koskinen intends to to take.

Mirrors everywhere, it seems.

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), June 25, 1999.

Ko-skin-em took CYA tack. He be peeling outta sight soon. But the pitchforks are sharpened, red-hot, poison-tipped, searching for him in the smoke & mirrors, real soon now. Loco local yokels everywhere will know they've been spun into a silkworm coocoocoon of imprisoned devolutionary spiral into hell and they'll be out to torch 'n fork their devil. Ko-skin-em gonna be skinned & roasted!

Time Will Tell. Prepare For Hell.

xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), June 25, 1999.

Yikes, Ashton/Leska. Remind me to never tick you off...;-)

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), June 25, 1999.

I was so shocked at Mr. Rendon's course offering, that I missed his other one at the same URL:

February 23: Deception, Masquerading, Trojan Horses

Data diddling, bogus stories and transactions, phony deals, scams, identity theft, counterfeiting, forgeries, social engineering, IP spoofing, phone fraud, Trojan horses,

Speakers: Vice Admiral J. M. McConnell, United States Navy (ret), Booze Allen & Hamilton, former Director, National Security Agency -- speaking on intelligence; John W. Rendon, Jr., President, The Rendon Group, Inc.

Sounds like he knows some great party gags. And teaching on the same podium with a director of NSA?!?! Who IS this guy?

IP Spoofing? Hmmm. Look, I hope I'm slightly less prone to paranoid delusions than some of my esteemed fellow TB2Kers, but hasn't it gotten a little hard to tell Who is Who around here?

God it's late. Goodnite all.

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), June 26, 1999.

Lewis,

Will go look now.

BTW, Last night I was watching the PBS Newshour and Jim Lehrer had an interview with...

Semper Fi
Marine Corps Commandant Gen.Charles Krulak discusses his 35-year service in the Marine Corps and his pending retirement.

(Transcript not available yet).

http:// www.pbs.org/newshour/newshour_index.html

At any rate, this four star general mentioned than upon retirement hes going to join an unnamed group in Wilmington, Delaware.

For all the forum dot mil types... Whats in Wilmington, DE?

Thanks,

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 26, 1999.

Asked question at the top level.

See request...

What's In Wilmington Delaware? (4-Star Marine Corps General "Retires")

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 0010Kr

What triggers alarm bells for me is the Generals comments... on five key areas to being a superpower...

1) Diplomatic
2) Military
3) Industrial Infrastructure
4) ??
5) Information

Then I quick look at the Renton site and see upfront...

Information As An Element Of Power

At The Rendon Group, we believe in people. We help governments, companies and organizations identify and achieve their goals by providing comprehensive strategic communications counsel. We are committed to helping people win in the global marketplace by providing distinctive approaches to communications challenges.

Curious?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 26, 1999.

Gol Dang... The internal alarm bells are sure ringing on this group!

I will BET... dimes to doughnuts... that ex-intelligence community types... and current operatives are connected to this group.

Ugh!

Diane, feeling ill

The Rendon Group, Inc.
1875 Connecticut Avenue N.W., Suite 414
Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 745-4900 - telephone
(202) 745-0215 - fax

Various snippets...

Under About...

http://www.rendon.com/ about.htm

New Direction -- responding to a world in which change is the only constant. The old solutions to communications challenges no longer apply. Time and technology, news and information, accompanied by American pop culture, have all helped to transform the world we once knew into the world we now know: A world in which change is the only constant. Our challenge is not to be changed by others who decide our roles and responsibilities, but to use change as a vehicle to reach our desired destination.

[snip]

What sets The Rendon Group apart from other strategic consulting firms is our unique approach to information gathering and management as a strategic instrument in the design of public relations and communication programs. We believe in the use of information that leads to action, and actions that translate into results. Results are measured in terms of the initial objectives, and defined as the achievement of specific goals.

[snip]

Staff members have worked for The White House, members of Congress, multinational corporations and international organizations. Many former TRG staff members and associates are presently employed within the Clinton Administration.

[Gotta take a break! This is NOT good, Lewis!]

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 26, 1999.

BTW, Lewis... there may be two PR firms working on the "issue." This IS one of them.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 26, 1999.

Good sleuthing, Diane. Out of curiousity, can you put a name to the other PR groups?

Any thoughts by readers of "New Answers"?

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), June 28, 1999.

I'll try to find out.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 28, 1999.