Reproof, 2010-2

REPROOF / 2010/2

While everyone’s noses were to the grindstone the country was sold…as were the grindstone’s.

Rue Subcontracting of Civil Services
Civilian spies for the military are being exposed as universal failures that - yet again serve to the detriment of U.S. interest. The military has a civilian spy corporation called the Central Intelligence Agency that is aligned with U.S. military interests (although not necessarily aligned with the will of the people.

(1.) The military further has an internal intelligence which, contrary to the popular joke that Military Intelligence is a perfect example of an oxymoron, really is staffed by competent military members.

A need for civilian subcontractors to perform military duties arose concurrent to the all voluntary military. As more competent and specialized volunteers were relieved of ancillary duties (KP, guard watch, etc.) to focus on their specialties, civilian subcontractors were hired to perform non-military tasks at an increasing rate. Mission creep in the duties unqualified civilians perform for the military was only moderately constrained in peace time. Since the introduction of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan the military/subcontractor boundary has been subverted for corporate gain and civilian detriment.

What a bargain for the U.S. public! We can have a shadow military unbound by whatever minimal rules of international spying and military conflict that may exist and then try to sell the world on our democracy with a cadre of bumbling salesmen bought on credit…And this during a recession brought on the U.S. over borrowing to pay for wars with increasingly more private, and less civil, concern. We are presenting an argument against capitalist democracy by chasing our tail for corporate socialism!

This is yet another version of ex-government employees finding more ways to bill the government for civil services they are not properly qualified for, should not be assumed by private contract, and most often have negative civil consequences.

Trying to provide field intelligence (spying as a service) may be the most abusive assumption of civil function by the corporatocracy. (cf. private prisons) Real intelligence operatives are “nervous about the notion of private citizens running around a war zone, trying to collect intelligence that wasn’t properly vetted for operations that weren’t properly coordinated.”

(2.) The managers of the contract for these private rogues counter these concerns with claims that field operatives are employed only to provide “atmospheric collections” of the general political and cultural climate; to a secure military server in Kabul. Oh, they are just former CIA and military employees working as contract journalists.

It would only be logical for the military to hire subcontract spies directly. To hire thru civilian subcontract introduces exactly the layer of inefficiency and vulnerability enemies know how to exploit.

This civilian rogue intelligence operation purports to collect intelligence (atmospherics!) to pass to military intelligence, but mostly provides exposure (bumblers make great Taliban targets) and interference (real competent, coordinated and direct Government employed operatives are already in the field).

Worse than civil interest being subverted by private subcontract of civil functions is: interference with military operations. The consequence of playing field operative – in a complex environment of real operatives – has the largest dimensions of privatization hazard.

It seems these guys are all cost and minimal benefit. Cost being: risk, bad/unverified information, exposing legit ops, inciting yet more anti-western ire, etc. for the benefit of maybe providing well targeted suspicion to a region with suspect atmospherics.

This does not even address the likelihood that civil intelligence may be obliged to provide info to these non-civil operators, a contractual intelligence leak to corporate shysters who exhibit only the talent to extract money from a public treasury. What info and services could be bought at that outlet from the Taliban general fund?!

Private spying, like all the other subcontracted civil responsibilities, constitutes proof that we abdicate our citizenship rather that exercise it._____________________________


(1.) Political science topic of representative polity speculating upon needs of the public. Cf. pure democracy

(2.) N.Y. Times, May 30, 2010, “Despite Doubts U.S. Still Using Private Spy Ring.” Pg. 1, ¶32.

Military Lingo
Bugsplat – Pentagon term for pre-operation estimates of civilian deaths collateral to military attacks. Legal term for post-operation, bugsplat = manslaughter.

Global Finance, Universal Failures (continued from last issue)
Significance of Greek/European debt crisis:
…Global finance integrated, self-defeating and anti-social… Net long run results negative for citizens and environment… economic tyranny – appearance of great progress with enormous hidden cost… Only countries with fortitude to resist the false allure may avoid regression…

We, U.S. citizens, are most definitely not ones who resisted. Virtually every “free market” activity in the U.S. is subsidized (3); infrastructure is sold at an alarming rate, numerous civil functions have been relinquished to corporations – the exceeding reach of privatization. The financial sector short sells entire countries (Greece, Portugal, Spain…) and domestic market sectors (mortgages). Fundamentally every tool of financial subjugation formerly reserved for vulnerable countries (4) has now been turned on more developed nations, including ourselves.

Corporate/finance savvy is the slowly exploding weapon of human self-destruction. A global corporatocracy, as an optimal “free market” solution, has succeeded only in consuming civil latitude of fundamental liberties and self-determination. This has been borne out conclusively in all the victim countries, exploited for material, energy and labor wealth, and will prove true here.

Wealthy countries are increasingly exercising a shock absorber against this global financial turbulence called sovereign wealth funds. (SWF’s). Those who avoided victim hood to capitalize upon their sovereign resources – usually with state energy and mining corporations – have placed these public profits on the global market. SWF’s comprise up to one fifth of total global investments and act as low to medium risk investments in foreign countries to benefit the investing country (and its citizens if not too corrupt or authoritarian). The U.S. has had to indulge in this social stability/security investment crisis imperative by sovereign injection of capital to stabilize the economy, with investments in banks and auto makers, thus rendering the Federal Reserve an obvious SWF. (5) Despite all disparagement of the term “socialism” we see public corporations carrying water for their citizens (Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China…) and injecting stable capital into the global markets. The U.S. has offered hotter private capital for more efficient exploitation of resources and demonstrated the penalty for recklessness – financial disasters (Enron, Bear Sterns, AIG, global recession…) and industrial disasters (Union Carbide, BP, Newmont Mining, Exxon…). (6)

Public supplication to the corporate construct and free market solution to all behavior has overrun social benefits. Our government has had to intervene to attempt restoration of social order, cohesiveness and security in a soup of financial chaos. This lesson of private free reign at public cost has likely been learned too late.

How financially exhausted are we? The U.S. may be the next Greece, with no bail out. By striving for extravagance, at the expense of the poor and vulnerable, the U.S. has exposed the extreme result of corporatocracy and only serves as an object lesson. The corporatocracy has eaten its host and the modes of survival are restricting as rapidly as each financial body blow. Similar to our government undertaking domestic SWF behavior and seeking regulation to reduce future liability to citizens we will make forced adaptations too. Are we, U.S. citizens, capable of drastic or continuous change?

(3) – See book review “Free Lunch”
(4) – See book review “The Secret History of the American Empire”
(5) – It has always been a latent SWF by subsidizing domestically incorporated companies that perform internationally.
(6) – Contrast of state vs. private corporations not advocacy for state socialism.
Suggested Reading
The Secret History of the American Empire; Economic Hit Man; Jackals and the Truth about Global Corruption - John Perkins (Follow up to Confessions of An Economic Hit Man explaining that financial subjugation has been the U.S.’s primary export since WWII)

Free Lunch; How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick you with the Bill) / David Cay Johnston.
(Explains that all big business is government subsidized – retail, agriculture, pro sports, high tech… and how government serves business rather than regulating for social benefit. E.g. $100 B of public infrastructure sold to private concerns which profit from the forfeiture (with tax breaks) as well as charge for public use!

Eaarth – Bill McKibben. / A modern ecologic perspective of the abused earth, (stretched to Eaarth) as a result of economic addiction to growth and the interventions to break this self destructive behavior at its economic origin.

Muddling Towards Frugality / 1970’s treatise prescient of crisis for change to preserve positive institutions of social organization. Eaarth 35 years later verifies our consumptive self-destruction.

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