tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post5736958663997305013..comments2024-03-29T06:22:47.638-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Does the fallout of Panama blow to ... Helvetia? Radical Economic TransparencyDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-56817434349560553322016-04-07T17:11:55.768-07:002016-04-07T17:11:55.768-07:00Deuxglass you are just describing phase 2 of the H...Deuxglass you are just describing phase 2 of the Helvetian War.<br /><br /><br />Now onward<br /><br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86289818983554894852016-04-07T13:59:27.344-07:002016-04-07T13:59:27.344-07:00If we wanted to get serious about the tax havens, ...If we wanted to get serious about the tax havens, there are much easier ways to take them down without resorting to military action. They seem to be safe but in reality, they are very fragile. 95% of the money in them is not physical money. It is just electrons in a computer. You just need to completely isolate them by preventing any electronic communication with the outside world and then use a Stuxnet-type virus to destroy all their data and the backups. The clients and the corporations would suddenly find that their money has been erased and that there is no longer any record of who owns what. There would only be paper records and it would take years to reconstitute them. It would show the clients of these offshore havens that their money is not safe there and that using a tax haven is not worth the risk.<br /><br />I doubt that any large country would actually do something like this because it is cyber warfare and you don’t know where that will lead but I can see “cyber guerillas” attempting something like this on a much smaller scale. Even if it is only a partial success, it would make clients wonder if using tax havens is really worthwhile. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6389429932453764422016-04-07T13:54:11.851-07:002016-04-07T13:54:11.851-07:00Misdirection! Hey Locum, show me where anyone is ...Misdirection! Hey Locum, show me where anyone is talking of prosecuting the Panamanian Law Firm! I haven't seen it, though boy do I want international treaties to ban every single thing they do.<br /><br />As is, it is up to each country to decide if its own citizens who used those services broke their own laws. Jeez man. Focus.<br /><br /><br />onward<br /><br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-5847295995805309352016-04-07T12:54:33.994-07:002016-04-07T12:54:33.994-07:00Deuxglass:
The Helvetian War was a rather drastic...Deuxglass:<br /><i><br />The Helvetian War was a rather drastic way of solving the problem of offshore banking and in Dr. Brin’s novel, it did not completely eliminate hidden money. In the story, Switzerland was nuked out of existence and although that might give a fleeting sense of satisfaction, I do not think going that far would be necessary.<br /></i><br /><br />In reading the book, it wasn't clear to me that the fallout came from outside. I was under the impression that Helvetia's <b>own</b> tactical nukes might have been the cause.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-36041284008203397792016-04-07T12:45:47.532-07:002016-04-07T12:45:47.532-07:00This article in Slate on the UN meetings regarding...This article in Slate on the UN meetings regarding automated weapon systems touches on some points about AI that David has raised, though it fails to mention HST AI systems. Interesting nonetheless. <br /><br />http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/04/the_danger_of_using_an_attrition_strategy_with_autonomous_weapons.htmlmatthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-62919055416792840002016-04-07T12:42:08.673-07:002016-04-07T12:42:08.673-07:00There are few US citizens named in the Panama Pape...There are few US citizens named in the Panama Papers because the USA *is* a tax haven. Only rubes use offshore in the US. <br /><br />http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/06/panama-papers-us-tax-havens-delaware<br /><br />http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/the-world-s-favorite-new-tax-haven-is-the-united-statesmatthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6829906520489064932016-04-07T12:24:07.799-07:002016-04-07T12:24:07.799-07:00Imagine Putin as Judge Dredd: "I AM THE LAW&...<br />Imagine Putin as Judge Dredd: "I AM THE LAW", he snarls.anonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-12531370387765767112016-04-07T12:17:50.626-07:002016-04-07T12:17:50.626-07:00Different Houses have Different Laws, and all of M...<br /><br />Different Houses have Different Laws, and all of Mossack Fonseca's actions were LEGAL in accordance with Panamanian Law.<br /><br />To apply US, Russian, Chinese & EU Law to the legality of Mossack Fonseca's actions is to argue that these Nations (Gaming Houses, really) retain legal 'Ownership of their Monies' in the same way that the Casino retains property Ownership of their Chips, even after those money equivalents have been awarded to the Player, Gamer or Citizen, which is the equivalent of saying (ultimately) that <br /><br />(1) National Currencies are analogous to Company Script, redeemable only for those approved purchases made available by the Company Store, <br /><br />(2) The Citizen (and/or Player) do NOT own anything in actuality that cannot be claimed by the House, including themselves, <br /><br />(3) The Player & his Winnings belong to the House rather than the Player,<br /><br />(4) To be Company Owned is to be a Slave (in fact), and<br /><br />(5) The Wages of Slavery & Sin are Death.<br /><br /><br />You load sixteen tons, what do you get?<br />Another day older and deeper in debt<br />Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go<br />I owe my soul to the company store<br /><br /><br />Bestlocumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-18045660592475046152016-04-07T11:14:30.346-07:002016-04-07T11:14:30.346-07:00The Helvetian war starts mild, with a dozen develo...The Helvetian war starts mild, with a dozen developing nations declaring that a state of official war exists so they can seize assets under belligerent rights.<br /><br />It escalates.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63741497811831932682016-04-07T10:12:49.964-07:002016-04-07T10:12:49.964-07:00Mmm - not quite, loco. some of it is legal, and a ...Mmm - not quite, loco. <i>some</i> of it is legal, and a lot of it definitely violates the laws of the countries it originates in. I'm pretty sure Putin's hidden stashes violate Russian law big time. In addition a lot of bribery has been shown to be involved, definitely against many countries' laws, including U.S. law.<br /><br />What the U.S. press has been avoiding saying is that this country is on par with Panama and other money haven countries such as the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, etc. Nauru has apparently changed, but these records go back some years.<br /><br />I expect to see Mitt Romney's name come out, and something related to the Afghan heroin trade. And some Mexican involvement. Perhaps some of the Port Authority's pals as well.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-58340874602473518402016-04-07T09:59:19.102-07:002016-04-07T09:59:19.102-07:00So far, only Jumper has noted that the actions rev...<br /><br />So far, only Jumper has noted that the actions revealed by the Panama Leak were LEGAL, so much so that Mossack Fonseca & the Oligarchs represent the 'Rule of Law' & Civil Order while the Wikileaks & Radical Transparency advocates are tantamount to Civil Corruption & terrorists.<br /><br />If we look beyond the smoke & mirrors of this false scandal, we then see that Civil Society operates along the lines of a Crooked Las Vegas Casino, rigging the games in order to maximise House Profit, offering random intermittent rewards (winnings; pay-outs) just big enough to keep the Players (aka 'Marks & Citizens') playing, knowing (statistically) that the citizen must necessarily lose everything by remaining at the gaming table.<br /><br />According to Mario Puzo's 'Fools Die', however, what the Casino fears more than anything is the Player who attempts to keep his winnings, 'cash-out' & walk away before the House has had the chance to recoup its losses (and then some). Luckily for the House, very few Players are bold enough to just 'walk away'. Some 'Winners' are kept at the table by the offer of freebies, comps & special privileges; the few that are overly bold wind up buried in the desert (guilty of 'stealing', no less); yet, still other players behave in a troublesome manner by 'pigeon-holing' (hiding) just enough of their winnings in a pocket, tangible asset or foreign bank account.<br /><br />The so-called 'crime' revealed by the Panama Leak is this: In a purely LEGAL fashion, some of Society's 'Winners' (in China, Iceland & other locales) have had the temerity to try to keep their (rightful) 'winnings' by pigeon-holing & hiding them, thereby depriving Civil Society of even higher House Profits.<br /><br />Soon though, this Criminal Loophole will be slammed shut by the numbers: <br /><br />(1) Globalism will ensure that there is only ONE HOUSE & ONE SET of RULES;<br />(2) Society will become 'Cashless' so that any potential 'winnings' are (literally) Immaterial & Non-Existent;<br />(3) Radical Transparency will eliminate the possibility of 'Pigeon-Holing', Hold-Outs & Asset Hiding;<br />(4) Any & All Winnings (those deemed 'inappropriate') can be confiscated by the House with a few keystrokes;<br />(5) All Players (aka 'Wage Slaves') will be forced to remain at the Gaming Table until they lose their only Real Asset (LIFE); and<br />(6) The House BOOT will reign supreme, stamping on a Human Face FOREVER.<br /><br /><br />Bestlocumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-65375258978664193422016-04-07T07:30:48.705-07:002016-04-07T07:30:48.705-07:00How right does a guy have to be, before CNN calls?...<i>How right does a guy have to be, before CNN calls?</i><br /><br />Maybe you should try being wrong for a change, Dr. Brin. Then Fox will call. :)A.F. Reynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-12457804162770566822016-04-07T06:17:27.708-07:002016-04-07T06:17:27.708-07:00Tony Fisk,
Mathew Ingram of the Süddeutsche Zeitu...Tony Fisk,<br /><br />Mathew Ingram of the Süddeutsche Zeitung when asked why so few Western names were mentioned said "Just wait for what is coming next" From that I would assume that further documents will be coming forth with American and European names. It is far from over. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-74933227411511585102016-04-07T05:26:32.634-07:002016-04-07T05:26:32.634-07:00Wikileaks have been pointing out that the docs rel...Wikileaks have been pointing out that the docs released so far have a bias towards non-western oligarchs. I'd note that, in addition to the Iceland PM, David Cameron's father has also been mentioned.Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-18828696379046167952016-04-07T03:26:05.437-07:002016-04-07T03:26:05.437-07:00@Annabelle
Anabelle said...
The progressive PM o...@Annabelle<br /><br /><i> Anabelle said...<br />The progressive PM of Iceland seems to be the only western head of state implicated here. I seem to recall Mr. Brin stating that Iceland had done exactly the right thing in response to the 2009 crash. Maybe not so much now?</i><br /><br />please notice that the Icelandic <b> Progressive</b> Party, happens to be a <b>conservative</b> right-of-center party, check at least the wikipedia entry before attempting slander about "progressives". The ones Mr. Brin wrote about then lost at the polls.Marinonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16000580729185527652016-04-07T02:53:55.532-07:002016-04-07T02:53:55.532-07:00The Helvetian War was a rather drastic way of solv...The Helvetian War was a rather drastic way of solving the problem of offshore banking and in Dr. Brin’s novel, it did not completely eliminate hidden money. In the story, Switzerland was nuked out of existence and although that might give a fleeting sense of satisfaction, I do not think going that far would be necessary. Most of these tax havens are attached to our allies so military force would be ruled out and it seems that legal means are too slow and leave too many loopholes to be effective. Pressuring them to become transparent is a lost cause because most of the tax havens have only one industry to support their economies. Without offshore banking, most would fall into real third-world status and they are not going to do that. <br /><br />If we can’t invade them nor cooperate with them then what can we do? The Panama Leaks are an example of semi-legal action. The newspapers can get away with what is, in principle, against international law because of free-press rights. The names and connections were published and it is now up to each individual country’s tax and law-enforcement authorities to follow up or not. <br /><br />Donzelion,<br /><br />Since you are a lawyer, perhaps you can help me on this.<br /><br />I am concerned about the legality of publishing the Panama Leaks even if I applaud its purpose. The papers acquired the data either through hacking or through a whistle-blower and both are illegal in tax-haven countries. In this case, the source would be arrested and condemned if he is found. If the source is outside the country, then could he be extradited? If hacking was used then could an international arrest warrant be issued against the hacker? Should we give a “safe haven” status to the source and if yes, then why should we not do the same for the WikiLeaks founder? <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16464998299759096572016-04-07T02:07:09.932-07:002016-04-07T02:07:09.932-07:00The problem with the Middle Eastern situation (of ...The problem with the Middle Eastern situation (of which Syria and Iraq are just a small part of) is not so much apathy but just the fact that people have given up on the idea that there was anything the West could do that would not make things worse.<br />Tried removing the dictator and building a regime (Iraq and Afghanistan). That was an epic fail.<br />Tried just providing air support to remove the dictator and letting the locals build a regime (Lybia). That was also an epic fail.<br />Next we just tried ignoring it (Syria). And that is also failing. <br />Middle East, an interesting game. There is no winning move, not even refusing to play.Midboss57noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-15434300727991986652016-04-06T19:02:14.281-07:002016-04-06T19:02:14.281-07:00You have people sneaking out of this country to jo...You have people sneaking out of this country to join ISIS.<br /><br />You have others joining the Peace Corps and other organizations to help fight without weapons.<br /><br />Just because the news media doesn't bother showing pictures of hordes of Americans helping out does not mean it is not happening.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-82475487084639254662016-04-06T18:54:15.021-07:002016-04-06T18:54:15.021-07:00When the images of the refugees started playing on...When the images of the refugees started playing on TV several of my countrymen left everything and went to Greece to help<br /><br />When the news of Guernica reached America volunteers flocked to fight the fascists https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Battalion<br /><br />Before the US entered WWI and WWII US volunteers joined the RAF and Canadian air forces... what happened to this generation of Americans?Luís Salgueirohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09639187787702431357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40103719517323390202016-04-06T18:12:49.337-07:002016-04-06T18:12:49.337-07:00Thank you, Robert! I had wondered too about that T...Thank you, Robert! I had wondered too about that Treasury / Fed point. I guess he was too polite to call them idiots (which they are, on an ongoing basis).Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77591473620009647772016-04-06T17:37:53.804-07:002016-04-06T17:37:53.804-07:00Indeed. 8)
http://xkcd.com/1664/
... a lesson i...Indeed. 8)<br /><br /><br />http://xkcd.com/1664/<br /><br />... a lesson in how our overlords will(?) actually control us. Gotta love a good conspiracy theory.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-68463005974374870522016-04-06T17:34:18.271-07:002016-04-06T17:34:18.271-07:00And now the Reavers from Firefly/Serenity take on ...And now the Reavers from Firefly/Serenity take on an entirely different meaning.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2238843479179268802016-04-06T17:10:46.042-07:002016-04-06T17:10:46.042-07:00mmm... regarding desensitization I'll just poi...mmm... regarding desensitization I'll just point back at the Vietnam War era. Those images were refreshed daily and didn't exactly numb everyone. I suspect many were numb to a point, but it only takes a small segment of our communities to get upset before there are consequences. Staying numb is difficult when your neighbors put the issue in your face.<br /><br />The fact that some ARE desensitized is not a flaw of Transparency. The key point to remember is that ONLY SOME are desensitized. SOME are also radicalized. Our tolerance of diversity makes many seemingly exclusionary statements simultaneously true.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-80975358074763222142016-04-06T17:04:20.647-07:002016-04-06T17:04:20.647-07:00heh. One of those charming events involved an inte...heh. One of those charming events involved an interview with Rachel Maddow. She wanted to go in a particular direction regarding detail and he pushed back in a charming way basically telling her that he knew what he was doing. She thought he'd get more votes with more detail. He obviously thought he was winning it on less. If we had looked at whatever he had in mind (if he indeed did) we might have burst the Hope incantation that was in effect.<br /><br />I couldn't quite tell if she understood what he had done, but it didn't look like it. Experienced politicians can be fun to watch when they exercise their REAL skills. 8)Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-54332389864347982842016-04-06T16:28:09.876-07:002016-04-06T16:28:09.876-07:00More interesting... it seems the newspaper itself ...More interesting... <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-daily-news_us_5704779ce4b0a506064d8df5" rel="nofollow">it seems the newspaper itself bungled the interview and thought Sanders was wrong</a> - at least, concerning breaking up big banks. Hell, they called him the Mayor of Vermont. <br /><br />If he was in charge of all of Vermont, he'd have been Governor. And people don't seem to have a problem with Governors running for President. ;)<br /><br />Just food for thought. Seems we need to consider the news media... isn't what it once was.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.com