Truth vs Falsehood (51 page)

The civilized world is ruled by reason (the 400s). The less evolved are ruled by emotionalized self-interest and need to learn that ethics, morality, concern for others, and integrity are paradoxically quite beneficial in that they bring prosperity and mutual gain. In Western civilized cultures, this is the wisdom that has been painstakingly gained after centuries of effort and self-discipline.

Of significance is that the general population of Arabic countries is relatively poor and therefore a fertile ground for proselytization by extremists. The families of suicidal terrorists are even given financial rewards. The wealth of the Arabic world stems primarily from oil reserves that produce great wealth, which is then siphoned off by the rulers who view the common people with contempt (i.e., as ‘dogs’). In comparison, in Norway, the economic benefits of oil production accrue for the overall population, which thereby is relatively secure economically. Paradoxically, the great financial worth of Arabic countries is the consequence of the purchase of their oil by the United States and other Western countries. Thus, the Islamic countries are primarily supported by the Western economy.

Whereas the Western world and the United States represent more advanced cultures from which the Arabic world could learn much that is beneficial, the lesson is lost because of the media image of the West (primarily that of the U. S.) as being decadent, immoral, and ungodly. To the more pristine morality of Islamic and conservative societies, the U. S. culture appears to be degenerate, grossly obscene, and decidedly unholy, especially regarding sexuality. This view of Western culture reinforces resistance to ‘Westernization’. In particular is the prominent media exploitation of feminine seduction. Bodily display is viewed as strongly objectionable and immoral. Thus, the West and its flagship, the United States, do not represent an attractive, positive model and are thereby rejected strongly as being decadent and envied but not admired. The resolution of the world’s current cultural disparities will require the collective wisdom and intention of all who have, by virtue of good fortune and ethical intention, become more advanced, conscious, and aware. It is therefore a teaching function.

The twin tails of the bombed World Trade Center towers are merely the tail feathers of the ostrich, with its head in the sand, as the United States had prior to World War II and many other catastrophes. Truth supports and defends life. Falsity and illusion bring war and death.

Of practical interest is the role now played in various wars by private military companies (cal. 345) that have major success with far lower casualty rates than ordinary troops. Thus, in Sierra Leone, for example, a few hundred soldiers of Executive Outcomes Co. (at $10 million/year) were able to accomplish what eighteen thousand UN troops were unable to at a cost of $1 billion/year, and with far less casualties. Similar results (such as MPRI in the Balkans) indicate that disciplined private military companies may be of great service to world peace when employed judiciously in preventing conflagrations from spreading and decreasing needless civilian as well as military death rates.

There are more than sixty private military companies operating worldwide (Global Security, 2004). All of them characteristically operate with greater efficiency and humanitarian concern than do military troops because they are guided by voluntary expertise rather than by hatred, political ideology, or messianic leaders who have no concern for human life, much less the means of supporting life, such as food, water, or shelter.

Private military companies reflect the influence of reason rather than passion or revenge and thus sustain as well as inflict greatly diminished losses to both civilians and military factions. They do not indulge in mass retaliatory slaughter. Their calibration (mid-300s) indicates restraint and disciplined rationality. (Insurgent combatants calibrate at 160 or lower.)

Clinical research papers customarily end with a summary of the essential findings of the study, from which practical recommendations are made. From this comprehensive analysis of the human condition over great expanses of time that utilizes the most advanced scientific investigative technique, plus calibrating the levels of truth of the data, the following summation seems appropriate:

We can ask what is the level of the knowledge of politicians (U.S. and worldwide) regarding the important areas about which they legislate and pass laws. The answers are quite revealing and help explain the plethora of unresolved contentious issues.

From the above, it can be seen that the sources of valuable information for politicians need to come from advisory committees and experts external to the political process itself. Politicians are swayed mostly by current public opinion and propagandized positionalities rather than hard, verifiable facts or truth.

The Persistent Problem of U. S. Intelligence (cal. 190)

From historical analysis by both history and consciousness calibration, faulty U. S. intelligence indicates the persistence of an underlying defect that would indicate the need to understand its origin. The failure to correctly diagnose a situation would be like an orthopedist failing to get X-rays prior to surgery. The cost to the United States and the world is, and has been, staggering in loss of life, agony, financial burden, devastation of cities and whole populations.

The death rate from intelligence failure is enormous (2,400 dead at Pearl Harbor, 3,000 dead from 9/11, hundreds dead from assorted bombings, 1,500 servicemen dead from the Iraqi war, hundreds more U. S. soldiers and civilians killed because of ‘unsuspected’ insurgents). Subsequent to these and many more losses, the culprit is blamed as the evil ‘enemy’, which is like a car owner’s leaving their car parked in Manhattan with the doors unlocked and the key in the ignition and then blaming ‘evil car thieves’.

From prior chapters, we learned that seventy-eight percent of the world’s population calibrates below 200 and
all
of the problematic countries listed “unfree” calibrate below 200. Thus, analogously, we habitually park the car of the United States in a world of car thieves. The old dictum “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” seems applicable.

For thousands of years, the survival of regimes and countries has been dependent on intelligence, from the great historic rulers of Asia, to Nazi Germany, to European countries of today (French intelligence currently calibrates at 295). Even corporations and professional sports teams have far more efficient information gathering systems.

History records repeatedly how intelligence or the lack of it decided the outcomes of the great battles of history. With the United States facing a protean enemy that has surreptitiously already invaded numerous countries all over the globe, its future could well increasingly depend on accurate intelligence.

In the past, the U. S. has relied on its enormous retaliatory military potential (based on its huge industrial capacity) and good intentions. In a nuclear world, defensive retaliation may well be immaterial, especially against enemies that are undeterred by death and, in fact, seek and glorify it. Cleaning up after the explosion of a dirty nuclear bomb represents the worst possible scenario, of which the latent attacking forces are acutely aware.

Because of the repeatedly serious consequences of historically faulty intelligence, the question arises as to why it persists, war after war and up to the present-day, ‘hair-trigger edge-of-the- precipice’ potentially explosive U. S. and world situation.

Research on the underlying source of this persistent pattern of failure indicates that it is an ideology that calibrates well below the crucial level of 200, with its political expressions, including legislation. While psychological denial is a simplistic explanation, it is insufficient. The pattern represents the coalition of a number of themes:

1.   Pretentious pseudo-piety: “We’re above all that.” (Quote from current politicians.) Is the Defense Department ‘above’ protecting the country and its people, or is that just a ludicrous pomposity?

2.   Misguided liberalism that is unable to accept responsible authority and its necessity as an operational principle in the real world.

3.   Misidentifying intelligence operations as ‘sneaky’ and ‘dirty pool,’ i.e., misapplication of Marquis of Queensbury Rules in a world of gang-mentality militant cultures and nations.

4.   Concern for the ‘saintly’ U. S. image. (How could it be worse?)

5.   Inflated egotism and its lack of reality testing, i.e., an idealistic concept of ‘fairness’ to which nobody but the U. S. subscribes. Misapplication of schoolboy ethics (suitable to Polo or playing Cricket) to savage world situations where deception and falsehood are considered the rule, normal, necessary, and a serious responsibility (KGB, MI-6 [Britain], etc.).

6.   Politicians seeking personal power via questionable ideologies of the minority rather than serving the majority and the good of the country.

7.   Confusing strength with aggression, i.e., missile defense is defense, not attack.

8.   The “Peter Principle” expressed in civil service terms (entrenched incompetency).

9.   The childish illusion that if we are seen as ‘good’, the world will love us (like mommy and daddy or teachers would). As is obvious from simple observation, the world begrudges any such admiration (e.g., France’s anti-U. S. attitude after World War II). Being seen as ‘superior’ triggers resentment, envy, malice, and hatred, e.g., Canada’s current anti-U. S. attitude. (Over fifty percent of Canadian children actually see ‘good’ America as evil. So much for a saintly image.)

From the above, it would seem beneficial to re-examine the philosophical, ideological, political, and intellectual bases upon which the defective U. S. intelligence policy and its implementation are based. This is a world in which
all
major countries have extensive intelligence operations. Just ninety miles offshore, Cuba is the key player in worldwide terrorism intelligence. What the world respects is
strength
. Pious superiority is seen as stupid, if not even ridiculous and laughable. Honesty is strength. The world accepts memes necessary for survival. We went into Iraq for survival, not to “save Iraq for democracy” and liberate its people. That is thinly disguised propaganda that the world saw through, therefore causing the U. S. to earn the world’s disrespect and actually feed into the “hate America” meme currently popular worldwide. U. S. policy experts need a couple of good psychologists instead of politicians. Every schoolboy knows the “hate the goody-two-shoes” syndrome.

Recommendations

As we see from the calibrations of political systems, although democracy calibrates high at 410, it is not quite as high as oligarchy at 415. In the higher calibration range, because the numbers are logarithmic, an increase of five points on the scale actually represents an enormous jump in power. A beleaguered society needs all the horsepower it can get, and therefore, it is suggested that the countries add to their governmental structure an ‘oligarchic’ level (free of politics) equal to or at least strongly advisory to the Cabinet level.

Oligarchy (a term from the pinnacle of ancient Greece) means the confluence of wise, seasoned, experienced, brilliant, accomplished, integrous, balanced, proven, gracious, sagacious, educated, good-will statesmen (cal. 430) rather than politicians (cal. 180). It means mentor, advisor, mature, objective, well-rounded, well-spoken, successful, top level, self-fulfilled, and beyond the desire for gain, whether personal, political, or financial. This is the level of high-calibration experts of their own domains who are beyond neediness and who serve others by simply being who they are and feeling fulfilled by offering and sharing their wisdom.

In recent times, some degree of this wisdom was demonstrated by Switzerland: orderly, low crime, few social problems, lack of political or civil disorder or unrest, trains on time, and noninvolvement in centuries of war by
all
of its neighboring countries. Notable also is that men all have to have one year of military service/training, and becoming a citizen is not an easy process. There are requirements for citizenship, as well as immigration quotas. Until the 1970s, voting was restricted to men over the age of fifty, and sagacity rather than youthful folly has been the prevailing climate in a democracy that has traditionally also been the home of international banking wealth.

In more distant times, the survival of tribes for centuries was ensured by the wisdom of the council of elders. This has also been the style of numerous trade unions and professions as well as world religions and spiritual traditions.

It has been presumed that the presidential cabinet fulfills the role of an oligarchic council, but this is not the case. Cabinet members are appointed based on not just expertise but also party affiliation rather than sagacity. The same limitation applies to political appointees who often do not have specific education or experience.

From history, one can see that civilizations survive, not because of politics, but in spite of them, nor can ‘public opinion’ be relied on in a world where seventy-eight percent of the people calibrates below 200. Even in America, which calibrates higher than any other country on the planet, forty-nine percent of the population calibrates below 200. In addition, fifty percent of the information on the Internet is fallacious.

Of significance is that the group of “Leaders and Revolutionaries” selected by
Time
magazine (see
Chapter 9
), as well as the United Nations, calibrate in the 170-195 range. This is a nuclear age in which the United States is under siege from an entire foreign militant civilization (cal. 40 to 190), as well as from ideological enemies within who ‘hate America’ and calibrate at about 135. The question arises: Would anyone want a brain surgeon who calibrates at 190 to operate on them or a pilot to be directed by the ‘vote’ of the passengers?