Category: Uncategorized

Rami Khouri paints an interesting contrast between the evolution of change in Egypt and Syria.

CS.

Two Men Who Define the Arab Moment of Change

by Rami G. Khouri

Agence-Global, 28 Jul 2012

BEIRUT — Two new men who appeared on the fast-changing stage of Arab politics this week — the defected General Manaf Tlas in Syria and newly appointed Prime Minister Hisham Kandil in Egypt — may play pivotal roles in shaping the evolution of their countries. Some of what they represent makes you proud and hopeful to be part of this evolving Arab world. Some of it also makes you want to vomit in disgust. Changing orders are like that, full of diseased and distorted values and also resplendent with new and invigorating impulses.

Most of all, however, these two men highlight the single most important criterion that I believe will continue to come into play as Arab political systems evolve away from their recent half-century of family-run autocracies towards more participatory and accountable systems. That criterion is legitimacy. More than efficacy, more than democracy, more than popularity, I believe that legitimacy has emerged as the critical determinant of what will be accepted by Arab populations who have fought and died for their liberties and the opportunity to reconfigure and revalidate their governments.

Continue reading “Chuck Spinney: Arab Spring Core Value is LEGITIMACY”

Letter was sent to Indian Ambassador in DC who has not responded.  The Letter is provided below.  We continue to marvel at the lack of intelligence and integrity at all levels of all bureaucracies.  The myopia — the inability to “connect,” appears to be a pervasive modern illness among all organizations.

Personal for Ambassador Nirupama Rao

See Also:

Open Source Agency: Executive Access Point

Reference: Four Letters That Changed Nothing

 

A CONVENTION TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION, AND MORE FROM CRS

Article V of the U.S. Constitution prescribes two ways by which the Constitution can be amended:  Either Congress may propose amendments for ratification by the states, or else a majority of state legislatures may ask Congress to call a convention for considering amendments.

A new report by the Congressional Research Service examines the possibility of a convention to amend the Constitution.  That option has never been used in practice but, CRS says, it could become newly appealing under present circumstances.

“Various contemporary developments could contribute to a renewal of congressional interest in the Article V Convention alternative,” the new CRS report said.  “The emergence of Internet and social media-driven public policy and issue campaigns has combined with renewed interest in specific constitutional amendments, and the Article V Convention procedure in general, as a means of bypassing perceived policy deadlock at the federal level.”

However, “The Constitution provides only a brief description of the Article V Convention process, leaving many details that would need to be considered if a convention were to become a serious prospect.”

A copy of the new CRS report was obtained by Secrecy News.  See The Article V Convention to Propose Constitutional Amendments: Contemporary Issues for Congress, July 9, 2012.

Open Innovation 2012  . European Commission, Directorate-General for the Information Society and Media, 2012; pp 136.

The Open Innovation 2012 follows the Service Innovation Yearbook 2009–10 and the Service Innovation Yearbook 2010–11. All these yearbooks have three complementary parts: the first on policy development, the second on trends and weak signals in service innovation, and the third on cases and open innovation development in countries and regions. From this very rich content of the innovation yearbook, one can clearly see that open innovation is knowledge society’s approach to well-being and sustainable development, both societally and economically. Open innovation can be very relevant when seeking and verifying the applicability of disruptive innovation outcomes in the society. These insights from a variety of views to service innovation are hopefully very stimulating to the reader who wishes to enter the new mainstream.

Open Innovation 2012 (PDF)

This guy, professor Étienne Chouard, from France is fantastic. His site is very interesting. It's talk about the citizen's constitution,and draw instead of election, because election = corruption.

Let the governed build the government: Etienne Chouard @ TEDxRepubliqueSquare [in French with English sub-titles]

If those who could govern best don't want power, then who's winning elections? In this impassioned talk, Etienne Chouard wrestles with what the answers may mean for democracy as we know it. (Filmed at TEDxRepubliqueSquare.)

Cette vidéo est sous-titrée en anglais, bulgare, catalan, espagnol, français, italien, portugais, roumain, suedois. Merci à tous les traducteurs bénévoles pour leur aide si précieuse

Etienne Chouard est un homme doux, parfaitement en colère. Poil à gratter de la pensée unique, il agace, perturbe, fait réfléchir. Et en attendant, il bosse. C'est le marathon man des salles des fêtes, l'égérie des résistants, le citoyen d'or d'Agoravox. Calomnié, encensé, il ne laisse pas indifférent. C'est probablement qu'il a quelque chose à dire.

Enseignant l'économie et le droit, à l'occasion du Référendum de 2005, Etienne se plonge dans les textes du projet de Constitution Européenne. Ce qu'il découvre le change à jamais. Depuis, loin des organisations partisanes, il dénonce notre apathie et veut redonner au mot démocratie sa véritable signification. Son credo : une constitution écrite par les citoyens et des représentants tirés au sort.

***

In 2005, before the European referundum, while teaching economics and law, Etienne Chouard looked closely to the draft version of the European Constitution. What he discovered changed him forever. He woke up, policatilly. Since then, and independently from any political organizations, he warns us against our apathy, denounces our responsibility and wants to restore the true meaning of democracy. His motto : a Constitution written by citizens and representatives selected by sortition.

The most interesting idea in Chouard's work is that we don't live in a real democraty but under a representative government. It is not the same. What the Nations needs is an Open Constitution written by and for people and not by and for professionals politicians and their experts. We need a Citizen's Constitution written by citoyens chosen by draw because in his mind election = corruption. It is a revolutionnary idea.

See his site here :  http://etienne.chouard.free.fr/Europe/  – you can translate it to English or see here:

http://etienne.chouard.free.fr/Europe/Traductions/BadConstitutionWhichRevealsACcancerInOurDemocracy.htm

The Occupy National Gathering is a nationally coordinated event which will take place from June 30th to July 4th in Philadelphia. The Occupy movement will convene the Occupy National Gathering in the vicinity of Philadelphia’s Independence Mall for a week of direct actions, movement building and the creation of a vision for a democratic future. The National Gathering will kick off with a massive march with Healthcare-Now! and will conclude on July 5th when attendees will join the Guitarmy for a 99 mile march from Philadelphia to Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.

Perhaps the highlight of the gathering will be the crafting of a Vision of a Democratic Future. On July 4th the National Gathering (#natgat) will facilitate a visioning process designed to allow all voices to be heard while allowing repeat visions to organically rise to the top.  Together, by all those who choose to participate, a Vision of a Democratic Future will be conceived. Learn more about this and more here.

Want to get involved? Here’s how:

Organize
For the past couple of months Occupiers from all over the country have gathered via InterOccupy conference call to conceive of, and implement a strategy for, the Occupy National Gathering. This is the group that hase submitted the “Occupy National Gathering Proposal” to assemblies around the country. You can join them in organizing the final details as the National Gathering is gearing up. The planning calls happen weekly via the InterOccupy system on Tuesdays at 9PM EST. To join the call please register.

Spread the Word
Share the National Gathering on Facebook and Twitter (@OccupyNG) with your friends to raise awareness and bolster the National Gathering’s attendance.

Go to the National Gathering

RSVP to the Facebook Event Page and invite your friends to join you.

Need to find out how to get to Philly? Occupy Caravan is organizing travel from all over the country. To find out more visit occupycaravan.com or join Occupy Caravan’s weekly InterOccupy call by registering here.

SHORT VIDEO (0:46)

Continue reading “Event: 30 June – 4 July Philadelphia Occupy National Gathering”

Worth a Look.

Institutionalizing Citizen Vigilance

These Citizen Vigilance Centers will serve the People of the State intent on holding their elected officials accountable through civic education and civic action, with no deference to politics, in utmost respect and defense of the greatest governing documents ever given to mankind.

Who does the Government need to hear from: hundreds of thousands of their constituents, organized and standing with each other, single-minded in purpose, resolve and determination on constitutional matters, commanding respect and response, intelligent, rational and professional in their approach and drawing on the power and resources only a mass-movement can bring; Or, a loosely assembled, make-shift operation of individuals and small groups, un-organized, under-whelming and under-capitalized?

The People, shall either rally around the Divine Rights of Free Men, the Constitution and the Rule of Law, putting America back on Her Course as only they can, or continue to rely on the promises and assurances of men and experience more debt, dependency and decay as they experience the great unraveling of the Great American Experiment.

For each reader of this message, it is truly, now, up to you.

Robert L. Schulz
Founder – We The People Foundation

Learn more.