Random news items that elicited comment and reflection.
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Accountability
The 26-year-old United Nations Convention Against Torture requires that all parties to it seek to enforce its provisions, even for acts committed elsewhere. That provision, known as universal jurisdiction, has been cited in the past by international prosecutors to justify investigations of acts by foreign officials. It is probable that the future will see more nations review the actions of others as the measures of power evolve.
Eye of the spy
American officials are overhauling federal statues to allow greater authority to spy on citizens without judicial review. The Bush administration secretly expanded illegal surveillance. Congress retroactively approved those acts by making ex post facto law. Once a government bureaucrat starts there is no stopping. Current proposals include requiring cable and phone providers to create surveillance backdoors to their services. Government agents seek to centralize Internet and phone communications so that it passes through their hands first. Essentially this is the key to censorship and serves as a model for all other totalitarian regimes seeking to suppress descent.
Non candidate
Ron Paul a GOP candidate for president is not doing well in the race to the White House.
Part of his difficulty is that he is rational in an irrational campaign. Paul publicly opposes key GOP legislation for indefinite detention of American citizens without due process of law. The legislation also provides the U.S. military authority to act as a secret police force on American soil. Paul along with his son U.S. Senator Rand Paul also opposes the unrestrained authority of TSA. Subsequently TSA demonstrated that power by harassing the Senator during a screening that forced him to miss his flight. While demonstrating its storm trooper power over all who oppose it, TSA also demonstrated its arrogance and lack of smarts. For a government agency to harass a U.S. Senator, the son of a U.S. Representative and presidential candidate was not the way to change minds and win support.
Only fools rush in
Only a fool would believe a politician’s campaign promises. The fact is however the fools elect candidates based on those promises and showmanship. It has been said that the voters get the government they deserves, so fools elect fools to fool themselves with foolish government. This campaign season the GOP has put on a show, worthy of court jesters, with lots of humor and slapstick. Explicit and implicit promises have included Christianity (Protestant) as state religion, evict all immigrants, women as chattel, ten cent gas, riches to the rich, new wars for the generals, no taxes for political donors and return to ancient values the candidates don’t value. Each candidate attempts to out radical the other at each sound bite for extremist votes while frightening the middle. The GOP has engaged in a bloody and vicious self-destruct campaign to the delight of the Democrats who so far have escaped their own civil war this campaign season.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
War 031112
SHOCKED and AWED, now what?
War began with the dinosaurs and has been evolving ever since. There have been some constants like lots of blood and the military industrial complex (MIC). Cavemen threw stones until their MIC sold clubs for faster blood letting. Dino-battle was about food and survival but evolution produced man, civilization and just war. This higher order saw war as a power game often engaged in for pure entertainment for the powerful the unenlightened victims however selfishly still saw it as a matter of survival.
The goal was loot, territory, ideology or subjugation of neighbors. Measures of glory were based on the “butchers bill” the number of dead left on the battlefield. It was a point of honor for generals to lose more soldiers than the enemy as an indication of greatness of their victory over a superior force. Of course spinning the body count obscured incompetence, besides the generals could grow rich on the back pay of dead heroes. The MICs learned early how to create markets through arms against armor competitions. The merchants of death always had new toys that would guarantee victory in the next game. There was always a next campaign for war was seldom decisive, battles being fought between spring planting and the fall harvest. Although not decisive, war was extremely brutal and costly.
As the social order became more complex kings devised a set of rules for the conduct of warfare. Military theories became formalized and philosophies emerged to justify war. The German Clausewitz coined the phrase “total war” meaning a nation must sacrifice in a total commitment to victory. An American, Phil Sheridan, redefined the term as total destruction of an enemy people by any means. His interpretation led to the world's most destructive century, which left runaway MICs intent on producing even more destructive toys for generals.
Toys are to be played with but the world couldn't survive another great power conflict. The MICs colluded to play with their new toys on a series of surrogate battlefields. With the temporary collapse of the great power paradigm the MICs were in danger of losing their markets. The generals looked at their great pile of rusting toys, envisioned the MICs shinning new creations and devised new strategies. There was a shortage of viable enemies so designate a bad guy, demonize his intent, and stage a preemptive strike with shock and awe. Shock and Awe allowed the generals to dump all their old toys on the demon at once, making room for the shiny new technologies at the same time. The difficulty is that the demon is destroyed the social order devastated and the generals are left with a new toys that quickly rust.
The generals declare victory, leave instability in a failing state and create new demons to shock and awe for continuation of their gory quest for glory. There are no just wars, only justified wars that allow armies to destroy without accountability but leaving a legacy of hostility and distrust. It is the nature of power than when you have it, you will be an arrogant bully but when power declines its legacy returns to haunt.
War began with the dinosaurs and has been evolving ever since. There have been some constants like lots of blood and the military industrial complex (MIC). Cavemen threw stones until their MIC sold clubs for faster blood letting. Dino-battle was about food and survival but evolution produced man, civilization and just war. This higher order saw war as a power game often engaged in for pure entertainment for the powerful the unenlightened victims however selfishly still saw it as a matter of survival.
The goal was loot, territory, ideology or subjugation of neighbors. Measures of glory were based on the “butchers bill” the number of dead left on the battlefield. It was a point of honor for generals to lose more soldiers than the enemy as an indication of greatness of their victory over a superior force. Of course spinning the body count obscured incompetence, besides the generals could grow rich on the back pay of dead heroes. The MICs learned early how to create markets through arms against armor competitions. The merchants of death always had new toys that would guarantee victory in the next game. There was always a next campaign for war was seldom decisive, battles being fought between spring planting and the fall harvest. Although not decisive, war was extremely brutal and costly.
As the social order became more complex kings devised a set of rules for the conduct of warfare. Military theories became formalized and philosophies emerged to justify war. The German Clausewitz coined the phrase “total war” meaning a nation must sacrifice in a total commitment to victory. An American, Phil Sheridan, redefined the term as total destruction of an enemy people by any means. His interpretation led to the world's most destructive century, which left runaway MICs intent on producing even more destructive toys for generals.
Toys are to be played with but the world couldn't survive another great power conflict. The MICs colluded to play with their new toys on a series of surrogate battlefields. With the temporary collapse of the great power paradigm the MICs were in danger of losing their markets. The generals looked at their great pile of rusting toys, envisioned the MICs shinning new creations and devised new strategies. There was a shortage of viable enemies so designate a bad guy, demonize his intent, and stage a preemptive strike with shock and awe. Shock and Awe allowed the generals to dump all their old toys on the demon at once, making room for the shiny new technologies at the same time. The difficulty is that the demon is destroyed the social order devastated and the generals are left with a new toys that quickly rust.
The generals declare victory, leave instability in a failing state and create new demons to shock and awe for continuation of their gory quest for glory. There are no just wars, only justified wars that allow armies to destroy without accountability but leaving a legacy of hostility and distrust. It is the nature of power than when you have it, you will be an arrogant bully but when power declines its legacy returns to haunt.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Boxes & Bags 031012
Can democratic freedoms fly with the weight of excess baggage?
During the early Stone Age after a short head butting two cavemen decide that mutual agreement was considerable easier on the head, and so began democracy but as more troglodytes gathered chaos reigned. Head butting again became the norm until the biggest and baddest emerged as dictator and freedom picked up its first piece of baggage.
For thousands of years the strongest ruled the roost but as the societies grew larger the strongest acquired selected followers. Over time the followers wanted a larger slice of the pie. By the era of the Greeks the people decided that they also wanted some pie. After a time the Greeks decided this wasn't a really great idea as the baggage really piled up. Another thousand or so years the select lords revolted against strongmen Kings. Eventually the people thought revolt was a good idea and overthrew their lords and again took over governing themselves. Self-rule was rocky, in small homogeneous villages the people gathered, discussed and came to decisions by consensus. Town meetings grew more complex and the rich or loudest often-dominated meetings and decisions. Boxcars of baggage now block the right of way. Democracy moves by fits and starts subject to corruption, manipulation and abuse of the people's will.
By the turn of the 19th century heterogeneous societies were again in revolt this time in a progressive movement to recapture and reform democratic principles. The movement brought election reforms, organized workers, women's voices were recognized, laws refined and rights protected. Every step forward however was resisted, opposed even battled by the rich and powerful. A schism emerged between the people and the powerful. This has become the territory of manipulators, criminals and profiteers for in chaos there is opportunity. World War Two veterans came home to battle crooked politicians who had captured democratic freedoms while attention was focused overseas. The veterans took back their governments, focusing on duty honor and country. Respected by the voters they failed to notice that the pile of baggage was growing higher ever faster as society coasted on reputation. Technology advanced at warp speed and so did competition for limited government services. Democracy is becoming a colossal Ponzi scheme of promise everyone everything but deliver little and lie with style.
Not completely deceived, the public no longer votes for; rather it chooses the least objectionable candidates. Legislators now have virtual tenure representing special interest rather than their more diverse constituencies. Constituencies are complicit by failing to be interested enough to pay attention to the erosion of freedoms. Politicians are marketed like soap and are just as slippery. Pundits point to the voices of social media as a guarantee of democracy's future. While it has possibilities Social media is more about entertainment and dis-information than creating an informed electorate. Social media endangers democratic processes by creating an unruly mob driven by emotions and self- interest, easily manipulated by showmen and new lords of the WORD.
The pile of baggage is now so great that freedom is in danger of going the way of the Dodo bird. People form the greatest mismatched set of luggage but democracy doesn't work unless people are involved. Freedom is too important to entrust to the few.
During the early Stone Age after a short head butting two cavemen decide that mutual agreement was considerable easier on the head, and so began democracy but as more troglodytes gathered chaos reigned. Head butting again became the norm until the biggest and baddest emerged as dictator and freedom picked up its first piece of baggage.
For thousands of years the strongest ruled the roost but as the societies grew larger the strongest acquired selected followers. Over time the followers wanted a larger slice of the pie. By the era of the Greeks the people decided that they also wanted some pie. After a time the Greeks decided this wasn't a really great idea as the baggage really piled up. Another thousand or so years the select lords revolted against strongmen Kings. Eventually the people thought revolt was a good idea and overthrew their lords and again took over governing themselves. Self-rule was rocky, in small homogeneous villages the people gathered, discussed and came to decisions by consensus. Town meetings grew more complex and the rich or loudest often-dominated meetings and decisions. Boxcars of baggage now block the right of way. Democracy moves by fits and starts subject to corruption, manipulation and abuse of the people's will.
By the turn of the 19th century heterogeneous societies were again in revolt this time in a progressive movement to recapture and reform democratic principles. The movement brought election reforms, organized workers, women's voices were recognized, laws refined and rights protected. Every step forward however was resisted, opposed even battled by the rich and powerful. A schism emerged between the people and the powerful. This has become the territory of manipulators, criminals and profiteers for in chaos there is opportunity. World War Two veterans came home to battle crooked politicians who had captured democratic freedoms while attention was focused overseas. The veterans took back their governments, focusing on duty honor and country. Respected by the voters they failed to notice that the pile of baggage was growing higher ever faster as society coasted on reputation. Technology advanced at warp speed and so did competition for limited government services. Democracy is becoming a colossal Ponzi scheme of promise everyone everything but deliver little and lie with style.
Not completely deceived, the public no longer votes for; rather it chooses the least objectionable candidates. Legislators now have virtual tenure representing special interest rather than their more diverse constituencies. Constituencies are complicit by failing to be interested enough to pay attention to the erosion of freedoms. Politicians are marketed like soap and are just as slippery. Pundits point to the voices of social media as a guarantee of democracy's future. While it has possibilities Social media is more about entertainment and dis-information than creating an informed electorate. Social media endangers democratic processes by creating an unruly mob driven by emotions and self- interest, easily manipulated by showmen and new lords of the WORD.
The pile of baggage is now so great that freedom is in danger of going the way of the Dodo bird. People form the greatest mismatched set of luggage but democracy doesn't work unless people are involved. Freedom is too important to entrust to the few.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Models 030812
There are two models for democratic government, the British parliamentary and the American constitutional. There wasn’t a true Communist democratic model despite its high ideals, the Soviet’s interpretation could loosely be termed “central planning democracy”, which has lost most of its attraction.
The British elect representative from multiple parties during short campaigns; the party with the most representatives forms a ruling government. It governs until the next general election in five years (prior to the fixed term legislation in 2011, Parliamentary terms were long or short based on confidence in government.) If no party wins a majority in the general election then a coalition government is formed, often contributing to short sessions. Most of the former British colonies adapted its parliamentary system in some form or the other.
In an early demonstration of proclivity to reinvent the wheel, the American colonies rejected the British model forming a constitutional federation dividing government power. The division of power was sold to the voters as a system of checks and balances preventing British government abuses that led to the American Revolution. Initially a number of emerging States ‘adapted’ the American model. In the United States that model evolved into a rigid two party system of corruption, equivocation and constant electioneering. (After long campaigns national elections are held every two years with local elections in off years.)
America forced a fun house mirror constitution on its 19th century colonial conquests attempting to disguise its imperialism. Riding its wave of post War II victory and egotistical exceptionalism Americans continue attempts to impose its form of government and way of life across the globe. In general the American hard sell is resented and opposed. Americans can never accept rejection and to deceive its own electorate will always find local surrogates to govern as long as there are dollars left on the table.
Constitutional idealism suffers from the same flaw as communism idealism; neither can stand against politicians’ ideology of Power. Post war marketing of American government ran into an informational backdoor that allowed viewing of its political clay feet via television and the Internet. The 2012 American political campaigns are mired in very expensive mud, presenting a world frightening vision of increasingly radical American domination. Candidates advocate religious war, economic war, race war, sex war, resource war, remote war and even war against each other. Candidates must look strong, drop a bomb on someone, anyone before the election. They are resorting to tried and true tactics of focus the electorate on an external enemy and it will not notice the poor quality of its candidates. Democracy customers however are watching the greatest show on earth with trepidation and rejection of American big stick democracy.
It is probable that they’ll again find local dictatorships preferable to foreign dictates no matter how well dressed in meaningless idealism.
The British elect representative from multiple parties during short campaigns; the party with the most representatives forms a ruling government. It governs until the next general election in five years (prior to the fixed term legislation in 2011, Parliamentary terms were long or short based on confidence in government.) If no party wins a majority in the general election then a coalition government is formed, often contributing to short sessions. Most of the former British colonies adapted its parliamentary system in some form or the other.
In an early demonstration of proclivity to reinvent the wheel, the American colonies rejected the British model forming a constitutional federation dividing government power. The division of power was sold to the voters as a system of checks and balances preventing British government abuses that led to the American Revolution. Initially a number of emerging States ‘adapted’ the American model. In the United States that model evolved into a rigid two party system of corruption, equivocation and constant electioneering. (After long campaigns national elections are held every two years with local elections in off years.)
America forced a fun house mirror constitution on its 19th century colonial conquests attempting to disguise its imperialism. Riding its wave of post War II victory and egotistical exceptionalism Americans continue attempts to impose its form of government and way of life across the globe. In general the American hard sell is resented and opposed. Americans can never accept rejection and to deceive its own electorate will always find local surrogates to govern as long as there are dollars left on the table.
Constitutional idealism suffers from the same flaw as communism idealism; neither can stand against politicians’ ideology of Power. Post war marketing of American government ran into an informational backdoor that allowed viewing of its political clay feet via television and the Internet. The 2012 American political campaigns are mired in very expensive mud, presenting a world frightening vision of increasingly radical American domination. Candidates advocate religious war, economic war, race war, sex war, resource war, remote war and even war against each other. Candidates must look strong, drop a bomb on someone, anyone before the election. They are resorting to tried and true tactics of focus the electorate on an external enemy and it will not notice the poor quality of its candidates. Democracy customers however are watching the greatest show on earth with trepidation and rejection of American big stick democracy.
It is probable that they’ll again find local dictatorships preferable to foreign dictates no matter how well dressed in meaningless idealism.
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