February 2012 – Page 7 – Public Intelligence Blog

PRINTABLE DOC (3 Pages): Review Peters Cain at Gettysburg

Ralph Peters

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Blend of Rigorous & Populist History,February 24, 2012

I have read The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War (Modern Library), which the author himself acknowledges as one of the best books about Gettysburg – but also one that bought into the prevalent myths. This book is the equal of Killer Angels in its atmospheric electricity, certainly the equal if not more moving with respect to “aha” professional insights and “feeling in the fingertips” gut-wrenchers (I counted six goose-bump moments reading Cain, I recall only one in reading Killer Angels), and vastly more important than Killer Angels in the grand scheme of things because this author and this book have restored the reputation of General George Meade at his finest hour – given the Army THREE DAYS before Gettysburg, and leading that Army to the single most important victory of the Civil War, however one may view that war while also instantly assessing and correcting the mistakes of his predecessor, the most important being a scattered leaderless army.

This is a book written by a professional military officer who is also a historian, a brilliant and often poetic author of both non-fiction and historical fiction better than dry academic texts, and an adventurer who knows the world from gutter to grand salons.

The book concludes with a very clear explanation of how General Meade's reputation was ruined by a scheming General Sickles, and how some of the main characters fared after the war of secession. More to the point, this is the definitive book that rescues the reputation of General Meade. While there are many other books, one in particular being Meade: Victor of Gettysburg (Military Profiles), no other book can match the eloquence, authenticity, and level of detail of this ultra-historical and poetic work of redemption.

Here are some of the professional highlights that I noted down – I do not report the goose bump moments–for those, buy the book.

Continue reading “Review: Cain at Gettysburg – Ralph Peters at his best”

2012/02/24

Tom Atlee: Rebecca Solnit on Mad, Passionate Love — and Violence — Occupy Heads into the Spring

Uncategorized

Dear friends,

Rebecca Solnit has written a great article on Occupy, relationships, differences, violence, and a lot more. A potent, passionate framing for our times, worth a full, reflective read. Note that the original is full of juicy links.

Coheartedly,
Tom

========

Mad, Passionate Love — and Violence: Occupy Heads into the Spring

by Rebecca Solnit

Common Dreams, 24 February 2012

When you fall in love, it’s all about what you have in common, and you can hardly imagine that there are differences, let alone that you will quarrel over them, or weep about them, or be torn apart by them — or if all goes well, struggle, learn, and bond more strongly because of, rather than despite, them. The Occupy movement had its glorious honeymoon when old and young, liberal and radical, comfortable and desperate, homeless and tenured all found that what they had in common was so compelling the differences hardly seemed to matter.

Until they did.

Continue reading “Tom Atlee: Rebecca Solnit on Mad, Passionate Love — and Violence — Occupy Heads into the Spring”

2012/02/242012/02/24

Review: Derision Points – Clown Prince Bush the W, the Real Story of His “Decision Points”

5 Star, America (Founders, Current Situation), Biography & Memoirs, Crime (Corporate), Crime (Government), Culture, Research, Democracy, Executive (Partisan Failure, Reform)

Ted Cohen

5.0 out of 5 stars Work of genius, superb detail, ignore the critics,February 24, 2012

This is a fast read, but it is truly scary, for anyone who has actually paid attention and read such strong non-fiction books as The Bush Tragedy. Not only does this book provide searing, gripping “reality” but as we fast-forward to understanding how a nothing like “W” could get to the White House and unleash Dick Cheney (see for instance Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency), it helps to put the well-intentioned village-idiot president in context.

It is clear to me that the Bush Family is a crime family (see for instance Family of Secrets: The Bush Dynasty, the Powerful Forces That Put It in the White House, and What Their Influence Means for America, that W was a Walker, not a Bush, that he was abused his entire life and naturally became an abuser himself. What this book drives home is that our political institutions have hit bottom.

The author has a claim to credibility in writing this book. Others may not like it, but it reeks of the truth and in my view is a useful depiction of the reality that is now known as “W.”

Other books I recommend:
George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography
The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office
Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy
Fraud: The Strategy Behind the Bush Lies and Why the Media Didn't Tell You
A Pretext for War: 9/11, Iraq, and the Abuse of America's Intelligence Agencies
The Mafia, CIA and George Bush

It makes me sick to my stomach to be reminded of how decrepit our political process has become. This is an educational down-to-earth book, and as much as it pained me to read it, it also strengthens my commitment to helping reform our process. There isn't a citizen out there who could not have been a better president solely armed with integrity — “W” was possible because we have all lost our integrity and let the while collar upper class crime families rock on. IMHO.

AA Mind the Gap — Vote and/or Comment on Review

2012/02/242012/02/24

Jon Lebkowsky: Six Big Science Stories Going Forward

03 Economy, 04 Education, Academia, Advanced Cyber/IO, Blog Wisdom, Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, Ethics, Hacking

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” (AC Clarke)

My pal David Pescovitz at the Institute for the Future blogged recently about the IFTF “Multiverse of Exploration Map,” an overview of the six big stories of science that will play out over the next decade:

Decrypting the Brain,
Hacking Space,
Massively Multiplayer Data,
Sea the Future
Strange Matter, and
Engineered Evolution.

“Those stories are emerging from a new ecology of science shifting toward openness, collaboration, reuse, and increased citizen engagement in scientific research.” A followup post includes a video of Luigi Anzivino from The Exploratorium talking about the relationship of magic and neuroscience.

Paul Fernhout: Open Letter to the Intelligence Advanced Programs Research Agency (IARPA)

2012/02/24

NIGHTWATCH: US “Diplomats” Out of Touch with Syria

02 Diplomacy, 08 Wild Cards, IO Impotency

Syria: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the opposition Syrian National Council is emerging as an alternative to the Bashar al-Asad regime and that the consensus among Arab League and other nations is that the group is a credible representative.

Comment: Lacking a territory that it can defend, the opposition remains inchoate, not unified and different from city to city.That diversity probably saves it from total destruction.

It is a stretch to describe any outside political group as a credible representative of an opposition that lacks any identifiable structure or organization inside Syria and shows no loyalty to the Syrian politicians outside the country. The Western and Arab diplomacy looks disconnected from and irrelevant to what is happening in Syria.

NIGHTWATCH KGS Home

See Also: NIGHTWATCH Prior Syria Postings

2012/02/232012/02/24

Reference: CJCS (USA) on Profession of Arms = Trust [Twilight Zone at the Top]

DoD

CJCS Profession of Arms PDF 6 Pages

Phi Beta Iota: There is zero connection between this white paper and the real world. As much as the Chairman may wish to talk about trust, the fact is that there is no trust. Trust for a flag is like virginity for a courtesan. After fifty years of screwing the troops [and the public!], there is no going back.

2012/02/232012/02/23

Mike Harris: The Death of MERS [Mortgage Exchange]

Uncategorized

The Death of MERS*

Mike Harris

VeteransToday, 22 February 2012

At long last, it appears that the USA is still a country of laws and not a country of big banks and corporations.

A New York Federal Bankruptcy Judge named Grossman has finally ruled that the illegal scheme called MERS, that has defrauded both homeowners and large investors is nothing more than a scheme developed by bankers and mortgage brokers to also bilk the county recorders out of the fees due at title transfer.

MERS is the method the bankers preferred to quickly and illegally to evict millions of homeowners from their homes. In the process MERS allowed the Banks to separate the note from the security. This allowed the securitization and bundling of millions of home loans into trade able securities. The only problem is that the MERS process destroyed the chain of title. Now 50% of the real estate in the USA does not have a clear title to determine who actually owns the real estate and who owns the note. The net result is the notes for the home loans are worthless paper.

The Banks no longer have legal standing to evict any one from their home. That is the good news, the bad news is that no one now can prove they have a clear title. So who owns these homes and other real estate?? That is still unclear.

Read full article. Complete copy of Court finding at end.

*MERS – Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems