Almost Daily Rant

Quick Hits for 8July10

 

· Britain as the canary in our coalmine for dehumanizing police state technologies has introduced Sigard, a mobile communications technology that can “anticipate anti-social behavior and violence by analyzing the information picked up by its sensors”. Thought crimes anyone?

· The FAA is under pressure to open skies to drones beyond patrolling the borders. This will be a major step in removing the face-to-face aspect of policing the population in the US as it has in wars overseas. Unmanned aircraft will play a major role in the turbulent events that unwind over the next two decades.

· The EU wants to keep all Internet searches for 2 years to protect the children. When are draconian measures not sold to the public as measures to protect the children? 

· Saudi’s announcement that they are “conserving oil for future generations” isn’t going to go over well with its petro welfare population. The thinking may be the illusion of holding back wells may be better than exposing the reality of dry holes in what too many believe are infinite supplies.

· Lenny Kravitz, Mos Def and More Jam for Gulf Aid is the only good thing to come out of the oil disaster.

 

Quick Hits for 4July10

The Dwarves dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum... shadow and flame.

— Saruman, The Lord of the Rings

 

· Like warmed over cold war comfort food, the Russians are back. OK, not exactly – this is less about borders and more about dueling global factions.

· Speaking of the “borderless” universe, see the rise of corporate-hollow state gang warfare. I’m reminded of the Kurt Vonnegut quote to “join a gang, any gang”.

“Our society has become a neighborhood where street-gangs—corporate entitites—battle one another for position. Even the Government is just another street gang. (Meanwhile) Courts and the so-called “justice system” are busy policing individuals. Individuals’ rights are more curtailed and restricted than ever before. But corporate entities are freer than ever before.”

· In the shape of things to come as more cities, counties and states go bankrupt, the town of Maywood, California laid off all city employees and dismantled its police department. Don't expect government fiefdoms to go down without a fight as the lines, in some cases, between taxing authority for fewer and fewer services, and extortionist mob blurs.