Yes and no. What happens after the psychopaths are dead or rotting in jail, drug legalisation has yanked the incentives towards crime, and the remaining members find themselves getting older and forced to change their perspective on things by life?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1231/p01s02-uspo.html

One paragraph describes him as the sort of politician who knows everyone in his district. That may be his big weakness as a potential President; he can't know everyone in his new district (the entire country, if not the world) so his normal approach to thinking about things is starved of data. Until he learns new ways of approaching policy problems, he'll be better off in his current office.

He might make for an interesting Speaker of the House, though. Couldn't do worse than Pelosi.

“Wait a sec, Dan–you're referring to the possibility of today's gangs becoming something of the fraternal organizations of yesteryear, right?”

Yes.

“At times, whenever I read of these gangs, I'm amazed at the manpower and “capital” these groups seem to command. It's a pity they can't make themselves out to be a positive force (although the “smarter” among them have made at least small-scale or nominal attempts–even if for no other reason than for *propaganda* purposes).”

They cannot because they are not part of the aboveground economy. Microsoft and Philip Morris are good companies not because the products they make are better than substitutes available on the market, but because they participate in a free/aboveground market system.

“Amoral psychopaths who enjoy exercising their egos and dominations over others. “

That's a pretty good description of a typical Fortune 500 company.

“If drugs were legalized, they just might get into other kinds of criminal activities.”

Such as?

And couldn't the same argument have been used to maintain prohibition of alcohol?

“As for that Discovery program, did you note the reference to German prodigy Rudiger Gamm, briefly mentioned here several months ago? It appears that the story behind his ability might be at least a bit more complicated than I'd been led to believe.”

It's an interesting area that I'm just beginning to understand.

“BTW, shouldn't some DARPA geeks be looking into this? I mean, I suppose that, say, cold-temperature endurance or remarkable calculating ability *might* give *some* sort of military advantage, but who knows? Would make one heck of an idea for a… screenplay or something….”

I think that would require a retrovirus to change the DNA of the warfighter, at least in the short term… Reminds me of a book [1]…

(Thanks always for the open thread links! )

[1] http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/5463.html

“Mind Games: Jim Warner and Fellow POWs Played for Big Stakes in North Vietnamese Prisons”
By R. R. Keene with Dick Camp
http://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/article_Jan08_MindGames.asp

By way of this 1/3/08 post by James M. Kushiner on the “Mere Comments” blog:
“Endless Mindgames”
http://merecomments.typepad.com/merecomments/2008/01/endless-mindgam.html

Take care to also follow the discussion below the blog post.

At times, whenever I read of these gangs, I'm amazed at the manpower and “capital” these groups seem to command. It's a pity they can't make themselves out to be a positive force (although the “smarter” among them have made at least small-scale or nominal attempts–even if for no other reason than for *propaganda* purposes).

But–there is the “leopard-spot” question; many of these folks (especially their leaders) are just… well, bad people. Amoral psychopaths who enjoy exercising their egos and dominations over others. If drugs were legalized, they just might get into other kinds of criminal activities.

As for that Discovery program, did you note the reference to German prodigy Rudiger Gamm, briefly mentioned here several months ago? It appears that the story behind his ability might be at least a bit more complicated than I'd been led to believe.

BTW, shouldn't some DARPA geeks be looking into this? I mean, I suppose that, say, cold-temperature endurance or remarkable calculating ability *might* give *some* sort of military advantage, but who knows? Would make one heck of an idea for a… screenplay or something….

Hmm…now if I actually had *any* sort of fiction-writing talent, I'd try write a story that would combine the immediate above with the first item. Yes, yes, I can see it now–DARPA mad scientist find some way to convey “superhuman” abilities on military personnel who later go on to leave the military and join inner-city gangs, taking them over and making them worse. Or something like that. Sounds kinda like something John Robb would take notice of, don't it? (I recall this disturbing news clip he posted to his GG blog several months ago…)

Well, anyway, just a thought…

Such a transition would be helped out immensely if we end our destructive and misguided war on drugs.

PS: Amazing trailer! Interesting to see eugenics actually spoken of in terms of supermen, as well.

Michael,

Britain's never recovered from the World Wars.

Neither has Africa nor the Islamic world.

elambend,

The rise of English is one of the greatest humanitarian triumphs of the past few centuries. Let's hope it continues.

Eddie,

In “Farewell to Alms” [1], argues living standards are now worse in parts of Africa because European interventions… that reduced violence and improved medical care. I buy it.

Cutting SysAdmin work short sucks. That's why a Sysadmin Industrial Complex [2] is so important.

[1] http://www.tdaxp.com/archive/2007/08/07/what-if-group-ancestry-matters.html
[2] http://www.tdaxp.com/archive/2007/07/07/describing-the-military-industrial-sysadmin-complex-how-we-w.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxogo0sMFBM

This is just the intro to this Discovery Channel show. By any chance, has anyone here seen this? I missed it when it was first broadcast.

Well said.

Steve,

Haven't you heard, they're the Growth & Development Nation [1] now!

Michael,

The British Empire was the greatest System Administration force in history. It's right they still have a role.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Hoover

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Order

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraternal_organization

The arguments for the UK belonging to the Anglosphere are self-evident, but it also has ties to Europe through economics and geography. To put it somewhat poetically, it can burn itself out shuttling back and forth between the two, or it can stand steady as a bridge connecting the two.

Before getting TOO excited about Britain's sysadmin expertise, though, read up about their railroad problems. Here's a place to start:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/graham_stewart/article3134344.ece
They may not have a mess like New Orleans on their hands (yet), but they've a lesson or two to relearn same as us.