nerdgirl

How do you measure that? I'm not sure that I want to live in a place that implements the type of things that would make someplace completely safe ... but I may be willing to accept more risk than others. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Tuesday night, the CPA went to the Atlanta 911 call center. Most surprising was how *few* 911 operators there were. For an area over 132 sq miles with over 500,000 people, there were three 911 operators on duty. There were additional 6 or 7 dispatchers (at least one for each of Atlanta’s zones). Atlanta's 911 Call Center has gotten a great deal of local attention over the last year or so, and not for its efficiency. The Director of the 911 Center was fired in August and there have been significant problems with delayed responses and misdirected first responders. The representatives with whom I spoke asserted that it was a combination of retention and hiring problems rather than a lack of funding to hire. The most interesting 911 call we heard, which is appropriate for Speakers Corner was a domestic disturbance call. As the 911 operator was getting information from the caller, one of the questions asked was an attempt to get information regarding any potential weapons that might be in the residence, i.e., does he have any knives, guns, or other weapons of which the police might want to be aware. The caller responded, “He’s got a cooler full of guns.” Oh my! /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Ugh … I’m guessing that’s sarcasm, yes? Apparently, I failed to communicate well in my haste. That wasn’t supposed to be “name-dropping.” Rather the intent was to add some context and factual information to illustrate that the rational actor model is not the only idea underlying deterrence today. The prominence of the rational actor model declined toward the end of the Cold War, particularly when it failed to predict the fall of the Soviet Union. The point that I think you’re missing is that deterrence is not dependent on rational actor model, for all of the reasons I cited (aka what you called “name-dropping”). It’s something of a straw man to try to assert that I (& others) am using the rational actor model. I’m not asserting the rational actor model, that’s the point. On one hand, deterrence is sometimes hard to prove because you’re proving a negative, i.e., proving the cause of something that didn’t happen. In some cases it’s also hard to prove that deterrence didn’t cause those non-events for the same reason. “Hard” does not equal impossible. On the other hand, one can proven deterrence worked in cases in which terrorist groups have been defeated or have ended. Terrorist groups have been successfully deterred. Two examples of Islamist-affiliated terrorist groups that have been deterred include the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (the other MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group in the Philippines. Not only have such groups been deterred from cooperating with al Qa’eda, they have even be coerced and incentivized into providing local intelligence on operatives linked to Al Qa’eda. What is also true is that less than 7% of terrorist between 1950 & 2007 were defeated by direct military action. Deterrence does not entail direct military action. The two means by which the majority of terrorist groups have been defeated or ended are (1) “they were penetrated and eliminated by local police and intelligence agencies” (40%), or (2) political absorption into government (43%), which includes causative incentivization by deterrence. (And btw: zero, none, nada, zilch, null, not a single one, was defeated via torture.) This quote (source here) basically restates one facet of what I cited in the portion you referred to as “name-dropping.” If you’re arguing that deterrence requires a rational actor model, a number of folks (including myself) disagree with you. The rational actor model is not purely dependent on characteristics or behavior of state leaders (that’s a different model) but Westphalian states weighing external threats. If you’re argument is predicated on a rational actor model, then yes by definition, it has limited application to non-state actors. It’s called the ‘return address problem.’ One doesn’t have to rely on rational actor model, however. It's something akin to arguing that the only parachute one can jump is a T-10. While that might have been the predominant parachute at one time, even the military has moved on. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

What is RW? I don't know what that acronym means in context of deterrence theory ... do you mean relative work as an analogy? If so, I don't understand the analogy. /Marg right wing. Right wingers live on this deterrence theory. It might seem logical that it works, but we're talking about maniacal people with issues when we look at DP deterrence. And we're talking about this deterrence theory working against rogue associations as in the in the ME, peopel who do not care about consequence. Youhave to be dealing with peopel that care about consequence before deterrence can even start to become a factor, yet RWers will swear by it. Thanks for the clarification ... altho' oh my ... as a proponent of deterrence theory, by that explanation I'm a right winger. 'Old-school' deterrence theory (DT) in international relations (IR) -- as opposed to criminal justice -- did work on the rational actor model, i.e., the aggressor state is expected to behave rationally and consider consequence. There are folks who still argue that, e.g., Martha Crenshaw/Stanford (& she's not affiliated with Hoover Inst either). Much of more recent DT recognizes strategic culture (e.g., the work of Jack Snyder/RAND & Jeannie Johnson/Utah), norms (Richard price/Univ British Columbia), and a whole lot of other stuff. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Oh, I wish I had more time today, as deterrence is a favorite topic of mine. What is RW? I don't know what that acronym means in context of deterrence theory ... do you mean relative work as an analogy? If so, I don't understand the analogy. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Can you point to these as I am not aware of them? Perhaps something new has been declassified of which I am not aware. Unless you can site some new information, as we've gone over before, there is no publically available information supporting the assertion that waterboarding produced what you assert. To the contrary, if you review the DefenseLink transcript listing of things he confessed to (that have been publically released) – from a plot to assassinate former President Carter to a plot to kill Pope John Paul II to the February 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center – he confessed to everything. Some of the things he claimed to have been responsible would have required him to be in multiple places at the same time. I only somewhat facetiously ask Was he asked if he was on the grassy knoll in Dallas in November 1963? Khalid Sheikh Mohammed also compares himself to President George Washington – is that what you consider usable information? The single largest source of usble information from KSM was obtained from a laptop found with him. The LA plot was already known and had been obtained through traditional interrogation means of other individuals. In your list of information you allege was obtained from KSM, I think that you may have conflated KSM with the information that was obtained by the FBI using traditional, non-torture interrogation means from Abu Zubaydah and others. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

That's something I hear as well and observe analytically too, e.g., internal & external military medicine reports, attrition rates of E-7s and O-3s, etc. Suspect most of that is valid. The flip side and the politics, which may determine the viability of such a proposal especially under a Democratic administration, is that means that the US would have to be willing to give up some of the tacit (if not statutory) power in NATO, which I'm not sure that the American populace would be willing to accept. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Got a glimpse of a comparative case that suggested to me other solutions … or perhaps origin of problems that can be solved: Singapore’s school system. My observations are admittedly cursory and anecdotal, i.e., not that different from much, albeit not all, that has been offered w/r/t home schooling. It does, however, provide a comparative model. Two observations: teachers are valued/teaching is considered a prestigious career (cultural incentive) and they are paid well (monetary incentive). There is also a bonus system. The second observation: greater value of education and schools. Every advertisement I saw in the Straits Times for new buildings referenced local schools, and they were prominently noted on location maps in print ads. There appears to be a much stronger valuation of primary education. Otoh, Singapore is similarly facing a decline is students pursuing physical science degrees at the undergrad level. Their science and engineering grads are still largely coming to the US for advanced degrees – perhaps the most successful US statecraft of the 20th century. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

If that is a justification for the continued privatization of healthcare, I'm curious if you think the people in nearly every other industrialized nation are irresponsible? So does that mean all the other countries have people that don't want to take responsibility for themselves? No, not in my opinion. Again, imo, health care -- which is not the same as health insurance reform or medical malpractice reform or a whole bunch of other issues -- is not a right. I'm open to arguments to the contrary. It is, however, a state responsibility, e.g., "promote the general welfare," and a pragmatic necessity of 21st Century globalized economy. Most of what is being discussed for possible legislation is health insurance reform, which as you probably know the current status quo/system is largely an unexpected by-product of historical circumstances during and immediately after WWII. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Congratz on the 5k and the personal best time! Sounds like you both had a great time! My first 5k was in LA. The route finished inside the LA Coliseum, which was pretty cool on its own. The effect was heightened because the 5k had started about 3-4hr after the LA Marathon started, so there were folks in the stands cheering us on, as if we were part of the marathon. … The worst 5k I’ve done was a ‘jingle-bell’ run in Illinois in December. The temp wasn’t all that bad, but what seemed like a cute idea at first – to have a couple hundred runners tie jungle bells to our shoes – turned out to be dang annoying after about the 1st half mile. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Not true. A person has to have a sense of humor to put up with me. Every girl, correction every chick head says the sense of humor line when asked what they want in a guy. And every one knows it's a crock. After all if sense of humor was that hot why was Robin Williams never voted Americas Sexiest man? Perhaps that is most important for her? I’d speculate, with some confidence, interest in jumping out of high-flying, fast-moving objects would not rank high on a poll of population of North America, Eastern Europe, or People magazine regardless of gender queried … but for a lot of folks around here that is a strong attractor, altho’ probably not the most important either. And if I had the choice of spending four hours with Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Hugh Jackman, or Jon Stewart. The one who hasn’t been People’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ is unequivocally my choice. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Altho' it's not my prime factor, very much concur on that as a definite attractor. The mind is the sexiest part of a man, imo. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Largely concur. It’s been worthwhile to think about what is most important to me. And to see what has ... & what hasn't changed ... as I've gotten older (altho' not necessarily wiser. ). /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

[tongue in cheek] Hmmm ... and I've worn pink-n-white polka dotted galoshes in and out of the Pentagon. What does that make me? (Other than perhaps questionable fashion taste? ) [/removing tongue from cheek] /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Over the last few days I’ve benefited from a variant of reverse-bias (i.e., positive bias because I was associated with a minority group) of an unexpected variety. Turns out that my last name is Cambodian. Every time someone saw my passport or I was introduced, it was commented on. Even met my ‘long-lost’ Cambodian brother at a UXO and landmine-removal NGO. It seemed to be a launching point for conversation and got me a lot of smiles. I’m not Cambodian - pretty much generic white girl of European mutt ancestry. My paternal grandfather’s ancestors came from western Poland/eastern Germany (the area along the border where which country it was depended. The patronomic name was prolly shortened. I’m American. But now, when someone asks me “What is it [my last name]?” Depending on how patient or frivolous I’m feeling, I might answer, “it’s Cambodian.” /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

The reason is often that you've repeatedly been accused of racism. Is one reason then that some might have “heightened “racism-radar” is because they have been and are subjected to real racism? Some folks don’t seem to be able to acknowledge that racism still exists. Sometimes accusations are correct. And sometimes they’re not. While no longer legally permissible (almost completely) and much, much, much less prominent than even 25 years ago, negative discrimination against minorities persists. To pretend otherwise is akin pretending skydiving can’t kill you. It’s not about looking for it, either. Less anecdotally: Measuring Racial Discrimination The Color of Credit: Mortgage Discrimination, Research Methodology, and Fair-lending Enforcement Trait-based and sex-based discrimination in occupational prestige, occupational salary, and hiring Pervasive Prejudice?: Unconventional Evidence of Race and Gender Discrimination Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the U.S. Military Service Academies: Academic Program Year 2006-2007 Racial harassment, job satisfaction and intentions to remain in the military … (that data, published on 2008, reports that “two thirds of [minority] active-duty military personnel report experiencing offensive racial behaviors in the previous 12 months, whereas approximately one in ten reports threatening racial incidents or career-related discrimination. Furthermore, threatening racial incidents and career-related discrimination heighten intentions to leave the military.” Forget a justice or "fairness" argument, from a fiscal perspective losing one highly trained soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine because of racism is expensive! Stubbornly refusing to admit/acknowledge residual racism & sexism persist is like Pres Clinton and the definition of “is” … and that’s not specifically directed at you Tom … but general comment on some of what I observe, which I own as my observations. One can’t pretend negative discrimination against minorities and women doesn’t exist with any more credibly than he could pretend fellatio wasn’t sex. Of course, ya both (him and a general “you”) may try. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Which part of Michelle Obama's (nee Robinson) thesis? Because I don’t so ‘set-up’ posts, here’s an earlier discussion with direct quotes on the thesis question and the conclusions, that seems to suggest that what the future first lady wrote actually was closer in line with values more traditionally associated with conservatives, & that’s not an indirect slam, than with values or actions traditionally with black activists. As always, don’t believe me; please see the full text linked there. Another prominent black woman wrote her undergrad thesis (at University of Denver) on Stalinist musician-composers, what does that say about her views on communism? Does that mean that she is a communist supporter? /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Good points. I suspect there are at least three -- and probably more that I haven'tt hought of this early morning (for me) -- "sides" as well. Some believe personal responsibility doesn't stop with themselves. That's their belief system, altho' some may mock or deride it. Some are capitalists, want the most capable workforce, and focus on the bottomline regardless of ethical/moral positions. I'm confident you know better than most that the most critical cognitive development occurs among infants and children. What they are exposed to (or aren't) can severely hinder or help development. A nation's economic capabilities are largely driven by it's people. (So there's a national security/hard power argument lurking in there as well.) And some people prioritize public health. Infectious diseases don't disriminate against those who some believe are responsible and those who some don't believe are. Treating the results of infectious diseases, which includes lost productivity (so I'm back to the capitalist argument) almost always (not aware of any exceptions, there may be?) costs less. Costs of outbreaks of recent infectious disease (SARS, etc) have ranged into the billions (source: George Atkinson, former S&T Advisor SecState under Rice.) What's the best way to resolve that conflict? Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Been checking on this thread while OCONUS. It’s been one of those times when I so wanted there to be a happy ending. Lisa Marie – thank you for being such a wonderful friend. Thank you for keeping those who cared about LeRoy informed in a respectful way. Condolences to his family and close friends. Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Inspired by [kbordson]’s poll, I'm curious what are the results for a parallel poll w/r/t women's dating preferences for potential LTRs. After seeking ideas for changes and additions via PMs with a few other dz.com chicas and adapted with permission.

Sometimes it’s nice to be on the other side of the planet, if only temporarily. If Rep Wilson was in Thailand he may have gotten a jail term, which I think is a credit to the US system (& British as well). From Saturday’s Straits Times “Yellow shirt' chief gets jail for second straight day” (full text requires registration): “A Thai court yesterday sentenced a leader of a protest movement [Sondhi Limthongkul] … to six months in prison for defamation.” “It was the second defamation conviction in two days against the outspoken media tycoon ….” /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

We called it the MRS degree, every girl looking to major in fashion and become a missus. A few years back I remember saying to someone a couple generations older from my church that I was going to a “MRS national meeting.” The person replied something to the extent that “didn’t realize they had official meetings.” The confused look on my face clearly communicated that I didn’t get the joke … it seriously didn’t occur to me that college =’s getting a husband. MRS.org While I’m a contemporary of [PLXpert], I don’t know a single woman personally who went to college to get her “MRS” degree … don’t doubt they’re out there … just not sure where … which may reflect more on me than anything else. The donors to one private university and the citizens of one State school spent/invested a lot of money in me while I was getting my degrees. While there was no formal or even any tacit agreement, I feel that I have an obligation (owned completely as my own feeling/thinking) to make ‘good’ on that investment in me. ... Altho’ curiously (to me at least

Interesting story. Thanks for posting it. I probably wouldn't have seen it otherwise. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Non-rhetorically/non-sarcastically, I think a lesson has been learned ... a couple. I'm not sure that it's the lesson I'm inferring from your post tho'. While not related directly to the talk my intern is giving, you do bring up something that I worry about. Is technology making war less painful and thereby too easy? Will the use of semi-autonomous robots, like UAVs, lower the bar to offensive operations? The military strategist, Carl von Clausewitz, wrote that war is politics by other means and that war should remain a horrible, grave undertaking so that it does not become a first-order response rather than a last-case option. At the same time, I’m not going to stop working on new protective equipment, improved countermeasures, and better military operations medicine and combat casualty care. For example, some high level data: WWII >25% injured soldiers died before reaching field hospital, by Vietnam that decreased to ~19%. During Desert Storm it remained about the same as Vietnam. In OIF/OEF (through end of 2005), it has decreased to ~12.5%. [Source: then-MG Eric Schoomaker] In late 2005, “Factor Seven” to control hemorrhage began to see more extensive use (specifically: rhFVIIa clotting agent) and was expected to decrease that number even more. There’s some really cool R&D being done – on relatively small amount of $ -- to push stuff out to the field. A more specific example: improved survival rates from IEDs blasts and increased incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Traumatic Brain Injury, which is basically when a shock causes the brain to bounce off the skull, is emerging as a “signature medical issue” of OIF and, to a lesser extent, OEF … altho’ that may be changing (& not in a good way …). The New England Journal of Medicine reported on traumatic brain injuries back in 2005: “All admitted patients [at Walter Reed Army Medical Center] who have been exposed to a blast are routinely evaluated for brain injury; 59 percent of them [soldiers] have been given a diagnosis of TBI. Of these injuries, 56 percent are considered moderate or severe, and 44 percent are mild.” A significant reason is that soldiers and marines who in past conflicts would likely have died from blast-related injuries are surviving, due to a combination of improved protective equipment and better field medicine, … but TBI is hard to diagnose, even with improved diagnostics, and is harder to count than fatalities. No one, with any conscience, can argue that we (a very grand, non-specific “we”) should make anyone, children or soldier, suffer more … but does the decreased likelihood of death or suffering lower the metaphorical bar for Congress and administrations to choose to send troops into battle? I don’t know the answer … & don’t know of anyone who has analytically tried to answer the question … one can suppose and speculate …. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Thanks for linking that. Wow! “Now 46 years old, Kim Phuc Phan Thai (Kim Phuc to most) spoke recently at a conference of burn survivors and burn care specialists in New York City on the physical and psychological struggle that she went through over the ensuing decades. “‘Sixty-five percent of my body got burned,’ she said in an interview with HealthDay. The third-degree burns left her face untouched but sheared off every layer of skin on her back and left arm, leaving a legacy of permanent scars and recurring pain. “‘I should be dead,’ Phuc said. ‘I got burned so deep I had to do skin grafts -- mostly from under my leg -- from the 35 percent of my skin that was OK. And from the beginning to the end, including physical therapy, I was in the burn unit in Saigon for about 14 months. And I had 17 operations. But I was spared,’ she added. “‘So now I think, ‘I cannot change something that happened to me already. But I can change the meaning’.’ “Phuc has come far and is now a public speaker, peace activist, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, child welfare advocate, married mother of two, and inspiration to burn injury survivors worldwide. She lives in Toronto, her home since seeking political asylum in Canada in the early 1990s. ‘I still have pain,’ she said. ‘Because my nerves are really damaged. They don't work well. So pain in one area spreads everywhere I got burned.’ “And Phuc said that even the pain has its reward. ‘The pain I consider as my protection. It humbles me, and helps me to never take my life for granted,’ she said. ‘And to share my story.’” What an incredibly amazing and strong human! Her story is humbling and inspiring to me. Thank you! /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying