Category: Civil Society

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Berto Jongman: Cryptography Is Rightful Privacy

Advanced Cyber/IO, Civil Society, Ethics
Berto Jongman
Berto Jongman

Yes, Isis exploits technology. But that’s no reason to compromise our privacy

GCHQ’s new chief would do well to remember that sending encrypted emails doesn’t make you a criminal

EXTRACT

So if Mr Hannigan really wants to have a “mature” debate about this stuff, a good place to start would be with an assurance that citizens who use these tools simply to ensure that their private, lawful communications remain private will not be targeted for surveillance by his new subordinates. In an insecure world, cryptography is a tool for everyone.

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Berto Jongman: It’s Official — US an Oligarchy Controlled by 42 People

01 Poverty, 03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 10 Transnational Crime, 11 Society, Civil Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government
Berto Jongman
Berto Jongman

Six related headlines.

Princeton Study: U.S. No Longer An Actual Democracy (TalkingPointsMemo)

Using data drawn from over 1,800 different policy initiatives from 1981 to 2002, the two conclude that rich, well-connected individuals on the political scene now steer the direction of the country, regardless of or even against the will of the majority of voters.

Russia Declares US An Oligarchy, Warns Constitutional Republic Is Dead (WhatDoesItMean)

What this past week’s US election shows, however, the MoFA in this report says, are that all of the Republican and Democratic Party candidates for office (Federal and State) were funded by just forty-two people who were responsible for nearly a third of Super PAC monies raised, and only 666,773 wealthy individuals out of a nation having a population of over 319 million.

Continue reading “Berto Jongman: It's Official — US an Oligarchy Controlled by 42 People”

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Stefan Molyneux: Bitcoin vs. Political Power – The Cryptocurrency Revolution — To Limit Money Is To Limit Political Power!

Civil Society, Commerce, Corruption, Ethics, Government

When governments can print money,
they do not have to ask the people to make choices.

Tip of the Hat to Tom Miller of Unlimited You Education.

Phi Beta Iota: The Automated Payment Transaction (APT) Tax that remains central to Robert Steele's vision for an honest balanced government in the USA, is an alternative to BitCoin. The APT tax rate is set by national, state, and local ballot. This means that the government must have a balanced budget and bottom line need that is validated by the people, and it also means that the government cannot fund wars, bank bail-outs, and other atrocities without first getting the public to agree to raise the rate.

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SchwartzReport: Communities Booting Big Money Out of Politics

Civil Society, Ethics, Government
Stephan A. Schwartz
Stephan A. Schwartz

With the corruption and gridlock of the Congress and the compromising of the Judiciary the functional domain remaining is local. At this point no one can have any doubt about the pernicious impact of Citizens United, and what has followed. But it is a measure of the level of corruption that this is only superficially  discussed in most media. However,  as this report describes at the local level where life is actually lived, we are beginning to see healthy pushback.

‘We will only get louder’: Dozens of communities vote to boot big money from politics

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Patrick Meier: Social Media Hashtag Standards

Advanced Cyber/IO, Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, IO Impotency, Non-Governmental
Patrick Meier
Patrick Meier

Establishing Social Media Hashtag Standards for Disaster Response

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has just published an important, must-read report on the use of social media for disaster response. As noted by OCHA, this document was inspired by conversations with my team and I at QCRI. We jointly recognize that innovation in humanitarian technology is not enough. What is needed—and often lacking—is innovation in policymaking. Only then can humanitarian technology have widespread impact. This new think piece by OCHA seeks to catalyze enlightened policymaking.

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SchwartzReport: Is the Pope Catholic? Will the Pope be Assassinated? Which Pope and Why?

Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence
Stephan A. Schwartz
Stephan A. Schwartz

I have been waiting for this, the pushback from the conservatives within the Roman Church, whose views and power is threatened by this new pope. I just hope something doesn't “happen” to Francis.

Is the Pope Catholic? Critics Rally Around Benedict As Talk of Schism Looms

Conservative Catholics, angry at Pope Francis’s more moderate tone, are bucking the Church’s hierarchy.

Continue reading “SchwartzReport: Is the Pope Catholic? Will the Pope be Assassinated? Which Pope and Why?”