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>> In the modern world, all wars are dumb

Unless they lop off chunks of the Ukraine. Or depopulate chunks of rival territory in Bosnia. Or expand tribal influence over oil-rich parts of Iraq. Or...
(Long story short, there are still some pretty evil dudes in "the modern world.")

This essay's also a good introduction to the role of trade in precipitating war (e.g., "lost trade" doesn't necessarily reduce chances of war):
http://www.ied.info/articles/a...

That reminds me of a revolution that one of my exgirlfriend's used to always reference to make a point. She always used to tell me about a government in South America (I don't recall what country or the details or anything really) that was effectively toppled by nothing more than a misinformation campaign. Apparently, some sort of freedom fighter movement was convinced not to fight at all by mass published media that spread the information that the opposing forces were glorious and had massive amounts of arms and planes and what not. The sad truth was that the powers that existed actually had a very small defense force that could have easily been toppled by the freedom fighters. However, the misinformation campaign was so successful that it discouraged any type of revolutionary action and, thus, helped create and maintain a regime that really couldn't have existed otherwise. Let's see, some quick googling turns up...

This.

It appears I had it completely ass backwards. The CIA and USIA used a confusion and misinformation campaign to make it seem as if multiple groups of Guatemalan freedom fighters were making successful assaults on various cities and military resources, when, in fact, no such military blitz was occurring. The misinformation broadcast on the radio was enough to confuse the populace and overthrow the Arbenz regime.

So, there you go. I don't know how credible the source is or how biased it is or anything, but it serves, at least, as an interesting parable relating to the power of information. Information brokers really are worth quite a pretty penny. =)

"I often do wonder how we ended up here."

The short answer is that any system which allows for monopolizing of land and capital (by the state, it's Soviet-style communism, by the corporation, it is our present corporate fascist state system) always has this end result.

For the longer answer you'll want to pay attention to this site and this site.

The first site is phase I while the second site is phase II; both worthwhile reading. I'd recommend examining the original reason for the creation of holding companies, but you've already explained that quite well.

They use Mexicans here illegally to do jobs that Americans would do if they were paid appropriately.

First, millions of Americans who, unlike you, have a bunch of neurons to rub together, take offense at an obvious nonsensical and ignorant remark: plent of Americans have been laid off (ever hear of Hormel) and had undocumented or illegal workers hired in their place (this also has occurred in dramatic proportions in the construction industry over the preceding 10 to 20 years). Also, many Americans work side-by-side illegals every day of the year - so cut this foundation-sponsored bullcrap already!

Having a real free world market is the rich's wet dream, and they've effectively accomplished it.

While I agree with your sentiment, you are once again completely wrong as there has NEVER BEEN a free market - it has always been a RIGGED MARKET - with labor arbitrage and the monopolization of land AND capital (which, unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans cannot comprehend due to the propagandized manner in which they are raised, and the fact that so much "media" is controlled and socially engineered by those 50,000? foundations extant across the land).

Humbly suggest you bone up on real economcy democracy, my good fellow.

If everyone in the world has access to the information then why bother paying for the degree?

Ummm....because societies aren't meritocratic but aristocratic or despotic or totalitarian in nature?

Ummm...because the purpose of education wasn't the furthering of social progress, but to differentiate between the ruling elites and the rest of us?

There will always be artificial divides until a true democratic and meritocratic economy has been established.

Do the people who plant IEDs have IED? Are these devices IED? Did they go to IED? I doubt they went to IED and I'm pretty sure they didn't attend the IED! I'm also fairly sure they didn't go to IED.

Acronyms are for lazy, stupid people. IMO. YMMV. HAND.

the term efficiency needs to be examined as well. The claim (fromo your parent poster) that free software would be 3 times as expensive is thrown out with no explanation. Are we to believe that spending, let us say $1,000,000 of Brazil's taxpayers' money on Microsoft software is somehow more "efficient" than spending the same amount on Brazi's native software? Efficient for transferring wealth out of Brazil, perhaps.

This FOSS move will set back their progress by a good 5-10 years or more, just as the similar computing laws they passed in the 1980's to encourage hardware manufacturing in country set back their progress.

Again you may want to look at some of the economic policies of countries that are the main hardware developers : South Korea, Taiwan, China and other Asian state-managed capitalisms. Especially in comparison with the more "free market" policies forced on Latin America in the past few decades.