The truth at any cost lowers all other costs — curated by former US spy Robert David Steele.
“Nothing” is the most common response.
Do nothing until you do know the answer. Study and practice and wait for approval and then do something.
Which is fine (for a surgeon) but what happens most of the time? Most of the time there's something that needs to be done where the answer is unknowable until you do it…
That's what we're waiting for you to do.
Increasingly these days, I am getting thoughtful emails from people who really do want to fix this country rather than leverage ignorance for selfish gain. Here is the YouTube that helped start the conversation:
YouTube (5: 51) Robert Steele OWS Electoral Reform Proposal
Below is a fine email with questions, and my answers. This is a good time for every citizen to be reflecting on INTEGRITY and what this means to how they should act in the near and mid-term. St.
On Sun, Nov 6, 2011 at 5:19 AM, Adam Dorwart <redacted> wrote:
Hello Robert,
First let me introduce myself. My name is Adam Dorwart and I'm a politically active college student in southern California. I'm a Redditor and supporter of OWS. I recently came across your Election Reform Act of 2012 and have felt a strong impulse to spread its message as it deeply resonates with what I feel will fix our broken political system. In two days time I will be giving a speech at my college on Election Reform and I have a couple questions and comments for you related to your Act and problems our society faces.
What do you believe are the largest political issues that we currently face as a society relating to elections and voting?
Continue reading “Robert Steele: Open Answers to Adam Dorwart”
The Small Wars Journal Blog has a post previewing a new book by Andrew Mackay and Steve Tatham. Behavioural Conflict: Why Understanding People and Their Motives Will Prove Decisive in Future Conflict considers how the West's Post Cold War conflicts have been fought amongst people rather than between armies. From publisher's description:
“These people, amongst others, have been Mendes, Kissis and Konos (and the 13 other tribes of Sierra Leone), they have been Serbo-Croats, Bosnians, Kosovars, Albanians, Unizzahs, al-Ribads, al-Zobaids, Kurds, al-Montifig (and the other tribal groups of the nearly 40 that make up Iraq), Pashtuns, Hazaras, Uzbecks (and the other 6 ethnic groupings that make up Afghanistan's rich tapestry of population), they have been Sunni, Shia, Orthodox, Agnostic, Christian, Catholic; they have been farmers, politicians, police, administrators, businessmen, narco khans, war lords, men, women and children. In fact you can divide them in any one of a hundred or so different ways but the only certainty is that all of these groups and people will exhibit behaviour, that may appear utterly irrational but for better or worse will have profound effects upon the manner in which military missions are conducted.”
The book is based on a paper written in 2009 for the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. The tale of the lone Afghan farmer sowing seeds in a field near the Kajaki Dam should be a warning to those from the developed world who underestimate the intelligence of people just because they don't speak English or have grown up without electricity and running water.
This book will have utility for anyone working in military, peacekeeping, policing or any other other cross cultural situation.
Signature strikes target groups of men believed to be militants associated with terrorist groups, but whose identities aren't always known. The bulk of CIA's drone strikes are signature strikes. Wall Street Journal.
Drones are changing the dynamics of warfare in very scary ways. They make oppression much easier (and cost-effective).
To recap: Drones are extremely cost effective vs. ground/air assets (particularly in that with drones, operators aren't put at risk). They also enable extremely centralized command and control (as in: operations can be micro-manged in Washington, down to the decision to kill). In sum, a small number of people in Washington DC can control/operate a vast 24×7 killing field for very few $$.
Here's how they are changing warfare:
What's Next?
It's a pretty slippery slope from here. The simple answer is that US practice we see at work in Pakistan will eventually become common place in Mexico, Central America, and Northern Africa. However, the more interesting answer is how it gets applied to US internal security when the US/global economy crumps into depression, the US government goes bankrupt, and the current system loses much of its remaining legitimacy. In that scenario:
