First Blog

 New Wars for New Times  What has changed for you and I  (i.e. old farts)  is the nature of conflict . In the olden days, there were the spies as individuals trying hard to subvert whatever. Individual or in a “cell,” they carried out operations such as a simple murder or theft of secrets. There were the armed enemies opposed by armed forces. So, we and they had spies trying to penetrate the opposition, promoting or preventing war. But now China has shown us the new method of institutional spying through co-opting congressional leaders (Swalwell, Feinstein, et al.), computer hacking for the theft of arbitrary information for future processing (everyone), co-opting of entire countries by issuing nonrepayable loans (Africa, Sri Lanka, etc), military intimidation (India, South China Sea), and penetrating corporate interests (Google, Facebook, etc) worldwide. Not a shot is fired; no armies are marshaled. The war now engaged is under cover of protocols, laws, policies, corruption, and p

Today, we are discussing all those cameras being placed all over our cities.   Officials tell us it's for our protection.   Citizens are worried. Movements are afoot to reduce this camera presence.   Is it justified?   Remember, its not just the picture, it what comes with it. Pictures plus a thousand words?   Artificial Intelligence (AI) can put together your picture with all your personal data. Subversives should be nervous.   So should we all. Dossiers for all. In the West we need to trust our government to restrain its natural instincts to use any information they have to stay in power.   The comes to ethics, and ethics is rapidly becoming a theoretical subject, a historical artifact, a quaint quality. Deprecated at last review.     I don’t care what your politics.   Can you say with certainty your party would not use this information to track political opponents in looking for damaging information?   Like the old song, “Simply Irresistible.” Want more?   Enter the h