Here are a few of the BIG lies used to support the status quo. What we need, rather urgently, is a counter-narrative
LIE 1. The earth is an open system with infinite supplies and sinks;
POSSIBLE TRUTH: Earth is a closed system, changes that used to take 10,000 years now take three, humanity is “peaking” the entire system.
LIE 2. Everything must be monetized;
POSSIBLE TRUTH: Money is an exchange unit and an information unit; in the absence of holistic analytics and “true cost” transparency, mony is actually a toxic means of concentrating wealth and depriving communities of their own resources (e.g. land).
LIE 3. The extreme unregulated free market is the only option for a modern economy;
POSSIBLE TRUTH: Information asymmetries and “rule by secrecy” have been clearly documented–the free market is neither free nor fair. A modern economy needs to be transparent, resilient, and hence rooted in the local.
From a senior engineer of Iranian descent often in Iran:
The view from within Iran is that, “help us get rid of this regime”, people are even willing to welcome an all out air assault if it ends up with an eventual regime change , move to secularize, and early stages of democracy.
I do not see an attack on Iran in the coming year. However if there is ever a good time to attack the regime with air strikes this is it. The removal of the subsidies by the government every day common goods which accrued about 3 months ago which has now resulted in a major price increase on common good is just hitting the average poke book.
The utilities have gone up over %50 and in some cases more than doubled.
The number of factories closing down and the businesses going out of business which results in major layoffs is on the rise. The oil exports are decreasing and more oil wells are being shut down due to technical problems.
The majority of people have lost hope of meaningful reform.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center indicates that 10 years after the September 11 attacks, support for Islamic fundamentalism is growing within the Muslim world and that U.S. efforts to produce an ideological counterproposal to Islamic terrorism have fallen short.
Statistics released May 17 reveal, for example, that 47 percent of
Pakistan's 187 million people “sympathize” with Islamic fundamentalism and 4 percent believe that suicide bombing is sometimes justified. In Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan, the statistics show that 31 percent, 24 percent, and 36 percent respectively also support Islamist radicals who are the main force behind today's dominant terrorist groups such as Al Qaida, Hamas and
Hizbullah.
Second, the plaintiff. Fiona Havlish. She was also the lead in the 2002 filing against Bin Laden et al, but in that case the current lawyer was second on a long list of firms that participated. She was a prime force behind a class action lawsuit seeking $100 billion in compensation. Her husband died in the South Tower, not in Pennsylvania. The timing of this, post Bin Laden Show, is suspect.
Third, the defectors. Three of them A proper investigation will surely find that they have been in close consultation with the Iranian Liberation nut-jobs that are being encouraged by State, DoD, and CIA to play with public perceptions. There is no way these three can withstand scrutiny, and we hope that Iran chooses to confront these almost certain lies in some public manner. Remember Chalabi & CURVEBALL?
America can be a superpower or a welfare state, but not both.
Phi Beta Iota Sidenote: BOTH of the above “choices” are corruption incarnate. The correct choice was articulated by Thomas Jefferson: “A Nation's best defense is an educated citizenry.”
EXTRACT:
In a series of farewell speeches, Mr. Gates has warned against cuts to weapon programs and troop levels that would make America vulnerable in “a complex and unpredictable security environment,” as he said Sunday at Notre Dame. On Tuesday at the American Enterprise Institute, Mr. Gates noted that the U.S. went on “a procurement holiday” in the 1990s, when the Clinton Administration decided to cash in the Cold War peace dividend. The past decade showed that history (and war) didn't end in 1989.
Robert Steele Sends. This is personal. In1995, Gates was one of four Americans invited to address the French national conference on “Waging War and Peace in the 21st Century.” He followed me on the schedule, and on hearing my presentation, sashayed up to the stage, sniffed dismissively, and said “I'm not even going to touch that.” As we now know, I nailed it in 1989 for General Al Gray, in 1992 for the Whole Earth Review, again in 1995 for all in France (and separately in USA for COSPO under Joe Markowitz and for US Government as a Whole), and again in 2000 for NATO. And onward to the UN and various multinational audiences who lack a single nation ready to play a leadership role in the M4IS2 arena. Robert Gates was arrogant then, he is ignorant now….and he does “do maintenance,” that is all he has done as a placeholder at Defense. Gate's farewell comments are crap, pure and simple. He has overseen the waste of America's blood, treasure, and spirit with abject amorality that Dick Cheney would be proud of. He has failed to demand what Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) called for–a strategy, a force structure (the four forces after next) suited to the 21st Century, and an acquisition system with integrity.
President Obama appears to have no interest in the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) as a source of accurate information for decision making and policy formulation. John Brennan, his counter-terrorism chief and principal advisor on intelligence issues routinely circumvents the IC when the administration needs strategic intelligence to guide its national security deliberations. During the last two years decision making and policy formulation in the White House (WH) has been informed by having trusted outside advisors develop strategic papers on the subjects under discussion. Bruce Riedel of the Brookings (retired CIA) was called in twice to produce strategic studies of Afghanistan and the al Qaeda Movement. These studies informed WH discussion of strategy and policy including determining if a surge strategy would be successful in Afghanistan. Last August the WH asked for another study on the Magherb that warned of social unrest and the potential of upheaval. Although some CIA analysts did participate in these studies, the fact is that the ODNI, the National Intelligence Council, and CIA did not participate as institutions. The papers produced were not vetted by IC nor did the DNI appear to participate in any of the strategy sessions that the President chaired in the WH.
Intelligence support to military operations (SMO) does appear to have the attention of the WH. Indeed in a recent article in Washington Post, “Personalities over Structures in the Intelligence Community?” Walter Pincus reviewed the changes that were to occur within the National Security Establishment with the retirement of SecDef Bob Gates. Typical of the Post, Pincus did not engage in any analysis and did not address one of the most significant changes, the appointment of Michael Vickers to the post of Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.
Vickers spent ten years in the U.S. Army Special Forces (1973-1983) and then migrated to a three year tour (1983-1986) at CIA where he directed the transfer of arms and other supplies to the Pashtun Tribes then fighting the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. He then resigned from CIA to follow an academic path that eventually led to a doctorate in political science and from he moved into a prestigious think tank. In 2007 he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict.
Although his credentials in the intelligence field are remarkably thin and there is little evidence that he really understands irregular warfare, Vickers represents the growing movement to cast intelligence functions as principally SMO. The reported move of General David Petreaus to be the next director of CIA and the move of his predecessor Leon Panetta to be secretary of defense reinforces this conclusion. So does recent actions by General James Clapper (USAF ret.) who as DNI is also moving to make SMO the central function of U.S. Intelligence. It would appear that even CIA is going to be expected to function in support of military operations.
Phi Beta Iota: Sherman Kent is assuredly turning in his grave. Not only has the current “clerkship” of the US IC set US intelligence back a half century (while spending so much money for no results that they are now a target for cuts), but the “clerkship” of US IC has also wasted a full 20 years during which they had an opportunity to create a Smart Nation and establish multinational information-sharing and sense-making as a foundation for creating a prosperous world at peace. We also note with interest the White House preference for “intelligence” from sources other than the US IC. The US IC is, in one word, corrupt. It lacks integrity.
Phi Beta Iota: There is a contest of personalities going on, in which Army officers and camp followers without integrity (Alexander, Burgess, Long) are winning out over Navy officers with integrity (McConnell, Blair, Mullen). The militarization of intelligence is Clapper's pathetically counter-productive technocratic dive over the cliff. What Obama has done is demonstrate that he is incapable of selecting subordinates who can deliver substance. He prefers unethical sychophants. His Administration lacks intelligence.
