Global Stabilization Amateurs? Good Grief!

I took a quick look at the blackwater site, expecting to see hoards of aggregate nouns, but instead, I noticed some grammar errors, and possibly a mis-spelling, unless rotory is an alternate of rotary. A cursory search left me unsure.

Arne Langsetmo

That would be, in Latin, "theobromine". Which is, appropriately, the predominant stimulant (caffeine-like) alkaloid present in chocolate ... the food of the gods. ;-)

Theobromine is the ingredient in chocolate that makes it. in large enough amounts, toxic to dogs

See, for example:

http://www.dogownersdigest.com/news/library/chocolate-dog-poisoning.shtml

Thanks, Arne! I appreciated the info on the etymology of theobromine and theophylline.

... My next door neighbor even went so far as to build a shelter, install a hand-pump well and carved out a portion of his yard to grow food. ...

Sad, that is.

It is hard for me to believe that people are so easily frightened. It was hysteria there for a while and hardly anyone will now admit they were afraid. Too bad your fellow can not grow hemp in that yard. :-)

"That depends on how you define that slippery word "government". However, I could have said "nation-state" to the fellow and been a tad more pedantic."

You probably should define the word government, particularly if you are advocating having no government - people are likely to misunderstand you.

And, I am female.

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Karen M -

The question about the Global Stabilization Professionals is what defines what - Are they stabilization generalists who will prop things up anywhere in the world? Or are they here to straighten out our whole globe for money? A bit of both, I imagine.

Don't forget to visit their "ProShop"

http://proshop.blackwaterusa.com/istar.asp?a=3&dept=LOGO

I personally find the Christmas tree ornament particularly charming.

Anthropologists use the term Acephalous (Greek for "headless") society to refer to societies which lack political leaders or hierarchies. These groups are also known as egalitarian or non-stratified societies. Typically these societies are small-scale, organized into bands or tribes that make decisions through democratic discussion rather than appointing permanent chiefs or kings. Most foraging or hunter-gatherer societies are acephalous.

External References

Cultural Anthropology Terms

See also

Anarchism

Communism

Non-Stratified Societies

Social inequality

Elitism

Class stratification

Egalitarian

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

Thanks for pointing out the Pro Shop... the whole page was fascinating. A stuffed bear, and the shades "dude" and shades "maverick" that actually appeared identical to me.

As for the Christmas ornament, try saying: Blackwater pewter paw several times fast. Kind of rolls off the tongue.

And then there's that vanity license plate... why?

I wish we had a short word like guy, fellow, or whatever that conveyed no sexual connotation at all. When I wrote fellow it was because I could not recall your handle at all --- not that I was guessing.

Anyway, sorry.

Government defined:

Let me begin with the definition of government: A government is a compulsory territorial monopolist of ultimate decision-making (jurisdiction) and, implied in this, a compulsory territorial monopolist of taxation. That is, a government is the ultimate arbiter, for the inhabitants of a given territory, regarding what is just and what is not, and it can determine unilaterally, i.e., without requiring the consent of those seeking justice or arbitration, the price that justice-seekers must pay to the government for providing this service. (1) Except for some so-called public choice economists such as James Buchanan, it is obvious that such an extraordinary institution cannot arise “naturally”, as the outcome of voluntary contractual agreements among individual property owners. (2) For no one would agree to a deal that entitled someone else, once and for all, to determine whether or not one was truly the owner of one’s own property, and no one would agree to a deal that entitled this monopoly judge with the power to impose taxes on oneself. Rather, an institution such as government would normally, and from the outset, be regarded as an illegitimate and indeed criminal protection racket. And as a protection racket, this institution would tend to be brought down quickly. It is only possible for such an institution to survive for any length of time if and insofar as it succeeds in instilling in the “protected” public a myth, i.e., a false yet generally held, and hence effective, belief. In order to make the public accept, i.e., not to resist, the protection racket, it must be persuaded that without a monopoly of jurisdiction and taxation (that is, in what has been called a “state of nature”) constant warfare among individual property owners would exist. I have called this belief the Hobbesian myth and identified it as the most powerful and widespread myth of the modern world. ... (3)

http://www.univ.trieste.it/~etica/2003_2/hoppe.htm

Please note: the very mention of the masters name causes many here to forth at the mouth. But yes, that is Professor Hoppe.

One wonders if they even know the answer to your question themselves:

The question about the Global Stabilization Professionals is what defines what - Are they stabilization generalists who will prop things up anywhere in the world? Or are they here to straighten out our whole globe for money? A bit of both, I imagine.

I think they might be "Muscular" Security Consultants. Something like Muscular Christians, but much scarier.

http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-2.html

Generally...

Does anyone think that GWB even has a clue that he probably descends from practitioners of Muscular Christianity? I know I don't.

Too bad, because if he did, he might have thought twice before practicing it on steroids. Or maybe not.

Really great text:

Images of Deviance and Social Control: A Sociological History

by Stephen J. Pfohl

A very scholarly, upper-level text examining deviance and social control using nine major theoretical perspectives. For each perspective, Pfohl describes the basic theoretical images of deviance; discusses dominant research strategies and social control policies; locates the perspective within a general sociohistorical framework; discusses its status today; and assesses its strengths and weaknesses. While primarily sociological, it spans the concerns of a variety of disciplines (criminology/CJ, anthropology, religion, psychology, medicine, political science), integrating references to literature, film, music, and painting to show parallels between images of deviance produced by scientists and those produced by artists. A persuasive theme is that power relations, which are socially organized, shape a person's perception, definition, and reaction to deviance; thus, the study of deviance and social control is decidedly political.

http://www.amazon.com/Images-Deviance-Social-Control-Sociological/dp/0070497575