"At times, the price of truth is so high that a democratic society is not prepared to pay it."

I recommend this speech because I like it. I'll opine that there is often a very fine line between the Department of Justice and his Department of Federal Prosecutors. That Israeli decision was discussed in a way too wordy article in the October Atlantic Monthly. When coercion was authorized by the courts, it was envisioned that it would only be employed in limited situations. 12 years later it was employed in 2/3rds of the cases involving Palestinians. Rarely does one see a better example of a slippery slope in action.

I don't really see this as simply a matter of having to give up the truth. These kinds of methods easily cross the line from investigation to punishment. When investigation becomes punitive there can be no justice.

Terrorism and the U.S. Criminal Justice System

Our economic future is wedded to technological change, and most of the jobs of the future are still ours to invent.

This op-ed by former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich appeared in the Sunday edition of the Washington Post.

High-Tech Jobs Are Going Abroad! But That's Okay

] So, if in fact we are not at the end of history, then perhaps Tom is
] on to something here.
]
] It's less about the individual governments and more about the
] connections between them, or lack thereof.
]
] Welcome to the Network Society.

Well, this isn't really what I meant. If there is a split here I think it is only because we are behaving in an unwestern way. Unilateral, pre-emptive military action? Imprisoning people without due process? I think we've regressed. It could have been a lot worse, but it also could have been better.

I was arguing that we'll see more positive innovation in the governance of societies as people become better informed and better at critical thinking... This is not the droid I'm looking for. I'm not even sure I'll see what I think will come in my lifetime, but I'm almost positive that I'm right.

The way that things went down... Its not how I would have done it. Its not how a lot of people would have done it. I think we could have gone into Iraq with international support. With financial and military assistance. Had we spun it properly... It would have been better for us on many levels. It would have been cheaper. It would have been safer. It would have been less galvanizing to the radical elements.

I don't think its clear that France took their position to save telecom contracts in Iraq. Thats just as insipid as claiming that we went in to claim oil reserves. I also don't think France thinks its impossible to do this. I simply think that they don't want to bail us out of this mess financially after the way we've behaved.

The message we intended to send is that the United States is not constrained by the international community.

The message we should have sent is that the international community has no need to constrain the United States.

We could have sent that message. Its a shame.

But, yes, we do need to address the grievances of the European community and do so early and often. If we think we don't have to care what they think, then we are eating our own spin. We'd be wrong, and we'll learn that one way or the other.

Democracies do fight wars against each other. Being democratic does not make you nice. Being interconnected makes you interdependent, which makes you nice.

The End of the West?

] Japan has always had a cachet of cool, but it was a type
] of subcultural cool that appealed only to certain tastes.
] This notion of cool has long been in vogue with readers
] of Beat Generation or cyberpunk literature. Now,
] however, Japan's cultural cool is appealing to a wider
] base of media fans that are, of course, consumers who
] express their cultural desires monetarily.

Killing in Translation

Foreign Affairs is pleased, therefore, to be able to open a window directly onto occupied Germany seven months after V-E Day, taking readers back in media res.

CFR reaches into the treasure chest for a true gem.

That Was Then: Allen W. Dulles on the Occupation of Germany

"There is a lot of phenomenal intellectual property that has not found its way into the marketplace yet."

As Silicon Valley Reboots, the Geeks Take Charge

What would happen if the 'source code' of our democratic systems was opened up to the people they are meant to serve? An open source model for participatory, bottom-up and emergent policy will force us to confront the issues of our time.

A new essay from Douglas Rushkoff. Download the full text in PDF.

Open Source Democracy

The Rumsfeld "slog" memo, courtesy of The Smoking Gun.

Are we winning or losing the Global War on Terror?

Is DoD changing fast enough to deal with the new 21st century security environment?

Can a big institution change fast enough?

... an alternative might be to try to fashion a new institution ... What else should we be considering?

And so the master plan continues to unfold ...

The Rumsfeld Memo

Mr. Steele-Perkins captures this collision of time -- the past rushing full force into the future -- from a careful outsider's view of Japanese society.

This is short and interesting. I wonder what personal non-motorized water craft consisted of in Japan before the British brought canoes from America.

Fuji: Images of Contemporary Japan

Fischerspooner is not something enjoyed in moderation. Just watch their stage show -- a synchronized sensory overload of throbbing keyboards, feathered dancers and flashing lights that looks and sounds like the court at Versailles visiting Burning Man -- and try to take it in small, measured doses. Just try to avert your eyes from frontman Casey Spooner. Corralling the audience with his gaze, he has more cajones than the Rat Pack and more attitude than a diva (with a few more costume changes thrown in for good measure). It's clear as soon as the first track is cued; this is an orgy of entertainment. Don't get squeamish.

For everyone who bloged about Fischerspooner back in September, here's a "rave" of a concert review.

An Orgy of Entertainment: Fischerspooner Up Close