COVID-19 and Contact Tracing: What Possibly Could Go Wrong?

During World War II there was one name which was feared above all others---Gestapo. It made the bravest and most daring men and women freeze in dread of the knock on the door at two o'clock in the morning. The Gestapo, or Geheime Staatspolizei (Secret State Police) as it was officially called, was used by the Nazis to track, monitor, and arrest anyone suspected of treason against the Third Reich.

For many, it was believed that there was a Gestapo agent in every bar, every outdoor cafe, every street corner, or lurking in every dark alley with their black fedora pulled down low, their black leather trench coat with the collar turned up, a cigarette dangling menacingly from their lips while holding a small notebook close to their chest and scribbling down everything they saw and heard.

We typically think of them ferreting out members of the underground who are engaged in a deadly cat and mouse game of smuggling arms, or downed RAF and American pilots in and out of dusty lofts, sending coded messages, conducting sabotage in the dead of the night or assassinating German officers and pro-Nazi collaborators as they sit in open air cafes sipping beer. Such is our image from the movies.

From 1933 until 1934, the Gestapo was headed by Reich Minister Hermann Goring, who was also the Reich Air Marshall and head of the deadly Luftwaffe. After that, it fell under the direction of Heinrich Himmler, head of the dreaded SS or Schutzstaffel. In 1939, it was transferred to the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA) and henceforth considered a "sister department" to the Security Service (SD), the intelligence arm of the SS and overseen by the "Butcher of Prague", Reinhard Heydrich.

For the long twelve years of the Third Reich's existence, the Gestapo was often thought to be everywhere; all-knowing and all powerful, both inside and outside of the Reich. The truth of the matter is that there were in fact relatively few people who worked for Geheime Staatspolizei and the number of undercover agents was equally few. The Gestapo, which worked closely with the regular police force, was actually comprised mostly of clerks and analysts more than anything. Surprised? Don't be.

The role of the Gestapo was intentionally broad and loosely defined. Thanks to a 1936 law, it operated without judicial review. It was charged with more than finding secret transmitters or members of the underground. It was investigate any charges of "non-conformist behavior". What did this mean? It meant that anyone suspected of anti-government behavior was a potential target. This could (and did) often mean people who failed to give the proper Nazi greeting, individuals who acted "suspicious" or "unsocial" (meaning people who liked to be left alone), reading "subversive" books or magazines.

It meant entertaining guests at unusual hours (especially someone of the opposite sex), "suspected" homosexuality, not supporting Reich policies (like supporting the war), holding anti-Reich views regarding religion or race relations, keeping odd hours, having no visible means of support, failure to listen to official state radio broadcasts, being drunk often or doing drugs, as well as those who failed to adhere to regulations pertaining to blackouts, didn't show up for "volunteer" civic functions, and so forth. It was these types of behaviors which lead to the arrest and execution of Anne Frank, Sophie Scholl and members of the "White Rose" resistance movement. So, how did the Gestapo learn of all these "non-conformist" activities? Was it agents hiding in bushes and up trees? Nope!

In fact, 80% of ALL investigations were due to reports by ordinary civilians! On average, there was rarely more than 50 Gestapo personnel in any midsize city. For example, Northern Bavaria had no more than approximately 90 full time agents. In the Lower Rhineland, which had a population of over four million, there were just 281 members of the Gestapo available. If it wasn't for the average German snitching for one reason or another, the Gestapo would have neither been as effective or feared as it was.

As for the reason these ordinary Germans spied on and reported their fellow Germans, most did so out of as sense of patriotism; a belief they were protecting the Reich and helping to ensure law and order. They felt they were keeping Germany and Germans safe. A few admitted after the war that it was out of jealousy or some petty dislike of the individual. As a result, millions were put on watch lists. They were subject to harassment, random detention or arrest, fines, blackmail, and for many, it meant prison terms ranging from months to years, and for a few, it meant not just torture, but certain death (Sophie Scholl, mentioned above, was beheaded by guillotine. She was just 21).

The reason I mention this brief history lesson is because "our" government officials have been encouraging ordinary people---people like you and me---to essentially spy on our neighbors and report them if it appears they are not following certain guidelines or even mere recommendations. What are we talking about? Reporting people who, for one reason or another, are not wearing a mask; going places other than grocery stores, pharmacy, or hardware store for "essential" items; congregating in groups of ten or more, and so on.

Who is doing this? Well, people like Colorado's Governor Jared Polis, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, California Governor Gavin Newsom, among several others. They've "warned" their constituents about what is expected of them and how they should act, otherwise they face a reversal of their newly earned "freedoms" and a return to mandatory lockdowns and quarantines. Some have even set up special phone lines and websites to make it easy to rat on their fellow citizens.

In Laredo, Texas, cops responded to an anonymous tip on one such website about two women doing hair and nails on the sly. They were promptly shut down and face possible fines and a mandatory 14 day self quarantine complete with an ankle monitor! Meanwhile, in Huston a county commissioner tried another tack. He ordered that everyone wear a mask or face a $1000 fine. However, instead of handing out tickets, law enforcement handed out masks. Even in Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear is has a hotline to report anyone who isn't in "compliance" with his guidelines.

In Palm Beach Florida, County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw went a step further. He's encouraging people to report anyone making "anti-government" comments through a special hotline 24/7. It's part of a one million dollar program to reduce potential "violence", presumably against law enforcement and/or government personnel. And don't think Florida is the only place where this is happening.

In some locations, cameras used to monitor crime or traffic are being used to detect individuals with high temperatures. Facial recognition programming is then being used to help identify these individuals, which is prompting a visit from authorities. Stores are also imposing their own restrictions such as "no mask--no entry" (akin to "no shoes, no shirt, no service" I suppose). Of course, that's their legal right. It's their property and they can set the rules. Of course, you can spend your money elsewhere too. Stories like this are popping up all over the country, so don't give me any of that "it can't happen here" BS. It can and it is.

I want to point out, however, that like those in Nazi Germany, the majority of these "narcs" are doing so out of a misplaced sense of patriotism or compassion for others. They sincerely believe that what they are doing is the "right thing". The only exception is that no one is being executed. However, individuals are being questioned by authorities. Some are being arrested, fined, while others are facing jail time, or at the very least, enforced "self-quarantine" complete with a ankle monitor. A few are risking their business licenses. No doubt a record for "future reference" is being created as well.

What about contact tracing? Actually, contact tracing is not new. We just haven't heard that much about it since we haven't faced a pandemic recently, but it's actually been in use for awhile to manage epidemics. In the past it was more of a matter of creating a list of everyone you had come into contact with over a specific period of time. It's like creating a "contact web". The big difference being proposed here is the use of our smartphones to create the "web" for us, which is not only potentially more accurate but much more timely. We will now download an app from the CDC directly onto our smartphone which will do the work for us.

The current proposal also takes into consideration personal privacy. It does not disclose the identity of the infected individual. It does, however, notify everyone of their contacts that they may have come into contact with someone who was infected with the virus (or some other disease in the future), and asks them about any symptoms. In effect, it would provide an early warning system for all concerned.

On the surface, it sounds like pretty reasonable. I would certainly like to know if I may have become infected with some virus or disease so that I could limit any contact with individuals with impaired immune systems while doing what I needed to stay healthy. I don't need to know necessarily who the potentially infected person is, but it would sure help me in making my decision. But, doesn't that violate their privacy? Do I have a right to know who may have infected me?

I guess I could contact everyone on my contact list ask "which one of you is sick?" and see what happens. Of course, I could eliminate some simply by virtue of their known proximity to me. Most of us have a pretty good idea of where we've been over the past week or so and who we've been around. However, it doesn't take into consideration strangers we bumped into at the local grocery store or some business who may have been infected.

The other big issue from my perspective is who will have access to this information; for how long; and what ultimately becomes of it regardless of whether I'm infected or not. Is there going to be a record of me hanging around "questionable" characters who may be subject to certain illnesses? Is there going to be a shared government/medical/insurance record of how often I get sick, from what, and will it affect my medical care or my insurance rates? If so, could it make me eventually financially uninsurable; that is, make it impossible to afford my insurance premiums?

Going only slightly further, could my health record somehow become attached to my credit worthiness? And if it does, couldn't that also eventually affect my employability? After all, if I'm subject to being sick (or live in area which has a high infection rate) won't it affect my ability to work and thus pay my bills? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where this could all lead. Government programs have a nasty habit of getting out of control real easy as everyone knows.

So, while I understand and can appreciate contact tracing, applying this to our smart phones could lead to unintended consequences. Once again, we are faced with the quandary of the needs of the many versus the needs of the few or the one. Before I would consider doing this, I would need some strong assurances about my privacy both short and long term. Could you imagine what the Gestapo and their well intended informants could have done with this technology? Besides, we've seen how well the snitching and our privacy is working out.



Gestapo

Sophie Scholl


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New Coronavirus Hotline Helps People Snitch On Their Neighbors For Breaking Rules


What Is Contact Tracing? How It Could Be Used To Fight Coronavirus

The US as an Oligarchy

Of course, as everyone knows by now, the US is an Oligarchy. We have a professional class of plutocrats who think they know better than we do about what we want and don't want from government. They've created a system that makes us dependent on them. They have, in fact, created the means by which they can bribe us with our own money. They've created a surveillance state and are awaiting the opportunity---be it real or manufactured---to impose a police state. But first, we'll have to demand it. "Do what" you say? We would never demand that government impose a police state on us. Well, yes we would, and here's how.

Imagine a situation where crime, especially violent crime, has gotten out of hand. Imagine an economy where good paying jobs are hard to come by because there are more workers than openings. As a result, people are willing to take less and less; benefits disappear and worker associations are either impotent or too afraid to act; they may work hand in glove with employers to maintain order. People become frustrated. They start protesting. Before long these protests turn into riots and looting becomes rampant. Crime increases.

The infrastructure collapses as a result of decades long neglect. There are more and more external threats to the nation, and those threats are spilling over the borders. Along with that, there's increased immigration; mostly illegally, which is not only bringing an ever greater stain on the economy but also diseases. Taxes are on the rise and there seems to be no end in sight. Government is corrupt. Once they at least tried to hide it. Now they don't even bother. They are bought and paid for by a handful of very wealthy individuals. Of course, they continue to talk like our opinions matter; like they are a part of the working class but the "Republic" is an illusion.

Pretty soon things are so bad that the people start demanding the government do "something". The people can no longer stand by and watch the Republic fail. And so the government does, or rather, those within the government. Think I'm talking about some future scenario? Nope. What I just described was Ancient Rome during the late Republic period; the same Rome which we based our political system on. This was Rome just before the arrival of the Caesars. So don't think it can't happen here.

So, what do we do? Well, we can do nothing and see what happens but that's rarely a good idea. Maybe we'll get lucky, but don't count on it. If we did, we'd be the first Republic to do so. I think that what we need to do is come together as Americans first. We have to put aside our differences, which are in reality relatively few. We need to see things as they are.

Most of our "differences" are manufactured to keep us at each other's throat and to prevent a united front. We have far more in common than not. Washington DC and the federal government is already a goner. It no longer represents us. It exists to serve the needed of the super wealthy and corporations. Instead, we have to start taking charge of our communities despite or in spite of local government.

That means we have to start supporting local businesses as much as possible. It means creating active block watches and neighborhood associations to address their own problems and do what they can without involving the government. Think of it as "self-governance". This would not only give them greater independence but would reduce government expenditures which should hopefully save tax money.

Since politicians can't be trusted with money, local governments should be subject of regular audits from outside auditors (ie: tougher to bribe). The citizens should also have the final say on any tax and rate increases, and that includes salaries and benefits for elected officials. There should mandatory transparency throughout government. Nothing behind closed doors unless it directly involves national security.

Along the same lines, government must stop corporate welfare. Period. These global corporations like Exxon and Bank of America should not get off the hook paying zero taxes. There should be a minimum tax that they must cut a check for. We must also reduce the red tape that it takes to own and operate small businesses. Small businesses have been the heart and soul of this country and our communities since the beginning. We can't lose that.

No company is "to big to fail" . Taxpayers should be bailing out corporations because of their poor (and usually greedy) business decisions. No more corporate owned political parties or politicians. That means ending Citizens United. Corporations are artificial entities, not "people". If they want to "say" something, they can buy adverting, but they shouldn't buy parties or politicians. As an aside, maybe we should also limit campaigns to 90 or 120 days. If you can't say what you need to that amount of time, then maybe you need to reevaluate your message.

We need to impose term limits as well. No more politicians for life, and when they leave, their salaries and benefits stop. No more professional politicians with lifetime salaries and perks. As for how long, 12 years is good round number. That's two 6 years terms for Senators and federal judges (including the Supreme Court); six 2 year terms of Representatives, and three 4 year terms for the President.

As for government paid security, the President and his/her immediate family along with the Vice President and immediate family should be entitled to Secret Service protection for the first six months out of office and that's all. After that it should be on them. It should go without saying that all laws passed by Congress should apply equally to them. No more set of laws for us and another for them. No more private pools, gyms or saunas, etc.

No more use of private corporate airplanes or corporate paid "fact finding" trips to some resort or golf course. By the way, this should apply to their staff as well. All conversations or interaction between professional lobbyists and government should be recorded and made public. In short, we need to put the "public" back in the term "public service" and try to restrict the corporate bribery as much as possible.

We also need to eliminate partisan gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is the act of redistricting a given district by a political party in order to ensure that they remain in control of that district. This is nothing less than self-perpetuating incumbency which promotes partisan gridlock. Did you know that the old Soviet Politburo had a higher turnover rate than the US Congress? Sad but true.

Well, you can thank the lack of term limits, gerrymandering, and corporate influence for that. Another problem we need to address is the restriction of third parties and Independents form running. Since Ross Perot, the Democrats and Republicans have worked together to keep anyone other than the Status Quo out of debates and away from the money. Elections should not be based on the highest bidder.

Meanwhile, the corporate media tries to ignore them; denying them access (pretending that they aren't "legitimate" candidates") or treating them as if they're a sideshow. Indies and third parties should have the same access to the ballot as the two corporate parties; the same number of signatures, the same access to participate in debates and have media coverage.

Here's a trivia question for you. The US has been involved in "nation building" since the end of World War II. We've pumped tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars in helping build democracies around the world. So, how many countries have based their new governments on the US model? The answer is zero. Absolutely none. It's our rigged election system. It's the fact that only two sides are represented and in our "winner take all" system that means only one side is represented at a time.

For the rest of the world, the preferred form of democracy is based on the British Parliamentary system of government which allows for everyone to have a voice in government. Naturally, it has its flaws like any other political system, but at least it's more balanced and you have representation.

So where does that leave us? We have a never-ending "War on Terrorism" which keeps the economy chugging along; artificially stimulating the economy while lowering unemployment as "excess" population goes off to fight these wars which are all about gaining access to markets or resources. At home the government/corporate alliance attempts to manufacture disorder and hatred while spinning the story to fit their prescribed narrative.

In order to "protect" us, the police are militarized while government and their corporate partners in crime go into overdrive with their surveillance state (it's even marketed as "safe", "convenient" and "easy"). How cute. Millennials don't seem to care much about their privacy as long as they think they're getting something for free. The older generation, which aren't that familiar with today's technology to begin with, often go along blindly. However, there are a few resisters but soon enough people will be snared through laws that can force the remainder to comply.

Last year I came across several articles about employees voluntarily getting microchips put into the hand as a means of transporting their personal information, as well as potentially including our financial history (bank accounts and credit report, along with our medical history). How convenient. Here in the State's we're seeing the introduction of a "Smart" drivers license which may eventually serve the same purpose (in lieu of a drivers license, you can get a "Smart" photo ID) complete with facial recognition. Regardless, this is nothing more than a national ID similar to your average everyday totalitarian state; a electronic version of the passport Germans had to carry during WWII under the Nazis or the Communists beginning with ole "Uncle Joe" Stalin. I suppose there are pluses to consider.

It would be a convenient way to track your kids or seniors who occasionally wonder off. It would be more difficult to steal your personal information. Supposedly, it would make it easier to track down suspected terrorists (for some reason "Minority Report" just popped into my mind), and illegal immigrants.

They could also just as easily track our purchases and monitor which site we visit online, which they do already. These chips could control your increasingly "connected" life. Perhaps it could control your not-so-futuristic "Smart" home. Then again, it may be your home which controls you. I see it as simply an electronic leach. Call me old fashion but I'd like a little less "connectivity" and a little more personal privacy.



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Am I Who I Say I Am? A Look At Human Microchipping

Recently, a Wisconsin snack food technology company by the name of Three Square Marketing, announced that it was going to be micro-chipping its employees, or at least those who volunteer for the procedure. According to the company spokesperson, the concept is to reduced the need to memorize passwords to access their computers or phone system as well as entry into certain secure rooms, not to mention paying for snacks and so forth for as little as swipe of the hand. The procedure is actually quite simple. It's just a minor insertion of a tiny microchip (about the size of a single grain of rice) called a RFID, or "Radio Frequency Identification" transmitter chip, in the loose skin portion of your hand between your thumb and forefinger. In fact, several companies have begun to offer similar procedures (my bank has started offering retinal scans in order to have access to safety deposit boxes).

Three Square Marketing is not the first company to offer this procedure. In fact, several companies have made this security measure available. Epicenter , a high tech company in Stockholm Sweden hopes to have all of its 700 employees micro-chipped shortly. But these aren't the only companies to venture forth with this new technology. Several other, mostly technology based companies, are at least dipping their toe in the water. In fact, back in 2003, Mexico's top prosecutor, Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha, along with 160 members of his staff were implanted with a micro-chip at a cost of (US) $125.00 each (the average cost is approximately $300 per person, depending on the purpose of the chip). Other members of the Mexican government and military were "chipped" as well. The reason was for security purposes given the power, wealth, and brutal means the drug cartels are willing to go in order to gain access to this information.. No more memorized security codes or passwords and no more magnetic security ID cards. In short, nothing to steal, lose, or forget. Of course, other governments and their militaries are doubtlessly taking the same steps...and for the same reasons.

Domestically, the U.S. military is looking into implanting chips in soldiers, sailors, and airmen for similar reasons---security. No one wants to forget a password or security ID, especially while under combat conditions (especially when the military changes password and code frequently...and they never---ever--- involve your dog's name, your birthday, or your mother's maiden name). In addition, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a high tech R&D center which officially operates out of the Pentagon, is working on a unique program called "Electronic Prescriptions" or more simply, "ElectRx". The objective is to implant a chip called a "nanosensor", which will monitor a soldier's bodily vitals and administer specific medication if required.

A similar program could monitor a soldier's blood pressure, respiration, pulse, temperature or other factors and through the use of biofeedback, electromagnetic devises, as well as perhaps administer a stimulant or sedative to help ensure they are at peak performance in every combat situation. As an aside, the Germans did something similar to this during WWII. Each combat soldier, sailor, or airman was provided with a regular stream of "Pervitin", a stimulant similar to crystal meth. This helped the soldier to stay awake longer and remain in the fight longer. Later, they were provided with a cocaine based drug with sinister sounding code name of "D-IX". Studies showed that with D-IX, individuals could hike 70 miles carrying a 45 pound backpack without a single rest break. No doubt had the micro technology been available, Nazi scientists would have found a use for it (of course, like so many other things, they were indeed working on the problem).

So, what are we to make of this? Would you be willing to be "chipped" for your employer? Let's look at it from another angle before you answer. Let's say that you, along with most Babyboomers, either are or will be facing the issue of ageing parents. One of the key problems is their tendency to get lost (especially if they suffer from dementia or some other neuro disease). A micro-chip equipped with GPS could be implanted to monitor their whereabouts. The same goes for those with small children who have the same tendency of wondering off. It would also help to prevent child disappearances. In addition, as pointed out above, it could monitor any medical needs either your parents or child requires.

Now, let's take it one step further. What if, by micro-chipping your hand, you could forgo your house key(s), car key, work security card or password? In addition, it would have all your medical information on it, from your childhood shots through your current medication, health concerns, your doctor and next of kin contact information as well as your insurance information. In case of a serious accident, wouldn't that be helpful? All EMS would have to do is scan your hand and your complete medical history is right there. No more guessing.

What if we pushed it just a bit further? What if this same micro-chip, which is capable of holding billions of bits of information, included your driver's license and car registration information on it? It would make life more manageable. Less digging through the glove box or business drawer or cabinet. You could even have a feature on it which includes your resume as well as financial information like your savings or checking account. You could even pay your groceries simply by scanning your hand the same way your groceries are scanned. As it is, some people use their smart phone much the same way, except now the information is right at your finger tips, well, close to your finger tips.

The companies implanting these micro-chips like VeriChip Corporation, a subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions, Inc of Palm Beach Florida or Swedish Biohacking Group of Stockholm all claim that the information is extremely secure, although nothing is entirely foolproof. Nevertheless, they insist that the information encoded on the chip is at least as secure as it would be conventionally, with the key difference being that primary factor for secure breaches, namely hard documents such as security cards, passwords or pass codes written down on a piece of paper, are eliminated. By the way, the FDA has approved the use of microchips in humans as of 2004. Specifically, they approved its use for introducing medicine into humans. Microchipping for animals, which collects not just medical monitoring information, but also their migratory movements. For pets, they've long been essentially in tracking them when they go missing.

Ok, we've discussed all the pros, so let's talk about some possible negatives shall we? First, do you really want to share your personal medical issues with potentially everyone? Now, I know I said earlier that the information would be available for EMS, the hospital, the doctors and nurses, and perhaps the police. However, there is always the possibility that the built in security wall could be breached by a hacker or mistakenly by your employer. Then again, if you have employer provided insurance (or coverage underwritten by the federal government such as Veteran Administration, Medicare, or Medicaid), sharing personal medical information might become mandatory. Your financial information might also be hacked, but that would only come through a direct attack rather than someone stealing a card or stealing a password. Admittedly, this type of hack on your end will be the most difficult. Thus any potential cyber attack would be on the bank's end. Nevertheless, a quick change in security could solve that problem without you initially even knowing about it. Employee or work information nowadays exists within the company's digital world and is protected through a password, electromagnetic strip, or maybe a retinal scan. Sharing it on a microchip wouldn't really make that much difference, and unless it's going to allow you access to read it, wouldn't be a necessity, whereas security access to your work area, entry, etc would be a plus. The same goes with a resume---not useful, although things like gym passes, driver license, car registration, insurance information would obviously be useful. The same with your medical history and medication. If coupled with a medical devise, a chip could monitor things like blood sugar, a insulin plump, blood pressure, heart implant, and so on.

Finally (and in response to a dare), I'm posting the obvious negative to a microchipping---the "Mark of the Beast". Yelp, on a dare about me not mentioning it, here I go. As most people have been taught, the biblical Book of Revelations, Chapter 13, verses 16 -18, makes mention of a mysterious "mark" which equates to the "number of a Man" which equals 666 (or depending on how its calculated, 616) and unless you have it on either your right hand or forehead, your are forbidden to "buy or sell" anything. In the early years of Christianity, members of this new "sect" as they were called were being systematically harassed and often, killed for sport, either in the arena or for private entertainment of the ruling Emperor (one such occasion was when Caesar Nero had several Christians beaten, then nailed to a cross in various positions, dowsed with oil and then set on fire in order to provide lighting for one of Caesar's late night parties).

Therefore, it goes without saying, that early Christian writers had to be very careful about what they wrote when it came to Rome, Roman law, or any of Rome's leaders; especially Caesar himself. One way to do this was encoding key names, such as a number stood for a particular letter (this technique, called a "gematria", was used by other groups with their own letter/numbering system.). Thus, the number 666 was produced using the name of the Emperor at the time, Nero Caesar (vowels were always excluded) using Greek and 616 using Latin. So there you have it! What would you do? Would you embrace modern technology and have a microchip implanted? What if it was a job you really wanted and they required being micro-chipped? Would you set limits as to what you would have encoded on the chip? What about app updates? What if you bought a newly built house and it was fully automated and could be operated by using passwords and/or security codes... or a by using a couple of different remotes...or a single chip in your hand?


Microchips implanted in Mexican officials


New Obama plan calls for implanted computer chips to help U.S. troops heal


FDA approves computer chip for humans

Human Microchipping: An Unbiased look at the Pros and Cons

A Twinkle in the "AI" of God?

Let's face it. The world is nearly an unsolvable mess. It seems that anything that could go wrong has and there's no one left to trust. But what if it was in our power to eliminate famine, fresh water shortages, homelessness, disease, pollution, wars and civil strife, a failing education system, poverty, or crime---would we? Would Humanity do what was necessary to banish any or all of these plagues from existence? I would like to think we would. Certainly there would be a long and bloody battle with the greedy and power hungry, but in the end I believe our better angels would prevail. So then, what if we could change all that now?

There's been an ongoing effort, call it what you'd like, to create a single functioning global corporate state; one which transcends national boundaries, national, tribal or religious loyalties. However, under this "utopia", people aren't free. This is a "us vs. them" world with the "them" being the elite 1% and everybody else, and it's the "everybody else" I'm talking about now. They're economic slaves; serfs if you will. Merely interlocking cogs in some global corporate machinery, who live and die by their temporary importance to the Machine...and their credit ratings naturally. Individual human lives treated as grease in the running of this behemoth; little more than disposable and easily replaceable parts which both service and fed the beast. But what if this power could be largely removed from the control of the rich who ride this creature of their creation? What if this could change?

Consider this idea for a moment. We have recorded, monitored, visually reproduced and analyzed every facet of our existence. Never before in Human history has so much information been so readily available than this moment. On the downside, we live and die by our credit scores while our financial, medical, and personal information---including our images and in some cases, personality types, IQs, facial and body recognition, even ice cream preferences have been added to the "great data base". Grocery stores and retailers keep track of your purchases and preferences. Almost every detail about us as individuals has been recorded somewhere. So if you're thinking privacy, forget it. Virtually nothing about your life is "private" any more. Even are personal genetics are coded and available. But this just doesn't apply to you and me. It also includes nations, their GNP, known assets, financial reserves, anticipated public and private sector growth, access to and projected termination point of indigenous resources, and so forth. Somewhere, there is an analysis of every given business, the amount of assets they consume, the amount and consistency of pollution they produce and so forth. I trust you get my point that everything about our existence has been measured and quantified, usually as a means of control and potential profit.

So, what would happen if this information, which already exists in some database somewhere, was given "life" (queue sinister laughter)? To be more specific, what if all this information were downloaded onto or connected in some way to the various supercomputers (mostly now being used in academia or the military), and in turn, managed by another super computer whose single purpose is to coordinate this mass of information? Mankind has always considered "God" or the "gods" as superhuman with far reaching intelligence. Perhaps not necessarily all-knowing or omnipotent but close enough for our humble purposes. Since our collective histories, including religions, traditions, cultures, laws, and so forth have already been analyzed and recorded, why couldn't we allow these supercomputers to do what we, as a species, has struggled to do, namely, develop a solution based on the logical and non-emotional assessment of that information? There's no question that it would be free from biases or having an ax to grind.
Let's take that a step further. What if we used the same or similar information to resolve border or resource disputes? Laws and treaties could be evaluated for potential conflicts or similarities and applied accordingly. What if we used, say, the given demographics for a population along with projected shortages and surpluses for the same geographic area to develop a potential job base and then, using the same information, create an academic criteria to meet that need? We could use similar demographics and crime statistics to project and anticipate what areas will have the largest increases in crime and perhaps even the nature of those crimes. Maybe, by combining the two, we could even re-route certain individuals away from criminal activity and toward a more productive life? How?

Individuals could be tested throughout their early academic years and steered toward areas where they are naturally inclined or gifted (though personal choice remains). Communities could be planned around current and projected demographic growth as well the ability of the environment to sustain the population. Going even further, these mega computers, perhaps monitoring specific regions but still interconnected, could be used to increase efficiency in energy, housing, waste reduction, improving transportation, or creating improved ways to produce clean water and to make it more readily available to those who need it the most.

All this is pure fantasy, at least for now, but it is still within the scope of possibility which is the amazing part. Even now, perhaps on a more limited scale, much of this can and is being applied. Certainly the concept has been explored in the world of science fiction, with varying outcomes (mostly depending on the current mood of society at the time). But what's different is that we now have the ability and expertise to actually make it happen, unlike, say, Jules Verne or H.G. Wells or even, to a degree, Isaac Asimov did during their lifetimes. We're well on the road to creating service robots (which exist in a few industries). The military has developed some fairly complex AI platforms such as drones, robotic bomb disposal units, "seek and find" bullets and missiles, and even a robotic supply carrying "mule"! While impressive, I would prefer to see our resources used more for the benefit of Humanity rather than its destruction. Medicine and finance are making use of artificial intelligence. For instance, look how medicine has used technology to perform long distance surgeries using robotic arms or the "robot doctor" which allows a doctor in one location to travel around a remote location using a monitor and robot to "see" patients. We are developing artificial organs, skins, bone, not to mention legs, arms, hands and feet. We think nothing about procedures like joint replacement surgery with artificial joints or even LASIK. This is really part and parcel of the same technology. Perhaps in the not too distant future, Man may come to resemble the Borg more than us (then resistance will truly be futile!).

In the remote past, Man was at the mercy of both Nature and our own nature. We looked to the gods for an explanation and reassurance. As we grew intellectually, our knowledge increased along with our technology. We began to test our assumptions and beliefs. As we became more confident in our abilities, and in ourselves, the number (and power) of our gods began to diminish until we've reached the present day. We are still asking many of the same questions as our distance ancestors, but we're understanding more and more of the specific nuances. Today we have the abilities and intelligence to solve most of the problems facing us. The question, at least to my mind, is whether we are willing to let go of that last strand of our past and trust ourselves fully. Will we, like a child who is just learning to walk, let go of the hand holding them and take that next step alone? That is where we are now. We have developed an incredible technology and proven many times over that we are magnificent killers; we excel at war like nothing else known. But are we equally good explorers or healers? Past and current experience says we are, yet we're afraid to let go of that hand which represent our hunter/gatherer past where we lived mostly in fear of the unknown and, perhaps, ourselves.

2009: A Look Back and A Look To The Future

I can’t believe another year is already over. Heck, the first decade of the 21st century is already over, and what a decade it was! When I was a little kid, I used to figure up how old I would be when the 21st century rolled around and tired to imagine what the world would be like. I never thought we’d be living in a world of the Jetsons, Star Trek, or even Lost in Space, but back then, in the late 1960’s (and given everything that was going on then), I thought we’d be living in very different sort of world. 

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve come along way in a very short period of time, but somehow, I thought flying cars, hovercraft, and underwater cities would be a bit more common place. I thought we’d have a better grip on war, the environment, world hunger and poverty. I thought that the three areas of greatest growth would be technology (especially personal computers), medicine, and in military applications. 

I hoped there would be more global cooperation (perhaps a fully united Europe). I didn’t expect Communism to last. It stifled people’s creativity. I knew the Left would fail as well. The only way it could succeed was if the government picked up the tab, and that couldn’t happen because the government doesn’t actually have any money of its own. Its money is taken from people like you and me in the form of taxes. So, what happened?

I suppose the old maxim that the more things change, the more they remain the same. True, technology changed (actually, exploded would be a better description). We have not just personal desk computers, but laptops more powerful than Univac ever was! We have microwave ovens, dishwashers, home theater systems, keyless entries, and GPS tracking systems using orbiting satellites, DVD players, and cell phones that would make Star Trek's Lt. Uhura envious with envy! 

Thanks to technology, we have found new ways to connect globally (and in doing so, spawned our own cyber shorthand), and as a result, we seen the traditional television networks struggle and print media all but fade away. We now blog, email, Twitter, sound bite, YouTube, and Facebook our way into our own cyber reality. We have cyber games with amazing realism. But with this technology, we have lost much of the elegance and beauty of the written and spoken word. We have lost common civility, our ability to interconnect, and I think we’ve lost a certain respect for human life.

The military has (naturally) led the way into this technological wonderland. Much of what we commonly use (like the Internet itself) was developed by and for the military. But, like Alice, we have to follow wherever this rabbit hole leads. We’ve willingly accepted the convenience of all this technology, but unwittingly forfeited much of our privacy; our right to anonymity. If we can use GPS to get from point A to B, then it reasons we can be tracked just as easily. We can call anyone anywhere with our cell phone, but just as easily, that phone call can not only be monitored, but traced right back to our location. 

The same satellite technology that brings us cable can also literally peer over our shoulders and read in real time the same book we’re holding. The security technology brings us as we walk to cars is the same technology that watches us go about our private moments by peering through walls to read our body heat. It was said that under Emperor Hadrian’s absolute militaristic rule, that a virgin could walk the length of the Appian Way at night and never be accosted. People have historically happily sacrifice personal freedom for personal security. Technology has changed, but Man hasn’t I suppose.

I would have expected petty prejudices would have disappeared in the 21st century, but they seem to be alive and well. We still use our differences as wedges rather than potential resources. Take for instance our current situation in the Middle East. I though that surely after their umpteenth butt kicking in 1973, the Arabs would get over having Israel as a neighbor. Israel is fact. It isn’t going anywhere. Israeli R&D could do wonders for the economies of their Arab neighbors if only they would put down their guns and extend their hands. I couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Now we have a bunch of nut jobs trying to pervert Islam because they want to go back to the 10th century and make the world one giant Caliphate, and of course, that means no Israel, no Europe, no Russia, no India, no China, no Southeast Asia, no England, no Australia, no Canada, and no America. No Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, paganism, or even atheism. No democracy. No freedom of anything.

But you have to hand it to these crackpots though. They’ve got chutzpah. They’ve kicked us repeatedly in Beirut, Kenya, and a half a dozen other places and we did nothing. Finally, with the indirect help of our own incompetent and often arrogant intelligence agencies, they got our attention on 9/11 (on their second try I might add). Now, we’re in quagmire and fighting their war; a war of attrition. It’s like throwing rocks at the wind. 

Yeah, we kill this or that leader, but so what? Martyrs, especially religious martyrs are cheaper by the dozen. After all, they’re murdering for God. And the best part, while they treat their women as third class citizens, hidden under black veils so the men won’t be tempted, they get 72 virgins instantly upon their death (not to mention the bonus of killing infidels). Somehow, I don’t think this is what Mohammed had in mind when he asked his followers to study and contemplate God’s message of love and compassion.

So, if I’m so smart, how would I fight these guys you ask? Simple. First, I would make energy independence a national priority. Let them eat oil. I would stop exporting everything to any nation that harbors these murders. Yeah, I know innocent people may suffer, and that could in the short term increase their ranks. But I would make it known to the people in these countries why we’ve turned off the charity specket. 

I would provide material and tactical support to groups willing to doing our dirty work (be it killing terrorists or removing pro-terrorist governments). Take care of your friends and severely punish your enemies. I would dedicate Special Forces to go after high value targets anywhere they run. And I can assure you, there would be no need for trials.

Another thing, I never in my wildest dreams growing up think that one day in the future I would be writing about America being invaded. But here I am writing about millions of illegal aliens coming across our borders and, despite Americans being on verge of revolt, Congress has all but blown us off.

 In fact, Congress has been ignoring us for quite some time now numerous issues like billion dollar bailouts, executive pay raises and bonuses, Clinton’s impeachment, gas prices, healthcare, not making English our national language, jailing border patrol officers for doing their jobs, and higher taxes to pay for all this pork. 

To be sure we get the usual platitudes from both parties, but no real action, and who is to blame them? Congress has gerrymandered Congressional Districts to the point where it is virtually impossible for an incumbent to lose no matter how crooked they are (in fact, there are fewer turnovers in the US Congress than in the old Soviet Politburo. And you think it’s because they’re doing such a fine job?). They’ve repeated ignored our demands for term limits and serious campaign finance reform. It’s kind of letting crooks set their own prison sentences.

But change may be on the way in the form of Tea Parties. People all across America are sick and tired of being sick and tired. They had enough of the Left wing big government neo-socialist Democrats and they’ve had enough of big government Fundamentalist religious zealot Republicans. The Tea Party movement is comprised of disgusted traditional conservative Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Independents; people who want to get back to what our Founding Fathers intended. 

In fact, Independents now represent the largest voting block in America while the number of registered Democrats and Republicans (especially Republicans) fall to record lows. Many historians and political scientists have commented that America has never been this deeply divided on so many basic issues since the years preceding the Civil War. We may just be witnessing the political realignment of the United States. (it will be interesting to where the beltway roaches run if that happens).

So, what does all this mean to folks like you and me? Personally, I think technology can be a wonderful tool, but it’s just that---a tool. Look at the incredible advances in medicine and science. We’ve eradicated numerous diseases. We’ve extended lives. We’ve improved the overall quality of countless lives. 

But in doing so, we’ve often overlooked the consequences of our actions. Just because we can do something, should we? Does extending a life also improve the quality of that life? Should facelifts, wrinkle removals, and tummy tucks replace the natural grace of aging? Just because we can manipulate DNA in the womb, does it benefit the child’s life or are we just creating a “designer baby”? It seems to me that while our knowledge continues to increase, our wisdom woefully lags behind.

I think we should cut out the graphic violence on TV, in the movies, and more importantly, in video games. It only gives the illusion that life is cheap. Real guns don’t come with a reset button. I would like to see a return to the classics which emphasizes human interaction, such as music, art, theater, and literature. Maybe we should have a mandatory high school class in etiquette.

We need to reign in our government. Our politicians (and that includes our judges) are out of control. They are drunk on money and power. They’ve forgotten who they serve. It’s our money they’re spending so freely and we’ve only lent them the power to act on our behalf, not to enrich themselves and set up petty kingdoms. 

Our Founding Father set out to create a democratic Republic, not an Oligarchy. Benjamin Franklin once famously quipped, after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, that they had given us a country to keep, if we could. My question to you is this: Is it too late or have we lost our country?

As for me, I suppose I’ll keep writing my little blog as long as there is someone willing to read it. Freedom is never free. It always requires vigilance. I doubt I will ever stop shouting from the mountain top. Besides, I like tweaking the noses of our arrogant officials and those in the media.

Poll Results

Our latest poll asked you what you thought of Obama’s proposal to send more troops to Afghanistan. 33% of you thought we should maintain our current level of troop commitment. 16% of you thought the troop increase was justified. However, everyone else said “no way” and thought the additional troops were not only unnecessary, but thought we should be bringing our troops home. 

I have mixed opinions on this. The bad guys are rebuilding in Afghanistan. If we maintain our current level of troops, let alone start bringing troops home, we run the risk of losing everything we’ve been fighting and dying for. On the other hand, we had no business in Iraq. Ben Laden and his henchmen weren’t in Iraq. They were in Afghanistan. That’s were we should have been in the first place. Now we’re stuck fighting two wars. 

I think we need to pull out of Iraq and redeploy in Afghanistan. The Iraqis have had more than enough time to get their act together. It’s time for the Afghans to fight their own battles.