Public Intelligence Blog – Page 2535 – The truth at any cost lowers all other costs — curated by former US spy Robert David Steele.

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Pig to the slaughter — not even an opening move to seize the high ground.

The Daily Beast, Feb 1, 2013 4:12 PM EST

Was it because his Obama administration handlers gave him awful advice? Peter Beinart on how Hagel prepared for the hearings.

EXTRACT

If the aim of the hearings was simply to make sure Hagel gets confirmed, all this may not matter very much. After the hearings, three important Senate Democrats—New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand, Connecticut’s Richard Blumenthal, and Colorado’s Mark Udall—said they would support Hagel. And if the Democrats hold firm, as it appears they will, it’s unlikely the Republicans will be able to mount an effective filibuster. But if the aim of the hearings was also to begin building a case for Obama’s second term foreign policy—a foreign policy that brings military spending into balance with economic resources and aggressively pursues diplomacy with Iran, and maybe Israel and the Palestinians too—Hagel failed. And if he continues to fail as a foreign policy spokesman once confirmed, that second term agenda will be harder to achieve.

Read full article.

2013/02/01

Winslow Wheeler: Hagel’s Hearing Profoundly Depressing

Government, Ineptitude, Military

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Hagel's Hearing: Profoundly Depressing

By Winslow Wheeler Feb. 01, 2013

Watching the Senate Armed Services Committee interact Thursday with former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel-President Obama's candidate to be secretary of defense-was a profoundly depressing experience.

Hagel's performance in his “confirmation” hearing was remarkable; he spent the day eating his own words under pressure mostly from Republicans-so much so that it is hard to understand what views he might actually hold.

Unlike most effective politicians who are always clever at saying nothing or changing positions, he was so inarticulate at doing so that it is also hard to understand how he ever could have been elected twice to the Senate from Nebraska.

As fumbling and apologetic as Hagel's answers were to the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, even my low expectations for the performance of the senators on that committee went unmet.

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2013/02/012013/02/01

SchwartzReport: Majority of US Citizens No Longer Trust Their Government

Corruption, Government

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This should scare the hell out of anyone who cares about American democracy. When a majority of the citizens of a country no longer trust their government there is a serious problem, and a real chance for social breakdown.

Much of this, as you can see, is centered around the Theocratic Right which is increasingly estranged from the nation's mainstream. And it should not be forgotten that anti-government fear and hate is a staple of the Theocratic Right media machine.

Click through to see the charts which will help you understand this story.

Majority Says the Federal Government Threatens Their Personal Rights

Views of Congress: Problem Lies with Members, Not the System

Pew Research Center for the People & The Press

Released: January 31, 2013

Overview

As Barack Obama begins his second term in office, trust in the federal government remains mired near a historic low, while frustration with government remains high. And for the first time, a majority of the public says that the federal government threatens their personal rights and freedoms.

Read full release.

Report Materials

2013/02/01

Pierre Cloutier: Richard LE HIR – Is Canada Breaking Up? And NOT Because Quebec Wants It So?

Cultural Intelligence

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Canada / Quebec 2013

Ready, not ready, independence is coming

The process of disintegration of the federation is on the verge of rapid acceleration

I say and repeat on all keys for three years here on Vigil, Canada is in trouble. You tell me that his situation is better or worse than many other countries, and I would say that the vast majority of other countries do not harbor them within a nation, recognized as such, which in his case, maintains the ambition to become independent from its conquest by the British on the Plains of Abraham in 1759.

That the intensity of this ambition has fluctuated over the years matter. What matters is that it exists and that it reflects a collective will to live deeply rooted, one of the criteria for the recognition of States under international law. This simple fact precarious Canada as some other countries.

Under these conditions, when events occur which have the effect of undermining its foundations, the question of the survival of Canada in its known form to that time arises. This is the case at present, to a degree that Canada has ever known, and certainly not during the two referendums held in Quebec in 1980 and 1995.

If the question of the survival of Canada then arose, it is only because of the threat posed to the integrity of the prospect of secession of Quebec. This secession, if it occurred, would have been the cause of the breakup of Canada.

Today, the question is quite different. Canada is the prey of both endogenous and exogenous forces, with which Quebec has little to do all of which contribute to its dislocation. Under such conditions, the secession of Quebec would not be the main cause of the breakup of Canada, but its consequences would be for Quebecers no longer an act of hostility against Canada and Canadians, but a reflex basic survival, a stampede is when the ship is sinking.

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2013/02/01

Event: 23-24 Mar 2013 Cambridge MA LibrePlanet 2013

Software

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LibrePlanet 2013: Commit Change

LibrePlanet is where global free software community members and newcomers meet together to learn from each other, share accomplishments and face challenges.

The free software movement is built around the concept that computer programs should be “free, as in freedom”; available for everyone to use or modify as they see fit. Software that is developed collaboratively and shared freely can help us create a more just and abundant world for everyone. We need the free software movement now more than ever, as giant IT corporations are working to restrict our freedom, stifle disruptive innovation, and invade our privacy, threatening our ability to create change in areas beyond technology.

This year, the conference focuses on bringing together the diverse voices that have a stake in free software. From software developers to activists, academics to computer users, this convergence is about working together for the software freedom we need. If you're interested in technology's role in struggles for justice, community, and freedom, then you will find a lot to be excited about at LibrePlanet.

Join us at LibrePlanet 2013 and help Commit Change.

March 23rd-24th 2013 in Cambridge, MA

With some events tentatively planned for the evening of Friday the 22nd

About | Speakers | Program | Logistics | Anti-harassment policy

2013/02/01

Worth a Look: Revista AAInteligencia

Cultural Intelligence, Worth A Look

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REVISTA AAINTELIGENCIA

Proyecto Aurora Australis: Inteligencia de Emergencia para la Era de la Informacion

Use Google Translate to Read in English

AAINTELIGENCIA es la primera revista latinoamericana orientada a brindar contenidos de alto nivel académico, acerca de los Sistemas de Inteligencia, implementados en las cúpulas de decisión estatal y empresarial. Desde octubre de 2003 hasta la fecha, hemos publicado más de 300 artículos exclusivos sobre inteligencia, elaborados por los más destacados analistas de inteligencia del continente.

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