nerdgirl

As someone who was living in (north) South Central LA in 1992, I can see both sides of the argument. Water, sewage, and electricity never went out. Access to food was limited as what few grocery stores there were in the area (even before the riots) were closed &/or looted. We never experienced food shortages but the riots didn't last that long either. Those few of us who did stay (who had options to go behind the "Orange Curtain" or to the Valley or to west side) did so largely because we were surrounded by federalized California National Guard (Title 32 forces) and active duty US military (Title 10 forces, Marines and Army soldiers). They had guns. At the same time, anyone but the most staunch LAPD supporter recognizes the failure in civilian law enforcement and in LAPD Chief Daryl Gates' relations with both the LA County Sheriff and the Mayor/elected government. Books have been written on it. South Central was not a ungoverned space until it was left as one. The other lesson may be the natural disasters compounded by building development choices (i.e., erosion of barrier islands/sinking of city) are a more likely risk. A couple weeks ago I was in Galveston and did some refresher training at the BSL-3 and BSL-4 lab at UT Medical Branch there, aka the Galveston National Laboratory. There are arguments as to why one would want to put a laboratory for dealing with the most pathogenic organisms on the planet on an island; otoh, one wonders at the politics behind the decisions to locate such a facility on a hurricane prone barrier island. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Interesting article. Thanks for the metaphorical ‘hat-tip.’ I thought it spoke more to differences in strategic and policy decisions and military-political processes between the US and UK than a question of British troops. It was almost like a bait-n-switch with a semi-sensationalistic title that The Economist gave it to be followed by a topical analysis that was less sensationalistic, which is not dismiss real issues that may/do exist within UK's armed forces. The article gets at much more than that, imo. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

The statutory rate is higher than *some* nations in the EU. In actual taxes paid, "The U.S. corporate tax burden is smaller than average for developed countries.[1] Corporations in 19 of the member states of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development paid 16.1 percent of their profits in taxes between 2000 and 2005, on average, while corporations in the United States paid 13.4 percent. "Nevertheless, some have argued that U.S. corporate tax rates unduly burden U.S. companies by pointing to the country’s top statutory tax rate, which is 35 percent. For example, a recent Wall Street Journal editorial calling for corporate tax cuts noted that this is the second highest top statutory tax rate among developed countries.[2] While true, this gives the false impression that the corporate tax burden is greater here than in other developed countries. Because the U.S. tax code offers so many deductions, credits, and other mechanisms by which corporations can reduce their taxes, the actual percentage of profits that U.S. corporations pay in taxes — or what analysts refer to as their effective tax rate — is not high, compared to other developed countries." References cited: [1] U.S. Department of the Treasury, “Treasury Conference on Business Taxation and Global Competitiveness: Background Paper,” July 23, 2007, Table 5-3 (giving data on a sample of 19 of the 30 OECD states). For an international comparison of corporate-level taxes (taxes paid at the corporate level, including, for example, property taxes, labor taxes and contributions, and sales taxes), see: World Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers, “Paying Taxes 2008: the Global Picture,” http://www.doingbusiness.org/documents/Paying_Taxes_2008.pdf. This study compared the corporate-level taxation that a hypothetical company with 60 employees would face in 178 countries. The study found that the corporate-level taxes the model company would pay, measured as a percentage of its profits, would be higher in 76 other countries (including 15 OECD countries) than in the United States. [2] "America the Uncompetitive,” August 15. The ranking is based on data from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. ------ Overall, US Corporations actually pay the lowest levels of taxes in the post-World War II era. Only a single year (1986) during President Reagan's administration was lower. When one starts parsing through the data, the lowest effective (actual) rates are generally among the largest companies; some even have negative tax rates, e.g., Pepco Holdings, ITT Industries, Boeing, Unisys, Fluor, CSX. The 35% rate is also the top statutory rate of a graduated income scale, i.e., small businesses aren't imposed a 35% statutory rate. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Interesting article - thanks. Nice data in the study. And combine that with decline in overall audits & auditers: "IRS Audits of Large Companies Decline for 3rd Year in Row." One more illustration of how important enforcement of laws, whether regulatory in food safety, financial management or tax codes, is. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

No, President Obama shouldn’t apologize … and President GW Bush should not have converted to Shi’a Islam when Ahmadinejad demanded that either. Mr. Ahmadinejad wasn’t speaking principally to President Obama or even the American people. He’s speaking to the Iranian people and largely to his political base. He’s a politician running for office. It’s domestic politics. America (regardless of who is in the White House) is a political and campaign touchstone for Iranian domestic politics. It’s also the 30th Anniversary of the religious take-over of government in Iran. In 2006, Ahmadinejad sent a 8-page letter to President Bush. Among the mix of cogent, semi-cogent, and non-cogent ramblings in his missive, Ahmadinejad demanded President Bush convert to Islam. That’s a similar context to his more recent demand for an apology. President Bush didn’t let those comments dictate his Iran strategy; I don’t see any indication that President Obama will either. Earlier thoughts on dealing with Ahmadinejad. A loose but perhaps poignantly illustrative analogy is to think of foreign policy like Speakers Corner … and Mr. Ahmadinejad is a giant, wanna-be-nuclear-weapons-power, internet troll. Don’t feed the troll. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Concur. Yes, alcohol is considered haram, i.e., forbidden. Off the top of my head, I don't know the specifics of (il)legality in Algeria for non-Muslims. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Uh … no, not sure how you got that out of what was posted. What I stated was the opposite: That was also in my original post: Cut-n-pasted: Crime rates linked to lead poisoning Popular press write-ups: - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/07/AR2007070701073.html - “Research Links Childhood Lead Exposure to Changes in Violent Crime ...” http://www.icfi.com/Markets/Community_Development/doc_files/LeadExposureStudy.pdf Primary data (i.e., technical refs): - “Understanding international crime trends: The legacy of preschool lead exposure” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WDS-4NJP3V8-2&_user=10&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2007&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=80ef8fc0a8ed65512174764240fb5e62 - “Validation of a 20-year forecast of US childhood lead poisoning: Updated prospects for 2010” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WDS-4JCCG5B-2&_user=10&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F2006&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=3acbaeda7170a137704fad84224b3adf - “How Lead Exposure Relates to Temporal Changes in IQ, Violent Crime, and Unwed Pregnancy” http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ap/er/2000/00000083/00000001/art04045;jsessionid=bys0qugsrh85.henrietta - “Trends in environmental lead exposure and troubled youth, 1960–1995: an age-period-cohort-characteristic analysis” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WX8-4B6CP1M-1&_user=10&_coverDate=06%2F30%2F2004&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=3e5bf01abebefa86189f946844d614f9 I’d be willing to explain the causation aspect if you have a genuine interest. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

I think we’re both a lil’ right, perhaps? You’re correct that there are some – but far from all – folks in this forum who are so passionate or angry or convinced or whatever that I can’t explain that they won’t acknowledge facts … On the other hand, as the poll on ‘partisanship and support of torture’ suggests, there are a good number of Republicans/conservative-leaningfolk who do. [Perhaps ironically, I don’t think JohnRich realized that I created the poll to try to get some data to support my assertion here in defense of conservatives. ] Error bars on SC polls may be high, but it’s a closer ‘semblence to data than pure speculation. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

It does indirectly … even if [NotBond] doesn’t realize it. And to be fair to him, the post to which he referred was regarding strategy to defeat terrorists or insurgents, i.e., COIN vs ‘scorched-earth’ or Fulda-gap style-conventional military operations. Basically is a ‘scorched-earth’ conventional operation strategy like what the Soviets tried to pursue in Afghanistan or counterinsurgency strategy, like what GEN Petraeus has proposed for Afghanistan, the best strategy for dealing with insurgents or terrorists? (In this forum, I’m not sure we could even get to discussing the law enforcement aspects, regardless of the fact the 40% of terrorists groups have ended through the application of law enforcement strategies … it is fair to note that most of the cases were domestic rather than international terrorists group … & the world doesn’t really have an international police force.) The issue of torture as a permitted policy relates to the type of strategic communications that SecDef Gates spoke about at the HASC & SASC briefings Tuesday (cited above) … & that he’s been talking about since (at least) November 2007: “Public relations was invented in the United States, yet we are miserable at communicating to the rest of the world what we are about as a society and a culture, about freedom and democracy, about our policies and our goals. It is just plain embarrassing that al Qaeda is better at communicating its message on the Internet than America.” And again it’s not about affecting the core 50 al Qa’eda leadership or the Mullah Omah-level members of the Taliban but affecting the tacit supports and the civilians caught in the metaphorical and literal crossfire, whether they be the Sunni Awakening Councils or Pashtu’s in Nangarhar province. Torture undermines US national strategic interests because it makes it more difficult for the US to execute & implement counterinsurgency operations. /Marg ... I know as a gurl I'm 'posed to be reading 'Cosmo' or 'Vogue' but I just can't put down the Clausewitz & van Crevald. Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

If that is the way you interpret my argument, then you are correct that I have failed in communicating. Radical Islamists/members of the radical Salafists ‘hate’ me a lot more than you: independent, educated, feisty female! I could list fatwahs on WMD in Arabic and English, (which I have in English … not sure how Arabic text would appear with dz.com’s software) or discuss trends in improvised dispersal devices (and have on multiple occasions) or present terrorist trends, successes, and emerging challenges in GWOT (global discussion here, rise of AQIM here & here). The radical Islamists have strategies and tactics. Over the last 30 years the US has had varying strategies and tactics. Some worked better than others. Ignoring it didn’t work. Relying primarily on kinetic means and conventional military operations hasn’t worked (see comments on resurgence of the Taliban and here). That strategy didn’t work for the Soviets in Afghanistan either. The most effective strategies have been counterinsurgency-based, e.g., Philippines against Abu Sayyef Group, i.e., Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines (OEF-P). On Tuesday, SecDef Gates briefed the SASC on his initial strategy for Afghanistan: “As in Iraq, there is no purely military solution in Afghanistan. But it is also clear that we have not had enough troops to provide a baseline level of security [i.e., the first part of SSTR – nerdgirl] in some of the most dangerous areas – a vacuum that increasingly has been filled by the Taliban. That is why the U.S. is considering an increase in our military presence, in conjunction with a dramatic increase in the size of the Afghan security forces. Because of the multi-faceted nature of the fight … all combat forces, whether international or American, will have a high level of counterinsurgency training, which was not always the case. “In the coming year, I also expect to see more coherence as efforts to improve civil-military coordination gain traction – allowing us to coordinate Provincial Reconstruction Teams in a more holistic fashion, both locally and regionally. And there will be an increased focus on efforts at the district level, where the impact of both our military and rebuilding efforts will be felt more concretely by the Afghan people, who will ultimately be responsible for the future of their nation.” In his responses to questions, SecDef Gates “told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he worries that ‘Afghans [will] come to see us as the problem, not the solution, and then we are lost.’ … Gates recalled that ‘the Soviets couldn’t win that war with 120,000 troops and a ruthless approach’ to Afghan civilians, since they adopted ‘the wrong strategy…. Above all, there must be an Afghan face on this war.’ “More important to Gates than increasing U.S. troop levels, he said, was increasing the numbers of Afghan security forces, [i.e., training - nerdgirl] and he said the government of Hamid Karzai supports a U.S.-backed effort to increase the Afghan National Army to 130,000 troops from its current 80,000, though he said he was unsure ‘even that number will be large enough.’ At several points in the hearing, Gates worried that the U.S. was losing support from the Afghan people, saying that the U.S. has ‘lost the strategic communications war’ to the Afghan insurgency about U.S.-caused civilian casualties. Proposing a policy of ‘first apologiz[ing]’ when U.S. troops kill civilians in error, Gates said, ‘We have to get the balance right with the Afghan people or we will lose this war.’” Apologizing not disregard, not denigrate, & not ridicule. Strategic communications has been a repeated discussion topic of mine too. It’s *not* about changing attitudes of ‘terrorists’/coddling insurgents/‘hating America’/historical revisionism/naïveté/whatever – it’s recognition that the civilian population provides tacit or direct support of the ‘terrorists’, insurgents, and/or radical Islamists and why & how important that is. Those are the men (mostly) that in some combination we will have to convince, cajole, capture, or kill … and yes, in some cases, as GEN Petraeus suggested, perhaps even negotiate or compromise with … if we are to have any sort of winner. The other policy option to a clear winner is to nuke every Islamic country in the world and exterminate large numbers of radicalized or leaning Islamic people in Europe. The US Islamic population tends to be among the most secular and least radicalized. We can blow things up like no one else can. Really cool innovative technology for blowing things up is not a problem, but can we re-build them? And rebuild them so that when we leave they don’t crumble/disintegrate completely to become lawless failing/failed states that foster terrorism? The latter is not something for which the majority of US military has been traditionally trained (or in many cases, wants to do). US foreign and national security policy cannot be treated as a light-switch in which anything other than full-on conventional military intervention is derided, disparaged, or ridiculed. To put it in lines with the ‘sheepdog’ analogy – I’m one of the humans who train/brief/advise/explain the threats, scenarios, consequences, countermeasures, &/or counter-terrorism strategies to the ‘sheepdogs’ &/or their management, even briefed a Congressional Committee once, e.g., “CongressCritters” & the Committee staff. I usually call them humans rather than dogs tho.’ I like sheepdogs, Rottweiler’s, German shepherds, and mutts --- they’re cute & furry. I prefer adult men, however. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

It’s never been about “what (I) say/said” but about what the data and historical records supports and what those with *operational* experience (not analytical, not policy, not theoretical, and not academic) have learned. It's about listening to the guys who are the operators. Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

No, it's really not that interesting since I've been writing about counterinsurgency theory and operations for the last 18 months. You know it's Oprah's small wars council, the Lifetime channel's special series on asymmetric warfare, and Tyra's latest hit "America's Next Top COIN theorist." All the girls are doing it. Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

And what do you mean to imply by that? Is this the "If you don't agree with the person and have no substantive argument, then you are ignorant" technique? Or is it something else? /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

I was hoping you would respond quickly ... nonetheless, for clarification: First, do you really think I would invoke a characterization like that without having a pretty good source? Really? Senator John McCain made that characterization. Does that change your opinion that it’s a “nonsense” idea? Use of torture and Orwellian-“enhanced interrogation” has been the “greatest recruiting tool” for al Qa’eda, al Qa’eda in Iraq, and other insurgents targeting US soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines, deployed civilians, and US nationals abroad. Sen McCain also said: “So you can't underestimate the damage that our treatment of prisoners, both at Abu Ghraib and other [facilities, has] ... harmed our national security interests. What I am interested in and committed to is making sure we don't do it again. We're in this long twilight struggle here, and so America's prestige and image, as we all know, was damaged by these stories of mistreatment. And we've got to make sure the world knows that that's not the United States of America that they knew and appreciated for centuries.” Supporting the troops means opposing all use of torture. All. By all. Against all. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Curious if the results are what the OP expected,

It's been 3 days and none of you have responded with any facts to the contrary ... do you still hold your opinions as quoted below: Do you guys think these guys are idiots, liberal pussies, living in an alternate reality, showing weakness, wasting time, making bogus arguments, or using the methods aren’t working? And on what basis do you know more than they do? Still waiting ... which of these folks I quoted in post #115 do you call “pin-headed ‘expert(s)’” and on what basis do you assert you know more than they do? Who’s going to step up & put something out other rhetoric? -- GEN David Petraeus (he’s got a PhD from Princeton … does that makes him a “pin-headed” who should be dismissed?) -- LTC John Nagl, USA (ret), who served in Iraq in 2003 and Capt Nate Fick, USMC, who served in Afghanistan on 2002 and Iraq in 2003 [multiple sequential citations]. -- GEN Petraeus (redux) -- LtGen James Mattis, USMC -- The USAF officer who led the intelligence and interrogation operations that led to finding and killing al Zarqawi. -- GEN Colin Powell, USA (ret) -- Senator John McCain (x 2) -- FBI Special Agent Jack Cloonan, who averted a real-ticking time bombing situation with a radical Islamist terrorist using interrogation methods that didn’t include torture -- the Marine Corps Interrogator Translator Teams Association -- the US Army Other than Sen John McCain (recently) those guys are all operators. It’s never been about “what (I) say/said” but about what the data and historical records supports and what those with *operational* experience (not analytical, not policy, not theoretical, and not academic) have learned. It's about listening to the guys who are the operators. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Really? "Nonsense"? On what basis do you make your criticism? Can you point to one academic who I have cited as opposed to use of torture? The only academics I have cited, Profs John Yoo & Alan Dershowitz, support the use of torture. Sure? Why are you so sure? What makes you so sure? /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Mike -- please see my response to [FallingOsh] regarding the Hyde amendment. Nice! Or: President Obama supports autonomy of personhood for women and a right to choose (which the Taliban and radical Islamists don’t) And President Obama supports the use of most effective interrogation methods; does *not* support the “most effective recruiting tool” for radical Islamists; does not support policies that put US soldiers, sailors, airman, Marines, deployed civilians, and other US nationals abroad at greater risk (than they already are); does not support policies that undermine the ability of the US to pursue actions in the US strategic interest (of whatever party holds the Executive office); and does not support adoption of methods used by the North Koreans, Soviets, and Chinese. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

So, you're against Obama's reversal of the ban? Those are unrelated, the Hyde amendment already presents use of US federal funds for abortions, other than for cases of incest, rape, or where the mother's life is in danger. The Hyde Amendment is a law as opposed to an Executive Order, which the "Global Gag"rule is. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012302814.html?hpid=sec-health John, Do you understand that the "Global Gag" rule did not prevent funding for performance of abortions using federal funds, yes? (That is prevented through other rules and laws, much like the Hyde Amendment has prevented US federal funds be used for Medicaid-funded abortions since 1973 & expanded in scope in 1983, unless a result of rape, incest, or endangerment of the life of the mother.) It prevented funding for groups that might have any association or use any other money (i.e., privately raised) funds for abortion-related services from receiving funding for any other reason. It prevented NGOs and other groups from mentioning abortion, hence the "gag." The "Global Gag" rule prevented a group from providing counseling or referrals about abortion services. The “Global Gag” rule has negatively affected AIDS prevention and treatment programs/groups, including prevention of mother-to-fetus transmission and mother-to-child transmission, and anti-child prostitution/child trafficking efforts/groups (because the groups might also discuss abortion even if being funded by non-federal or non-US entities). Perhaps most ironically, the “Global Gag” rule has also contributed to increase in non-medical, back-alley, improvised abortions. Do you realize that under the "Global Gag" rules most strident interpreters, US military doctors and contractor personnel at Bagram Air Field would *not* have been allowed to help the 14-yo rape victim who received an abortion Afghan-style in 2009 with razor by her 20-yo brother to avoid bring shame on the family? … & reason #8732 that I’m glad I’m an American! The folks (federal, that includes military, and contractors) are paid with US funds & an abortion was the cause of her injuries. They did help her, which I suspect *almost all* medical doctors, nurses, and Americans-in-general would regardless of their personal feelings toward abortion. Those are the unintended consequences & situations that the “Global Gag” rule creates. Do you realize that opposition to abortion or any birth control is a fundamental tenets of the Taliban and the radical Islamists? Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

To some extent, you're correct. My intent is not to excoriate but to educate. How can I better do that? Really? I directly cite data, cite the operators, cite the US Army and USMC's opposition. I give short concise answers (with references) *and* I provide longer ones with references. The information is there. Folks can do the work or not. (Personal responsibility, eh?) Former DOJ attorney/UC Berkeley Prof John Yoo is not stupid. Not at all. Between all of the data I've presented, the complete lack of any substantiating evidence from those who support use of torture, and the fact that some of those who do are not uneducated idiots, suggests that it's not an education issue. What's the explanation? Given the error bars in dz.com polls are likely to be large: Why do folks, who do appear to be a slight minority of Republican-leaning folks and a smaller minority of Democratic-leaning folks still support the “most effective recruiting tool” for Islamic radicals even tho’ that is contrary to all the available evidence and facts and contrary to their professed belief in supporting the troops? Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Hmmm ... not quite sure your point is valid with respect to climate science ... but it does sound an awful like like the folks trying to rationalize the use of torture or pursue a 'scorched-earth' military response to counterinsurgency. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

I would be curious to know how many political appointee or SES positions (beyond the folks who have been career civil servants) in DoD AT&L, have *not* been lobbyists or connected intimately to some major defense contractor. (Who has benefited from that?) The only 2 I can think of off the top of my head who don't/aren't are Dr. Will Rees (DUSD(LABS)), who is a chemistry Professor on leave from Georgia Tech, and Mr. Jean Reed (SA(CBD&CD)), who was a career Army officer and HASC staffer. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

No one said torture defeats terrorist groups. Those who disagree with you said torture is known to be helpful getting the bastards to talk. To talk - sure. Reams and reams of false confessions are not useful. That's what you get. Known to be effective in producing useful intelligence ... can you provide one instance? The best source of intelligence obtained from the detention of KSM was his computer hard drive. Again, are you then asserting that the Marine Interogators I cited are lying or don't know about what they're speaking? /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Curious if this really does breakdown as a partisan issue across this group. To avoid the strawman "comfy green cushion" or "Coke & a smile" suggestions, torture (for this poll) includes waterboarding and activities prohibited by (1) US Army FM 34-52 Intelligence Interrogation (large pdf file), which states in Chapter 1, under the heading “Prohibition Against Use of Force” “Experience indicates that the use of force is not necessary to gain the cooperation of sources for interrogation. Therefore, the use of force is a poor technique, as it yields unreliable results, may damage subsequent collection efforts, and can induce the source to say whatever he thinks the interrogator wants to hear. However, the use of force is not to be confused with psychological ploys, verbal trickery, or other nonviolent and noncoercive ruses used by the interrogator in questioning hesitant or uncooperative sources.” “The psychological techniques and principles outlined should neither be confused with, nor construed to be synonymous with, unauthorized techniques such as brainwashing, mental torture, or any other form of mental coercion to include drugs. These techniques and principles are intended to serve as guides in obtaining the willing cooperation of a source. The absence of threats in interrogation is intentional, as their enforcement and use normally constitute violations of international law and may result in prosecution under the UCMJ.” and (2) Techniques deemed prohibited by US Army Field Manual 2-22.3 Human Intelligence Collector Operations (warning large pdf file). /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying