Blunt Perspectives

The new year is here 2008,  just turned the corner,  I look around and everything seems so familiar.  The sky is the same, the hills and mountains haven’t disappeared, people still pass by on the streets, work starts and then is finished, taxes are still collected,  food is bought and rent is paid.

But something I had hoped would have disappeared, in my wishful thinking,  is still here with a vengeance, - Lack of Character -.

In my my wildest dreams, I know character will not be found, in one (not the most important which is family) of the most important bodies in civilized society, government.  It has turned into a joke, yet the media doesn’t point it out as such. The politicians make all kinds of ridiculous and erroneous  statements and when confronted with it  stoop to claiming  something  totally different was said which doesn’t make sense in reality or even logically, yet the media will not point that out.

That,  my friends, is why we have so much of it, because they are not forced to explain how they could have come up with their  “new” revision of a statement that they made, which is completely opposite or far removed from what was said. I actually meant, … what I was really saying, … I was referring to, … I misspoke, … I was misunderstood or even I was misquoted.  is getting really boring.

They all, and I repeat all,  must be thinking we’re one sandwich short of a picnic… I think that shows lack of respect for us and worse, no confidence in themselves to be honest and truthful and being able to come through, with dignity,  from the criticism  they would shurley receive.

If we don’t make them tell the truth, in such minor matters, then how are we to be certain they would tell the truth at any other time… I frankly don’t think that will happen at all.
Our politicians  don’t inspire confidence in the future with that mentality in charge of events.
…        Good luck to all of us. The search for character continues.

~ Juris

In your article “The Saudis as Israel’s Protectors!?” you state many facts and conclusions from your observations, you rely on the politicians and leaders inability to learn from experience and their inability to see what is going on around them as a reason for their behavior. However, doesn’t it seem strange to you that -all- of these politicians and renowned world leaders are that inept that they can not see what is going on and what needs to be the right path to take? The ONLY conclusion I can see for their blindness IS that they do NOT want to see the truth, and heaven forbid if by accident they were to do the right thing. It would ruin their whole plan.

As I see it, and it is my opinion only, their plan is to keep the conflicts going, without a resolution, BUT, doing everything to try to leave the impression that they do want to solve it. No one could be that inept without putting in the effort to be that way.
That is the only logical conclusion I can come up with for prolonging the conflict and blocking successes. The reasons for that behavior could cover a multitude of answers, but peace is not one of them.

Please see her article at the link below.
http://jewishworldreview.com/0207/glick020907.php3

Till we butt heads again…       Juris

It all began several months after he took office, when he decided to give up conservative principals and let senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts dictate the education bill. Next he let senator McCain and senator Feingold get away with the campaign finance reform bill, vowing to veto it, which he did not do. This stifled free speech near an election for lobby groups, but not individuals, which didn’t matter because an individual would be hard pressed to disseminate information widely on his own. Therefore information found to be negative or positive couldn’t be disbursed, and the voter would then vote ill informed. What happened to free speech in the constitution? It looks like a little more of it bit the dust. Nothing in the wind is evident to encourage us that congress wants to right the wrong, they just don’t care.

President Bush’s handling of the Iraqi war, along with his generals, who were able to get in there quickly and effectively, was incompetent, and they lost the ability to make good judgments on the course and strategy needed to finish it. I was getting so tired of hearing from the president, and his subordinates that the war was going well and we were making progress. We all could see from a distance that it was not. His assessment of the progress of the war gave the perception to observers that he was a light weight in intellect because; he was supposed to have all kinds of evidence to guide his decisions. But his perception of the war became more and more distant, along with those around him, from what the public in America and around the world believed.

We all see that he has failed in Iraq, and now is forced to admit it, although he is still going to try for success, doing the things he should have been doing long long ago.

One piece of information distributed is the quiet release of a US State Department 33-year old cable which showed that the department kept secret that Yasser Arafat, who invented global terrorism, the Fatah in 1959, ordered an attack, where the Fatah terrorists kidnapped, then killed, US senior foreign officials the following day. Arafat of course denied involvement, and over the years efforts to try him for murder were fruitless. But for some reason or other he prevailed to dupe many presidents, even after his death the lie persists that Arafat has come around; it still persists to this day. The full article written by Caroline B. Glick entitled “With the quiet release of a 33-year-old US State Department cable, a good chunk of the edifice of the long-running big lie was destroyed”, as found in Jewish World Review, dated Jan.2,2007.

Looking at the whole world picture, from the events that transpire from decisions made, it is definitely… … getting more and more interesting,… but more so….. unsettling to the psyche and the soul. Till next time, I’ll still be looking at the world and wondering… Juris

So now we hear that everyone in several international governments, who can implement it, are ready to roll out the new E passport which can be scanned like groceries at a checkout counter. It is touted as secure, high tech, and will be good for everyone. Even though security experts in the field, including an EU funded network of IT security experts are against E passport schemes. They claim they are not secure and can be compromised even leading to identity theft, but the governments issuing them don’t seem to care what the experts think.

Why would that be? Could there be another agenda going on here? Over the last few months there has been more and more speculation among knowledgeable commentators in the information media that the nations of the world are leaning in the direction of a world government, or a tight coalition to facilitate more control over events, corporations, and individuals. If, that, could be part of the reason for bringing out the E passport, with the enormous amount of opposition to it; to create more identity theft, confusion, and chaos in the world, leading to the need for governments to implement more laws and systems to control the problems created, then, it may work.

It is an accepted norm that in order to lead people, with their approval, you have to have a common enemy, something for them to rail against, something distasteful to eliminate, and it has worked for centuries. The theory was first described by Tsu Sun in 500 BC in his book “The Art of War” as to how to maintain discipline and the will of the soldier to fight the battle. You needed to give him a reason to put himself in harms way willingly, for the “cause”. Niccolo Machiavelli in his writings and book in the 1500’s AD titled “The Prince”, also eloquently and with precise detail describes how a Prince (governor in a government) under various scenarios can control the direction in which the “people” go, and that they will be willingly to go there.

Perhaps the powers in charge, behind the scenes, already have some chip or thing that is ultimately so secure that it is married to each individual through DNA, and that chip would need to be inserted into the individual to work properly… Give the people enough chaos and they may agree to the intrusion into their lives and ultimately insertion of a chip into their bodies. These chips would do it all, banking, shopping, transportation, etc., therefore, governments could finally know your every movement, everything about you, how you live, how you recreate, and what you buy.

With the growth of the technological possibilities in miniaturization, who knows, someday even a small implanted chip could hear what you are saying, anywhere and anytime. The possibilities are endless,.. who will control it.., when even now the governments ignore the knowledgeable scientists and technicians of the world who care about security and privacy of the individual, you, and me.

If you happen to get the inclination to read the books I mentioned you will see, and be amassed, at the cause and effect of events as described there, prevalent in the world today. All of the great and evil events of history have used these principals enumerated in these books, namely, because they work. …Things to ponder… Till next time.    Juris

In reading Jeff Pulver’s blog entry “Crash Course in Lobbying 101″ I look at the Internet Communications crowd and believe it’s hurdles to be similar to my experiences in the WISP (Wireless ISP) genre of the community. Similarly, Pulver began his efforts by creating successful businesses and lobbying for Voice over IP (VoIP) and is now looking to move increasingly into all things IP. Just as I had ranted and raved about creating an influential presence in Washington to WISPs, I reaffirm my belief here today - with a commitment to help Pulver and the Internet Communications Community to success!

On the issue of the Internet community’s lack of presence and effort in Washington, I would like to begin by providing some history and insight on my prior experiences.

The WISP community had gained decent traction in DC, but I primarily attribute this to the staff at the FCC during that time (most of which have left), namely Chairman Michael Powell, Director of Policy Development Robert Pepper, and Director of Wireless Policy John Muleta.

We successfully won against an interference claim made by Sirius Satellite, were allocated over 400MHz of “Free” spectrum in the upper-bands (2.4-5.8GHz), assisted in recognition of less regulation for the Internet (both infrastructure and IP), and created an awareness about the significant impact of wireless on a global society. President Bush echoed our efforts in his 2005 speech where every American was to have access to broadband Internet by 2007 - where wireless was the catalyst, especially for rural America. We were also involved in RUS Grants, USF discussions, and other Government assisted financial debates.

These efforts and accomplishments were fine, but did not reach their full potential. Battles are being lost in debates over the HDTV spectrum reallocation, white space, and other battles of spectrum usage. We won an allocation of former DOD (Department of Defense) bands in 3.65GHz but lost the technology battle - the spectrum is useless given today’s technologies and yet remains ignored by vendors in their roadmaps. And there’s more.

Why so bittersweet?

The WISP community had difficulty banding together because of the different “clicks” and groups, despite the same goals and vision attitudes got in the way. There was WISPA in 2001 (incarnation #1), Part-15 in 2002 (to fight WISPA), WCA in 2003 (who had been in telco/wireless for years prior), WISPA #2 in 2004 (after WISPA #1 failed, and Part-15 became corrupt). Other than Andrew Kreig’s WCA and my involvement with PFF (Progress and Freedom Foundation), none were professional enough with feet constantly in the Lobbying Halls to make an impact and send a strong and consistent message, thus receiving limited support and recognition from the administration.

Aside the above, I believe there were some core issues that existed in the failure of the WISP movement in DC. These issues I believe exist within the Internet Community, and what does not exist can easily become fact if not monitored or a path and leadership chosen wisely.

Below is my short list from the history of WISP lobbying that will hopefully help us do some creative thinking/problem solving as we begin this arduous journey…

#1) Cost

WISPs were an under-funded community, lawyers cost $ and so does paying a dedicated assembly of people to lobby and respond to/create proposals. Entrepreneurs are spending their money on their business (yes, lobbying should be part of that, but is not), and techies spend it on new toys - we must either get enough corporate support or successfully convince the techies and small operators.

#2) Fear

Washington feels like it is more powerful than the people, just as some Americans do not vote because they feel insignificant - the general consensus of the community is one of helplessness. Failed attempts in DC quickly lose moral.

#3) Unity

The Internet community is assembly of skilled, thoughtful, and independent thinkers - entrepenurers and passionate people. Attitudes and debates (ending in disagreement) lead to a loss of continuity and therefore, progress.

#4) Morality

The “organic” WISP contingents that were formed and received support eventually grew leaders with significant attitudes while support funds became profit-centers. These attitudes lost support from the constituents, while potential corruption and inter-fighting lost face with the powers that be through corruption.

#5) Stagnancy

The organic leaders did not mature to meet the demand of professionalism required in the “Lobbies” of Washington. Persistence is a virtue, however the leadership and constituents were unwilling or incapable to adapt to “The DC Way”, evolve with the Internet and technology, and read-between the lines when Washington winked. This lead to the battles being rehashed with a laughable presence under the same failed pretenses.

I am done for now, comments and insight are *strongly* encouraged!