Cyber Privateer

Saturday, May 23, 2026

When I was 8 years old, I wanted to be Harry Houdini.

The 1953 movie where Tony Curtis played Harry Houdini inspired me. My folks owned a drive-in theater in Sheridan, Wyoming. I saw every movie that came out between 1950 and 1963 three times. I became an official member of the magicians union (kids sign up for every mail-order scam going). I read all the biographies of Houdini. I begged my dad to borrow some handcuffs from the police, which he finally did (he was a lawyer). He even took me to jail, where they locked me up, handcuffed in a cell. Getting my handcuff lock pick out of my butt cheeks was tough, given that I'd been cuffed from the front. But I managed and amazed the local constabulary. I still have my own set of handcuffs with which I amaze an occasional Sunday School class to this day (no, I don't do the butt-cheek-pick routine any more). But I guess showmanship and wonderful magic caused me to gravitate toward entertaining guerrilla warfare advertsing. Have a great Memorial Day weekend. Let me know if you'd like to see some real magic. Sincerely yours, Rick Bennett Ad Hit Man

Friday, May 22, 2026

Heaven help us from being deluged with AI-generated recruitment ads! The dead giveaway: "We're looking for story tellers."

I've been checking out new technology companies needing CMOs and VPMs. I have yet to see anybody who claims total uniqueness. In fact, all the "About this Job" postings look to be generated by the same AI engine. How long, oh gosh, how long…?

So I guess I'll hunker down and rip out another sci-fi novel. Sure, I use AI to do research and to generate proof-of-concept Python code. But no AI has ever touched my creative writing. And it never will. Sincerely yours, Rick Bennett Ad Hit Man

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

My best guess on the reality of UFOs/UAPs is in my novella TABERNACLE CHOIR ALIENS.

No, I don't contend these guys are in the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. That was just window dressing. I contend the City of Enoch is about to return to Earth. I wanted to post this in advance in case I'm right.

You can get the audiobook at TABERNACLE CHOIR ALIENS

Sincerely Yours,
Rick Bennett
Ad Hit Man

Friday, May 8, 2026

I just wanted to be one of the famous writers who played poker with Rick Castle in the TV series CASTLE.

Back in 1978, when STAR WARS producer Gary Kurtz gave me 5 posters and a Darth Vader Helmet, they were filming the next STAR WARS movie. I asked if I could be one of their storm trooper extras, and that I'd even pay my own expenses to fly wherever. Alas, he said that wouldn't be possible. Sigh.

I had high hopes for my first novel, DESTROYING ANGEL. Then the television series CASTLE came out, where mystery writer Rick Castle played poker with real-life bestselling authors James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Stephen J. Cannell, and Dennis Lehane. Alas, my novel got GREAT reviews but didn't put me in the orbit of best selling. Drat.

Heck, G. Gordon Liddy got to be on MIAMI VICE. And I even would have loved to play a bad guy on NYPD BLUE. I've written all my novels as if they were movies. DESTROYING ANGEL, DADDY'S LITTLE FELONS, and THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF HARLEY & HIS DOG would all have made blockbuster movies. But no dice.

Yo, David Ellison Films, my ads helped make your dad his first billion dollars at Oracle. Any chance Skydance could use an enthusiastic extra in the next Jack Reacher series?

Sincerely yours,
Rick Bennett
Ad Hit Man

Monday, May 4, 2026

May the 4th be with you. Here's STAR WARS producer Gary Kurtz giving me a Darth Vader helmet.

In 1978, Gary had a private collection of Darth Vader prototype helmets, one of which he gave me in trade for one of my inventions (a voice stress analyzer which I had anodized in black to commemorate Darth Vader). Gary is dead now, and I keep the helmet locked in my safe.

In 2000, Gary also gave me a great review for my first novel, DESTROYING ANGEL. Too bad it didn't get made into a movie. Maybe I'll get it out today and wear it when answering the door? Sincerely yours, Rick Bennett Ad Hit Man

Background: Welcome black hats, white hats and cyber swashbucklers

The Revolutionary War was fought, financed, and pretty well WON by bonded privateers, legalized pirates who were given Letters of Marque and Reprisal by the Continental Congress and authorized to attack, capture and monetize British ships. The purpose of this site is to explore the possibility of a modern-day doctrine much like the Monroe Doctrine, by means of which the U.S. government could legally and, more importantly, effectively stop international hackers. Current cybercrime law is not only ineffective, but downright stupid. My Linux servers are attacked hundreds of times a day (mostly from China and former USSR domains), yet if I retaliate against those servers with some creative technology at my disposal (I know some VERY smart guys), then I am in violation of federal law and subject to some onerous penalties. We need more than a new law. We need a new international doctrine. I call it The Morgan Doctrine, named after Morgan Rapier, a fictional character I've created (hey, this is my way of establishing ownership of the concept, should it ever see the light of day).

Why a new international doctrine? Simply, nothing else will work. Introduced on December 2, 1823, the Monroe Doctrine told the world to keep their hands off the Americas. Combine this with current legal thinking on "hot pursuit" of fugitives. In 1917 the US Army went into Mexico after Pancho Villa. More recently, in 1960 Israeli Mossad agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from Argentina. Granted, much of the world regards the Eichmann adventure as a violation of international law. I don't share that opinion and therefore use it as the third leg of my Monroe-Pancho-Aldof platform for The Morgan Doctrine.

If someone comes into your home and attacks or attempts to rob you, you may shoot them dead. You may do so as long as they expire on your property. But what about cyber criminals? They attack you in your home from their homes. Retaliate in kind, and you go to jail. The Morgan Doctrine states simply that if you attack my computers (or my banking assets held in US-based computers), then under a certain set of well-defined conditions, a licensed and bonded "cyber privateer" may attack you in your home country and split the proceeds with the U.S. government. For the sake of argument, let's call it a 50-50 split (heh heh).

Right now, American law enforcement is completely unequipped to deal with the sheer number international cyber hackers. Sure, I could report each of the thousand daily attacks to the FBI, as could the millions of other attackees in the USA. But the volume of such reports would make any meaningful resolution laughable. Not to mention that the FBI has no jurisdiction outside the USA. Yet to make such "enforcement" profitable to recognized (ie, "bonded" "deputized") privateers, as Heath Ledger's Joker said in his last role, "Now you're talking!" You raid our bank accounts, we raid yours. You make money from off-shore child pornography, we're going to loot your bank accounts and, with some REALLY creative black hat operations, you will be taken off the grid worldwide to the extent that you'll not even complete a cell phone conversation for the remainder of your miserable depraved life. Okay, that last part probably won't fly, but you get my drift.

The purpose of this site is to explore the mechanics, legalities and practicality of The Morgan Doctrine.

And I will be the sole arbiter of whether or not your comments get posted. As Mel Brooks wrote, "It's good to be king."