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 •••@••.••• -------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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