Journal ISSN 1078-1935 – Page 2844 – Public Intelligence Blog

Marcus-Aurelius-150x150 — Marcus Aurelius Recommends

(COMMENT: Retirees being targeted again…)

Tom Philpott | August 05, 2010

Advisory Panels Say Military Benefits Unsustainable

A consensus is building among current and former military leaders and defense industry executives that rising military personnel costs threaten the viability of the all-volunteer force.

FULL STORY, Excellent Quotes from MajGen Arnold Punaro, USMC (Ret) former Staff Director, Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)

Phi Beta Iota: Health benefits would not be a problem if Congress did not insist on paying 100 times more for the top 75 prescription drugs as paid by all others (Canada only pays 10 times more). DoD can be saved, but someone somewhere is going to have to get a grip on reality, strategy, acquisition, and Whole of Government operations. We are not holding our breath.

2010/08/102010/08/11

Video: MAD AS HELL (by the late Aaron Russo) about a Republic of Corporations, Banking, and the Dying Breed of Individual Freedom

Civil Society, Corporations, Corruption, Government, Media, Money, Banks & Concentrated Wealth, Videos/Movies/Documentaries

This is the first video part of eleven parts on YouTube. This video (1990's) by the late Aaron Russo earned him a visit from Nicholas Rockefeller around the time Russo was running for governor of Nevada as stated in this video interview before he died in 2007. Part two reveals Russo's commentary on “totalitarianism” disguised as anti-terrorism long before 9/11 with the passage of the Clinton anti-terrorism bill in the 90's.

Continue reading “Video: MAD AS HELL (by the late Aaron Russo) about a Republic of Corporations, Banking, and the Dying Breed of Individual Freedom”

2010/08/102010/08/10

Journal: Fidel Castro, Other Indicators of Nuclear War

04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Iran, 08 Wild Cards

photo tarpley new — Webster Griffin Tarpley

Fidel Castro Warns of Imminent Nuclear War; Admiral Mullen Threatens Iran; US-Israel Vs. Iran-Hezbollah Confrontation Builds On Multiple Fronts

Navy Ships and Planes

Webster G. Tarpley
TARPLEY.net
August 9, 2010

READ FULL STORY

Phi Beta Iota: We take historian Webster Tarpley very seriously. He nailed it with his book 9/11 Synthetic Terror–Made in USA, Fourth Edition that was quickly followed by author Jim Bamford's first negative views of the US Government, in A Pretext for War–9/11, Iraq, and the Abuse of America’s Intelligence Agencies and also Review: The Secret Sentry–The Untold History of the National Security Agency. His personal web site is well worth a visit.

2010/08/102010/08/10

NIGHTWATCH Extracts: Bottom-Up Anti Corruption

Civil Society, Commerce, Corruption, Law Enforcement

Mexico: BBC reported on 8 August police officers in Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico detained their commander at gunpoint, accusing him of corruption and links to drug gangs. More than 200 federal police agents raided the hotel where their commander was staying and accused him of planting drugs on police officers to blackmail them into carrying out extortion. Some of the agents were injured when officers loyal to the commander defended him.

While some agents blocked off nearby streets to prevent their commander from escaping, others moved into the hotel where he was staying. They raided his room, where they say they found weapons and drugs. The federal officers allege that they were part of a stash, which their commander would plant on officers who refused to take part in his corrupt dealings. They say he would then blackmail the agents into carrying out extortion and other crimes.

The police officers held their commander captive until the Federal Police Commissioner General agreed to suspend him, pending an investigation. One of the policemen who took part in the protest told the Associated Press corruption in the higher ranks was putting them in danger. “We risk our lives, we leave families behind and it's the fault of those officers that we go down,” he said.

Phi Beta Iota: The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) has been a success story, despite some internal issues that are under investigation. What we are seeing across Central America, with El Salvador recently joining the fray, is the emergence of an anti-corruption culture that sees the value of self-policing. Four challenges remain:

Continue reading “NIGHTWATCH Extracts: Bottom-Up Anti Corruption”

2010/08/102010/08/10

Journal: Taliban Plays GO in AF

08 Wild Cards

editor spinney time — Chuck Spinney Recommends

On Aug 9, 2010, Wired carried the below chart of the evolution of Taliban attacks between 2004 and 2009. This chart was constructed from the now notorious Wikileaks data base by Drew Conway, a graduate student at NYU, using the open source statistical analysis program known as “R.”

Below these I provide three historical charts, and after my comments, a chart of the Mongol invasion, the only one with lasting influence–but also a failed invasion and occuption.

Continue reading “Journal: Taliban Plays GO in AF”

2010/08/092010/08/10

Journal: Virginia Sink or Swim

03 Economy, 10 Security, Budgets & Funding, Military, Officers Call, Reform, Strategy, Threats

Virginia stands to feel the most pain from defense cuts

Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post, Tuesday August 10, 2010

RICHMOND — Virginia officials reacted with bipartisan dismay on Monday to Defense Department budget shifts that will cost the state thousands of jobs in coming years and will dramatically impact the economies of the Norfolk area and Northern Virginia.

Most of the immediate reaction revolved around Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates's proposal to close the U.S. Joint Forces Command. It is a major employer in Hampton Roads, including Norfolk and Virginia Beach, whose elimination could translate into the loss of 6,100 military, civilian and contractor jobs in the region.

Read rest of story

Phi Beta Iota: SecDef is no fool–Virginia can win BIG. We need (and Virginia can provide):

Continue reading “Journal: Virginia Sink or Swim”

2010/08/092011/07/14

Search: Handbook First Earth Battalion Field Manual

Historic Contributions, HUMINT, Officers Call, Searches, Stabilization, UN/NGO

This Handbook entry is inspired by the search <first earth battalion operations manual>. We really appreciate searches of this nature, as they cause us to add entries that *should* be here. Thank you for the search.

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Wikipedia Page First Earth Battalion

First Earth Battalion Field Manual Free (Display & PDF for Print or Download)

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