I remain very interested in persuasion as a mode of power, and as one of the engines of history.  For the moment, I have little of my own to offer on this topic, but I am persuaded that like-minded souls may appreciate this psychological warfare site. I particularly enjoyed the psyops bl . . . (More)

 Chrysippus, a favorite and very quotable Stoic, once said that poverty teaches by force those lessons that philosophy tries to teach by persuasion.  In this I am inclined to agree with him.  Recently, the American news media have been much agitated over reductions in consumer spending, for exa . . . (More)

 I am forced to concede that my last post was, as the French would say, retarded.  (Actually, when a suitable occasion arises, they probably just use the term "Americain".)  I suppose that I had wanted this so badly that I had to protect myself from disappointment with that reliable balm, cynicism. . . . (More)

 I was going to wait until after the election, but now that it seems like a foregone conclusion, I would like to express my relief at the likely Obama victory. For the record, this is the first time I have ever felt any sincere enthusiasm for a presidential candidate for whom I have voted. Ob . . . (More)

 Here in Washington State, the race for governor has been contested with unrestrained hostility, probably due to the incumbent, Chris Gregoire, winning over her then, and current, challenger Dino Rossi by a scant 133 votes last time - after a trial, recount, charges and counter-charges, and, presu . . . (More)

 Far be it from me to advocate for child molestation - there are plenty of other forces in our culture doing that job already.  (Though, really, don't knock it until you've tried it.)  Nonetheless, I am amazed, given the relative prevalence of such crimes versus, say, murder, by how much of o . . . (More)

  Five things Barack Obama could safely do upon taking office without risking his significant advantage over the incumbent in credibility and public support: Sit motionlessly for four years. Hold a press conference at which he admits that he hung out with Bill Ayers because people who hav . . . (More)

 At the risk of appearing to beat a dead horse with a lame duck, this: seems like a good idea.  Sadly, but inevitably, my gonadless compatriots and the quislings who rule them will never grow the requisite pair, or brain. (Though I can honestly say that I didn't write this simply as . . . (More)

  Never mind everything that could be said against them (and that's a lot) - the New York Times has finally delivered news that's fit to print: Forget Logic; Fear Appears to Have EdgeThe article itself is about how the stock market (whose state, if it continues to decay, could ruin lives) is . . . (More)

 If you're like me - and you are - you probably pride yourself on your immunity to popular prejudices.  Of course, most of these idols were pre-smashed for you by some other, competing set of idol-makers.  Noam Chomsky taught you to distrust the media, but you trust him.  South Park makes fu . . . (More)