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REVIEWS have paid homage to the Father of Wisdom, Baphomet, represented as a head. Were they inheritors of the oracular head cult? Dr Laidler believes they were, and that they went to obsessive lengths to protect their treasure, yet recording its image for posterity. In the mediaeval world where relic worship was big business, the Templars shielded a relic that would ultimately spell their demise at the Church's hand—for how could there be relics of someone who sup- posedly ascended bodily into Heaven? Much historical back-up and additional compelling examples of anomalies on the Shroud itself add weight to Dr Laidler's con- troversial hypothesis. have paid homage to the Father of Wisdom, — "friendly governments". The main stage he B oO oO K S Baphomet, represented as a head. Were sees as now dominated by transnational cor- they inheritors of the oracular head cult? porations intent on globalisation and inva- THE DIVINE DECEPTION: Dr Laidler believes they were, and that sion of cultural and personal space, yet tem- The Church, the Shroud and the they went to obsessive lengths to protect pered by global-scale activism only made . their treasure, yet recording its image for possible by the very nature of the new tech- Creation of a Holy Fraud : F locy. He cites the WTO Seattle el : by Keith Laidler posterity. In the mediaeval world where nology. He cites the V eattle electronic y Ke : . relic worship was big business, the Templars _ protests and the Zapatista techno-peasant Publisher: Headline, UK, 2000 . shielded a relic that would ultimately spell revolt as examples of the powerful new ISBN: 0-7472-7484-3 (312pp he); their demise at the Church's hand—for how trend in global Internet activism. 0-7472-7485-1 (tpb) could there be relics of someone who sup- In the foreword (Australian edition only), Price: A$32.83 (tpb); NZ$39.95; £1 8.99 posedly ascended bodily into Heaven? Whitaker alerts us to the new Regulation of Available: Aust/UK— Hodder Headline; Much historical back-up and additional Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act in the UK, NZ—NEXUS office, tel (09) 405 1963 compelling examples of anomalies on the which will force ISPs to become informants he Shroud of Turin is a mediaeval fraud Shroud itself add weight to Dr Laidler's con- _ and link in with MI5S's new e-mail surveil- concealing a religious truth, says Keith troversial hypothesis. lance centre (Global News, 7/03-4, 7/06). Laidler, PhD, in The Divine Deception, the There is a very real threat that Internet follow-up to his 1998 book, The Head of THE END OF PRIVACY activism will soon be made illegal. God. And it was a fraud perpetrated by the by Reg Whitaker Whitaker sees that we'll have to redefine Knights Templars who leamed the camera Publisher: Scribe, Australia, 2000 (first ‘tions of protected space and find a bal- obscura technique of recording images from —_ pub, by The New Press, NY, USA, 1999) ance between privacy and freedom of infor- the Arab alchemists—a technique that Dr ISBN: 0-908011-46-6 (200pp tpb) mation rights versus corporate intrusion, but Laidler believes can account for the image Price: A$27.50; NZ$39.95; US$14.95 the picture is even bigger than he admits. on the Shroud. But whose image? Available: Aust—Scribe Publications, tel ‘Utilising anthropometric and computer- (03) 9349 5955, e-mail scribe@bigpond. aided analysis, Dr Laidler has come to the net.au; NZ—Addenda, tel (09) 834 5511; stunning conclusion that the image is a com- USA—The New Press, tel (212) 629 8802 posite: the torso and proportionately smaller he surveillance state has become the sur- a oe head belonged to two different people. As if veillance society, argues Reg Whitaker, . ied this hasn't been staring us in the face all professor of political science at Toronto's UEC \ i along! The image of the head is that of a York University, in The End of Privacy. Big Mie te a. real, embalmed head—but if not the head of —_ Brother has merely outsourced his services - Jesus, allegedly excavated from the Temple to the nation-state with the availability of ne Pp ® \ | A Ft ru of Solomon in Jerusalem by the Knights new surveillance technologies. at ! 4 Templars at their inception, then whose is it? Whitaker rebukes the US National Security The Nazarites, with whom Jesus is associ- Agency for its use of the Echelon system in ated, were heirs to the sacred cult of the spying on European companies for US cor- head or skull, one that can be traced to porate advantage. Yet he underplays the Cayonu in the Near East circa 7000 BC (and _less-well-publicised activities of the NSA in is evident in many parts of the ancient targeting individuals and groups deemed a world). And the Templars are known to "threat to national security" by the US and 72 ¢ NEXUS "friendly governments". The main stage he sees as now dominated by transnational cor- porations intent on globalisation and inva- sion of cultural and personal space, yet tem- pered by global-scale activism only made possible by the very nature of the new tech- nology. He cites the WTO Seattle electronic protests and the Zapatista techno-peasant revolt as examples of the powerful new trend in global Internet activism. In the foreword (Australian edition only), Whitaker alerts us to the new Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act in the UK, which will force ISPs to become informants and link in with MIS's new e-mail surveil- lance centre (Global News, 7/03-4, 7/06). There is a very real threat that Internet activism will soon be made illegal. Whitaker sees that we'll have to redefine notions of protected space and find a bal- ance between privacy and freedom of infor- mation rights versus corporate intrusion, but the picture is even bigger than he admits. He ENO , OF PRIVACY OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2000