Four Weapons Against Humanity

07 Other Atrocities, 11 Society, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corporations, Corruption, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Government, InfoOps (IO), IO Secrets, Military, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests

 

Venessa Miemis

The law doth punish man or woman
That steals the goose from off the commons,
But lets the greater villain loose
That steals the commons from the goose.
– 16th century English rhyme

March 23, 2011

Four weapons

Posted by leavergirl under civ, problem of power, traps

Anthropologists have noted three main pathways to power. I say there are four. And out of these pathways come four types of weapons used against us, and four types of weapon industries. One of these has been obvious to all, two became more and more visible as the 20th century progressed, and the last needs far greater exposure than it has received. What are those weapons? What are the main ways to inflict damage on human beings by those who seek to dominate?

Read concise elegant discussion of each of the following:

1.  Physical Weapons  ..  2.  Economic Weapons  ..  3.  Ideological Weapons including Religion & Rote Education  ..  4.  Government as a Weapon

Phi Beta Iota: There are two literatures that are relevant here, the first represented by such books as Tragedy & Hope and its introductory companion the Naked Capitalist, and the second by a less well known but amply robust literature on the sovereign individual.  A general strike and a refusal to pay taxes are the legitimate last resort of an abused public.  Similarly, a public demand for Electoral Reform, absent which the legitimacy of any government is ended in the eyes of all, can be equally compelling.  The times they are a'changing.  We have high hopes for 2012 as the year of awakening and reconciliation based on truth.

See Also:

Worth a Look: Book Review Lists (Negative)

Worth a Look: Book Review Lists (Positive)

Bin Laden Show 65: Puzzling Audio Probably Fake

07 Other Atrocities, 10 Security, 11 Society, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Government, IO Impotency

Unreleased bin Laden audio message called ‘puzzling'

By Pam Benson, CNN

May 13, 2011 7:10 p.m. EDT

Washington (CNN) — An unreleased audio message from Osama bin Laden, produced in late April, days before his death, in which he talks in support of the so-called “Arab Spring,” was seized at the compound during the U.S. raid, according to a U.S. official.

Unbelievable “interpretations” and our sharp rebuttal below the line…

Continue reading “Bin Laden Show 65: Puzzling Audio Probably Fake”

Cyber-Security Politics, Business, Ethics…

02 China, 03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 10 Security, Advanced Cyber/IO, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Computer/online security, Corruption, Cyberscams, malware, spam, Government, InfoOps (IO), Mobile, Politics of Science & Science of Politics, Technologies
DefDog Recommends....

Is it just me, or does it appear that we're okay with selling our cyber-soul to China (and Russia), as long as we can also blow tens of billions on US firms pretending to do cyber-security?

Report: Despite status as U.S. security threat, China's Huawei partnering with Symantec

East-Asia-Intel.com, April 27, 2011

The Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies, which has been linked to the Chinese military, is working with the U.S. software security giant Symantec, which is engaged in securing hundreds of thousands of U.S. computer systems against outside intrusions, according to a report last week in the Diplomat newsletter.

The report said “China and Russia are leveraging U.S. multinational corporations' economic requirements to accomplish strategic goals that could quite plausibly include covert technology transfer of intellectual property, access to source code for use in malware creation and backdoor access to critical infrastructure.”

Huawei was blocked from buying the U.S. telecom 3Leaf last year by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and also was blocked in 2008 from buying 3Com over security concerns. The U.S. National Security Agency also stepped in to dissuade AT&T from buying Huawei telephone equipment.

Despite those actions, Huawei formed a joint venture with Symantec in 2007 called Huawei Symantec Technologies Co. Ltd. (HS), the report said. Huawei is the majority partner with 51 percent ownership, with the entity being headquartered in Chengdu, China.

The report said a 2008 report identified HS as developing “China's first laboratory of attack and defense for networks and applications.”

The result is that Symantec is assisting China's cyber development of computer warfare capability.

The report was produced by cyber security expert Jeffrey Carr, author of Inside Cyber Warfare: Mapping the Cyber Underworld (O'Reilly, 2009).

Phi Beta Iota: The US Government compounds its lack of a strategic analytic model and the requisite integrity to actually pay attention to whatever findings might emerge, with an abysmal inattention to the most basic aspects of counter-intelligence, not just within government, but across the private sector, which does not actually take counter-intelligence seriously either.  Creating a Smart and Safe Nation is not difficult–it requires only a uniform commitment to intelligence and integrity across all boundaries.

Secrecy News: The Costs of War & More (CRS)

03 Economy, 04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, 11 Society, Budgets & Funding, Corruption, Military, Peace Intelligence

THE COSTS OF WAR, AND MORE FROM CRS

As of March 2011, Congress had approved a total of more than $1.2 trillion dollars for costs associated with the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other post-9/11 “war on terror” operations, the Congressional Research Service said in its most recent update on the subject.  See “The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11,” March 29, 2011.

Other new or newly updated CRS reports include the following (all pdf).

“Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians,” April 6, 2011.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Terrorism Investigations,” April 27, 2011.
“U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress,” March 28, 2011.
“Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress,” April 6, 2011.
“Covert Action: Legislative Background and Possible Policy Questions,” April 6, 2011

See Also:

Graphic: Medard Gabel’s Cost of Peace versus War

Journal: Over $1 trillion Wasted on Wars, Veterans and Families of Veterans Vocal Against Both Elective Wars

Secrecy News: Costs of Major US Wars, Contractors in Iraq & AF, Drones & Homeland Sec

Overcoming the political divide, but not through facts!

03 Economy, 04 Education, 06 Family, 11 Society, Advanced Cyber/IO, Articles & Chapters, Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, InfoOps (IO), Methods & Process, Misinformation & Propaganda
John Steiner

This is a great analysis of how the liberal/conservative political divide persists, and a suggested path to solving it. By Ethan Zuckerman at the Berkman Center.

Great quote up front:

“You don’t lead with the facts in order to convince. You lead with the values — so as to give the facts a fighting chance.”

04/25/2011 (11:41 am)

Overcoming political polarization… but not through facts

A recent New York Times poll suggests that Americans are in a dark mood. 70% of people think the country is moving in the wrong direction, a number not seen since the peak of the Great Recession two years ago. Their frustration may stem from higher gas prices or continued unemployment, but at least some commentators believe that a key factor is popular frustration with a dysfunctional government that doesn’t seem able to address the issues the US is facing.

Read entire piece with many links….

Phi Beta Iota: This has been upgraded to a reference.  Brother Steiner has brought forward one of the most elegant reviews of the conflicts between beliefs, values, facts, and needs that we have seen.  This is a deep and broad article whose substance–and the links therein–merit appreciation by all who wish to advance the public's common interest.

Pakistan Rules in Afghanistan–Petraeus Who?

02 Diplomacy, 03 Economy, 04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, 11 Society, Budgets & Funding, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, History, Intelligence (government), IO Impotency, Methods & Process, Military, Misinformation & Propaganda, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests, Secrecy & Politics of Secrecy, Waste (materials, food, etc)
DefDog Recommends....

I'm told this story is in every newspaper and on television in Afghanistan.  Most Afghans believe it to be true.  Basically, in spite of the Administration's posturing, Pakistan would become the governing power in Afghanistan…..The Administration's statements show a clear lack of understanding about this region….

Pakistan Tells Afghanistan: Expel the Americans

ByAhmad K. MajidyarNational Review Online

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Pakistan's leaders “bluntly” told Afghanistan's president “to forget about allowing a long-term U.S. military presence in his country,” and urged him instead “to look to Pakistan–and its Chinese ally–for help in striking a peace deal with the Taliban and rebuilding the economy.” According to Afghan officials, at an April 16 meeting in Kabul in which the leaders of Pakistan's military and intelligence also participated, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told Pres. Hamid Karzai that “the Americans had failed them both,” and that it was time for Kabul to choose “alternative allies.” The Pakistani delegation also outlined a number of demands to the Afghan leader. Afghanpaper.com, quoting an unnamed Afghan official, lists Pakistan's demands as:

Read full article….

Continue reading “Pakistan Rules in Afghanistan–Petraeus Who?”

Critique of Obama’s Hawaiian Birth Certificate

07 Other Atrocities, 11 Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, History, Misinformation & Propaganda, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests

Phi Beta Iota: At the end (below the) line links are provided to the appearance of the Obama birth announcement in two Hawaiian newspapers, and links to the Kenyan forgeries.

Obama's “New” Birth Certificate, What's WRONG with IT?

By Candace
Apr 27, 2011 – 6:19:56 AM

Hi Everyone, Obama realized his supposedly real birth certificate today after years of refusal and coverups.  This should have been required for him to even run for office.  Now, being his Father is from Kenya, he is still not a natural born citizen, both parents must be citizens (and not dual citizens) of this country. Case closed right there, but lets continue.

Continue reading “Critique of Obama's Hawaiian Birth Certificate”

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