Civilizations emerged over thousands of years by merging of cultures. Cultures began in families, flowed from villages, to regions and eventually became national beliefs, values and traditions. Parents instilled cultural norms into their children who accepted an expectation of hard work and honor as their duty.
From the Stone Age the process of enculturation was slow but flexible enough to accept change brought about by fire, the wheel and migrations. Fires and wheels were technological advancements but immigration brought a human richness to cultures. Immigrant enculturation is a two way street where they learn the traditions of the host while contributing to its culture and sharing the common duty of hard work and honesty bound by the axiom that their word was their bond.
While not exclusive, much of the melding of cultures took place in the Americas through the 19th century becoming more universal in the 20th century. The universal culture of integrity and hard work beginning the century gave the world a technological whirlwind of advancement. The 20th century was also one of almost constant universal warfare (colonial, global, national and cold) and a breakdown of traditional cultures.
Why is the thousands of years of cultural continuity suddenly heading for a global train wreck? Early in the 20th century a new cultural dynamic began replacing the traditional parental enculturation. It was slow off the block but as war accelerated advances in communication; advertising, mass marketing and spin rapidly gained control of cultural messaging. Print requires a overt act of reading while radio and television are passive tailored to sell not only soap but also new cultural norms to everyone within range.
By mid century sociologist began to note that regional dialects were beginning to even out to a television standard. By the end of the century they noted that new generations had a totally different beliefs and values than their parents. The rich culinary heritage of merged cultures was disappearing under the weight of franchising where the same bad food can be eaten everywhere, all the time. Advertising agencies were quick to normalize bad as the new good. Poor quality production kept the factories feeding superstores where choices disappeared under marketing blitz. Politicians joined the mass marketing culture of lie with style and are repeatedly reelected. Youth sees through the misdirection of advertising, marketing and spin and is alienated to the point of developing their own cultural norms where hard work and integrity no longer exists. An innovator becomes one who finds new ways to plagiarize new ways to deceive new ways to corrupt and new ways to gain unearned profits.
The cultural trains are already racing down the track to a cataclysmic wreck between traditionalist and futurist cultures. Traditionalists are attempting to hold the track, but life being limited, the futurist will win. That future culture is a feared unknown of eroding traditional values. It's speculated about even demonized in popular fiction. Despite all efforts there can be little doubt that whatever it will become, it will eventually become the new reality.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
Holidays 112814
'Tis' the season, there is one common thing across religions and cultures, they all have holidays of some sort. They aren't universal holidays but from the most primitive culture to the most sophisticated they celebrate something. It is probable that a fast moving world traveler could find a celebration everyday of the year.
Holidays are a time for reflection, giving thanks and thoughts of peace and good will. They tend to look at a nostalgic past, but seldom at an unknown future. For the most part feasting is the tradition although some are noted for fasting or temporary sacrifice.
As the world wobbles on its axis honest reflection sees there is little peace in the world and a great many people have little reason to be thankful. Large and small conflicts continue to send streams of refugees searching for a safe haven in forest, deserts, or their communities' rubble. Domestic riots abound where stores, homes and shelters are put to the torch adding to the stream, keeping the masses moving somewhere else. Massive fires, snows, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes destroy more homes and lives sending even more homeless into the stream of homeless refugees.
Eventually the stream will begin to disperse, find new lives integrated into new cultures, those young enough to start their lives over. With the exit of the young the stream loses its dynamic nature that attracts world attention. What is eventually left in the wake of natural and manmade disasters are isolated elderly, dispirited and far to old to begin building again and to set in their ways to be part of new cultures.
They are depressed, often alone, without resources and to proud to beg for charity. They worked hard all their lives, saved a little then suddenly through no fault of their own everything is lost. Their world disappeared. At best they were under insured so there is little replacement of lost homes and possessions. Eventually, if they are lucky, they may end up warehoused in some State run "shelter" where the food is below subsistence levels and accommodations inadequate. Shelter staff will relieve the elderly of their few remaining possessions and brutalize the defenseless. Sooner or later some politician will see few votes or protests from the shelters but sees personal profit in privatizing.
Too harsh a view? From earliest news reels to the present there are records of old people struggling in the stream with their few pathetic possessions. Scenes from developed nations where some aid is possible. There is little film of even worse conditions in the more remote regions of the world were the old and weak just disappear.
Even the relatively well off must face the possibilities, as disasters by nature are often total; wealth, records and homes disappear in the blink of and eye leaving only despair and diaspora. For the elderly there is no recovery, ever.
This holiday season reflect a little on the future. Work for peace in the streets and battlefields. Consider recovery assistance, one dynamic is unchangeable, everyone who lives long enough is "old." and vulnerable.
Holidays are a time for reflection, giving thanks and thoughts of peace and good will. They tend to look at a nostalgic past, but seldom at an unknown future. For the most part feasting is the tradition although some are noted for fasting or temporary sacrifice.
As the world wobbles on its axis honest reflection sees there is little peace in the world and a great many people have little reason to be thankful. Large and small conflicts continue to send streams of refugees searching for a safe haven in forest, deserts, or their communities' rubble. Domestic riots abound where stores, homes and shelters are put to the torch adding to the stream, keeping the masses moving somewhere else. Massive fires, snows, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes destroy more homes and lives sending even more homeless into the stream of homeless refugees.
Eventually the stream will begin to disperse, find new lives integrated into new cultures, those young enough to start their lives over. With the exit of the young the stream loses its dynamic nature that attracts world attention. What is eventually left in the wake of natural and manmade disasters are isolated elderly, dispirited and far to old to begin building again and to set in their ways to be part of new cultures.
They are depressed, often alone, without resources and to proud to beg for charity. They worked hard all their lives, saved a little then suddenly through no fault of their own everything is lost. Their world disappeared. At best they were under insured so there is little replacement of lost homes and possessions. Eventually, if they are lucky, they may end up warehoused in some State run "shelter" where the food is below subsistence levels and accommodations inadequate. Shelter staff will relieve the elderly of their few remaining possessions and brutalize the defenseless. Sooner or later some politician will see few votes or protests from the shelters but sees personal profit in privatizing.
Too harsh a view? From earliest news reels to the present there are records of old people struggling in the stream with their few pathetic possessions. Scenes from developed nations where some aid is possible. There is little film of even worse conditions in the more remote regions of the world were the old and weak just disappear.
Even the relatively well off must face the possibilities, as disasters by nature are often total; wealth, records and homes disappear in the blink of and eye leaving only despair and diaspora. For the elderly there is no recovery, ever.
This holiday season reflect a little on the future. Work for peace in the streets and battlefields. Consider recovery assistance, one dynamic is unchangeable, everyone who lives long enough is "old." and vulnerable.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Three R's 111914
Remember the "Greatest Generation," those people that created an American century?
Born in the late 19th and early 20th century, many first or second generation Americans, they built modern America by brainpower. They created aviation, tying the world together. Henry Ford is credited with inventing mass production, but Ford knew it was his workers that solved the problems and made it work. They pioneered oil exploration and highway designs that serviced Ford's automobiles. They built bridges spanning rivers and dams electrifying the nation. They designed rail networks, radio networks, medical networks, business networks and created a cultural network that was America, then exported that culture to the world.
Tempered by two wars and a great depression they remained visionaries seeking to build a better future. Many of this great generation were the products of one-room schoolhouses that slowly disappeared by mid-century. Often the teachers in those schools had a limited education themselves but they taught a love of learning that emerged as a problem solving generation. Those teachers left a legacy of cowboys carrying books in their saddlebags, builders who solved complex math in their heads and libraries for continued learning. As the one-room schools disappeared neighborhood schools staffed by teachers who knew their subjects rather than theories replaced them.
As the teachers who loved sharing knowledge began to disappear they were replaced by an education industry strong on theory but unable to inspire student's visions of the future. America's lead as the world's most literate began to erode with the industry producing graduates who could neither read nor balance a checkbook. America began to slip down the literacy ladder; the problem was obvious the solution was not. The education industry saw money to be made, theories flourished. Billions were spent on mega-schools, better football but education was lost in a maze. The industry discovered even more money could be made by building smaller charter schools, big bucks but limited education. The industry reassessed, building schools cut into profits why not just write tests and lobby politicians to subsidize the industry by making its test mandatory across the country. Teachers were relegated to being petty bureaucrats keeping records and attending meetings on testing theory. In the 50s President Eisenhower warned against the military industrial complex, he did not foresee the conspiracy dangers of political- educational industry.
A legislator recently proposed a law requiring his political ideas be added to curriculums. Religious and social groups along with fringe elements are demanding their teachings. Textbooks have become politically correct but factually flawed. "Reading, Riting and Rithmetic" has given way to radiating rabid radicalism; or maybe it's raucous, rattlebrained, rascality. It may be time for rebellious parents to overthrow the reckless, recalcitrant education theorist and reexamine, refurbish and reestablish an old education theory leading to a learning renaissance. In that theory parents take an interest in academic accomplishment, trusted teachers are freed to inspire students' to visions and judge when their student have mastered the three "Rs."
Born in the late 19th and early 20th century, many first or second generation Americans, they built modern America by brainpower. They created aviation, tying the world together. Henry Ford is credited with inventing mass production, but Ford knew it was his workers that solved the problems and made it work. They pioneered oil exploration and highway designs that serviced Ford's automobiles. They built bridges spanning rivers and dams electrifying the nation. They designed rail networks, radio networks, medical networks, business networks and created a cultural network that was America, then exported that culture to the world.
Tempered by two wars and a great depression they remained visionaries seeking to build a better future. Many of this great generation were the products of one-room schoolhouses that slowly disappeared by mid-century. Often the teachers in those schools had a limited education themselves but they taught a love of learning that emerged as a problem solving generation. Those teachers left a legacy of cowboys carrying books in their saddlebags, builders who solved complex math in their heads and libraries for continued learning. As the one-room schools disappeared neighborhood schools staffed by teachers who knew their subjects rather than theories replaced them.
As the teachers who loved sharing knowledge began to disappear they were replaced by an education industry strong on theory but unable to inspire student's visions of the future. America's lead as the world's most literate began to erode with the industry producing graduates who could neither read nor balance a checkbook. America began to slip down the literacy ladder; the problem was obvious the solution was not. The education industry saw money to be made, theories flourished. Billions were spent on mega-schools, better football but education was lost in a maze. The industry discovered even more money could be made by building smaller charter schools, big bucks but limited education. The industry reassessed, building schools cut into profits why not just write tests and lobby politicians to subsidize the industry by making its test mandatory across the country. Teachers were relegated to being petty bureaucrats keeping records and attending meetings on testing theory. In the 50s President Eisenhower warned against the military industrial complex, he did not foresee the conspiracy dangers of political- educational industry.
A legislator recently proposed a law requiring his political ideas be added to curriculums. Religious and social groups along with fringe elements are demanding their teachings. Textbooks have become politically correct but factually flawed. "Reading, Riting and Rithmetic" has given way to radiating rabid radicalism; or maybe it's raucous, rattlebrained, rascality. It may be time for rebellious parents to overthrow the reckless, recalcitrant education theorist and reexamine, refurbish and reestablish an old education theory leading to a learning renaissance. In that theory parents take an interest in academic accomplishment, trusted teachers are freed to inspire students' to visions and judge when their student have mastered the three "Rs."
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Spoken? 110614
Election 14 is over; long live election 16 which began in election 08. The GOP (Grand Old Party) scored a great victory in election 14 wining control of the Senate and claiming the majority has spoken in the states.
Like most politics today it is mud that is being flung at the electorate. The majority didn't speak, only about a third of the electorate even bothered to vote. Contested elections were squeakers meaning a majority of slightly over a sixth ruled the day. The Republicans true to their name, claim a mandate for revolution. The election was neither a mandate nor a call for revolution, it was a statement of their message control.
Election 08 was also a GOP statement which colors the American culture. The GOP allowed a Black man to be elected to prove it was no longer racist while obstructing that President's ability to govern, supporting 19th century stereotypical racial theories. Even before the votes were counted the GOP was actively demonizing the candidate/president and arguing his every action, even protesting the color of his suit. Possibly the party's expectation was that a horrified electorate would give the President his "come uppance" in the next election and swing further to the right. The vote did swing right but to the party's own horror their "Token" returned to the White House.
Election 14 may be the most expensive in history, estimates range between one and ten billion dollars spent in a by-election. The electorate will probably never know its true cost as much of the money falls in the non-reportable category. In part the spending reflects deep pockets attempting to buy legislative agendas but also it is the result of a growing campaign industry that fuels and feeds on elections. The GOP became a frenzied mob dragging by standing Democrats along on the sole issue that the President is the devil to be cast out with all of his followers.
From the GOP's point of view they now have the best of both worlds, total control of the legislature, control of most states and a lame duck President to blame for everything. Its target is not achieving the American dream but gaining control of the country in election 16. The swing to the right is not unexpected, it follows global reactions to long periods of liberal governance. The GOP however is fractured as never before, there is no consensus on anything except that the left has carried the country in the wrong direction.
The GOP's direction? No platform, but a look at the past few years of "Red" state control give an indication. Gerrymandering districts to favor GOP voting and dilute minority influences, restrictive voting qualification, elimination of labor protections in favor of big business, hostility to women's issues and the only recognized religion is evangelical Christianity. The new majority has proclaimed that it will eliminate the Federal Reserve and turn its functions over to Wall Street money men, the same people that gave the world the 2008 crash. In short the GOP actions look a lot like the mid 19th century when minorities didn't dare vote, women had no vote, labor was told how to vote, good Christians knew how to vote, buying a vote was cheap and big money approved the results or votes disappeared.
Like most politics today it is mud that is being flung at the electorate. The majority didn't speak, only about a third of the electorate even bothered to vote. Contested elections were squeakers meaning a majority of slightly over a sixth ruled the day. The Republicans true to their name, claim a mandate for revolution. The election was neither a mandate nor a call for revolution, it was a statement of their message control.
Election 08 was also a GOP statement which colors the American culture. The GOP allowed a Black man to be elected to prove it was no longer racist while obstructing that President's ability to govern, supporting 19th century stereotypical racial theories. Even before the votes were counted the GOP was actively demonizing the candidate/president and arguing his every action, even protesting the color of his suit. Possibly the party's expectation was that a horrified electorate would give the President his "come uppance" in the next election and swing further to the right. The vote did swing right but to the party's own horror their "Token" returned to the White House.
Election 14 may be the most expensive in history, estimates range between one and ten billion dollars spent in a by-election. The electorate will probably never know its true cost as much of the money falls in the non-reportable category. In part the spending reflects deep pockets attempting to buy legislative agendas but also it is the result of a growing campaign industry that fuels and feeds on elections. The GOP became a frenzied mob dragging by standing Democrats along on the sole issue that the President is the devil to be cast out with all of his followers.
From the GOP's point of view they now have the best of both worlds, total control of the legislature, control of most states and a lame duck President to blame for everything. Its target is not achieving the American dream but gaining control of the country in election 16. The swing to the right is not unexpected, it follows global reactions to long periods of liberal governance. The GOP however is fractured as never before, there is no consensus on anything except that the left has carried the country in the wrong direction.
The GOP's direction? No platform, but a look at the past few years of "Red" state control give an indication. Gerrymandering districts to favor GOP voting and dilute minority influences, restrictive voting qualification, elimination of labor protections in favor of big business, hostility to women's issues and the only recognized religion is evangelical Christianity. The new majority has proclaimed that it will eliminate the Federal Reserve and turn its functions over to Wall Street money men, the same people that gave the world the 2008 crash. In short the GOP actions look a lot like the mid 19th century when minorities didn't dare vote, women had no vote, labor was told how to vote, good Christians knew how to vote, buying a vote was cheap and big money approved the results or votes disappeared.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Halloween 14, 103014
October is the month when the movie channels get to dust off all the old grade "Z" horror films. Advertisers managed to stretch a one-day Christian celebration into a month long marketing orgy of blood, screams, and adult tricks with cheap treats for the kids.
Halloween 2014 has been particularly bloody with diabolical tricks on the entire population in the run up to November elections. Every election cycle has become more vicious as candidates become Whirling Dervishes in spinning "truths". The Supreme Court's tricks opened the door to virtually unlimited campaign funds and protected political rhetoric as free speech. Candidates no longer bother inventing their truths, now they un-apologetically flat out lie with their tricks running for months. Congressional tricks muddy the water and freed political tele-marketers to interrupt every meal. Once upon a time voters were able to rest between elections but political tricksters are already working on Halloween 2015.
One party promises a return to the good old days. Electioneering in the good old days bought votes for a pint of whisky, candidates really stabbed each other and minorities were lynched for even dreaming of voting. The good old days were much cheaper than the forecast billion-dollar price tag of today's partisan campaigns. A billion could feed lots homeless this thanksgiving. Instead it'll feed dissention, alienation and ultimately the collapse of the culture. The HORROR of it all is that there are no possible treats for voters.
Halloween 2014 has been particularly bloody with diabolical tricks on the entire population in the run up to November elections. Every election cycle has become more vicious as candidates become Whirling Dervishes in spinning "truths". The Supreme Court's tricks opened the door to virtually unlimited campaign funds and protected political rhetoric as free speech. Candidates no longer bother inventing their truths, now they un-apologetically flat out lie with their tricks running for months. Congressional tricks muddy the water and freed political tele-marketers to interrupt every meal. Once upon a time voters were able to rest between elections but political tricksters are already working on Halloween 2015.
One party promises a return to the good old days. Electioneering in the good old days bought votes for a pint of whisky, candidates really stabbed each other and minorities were lynched for even dreaming of voting. The good old days were much cheaper than the forecast billion-dollar price tag of today's partisan campaigns. A billion could feed lots homeless this thanksgiving. Instead it'll feed dissention, alienation and ultimately the collapse of the culture. The HORROR of it all is that there are no possible treats for voters.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Summer Snows 100914
Change is in the air. Deserts are flooding; the south freezes while the north bakes. Volcanoes are blowing their tops while ice caps melt; rivers run dry as oceans rise. Primitives panic over angry gods and search for the last virgin to toss into a volcano. Scientist point to cyclic climate change. Environmentalists blame evil industrialist and conservative politicians deny change and claim liberals are spreading the panic.
No climate change would be complete without lots of sunshine and ill winds. It was only four years ago when all the techno-nerds and liberals were proclaiming social media as the sunshine that brought democracy in an "Arab Spring." Springtime was quickly followed by the "Arab Winter." Turns out that social media was not technocracy nor was it restricted to sunshine and April showers but also March tornado like winds as Arab Spring democracies were replaced by coups and competing insurgencies on media waves
Spies love social media since they can tap into everyone's inter most secrets. Cops and occupying armies however hate social media because camera phones post pictures of their failures. In other words social media is not a sword of freedom, truth and justice but a bombshell where everyone has a hammer to explode it in all direction. Once applauded for inciting mobs that overthrew unfriendly regimes, friendly governments now quake before media mobs. From Washington to Tehran governments are attempting to censor and control social media, even imposing criminal penalties on its use.
Efforts are domed for users are finding ways around government constraints; new apps and new links confound attempts to control the messages. The ISIS has begun using social media to get its words out and even recruit converts to its cause and army.
ISIS recruiters use soft sell on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and ask.fm encouraging the devout, adventurers or alienated to join a true cause in Syria. Major media claims that they do not allow people who promote violence and terror on their systems but with billions of messages daily the task is impossible. If one messenger is shut out there are other electronic routes to carry the word. Information is even exchanged on web forums using advanced encryption software.
Without a virgin to toss into a raging volcano politicians are posting their own propaganda and disinformation in hopes of appeasing the gods of dissatisfaction, alienation and rising tides. Messages and counter messaging serves to muddy the waters of freedom and truth. Many find support for what they already want to believe but is that the truth, does it serve peace, freedom even debate?
Social media provides personal communication and entertainment in a storm tossed muddy swamp of social interaction. The virgins being tossed into the volcano are trust, integrity, and surety. Does anyone really care about a minute by minute life account? Is the sender really a sex-starved billionaire virgin, a cop seeking to entrap or a terrorist running a scam? Ask for a selfie, but is even that really real?
No climate change would be complete without lots of sunshine and ill winds. It was only four years ago when all the techno-nerds and liberals were proclaiming social media as the sunshine that brought democracy in an "Arab Spring." Springtime was quickly followed by the "Arab Winter." Turns out that social media was not technocracy nor was it restricted to sunshine and April showers but also March tornado like winds as Arab Spring democracies were replaced by coups and competing insurgencies on media waves
Spies love social media since they can tap into everyone's inter most secrets. Cops and occupying armies however hate social media because camera phones post pictures of their failures. In other words social media is not a sword of freedom, truth and justice but a bombshell where everyone has a hammer to explode it in all direction. Once applauded for inciting mobs that overthrew unfriendly regimes, friendly governments now quake before media mobs. From Washington to Tehran governments are attempting to censor and control social media, even imposing criminal penalties on its use.
Efforts are domed for users are finding ways around government constraints; new apps and new links confound attempts to control the messages. The ISIS has begun using social media to get its words out and even recruit converts to its cause and army.
ISIS recruiters use soft sell on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and ask.fm encouraging the devout, adventurers or alienated to join a true cause in Syria. Major media claims that they do not allow people who promote violence and terror on their systems but with billions of messages daily the task is impossible. If one messenger is shut out there are other electronic routes to carry the word. Information is even exchanged on web forums using advanced encryption software.
Without a virgin to toss into a raging volcano politicians are posting their own propaganda and disinformation in hopes of appeasing the gods of dissatisfaction, alienation and rising tides. Messages and counter messaging serves to muddy the waters of freedom and truth. Many find support for what they already want to believe but is that the truth, does it serve peace, freedom even debate?
Social media provides personal communication and entertainment in a storm tossed muddy swamp of social interaction. The virgins being tossed into the volcano are trust, integrity, and surety. Does anyone really care about a minute by minute life account? Is the sender really a sex-starved billionaire virgin, a cop seeking to entrap or a terrorist running a scam? Ask for a selfie, but is even that really real?
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Droning on 100514
International laws are supposed to define international behavior. There are treaties between States that establish rules of conduct between those signatories, Under the U.S. Constitution (Art.VI, pp2) treaties rank with the Constitution as supreme law of the land. There are international conventions that set out such things the maritime law, human rights, rules of war, etc. binding on and even greater number of signatories. Then, like common law, there is precedent, which over time has become accepted as reasonable interstate conduct.
Over hundreds of years of international precedents, conventions and treaties dictate how states should behave in and interactive world. After WWII (the American century) the United States has written and instigated more international law than was generated by all the nations in all the previous centuries. Despite creating the laws and signing on to the provisions however the United States has consistently refused to be bound by these laws.
The international community floated a new convention directed at the U.S. practices of remote assignation by use of Drones. Initially the world objected to "murder" of suspects without evidence as violations of international law. There were also objections to the collateral damage from drone attacks. America's response to the high non-combatant casualties was that villagers were guilty by association therefore legitimate targets.
As America began to add local dissenters to target list it began to pick up endorsements from local power brokers. International law has not been changed but international outrage is diminishing. There are several reasons for this, the shear volume and dispersion of Drone strikes blurs focus. America continues to loudly proclaim the legitimacy of its unilateral targeting and actively lobbies foreign policy support from dependent states to accept its new norm of warfare. If this acceptance survives long enough it becomes precedent.
There is an unforeseen consequence of the new norm, technology knows no borders. Turkey, China, Iran, Russia, France and Italy allegedly are buying or building killer Drones. Much of the technology that make Drones fly is from Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, China, India and available on the open market. Even terrorist groups have people that can build a weapon-carrying Drone. It may not be as pretty as those produced by the military industrial complex but it only has to make one flight.
A great many of the worlds teenagers already play the video games and fly sophisticated drones, they would love to step up to the bigger game. The kids would probably fly better than the current crop of old pilots. It is worth noting that in the developing world 30 to 50 percent of the population is less than 20 year of age, lots of capable future pilots.
Even if the international community eventually attempts to control remote targeted assassinations, it must be remembered that international law only applies to State actors not independent interests or terrorist. There may soon be a wave of bailing wire Drones coming over America's horizon armed with everything including Ebola.
Over hundreds of years of international precedents, conventions and treaties dictate how states should behave in and interactive world. After WWII (the American century) the United States has written and instigated more international law than was generated by all the nations in all the previous centuries. Despite creating the laws and signing on to the provisions however the United States has consistently refused to be bound by these laws.
The international community floated a new convention directed at the U.S. practices of remote assignation by use of Drones. Initially the world objected to "murder" of suspects without evidence as violations of international law. There were also objections to the collateral damage from drone attacks. America's response to the high non-combatant casualties was that villagers were guilty by association therefore legitimate targets.
As America began to add local dissenters to target list it began to pick up endorsements from local power brokers. International law has not been changed but international outrage is diminishing. There are several reasons for this, the shear volume and dispersion of Drone strikes blurs focus. America continues to loudly proclaim the legitimacy of its unilateral targeting and actively lobbies foreign policy support from dependent states to accept its new norm of warfare. If this acceptance survives long enough it becomes precedent.
There is an unforeseen consequence of the new norm, technology knows no borders. Turkey, China, Iran, Russia, France and Italy allegedly are buying or building killer Drones. Much of the technology that make Drones fly is from Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, China, India and available on the open market. Even terrorist groups have people that can build a weapon-carrying Drone. It may not be as pretty as those produced by the military industrial complex but it only has to make one flight.
A great many of the worlds teenagers already play the video games and fly sophisticated drones, they would love to step up to the bigger game. The kids would probably fly better than the current crop of old pilots. It is worth noting that in the developing world 30 to 50 percent of the population is less than 20 year of age, lots of capable future pilots.
Even if the international community eventually attempts to control remote targeted assassinations, it must be remembered that international law only applies to State actors not independent interests or terrorist. There may soon be a wave of bailing wire Drones coming over America's horizon armed with everything including Ebola.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Police states 092814
In the wake of another police shooting of an unarmed Black teenager a small mid-west American town erupted into violence as the town's paramilitary police stormed into protesters. Despite intervention by state and federal authorities the local police continue to fan the flames of public outrage.
There are calls for review of the Government's post 911 policies that equip police forces with armored vehicles and high tech military weapons. Even some university police departments can now control students with armored vehicles just like at Tiananmen Square. It is not the military arming of police that presents the problem. The issue goes much deeper into a cultural sense that law enforcement is above the law and now has the weapons and authority to suppress all descent as a reactionary danger to their sense of good order. As crime rates rose in the late 20th century the public looked the other way as police bent, and ignored laws, even inventing new legal interpretations.
According to news reports American police shoot about 1,000 people a year although only report about 400 officially to the Federal government. Of the official reporting the majority are claimed as justified. Considering just the official figures, in the past 20 year "justified" police homicide rate has almost doubled. There is concern over these figures, but the incidents of quick and massive firepower non-lethal response to minor infractions or mistaken targets is also growing. Official reports are manipulated to claim response to arch criminal activity. Many of the cases are ultimately dismissed, some of the worst win large settlements from local taxpayers. Police resort to victim and witness intimidation to cover up their bad behavior. Police in one state even pushed a law through the legislature that makes it a crime to photograph their bad behavior. The very people sworn to serve and protect victimize victims. President Obama recently acknowledged the problem saying, "It makes folks who are victimized by crime and need strong policing reluctant to go to the police because they may not trust them."
Policing is a job of risk management; they are often in dangerous positions but going in with an attitude of shoot first and insure there is only one story to tell influences real bad guys to do the same. It is probable that global law enforcement is the world's most corrupt occupation. The majority of police are honest, hard working and dedicated except that almost all will spin the truth to protect the "Blue Wall." Whole departments participate in cover ups until a public spotlight begins to focus on the corruption then a token is tossed to the public wolves, who once satiate lose interest until the next massive exposure. Governments aid and abet cover-ups to protect their suppressive power, or a for fear of liability judgements or prosecutors' desire to win cases and elections.
Corruption is inherent in every closed culture. It begins at recruitment, follows through training to the socialization within agencies where a few bad apples spoil the barrel. Once the barrel begins to smell a rookie understands, go along to get along, it is "US against them." It is not the militarization of Law Enforcement that is the problem, rather it is the regeneration of a culture that fails to police itself and respect its oath to serve and protect.
1st add
Some September reporting:
In Mississippi's Scott County civil liberties groups have filed a federal class-action lawsuit charging that inmates at the jail have been “indefinitely detained” and denied counsel, in violation of their constitutional rights. Legal experts say this is a widespread practice particularly in misdemeanor cases where prohibitive bail provides a way to insure punishment in weak or bogus cases. A California Patrol Officer repeatedly punched a woman after throwing her to the ground. Local authorities stated that the woman received no injuries but was place on a psychiatric hold for two weeks, possibly till the injuries healed. Fortunately for the woman a passerby recorded the attack and she received a $1.5 million settlement. A Los Angeles a man was shot and killed at a rally outside the Newton area police station. A NYPD officer was filmed slamming a clearly pregnant woman to the ground then charged her with disorderly conduct and her husband with assault on an officer. In another recording an officer from the same precinct was shown kicking a street vendor. A California officer wearing a ski mask and gloves beat an innocent woman on the street with a baseball bat. In Detroit an officer shot and killed a sleeping seven-year old girl after bursting through the wrong door, then attempted to cover up by charging the child's distraught grandmother. This force has been monitored by federal authorities for excessive force issues for more than a decade. A South Carolina patrol officer was caught on his own camera shooting a non-resisting man during a traffic stop. In an Ohio Wal-Mart police shot and killed a man talking on a cell phone while shopping for an obvious BB gun. Police in Georgia shot and killed a man in handcuffs charging he had pulled a hidden gun. Albuquerque had 26 police shootings in four years and federal authorities called many unjustified in a culture of police aggression. A mentally ill prisoner died of thirst after 35 day in solitary confinement, NC authorities are stonewalling investigators, not the first such a case in the state's prisons. A politically powerful New Mexico sheriff with a long record of misconduct charges was convicted of savagely beating a non-resisting driver. His office was already being investigated on bribery and corruption charges. The police in Las Vegas arrested several people for chalking anti-police messages on a sidewalk out side a police station. The police in one state managed to push a law through the legislature criminalizing protests or recording police actions. The only secret the Secret Service wants to protect is the secret of their bungling. Police have been recorded repeatedly tasering children in elementary schools. A Florida cop tasered a senior lady in the back for asking what all the police were doing in her neighborhood then arrested her. Fortunately that incident was also caught on camera or she would now be wrestling alligators in some swamp work camp despite Florida's elder abuse protection laws. Police militarization is almost complete as even rent-a-cops now look like Ninja commandos.
Don't go out at night, if ever approached by a cop immediately assume a fetal position and loudly scream for a lawyer with a camera. Everyday is a law enforcement Halloween trick, Happy thanksgiving, peace on earth, if not on your streets.
###
There are calls for review of the Government's post 911 policies that equip police forces with armored vehicles and high tech military weapons. Even some university police departments can now control students with armored vehicles just like at Tiananmen Square. It is not the military arming of police that presents the problem. The issue goes much deeper into a cultural sense that law enforcement is above the law and now has the weapons and authority to suppress all descent as a reactionary danger to their sense of good order. As crime rates rose in the late 20th century the public looked the other way as police bent, and ignored laws, even inventing new legal interpretations.
According to news reports American police shoot about 1,000 people a year although only report about 400 officially to the Federal government. Of the official reporting the majority are claimed as justified. Considering just the official figures, in the past 20 year "justified" police homicide rate has almost doubled. There is concern over these figures, but the incidents of quick and massive firepower non-lethal response to minor infractions or mistaken targets is also growing. Official reports are manipulated to claim response to arch criminal activity. Many of the cases are ultimately dismissed, some of the worst win large settlements from local taxpayers. Police resort to victim and witness intimidation to cover up their bad behavior. Police in one state even pushed a law through the legislature that makes it a crime to photograph their bad behavior. The very people sworn to serve and protect victimize victims. President Obama recently acknowledged the problem saying, "It makes folks who are victimized by crime and need strong policing reluctant to go to the police because they may not trust them."
Policing is a job of risk management; they are often in dangerous positions but going in with an attitude of shoot first and insure there is only one story to tell influences real bad guys to do the same. It is probable that global law enforcement is the world's most corrupt occupation. The majority of police are honest, hard working and dedicated except that almost all will spin the truth to protect the "Blue Wall." Whole departments participate in cover ups until a public spotlight begins to focus on the corruption then a token is tossed to the public wolves, who once satiate lose interest until the next massive exposure. Governments aid and abet cover-ups to protect their suppressive power, or a for fear of liability judgements or prosecutors' desire to win cases and elections.
Corruption is inherent in every closed culture. It begins at recruitment, follows through training to the socialization within agencies where a few bad apples spoil the barrel. Once the barrel begins to smell a rookie understands, go along to get along, it is "US against them." It is not the militarization of Law Enforcement that is the problem, rather it is the regeneration of a culture that fails to police itself and respect its oath to serve and protect.
1st add
Some September reporting:
In Mississippi's Scott County civil liberties groups have filed a federal class-action lawsuit charging that inmates at the jail have been “indefinitely detained” and denied counsel, in violation of their constitutional rights. Legal experts say this is a widespread practice particularly in misdemeanor cases where prohibitive bail provides a way to insure punishment in weak or bogus cases. A California Patrol Officer repeatedly punched a woman after throwing her to the ground. Local authorities stated that the woman received no injuries but was place on a psychiatric hold for two weeks, possibly till the injuries healed. Fortunately for the woman a passerby recorded the attack and she received a $1.5 million settlement. A Los Angeles a man was shot and killed at a rally outside the Newton area police station. A NYPD officer was filmed slamming a clearly pregnant woman to the ground then charged her with disorderly conduct and her husband with assault on an officer. In another recording an officer from the same precinct was shown kicking a street vendor. A California officer wearing a ski mask and gloves beat an innocent woman on the street with a baseball bat. In Detroit an officer shot and killed a sleeping seven-year old girl after bursting through the wrong door, then attempted to cover up by charging the child's distraught grandmother. This force has been monitored by federal authorities for excessive force issues for more than a decade. A South Carolina patrol officer was caught on his own camera shooting a non-resisting man during a traffic stop. In an Ohio Wal-Mart police shot and killed a man talking on a cell phone while shopping for an obvious BB gun. Police in Georgia shot and killed a man in handcuffs charging he had pulled a hidden gun. Albuquerque had 26 police shootings in four years and federal authorities called many unjustified in a culture of police aggression. A mentally ill prisoner died of thirst after 35 day in solitary confinement, NC authorities are stonewalling investigators, not the first such a case in the state's prisons. A politically powerful New Mexico sheriff with a long record of misconduct charges was convicted of savagely beating a non-resisting driver. His office was already being investigated on bribery and corruption charges. The police in Las Vegas arrested several people for chalking anti-police messages on a sidewalk out side a police station. The police in one state managed to push a law through the legislature criminalizing protests or recording police actions. The only secret the Secret Service wants to protect is the secret of their bungling. Police have been recorded repeatedly tasering children in elementary schools. A Florida cop tasered a senior lady in the back for asking what all the police were doing in her neighborhood then arrested her. Fortunately that incident was also caught on camera or she would now be wrestling alligators in some swamp work camp despite Florida's elder abuse protection laws. Police militarization is almost complete as even rent-a-cops now look like Ninja commandos.
Don't go out at night, if ever approached by a cop immediately assume a fetal position and loudly scream for a lawyer with a camera. Everyday is a law enforcement Halloween trick, Happy thanksgiving, peace on earth, if not on your streets.
###
Thursday, September 25, 2014
More catch up 092314
William Blum spoke on "American Exceptionalism and US Foreign Policy" at a teach-in on US foreign policy at the American University in Washington, DC, on September 6, 2014. His talk is worth a look up but to long for a restatement here. He points out the chasm between America's public perceptions of its foreign policies and world realities generating resistance to Americanization. He doesn't actually condemn American policies; it is more of an indictment of the hypocrisy of government disinformation aimed at the American people. Sampling his examples it is easier to understand why the United States has become a favored target of the international community, dissidents, radicals and disenfranchised terror. ###
Scholar and former Australian diplomat Kadira Pethiyagoda used WWI's anniversary to note some current parallels and present an argument for understanding cultural differences. His similarities note that States are again pushing the boundaries of international law, acting unilaterally to control territory, and that new international players are in the wings with wealth and capabilities, hungry for their share. He argues that today is a multipolarity society including Asia, South America and Africa. WWI was an explosion of a single Euro-centric culture; the 21st century is already one of cultures in conflict. Western foreign policy in the 20th century was based Game Theory's rational actors. Simply put policies are based on how the policy makers themselves would react. A multipolar world is one of multi-value choices that may appear irrational to western politicians but quite reasonable to regional policy makers. Failure to adjust polices to cultural understandings will exasperate relations and may eclipse current realities. Before America eclipsed England Winston Churchill noted that the Americans and British were a common people divided by a common language. ###
In Europe cultural xenophobia is apparently again becoming a tool of rightist politics. Immigrations into the once homogenous countries presents blame game opportunities for power grabs. It is interesting that the much-diminished European Jewish populations are again the focus of hate politics. Yascha Mounk argues that this is the result of resentment against Jews, as reminders of European Christian complicity in the Holocaust. Muslim immigrants to Europe with a long history of Jewish tolerance (not to be confused with Israelis) appear to be more acceptant than native Christians. Rightist are attempting to create conflict between Muslims and Jews to demonstrate the dangers posed by non-European values that are not compatible to European culture. Unlike western cultures with long histories immigration and assimilation Europe remained free of multiculturalism. With the post war colonial collapse many natives immigrated to the "home" countries and were followed by large masses seeking economic and political freedoms. Faced with a cultural flood of strange foods, practices and dress the newcomers are shuffled off to new ghettos that they find difficult to leave. In face of their strangeness and isolation most European do not accept that immigrants can ever integrate into their European culture. This xenophobia provides fertile ground for politicians on the right to leverage their way to power. In America the Irish, Italians and Poles initially faced similar experiences but their assimilation provided a much richer culture. Failure to accept assimilation is the doorway to victimization and terror. ###
Scholar and former Australian diplomat Kadira Pethiyagoda used WWI's anniversary to note some current parallels and present an argument for understanding cultural differences. His similarities note that States are again pushing the boundaries of international law, acting unilaterally to control territory, and that new international players are in the wings with wealth and capabilities, hungry for their share. He argues that today is a multipolarity society including Asia, South America and Africa. WWI was an explosion of a single Euro-centric culture; the 21st century is already one of cultures in conflict. Western foreign policy in the 20th century was based Game Theory's rational actors. Simply put policies are based on how the policy makers themselves would react. A multipolar world is one of multi-value choices that may appear irrational to western politicians but quite reasonable to regional policy makers. Failure to adjust polices to cultural understandings will exasperate relations and may eclipse current realities. Before America eclipsed England Winston Churchill noted that the Americans and British were a common people divided by a common language. ###
In Europe cultural xenophobia is apparently again becoming a tool of rightist politics. Immigrations into the once homogenous countries presents blame game opportunities for power grabs. It is interesting that the much-diminished European Jewish populations are again the focus of hate politics. Yascha Mounk argues that this is the result of resentment against Jews, as reminders of European Christian complicity in the Holocaust. Muslim immigrants to Europe with a long history of Jewish tolerance (not to be confused with Israelis) appear to be more acceptant than native Christians. Rightist are attempting to create conflict between Muslims and Jews to demonstrate the dangers posed by non-European values that are not compatible to European culture. Unlike western cultures with long histories immigration and assimilation Europe remained free of multiculturalism. With the post war colonial collapse many natives immigrated to the "home" countries and were followed by large masses seeking economic and political freedoms. Faced with a cultural flood of strange foods, practices and dress the newcomers are shuffled off to new ghettos that they find difficult to leave. In face of their strangeness and isolation most European do not accept that immigrants can ever integrate into their European culture. This xenophobia provides fertile ground for politicians on the right to leverage their way to power. In America the Irish, Italians and Poles initially faced similar experiences but their assimilation provided a much richer culture. Failure to accept assimilation is the doorway to victimization and terror. ###
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
AF Catch up 092214
In July the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko gave and interview shattering rose colored views of Afghan assistance programs.
According to Sopko, American aid was used to buy speedboats for a country with no coast and little navigable water, planted crops with no markets and over Afghan objections. Sent more money on reconstruction than the Marshall Plan for all of Europe.
Sopko points out rampant corruption among Afghan and U.S. officials as well as just plain incompetence in program management, leading to billions of assistance dollars wasted. His litany goes on: building schools that fall down, clinics with no doctors, roads with built in potholes and that the Afghans can't afford the government and infrastructure America "knows best" has force on them. No one asked the Afghans and there was little independent oversight provided. According to Sopko some $20 billion is still in the pipeline with and an expected $6-8 billion annually for the foreseeable future.
Another concern is the counter narcotics aid resulting in more acres under poppies than before the U.S. invasion. Opium production is up as well and a new Afghan addiction problem. Sopko states his job is not to be "a cheerleader" of U.S. programs but to protect taxpayer dollars, the Afghans already know where the money was wasted.
Sopko didn't mention the millions spent over 12 years to retrain a warrior culture that now can't fight. The U.S. is pushing ahead on a $500 million refurbishment of the Kajaki dam, already ten years behind schedule but touted to be an Afghan cure-all. America built the dam in the 1950s but it produced little electricity, even that trickle ended 2001when the U.S. bombed its power lines. After 10 years of failure to bring the dam on line many Afghans have given up and even President Karzai said that the Dam is money wasted. Expectations are that once the military withdraws the last of the construction workers will flee. Even if the project is completed, Sopko reported in December that $12.8 million in sophisticated electricity distribution equipment is unused because the Afghan staff "lacks the technical and operational capacity to install and manage it." Just how much of the total foreign aid was wasted will probably never be known.
Without bean counters on the ground it is probable that future aid will disappear at an even greater rate. Without foreign aid it is probable that Afghanistan will fall back into chaos. With aid and oversight but without "America knows best" direction the Afghans just might be able to recover if given enough time. There are many smart and skilled Afghans; if they had been encouraged to produce needed products in native light industries, rather than soybeans, they might be ahead of the coming power curve. Poppy farmers could have been lured from the fields by higher wages for less labor. The Taliban might have been incorporated into government and moderated without the early U.S. opposition. What ifs of the past are non-productive but of great value in future planning. The question, is it too late for Afghanistan, can it be saved? China may step in but has it learned from America's missteps?
The clock is ticking, the model is Syria, was it all really Allah's will?
According to Sopko, American aid was used to buy speedboats for a country with no coast and little navigable water, planted crops with no markets and over Afghan objections. Sent more money on reconstruction than the Marshall Plan for all of Europe.
Sopko points out rampant corruption among Afghan and U.S. officials as well as just plain incompetence in program management, leading to billions of assistance dollars wasted. His litany goes on: building schools that fall down, clinics with no doctors, roads with built in potholes and that the Afghans can't afford the government and infrastructure America "knows best" has force on them. No one asked the Afghans and there was little independent oversight provided. According to Sopko some $20 billion is still in the pipeline with and an expected $6-8 billion annually for the foreseeable future.
Another concern is the counter narcotics aid resulting in more acres under poppies than before the U.S. invasion. Opium production is up as well and a new Afghan addiction problem. Sopko states his job is not to be "a cheerleader" of U.S. programs but to protect taxpayer dollars, the Afghans already know where the money was wasted.
Sopko didn't mention the millions spent over 12 years to retrain a warrior culture that now can't fight. The U.S. is pushing ahead on a $500 million refurbishment of the Kajaki dam, already ten years behind schedule but touted to be an Afghan cure-all. America built the dam in the 1950s but it produced little electricity, even that trickle ended 2001when the U.S. bombed its power lines. After 10 years of failure to bring the dam on line many Afghans have given up and even President Karzai said that the Dam is money wasted. Expectations are that once the military withdraws the last of the construction workers will flee. Even if the project is completed, Sopko reported in December that $12.8 million in sophisticated electricity distribution equipment is unused because the Afghan staff "lacks the technical and operational capacity to install and manage it." Just how much of the total foreign aid was wasted will probably never be known.
Without bean counters on the ground it is probable that future aid will disappear at an even greater rate. Without foreign aid it is probable that Afghanistan will fall back into chaos. With aid and oversight but without "America knows best" direction the Afghans just might be able to recover if given enough time. There are many smart and skilled Afghans; if they had been encouraged to produce needed products in native light industries, rather than soybeans, they might be ahead of the coming power curve. Poppy farmers could have been lured from the fields by higher wages for less labor. The Taliban might have been incorporated into government and moderated without the early U.S. opposition. What ifs of the past are non-productive but of great value in future planning. The question, is it too late for Afghanistan, can it be saved? China may step in but has it learned from America's missteps?
The clock is ticking, the model is Syria, was it all really Allah's will?
Monday, September 22, 2014
You too 050614
A satirical joke around Washington during the Second World War was that OSS stood for "Oh So Social." OSS was actually the acronym for the military's Office of Strategic Services, America's first spy agency. The joke referred to OSS's policy of recruiting heavily from the social networks of Ivy League universities.
Since that war social networks continued to cast long shadows on intelligence operations. The military's NSA is mining electronic networks and DOD funds "cultural" research in 57 foreign countries. It has not only been spying on most Americans but also foreign friends and allies. Nations cried foul and diplomatic violations but as some of the smoke cleared it became apparent that other governments were also socially spying. The Big Brothers sometimes shared information with cousins and leaves piles of exposed data.
Possibly in hopes of collecting data or spreading its message America funded social networks in Afghanistan (Paywast or "to connect' in Dari) and other countries, including Cuba. The Cuban operation was established in expectation of a Cuban Spring similar to the "Arab Spring" uprisings supposedly generated by social media. The Cuban operations failed and the Arab Spring quickly turned to winter as the western visions degenerated into coups and competing insurgencies that still have not stabilized.
Social networks are double-edged swords for intelligence. There is information to be captured and cultures to be influenced, but what one can do, so can others. It is easy to incite mob networks. It even easier for those mobs to be diverted in unexpected directions. NSA threatened providers with government power, extorting access and some degree of censorship of web media. It appears that China and Russia exercises even greater censorship of their media outlets. Social media is not the haven of free speech, often conceals hidden agendas, Big Brother does watch and is multiplying.
Social mobs, once incited, flow around and through firewalls spreading their own messages. There is no surety that information is true, either misinformation (false) or disinformation (deception). Much of the content may be below backyard rumors but it may serve individual or organizational purposes ranging from demonization to eulogizing. Bogus Chinese accounts were used to threaten Chinese terrorism and the ISIS (IS, ISL) and Al-Shabab uses Social Media to inflate their violence, strength and influence. Some of these radical accounts disappear (possibly blocked or to evade tracking) only to reappear under new names with different links to new services.
Social media facilitates social interaction, but also theo-political reactions. Attempts to spin, censor or shutdown are destined to fail at the hands of the world's tech-smart. ISIS is creating armies of Twitter-bots to rapidly inflate its power and reach. Don't "friend" the unfriendly and don't believe all you read. There is already enough who will spread skewed messages that influence and incite.
Remember that it is still possible to meet, have coffee and discuss with real people.
Since that war social networks continued to cast long shadows on intelligence operations. The military's NSA is mining electronic networks and DOD funds "cultural" research in 57 foreign countries. It has not only been spying on most Americans but also foreign friends and allies. Nations cried foul and diplomatic violations but as some of the smoke cleared it became apparent that other governments were also socially spying. The Big Brothers sometimes shared information with cousins and leaves piles of exposed data.
Possibly in hopes of collecting data or spreading its message America funded social networks in Afghanistan (Paywast or "to connect' in Dari) and other countries, including Cuba. The Cuban operation was established in expectation of a Cuban Spring similar to the "Arab Spring" uprisings supposedly generated by social media. The Cuban operations failed and the Arab Spring quickly turned to winter as the western visions degenerated into coups and competing insurgencies that still have not stabilized.
Social networks are double-edged swords for intelligence. There is information to be captured and cultures to be influenced, but what one can do, so can others. It is easy to incite mob networks. It even easier for those mobs to be diverted in unexpected directions. NSA threatened providers with government power, extorting access and some degree of censorship of web media. It appears that China and Russia exercises even greater censorship of their media outlets. Social media is not the haven of free speech, often conceals hidden agendas, Big Brother does watch and is multiplying.
Social mobs, once incited, flow around and through firewalls spreading their own messages. There is no surety that information is true, either misinformation (false) or disinformation (deception). Much of the content may be below backyard rumors but it may serve individual or organizational purposes ranging from demonization to eulogizing. Bogus Chinese accounts were used to threaten Chinese terrorism and the ISIS (IS, ISL) and Al-Shabab uses Social Media to inflate their violence, strength and influence. Some of these radical accounts disappear (possibly blocked or to evade tracking) only to reappear under new names with different links to new services.
Social media facilitates social interaction, but also theo-political reactions. Attempts to spin, censor or shutdown are destined to fail at the hands of the world's tech-smart. ISIS is creating armies of Twitter-bots to rapidly inflate its power and reach. Don't "friend" the unfriendly and don't believe all you read. There is already enough who will spread skewed messages that influence and incite.
Remember that it is still possible to meet, have coffee and discuss with real people.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Fracturing 091914
The news of the day is that Scotland voted NO to independence, which in effect would be the end of the United Kingdom. Pundits point to a ten-point spread on independence, however only a five- percent switch could have changed the outcome. In its largest voter turnout almost half of the Scots want freedom from England. The tipping point may have been last minute British promises to voters to do better.
Now that the vote is in it remains to be seen if England will honor its word. With ample examples of British Parliamentary duplicity, that saw the sun set on a Great Empire, it's possible the dominoes will fall in future calls for independence in the UK. The result would be a series of city-states seeking alliances anywhere but with England. Long past its world power greatness of the 19th century England would be forced to face reality surrendering its seat on the UN Security Council, which might lead to a UN Charter rewrite in favor of greater power and equity for small states.
The world order may become a world reorder as old nation states are faced with increasing internal demands for independence. With some adjustments the present order dates from the 17th century Treaties of Westphalia, which gave rise to nation states. In the wake of World Wars most colonial empires broke up as a series of mini-states when small groups declared independence. When the last great Empire (The Soviet Union) began to splinter the west was euphoric and pushed eastward to humiliate and punishing the Russians. Much of Africa and Asia are now fragmenting in bloody Theo-political revolutionary battles. At first the West saw energy source opportunities but quickly became embroiled in multiple insurgencies without gaining oil. The West tended to ignore causations as long as the stresses were on the other side of the globe but with the Scottish vote analyst began to recognize systemic flaws.
In addition to UK; Canada, Spain, China and even the United States have independence movements. The nation state establishment has responded either by suppression or ignoring causations as anger mounts and governments appear incapable of governing. Russia seized an opportunity to try for its former Ukrainian colony, chopping off pieces. Under the cover of the War on Terror, Britain made another attempt to colonize Afghanistan by attempting installation of Colonial Political Officers in its Providences. Afghans quickly saw through this subterfuge and distanced itself from the occupying Coalition. China appears to be attempting the velvet fist in its northwest. Playing partisan politics the clueless American Congress ignores the dynamic nature on independence movements at home and abroad. Around the globe there is a distinct move to the right.
This swing to the right possibly heralds the coming of small totalitarian regimes. Internal conflicts are spilling across borders. Playing the social media like clarion horns ideologues recruit fighters from many countries that eventually will return home socialized as revolutionaries. Competing warring crowds may replace nation states as the new order following prolonged bloody conflicts. Nation states must reform or die by violence of an interactive global war.
Now that the vote is in it remains to be seen if England will honor its word. With ample examples of British Parliamentary duplicity, that saw the sun set on a Great Empire, it's possible the dominoes will fall in future calls for independence in the UK. The result would be a series of city-states seeking alliances anywhere but with England. Long past its world power greatness of the 19th century England would be forced to face reality surrendering its seat on the UN Security Council, which might lead to a UN Charter rewrite in favor of greater power and equity for small states.
The world order may become a world reorder as old nation states are faced with increasing internal demands for independence. With some adjustments the present order dates from the 17th century Treaties of Westphalia, which gave rise to nation states. In the wake of World Wars most colonial empires broke up as a series of mini-states when small groups declared independence. When the last great Empire (The Soviet Union) began to splinter the west was euphoric and pushed eastward to humiliate and punishing the Russians. Much of Africa and Asia are now fragmenting in bloody Theo-political revolutionary battles. At first the West saw energy source opportunities but quickly became embroiled in multiple insurgencies without gaining oil. The West tended to ignore causations as long as the stresses were on the other side of the globe but with the Scottish vote analyst began to recognize systemic flaws.
In addition to UK; Canada, Spain, China and even the United States have independence movements. The nation state establishment has responded either by suppression or ignoring causations as anger mounts and governments appear incapable of governing. Russia seized an opportunity to try for its former Ukrainian colony, chopping off pieces. Under the cover of the War on Terror, Britain made another attempt to colonize Afghanistan by attempting installation of Colonial Political Officers in its Providences. Afghans quickly saw through this subterfuge and distanced itself from the occupying Coalition. China appears to be attempting the velvet fist in its northwest. Playing partisan politics the clueless American Congress ignores the dynamic nature on independence movements at home and abroad. Around the globe there is a distinct move to the right.
This swing to the right possibly heralds the coming of small totalitarian regimes. Internal conflicts are spilling across borders. Playing the social media like clarion horns ideologues recruit fighters from many countries that eventually will return home socialized as revolutionaries. Competing warring crowds may replace nation states as the new order following prolonged bloody conflicts. Nation states must reform or die by violence of an interactive global war.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Again? 091314
The first global war was Napoleonic at the turn of 18th century. While centered on Europe that war ranged the seven seas touching the Americas, Africa, Asia and even Antarctica. The rest of the 19th century was anything but peaceful but warfare was mostly limited to colonial battles and regional wars. The twentieth century is notable for three global wars, the Great War, renamed 20 years later as the world did a retake titled the Second World War, quickly followed by very hot Cold War battles.
Even the 14th century's Black Death toll is eclipsed by twentieth century's, still tabulating "Butcher's Bill." The 21st century promises to be even bloodier. War began quickly against terrorism, added political objectives only served to destabilize and spread terror.
Western strategic moves encouraged Russian attempts to recover its colonial territories. The West has just declare a new war on the Islam (ISIS, IS, ISIL) each interpretation an expansion of the arena. The Catholic Pope, calling for peace, foresees an incremental approach to World War Three. What the Pope may see but is afraid to acknowledge are the opening shots of a religious war of zealots feeding on unfounded xenophobic fears rather than limited traditional political or territorial objectives. WW III may become one of annihilation as every new extremist draws in followers in competition for supremacy.
Having failed in Afghanistan and Iraq the Americans are attempting to organized proxy-armies to support their latest declaration. The plans are to drop massive amounts of weapons and training on any insurgents proclaiming support of American ideals.
Proxy armies are not a new, the Persians, Romans and Colonial Imperialist armed and trained proxies. During the Cold War era both protagonist dumped sophisticated weaponry on remote natives hoping for ideological advantages. Over time the outcomes have been the same, native resistance, insurgencies, internal competitions and warlordism. Rome's proxies splintered Roman rule and drove Europe into a dark age.
America has no need to look further than Afghanistan where former cold war proxies propelled it into its bloodiest period, from which it has yet to recover. The west took sides in Africa, Iraq and Syria leading to Islamic spillover and competing insurgents.
Nor are religious wars unique, over the centuries more than 30 million people may have died for religion. While extremely brutal, theocentric warfare has been limited, but technology now expands Theo-war's reach. Once remote voices of fundamentalist and idealist are now able to reach around the world to recruit and demonize by use of Internet and social media. Generations of mutual demonization will prevent any equitable resolution resulting only in mutual annihilation.
By the turn of the 21st century the few survivors of Theo-war may be able to prevent a new dark age by learning to live together in a shattered ecosystem. It may be to late to prevent WW III but an attempt must be made to stop pouring gas on a growing fire.
Continued demonization can only result in the creation of ever more demons.
Even the 14th century's Black Death toll is eclipsed by twentieth century's, still tabulating "Butcher's Bill." The 21st century promises to be even bloodier. War began quickly against terrorism, added political objectives only served to destabilize and spread terror.
Western strategic moves encouraged Russian attempts to recover its colonial territories. The West has just declare a new war on the Islam (ISIS, IS, ISIL) each interpretation an expansion of the arena. The Catholic Pope, calling for peace, foresees an incremental approach to World War Three. What the Pope may see but is afraid to acknowledge are the opening shots of a religious war of zealots feeding on unfounded xenophobic fears rather than limited traditional political or territorial objectives. WW III may become one of annihilation as every new extremist draws in followers in competition for supremacy.
Having failed in Afghanistan and Iraq the Americans are attempting to organized proxy-armies to support their latest declaration. The plans are to drop massive amounts of weapons and training on any insurgents proclaiming support of American ideals.
Proxy armies are not a new, the Persians, Romans and Colonial Imperialist armed and trained proxies. During the Cold War era both protagonist dumped sophisticated weaponry on remote natives hoping for ideological advantages. Over time the outcomes have been the same, native resistance, insurgencies, internal competitions and warlordism. Rome's proxies splintered Roman rule and drove Europe into a dark age.
America has no need to look further than Afghanistan where former cold war proxies propelled it into its bloodiest period, from which it has yet to recover. The west took sides in Africa, Iraq and Syria leading to Islamic spillover and competing insurgents.
Nor are religious wars unique, over the centuries more than 30 million people may have died for religion. While extremely brutal, theocentric warfare has been limited, but technology now expands Theo-war's reach. Once remote voices of fundamentalist and idealist are now able to reach around the world to recruit and demonize by use of Internet and social media. Generations of mutual demonization will prevent any equitable resolution resulting only in mutual annihilation.
By the turn of the 21st century the few survivors of Theo-war may be able to prevent a new dark age by learning to live together in a shattered ecosystem. It may be to late to prevent WW III but an attempt must be made to stop pouring gas on a growing fire.
Continued demonization can only result in the creation of ever more demons.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Mining 071014
Everyone in the world now knows the good guys at NSA have validated Orwell's prophecy of "Big Brother" by collecting everything on everyone. With NSA's computers overflowing, this data is open to evil Chinese hackers data mining for their own nefarious purposes. Not to be confused with the pristine data exploitation motives of businesses, bureaucratic and criminal miners.
Governments have been quick to assure the world that all your secrets are safe, just trust them with a little more information. Of course you can trust governments, after all have they every misled their own people?
Back in the days of early computing you could lock up your five and a quarter inch disk at the end of the day and feel your files were safe from prying eyes. Then came the Internet for the free exchange of information between trusted colleagues. It was discovered that the open door swung both ways as an invitation to enter individuals' computers. As the information age matured there were millions of computers to be exploited. This presented a daunting problem for miners, how to find exploitable data when information was scattered around the globe. Small companies made vast fortunes as data consolidators building massive files of individual's personal information for sale to marketers and anyone else that wanted access, whatever their purposes.
Where did all this data come from? It unknowingly came directly from individuals who freely surrendered all the intimate details of their lives to banks, businesses, governments, pollsters and opinion surveys. Imprisoned felons are even contracted to collect information. The thing about building a database is that there is always room for more data so collection expands, delving deeper and deeper into your life. Data miners soon discovered there was still an untapped pool of information and began to build clouds somewhere out in the ether where people now park details of their lives from mail, diaries, finances, photos and even fleeting thoughts. Social media has become entertainment where rhetorical nonsense and bad jokes are linked to individuals for eternity by miners seeking leverage.
Your data is international, as much of the collection has migrated offshore. Domestic and foreign miners now interrupt dinners with cold calls seeking details on friends, neighbors even long lost relatives. These calls result in spurious links leading to things like identify theft or records as "known criminal associates."
Miners exploitation leads to GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) targeting individuals for marketing, robbery or government intense surveillance. Private satellites now look down on back yards and a neighbor's nude sunbathing may link you to lewd and licentious behavior of a possible sex offender.
The data never goes away or corrected once it is out there. In the 25th century a distant miner relative may happen to dig out that bit of data on the ancient black sheep of the family. Who is watching you read this right now?
Governments have been quick to assure the world that all your secrets are safe, just trust them with a little more information. Of course you can trust governments, after all have they every misled their own people?
Back in the days of early computing you could lock up your five and a quarter inch disk at the end of the day and feel your files were safe from prying eyes. Then came the Internet for the free exchange of information between trusted colleagues. It was discovered that the open door swung both ways as an invitation to enter individuals' computers. As the information age matured there were millions of computers to be exploited. This presented a daunting problem for miners, how to find exploitable data when information was scattered around the globe. Small companies made vast fortunes as data consolidators building massive files of individual's personal information for sale to marketers and anyone else that wanted access, whatever their purposes.
Where did all this data come from? It unknowingly came directly from individuals who freely surrendered all the intimate details of their lives to banks, businesses, governments, pollsters and opinion surveys. Imprisoned felons are even contracted to collect information. The thing about building a database is that there is always room for more data so collection expands, delving deeper and deeper into your life. Data miners soon discovered there was still an untapped pool of information and began to build clouds somewhere out in the ether where people now park details of their lives from mail, diaries, finances, photos and even fleeting thoughts. Social media has become entertainment where rhetorical nonsense and bad jokes are linked to individuals for eternity by miners seeking leverage.
Your data is international, as much of the collection has migrated offshore. Domestic and foreign miners now interrupt dinners with cold calls seeking details on friends, neighbors even long lost relatives. These calls result in spurious links leading to things like identify theft or records as "known criminal associates."
Miners exploitation leads to GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) targeting individuals for marketing, robbery or government intense surveillance. Private satellites now look down on back yards and a neighbor's nude sunbathing may link you to lewd and licentious behavior of a possible sex offender.
The data never goes away or corrected once it is out there. In the 25th century a distant miner relative may happen to dig out that bit of data on the ancient black sheep of the family. Who is watching you read this right now?
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Trust me 042914
Walk into any dealership, law office, old-folks home even a funeral parlor and you will be met by a greeter with a warm smile (funeral parlors sport the carrying look) an out stretched hand and the words "Trust Me." When the clammy hand grasp yours the first reaction should be to count your fingers.
Historically such hand shakes signals "buyer beware" a phrase predating money and may have originated with cavemen trading for a dinosaur steak. During the 19th century a handshake was considered as good as a contract. There were flim-flam men out there but for the most part in a rural America trust ruled. A few decades ago sociologist began to note the emerging generations were of an entirely different culture than predecessors. At the time the researchers were unsure in what direction this culture was moving and what it meant for society.
According to more recent research two thirds of the population expressed complete distrust of everyone and every thing. Even the remaining third expressed some distrust in everyday interactions with strangers, government and institutions. Social trust is necessary to get things done between diverse groups, generate economic growth and might even cure Washington gridlock.
Scholars are rushing into print with conflicting pet theories on lack of trust, cause and effect. They fail to realize that they are contributing to the issue. In the past they have justified discrimination, colonialism, genocide and every other evil bringing into question their objectivity, ethics, integrity and truthfulness. Scholars, journalists and politicians create deception by pointing to a single biased explanation for lack of trust.
"Trust Me" deficit is really a case of multiple compounding causations. The rich and famous publicly lie cheat and steal. The news media has become entertainment presenting the wildest speculation for better ratings. Trusted financial manipulators bankrupt retirement plans and destroyed dreams. America is not alone, manipulators circle the globe sending world economies crashing. TV and the social media have separated people from daily civil interaction. That same media illuminates economic disparity while elevating social expectations. Trusted institutions expose their feet of clay. The 20th century's Advertising industry's rise along with press agencies and spin-doctors muddy the water on questions of what is really true. Politicians resort to demagogy to gain power alienating all as their messages change with audiences. Junk mail, junk infomercials, junk charities and a proliferation of junk causes abound to scam money from the gullible and unwary. Fanatics of every religion wield faith as a sword to destroy heretics in the name of their own personal vision of paradise. It has taken generations to reach this point; it may take centuries to recover from trust's fall from grace.
Searching for a causation of declining trust, consider education in the equation. A more literate society with access to more information sources leads to cynical views of the contradictions and absurdity in claims of opinion marketers. This same trend is becoming evident even in the world's backwaters with a rising tide of literate youth.
Historically such hand shakes signals "buyer beware" a phrase predating money and may have originated with cavemen trading for a dinosaur steak. During the 19th century a handshake was considered as good as a contract. There were flim-flam men out there but for the most part in a rural America trust ruled. A few decades ago sociologist began to note the emerging generations were of an entirely different culture than predecessors. At the time the researchers were unsure in what direction this culture was moving and what it meant for society.
According to more recent research two thirds of the population expressed complete distrust of everyone and every thing. Even the remaining third expressed some distrust in everyday interactions with strangers, government and institutions. Social trust is necessary to get things done between diverse groups, generate economic growth and might even cure Washington gridlock.
Scholars are rushing into print with conflicting pet theories on lack of trust, cause and effect. They fail to realize that they are contributing to the issue. In the past they have justified discrimination, colonialism, genocide and every other evil bringing into question their objectivity, ethics, integrity and truthfulness. Scholars, journalists and politicians create deception by pointing to a single biased explanation for lack of trust.
"Trust Me" deficit is really a case of multiple compounding causations. The rich and famous publicly lie cheat and steal. The news media has become entertainment presenting the wildest speculation for better ratings. Trusted financial manipulators bankrupt retirement plans and destroyed dreams. America is not alone, manipulators circle the globe sending world economies crashing. TV and the social media have separated people from daily civil interaction. That same media illuminates economic disparity while elevating social expectations. Trusted institutions expose their feet of clay. The 20th century's Advertising industry's rise along with press agencies and spin-doctors muddy the water on questions of what is really true. Politicians resort to demagogy to gain power alienating all as their messages change with audiences. Junk mail, junk infomercials, junk charities and a proliferation of junk causes abound to scam money from the gullible and unwary. Fanatics of every religion wield faith as a sword to destroy heretics in the name of their own personal vision of paradise. It has taken generations to reach this point; it may take centuries to recover from trust's fall from grace.
Searching for a causation of declining trust, consider education in the equation. A more literate society with access to more information sources leads to cynical views of the contradictions and absurdity in claims of opinion marketers. This same trend is becoming evident even in the world's backwaters with a rising tide of literate youth.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Three "R" 042514
As long as one human remains on Earth the 20th century will be known as the American Century. Immigrants from Africa, Asia and Europe laid the foundation for that title and their children became known as the greatest generation.
Of diverse origins from wealth to extreme poverty the immigrants arrived with their cultures. Native American and earlier settlers' culture were welded onto those old world cultures on forges in fields, forest, deserts, mines and factories to create a new distinct culture of what became the greatest generation. Parents wanted only one thing for their children, a good education and a life better than that they left.
Parents demanded good public schools for their children. In one room schoolhouses across the country first generation children learned Reading, Riting, & Rithmetic (three Rs). There were few trained teachers, mostly a literate citizen would be found to teach the basics. Mostly these drafted teachers were dedicated to instilling a love of learning, many children would drop out to help their families. In urban areas a guiding teacher might have a 10/11th-grade education, high learningof the era. There were few colleges and less money to attend, public libraries flourished as young and old went on to teach themselves, from a desire to learn.
Prepared by homespun teachers colleges turned out doctors, lawyers, engineers and preachers. Teachers became professionals by teaching. Students learned because parents and dedicated teachers took an interest in preparing them for the world. When the children left school they knew the three "Rs" and had seen a future. Excited by visions from school the kids went on to mass produce cars, explore the sky, electronically connect the world, build wealth and better schools. Their drive and creativity pulled the country out a great depression and led to their war time victory and led the world. The country was the world's richest with the highest literacy rate, best technologies and medicine. Foreign student's flocked to American Universities for the best education.
Somewhere after their victory schooling took a wrong turn. The three "Rs", parents and teachers had to step aside for Politically Correct (PC) professional educators. Literacy began to decline and many recent graduates could neither read, write nor balance a checkbook. Public education was demonized. Textbooks are often wrong in the pursuit of professional educators' inspiring theories. Classroom teachers no longer are trusted to determine if students have mastered the courses. Parents are cut out the learning process as to stupid to accept the core theories of professional educators. A massive educational bureaucracy has emerged in government and the private sector. A great deal of money is made by an education industry through testing, re-testing, charter schools, educational seminars, theories, consultants, lobbyist and measurement yardsticks at the cost of learning. Teachers remain at the low end of all that cash flow.
Literacy continues to drop while immense amounts of money are siphoned off from an opportunity to create an even greater generation. It's time to get back to the basics, to parents voicing concerns, teachers teaching, inspired students seeking to learn and repairing public education. Educators and government should get out of the way, let the kids love knowledge and develop visions of a better future.
Of diverse origins from wealth to extreme poverty the immigrants arrived with their cultures. Native American and earlier settlers' culture were welded onto those old world cultures on forges in fields, forest, deserts, mines and factories to create a new distinct culture of what became the greatest generation. Parents wanted only one thing for their children, a good education and a life better than that they left.
Parents demanded good public schools for their children. In one room schoolhouses across the country first generation children learned Reading, Riting, & Rithmetic (three Rs). There were few trained teachers, mostly a literate citizen would be found to teach the basics. Mostly these drafted teachers were dedicated to instilling a love of learning, many children would drop out to help their families. In urban areas a guiding teacher might have a 10/11th-grade education, high learningof the era. There were few colleges and less money to attend, public libraries flourished as young and old went on to teach themselves, from a desire to learn.
Prepared by homespun teachers colleges turned out doctors, lawyers, engineers and preachers. Teachers became professionals by teaching. Students learned because parents and dedicated teachers took an interest in preparing them for the world. When the children left school they knew the three "Rs" and had seen a future. Excited by visions from school the kids went on to mass produce cars, explore the sky, electronically connect the world, build wealth and better schools. Their drive and creativity pulled the country out a great depression and led to their war time victory and led the world. The country was the world's richest with the highest literacy rate, best technologies and medicine. Foreign student's flocked to American Universities for the best education.
Somewhere after their victory schooling took a wrong turn. The three "Rs", parents and teachers had to step aside for Politically Correct (PC) professional educators. Literacy began to decline and many recent graduates could neither read, write nor balance a checkbook. Public education was demonized. Textbooks are often wrong in the pursuit of professional educators' inspiring theories. Classroom teachers no longer are trusted to determine if students have mastered the courses. Parents are cut out the learning process as to stupid to accept the core theories of professional educators. A massive educational bureaucracy has emerged in government and the private sector. A great deal of money is made by an education industry through testing, re-testing, charter schools, educational seminars, theories, consultants, lobbyist and measurement yardsticks at the cost of learning. Teachers remain at the low end of all that cash flow.
Literacy continues to drop while immense amounts of money are siphoned off from an opportunity to create an even greater generation. It's time to get back to the basics, to parents voicing concerns, teachers teaching, inspired students seeking to learn and repairing public education. Educators and government should get out of the way, let the kids love knowledge and develop visions of a better future.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Money, money, money 042514
A literary surprise this season is Thomas Piketty's, 700 page tome "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" originally published in French. For xenophobic Americans to rush out and spend "good" U.S. dollars for anything French, except maybe an over-priced bottle of wine, is truly amazing.
I've not read Piketty's work and probably never will, not because of its French origins but because it's a scholarly study of centuries' of economic data. Piketty isn't targeting America in his study but rather the principle capitalism and its impact on inequalities of its outcomes.
Karl Marx condemned capitalism over a century and half ago in a philosophical argument that labor is exploited by the wealthy. Capitalist countries immediately condemned Marx's arguments and even the so-called communist countries never truly embraced Marxism.
By the turn of the 19th century labor began struggling to capture a small share of capitalism. Henry Ford broke from his contemporaries by paying his workers enough so they could afford to drive his automobiles. Ford may have been a capitalist anomaly because his contemporaries hired private armies and pressured legislatures to keep labor poor and subservient. Events however overtook global capitalism in the form of world wars and depressions. For a while in 20th century it appeared that wealth would indeed trickle down as labor could now drive cars to pickup their unemployment checks.
In the 21st century labor is again under attack by wealthy capitalist and wealthier legislators, forcing an even larger wedge between big bucks and a few pennies. Piketty's work quantifies the role of capital and income inequality. True workers make more money but they can't afford to live on one paycheck. The immediate surge of growth after World War Two appears to also be an anomaly (a shortage of labor and greater demands from the near universal destruction.)
Changing the focus of inequity, Piketty looks at the rate of capital return and economic growth. In it simplest form Piketty proves that the rich get richer while the poor gets poorer. The wealthy can use their money and power to churn economies, skimming the cream and ignoring reinvestment for real economic production. This is not only an American phenomenon; globalism has embraced wealth and power as billionaires have now emerged even in former communist countries. The 19th century robber barons are back and much more sophisticated.
Barons now understand how to sell, "What is good for the baron is good for the serf." The deceived serfs then vote even more power to the barons by electing them to legislatures empowered to write serfdom oppression laws.
According to Piketty, "When the rate of return on capital exceeds the rate of growth of output and income, capitalism automatically generates arbitrary and unsustainable inequalities that radically undermine the meritocratic values on which democratic societies are based."
Piketty might make a few bucks from his book but he must understand it and invest for capital growth and not squander his workman's wages on more paper and pencils for his next book.
I've not read Piketty's work and probably never will, not because of its French origins but because it's a scholarly study of centuries' of economic data. Piketty isn't targeting America in his study but rather the principle capitalism and its impact on inequalities of its outcomes.
Karl Marx condemned capitalism over a century and half ago in a philosophical argument that labor is exploited by the wealthy. Capitalist countries immediately condemned Marx's arguments and even the so-called communist countries never truly embraced Marxism.
By the turn of the 19th century labor began struggling to capture a small share of capitalism. Henry Ford broke from his contemporaries by paying his workers enough so they could afford to drive his automobiles. Ford may have been a capitalist anomaly because his contemporaries hired private armies and pressured legislatures to keep labor poor and subservient. Events however overtook global capitalism in the form of world wars and depressions. For a while in 20th century it appeared that wealth would indeed trickle down as labor could now drive cars to pickup their unemployment checks.
In the 21st century labor is again under attack by wealthy capitalist and wealthier legislators, forcing an even larger wedge between big bucks and a few pennies. Piketty's work quantifies the role of capital and income inequality. True workers make more money but they can't afford to live on one paycheck. The immediate surge of growth after World War Two appears to also be an anomaly (a shortage of labor and greater demands from the near universal destruction.)
Changing the focus of inequity, Piketty looks at the rate of capital return and economic growth. In it simplest form Piketty proves that the rich get richer while the poor gets poorer. The wealthy can use their money and power to churn economies, skimming the cream and ignoring reinvestment for real economic production. This is not only an American phenomenon; globalism has embraced wealth and power as billionaires have now emerged even in former communist countries. The 19th century robber barons are back and much more sophisticated.
Barons now understand how to sell, "What is good for the baron is good for the serf." The deceived serfs then vote even more power to the barons by electing them to legislatures empowered to write serfdom oppression laws.
According to Piketty, "When the rate of return on capital exceeds the rate of growth of output and income, capitalism automatically generates arbitrary and unsustainable inequalities that radically undermine the meritocratic values on which democratic societies are based."
Piketty might make a few bucks from his book but he must understand it and invest for capital growth and not squander his workman's wages on more paper and pencils for his next book.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
ConCon 040717
The active word here is con (a.k.a.: scam, hustle, the end of America’s great experiment in constitutional government.)
A state representative in California has requested verification that 34 states have petitioned for a constitutional convention (ConCon). The movement for ConCon began in the 1980 for a proposed balance budget amendment. After an initial flurry of petitions the issue moved to state back burners for over 30 years as some states pulled their petition while others applied. In 2014 Michigan added its request to the pile, possibly becoming the 34th call for a new ConCon. The problem is that no one is really sure how many valid petitions are out there.
Congress can make the petitions moot by passing a balanced budget amendment of its own which 38 states then would have to ratify for it to become law. Congress could ignore the issue entirely, violating provisions of article “V” of the constitution, which would increase Congressional power while probably setting off lengthy court battles. Congress could also acquiesce and call the second ConCon, opening Pandora’s box.
Gun-nuts would demand the right of individuals to bear weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Fundamental Christians, the right to crucify non-Christians. The military would order a coup. California would demand exclusive film rights. The southwestern states would annex Mexico. Alaska would rejoin Russia so Sarah Palin could assume her rightful place as Czarina of all seized territories.
A bit far fetched? Consider that the 1787 ConCon of 13 states was called for some minor tweaking and then became a run away horse (before trains) producing a document and government unlike any before. This was produced by a fairly homogeneous lot of like minded individuals but became a squeaker as competing arguments were presented. With a final compromise document it became a hard sell for ratification requiring the promise of protections under a “Bill of Rights” before sufficient states would sign on. ConCons are under no obligation to stick to an issue and can create whatever it can sell.
Today there are 50 states representing nearly 400 million heterogeneous special interest, each loudly proclaiming ideological supremacy. It took four years to produce the first constitution, it might require four decades to produce another. It is probable that the new document will be written by lawyers preventing any public understanding of the nature and powers of government. Congress may promise a new bill of rights but who believes Congress of the 21st century.
The balanced budget issue would disappear under the weight of new demands. Government would come to a stand still as states waited for the new document. Texas would probably secede followed by other regions seeking to protect their turf. Special interest minutemen armed with WMD would revolt in support agendas that didn’t make the cut.
The United States of America would become ancient history as the world cheered.
A state representative in California has requested verification that 34 states have petitioned for a constitutional convention (ConCon). The movement for ConCon began in the 1980 for a proposed balance budget amendment. After an initial flurry of petitions the issue moved to state back burners for over 30 years as some states pulled their petition while others applied. In 2014 Michigan added its request to the pile, possibly becoming the 34th call for a new ConCon. The problem is that no one is really sure how many valid petitions are out there.
Congress can make the petitions moot by passing a balanced budget amendment of its own which 38 states then would have to ratify for it to become law. Congress could ignore the issue entirely, violating provisions of article “V” of the constitution, which would increase Congressional power while probably setting off lengthy court battles. Congress could also acquiesce and call the second ConCon, opening Pandora’s box.
Gun-nuts would demand the right of individuals to bear weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Fundamental Christians, the right to crucify non-Christians. The military would order a coup. California would demand exclusive film rights. The southwestern states would annex Mexico. Alaska would rejoin Russia so Sarah Palin could assume her rightful place as Czarina of all seized territories.
A bit far fetched? Consider that the 1787 ConCon of 13 states was called for some minor tweaking and then became a run away horse (before trains) producing a document and government unlike any before. This was produced by a fairly homogeneous lot of like minded individuals but became a squeaker as competing arguments were presented. With a final compromise document it became a hard sell for ratification requiring the promise of protections under a “Bill of Rights” before sufficient states would sign on. ConCons are under no obligation to stick to an issue and can create whatever it can sell.
Today there are 50 states representing nearly 400 million heterogeneous special interest, each loudly proclaiming ideological supremacy. It took four years to produce the first constitution, it might require four decades to produce another. It is probable that the new document will be written by lawyers preventing any public understanding of the nature and powers of government. Congress may promise a new bill of rights but who believes Congress of the 21st century.
The balanced budget issue would disappear under the weight of new demands. Government would come to a stand still as states waited for the new document. Texas would probably secede followed by other regions seeking to protect their turf. Special interest minutemen armed with WMD would revolt in support agendas that didn’t make the cut.
The United States of America would become ancient history as the world cheered.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
It’s official 040414
America has a passive court system. Judges don’t get to go out and find issues but rather must wait for just the right case to appear before their bench in order to make their precedent setting rulings.
The founding fathers fully understood the principle that wealth rules, but neglected to include it in the Constitution. It has taken the Supreme Court well over 200 year to find just the right case to firmly establish wealth as the overriding principle of government. It is now official the rich can openly buy the legislation that serves their best interests.
No longer do millionaires, billionaires and trillion dollar corporations have to sneak down dark alleys to buy their legislation. They can finally come into the capitols and dump as much money as they want to insure that under their law they are fully protected from the proletarian concerns of the other 99 percent of the population.
It has been reported that, by percentage, this Congress is the richest in history, wonder how they made their fortunes? The Florida legislators apparently have their hands out for a share of new wealth as they are attempting major liability protections for businesses. They are also on a roll, expanding “Stand your ground (SurG)” legislation. It’s possible that SurG may soon include a self defense plea for legislators who shoot opposition voters. They really do feel their lifestyle is being threatened if they lose their place at the trough.
Law makers know how to protect their prerogatives by freeing government force from public accountability and making it dependent only on legislator protections. The military now has authority to secretly detain citizens indefinitely without charges and in contravention to Constitutional protections. So far the Commander in Chief has not seen fit to exercise this authorization but another president has only to say go do-it before people begin to disappear into the darkness of an area 51 concentration camp.
In some states police activities are already protected from being publicly recorded. Even in states without such police protections, cops seize, even destroy, personal camera phones that may have captured questionable activities. Simple protests lead to arrest and imprisonment on false charges that are eventually dropped after the citizens spend days in jail being sufficiently intimidated. Unions are under government attacks, as terrorist organizations that threaten the wealthy’s ability to earn enough to buy legislation. Remember unions terrorized and brought down 19th century robber barons so they really do pose a significant threat to aspiring barons.
Governments now spend massive amounts of tax dollars telling the populace what to think and justifying even greater restrictions on liberties of the 99 percent.
It is probable that in the future new wave children will ask, “Grandpa, what was it like in the evil old days of democracy when any serf could question government?”
The founding fathers fully understood the principle that wealth rules, but neglected to include it in the Constitution. It has taken the Supreme Court well over 200 year to find just the right case to firmly establish wealth as the overriding principle of government. It is now official the rich can openly buy the legislation that serves their best interests.
No longer do millionaires, billionaires and trillion dollar corporations have to sneak down dark alleys to buy their legislation. They can finally come into the capitols and dump as much money as they want to insure that under their law they are fully protected from the proletarian concerns of the other 99 percent of the population.
It has been reported that, by percentage, this Congress is the richest in history, wonder how they made their fortunes? The Florida legislators apparently have their hands out for a share of new wealth as they are attempting major liability protections for businesses. They are also on a roll, expanding “Stand your ground (SurG)” legislation. It’s possible that SurG may soon include a self defense plea for legislators who shoot opposition voters. They really do feel their lifestyle is being threatened if they lose their place at the trough.
Law makers know how to protect their prerogatives by freeing government force from public accountability and making it dependent only on legislator protections. The military now has authority to secretly detain citizens indefinitely without charges and in contravention to Constitutional protections. So far the Commander in Chief has not seen fit to exercise this authorization but another president has only to say go do-it before people begin to disappear into the darkness of an area 51 concentration camp.
In some states police activities are already protected from being publicly recorded. Even in states without such police protections, cops seize, even destroy, personal camera phones that may have captured questionable activities. Simple protests lead to arrest and imprisonment on false charges that are eventually dropped after the citizens spend days in jail being sufficiently intimidated. Unions are under government attacks, as terrorist organizations that threaten the wealthy’s ability to earn enough to buy legislation. Remember unions terrorized and brought down 19th century robber barons so they really do pose a significant threat to aspiring barons.
Governments now spend massive amounts of tax dollars telling the populace what to think and justifying even greater restrictions on liberties of the 99 percent.
It is probable that in the future new wave children will ask, “Grandpa, what was it like in the evil old days of democracy when any serf could question government?”
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Put-ing 032614
Ancient cold warriors are finally coming in from the cold shouting, “The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming, we told you so.”
The issue is the Ukrainian ouster of a Russian puppet and its courtship of the European Union. Russian president Vladimir Putin seized an instability moment by “liberating”, “protecting” or “supporting” a carefully orchestrated Crimean independence movement.
When the western powers indignantly objected to Russia’s virtual re-annexation of the Crimea, Putin cried “hypocrisy.” Putin has a point; not that it makes his actions anymore palatable. When the Soviet Union began to implode in the late 20th Century a gleeful West was quick to embrace the splintering Soviet republics as independent democratic States. They were neither independent nor democratic and most are still neither.
In an era of instantaneous mass communication the Russians were subjected to decades of denigration by western politicians as the West pushed its influence eastward, ever closer to the Russian heartland. Freed from the moderating Soviet influence the West engaged in a series of interventions, from Eastern Europe, across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia that mostly ended in failures. These failures have led to continuing regional instability. Driven by both left and right politicians’ rhetoric aimed at domestic audiences along with the surrounding interventions and denigration angered the Russians. While condemned by the west, Putin’s actions are playing very well with his own domestic audience.
Unfortunately Ukraine and the Crimea are parts of the Russian historical spirit. The question is when does political history become irrelevant. Robert Kaplan calls events a return to geopolitics (the politics of geography). Russia seized Ukraine in the late 18th century and Ottoman Crimea in the late 19th century. Russians emigrated to both but the Ukrainians remained more or less politically on their own until brought under Soviet control in the early 20th century. Stalin’s purges suppressed independence interest and along with his ethnic cleansing of Crimean Tartars during the war, brought the region firmly under Soviet Control. When the NAZIs arrived in the Ukraine they were first seen as liberators but their heavy hand soon created an effective Ukraine resistance movement later crushed by Stalin in the post war era. After Stalin’s death surviving Tartars returned to find their homes occupied by Russians. Khrushchev handed the Crimea to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic, which declared independence upon the Soviet collapse.
For both East and West there are lessons to be learned in the Ukraine. Historical political justifications have limited validity in the 21st century. Local political rhetoric has far reaching impacts on international affairs. Free elections aren’t free in the presents of an occupying army. Military force is often counterproductive in the long term. In power politics win-win means you can’t lose, in Asian commerce it means both sides win (a fair deal.) International affairs can find the Asian model less costly with a little more time spent in open negotiations. Ideologues make poor negotiators. States have a place at the negotiation table deciding their fate.
The issue is the Ukrainian ouster of a Russian puppet and its courtship of the European Union. Russian president Vladimir Putin seized an instability moment by “liberating”, “protecting” or “supporting” a carefully orchestrated Crimean independence movement.
When the western powers indignantly objected to Russia’s virtual re-annexation of the Crimea, Putin cried “hypocrisy.” Putin has a point; not that it makes his actions anymore palatable. When the Soviet Union began to implode in the late 20th Century a gleeful West was quick to embrace the splintering Soviet republics as independent democratic States. They were neither independent nor democratic and most are still neither.
In an era of instantaneous mass communication the Russians were subjected to decades of denigration by western politicians as the West pushed its influence eastward, ever closer to the Russian heartland. Freed from the moderating Soviet influence the West engaged in a series of interventions, from Eastern Europe, across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia that mostly ended in failures. These failures have led to continuing regional instability. Driven by both left and right politicians’ rhetoric aimed at domestic audiences along with the surrounding interventions and denigration angered the Russians. While condemned by the west, Putin’s actions are playing very well with his own domestic audience.
Unfortunately Ukraine and the Crimea are parts of the Russian historical spirit. The question is when does political history become irrelevant. Robert Kaplan calls events a return to geopolitics (the politics of geography). Russia seized Ukraine in the late 18th century and Ottoman Crimea in the late 19th century. Russians emigrated to both but the Ukrainians remained more or less politically on their own until brought under Soviet control in the early 20th century. Stalin’s purges suppressed independence interest and along with his ethnic cleansing of Crimean Tartars during the war, brought the region firmly under Soviet Control. When the NAZIs arrived in the Ukraine they were first seen as liberators but their heavy hand soon created an effective Ukraine resistance movement later crushed by Stalin in the post war era. After Stalin’s death surviving Tartars returned to find their homes occupied by Russians. Khrushchev handed the Crimea to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic, which declared independence upon the Soviet collapse.
For both East and West there are lessons to be learned in the Ukraine. Historical political justifications have limited validity in the 21st century. Local political rhetoric has far reaching impacts on international affairs. Free elections aren’t free in the presents of an occupying army. Military force is often counterproductive in the long term. In power politics win-win means you can’t lose, in Asian commerce it means both sides win (a fair deal.) International affairs can find the Asian model less costly with a little more time spent in open negotiations. Ideologues make poor negotiators. States have a place at the negotiation table deciding their fate.
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