nerdgirl

In some cases, yes … and in some cases, we are just beginning to appreciate how deeply biological are the origins of traits like altruism and cooperation. It's nature & nurture. The convention of individual liberty and property rights -- which I'm willing to bet you treasure as much as I -- originate from Enlightenment ideals, e.g., John Locke. The Code of Federal Regulations has lots of parts that are non-instinctive. The disparate fields of molecular biology, genetics, sociobiology, philosophy, evolutionary psychology, & economic game theory are exploring the biological basis for some "higher' traits. Just a few examples: Moral (or usually expressed as the positivist “cooperative behavior”) has been shown to be an evolutionary trait that benefits human survival, e.g., “the Grandmother (& Grandfather) Hypothesis.” Reciprocal Altruism, which traces its citation lineage to Darwin. Ethical decisions to go to war and other conflict resolution explained through game theory. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Sure the British Empire can handle us? Ya know we'll bring guns, funny spellings, & keep pronouncing the last letter of the alphabet "zee." /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

I agree: that is a reasonable question, particularly given the amount of mis-information about evolution and about climate change that gets passed around … particularly on the internet (so, of course, take everything I ‘say’ with a metaphorical grain of salt). The planet will survive. Even with global thermonuclear war, the planet is likely to survive. (That's why alliterative rhetoric like "planet in peril" is more about marketing than science or climate change.) The crux is will it be a planet we ‘like’? I'm interested as to how will climate change affect balance of power & global patterns of conflict for resources? Assuming we don’t have global thermonuclear war or massive asteroid hit, human evolution is likely to continue. It’s just a lot slower than anthropogenic climate change and even slower than some natural climate change. VR/Marg p.s. there are some who advocate trying to overcome the status quo, they're called transhumanists. To give you a political anchor, the President's Council on Bioethics is firmly opposed to transhumanism. Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

I would posit that the origin of law -- including many of the laws related to marriage -- was in commerce. The first civilization arose in Mesopotamia. Even before Hammurabi’s Code, there were older Sumerian laws. The first of which, along with the oldest cuneiform, dealt with disputes over stuff (crops and animals). In American law, the same things are not considered moral or immoral as in say, Saudi Arabia, where you can be punished by death for commiting acts of homosexuality. I assume that is not the 'moral code' which you want to emulate. I most certainly don't. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

That was fabulous! Thanks for posting it. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Yes, care about them as human beings. And yes, care about them as the source of arguments that can either refine mine, force me to rethink mine (perhaps altering or further strengthening mine), or make me aware of a different perspective that I had not considered (either to rethink or further develop a new piece of my argument). On Friday I had the opportunity to speak with personally & listen to Wesley Fox. While all of his stories were compelling, it was his words on leadership that most resonated with me. He didn't say anything about being right or wrong or the quickest or smartest or strongest. He emphasized that the role models for leadership for him and the ones that he emulated were those who demonstrated that they cared about him. (He even briefly noted that it was the "L-word, although no one in the Corps used the word 'love'.") VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

War is most often fought for money and land. Politics and religion are just excuses to make the masses feel good about the war. Pursuit of armed conflict for riches is called piracy, thuggery, or being a mercenary. Pursuit of territory is political. Since the Treaty of Westphalia (mid 1600s), war is state on state armed conflict involving uniformed military (until the last hundred years or so that frequently meant all able-bodied men upon command of the sovereign). Civil war is internal to a state. While there have been some serious challenges to Clausewitz's principles On War. Most of those deal with changes in the late 20th and early 21st century (i.e., globalization, economic interdependency, and the Revolution in Military Affairs). VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

What I've found interesting as well (to me at least) has been the rising price of U3O8 (uranium 'yellowcake'). Between 2005 & end of 2007, it rose much more steeply in price than oil or natural gas. There has been a recent decline, but it remains well above oil in rate of price increase. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Yep, still really, really nothing. Really^. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Really? "intentionally misdiagnosing veterans should not be part of some cost-cutting policy" Yep, still really nothing. Other than perhaps the portion of my reply that you excised. What you quoted reflects the trend to contracting and outsourcing of previously federal positions, the increased workload (demand out-pacing supply), the impact of recognition that the overall federal budget is not going to continue in the direction it has, about the economy, and even about market influences on medical business to value the bottom line over people. Sometime market forces can be negative. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Nothing. Altho' it may say something about the trend to contracting and outsourcing of previously federal positions, about the increased workload (demand out-pacing supply), about the overall federal budget, about the economy, and even about market influences on medicine to value the bottom line over people. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

To give further context to the issue (or how some seem to want it to be a non-issue), an email was made public yesterday in which the PTSD coordinator (read: physician administrator) of a VA hospital in Texas "suggests" to employees that a lesser -- & less costly to the VA -- diagnosis than PTSD be given in order to save money: “Given that we are having more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I’d like to suggest you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out. Consider a diagnosis of adjustment disorder, r/o [rule out] PTSD. Additionally, we really don't or have time [sic] to do the extensive testing that should be done to determine PTSD.”One *really* hopes intentionally misdiagnosing veterans should not be part of some cost-cutting policy. “VA Secretary James Peake acknowledged in a statement that the e-mail did come from a VA facility, but said it’s not official policy. ‘A single staff member, out of VA’s 230,000 employees, in a single medical facility sent a single e-mail with suggestions that are inappropriate and have been repudiated at the highest level of our health-care organization. The employee has been counseled and is extremely apologetic.’” Last month, the RAND released a report, “Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery,” that found ~300,000 OIF & OEF veterans are suffering from major depression or PTSD. Only about half have sought or received treatment. In response to requests for interviews on the study & how the VA would respond, the VA’s Head of Mental Health (official title: Deputy Chief Patient Care Services Officer for Mental Health) wrote (in another email that was ‘leaked’): “Shh! “Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among veterans we see in our medical facilities. Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?” The VA has stated that 36% of veterans returning from OIF or OEF have been diagnosed with PTSD (some smaller % w/traumatic brain injury [TBI] from closed head injuries). ~~~ Whether one does or does not consider it appropriate to award a Purple Heart for PTSD -- I honestly don’t know & don’t really consider it within my purview -- giving any medal is not going to address the underlying issues, challenges, and consequences for the veterans, for their families, and for the country in the long-term. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Is the information in the briefing accurate? The vast majority - yes. The historical & specific references to international agreements - yes. There are some narrow, although not unreasonable, interpretations. It also is very specific to information ontained through the IAEA process, as opposed to information and data, including alleged evidence of higher enrichment levels, obtained by western governments. The answers to the "why" questions are motivational & highly subject to interpretation. It's somewhat akin to someone trying to get out a speeding ticket by reading everything to the exact 'letter of the law' and the narrowest (or widest, whatever suits) interpretation of the law. It's also illustrative of how political pressure to make international agreements weak -- & the NPT Additional Protocol is fairly strong -- can backfire. That is, it is illustrative of how important and useful to US foreign policy and interests robust international verification regimes are. The NPT is one of the stronger. The CWC inspection regime is stronger; attempts to add a verification protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) collapsed 25 July 2001, when the US delegation, led by Amb John Bolton, unilaterally pulled out of negotiations. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

For a pedantic overview of nuclear energy fuel cycle and international reuqirements, the Iranian delegation was kind enough to provide this briefing to the recent Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Conference (PrepCom). One arms control wonk called it a "bizarre ... tortured pop quiz on nuclear energy." VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

US CW destruction processes are required -- by public law and by the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which the US is a state party -- to destroy chemical agents irreversibly. The resulting materials must not be able to reform agents. Munitions must be destoyed completely as well. At the end of the destruction process if the agents are being incinerated, there are some partially combusted compounds but nothing of significant quantity. At the *very* end of the destruction process if the agents are not being incinerated (by the US 'alternative' processes), there's water and some precipitate salts. There is currently an 'issue' going on with the hydrosylate (intermediate product) from destruction of VX at the Newport, Indiana facility. It's being shipped to Texas, where it will finally neutralized irreversibly. Btw: mustard "gas" is a misnomer. Sulfur mustard freezes at ~56F, depending on the purity. At ambient pressures, it doesn't become a gas until >200F & actually decomposes first. It has a low but not insignificant vapor pressure. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Concerned, yes. Concerned to the extent that I oppose nuclear energy for those states that are in compliance with IAEA safeguards and have good/stable governance, governments, and institutions, no. Strongly support the IAEA fuel bank. Both President Bush and Congress support the fuel bank initiative ($50M appropriated in late 2007) following on Warren Buffet/Nuclear Threat Initiative $50M pledge in September 2006. The only other country contributing thus far is Norway ($5M) (Might I be so forward as to ask that my European friends find a way to fund the remaining $45M, … please.) Support the Energy Department’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), which was mentioned in the President’s 2006 State of the Union address. I’m more concerned about reprocessing Pu from the proliferation of light water reactors (~30 currently under construction plus another intention to build another 30+ has been given to the IAEA) … but that’s a slightly different topic. For context, the IAEA annual budget is less than the Vienna police, and the verification budget is less than the Manchester United football club. (Source: Tariq Rauf.) What to do with spent fuel is an issue that isn’t going to go away. The Canadian model seems to have worked well. One provocative idea for a Yucca Mountain alternative that I’ve heard (a lil’ tongue in cheek) is to designate Guantanamo as the US spent fuel storage center (after transferring detainees CONUS). Before the article linked in the thread’s original post, there was Henry Sokolski’s Mat 2007 testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs: “Market-Based Nonproliferation.” Even though every additional nuclear power plant obviates the need for 6 coal plant, in the long-term nuclear energy will not provide the required energy. Need other alternative energy sources – including fusion – and ultimately need solar. Today DARPA just released a new BAA (08-48) for “catalysts that will ultimately facilitate the mainstream use of alternative energy sources, including fuel cell chemistry, bio-fuels and solar fuels.” Need that, many-many-many-fold. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

My apologies. Yes, CW = chemical weapons. The US began destroying our CW stockpile in the late 1980s (per Public Law 99-145). Last December, we reached the 50% destruction milestone. ~15,000 metric tons of chemical agents remain. At present, 5 CW demilitarization/destruction facilities are operational and are scheduled to complete destruction of >78% of the US stockpile by 2017. Of the two remaining facilities, the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky – with 523 tons of mustard and VX and sarin nerve agents in rockets and projectiles – is still in the planning/pending litigation/'heartburn' phase, and initial work on construction of the facility at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado – with 2,611 tons of mustard agent in mortars and artillery shells – began in last month. Some of those munitions are from the 1960s. Even with good inhibitors, chemistry happens. The Army currently plans for the Pueblo facility to begin operations in 2015, and the Blue Grass facility to commence destruction in 2017. The current official estimate (from Office of the Secretary of Defense) is that the stockpile will be destroyed completely in 2023. I think that’s optimistic. Btw: Russia has destroyed ~20% of its declared ~42,000 metric ton CW stockpile. Yeah, prolly more than you wanted to know… c’est la vie. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Update: Yesterday’s Defense Blogger’s Roundtable featured USAF Captain Trevor Hall, who piloted the first US relief flight to Burma. Transcript & audio mp3 available. Couple photos. Excerpts from DefenseLink, “Pilot of First Burma Relief Mission Describes Experience”: Everyone … was so ecstatic or excited to have us there on the ground. With very little broken English that we could make out, they were trying to say: ‘Please bring more; please bring more.’ “The first hour was spent unloading all the supplies that we brought in, because [the Burmese military] did have to hand-offload all of the cargo,” [Air Force Captain Trevor] Hall said. “They offloaded it all directly off our plane and placed it into military trucks and drove it to a different staging area on the airport.” … “We were received very graciously. … Obviously, [the Burmese military] knew we were coming, and they were planning for us,” he said. When the U.S. aircrew landed, they saw a Hellenic Air Force C-130 plane from Greece, two Malaysian C-130s, and some Indian planes, as well. Following the first relief flight May 12, Hall said, the U.S. Marine Corps transported similar items yesterday, and more relief flights are continuing today. The Air Force crew, consisting of six basic crew members and two maintainers, flew from the Utapao Royal Thai Navy air base, in Thailand. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, and Henrietta Fore, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, accompanied the crew on the mission. After landing at the airport, Keating, Fore and a member of Thailand’s government met with Burmese government officials, Hall said. After their two-hour meeting, the crew returned to Bangkok, Thailand, where Keating and Fore continued to coordinate further relief efforts. Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

How did you come to that conclusion because it is not at all evident to me? Rev Hagee is probably a better example of a conservative who has been seen -- rightly so imo *because of his foreign policy advocations* -- as dangerous. Each fall & spring, a small book (still hard copy) -- "Congressional Directory" -- gets put out of all the Senators and Representatives. Under each entry list phone numbers, education, Chief of Staff's and Press Sec's names, birthdate, Committee membership, and religious affailiation. Almost 100% list a Christian religious domination. My conclusion is this is old news. Trying to make an issue out of a non-issue ... when there are lots of *real* issues to be discussed. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Great post! I have a bet with some retired Air Force Colonel who oversees 'shiny metal death'-related things (who's also a PhD nuclear engineer), that the US will completely eliminate our CW stockpile before *any* nuclear fuel is stored in Yucca Mountain. ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ Even though nuclear energy neither "scares" me nor am I opposed to expansion and investment in civilian nuclear power, "scare" isn't a very useful word in the context. It makes it a polarized issue. Polarized issues like this tend to get tied up in courts -- both legal & the court of public opinion. Even if you (general, non-specific "you") think most opponents are irrational, dimissing the concern of someone for his or her family, their health, and the property value of their home is rarely an effective tactic to accomplish the policy goals one desires. (Ask Sen Mitch McConnell, R-KY, how well it's worked on delaying construction of the destruction facility at the Blue Grass Army Depot.) The linked article is good. (NB: Tucker doesn't use the word "scare".) VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

I was not aware that Christianity was the domain of one political party in the late 20th or early 21st Century? The critical part missing is most liberals don't care what Sen Obama does *legally* in his spare time. Great. I'll point you to one that linked to the original item from January, which notes "One (indirect) response from Sen Obama’s campaign was a pro-Christian flyer distributed as part of the South Carolina primary, which includes affirmations on “Being Called to Christ” and the “Power of (Christian) prayer.” No derision. No attention. It's actually old news. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

While I’ve never encountered anything even vaguely close to what you describe, my experience may reflect the folks with whom I interact professionally & personally. There are definite cultural and organizational differences across federal agencies. And between some in the armed services and those outside, particularly toward academics; the non-productive derision runs both ways. Just one more thing I find really cool about this PhD historian & former President of Texas A&M University - he gets it. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Yes, he did say "57 states, I think one left to go." (Video embedded at linked url.) He goes onto to say that he wanted to go to Alaska & Hawaii but his staff would not justify it. He meant 47. It was a dumb gaff. Put in the same category as this gaff/mispeak. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Is the discussion about purple hearts for "mental stress" or for traumatic brain injury and PTSD? Closed head injuries resulting in TBI (one correlated and potential causal factor for PTSD) can be observed using modern imaging techniques -- many which were unavailable 15 years ago -- and show real, physical injuries to the brain. I concur with SecDef Gates; it's an interesting idea to be looked at. Perhaps so that underlying issues can be addressed more effectively. There's a real issue underlying the Purple Heart proposal w/which the services, particularly the Army Medical Command and the Navy Medical Services Corps (which, as you know, serves the USMC) are struggling to deal with prevalance of TBI due to closed head injuries from IEDs. From a 2005 estimate of TBI: “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.” Awarding a Purple Heart for TBI or PTSD doesn't address the real underlying medical and psychological issues nor the long-term social and economic consequences. Minimizing the reality of TBI & PTSD as "mental stress" probably doesn't help either. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

That's a very good video. The general message is applicable to more than CHL holders during traffic stops, imo. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying