March 17, 2019

"Beto O'Rourke was the one to come up with the name 'Cult of the Dead Cow' for the hacker group in April 1985."

I'm reading the Wikipedia article "Cult of the Dead Cow" because I was blogging about Beto O'Rourke this morning, and in the comments Ron Winkleheimer said, "i'm way more interested in the fact that he was in the Cult of The Dead Cow." I said out loud, "Why did they call it Cult of the Dead Cow? Was it because they were eating hamburgers?"

So I looked it up, and I see: "Beto O'Rourke was the one to come up with the name 'Cult of the Dead Cow' for the hacker group in April 1985." The footnote sent me to "cDc 079: The True Story of Cult of the Dead Cow by Psychedelic Warlord" (Psychedelic Warlord being Beto O'Rourke), and I actually took the trouble to read the whole thing, out loud, within earshot of Meade. Then I was going to blog it by starting with the most interesting quote from the piece, but looking back over it, I had to say, "That wasn't really very interesting, was it?" And Meade confirmed that it was not.

But I must say that it's ridiculous to read "The True Story of Cult of the Dead Cow" and come up with the flat Wikipediaese "Beto O'Rourke was the one to come up with the name 'Cult of the Dead Cow.'" Maybe it depends on whether you've rearranged your brain with hallucinogenic drugs, but to my mind, calling it "The True Story..." is a way to say This is a tall tale. And:
Well, it was about 11:30pm on cold night in April of '85. I had just
finished talking to Franken Gibe. I still kinda remember how it all went
about....
I still kinda remember... That means it's made up (to one degree or another)...
FG "Hey Psyche! I just had the greatest idea for a new organization!"

PW "Really? What are you planning on calling it?"...

FG "Comatose Cow Club.....

PW "Yeah... hey, why don't you call it Cult of the Dead Cow?."..

FG "Ahhhh Psyche... you are such a dreamer! And anyhow, "Cult of the Dead Cow" Ha! Who would want to join a group like that? Oh well... talk to ya later."

PW "Bye... but consider it, ok?"
You may say Psychedelic Warlord is a dreamer, but...

67 comments:

Achilles said...

“You may say Psychedelic Warlord is a dreamer, but...“

There are mediocre dreamers.

He is pretty and socially uninhibited.

He has embraced no borders.

He is also a direct threat to our country and so is anyone who supports him.

Kay said...

Hmmm... aren’t psilocybin mushrooms usually found in cow poo? Very curious.

Achilles said...

Orourke has made it undeniably clear he wants to turn the US into Mexico.

He married enough money so he would be fine. The people that voted for him would largely be fucked.

The people who are smart enough not to vote for him do not deserve to be screwed by the idiots that vote for Democrats.

donald said...

That’s where I used to find mine.

Specifically in the cow pastures at the south side of AMS. They’re there to this day.

Unknown said...

I remember Back Orifice, back in the day
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_Orifice_2000

Wince said...

Oh, it ain't always easy doing Mother Nature's work...

"They're clear-cutting a place in heaven for ya."

Skeptical Voter said...

Ol Psychedelic Warlord----what was he 13 or 14 at the time?--also wrote a poem that had a first line "I need a butt shine".

I don't know what that means, and I really don't want to go there.

The fellow's public persona, coupled with his extravagant hand gestures, suggests that he's cranked up on meth about half the time.

Quaestor said...

What a horrendous passive-aggressive little shit Baby Beto must have been.

rehajm said...

Play what's worse: dooshes like Bob and Barack what had a subversive side when they were little shits or dooshes like Bill what draft dodged and wrote letters to try and maintain political viability?

I'd call it a draw.

Clyde said...

Ya know who else used a dead cow for their logo in the ‘80s? The Dead Milkmen. You could look it up. Beto seems like kind of a V.F.W. type, if you know the Dead Milkmen song I’m talking about...

Clyde said...

You can find it on YouTube, if you are so inclined.

Oso Negro said...

This shows that Beto is deep and insightful. Not your run of the mill rich boy grifter who scores an heiress and develops political ambitions.

wwww said...


Twitter says he's in Madison this morning at Cargo Coffee.

StephenFearby said...

Hot Air
Why Joseph Menn’s Handling Of The Beto Story Was Worse Than The National Enquirer
JAZZ SHAW

"...The main issue here is Menn’s claim that he’d not only been working on the story for more than two years, but had gotten O’Rourke himself to admit it in 2017."

"...Menn could have published the story, or spoken to his editor and had someone else do it if his leave of absence to work on his book was so important. If he had agreed not to reveal the identity of any of his sources (including O’Rourke himself) he could have attributed it to an anonymous source or something said on background and let others put the question to the candidate on the record. Did he keep his secret to help O’Rourke or to make sure the bombshell dropped at the optimal moment to boost his book sales? Neither paints a very savory picture.

The National Enquirer was accused (and perhaps rightly so) of buying and burying information about Donald Trump to keep the information from the public. They called it “catch and kill.” Menn may or may not have been trying shield Beto O’Rourke from electoral repercussions, but his stated reason was even worse. He specifically agreed to hide the information from the public until after the election. Whether it was to give a bigger bang to the release of his book or to shield O’Rourke from criticism doesn’t matter."

https://hotair.com/archives/2019/03/17/joseph-menns-handling-beto-story-worse-national-enquirer/

Sebastian said...

Has any Dem had any sensible thought about anything?

Bay Area Guy said...

The Beta-Man from Texas is a professional slacker. Kinda like a Gen X version of John Kerry, who also married rich gals.

Achilles said...

I find it much more interesting that Reuter’s and the media had all of this information and they chose to report it now.

Why on earth would the media not report this before the elections?

It is like they want to keep people ignorant and stupid and voting for Democrats.

cronus titan said...

I am no fan of Beto, but can we please knock off resurrecting stories from 30 years ago? In 1985, O'Rourke was 13 years old. 13! We had a national group therapy session over Kavanaugh's beer habits and slang for farts when he was 16. Information from 30+ years ago when someone was a teenager tells us . . . nothing. It is voyeurism.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

OT: AOC is an actress... who auditioned for the part.

Behold, the modern corrupt-o-cratics.

Bay Area Guy said...

With respect to Beto and with apologies to the Steve Miller Band:

He's a slacker
He's a cracker
He's a middddddnight hacker

I'm Full of Soup said...

Slackers make for shitty to below average presidents. For proof, I give you Clinton, Bush 2 and Obama. None of them were hard workers. Trump could outwork all 3 of them combined. The economy today is better than at anytime in the six terms of those three previous presidents. We have far fewer military engagements going on and minority employment is at an all time high. So why would we want any candidate who reminded us of those 3 seriously deficient presidents?

D. said...

Frank tells tall tales

Friendo said...

"Beto" (Robert) has lost The New Republic and Slate already - not such a good start

Clyde said...

Although with the fantasy about running over kids with his car, maybe he was more of a “Bitchin’ Camaro” kind of guy...

Jack Klompus said...

Clyde - when Beto opens his mouth all I hear is the sound of the kids on the bus during the song Taking Retards to the Zoo.

JaimeRoberto said...

Did he drive a bitchin' Camaro?

n.n said...

Dead cows, behind walls, and worships their profitable parts. Sounds like a real cult. Piece-ful Parodies, woman. Pass the dragon, puff.

Rae said...

Was Bobby even born yet? I was in high school when Cult of the Dead Cow was a thing. And most "hacker groups" at that time were really just software pirates.

Rae said...

Oh crap, he's only three years younger than I am. He's *not* young, in other words.

hstad said...

Blogger Oso Negro said..."This shows that Beto is deep and insightful. Not your run of the mill rich boy grifter who scores an heiress and develops political ambitions...."
3/17/19, 10:32 AM

I hope this is SARC on your part. But, if you didn't know, Beto's wife is heir to her father's billion dollar fortune. So you may want to adjust your comments or SARC.

Anonymous said...

several random comments

1. I thought the reference to Dead Cow was a Diablo II game reference

2. Beto was a member of a criminal organization

3. The reporter buried the info to help Beto

4. The use of hallucinogenic drugs and release authority for Nukes is not a good combo. were Beto anybody but POTUS, the military would forever keep hime out of the release chain.

Fernandinande said...

Gibe's UNIX COMMAND Bible
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The latest file from the Cow's Information Series,
Franken's UNIX Command Bible is suitable for the UNIX
dilettante, as well as for the hardcore hack. Provides
easy reference for those hard-to-remember commands.
Attractive print-out fits well in any decor.


Edited by High Priest and Scribe, F. Gibe

"Smash the State! Have a Nice Day!" ........ 1987

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Slow news day... or I mean, slow gossip day?

gilbar said...

Achilles said...
Orourke has made it undeniably clear he wants to turn the US into Mexico.
He married enough money so he would be fine.


He won't just be fine, he'll be EXCELLENT! There aren't many countries in the world to compare to Mexico for being a Billioniare in. Peons are Great! If you're a don

Guildofcannonballs said...

How's it possible for the world not to live as one?

Seriously, possible is a lawcunt term to cunt honorable men out of their earnings, used indiscriminately, ergo fairback turns are plays.

Henry said...

cronus titan -- Well said.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Every nuke set off oncely: world still lives as one.

We gotta up our game if we want to defy God's planets.

buwaya said...

There are better countries to be a billionaire in than Mexico.
Maybe it is relatively more advantageous to a low-millionaire though.

The only big advantage of Mexico is that it is relatively cheap to hire people and build things. But a billionaire can pay a relative pittance more and get all the servants and homes and horses and yachts and mistresses he can deal with anywhere, with lower political risk.

A millionaire can however live like more of a millionaire. More of a mansion, more land and more servants.

Unless the said billionaire wants to do a bit more in the line of eccentric hobbies, like hiring private armies, or if he is given to illegal debaucheries.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

Again (from the pyschedelic thread) let me plug The Jargon File and its hardcopy incarnation The New Hacker's Dictionary if you want some insight to *real* Hacker culture.

Rory said...

"Comatose Cow Club"

It begs to be spelled with K's.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Describe how you verify a tree did fall, otherwise you just lost respect. Not being there and all.


pious agnostic said...

I find it interesting how much play these anti-Beto stories are getting, compared to other Dem 2020 candidates. DNC/Media really don't want him to get any traction. They want to keep the nuts/lefties the face of the 2020 opposition, so that when Hillary comes outta retirement, rested, reluctant, and ready, she'll shine like a polished moderate turd next to the wackos.

Rabel said...

Questions to Beto about how to deal with the opioid epidemic could get a little awkward.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Twitter says he's in Madison this morning at Cargo Coffee.”

Don’t stand on the table!

traditionalguy said...

Not JFK material. Jack was a Navy hero that survived the Japanese Navy and survived Joe Kennedy’s training , and Marilyn Monroe too. Beto is a toy boy who plays games.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Cherry tomato spitten once bitten.

Word: spito.

Spitto.

Spito.

Xmas said...

See...now...here's the thing about burying the -cDc- story. How much of that would have really hurt him?

Hey Kids! Your pal Beto was part of very well known anarchist hacking group when he was a teenager. The only thing he got busted for was using his neighbors phone line for long distance calls, but here's all the things that group did:

1) Compiled the Back Orifice tool suite used to remotely crack and hijack MS Windows desktops and servers.
2) Helped Chinese dissidents hide their activities from their government.
3) Wrote weird, gruesome and edgy stories to freak out people.
4) Did some amazing things with steganography.

pacwest said...

He's the saner version of AOC. Barely.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

If Beto gets the nomination, it will be Cult of the Dead Cow v. Cult of the Living Bullshit.

Anonymous said...

Xmas said...
but here's all the things that group did:


add

- Denial of service attack tools
- man in the middle hacks

rehajm said...

He's the saner version of AOC

He believes the GND is good policy. How sane could he be?

Rosalyn C. said...

So hopping up and down and waving his arms maybe is Beto's attempt to rekindle and share the effects of LSD?

walter said...

The "Green new Deal" leads ultimately to a Cult of the Dead Cow.

Quaestor said...

Beto must be extremely thick between the ears if he thinks he has a snowball's chance in hell among left-leaning gal-types with poses like this one in circulation.

cubanbob said...

Instead of Betaman running I would much prefer long ago commenter here Betamax 3000 to be in the running. At least between him (?) and Trump the quips would be very entertaining. As for O' Rourke, does he really believe a Beta male has a chance against and Alpha male? It isn't as if Trump is a gentleman who would rather lose graciously rather than get muddy.

walter said...

"Oops"?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/rick-perry-ocasio-cortez-should-not-be-castigated-for-green-new-deal

madAsHell said...

Hacker group?? April, 1985??

The initiation ceremony included double digital nose picking.

Beto is not very bright.....is an under-statement.

Paul Doty said...

Beto came up with that original name?! Well, wax my ass, scrub my balls, and give milk.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Take away O'Rourke's money, his education, his above-average intelligence, his decent looks, and his youth. Take away his supportive family. Leave him only with his whiteness, and ask him if he feels like a beneficiary of "white privilege."

Rick said...

pacwest said...
He's the saner version of AOC. Barely.


It's more that he thinks it's better to hide the insanity. But he supports open borders, the Green New Deal, and identity politics. He may be smarter about hiding it but there's no functional difference between him and AOC.

Martin said...

God, is that all boring!

jaed said...

This story is *coff* complete and total bullshit. Cowshit, perhaps.

Wikipedia has an article on hexspeak, the art of making words out of hexadecimal* numbers (which include letters A-F to represent 10-15). "Cult of the Dead Cow" derives from the hexadecimal number DEADBEEF, which is a marker for memory used in debugging and, not surprisingly, hacking/cracking computer code. It is a sort of pun.

I quote:
... 0xDEADBEEF was originally used to mark newly allocated areas of memory that had not yet been initialized—when scanning a memory dump, it is easy to see the 0xDEADBEEF. It is used by IBM RS/6000 systems, Mac OS on 32-bit PowerPC processors and the Commodore Amiga as a magic debug value. On Sun Microsystems' Solaris, it marks freed kernel memory....

Beto did not just randomly decide it sounded cool. Judging by this quote, he not only did not come up with it, he doesn't even realize where it came from in the first place.

Beto, Beto, Beto. Sigh. Dead beef.


*Hexadecimal is base 16 numbering, as opposed to base 10. A is the digit for 10, B for 11, and so on. So the hexadecimal number DEADBEEF is (in decimal numbers) 13*16^7 + 14*16^6 + 10*16^5 + 13*16^4 + 11*16^3 + 14*16^2 + 14*16 + 15 = 3,735,928,559.

James In OK said...

This brings to mind the first stanza from A.E. Houseman's Terrence This Is Stupid Stuff. It features dead cow. I think that the high scholar O'Rourke reacted badly to the very striking poem and parodeed it without skill.




James In OK said...

This brings to mind the first stanza from A.E. Houseman's Terrence This Is Stupid Stuff. It features dead cow. I think that the high scholar O'Rourke reacted badly to the very striking poem and parodeed it without skill.


Sigh. The hacker explanation makes more sense than mine.

James In OK said...

This brings to mind the first stanza from A.E. Houseman's Terrence This Is Stupid Stuff. It features dead cow. I think that the high scholar O'Rourke reacted badly to the very striking poem and parodeed it without skill.


Sigh. The hacker explanation makes more sense than mine.

James In OK said...

This brings to mind the first stanza from A.E. Houseman's Terrence This Is Stupid Stuff. It features dead cow. I think that the high scholar O'Rourke reacted badly to the very striking poem and parodeed it without skill.


Sigh. The hacker explanation makes more sense than mine.

James In OK said...

This brings to mind the first stanza from A.E. Houseman's Terrence This Is Stupid Stuff. It features dead cow. I think that the high scholar O'Rourke reacted badly to the very striking poem and parodeed it without skill.


Sigh. The hacker explanation makes more sense than mine.