December 2009 – Page 28 – Public Intelligence Blog

2009/12/10

Review: Give Me Liberty–A Handbook for American Revolutionaries

5 Star, America (Anti-America), America (Founders, Current Situation), Censorship & Denial of Access, Consciousness & Social IQ, Corruption, Crime (Government), Culture, Research, Democracy, Electoral Reform USA, Justice (Failure, Reform), Philosophy, Politics, Power (Pathologies & Utilization)

Major Contribution to Loyal Dissent & True Patriotism

December 10, 2009

The book comes in three parts, the first two by the author, the third a collection of well-chosen pieces by others.

I am totally engaged by the idea that liberty is a state of mind, that America the Beautiful is a state of mind, not to be confused with the Wall Street greed and two-party tyranny that is killing the Republic.

The author has done a moderately good job of reviewing the history, and that which she shares is most valuable. I especially like her quoting Robert F. Kennedy on how each generation must win its own struggle to be free, and later in the book, she cites one of the thousands across the country as observing that we have abdicated our citizenship.

The state of mind theme is carried on in a discussion of the difference between a free society and a fear society, and throughout parts I and II we see documented evidence of how America has become a fear society and how the Global War on Terror (GWOT) has been a virtual seizure of power by quasi-fascist mind-sets who may have the best of intentions but in fact have executed a “paper coup” or as the author also puts it, following a long (LONG) summary of restrictions on everything from permits for free speech to travel to voting rules and regulations, “civic death by a thousand cuts.”

2009/12/10

CENTCOM Week in Review Ending 10 Dec 09

Uncategorized

Hot Topics

AA: Beirut must stand up to Riyadh 12/06/09

AA: Iran's Vision of Saudi Arabia 12/09/09

AA: Israel, Lebanon, and the Middle East conflict 12/04/09

AA: Killing bin Laden key to Al-Qaeda defeat: mcchrystal 12/09/09

AA: UK accused of rendition over men arrested in Iraq 12/07/09

AE: Full support for UAE nuclear programme 10/10/09

AF: Adm Mike Mullen: US is losing war in Afghanistan 12/08/09

AF: US Occupation Forces Kill 15 Civilians in Afghanistan 12/08/09

EG: Egypt: Brotherhood feels wrath of state; leaders arrested 12/07/09

IR: Iran: Security forces condemned for protest crackdown 12/08/09

JO: Czech troops could spend half year clearing mines in Jordan 12/08/09

LB: Hariri, Jumblatt say their alliance remains strong 12/06/09

PK: Detained Americans in Pakistan for “Jihad”: Officials Tell CBS that FBI has Met 5 Men from D.C. Area with Possible Links to Pakistani Militants 12/10/09

YE: Yemen teeters on brink of failure 12/06/09

Below the Fold: Instability, Special Operations, Security Forces, Foreign Affairs, Crime

Continue reading “CENTCOM Week in Review Ending 10 Dec 09”

2009/12/102009/12/10

Journal: ClimateGate Carbon Trade Fraud

Earth Intelligence

Has anyone seen this man?

Obama, Maurice Strong, Al Gore key players cashing in on Chicago Climate Exchange

The Multi-Billion Trade in Carbon Derivatives, Copenhagen's Hidden Agenda

As I have previously shown, speculative derivatives (especially credit default swaps) are a primary cause of the economic crisis. And I have pointed out that (1) the giant banks will make a killing on carbon trading, (2) while the leading scientist crusading against global warming says it won't work, and (3) there is a very high probability of massive fraud and insider trading in the carbon trading markets. Now, Bloomberg notes that the carbon trading scheme will be centered around derivatives…

Copenhagen climate summit: Carbon trading fraudsters in Europe pocket €5bn

Carbon trading fraudsters may have accounted for up to 90pc of all market activity in some European countries, with criminals pocketing an estimated €5bn (£4.5bn) mainly in Britain, France, Spain, Denmark and Holland, according to Europol, the European law enforcement agency.

Continue reading “Journal: ClimateGate Carbon Trade Fraud”

2009/12/102009/12/10

Event: 11 Dec 09 DC Bob Woodward & John Koehler at Association for Intelligence Officers (AFIO)

Uncategorized

AFTERNOON: Bob WoodwardAssistant Managing Editor for Investigative News, Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist, Author of Bush at War and Maestro: Greenspan’s Fed And The American Boom among other publications.

EDIT of 9 Dec 09: AFIO has updated its notice to say that Woodward is working on a new book focused on intelligence.

MORNING: John Koehler, a journalist for nearly 40 years. Koehler is a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer specializing in counter-espionage and intelligence collection, and served as an advisor to President Reagan

Crowne Plaza Hotel Tysons Corner, VA Register securely online HERE.

2009/12/102009/12/10

Journal: Weak Signals–US Dirty Drinking Water

Uncategorized

Full Story Online

Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show

More than 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data.

Phi Beta Iota: We alerted on this August 21, 2007 with our review of The Blue Death–Disease, Disaster, and the Water We Drink. America has many other problems, below are just a few titles, all persist for lack of a Strategic Analytic Model able to help Congress and the White House harmonize policies intelligently.

2009/12/102009/12/12

Journal: ClimateGate Search for the Thoughttful

Earth Intelligence

Full Story Online

The COP15 problem is not climate change skepticism, it is anti nuclear fanaticism

Paradoxically, the AGW skeptics are not the most serious enemies of AGW mitigation. The eco-extremests are. If AGW skeptics are basically in denial about AGW, they are not in denial about the essential role of nuclear power in a future of energy. Many AGW skeptics harbor rational doubts about the use of renewables in future energy schemes. The Green mainstream remains incapable of anything but a dogmatic hostility toward nuclear power. This anti-nuclear attitude, leads anti-nuclear environmentalists to hugely exaggerate the liabilities of nuclear power as well as engage in self-deceptive denials of the liabilities of renewable generation systems.

Houston Chronicle Full Story Online

No denying: In resolving questions about global-warming research, let’s follow the science

We can identify at least two areas where clear answers are required:

• • The methodology. If there was a demonstrable effort made by CRU scientists or others to change data to guide it toward a preferred result, this should be identified and condemned by the scientific community. A consensus built around faulty data is as useless as one built around the premise that water freezes at 50 degrees Fahrenheit rather than 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The scientifically observable facts will not change to accommodate a faulty consensus.

• • The claims that peer review boards have been set up to deliberately exclude climate change skeptics must be answered. The strength of the scientific method rests on full faith in peer review. It must not be rigged.

2009/12/10

Worth a Look: Born to Be Good–Human Compassion

4 Star, Consciousness & Social IQ, Cultural Intelligence

Scientific American Interview with Author

Forget Survival of the Fittest: It Is Kindness That Counts

A psychologist probes how altruism, Darwinism and neurobiology mean that we can succeed by not being cutthroat.

Dacher Keltner, director of the Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory, investigates these questions from multiple angles, and often generates results that are both surprising and challenging. In his new book, Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, Keltner weaves together scientific findings with personal narrative to uncover the innate power of human emotion to connect people with each other, which he argues is the path to living the good life. Keltner was kind enough to take some time out to discuss altruism, Darwinism, neurobiology and practical applications of his findings with David DiSalvo.

Top Amazon Review (Three Stars)

Born to Be Good is something less than the subtitle (The Science of a Meaningful Life) suggests. More accurately, it covers the science of certain selected emotions and, more narrowly still, primarily the research of certain psychologists, bolstered by a bit of neuroscience. Most specifically, it focuses in large part (although not exclusively) on the work of Paul Ekman (the author's mentor) and the research of Keltner himself (along with his students).

Five Star Review

Darwin himself observed that sympathetic communities are more likely to produce healthier offspring than cruel ones. Human history shows that compassion always pulls through in times of war. And new studies of our body's physiology show that caretaking emotions are wired within our nervous systems.

Emotion has often been downplayed, restrained, indeed even belittled, in comparison to intellect. We must suppress emotion and let intellect roam free if we are to discover new things, solve life's riddles, and survive in an increasingly competitive and academic business world. Excitement, it is said, kills. Although true and essential when, say, doing a heart bypass, maneuvering a crippled jetliner into safe landing, or simply driving down the highway, we should not forget that — as the book so plainly states — had it not been for our emotions, we as a species might not be here today.