Category: Commerce

Posted on

John Robb: Occupy (Insert XYZ) – Capitalism’s Crisis

Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Government
John Robb

OCCUPY (Insert Your City Here): Protesting Capitalism's Crisis

Let me spool you up on what's going on with the Occupy movement.

It's an open source protest (there's lots about how open source protests and insurgencies work on this blog, in posts all the way back to 2004).  So, it's not like the protests you've seen in the past (just as the insurgency in Iraq was different than 20th Century insurgencies).

This protest is more like what we saw in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, etc.  You know, the protests that toppled governments.  The big difference between this protest and those protests is that it's not directed at governments.  It's aimed at companies.  Not just any companies, it's aimed at the banks that run/own the global economy.  The heart of the global Capitalist system.

Click on Image to Enlarge

So, why have governments suffered disintermediation (either consciously or subconsciously by these protestors)?  This protest is ignoring governments and standard political processes because:

  • governments are much weaker than the global economy (they are bankrupt, hollow shells of what they were at the end of the Cold War),
  • they are too ineffectual and/or corrupt to change anything even if they are coerced (see the US, Ireland and Greece for recent examples),
  • too little will change even if the government changes parties (see the US for how lame politics and politicians have become).

What Occupy is Really About

The real reason we are seeing this movement right  now is because

Capitalism, the last great ideological system, is in crisis.

This isn't merely a crisis of outcomes (economic depression, financial panic, etc.), it's a crisis of BELIEF.  While people generally believe in the idea of capitalism, a critical mass of people now think that the global capitalist system we currently have is so badly run, so corrupt, so terrible at delivering results that it needs either a) a complete overhaul or b) we need to build something new.

In short, in its tiny way, this protest may be the start of a reformation of the church of capitalism.

A splintering that may change everything….  For better or worse depending on how well you did in the old, corrupt system.

Posted on

Robert Steele: Trip Report – Occupy Wall Street 6 October 2011 – Second American Revolution is Real

11 Society, Blog Wisdom, Budgets & Funding, Civil Society, Commerce, Corporations, Corruption, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Hacking, InfoOps (IO), IO Deeds of Peace, IO Deeds of War, Methods & Process, Misinformation & Propaganda, Mobile, Money, Banks & Concentrated Wealth, Officers Call, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests, Secrecy & Politics of Secrecy, Strategy, Threats
Robert David STEELE Vivas

I visited New York City 6-7 October 2011.

First I met with Alexa O'Brien, one of the brilliant minds behind U.S. Day of Rage and its focus on Electoral Reform and non-violence as an absolute.  [My memo that Fox news still has not read is here.]

Although they are also focused on a Constitutional Convention, as Lawrence Lessig has been, I reiterated the point that Electoral Reform is the one thing that can be demanded today (no later than 6 November, one year prior to Election Day), with severe consequences for every elected person if Congress fails to pass Electoral Reform by President's Day (February 2012), to include recall or impeachment, and camp-outs at their offices and in public spaces near their homes through to Election Day 2012.

Photos and Additional Comments Below the Line

Continue reading “Robert Steele: Trip Report – Occupy Wall Street 6 October 2011 – Second American Revolution is Real”

Posted on

John Robb: The Pope of the Church of Capitalism / Capo of Government-Sanctioned Financial Terrorism

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 10 Transnational Crime, Blog Wisdom, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corruption, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Government, IO Deeds of War
John Robb

JOURNAL: The Pope of the Church of Capitalism

Let's step a bit outside of the day to day grind.  I spent a bit of time watching the Chairman of the Federal Reserve “scold” Congress.  This got my brain thinking a bit outside the box.  So I'll share with you my thoughts.

The Chairman of the Federal Reserve is part:

  • Religious figure.  The Pope of the Church of Capitalism.  The leader of the Church.  Final arbiter on the meaning of scripture (arcane economic indicators and economic papers).  Is trained in ancient mysteries (economics).   Has a council of Cardinals (the Fed board).  He also issues indulgences (bailouts and free loans) to banks that he likes.
  • Royalty.  A king of Capitalism.  Surrounded by the noble houses of Goldman, JP Morgan, US Bank, and Citibank.  Is trotted out to “stabilize” and “orient” government action.  Protector of the privileges of nobility (a national/perpetual first night).   Be-suited in the garb of royalty.  Sometimes (as above) deigns to speak to the assembly of commoners.
  • Ideologue.  General Secretary of the Capitalist Party.  When he speaks, the party faithful in the markets listen.   He ensures the purity of the ideology (Capitalism).  Fights to expand the party's influence around the world.  Has analysts devoted to watching/deciphering the actions of his Capitalist Politburo.
Click on Image to Enlarge

Phi Beta Iota:  More like the Capo of Government-Sanctioned Financial Terrorism.  The Federal Reserve is neither Federal nor a Reserve, but rather a front for the New York banks that are in turn a front for a tiny cabal of financial families that have the full protection (genuflection) of the two political parties that have destroyed democracy to achieve a velvet form of financial facsicm.  As the recent audit demonstrates, this organization is out of control.

See Also:

Owl: Financial Terrorism in USA Against USA by Wall Street and 400 Specifically Named Most Wealthy

Why Isn’t Wall Street in Jail? + US Fraud RECAP

Alessandro Politi: Need for Euro to Default As a Group, Nail the Banks and Restore Integrity of Global Economy (Full Text Online for Google Translate)

Posted on

Event: 6 Nov Washington DC Encircle the White House One Year Before Election Day – Oppose Tar Sands and Restore Public Power

03 Environmental Degradation, 05 Energy, 08 Wild Cards, 11 Society, Civil Society, Commerce, Corruption, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Earth Intelligence, Government, IO Deeds of Peace

Join us November 6th in Washington DC

On Sunday November 6 the Tar Sands Action will return to Washington DC to send an unmistakable message to the President.

Exactly one year before the election, we want to encircle the whole White House to ask President Obama to reject Keystone XL and live up to his promise to free us from the tyranny of oil. In doing so, we want to remind him of the power of the movement that he rode to the White House in 2008. This is bigger than any one person – President or no – and we will carry on, with or without him.

Learn more.

Phi Beta Iota:  November 6th is also a useful target date for demanding that Congress and the White House accept for action the public demand for Electoral Reform.

CORRUPTION is the common enemy, both in government and in the private sector.

ELECTORAL REFORM is the singular demand.

SUNSHINE CABINET is the method.

INTEGRITY is the core value.

COMMONWEALTH RESTORED is the outcome.

Posted on

John Steiner: Tar Sands Hearings Run by Contractor – Department of State Corrupt, EPA Barred from Engagement, Cheney Still Active

05 Energy, 08 Wild Cards, 12 Water, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corruption, Government
John Steiner

TransCanada Pipeline Foes See U.S. Bias in E-Mails

E-mails released Monday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the environmental group Friends of the Earth paint a picture of a sometimes warm and collaborative relationship between the lobbyist for the pipeline company, Trans-Canada, and officials in the State Department, the agency responsible for evaluating and approving the billion-dollar project.

Public disservice: Pipeline hearings run by Keystone XL contractor

In a stunning conflict of interest, public hearings on federal approval for a proposed tar-sands pipeline are being run by a contractor for the pipeline company itself. The U.S. Department of State's public hearings along the proposed route of the TransCanada Keystone XL tar-sands pipeline this week are under the purview of Cardno Entrix, a “professional environmental consulting company” that specializes in “permitting and compliance.”

Terry Stuart of Colorado Comments:

Continue reading “John Steiner: Tar Sands Hearings Run by Contractor – Department of State Corrupt, EPA Barred from Engagement, Cheney Still Active”

Posted on

Robert Steele on Russia TV: Occupy Wall Street, Electoral Reform, and Possible Need for a Nation-Wide General Strike to Force Matter by 4 July 2012

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 10 Transnational Crime, 11 Society, Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corruption, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Law Enforcement, Mobile, Movies
Robert David STEELE Vivas

The Russians over-hyped the headline, but otherwise did a superb job of cutting to the chase and presenting a short live (no edits) interview and a compelling transcript.

‘USA might face a potentially violent revolution’

Published: 04 October, 2011, 22:57

VIDEO 4:03 (Click on Image)

Fury over corporate power in the US is spreading from New York across the country. Thousands have joined the ‘Occupy Wall Street' movement, angered by the economic slump that may lead to a revolution in the country.

­Robert David Steele, political analyst and former intelligence officer, told RT the US right now is much more desperate than people realize.

“We have 22 per cent unemployment and on our way to 30 per cent. We are 16 per cent below the poverty line and on our way to 30 per cent. There is no question in my mind that this is going to be a very dark winter in the United States,” he stated. “Unless the government restores its own integrity and starts paying attention to the public interest rather than to the special interests, I believe that we will have a form of revolution, initially non-violent, but with the potential to become violent,” he added.

Despite the fact that “Occupy Wall Street” protesters have raised everything from lack of jobs to global warming, there is a common cause uniting the activists, Steele believes.

“These are not stupid people. They are very smart and they understand that at root this is about corruption in government and corruption on Wall Street,” he explained. “And until you have electoral reform, you cannot restore the integrity of US government. So there is a common cause, but it is voiced in many different ways,” he maintained.

The protest started out peacefully, but now it is the third week and more than 700 people have been arrested on Brooklyn Bridge. And according to Steele, the NYC police have on the one hand been very well-managed and on the other hand have gotten out of control at lower levels.

“My personal hope is that the general non-violent strike will be used to force the issue of electoral reform,” he concluded.

Core Proposed Program for Occupy Wall Street (Across the Nation):

CORRUPTION is the common enemy, both in government and in the private sector.

ELECTORAL REFORM is the singular demand.

SUNSHINE CABINET is the method.

INTEGRITY is the core value.

COMMONWEALTH RESTORED is the outcome.

See Also:

Seven Promises to America–Who Will Do This?

#Occupy #OccupyWallStreet Rolling Update + US Revolution RECAP

 

Posted on

John Robb: Occupy Wall Street – The Theory (An Open Source Insurgency By-Passing the US Government)

07 Other Atrocities, 10 Transnational Crime, Advanced Cyber/IO, Blog Wisdom, Civil Society, Commerce, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Mobile, Policies
John Robb

OCCUPY WALL STREET (the theory)

Really simple:

Occupy Wall Street is an open source protest.

This type of protest has been very effective over the last year in toppling regimes in north Africa. It's proving relatively successful in the US too.

Open source protest is an organizational technique. Probably the only organizational technique that can assemble a massive crowd in today's multiplexed environment. Essential rules of open source protest include:

  • A promise.  A simple goal/idea that nearly everyone can get behind.  Adbusters did pretty good with “occupy wall street.”  Why?  Nearly everyone hates the pervasive corruption of banks and Wall Street.  It's an easy target.
  • A plausible promise.  Prove that the promise can work.  They did.  They actually occupied Wall Street and set up camp.  They then got the message out.
  • A big tent and an open invitation.  It doesn't matter what your reason for protesting is as long as you hate/dislike Wall Street.  The big tent is already in place (notice the diversity of the signage).  Saw something similar from the Tea Party before it was mainstreamed/diminished.
  • Let everyone innovate.  Don't create a leadership group.  The general assembly approach appears to work.
  • Support anyone in a leadership role that either a) grows the movement or b) advances the movement closer to its goal.  Oppose (ignore) anybody that proposes a larger, more complex agenda or those that claim ownership over the movement.
  • If a new technique works, document it, use it again, and share it with everyone else.  Copy everything that works.
  • Spread the word of the movement as widely as possible.

That's the gist of it.

What's the real goal of this protest? Frankly, it's probably a recognition that the center of power in the US doesn't reside in Washington anymore. It's on Wall Street. This protest dispenses with the middle men (the US government) and goes straight after the real power.

My guess is that the Adbuster team that launched this open source protest felt that an October financial meltdown was possible, hence the September start-date. If the meltdown does occur, this movement is going to go global, just at the moment when the banks are going to be at their most vulnerable. Regardless, this effort is going to set the groundwork for a fast launch in the future when the next financial meltdown occurs.

What's the big picture? Global guerrillas are getting better at building open source protests. We are going to see more and they are likely to become a prominent feature of the geopolitical landscape. It will also be interesting to see if open source protests could end up taking down a Too Big To Fail bank (i.e. Goldman) or a US President in the next 5 years. That would be very cool to see.

Phi Beta Iota:  Goldman Sachs could be destroyed by liquidation in the face of government claims starting with Greece.  All evidence points to the high likelihood that Goldman Sachs as an institution, and its partner-owners, will be bankrupted by legitimate documented claims.  What the OccupyWallStreet movement can do is bring down the two-party tyranny and restore integrity to the US electoral system.  As we have been saying for some time, there is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed quickly by restoring the integrity of the electoral system, and hence of the government.  This is what we see when we look at Day of Rage and OccupyWallStreet:

CORRUPTION is the common enemy, both in government and in the private sector.

ELECTORAL REFORM is the singular demand.

SUNSHINE CABINET is the method.

INTEGRITY is the core value.

COMMONWEALTH RESTORED is the outcome.

noble gold