cyberjournal dialog forum: early threads…

2006-03-08

Richard Moore

Friends,

I want to share with you (below) the first stumblings of
dialog that have occurred so far on our blog forum. It's
still very early days, and only a few souls have ventured
onto the dance floor, but the atmosphere already has a good
feel to it.

Blogs offer some clear advantages for dialog, as compared to
  email lists. In a blog, you can scroll through a thread and
see it all in one window, whereas with email, if you
want to trace a thread, you need to go back and find
previous messages. And of course there's the immediacy of
being able to read something, comment while it's on your
mind, and know that your comments are immediately visible to
others. Email lists have other advantages; each medium has
its own uses.

I've made a practice over the years of batching up people's
comments, and sharing them with you in a "dialog" posting.
I'll continue that practice, and included will also be
comments that have appeared on the blog. Therefore I think
it makes a lot of sense for you to consider using the blog
as your vehicle of expression in preference to sending
things to me at the list address. You get instant
visibility, in an appealing format, and your comments are
still likely to show up on the list. As a matter of fact,
It's much easier for me to copy and paste a section from the
blog, than it is to assemble a posting from a batch of email
messages.

I won't be posting everything here that appears on the blog,
rather recent excerpts from the various threads, with URLs.
If a thread catches your interest, you can follow the URL,
see the full discussion, and leave a comment if you're
inspired to do so. Without becoming a blog hound, you will
nonetheless be able to track developments and get your two
cents in when you want to.

Our blog: http://cyberjournal-rkm.blogspot.com/

best regards,
rkm



--------------------------------------------------------
THURSDAY, MARCH 02, 2006
starting the ball rollingŠ


Friends,

I'm looking forward to this forum. We have a very
interesting bunch of folks on our lists, with useful things
to say, and it's high time we had a more open forum.

I recommend that you register with blogspot. You can ask
them to keep your email address private, if you like.
However you can comment on postings here whether or not you
register. Many other blogs allow comments only by registered
bloggers.

If you want to become a team member, so you can make your
own postings, you can just leave a comment to that effect on
this posting, including your email address, or if you want
that private, email me instead.

happy dialog,
rkm
•••@••.•••

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Ok, ball is ready to roll


Let's see what we can do.

Meanwhile, there's lots going on internationally, as we all
know. My feelings about the coming weeks are expressed well
in the photo.  http://cyberjournal.org/images/blogs/e116.jpg
posted by Earl @ 10:33 AM
   2 comments links to this post

--------------------------------------------------------
MONDAY, MARCH 06, 2006
What's likely to happen over the next few months?


Earl's scared-child-going-down-slide image does capture, as
I too see it, the nature of the perilous times facing us in
the very near future. Earl says "weeks" and he may be on the
mark.

In my estimation,the gravest immediate threat is a nuclear
attack on Iran. Others, such as Chris Cook, who are
in-the-know, argue against that eventuality: "What the Iran
'nuclear issue' is really about"
(http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HA21Ak01.html).
He sees US oil security as being the root of US policy, and
dismisses the Engdahlian view, which I share, that sees
primacy in the strategy of oil-based financial dominance. At
the core of our disagreement are different judgments
regarding which elements are at the top of the power
pyramid, and what are their perceived self-interests.

Michel Chossudovsky offers a comprehensive overview on the
Iran situation, transcribed from a radio broadcast,
http://rense.com/general69/nuke.htm. Regardless of our
geopolitical theories, the signs from the White House,
Pentagon, and Tel Aviv seem to clearly signal that an attack
project is in progress.

Some observers focus their attention on an anticipated
meltdown of the US economy, based on a number of
considerations. Bruce Porteous covers the ground rather well
in "The Coming Economic Collapse"
(http://rense.com/general69/econm.htm).  Many others
focus more specifically on peak oil and/or global warming,
talking not just about an economic meltdown, but the
collapse of civilization itself. Others focus on the
increasingly fascist nature of the US government in the wake
of 911, and present evidence of a network of internment
centers, and other signs that the Third Reich model is being
systematically implemented.

In considering the whole picture-at the level of the child
on the slide-I think it is important to keep two things in
mind: (1) all of these things are unfolding at the same
time, and (2) whoever is behind US policy is aware of the
whole scenario. To assume less of 'them' would be naive. If
a war is being planned in Iran, we can assume there are
corresponding plans underway to deal with oil shortages,
economic collapse, anti-war sentiment, etc. I don't mean
deal with them in the way you and I would consider sensible,
but deal with them in a way that serves 'their' perceived
long-term self-interest.

thoughts?
rkm

posted by rkm @ 11:55 PM
   4 comments links to this post  

--------------------------------------------------------
At 3:44 PM, Rex said...

It would be nice to feel assured that the slide will deposit
us safely at the bottom. Unfortunately, the slide we're on
is speeding us to an unknowable future, so our most
important task is to be as prepared as we can be for
whatever happens and try to make sure that everything we do
might contribute to a safe landing for everyone!

The only way I know of to help assure that outcome is for us
to talk with as many people as we can manage about our plans
& try to harmonize our ideas with as many others as possible
before we act on them.

--------------------------------------------------------
At 6:51 PM, rkm said...

Hi rex, thanks for bringing in some positive thinking about
what we might do. We need more of that...I've sent you an
invitation to be a 'Contributor' in case you want to start
any new threads.

Let's look at your proposals in terms of scenario analysis.
You seem to be suggesting the following sequential scenario:

   *  make own plan for survival
   *  reach wide agreement on plan with others
   *  begin taking action

Notice that there might be problems harmonizing various
people's plans, and that action is deferred until 'later'.
There could also be factionalism, as different people start
gathering around competing plans.

Consider this alternative sequential scenario, and imagine
how it might play out...

   *  harmonize concerns with others
   *  develop shared understanding
   *  act together in accordance with evolving understanding

back to you,
rkm

--------------------------------------------------------
At 9:21 PM, rex said...

As I understand harmonization, factionalism is not as
possible outcome! Harmonization is a process that continues
until harmony is reached. Action is something that occurs
when it must occur (even if everyone [an imposible goal!] is
not yet in harmony!

--------------------------------------------------------
At 11:39 PM, rkm said...

William Engdahl just sent me a new article he wrote about
the Iran situation, and in particular dealing with the Euro
Bourse issue. The article is now featured on the
cyberjournal home page: "Is the Iran Oil Bourse the casus
belli?"
   http://cyberjournal.org/authors/Engdahl/OilBourse.htm

Like Chris Cook, whose article
(http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HA21Ak01.html)
was cited in the opening post to this thread, William discounts
the Euro Bourse as being a central motivation for the
anticipated invasion. He explains how the dollar's status as
a reserve currency is not based on petrodollars, but on a
broader canvas of factors. An important analysis for those
of trying to understand where the scary slide is headed.

Post a Comment

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