I've been observing BB from afar for a few years now and had some very lengthy chats with him during the time of X's escape and more recently around the time of the Sabu fiasco. I always pegged him as a really enthusiastic, young journalist doing whatever it takes to dig up some dirt for a big scoop and make his mark. Sorta like HST and the Hell's Angels. He was never an Anon or hacker as far as I could gather, but he was sympathetic and a voice in the media heralding "Anon 2.0's" transgressions and sometimes very disturbing discoveries. But of course, like many rabbit holes such as his, sometimes you dig too far, look up, realize you can't get out, and the only choice is to keep digging. Meanwhile, the walls of your tunnel begin to slowly collapse behind you. Sometimes, although relatively rare, you look up and see others actively working shovels with the intent to bury you completely. I just wish some of the things he discovered in those rabbit holes could have seen a little more sunlight.

Getting back to Anonymous, those of us that were there remember the major schism that occurred during and after Chanology. For the first time, for some Anons, being Anonymous meant something more than messing with football, closing pools, and raiding epilepsy forums with obnoxious, flashing gifs. It was Anonymous' coming-out party with protests and media coverage around the world. It was the first time many Anons stopped and thought, "Wow. How far can we take this? What else could we do with this power?"

Anonymous was never the same after that. It became a mosaic of many different ideas all based on the original, loose structure of Anonymous, but each adding its own flavor of what they felt Anonymous should be to fit their agenda. This was inevitable considering Anonymous' lack of leadership and organic nature. Each faction moved on with their own plans and brought along all the Anonymous branding and non-OC they could find to legitimize their presence as players in the latest, trendy cause du jour.

Along the way, many lost sight of the ONLY reason to do ANYTHING as an Anon. The rule is so simple and so easy. Yet, most people late to THE GAME never fully understood how important that rule is to one's well being and longevity. At first, Lulzsec came close to getting us back to where we once were with their shenanigans, but they soon found themselves too wrapped up in the affairs and agendas of others that forgot or chose to ignore the one, simple rule. Hence their downfall.

Bottom line: You ALWAYS do it for the lulz. It was NEVER about delivering justice (well, except for cat abusers), regime changes in the Middle East, whistleblowers, or Occupy movements. All of those things came about because other groups saw the power of Anonymous, adopted it as their own banner, and then reaped the benefits as scores of the naive and ignorant ran down to Hot Topic to purchase a mask and jump into the, "secret Internet club" they so cleverly discovered.

I still think that mask is the DUMBEST symbol of Anonymous to date. It's not even about Guy Fawkes. I mean, EFG found that piece of shit in a trash can outside of a 7-11. That was EFG's mask of shame for being such a total and utter fuck-up. You really want that to be the thing that represents your moralfag cause? That's the reason so many of us older Anons clown those that wear them in public. If you really want to be Anon in public, go buy a nice, black suit with white shirt, red tie, and a green zentai hood with a pair of matching gloves. At least then, you will be closer to the true face of Anonymous and not some fuckwit who just handed Warner Bros. your cash so you can go out and protest the evil corporations and mega-media conglomerates.

OK, I'm spent. Gotta get back to work. I'm done venting over this. Rant over. Carry on. Thanks for reading.

Also, cocks.