Interrogator Redux

To get secrets from a hard-core terrorist, One interrogator spoke softly

I looked closely at the word "interrogate" this evening as I browsed which news articles to comment on and began to wonder where the word comes from. The reason I wondered is that smack dab in the middle of this word is "terror." "In" "terror" "gate."

From the perspective of the word's roots - in Latin interro means, roughly, to question closely, to question while in the presence of, to question while accusing of doing something. In essence, you are questioning with a very particular purpose, not just the random type of small talk that goes on in the world. -gate simply means to set something in motion - so adding gate to the end of a word means it is being done, in the present tense.

The reason this word looked caught my attention was because of the content of the article. The United States has chosen to move away from the Geneva Convention over the past seven years because we believed that we knew answers that no one else knew. We knew that in order to protect ourselves we had to torture people into giving us the answers that we wanted.

The United States has been attacking and being attacked in the Middle East and Mediterranean region since our country was founded. Our CIA has funded and trained various groups that we believe benefited us for many purposes (we put Hussein and bin Ladin in positions of power) since at least the 1950s. Unfortunately, 9/11 was the sowing of what we had reaped.

All of this is a confusing, continual issue that, if we could solve we might not because of the individuals in power who are after financial gain. The United States did approve a plan in the 1960s to create an incident which might incite a public reaction to allow for military actions to occur against a specific target.

And now, after all of these actions in our past we come back to speaking clearly, and slowly to someone who attacked us to learn about them. I can never agree with the fundamentalist ideologies of the world because they are out of touch and reaching for a time that is no longer here. As well, I cannot fully accept and believe in the patterns of economic development that the world has taken because of the costs that we aren't calculating. We really are stealing from future generations in exchange for current ease of living. If we really are capitalists then we would be considering these future generations in our equations because that is in our long term best interests.

Confusing and scary subjects that, today, are real life and need to be paid attention to and dealt with.

Civilized Are We?

Modern Slavery

And from the New York TImes

Sometimes it depresses me to learn things - Pandora taught me to never open some boxes...

"3. Slavery still exists in the US.

Estimates by the US State Department suggest up to 17,500 slaves are brought into the US every year, with 50,000 of those working as prostitutes, farm workers or domestic servants.

According to the CIA, more than 1,000,000 people are enslaved in the US today. Thousands of cases go undetected each year and many are difficult to take to court as it can be difficult to prove force or legal coercion."

The new $100 Laptop

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program is aiming to provide laptop for $100 each to children around the world. The purpose of this project is to get children using computers all over the world. Being able to read any book on the internet, being able to learn any language, getting local weather updates to help manage crops, finding a better market price for your wares or maybe just communicating with friends and families all over the world.

Take a look. Its a beautiful piece of hardware. What it ends up costing, who knows, but itll be worth it for someone somewhere.
--
Anyone can be struck by lightning,
But not everyone can conduct electricity!

Competency & Our United States

I used to think of our current Presidency as Machiavellian, with good long term intentions, but a lack of tact by choice. I was naive. I used to believe that they had a clear, direct, well thought out plan that was kinda evil, but might benefit the world. I was simple. I used to think they could cover themselves. They were wrong.

Now perhaps they will still do something significant. Perhaps they will still make something happen. Iraq, at significant cost, will repair itself. Democracy will root itself. The people are paying with their blood right now. They will ingrain it into themselves. Maybe bull headed constitution is all that can fix the situtation. I hope, for the whole planets sake. Maybe this regime will pull a magic trick out of their hat. Maybe Iran is ready to open its doors to the US in exchange for knowledge from the rest of the world (see China). Maybe the US is ready to suddenly reestablish open communications with Iran. Maybe we have been in Cuba for the last five years negotiating an end to our embargo. There are a lot of possibilities in the world.

I used to trust in their competancy. Now I believe I was fooled.

China - Good Lord

I don't believe we individual citizens of the USA give China the appropriate attention. Recently it executed its former "chief drug regulator" for taking bribes and allowing them to fall into the current international furor related to fake products. The government stated the individual had taken bribes in and allowed "six types of fake medicines" to be approved. The interesting part of the whole issue, to me at least, was the response by China to this issue.

1. They did EXECUTE the person who the blame was placed upon. Now, take this with a grain of salt, in that complicity of an issue like this is far greater than a single individual. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of people in government who probably knew of the issues and that doesn't even count the people who were actually making the fake products. This person was executed as an example.

2. One particular set of words stated was that by 2010 China would have markedly increased its ability to monitor fake products, but that it would take at least five years (2012) for them to make a serious dent and be able to control their manufacturers. The acknowledgment of the issue. The realization of the significance of the issue. And the measured reaction that shows a considerable understanding of the situation. With the MONTHLY surplus of goods traded to the US topping $26 Billion, and the legislative branch of the US fighting for the yuan to be let free to trade in the international monetary markets, China must take action in order to feed it machine.

As a good friend of mine tells me continually, the Chinese history is full of ups and downs and the US is still Number 1. As I tell my friend, do not let that history satiate you adn make you lazy. The Chinese are serious about this world. They are going to be the largest economy in the world. I recently read an article where a comment was made about the inroads that Chinese politicians have made in Asia and the reactions by the peoples there. A particular quote stood out that went something like -

China's Asian partners see the United States as a passing fancy. The US has only been around for about 200 years. China has been here for 3,000 years and they expect China to be here for another 3,000 years.

This is a grand world we live in. Down with the Humans! Long live the Humans!

The Green SocioEconomic Machine Rolls On...

The Power of Green

The changes that will occur in the future always give me a bit of apprehension. I have an aversion to change I guess. Humans in general have been know for their ability to adapt themselves and their environments to make living agreeable. Maybe we need a big roll back...

They argue that the world needs to deploy any seven of these 15 wedges, or sufficient amounts of all 15, to have enough conservation, and enough carbon-free energy, to increase the world economy and still avoid the doubling of CO² in the atmosphere.

Here are seven wedges we could chose from: "Replace 1,400 large coal-fired plants with gas-fired plants; increase the fuel economy of 2 billion cars from 30 to 60 miles per gallon; add twice today's nuclear output to displace coal; drive 2 billion cars on ethanol, using one-sixth of the world's cropland; increase solar power 700-fold to displace coal; cut electricity use in homes, offices and stores by 25 percent; install carbon capture and sequestration capacity at 800 large coal-fired plants."

Iran let the Brit loose, eh?

Just imagine the Iranians caught the Brits for the purpose of letting them go so they could in some way make even the British government not support a war with said Iranians.

Iran might conjure at the broad table that they are in fact an active participating member of the international community and, as seen by our recent activity in the region, always follow our acts with appropriate action in regard to international law. By the way, what happenned to our Iranian brethren in the hands of the American government? How do we negotiate? And when do the Afghanis and Iraqis and all the other folk that are part of the war on terror get trials?

The world is fickle.

Read the article...if I had read it first I would have noticed they said all that I said...

A Chinese Democracy

Though the words sound very common to the ear for someone tired of the banter from American politics...is it as common to hear something similar from the leading of he Communist world? A Chinese democracy would be an interesting concept. Who is to say taking the long, gradual road toward their democracy isn't the correct path. We must remember, this is the first time human society has had a chance at doing the things it does.

The Korea Times - Democracy in China

``Planning and market forces are not the essential difference between socialism and capitalism,’’ he said. ``A planned economy is not the definition of socialism, because there is planning under capitalism; the market economy happens under socialism, too’’

The market, Deng concluded, is simply a tool that can be used by both socialist and capitalist societies. Since then, China has become transformed into a country where the market trumps planning at virtually all levels but still calls itself a socialist society.

Asked at his annual press conference if he meant that ``there will be no democracy in China in the next 100 years,’’ Premier Wen responded, echoing Deng: ``Democracy, legal system, freedom, human rights, equality and fraternity’’ are not peculiar to capitalism. ``Rather, they are the common achievements of human civilization made in the long course of history and the common values pursued by entire mankind.’’

The Intricate Web of Reason: Just one TINY piece

Ode To All That is Good

I read an article somewhere today that was speaking about Iran’s new position of power in the Middle East now that Saddam and the Taliban are no longer players in the arena (at least for the short term with the Taliban holed up in Pakistan). Another opinion I read is that Iran is much less amicable to speaking at round table discussions now that General Bush’s teeth hang been sheathed by the Congress and the seasonal winds of the politician and their job. I see the helicopters are being sot down at a greater rate. I see our numbers re not great enough, nor well versed enough in local civilities and customs to truly apprehend those who are running the show (back when the children of Saddam were being round up I remember one of the brothers making reference to times when he drove by troops in cars looking right at them point blank). I see Saudi Arabia building a fence as well as Israel. I see Palestine stabbing itself over and over. Syria ever intertwined in Lebanon. Beirut is torn again. She will rise again. Her beauty is far deeper than skin. Jordan has been touched by the terror as well. Each of these countries now discuss a nuclear alliance in order to counter the nuclear threat of Iran. An arms race has already begun now that the plans have begun to be drawn (in this world the plans were probably drawn 5 years ago). I bet the United States sells the tech to the Saudis. Fuck ‘em. And the Chinese. Business is good. Why hasn’t the growing threat pushed Egypt to do something more? The squawking country is doing its best to fan the Israelis. So when is the Middle East going to raise a tactile force of all local soldiers from some magical place and lend a supporting hand. Yes, they will be in harms way. That is war. And yes their particular motives may all be different, and some potentially evil, but we cannot let a country like this with such a history in such a place, be destroyed as it is and will be. A surge will simply make them hide better. Hidden away in a culture that we can’t seem to get. Now…the countries in arms possibly might not due to the price of oil being so much a boon to some economies, and unsteadyness breeds good pricing. But the demand from China is now growing madly, with the rest of the world just getting going a little better every year, business should fade away in the name of a true threat. A wild, deadly armed, ultra powerful and widely spread enemy that you have no defense from.

I have slowly become more and more in line with the nuances of the grand negotiating table and how the world really is…versus how it might be. Countries really do attempt to take over others and influence their politics. Vacuums of power cannot exist as there is too much at stake (trillions of dollars, defense to your position and family). One group will always rush in to quell the situation as man without government has not proven himself free. We still need our shackles otherwise we tear down on each other.

Just a rant of sorts I guess…

Why Social Security "disappearing" in 40 years doesn't worry me.

I won't need it. Simple answer - technology. In 1900 the average age was 47.* Today greater than 75 in America. The world changes. By the year 2040 I am thinking that at the age of 71 I will be going strong and I won't tap into my $$ until I am ready to retire around 85 or so. Cus I will still have another 15 years to jack around playing golf after that. At least. Additionally, the quality of the medical help will be of a different sort as we learn to use robots to do the busy work and allow our professionals to really take care of the people and the pressing needs. The quality of life is always improving. We learn to do things better all the time.

I do actually believe in a small central government and strong state governments, as our states are now turning into mini economies all their own (CA would be the WORLDS 6th largest). The variety is what allows for growth and change and mix. The freedom to move among is what keeps it fresh.

*Source: The Mercury, 11 November, 1997, p.26-27