Back in 1983 I was about 4 years old. My brother had started working in a computer repair shop. He was allowed to borrow a computer so be brought it home. He was showing it to me and he said it was a special computer. He told me it had a brain and it could talk to me. I would ask it questions and it would answer me back. I was so amazed. I sat there for a long time talking to this computer. It would be many years later before I would understand he was using a text to voice program.
As I grew up I never lost my love of computers. I watched Wargames and longed to be as smart "David". When other kids asked if I wanted to play a game with them in my mind I would robotically say "Shall we play a game?" I had blank slugs that I would use in pay phones and vending machines. I would piss off the arcade by me because they would try to catch me using them in their machines but I would always pull out a pocket full of quarters. They never did realize I was putting the slugs in the waist band of my pants.
Once I was 14 (1994)I went to a Computer and HAM Radio Fest. I was able to get my first computer. It was a beat up thing. I dont remember the specs but I do remember it had a Super VGA monitor. It wasn't just VGA it was a Super VGA. I thought that was so cool. I inspected that thing inside and out. I did trial and error with DOS until I knew it fairly well. At least enought to boggle the kids at school when I made the computers in the lab do weird things.
When I was 16 (1996) I bought my first on my own. It was 700 Meg hard drive. I managed to get the New York Boot virus within the first week. I thought I killed my computer. I nerd raged for a few days but managed to get rid of it. I had a few other mishaps but always figured out what I did wrong and how to fix it. Around this time something happened that changed my life. A movie came out that symbolized everything that I wanted to me. Hackers showed hackers as people who fought against those who wronged the masses. It was a small group of kids my age who cried out for help and people from around the world heard their cries and came running. The meek rumbled mountains. I loved that symbolism. I loved seeing the average computer geek making a difference.
Then I grew up. I became a Mom of two girls. I then had a son who I lost because of SIDS. I fell into depression but always looked towards my girls to keep me moving forward. I learned how to build my own computers. I got into MMORPGs and blogging. I never gave up the love for computers but I turned away from the hacking side of things. When I heard about Sandy Hook I started bawling. Knowing what it feels like to lose a child I know what it feels like for these parents. The big difference is I lost my son when he was 6 months old. These parents have all the memories of their children learning to walk, of chattering, of getting on a school bus. They have so many more memories and emotions pounding at them than I did. Losing my son almost killed me. If I were to lose one or both of my girls it would definately kill me. The words heart ache and heart break are not just saying. It feels like someone is physically digging a knife into your chest.
I have had a long hatred for Westboro Baptist "Church." When I heard they were going to picket the funerals it fueled a fire inside of me. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see their institution crumble brick by brick. They are doing nothing but using religion to make money and using these pickets to use the media to gain more fame.
I have been following Anonymous for a few months because I was thankful they were against online bullying. I was ecstatic to find out they set Westboro in their cross-hairs. I haven't used twitter much but I went on there to watch what was going on. Night after night I have been watching the tweets and hash tags. I realized, this is Hackers. I have been trailing along behind them like a puppy dog just drooling at what they have accomplished. Cheering at each time they DoS WBCs website or each time CosmoTheGod takes over one of their Twitters. I keep thinking about how much trouble I would have gotten into if there was Wifi and smart phones around when I was younger. I'll tell you younguns what, cartin' your whole desktop around for LAN parties sucked.
This is the moment I have been waiting for. So many times watching the tweets I have been wanting to stand up and scream HACK THE PLANET!!!! but I knew my girls would turn around and wonder what Mom was being weird about. Instead I sit here. I have laughed, gritted my teeth, and bawled my eyes out. I have begged for the safety of the people forming walls. I have begged for WBC to get what's coming to them. I have wished I could do more to help. I have made up pictures and tried to spread information on Facebook. I have tried to get people worked up to try to get them to sign the petitions against WBC. I just wish I could do more. I wish I could be in CT. I wish I knew coding better. I wish I would have never left it behind.
This year it didn't seem like Christmas. It has been really warm outside. It didn't seem like it was going to snow. Everyone seemed depressed and stressed out from the election and the state of our country. With the shooting it seemed like it was a deeper descent into Hell. What I have learned is through the darkness is light. Though WBC are the faces of evil, the brightest most angelic people have come forward. Thank you Anonymous for #Operation Westboro Baptist. You have helped show that there is still good in this world.
I hope that all of you have a very Blessed Yule, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. I hope the next year will be very eventful for you and you will be able to get much accomplished. Not everyone agrees on everything but I do agree on many of the issues Anonymous attends to. You have a Mom here ready to bake you cookies. ^_^
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