Michael Ostrolenk: Across the USA Call to End Militarism

04 Inter-State Conflict, 07 Other Atrocities, 10 Security, 11 Society, Advanced Cyber/IO, Civil Society, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Military, Officers Call, Peace Intelligence
Michael Ostrolenk Recommends...

Americans from Across the Political Spectrum Call for End to U.S. Militarism

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 5th 2011

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Kevin B. Zeese
KBZeese at Gmail.com, 518-543-6920

Americans from Across the Political Spectrum Call for End to U.S. Militarism

Washington, DC: Putting aside political differences on other issues, Americans from across the political spectrum have sent a letter to the president and congress urging an end to U.S. militarism. The letter, spearheaded by Come Home America, cites a combination of events that present a “historic opportunity to redirect U.S. foreign policy down the pathways of peace, liberty, justice, respect for community, obedience to the rule of law and fiscal responsibility.” The full letter with all signers can be seen at www.ComeHomeAmerica.US.

Read full release…

Tom Atlee: Global Interdependence Movements Et Al

Advanced Cyber/IO, Blog Wisdom, Collective Intelligence, Communities of Practice, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Ethics, Gift Intelligence, Peace Intelligence
Tom Atlee

GLOBAL INTERDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTS, DECLARATIONS AND DAYS

by Tom Atlee

It is so good to celebrate INdependence Days in the United States and the many other countries that have successfully gained and defended their independence from colonial rule.

For countries as well as individuals, independence is a dramatic move from dependence into a more self-defined, self-created life.

The next developmental step takes us into greater INTERdependence – bringing ourselves into increasingly mutual, peer, give-and-take relationships with others.

Continue reading “Tom Atlee: Global Interdependence Movements Et Al”

Howard Rheingold: Cooperation Theory

Advanced Cyber/IO, Articles & Chapters, Book Lists, Briefings (Core), Communities of Practice, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Gift Intelligence, Peace Intelligence, Policies
Howard Rheingold

Introduction to Cooperation Theory

A six week course using asynchronous forums, blogs, wikis, mindmaps, social bookmarks, synchronous audio, video, chat, and Twitter to introduce the fundamentals of an interdisciplinary study of cooperation: social dilemmas, institutions for collective action, the commons, evolution of cooperation, technologies of cooperation, and cooperative arrangements in biology from cells to ecosystems.

If you are interested in signing up, contact howard@rheingold.com

Learning objectives

About this course: Expect participative and collaborative learning

Schedule

Missions

Below the line: synopsis of course with many open links.

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Ron Paul: From Fringe to Center Court

11 Society, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics
Ron Paul on the Web

QUOTE: “Remember, the media did its worst against Ronald Reagan in 1980, calling him a racist and a warmonger and he eventually prevailed. His cause was to save America from totalitarian communism. Our cause is to save it from ourselves.”

Ron Paul: US Should Declare Bankruptcy

Marijuana bill officially introduced to Congress by Ron Paul, Barney Frank

Ron Paul: Obama Violated War Powers Resolution

Ron Paul’s Surprisingly Lucid Solution to the Debt Ceiling Impasse

Google News Quotes from Ron Paul

Pakistan Plays & Attacks US with US Money….

07 Other Atrocities, 10 Security, 11 Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Intelligence (government), IO Impotency, Military
Who, Me?

India is the source, but this passes the smell test.

Ex-militant bares Pak army lies, gameplan

CARLOTTA GALL

Indian Express, 5 July 2011

Pakistan’s military continues to nurture a broad range of militant groups as part of a three-decade strategy of using proxies against its neighbours and US forces in Afghanistan, a prominent former militant commander said.

Full article….

Phi Beta Iota: The details are compelling.  What this really means is that the CIA and the Department of Defense are either incredibly ignorant of Pakistani plans and intentions, or remarkably cavalier and corrupt.  What appears clear is that this is a sucking chest wound in US “intelligence” and national “defense” going back thirty years and multiple generations of so-called leaders who have no  real grasp of reality in Pakistan.

Angst from Afghanistan: A Grunt’s Statement

10 Security, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Military, Officers Call, Peace Intelligence
DefDog Recommends....

From a brave but frustrated front-line infantry leader.    Shades of SLA Marshall!

as the Army stands down from conflict life will get very dull……

Yeah I am dreading that and honestly I LOVE the Army. It's always the politics. Just like the article I read on MSNBC talking about the new strategy is to do “surgical strikes”. One of my favorite quotes ever is “Bombing from a B-52 is very effective. The bombs always hit the ground.”  I just think it is funny when you blow up a mud hut in some shit hole country people think it makes a difference. It doesn't and at the end of a week the mud hut is back and it's back to whatever it was doing before it
was destroyed. Bombardment denies enemy the terrain only as long as stuff is exploding. Once the explosions stop anybody can walk through there.  That is why nothing has ever beat the infantryman. It's why the Infantry has been around since the dawn of armies.

People are complaining about the cost of the wars and here again it's Politics. Congressman and Senators
and the general public forcing equipment training and standards onto the military that is may not necessarily need or want. We have cooks in the army we don't need the KBR chow-halls. I have two good legs and feet I
don't need a truck most of the time. I definitely don't want these MRAP's that I am being FORCED to use. Give me a soft skin Humvee a mission, beans and bullets and look see what I can do. Body armor, armored vehicles and these chu's while yes they are nice they aren't necessary. Somewhere though somebody thought it should be the rule and not the exception and here we are trillions of dollars later and for what. I don't really blame
army leadership as much as politics. I don't mean politicians either although they are the cause of a lot of this pain. Family and friends back home, bystanders and people who think their opinion should matter are
complaining that people are dying in Humvee's and we need something better. Hence the MRAP. People wanna know why the military doesn't have body armor and hell cops do. Cops don't carry near the gear and ride
around on motorcycles or in cars. Take away some of my crap and let me walk, I won't get blown up as much cause I am not walking on  a road, I will be able to think clearer because I am not so miserable and let me
kill the bad guys so I feel there is a purpose. To the victor goes the spoils, but since when is the spoils of war rebuilding the losers country then leaving it???

Phi Beta Iota: DefDog refers to Review (Guest): The Soldier’s Load and the Mobility of a Nation.  The USA does not have light infantry.  As MajGen Bob Scales has observed, we spend 1% of the budget on the 4% of the force that takes 80% of the casualties.

See Also:

New Army Chief of Staff: Out of Touch? NEW: Blistering Bullshit Flag Waved from Afghanistan

Review (Guest): On Infantry

Review: Phantom Soldier–The Enemy’s Answer to U.S. Firepower

Review: War is a Racket–The Antiwar Classic by America’s Most Decorated Soldier

noble gold