Public Good Project is a research and education network illuminating conflicts where democratic values are being challenged. As a volunteer network of researchers, analysts, and activists engaged in defending democracy, Public Good correspondents conduct investigations and advise academics, government agencies, and community-based organizations. Public Good reports have been published by RAND and cited by major educational institutions like Columbia University and the USC Annenberg School for Communication. Political Research Associates frequently credits Public Good for research and analysis used in its magazine Public Eye, as well as on the website for its national archival repository, which is used to inform and connect human rights organizations throughout the US.
Directors
Paul de Armond, Public Good Project Research Director, is an internationally recognized authority on American right-wing terrorism. He has provided consulting research and analysis on domestic terrorism to the United Nations, the Department of Defense, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, various local and state law enforcement agencies and congressional committees. Mr. de Armond has contributed chapters to two ground-breaking books: , RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, 2001; and , Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute, Washington DC, 1999.
Jay Taber, Public Good Administrative Director, is also an associate editor of Fourth World Journal, a peer-reviewed publication of the Center for World Indigenous Studies, the premier indigenous think tank and archival repository serving the Fourth World. He received the Defender of Democracy Award in 2000 for "organizing effective opposition to Anti-Indian violence and racism in Washington state." He is an author, columnist, and inveterate blogger.
Notable Investigations
Right-Wing Paramilitary Organizations, Land Speculator Links Exposed
Public Good investigations into the Wise Use anti-environmentalist movement, right-wing paramilitary organizing, anti-Indian activities, and public disclosure law violations, revealed ties between land speculators and right-wing paramilitary organizing. In the mid-1990s, Public Good organized the first national research conference on right-wing paramilitary activities, established a computer network for investigative researchers, and wrote a seminal report on the ties between militias, property rights groups and white supremacists.
Far-Right Terrorism in Washington State
Public Good's 1995 report Wise Use in Northern Puget Sound detailed the history of the rise of Wise Use stealth politics, and provides extensive information on the genesis of the political mainstreaming of Wise Use and its Christian Patriot movement allies in the Puget Sound region. This Public Good investigation into far-right terrorism was featured in front page stories detailing the collaboration of law enforcement with far-right militants and white supremacists. Public Good later helped organize and promote the national anti-hate crime drive, "Not In Our Town."
Public Good investigations into the Washington State Militia--a front group for anti-government white supremacists--led to federal indictments on conspiracy, firearms and explosives charges.
On the Border National Human Rights Conference
In December 2005, Public Good co-sponsored On the Border, a national human rights conference to explore patterns of violence associated with hate campaigns, and to discuss the recurrence of vigilantes as a political pressure group.
Oklahoma City Bombing
Public Good was the first source quoted in world media to accurately assign responsibility for the Oklahoma City bombing to domestic terrorists. In June 1995, Public Good published The Anti-Democratic Movement in America: More than Militias, a report which outlined the historical roots of property rights and anti-government movements. This report was cited by Loretta Ross of the Center for Democratic Renewal in testimony before Rep. Charles Shumer's congressional panel investigating right-wing terrorism in the United States.
Netwars
In 1996, a Public Good investigation into the Fortuna Alliance fraud ring became the largest case ever handled by the Federal Trade Commission involving use of the Internet.
In 2007, Public Good investigated corruption at the New College of California . Jay Taber analyzed the tactics used by the anti-reform group and advised New College democracy activists. Victims of hacking, email attacks and flaming on the New College lists did not even have a name to put to what was happening to them, until Mr. Taber explained the concepts of Netwar. Understanding the psychological warfare being waged against them helped the reformers recover their morale and move forward.
Mr. de Armond retired as Public Good research director in 2007.
Guest
2. 04-07-2009 17:56
The ground-breaking books referenced are 1. Networks and Netwars:The Future of Terror, Crime and Militancy, and 2. Hype or Reality?: The "New Terrorism" and Mass Casualty Attacks.
Guest
3. 22-11-2009 16:41
The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle, a 2009 book by David and Rebecca Solnit, includes excerpts from an interview with Paul de Armond. David Solnit was an organizer for Direct Action Network during the November 1999 Battle in Seattle; his sister Rebecca is a San Francisco based author and a contributing editor to Harper's magazine.
Guest
4. 10-09-2010 18:18
When Melissa Farley of Prostitution Research and Education was doing research in 2006 on domestic and international trafficking in the United States, the Public Good Project network assisted with her report to the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Office. As a co-sponsor of the July 2010 international protest against facilitating online trafficking of women and children, Public Good helped PRE in holding Craigslist accountable, which led to the removal of adult services from its website.
