Language, it turns out, is a form of behavior, and the purpose of behavior is to influence one’s environment, especially social environment, in order to accomplish things, effect changes, encourage or discourage certain potential behaviors by others being communicated to. The tendency for political, media, and other leaders to habitually lie, prevaricate, betray commitments, etc. notwithstanding, New Leader has been clearly behaving in ways that have likely efficacy in his environment for some time, sending signals, embracing ideologies, supporting constructs, policies, etc. and not always covertly. He has been behaving in ways that have effects, at least some likely intended.

"If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."

“I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.”

Can anyone really doubt the likely effects of the behavior represented by that utterance? If that is not a green light for what is happening in Gaza, then what is it? In what sense is this not something he has actually done?

When we pretend we don’t know, what is being protected?

BTW, another great piece by Glenn.

it cedes deeper understanding by accepting the false frame of a “dilemma” posed by a question of “treating” addictive behaviors psychopharmacologically versus by the traditional 12-Step, AA/NA model. In fact neither is a type of treatment for addiction.

Psychotropic medications are not treatment for behavioral disorders or mental illness. They are used to mask or dampen symptoms; they bring symptomatic relief. That dampening can be useful in bringing individuals into functional spaces in which they can take advantage of therapeutic interventions that can lead to long-term gains by addressing maladaptive behaviors, internal models, early experiences, environmental stressors, and other factors. Such relief can be critical in acute care for dangerously disordered behavior, e.g. as associated with psychosis. Addictive behaviors are maladaptive attempts to lessen inner distress, and are almost certain to recur until the source of that inner distress is addressed in therapy.

The 12-Step/AA/NA system is not intended to provide treatment for addictive behaviors, which is why it has no therapeutic value. Its principles and beliefs run directly counter to factors known to have therapeutic value in clinical treatment of mental health disorders. Its actual purpose, transparently so, is to keep addicted individuals comfortably addicted and to avoid the discomfort of emotional and behavioral change. It’s participants are encouraged to remain addicted by substituting addictive use of food or especially nicotine, one of the most lethal and addictive substances known (also a gateway drug), while being patted on the back for being “clean and sober”. As such, it constitutes a well-developed system of denial and other ego defenses used to maintain addiction. About 90 percent relapse. Those who stay clean do so in spite of the countertherapeutic factors they are exposed to in AA/NA.

It’s a symbiosis. The relapsing addict coming into AA receives praise, supported denial, and encouragement for doing what the addict wants more than anything to do - staying addicted and avoiding the distress of change and of inner growth. There is a huge payoff for the “old-timers” in meetings and for treatment providers (almost always individuals “in recovery”) in the 12-Step-run treatment industry – by focusing attention on the rapidly turning-over and relapsing newcomers and aggressively labeling them “addicts”, “in denial”, etc., they utilize the ego defense of projection - projecting away their own continuing addictive behaviors. The worldwide organization creates an illusion of legitimacy by claiming “millions” of adherents, “millions helped”. In that way, some sheen of legitimacy is provided the medical “disease” model of addiction and the religion-based precepts embedded in 12-Step, both representations of patriarchal control. Turf is protected, addicts kept addicted. The alliance of medicine, religion, and 12-Step gains the illusion of legitimacy by providing for continued addiction, remarkably under the constructed guise of “treatment”. With those kinds of payoffs, change is an uphill battle.

in Israel and Gaza: link at sig