Jimmy Carter's Speech on Energy and the link it has to America's Freedom

Future historians will probably agree that President Jimmy Carter was one of the best American leaders in the history of the United States. The speech he made to the public on April 18, 1979 shows that a leader has to sometimes make unpopular decisions and ask people to sacrifice. This is in stark contrast to when George W. Bush asked people to go to the mall after 9/11, while the professional soldier and their families shouldered the burden for his administrations ill conceived military response to a terrorist attack. A terrorist attack due in part to America's continued reliance on foreign oil.

It is almost prophetic how the speech writers for President Carter recognized the vulnerability the United States would face in the future due to its continued demand for oil and the nations own dwindling reserves of oil.

I hope you take the time to watch this historical video and see the difference in the way a leader addresses a nation as opposed to a teleprompter lobbyist controlled empty suit politician of today.

Anti-Dollar Diplomacy

In 1909, President Taft and his administration pursued a policy that would increase U.S. trade by promoting American investment and enterprise in Latin America and China. This policy became known as dollar diplomacy. Less than a hundred years however, many countries are beginning to pursue a policy that could be only described as antidollar diplomacy. Ranging from tactics of undercutting the value of the dollar from countries hostile to the United States like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, to oil producing countries wanting to get a higher return on their ever valuable energy resource, the 2010s are shaping up to be a very interesting period in regards to the price of oil and the relationship it has to the value of the US dollar. The potentially negative scenarios for the United States include the dramatic lowering of the standard of living for most Americans on the domestic front and another war or military strike rooted in the frustrations of a great power in decline.

Although President Jimmy Carter tried to warn Americans of the danger of becoming dependant on foreign oil in a speech given on 15 July 1979 entitled Energy and the National Goals - A Crisis of Confidence, even Mr. Carter could not have imagined the disastrous consequences the United States may soon have to confront such as realigning spheres of influence, anti-American alliances, and the return of economic nationalism. While some of these could not be avoided such as the rise of China as an economic power and her need for energy resources, other actions by the United States such as the recent war in Iraq and belligerent actions towards Venezuela in 2002, spurred on the antidollar diplomacy the US is now experiencing from oil producing countries like Venezuela and Iran.

Compounding the antidollar diplomacy problem the Obama administration will have to face in the early 2010s is the growing influence of oil producing and exporting countries like Japan and China and these national governments holding huge amounts of dollar assets in financial packages known as Sovereign Wealth Funds. Highlighting the dire straights the US economy is in because it does not produce anything anymore, is the fact that all but one of the top seven sovereign wealth funds holding more than a 100 billion dollars is from an Asian economy or a oil exporting country. The transfer of wealth to Asia and the Middle East is predicted to be over 10 trillion dollars over the next 20 years and is an indication of the shifting of power in the world away from America.

In a similar fashion as the United States and European Union led international financial institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund used to enact predatory like policies on countries needing the financial help from those institutions, the Sovereign Wealth Funds from Asia and the Middle East oil exporting countries will soon be able to follow the same kind of monetary policy and own American companies and institutions. Let’s just hope none of the foreign countries and the Sovereign Wealth Fund directors that invest in America will try to privatize essential public services like a city's water system like the US corporation Bechtel did in Bolivia in 1999. This example highlights the negative effects a weak dollar is going to have on the American standard of living and the lowering of the type of freedom Americans feel is the most important, the freedom of consumption.

It is paradoxical that the freedom that most Americans take pride in cherishing is fast escaping them due to the hubris of the upper class members of society and collusion they had with the members of the US Congress. As I discussed in previous posts, the US Congress should be called the Incumbents Party due to the static and entrenched interests these members are controlled by at the expense of the electorate.

While the United States may possess the largest and most powerful military in the world, the United States may soon be financially blackmailed and lose the very freedom it cherishes so much.

Peak oil and the Connection it has to the End of America as a Superpower

There is an interesting historical link between the ability of a country to exploit a leading energy source like wind, coal and oil, that allowed it to become global economic and eventually a global power. Like some of the previous world powers since the age of the Renaissance and the rise of capitalism, the United States has continued this trend. Like the previous world powers such as Holland and Great Britain and their close interaction with the energy resources of wind and coal, the United States is now beginning to experience some of the negative consequences of the close economic and cultural interaction with the energy resource of oil. Just as Great Britain was the world’s creditor nation in the late 19th and early 20th century and possessing the global reserve currency, the approaching era of peak oil production and its relationship to the declining value of the US dollar is an indication of the eventual end of America as a superpower.

Beginning with Holland harnessing and mastering the leading energy source of wind power in the 17th century, the Dutch were then able to incorporate the power of the wind to obtain unmatched skills in science, engineering, ship design and navigation. This mastery of the wind and the maritime supremacy it offered in the 17th and 18th century allowed the Dutch to have trading outposts spanning the world from Japan, the Cape of Good Hope, and New Amsterdam, later to be renamed New York.

The importance of a world power linking its prosperity and power to an energy resource continued with Great Britain and the use of coal. With the arrival of the new energy source, the British were able to use coal to develop and become world leaders in the industries of heating and ironworking. The large natural deposits of coal led to the development of the steam engine and the large-scale production of iron, steel, and railroads. Many historians acknowledge the importance that coal had in the Industrial revolution and the rise of the British Empire.

In America, markets that were created for illuminants and lubricants with the New England whaling industry of the 18th and early 19th centuries provided the economic incentive to finance the first commercial oil well in western Pennsylvania in 1859. This began the close cultural and economic interaction that America would have with oil and its rise to power as a global power. Starting with World War I and then later World War II and the fuel powered mechanized forces propelling Allied victory in those wars, American presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush continued the close relationship between American power and the energy resource of oil.

From the special relationship that Franklin D. Roosevelt began with the Saudi monarchy to the suburban sprawl inspired by the national highway system of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the economic and cultural interaction America has with oil has only grown more acute. The steadfast support of oil by American leaders was evident in the recent $ 787 billion dollar stimulus bill that only gave token acknowledgment to mass transit and alternative energy sources. The continued low taxes on gasoline, subsides, and political influence the oil industry enjoys are indications of the inability of elected leaders to reverse this alarming trend.

Any American from the ideological left or conservative right should learn and understand the similarities the United States has with the last world powers such as the Dutch and British Empires. The linkage between the lowering value of the US dollar and the higher price of oil is an early indication of the challenges America will face as a superpower. If history is any clue, the importance of diversifying away from oil and finding a new energy regime is imperative.

The Importance of Formulating a National Economic Strategy linked to American Foreign Policy

In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, GE Chief Executive Jeff Immelt, said that the American economy can no longer count on consumer spending to support the US economy, nor can it rely on Wall Street financial wizardry if it wants its population to continue to enjoy a high standard of living. He was referring to how 2/3 of the US economy is consumer driven. His speech mirrors a similar one given by Andrew Bacevich, where Mr. Bacevich speaks about America being an Empire of Consumption rather than an Empire of Production. Long time blog readers will remember I have cited this speech and included a video on 17 February in the blog posting, The Empire of Production becomes an Empire of Consumers.

The chief executive from GE also discussed the need to create more jobs in America that are related to manufacturing as opposed the current situation in America where more jobs are in the financial services sector. It appears Mr. Immelt has also been reading the books by Kevin Phillips, where he discusses this in more detail and explains why the low level of US manufacturing jobs is dangerous to the long-term economic viability of the United States.

While the world's biggest maker of jet engines and electricity- producing turbines said on Friday it would be building a new manufacturing research center outside Detroit that will employ 1,100 people, this could only be a small drop in a large bucket of new jobs to be created from mass rail transit systems for the entire country. From the white collar engineer jobs designing the trains, the blue collar jobs building and servicing the trains and trams, to the general service jobs of cleaning and maintaining all the additional infrastructure, there can be millions of jobs created in the next five to 10 years.




If the Obama administration and the Incumbent Party in Congress truly wanted to be leaders of America, than they would include the economic plan centered on mass rail transit into a larger strategic plan for the entire country for the next 100 years. This would include evolving General Motors, which the US Government recently took a large controlling interest, to diversify the company into a company making passenger train cars and light rail systems. The car company already possesses the manufacturing base and should convert the plants scheduled to be shut down into ones that produce train cars and trams. I am sure all the laid off workers would love to build new trains and trams for the country, if it meant them having a job.

American leaders also need to link the domestic economic strategic plan with American Foreign Policy. These two have been treated as two separate entities for too long now, and for America to become a great power again, than American leaders need to downsize and eliminate a large amount of military bases it operates in over 132 countries around the world. America can no longer have the illusion that it can have all these military bases and not think it impacts the domestic home front. Many of these bases are located in countries where the host country can easily fund and support their own defense. Italy and Germany are prime examples of this. The 40 U.S. military bases in Italy alone, employing more than 5,000 Italians and contributing to another 30,000 Italians benefiting economically from these bases, has allowed Fiat in a small way to purchase the American car company Chrysler.

In addition to the production of thousands of trains and light rail systems for the country, the Obama administration and the members of the US Congress also need to have a strategic plan for increasing fuel efficiency in cars sold in America to address the continued reliance America has on imported oil. There is a unique opportunity for the US government along with states where these trains, trams, and new high fuel-efficient cars will be built, to re-build the American economy. Instead of funding wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and protecting a dwindling natural resource, American leaders and state governments should be looking to Europe, Japan, and also China and the mass transit systems they have for transportation. The era of cheap oil is over.

The quicker American leaders realize this, the quicker America can begin to rebuild its shattered economy,raise the standard of living for its citizens, and help prepare the country for a post fossil fuel based economy.

False Security to Which All Men are Tempted is the Security of Power

Shortly after World War II, as American leaders were beginning to become intoxicated with the hard power of the world’s most powerful military and the soft power that came with being the world’s largest and most powerful economy, a Protestant theologian by the name of Reinhold Niebuhr warned Americans against what he called “our dreams of managing history”. As the Obama administration approaches its sixth month in power, there is little evidence that his administration is deviating from the same policies of trying to manage history as the Bush/Cheney administration attempted over the last 8 years. One only has to look at the abysmal record of trying to manage the future of two foreign countries the United States invaded and has since occupied to see that the future cannot be certain or managed.

Obama and more Americans need to stop thinking that the future of American foreign policy should be focused on remaining the sole superpower as the Bush Doctrine laid out in 2002, or trying to re-shape the world in America’s image. American foreign policy and the alignment of American hard power around the world needs to change from being aligned with protecting the dwindling sources of oil and embark on a strategy of preparing the country for a post fossil fuel economy. America’s economic competitors, such as China, Japan, and South Korea, understand the need to prepare for a post fossil fuel dominated world economy. In August, the leaders of Japan, China and Korea will hold thier annual trilateral summit to discuss how they can pool their resources and expertise to develop and commercialize emerging green technologies.

The press and business journals in American may report on this in the economic perspective of the Japanese and South Koreans wanting to marry Japanese and South Korean high technology with China's manufacturing prowess, massive domestic market and bulging foreign currency reserves. The relpolitik aspect of the trilateral summit is an indication of the early stages of a shift away from America as the global hegemon and the US dollar as the global reserve currency.

Unlike America, China and South Korea do not need to print money to fund their countries stimulus packages, and their spending is geared toward the future, rather than toward fixing a deteriorating road and bridge infrastructure, as the U.S. must do. Green projects account for 81% of Korea's economic stimulus programs and 38% of China's - the proportion in the U.S. stimulus package is just 12%.

While the Obama administration appears to understand the future of the world’s energy sources, only a small fraction of the $787 billion dollars in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is meant for green initiatives. Some examples include $2 billion to support lithium-ion batteries and hybrid electric systems, $800 million for a biomass program, $400 million to add electric technologies to vehicles, and another $400 million for geothermal technologies. These figures pail in comparison to the amount of money the defense industry and military is getting, that ironically also provides protection for the very countries it competes against economically like South Korea and Japan.

Incredibly, most Americans do not see the connection between the annually half trillion-defense budget and open-ended wars in two foreign countries, to the demise of America as an economic world power.

Forget about drawing a line in the sand like the Bush administration said in 1991 and the First Gulf War, more Americans need to get their head out of the sand and realize the drag on the economy the trillions of dollars spent on the Pentagon is having on the American economy.

Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.

The Internet Itself is a Factor For the Social Mobilization of Political Forces

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about recent developments in the social mobilization aspect of the Internet in recent years has been the Internet itself being a factor for the mobilization of political forces. A recent example of this is when the citizens in the Scandinavian country of Sweden created the political party, Pirat Partiet.

Formed in response to a new European Union law that requires Internet Service Providers(ISPs) turn over traffic data to copyright holders who are trying to track down file sharers, protecting the civil liberties of people living in Sweden is also a motivation for members to join and support the Pirate Party. The 2009 European Union elections demonstrated the influence of the Internet in political mobilization when the Pirate Party from Sweden won a seat in the European parliament. The power of the Internet is clearly demonstrated with the Pirate Party, which is now the third largest political party in Sweden. Consisting of over 17,000 civil liberty activists and 30,000 members, the Pirate Party is setting the standard for future Internet based political party developments in the European Union.

The Pirate Party’s success is more substantial due to the fact that it did not exist during the last European Union elections in 2004. Before the Internet began to be used for political and social mobilization, it would often take years for a political party to reach certain voting thresholds in European countries to qualify for a European Union Parliament seat. The popularity and quick success of the Pirate Party is further proof of the importance of studying and analyzing the use of the internet for social mobilization and the role it can play in political campaigns.

Another country and political system that tends to support my hypothesis of the power of the internet in political mobilization is the Czech Republic. In another recent development related to the European Union elections and the Internet, tens of thousands of people joined a Facebook campaign titled "Eggs for Paroubek in every town!" Members of the online social community Facebook who supported the opposition conservative political group in the Czech Republic formed this group.

The success of the social mobilization of political forces in Sweden and the creation of the Pirate Party in Sweden is a testament of why Sweden is ranked as one of the most democratic countries in the world. One of the factors contributing to the high ranking of that country’s democracy is due to the ease in which political parties like the Pirate Party are allowed to form. As the methodology of the Economist Magazine’s Intelligence Unit survey pointed out, Sweden scored a perfect 10 out of 10 for its Electoral process and pluralism, the Functioning of government, Political participation of its citizens , and the Civil liberties the citizens enjoy.

There is an interesting hypothesis that large countries such as the United States are less democratic than the less populated and geographically smaller Nordic countries like Sweden. In addition to the size of the country, I also believe there are also other factors such as the power of the two party system in America and the additional factor of the money in the system that helps the incumbents get re-elected 93 percent of the time.

This upcoming December, maybe more Americans should ask Santa Claus to bring some of that liberal democracy from his part of the world to America.

The political power of the Internet

In the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2008, Italy scores the lowest for any Western European country in measuring its electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation, and political culture. In addition to the low ranking of democracy, Italy also ranks as the only original EU member country to be listed as a partly free country for press freedom, by the American non-partisan institution, Freedom House International. An investigation into why a founding member of the European Union is ranked substantially lower than the other founding members of the EU is essential to explain the link between press freedoms and a healthy and vibrant democracy.

These low rankings for democracy and political pluralism in Italy are closely related to the relationship of the media and democracy in the age of television and mass media. While Italy has been one of the first political systems to demonstrate this is a negative manner, Italy is also one of the first political systems where the use of the Internet and the social mobilization aspects of it like blogs, websites, and on-line social networks such as Facebook are being used by political forces to begin political grass root campaigns.

The recent European Parliament Elections on June 6-7 demonstrates the impact of the utilization of the Internet for political activists to challenge the traditional control of the media by the status quo political forces. An Italian example of the utilization of the Internet to mobilize political forces was the blog posting by Beppe Grillo, the most popular blogger in Italy and the seventh most popular blogger in the entire world. Before the election on 7 June, Beppe Grillo urged his readers to vote for the candidates running for the Italian Values Party. In his typical comedic approach to his political activism, Beppe Grillo urged voters on his blog to vote for Sonia Alfano and Luigi De Magistris, candidates standing under the banner of the Italia dei Valori party. When the election results came in the following day, the Italian Values Party doubled its share of votes from the previous European Elections and increased its popularity since the Italian national elections a year earlier by 3 percentage points.

The social mobilization and political activism of Beppe Grillo solely through the Internet directly contributed to this surge in popularity for the Italian Values Party. With only using the Internet and his blog, which gets an average of 300,000 visitors a day, Beppe Grillo contributed to the success of helping the candidates, Sonia Alfano and Luigi De Magistris, from the Italian Values Party.

What makes the Beppe Grillo case so interesting for political scientists studying the social mobilization aspect of the internet is that Beppe Grillo has been publicly banned from television since the late 1980s. When Beppe Grillo was a comedian back in the 1980s, he often used political satire in his public television act. After a political scandal of the secret Masonic lodge known as P2, was disclosed publicly, he was told by the RAI (Italian state television) executives not to talk about the P2 Masonic lodge. While Grillo obeyed the orders from his bosses at RAI by not talking about the scandal, as a good comedian Grillo instead improvised and used a blackboard to draw an elaborate “P2 Theorem” and the existence of it and the connection to a leading politician, Pietro Longo. In 1986 however, Grillo pushed the envelope too far when he made a joke about the Italian Prime Minister at the time, Bettino Craxi. In retaliation for the joke that Beppe Grillo made, the RAI executives were told to remove him from the air and his popular comedy show was cancelled. The removal from television in 1986 of Beppe Grillo is the equivalent of the government today installing Internet filtering software on computers, or a government blocking access to the Internet like Burma authorities did in 2008.

With the exception from one television appearance in 1993 where his appearance attracted an audience of over 16 million viewers, Mr. Grillo has not been invited back to Italian state television. His absence however has not stopped other television shows to be critical of his political discussions and attacks on the political class. Some of the most critical television shows of Beppe Grillo have been broadcast from the stations owned by Silvio Berlusconi such as Media Set 5 and the center right station public television station RAI 1, which Berlusconi and his political coalition allies have a de facto control over. Studying Beppe Grillo and his use of the Internet in Italy is a unique situation due to the fact that his social mobilization of political forces is done solely through the Internet and has had virtually no help from the other forms of mass media in Italy.

The lack of coverage by the television media in Italy has contributed to a large segment of the body politic not being aware of the grass roots political movement and the formation of the Five Star Civic Lists by Mr. Grillo. However, this has not stopped the supporters of the Five Star Civic Lists from entering at least 30 towns, including Bologna, Ancona, Ferrara, Forlì, Cesena, Reggio Emilia, Livorno, and Rivoli.

Other online activists in other countries are sometimes helped by the mass media in their countries, which enables them to become more vocal and well known. The most fascinating case aspect for Beppe Grillo is that he has been blacklisted from television since the late 1980s. Even with this blacklisting, he was able to organize and get over 500,000 people to participate in two mass rallies known as V Day and the subsequent, V2 day. This is in stark contrast to discussions of the Obama campaign in the United States in 2008 when analysts discuss the democratic candidates’ ability to use the Internet tools like Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter.

The Dynamic and Interactive Medium of the Internet and its role in Democratic Participation

In the era of the modern democracy, the influence of mass media communications like the newspaper and later the television, have long been viewed by some people as a threat to democracy. As far back as 1922, the English critic Norman Angell noted the control of newspapers by a few amount of men and the ability to influence public opinion. In his The Press and the Organization of Society, Norman Angell wrote:

What England thinks is largely controlled by a very few men, not by the virtue of the direct expression of any opinion of their own, but by controlling the distribution of emphasis in the telling of facts: so stressing one group of them and keeping another group in the background as to make a given conclusion inevitable.

In the last few decades of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century, the utilization and control of television has replaced the newspaper to influence public opinion and gain political power. The control and use of the medium of television, is now seen by more people as a threat to democracy just as the English critic, Norman Angell noted in the years following World War I.

However, due to the inactive nature of the newspaper and television, the more dynamic and interactive medium of the Internet is now becoming the more popular form of medium to challenge the power of television and the political forces that have used it for political gain. In a similar manner in which the newspaper and television have been used, the Internet is now being used to influence public opinion, start grass root movements, and mobilize political forces. Many people also see the fluid and interactive nature of the Internet as a tool that promotes free speech and democracy. Recent candidates running in the European Union Parliament elections were helped by the social mobilization aspect of the Internet, which provides evidence of the trend away from the traditional role and influence that newspapers and television have had in political mobilization and the influencing of public opinion.

Often perceived in academic publications and theoretical debates as merely a secondary tool used by political parties and candidates, such as the 2008 United States Presidential campaign by Barack Obama, recent data on the utilization of the Internet for political mobilization is indicating the contrary. While the Internet has been used by existing political parties and grass roots movements like moveon.org in the United Stares to a certain extent since as early as 1998, recent events have shown that entirely new political movements and political parties are being created and gaining popularity solely through the Internet. Case examples of this phenomenon; include the formation in 2006 of the Pirate Party in Sweden, which recently secured seven percent of the national vote in the Swedish European Union Parliament elections.

In addition to the Pirate Party in Sweden, the political activism of Beppe Grill in Italy and his Five Star Civic Lists political grass roots movement also made a difference in the recent Italian European Union Parliament elections and the 2008 Italian national elections. Evidence of the social mobilization of political forces solely through the Internet was evident when Mr. Grillo, through the support of his blog,the seventh most popular in the world, supported the candidates Sonia Alfano and Luigi De Magistris, from the Italian Values Party. This support enabled these candidates that had no television or other large political party support, gain European Union Parliament seats.

Americans can learn something from the Iranian Green Revolution

Ukraine had the Orange Revolution, Thailand had the Yellow Shirt Protest, and now Iran has the Green Revolution.

All of these protests were inspired by an opposition political party losing a close election and a government willing to quickly call an election in favor of the ruling party. The political mobilization protests in Iran and Ukraine, to question and voice dissent with a close election, come from countries relatively young to democracy and should be a wake up call to more Americans. All of these protests show the power of a population to express their discontent with a government in power, and how the mass mobilization of political forces have the ability to pressure a government to act. With the United States 2000 election still in the not so distant future and a U.S. Senate race in Minnesota still in limbo and making its way through the courts, the apathy and lethargic attitude of American voters is appalling.

Although Iran is ranked by the 2008 Economist Intelligence Democracy Ranking as one of the most repressive regimes in the world, down at the bottom of the list along with Libya and Saudi Arabia, the recent events of the past week, should question this analysis. As opposed to Saudi Arabia and Libya, the Iranian election showed the ability of people to belong to an opposition party and voice their discontent with the government in power. This is something that does not exist in Saudi Arabia or Libya. While the Iranian protests from the disputed election may be entering a violent stage as the government begins to lose patience with the protestors, the United States and European Union should discuss Iran in the context of other countries in the greater Middle East and become even more willing to open a more robust dialogue with the leaders of Iran.

The courage to face a violent response from the government in Iran should make more Americans look at their apathetic and dismay record of political participation in recent elections. In addition to the low voter participation in elections, more Americans need to be more vocal and active in participating in political protests. People should be in the streets of Minnesota demanding that the courts settle the issue and declare someone a winner in the US Senate election.

There is a golden opportunity in America right now to challenge the system and demand change that will benefit more working class Americans. With all the people unemployed and the economy in freefall, the time is ripe for this change to take place.

The early stages of the creation of a cyber military industrial complex

The recent political protest in Iran is the latest example of the power of the Internet for social mobilization and political grass roots movements. A concrete example of the use of the Internet for social mobilization and the challenge the Internet can give to an authoritative regimes in power was demonstrated when Iran’s most powerful military force — the Revolutionary Guard — declared that Iranian Web sites and bloggers must remove any materials that "create tension" or face legal action. The news reports coming out of Iran is just the latest instance of how the Internet is being used in the social mobilization of political forces and how governments can use cyber warfare techniques to suppress grass root and social mobilization movements. Citizens in liberal democracies need to stay attentive of their governments increasing use of technology monitoring and programs to conduct cyber warfare under the guise of being only used for defensive purposes.

With the Internet becoming one of the last frontiers for the Pentagon to weaponize, the last few years has seen a tremendous amount of new defense spending by all the armed services to weapononize the internet. As reported by TomDispatch.com, the military industrial complex is rapidly turning the Internet into another area for politically connected defense industry companies to gain highly lucrative Pentagon contracts. A recent defense industry sponsored event to wine, dine, and corrupt senior military leaders at the Pentagon recently took place at the Air Force's "Collaboration in Cyberspace" in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Northrop Grumman one of the largest military contractors in the Pentagon has sponsored one of its coffee breaks; SAIC has taken care of the "attendee registration bags"; and Lockheed Martin has contributed for "the invitations that are in each attendee's conference bag inviting them to a special AFCS [Air Force Cyberspace] event". In addition to the lobbying event in Shreveport, the lobbying for cyber dollars is also in full swing, (excuse the pun) , at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association 4th Cyber Cup Invitational golf tournament.

As in all things involving a government bureaucracy, the new cyber warfare defense spending recently supported by President Obama in the announcement of a cyber czar, is quickly escalating out of control. The establishment of a new Cybersecurity Office within the White House is an example of the continuing influence and power of the National Security State apparatus and the power in which the imperial president derives its power from. This latest government boondoggle is another reason why social security and other social welfare programs for average Americans will no longer exist in the near future. To highlight the bureaucratic waste, that Obama said he was going to change, three of the four armed services is creating a cyber command post.

Starting with the Pentagon, which is establishing a new Cybercommand known as CyCom; it is already developing cyber weapons “to respond to attacks from foreign adversaries". The new Pentagon Cybercommand post is also another example of the militarization occurring within the 16 alphabet soup intelligence agencies when it was reported that the new Pentagon Cycom center would be under the command of Lieutenant General Keith B. Alexander, who was recently with the National Security Agency.

In addition to the Pentagon having its own Cyber Warfare Command post, and three of the military services, cybersecurity activities and responsibilities are also spread across the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Management and Budget. The US Air force wins the Pork Barrel award for cyber dollars when it announced that, the 24th Air Force, a new numbered wing, would be based in San Antonio, Texas. The future combat mission of the US Air Force is taking shape, with future fighter jocks piloting unmanned aerial drones conducting cyber warfare, while sitting in air-conditioned offices in San Antonio.

However, a recent 350-page look at U.S. cyber attack capabilities put out in April 2009 by the National Research Council's Committee on Offensive Information Warfare, concluded that the United States will not be able to "endure unilateral dominance in cyberspace, and is neither realistic nor achievable by the United States." Yet despite that cautionary word, the cyber dollars continue to flow to the Pentagon and away from more productive government programs like mass transit and health care.

More Americans need to be aware and alert of these programs and demand more civilian oversight of the information technology capabilities the Pentagon is acquiring. While most Americans believe their government usually acts with the interests of the American people, there are no guarantees the US government could also use its new capabilities in the way the Iranian and Chinese governments are now doing. An alert and knowledgably citizenry is essential to combat the power of the military industrial complex and the negative consequences it inflicts on American civil liberties and American democracy.

Italy has Beppe Grillo, America has Jon Stewart

One of the similarities Italy and America has, is the popularity of comedians to comment on political scandals. Similar to Italy, where Beppe Grillo's blog is one of the few places where an Italian can get a real honest account of what is going on in the Italian government, the same can be said for Jon Stewart and his staff at the Daily Show.

Following the popular tactic used by Grillo and Stewart, the Grand Prince is taking a break from a long essay on the political scandals facing Don Berlusconi here in Italy, and will let a video of Jon Stewart explain it for you.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Silvio Berlusconi's Affair
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

Mr. Obama please meet Don Berlusconi and his fascist supporters

Prior to the recent White House meeting between Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and President Barack Obama, many news organizations like the Associated Press, BBC News, and Reuters were focusing on the Silvio Berlusconi’s recent political scandals back in Italy and his tendency to make inappropriate remarks in the international press. The news stories by the international press outlets, framed the visit of Berlusconi as an opportunity for the Italian leader to repair his political image in the international press, failed to bring attention to more troubling developments in Italy. The weapons of mass distraction media has once again failed in its responsibility to report on issues that are more important and have reported on the more trivial aspects of Silvio Berlusconi and recent political developments in Italy. This blog however will give you the relpolitik analysis of Don Berlusconi and report on the issues the mainstream press is either afraid or incapable of doing.

Some of the issues the main stream press failed to bring attention to prior to the upcoming visit by Don Berlusconi, include the attack of freedom of speech and the rule of law regarding a new wire tapping law being considered for passage by the Berlusconi led coalition. In addition to the wiretap law, little discussion has been made by the international press prior to the visit of Berlusconi to the White House on the anti-Semitic and immigration attitude of more Italians and the power of the Mafia in Italy. All of these issues highlight how the mainstream press is either afraid, incapable of, or has been told not to report on these issues.

As most of the stories on the wire services like the Associated Press and Reuters discussed the famous quote Berlusconi made about Obama being suntanned, none of the news agencies explained how the comment made by Berlusconi in November was more for domestic political consumption than for an international audience. The mainstream press failed to discuss how the remark by Berlusconi was in recognition of the support of the right wing Alliance National, Lega Nord, and Forza Nuova political parties, which are a part of his government. Without the support of these radical right wing political parties, Don Berlusconi would not be in power for a third time in 15 years.

The international press missed an opportunity to discuss the rise of fascism in Italy and the anti-immigration hatred it spreads. Making news the same time Berlusconi and some of his staff from the fascist political party Alliance National were in Washington, the Italian news agency, ANSA, reported on a new Italian National Guard service to patrol the streets of some Italian cities.

Below is a picture of a Italian National Guard uniform that has elements of fascism with the black hat and black tie.

While the international press failed to discuss this story, I am sure more Jewish-Americans would be interested in reading about how fascism in Italy has witnessed a rise in popularity. Replacing the anti-Semitic hatred of former Italian leader Mussolini and his mentor Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and 1940s, the latest generation of Italian fascist supporters are reacting against the large immigrant population in Italy.

An example of the substandard reporting and political analysis by some reporters was evident in a Associated Press story about the recent European Parliament elections and how Berlusconi’s party was not effected by the recent political scandals often discussed in the international press. The reporter for the story, Maria Sanminiatelli, wrote, “…his (Berlusconi’s) People's Freedom Party won the European elections hands down over the center-left Democratic Party”. Either this reporter has no clue about Italian politics are afraid to report on the true results of the election. With the reporter having an Italian last name, I am leaning more towards the latter than the former.

Giving the reporter the benefit of the doubt, perhaps the reporter may have been writing for an American audience who is familiar with a two party system. Italy however has a multi party system and the recent EU Parliament elections showed a decrease in Berlusconi’s party while other smaller political parties gained popularity at the expense of the two main political parties. Most notable gaining popularity in the EU elections was the anti-immigration Lega Nord and independent Italia dei Valori party (Italy Values Party). The reporter also failed to mention that Alliance National the neo-fascist political party, was recently annexed into Berlusconi’s party, inflating Berlusconi’s final election results.

While the two countries have different political systems, both countries suffer from a static political class and two leaders pursuing their own national interests.

This was evident when after the meeting between Don Berlusconi and Barack Obama, Italy tentatively agreed to take a few Tunisian prisoners from the American gulag prison in Guantanamo Bay and for more Italian troops to be deployed to Afghanistan. The proposed agreement further demonstrates the power of the national security state in American politics and allows the US government to maintain the focus on terrorism. Berlusconi most likely asked for something in return, such as the continuation of funding for a future US Presidential helicopter being partially built in Italy and the continued funding of over 45 US military installations in Italy, which provides economic benefits to over 30,000 Italians.

Lowering the moral bar in foreign policy for energy resources

Although the United States and Italy may not have the same level of democracy and the rule of law in each country, it appears the two countries share a common foreign relations policy in regards to energy and the support of authoritarian despots from petrol states in the Middle East and North Africa. Perhaps Italy is just following the lead of their mentor and protector, who has maintained a 60 year relationship with one of the world’s most repressive and authoritarian regimes, when Italy decided to host an official state visit by Mu`ammar al-Qadhafi of Libya. This recent visit along with the recent visit by Barack Obama to Saudi Arabia demonstrates how the energy needs of a western power often trump the need to support democratic countries and isolate authoritarian regimes who often have abysmal human rights records. Due to the lack of a strategic plan on developing its own energy resources and investing more into renewable energy resources like solar energy and wind power, Italian political leaders have lowered the moral bar even lower in order for Italian business leaders to gain access to Libyan energy resources.


Citing the 2008 Democracy Index from the Economist magazine, Libya is ranked as one of the most repressive and non-democratic countries in the world. Out of 167 countries in the ranking, Libya is ranked as 159th in the world, when it comes to measuring that country’s level of democracy. Libya scores so low in the rankings because it is illegal to oppose the rule of Qadhafi.

The 2008 report by Human Rights Watch a non-government organization, amplifies this sentiment. In the report, Human Rights Watch wrote:

According to the Geneva-based group Libyan Human Rights Solidarity, Libya has forcibly disappeared 258 political prisoners, some for decades. Many were imprisoned for violating Law 71, which bans any group activity opposed to the principles of the 1969 revolution that brought al-Qadhafi to power. Violators of Law 71 can be put to death.

Making the case of Libya even more repulsive is the fact that Libya under the direction of Qadhafi ordered the destruction of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland in 1988. Unlike the ruling elites in Washington and Rome, the relatives and family members of Pan Am flight 103 probably had a different opinion on normalizing relations with Mu`ammar al-Qadhafi of Libya.

Mirroring the low ranking of the level of democracy in Libya, is the abysmal quality of human rights in the country. When the United States upgraded relations with the Libyan government, the State Department’s 2007 report on Human Rights declared that Libya’s “human rights record remained poor.” This did not stop the United States and the European Union Commission to approve billions of dollars of deals in the oil and gas sectors.

Some of the more appalling human rights abuses in Libya are related to the treatment of women who have been raped. For example, the government will only prosecute violent rapes and judges have the authority to propose marriage between the rapist and the victim as a “social remedy” to the crime. Many times, the rapist victims’ families encourage the victim to marry the rapist, in order to avoid a public scandal to the family.

The picture below, was taken at the Rome City Hall public event for Qadhafi. I guess these women are not aware of these laws or were paid supporters.


In addition to the atrocious rape laws, Libya has no domestic violence laws. The government fails to provide any kind of social support to the victims of rape and most of the time, the victims are held in government detention centers, often with no way to legally challenge their confinement. Libya is also one of the only countries in the world that is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, and has no formal working agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Due to the fact that Italy is the only western European country considered to be a partly free country when it comes to press freedom, I am sure the media controlled by Berlusconi and the Italian government did not report on these issues.

Using the Keyboard to Defend Democracy in the 21st Century

In the 18th century, the academic discipline of economics was considered a branch of ethics and Adam Smith, the man all capitalists admire, had been a professor of moral philosophy at the University of Glasgow. However, as we moved through the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century, business and ethics along with politics, appear to be moving in opposite directions. The recent news of China demanding that all computer manufacturers who sell their computers in China install Internet filtering software at their factory is another example of this alarming trend. More alarming is the fact that now that the medium of the Internet has begun to play a role in political movements and electoral campaigns and governments like China and Italy to a lesser degree, have begun to pass legislation limiting free speech and access to the Internet. If computer manufacturers and other IT companies like Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo continue to cooperate with non-democratic regimes like China, what is protect other more democratic countries from the same collusion between corporations and governments?

China, which is ranked 167th out of 173 countries in the world for press freedom, and 136th out of 168 countries for Democracy, recently required all computer manufactures to install software known as Green Dam. This software is designed to block certain internet sites the government considers inappropriate such as porno web sites, but also will allow government officials to block other internet sites, monitor the users’ web surfing, and even collect personal information on the user. China already blocks internet web sites that discuss the Dalai Lama, Tiananmen Square, and Falun Gong, the banned spiritual movement in China.

China is one of the world’s leading markets for computer manufactures. As opposed to other countries where consumption is slowing, China is predicted to continue to be one of the leading markets for computer manufactures. With a growing middle class, China will soon surpass the United States and eventually the European Union as the leading market for computer manufactures. This latest demand of the Chinese government is test to see how morally conscious the business leaders of Google, Hewlett Packard, Dell, Microsoft, and Yahoo will react under the pressure from the government.

What is truly amazing is how American companies and the American mass media are not making more of an issue out of this. The true hypocrisy of United States foreign policy and its discussions of spreading and defending democracy are exposed when put in the context of its anti-communist rhetoric during the Cold War. It is interesting how American leaders during the Cold War justified massive military budgets during the Reagan years, to combat the evil empire of the Soviet Union.

Due to the unique agreement between Communist China and the American government, consumer prices for certain goods are cheaper in America. This bi-lateral relationship has enabled American companies to export jobs to China in return for lower priced consumer items in America. This allowed American companies to keep wages low while still maintaining people to purchase consumer goods.

The collusion between technology companies and the threat it is to democratic forces is alarming. This blog along with the tens of thousands of other blogs critical of China and other countries could one day make the list of Green Dam or some other Orwellian named product the US requires all IT companies to install as part of a future Patriot Act.

The pen has always been mightier than the sword. The internet community in the 21st century needs to use the keyboard and defend democracy and honor that tradition.

The need for speed

One of the things I love most about living in Italy and Europe is the ability to travel on the high speed trains. From the first time I experienced a German ICE (Inner City Express) train in 2003, I have always been fascinated and inspired by seeing the sleek aerodynamic high-speed trains. Each time I ride these trains I recognize the economic impact these trains have as both a source of job creation and employment for people, but also another industry that provides jobs in Italy. I strongly believe that the key to America returning to being a productive country lies in the re-birth of the rail industry.

While most people may say that America is too large for high-speed rail to be effective, I believe that the way for America to develop its high-speed rail network is for the states to build their systems first. As each European country and rail system is identified by a different color scheme, each state in America could do the same approach. Starting with the large southern states like California, Florida, and Texas, high-speed rail lines could be cheaper and faster for people to ride, as opposed to airline travel.

Take for example the recent trip I took to Milan from Rome on the recently opened high-speed rail line between the two major cities in Italy. Covering a distance of over 585 km or 363 miles, the trip only took me 3 ½ hours. This is equivalent to a trip between Miami Florida and Jacksonville Florida, which would take over 5 ½ hours by car and over 3 hours by plane. Considering that the airline traveler has to arrive at the airport two hours before their departure time, be subjected to a near strip search before getting on the plane, and then have to get a rental car or other form of ground transportation to arrive at their final destination, using a train becomes even more appealing.

In addition to the same amount of time it takes to fly with an airplane, high speed rail travel always allows the traveler to arrive in the center of the city they are traveling to. For example, when I arrived in Milano, I was in the heart of the city and had plenty of time to walk to my appointment.

Riding these trains at over 160 km an hour, you really feel like you are living in the 21st century. Sitting in a comfortable seat, sometimes with a table to surf the web with your laptop and powered by an electric outlet next to the seat, you can also catch up on some work from the office.



With the recent nationalization of General Motors by the federal government, the Obama administration has a unique opportunity to correct the mistakes made by former administrations which killed the street trolley in favor of the gas guzzling bus. Several of the auto factories that have been shut down due to the down sizing of the auto industry, need to be converted to produce light rail trams for the cities and towns in America and high-speed rail systems for the entire country.

Americans need to embrace high-speed rail and mass transit for their towns and cities. The era of America as an exceptional country in the world has ended thanks to the Bush administration and the generational war it embarked on in Iraq and Afghanistan. If America wants to have any hope of once again becoming the great economic power it was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, than it needs to embrace the re-birth of the rail industry in America.

America needs to look back to its past for its future.

The Political Poster in Italy

When I fist moved to Italy, I used to enjoy seeing all the political posters plastered all over the place. It made me happy to see dozens of different political parties representing many different segments of the population. However, after living for here in Rome for some time now and having a much deeper understanding of the political system, I now view these political posters with contempt and revulsion. With the European voters going to the polls this weekend to cast their ballots for people to represent them in the European Parliament, here in Italy, scores of recycled politicians from the Caste System are up for the plume positions allocated for Italian politicians.

Mirroring the national elections of Italy, the recent EU Parliament election had scores of recycled Italian politicians running for office. For example in the pictures below, you will see a candidate who ran for the Provincial of Rome office in 2006 but was defeated. Now he is being put up again for office but this time for the European Parliament.


One of the most vivid examples of the lack of governance in this country, is evident in viewing the political posters and how they are plastered everywhere. The people working for the political parties do not respect private property or the rights of businesses that have spent money on advertising billboards, which are covered over by these political posters. The political parties are never held accountable for their actions and are an excellent example of the abuse of power these political parties inflict on the Italian population.


Below are a few examples of how political parties deface business property. Anyone living in America could understand how a store like Wal-Mart or a supermarket like Publix would be upset if a poster were plastered on their store sign. Here a local discount store Panorama and a local supermarket Todis have been defaced by a person hired by the Berlusconi political party to hang posters. Making it more ironic is that Berlusconi and the center right parties often claim to be tough law and order, but cannot seem to obey the law themselves.


The blight of the political poster defacing private property and violating the rights of business owners, is an indication of the detrimental effects the political parties are having on the Italian economy. This is evident in a recent World Bank report, which ranks Italy as the 46th most competitive country in the world. Perhaps the business owners and billboard owners do not get upset, because they are owned and controlled by the same political class of elites.

If there is one positive attribute of the political poster in Italy, is that it temporarily obscures the plight of graffiti covering the city like a thin layer of filth. Even then however, the hatred and anti-Semitic support of center right parties like Destra Sociale, a neo fascist party aligned with the current majority in Parliament, is not totally covered. Making it more disgusting is the fact that American tax dollars paid to the Italian government for the 45 military bases in Italy is also indirectly funding political parties like this.

A look at the violence spawned by conservative parties in America and Italy

As an American living in Italy, I am constantly exposed to how different but yet how remarkably similar both societies are. The latest killing of an abortion doctor in America exposed another contrast but yet another similarity. The support conservative political parties have of religious followers and the exploitation of social wedge issues like abortion and gay marriage to further fragment the proletariat. This has lead to an increase in violence in both societies, due to the acquiescence of the conservative parties in both countries.

In America, religious leaders and televangelists like Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Baker to name just a few, have preyed on poor people, who often look to religion to explain their misfortunes in life. Most often, these religious leaders often infuse political issues into their sermons, which conservative political leaders have used to their own political advantage. In Italy, the mafia, which came into existence by exploiting a poor urban population in the south of the country, later aligned themselves with the main conservative political entity in the country.

In a similar manner, both conservative parties have sowed mistrust in the population to the central state’s authority. In America, the Republican Party has used the issue of gun ownership and the mistrust of government to their political advantage. The main spirit of the Second Amendment in which all gun supporters rally behind, is the ability and the freedom of the people to have arms to defend against a tyrannical government. The mafia in Italy has also pursued the same tactic, exploited a centuries old internal conflict between the north and south of the country, and challenged the central power of the state. Both of these strategies and the compliance of the conservative parties have had violent results.

While the issue of gun ownership is like nuclear weapons and the genie in the bottle problem, once it starts, it is difficult to stop. The problem of the mafia is the same equivalent. While the government of Italy had a chance to stop the power and influence of the mafia during the early 1990s, it is estimated that the mafia clans now control over 8 percent of the entire Italian economy. This accounts to over 130 billion dollars a year. That incredibly large amount of money gives the mafia clans the ability to challenge and intimidate anyone who threatens its economic interests.

Like the support of the Republican Party in America, which has hindered tougher gun control laws, which contributed to the death of the abortion doctor, the lack of initiative and political will of the government in Italy to fight the mafia also resulted in the killing of a Catholic priest. The Rev. Giuseppe Puglisi on February 17, 1993, who made a life of challenging the mafia clan of Cosa Nostra on its own turf, was shot and killed in front of his rectory, in the depressed industrial Brancaccio neighborhood of Palermo, Sicily.

The Republican Party in America has done an extremely effective job at using social wedge issues like abortion and gay marriage, issues that should be essentially private and not the responsibility of the state to regulate, to further fragment the working class population in America. Similarly, in Italy the conservative political parties starting with the Christian Democratic (DC), to the latest incarnation of Berlusconi’s political party The People’s Liberty Party, have all used social wedge issues for their own political gain.

The political hypocrisy of conservative leaders in both Italy and the United States, who claim the moral high ground, is often exposed as the political showmanship and grandstanding for which it is. From the “Wide Stance” of Larry Craig, the former republican senator who was soliciting sex in a public men’s room, to latest story of Berlusconi fraternizing with young women at his villa in Sardegna, conservative political leaders rarely lead the pious and humble life the church encourages.