…are condemned to watch other idiots repeat it:

Rebellion must have an unassailable base… it must have a sophisticated alien enemy, in the form of a disciplined army of occupation too small to dominate the whole area effectively from fortified posts. It must have a friendly population – not actively friendly, but sympathetic to the point of not betraying rebel movements to the enemy. Rebellions can be made by 2 percent active in a striking force, and 98 percent passive sympathy. Granted mobility, security… time and doctrine… victory will rest with the insurgents, for the algebraical factors are in the end decisive.

T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, writing about – wait for it – resistance to imperial occupation by indigenous Iraqis.

It’s almost like the military and political leaders of the United States don’t know much history! It’s almost like… by not knowing it… like, I don’t know, like they’re going to repeat it or something! Crazy!

The June 2nd New Yorker has a piece of interest on “non-lethal” weapons.  It discusses a Marine and ex-LA cop and his experiences with non-lethal weapons as one of the leading “experts.”  Indeed, this is a fuzzy area and there are many other terms for “non-lethal.”  My favorite is the MAD device which shoots planar sound waves over a mile, so you can freak out people with sound, or whisper messages to somebody you are rescuing.  Reminded me of the Audio Spotlight developed at the MIT Media Lab.  It was also interesting that the most effective non-lethal weapon for stopping cars would be one that turns off or throttles the computer that controls the ignition.  My question to you: What would you do if you were put into the position where people wanted to harm you?

Abstract only right now:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/06/02/080602fa_fact_wilkinson

Chris Kelly weighs in on Obama’s VP choices and he summarizes the qualifications:

I’ve been asking around, and here’s the general thinking on what Obama needs in a Vice President:

A Military Background
So Obama doesn’t get totally marginalized when we start bombing Iran in October.

Conservative
To balance his wife, Angela Davis.

Southern
So he can compete for the hardworking racists of Hillary’s Appalachia.

Hispanic
Because there’s nothing wrong with pandering identity politics when nice people do it.

A Woman
See above — “Hispanic”

Older than Time Itself
Because Barack Obama is only five years old.

This week’s 60 Min on the military’s new Active Denial System (ADS). ADS is a one of many “non-lethal” weapons that are in development. The ADS is essentially a mid-range heat ray which they claim only penetrates 1/64 of an inch into your skin, just deep enough to hit your nerve endings and cause overwhelming pain. Enough to make you stop what ever you are doing and run away.

The 60 Min story was your classic, thinly veiled, promotional piece to help the military get the public support to start using these types of non-lethal weapons in the field. While I can see how useful it would be for law enforcement to have non-lethal options to deal with dangerous folks, 60 Min takes a cue from the Bush admin in its sales tactics by focusing on “how many lives would be saved” in Iraq by using these ray guns.

The funny thing is that in all of the military demonstrations they show, the targets for the ADS are NOT insurgent troops, but soldiers holding anti-war protest signs and throwing rocks. Every example they actually show is about domestic protest control while they never actually mention this use in the story. While they never mention it, the scenarios they are obviously preparring for are more about keeping uppity US citizens in line than stopping truly evil bad guys.

‘Simulated Hippie Peace-niks”

While the reporter swoons over the effectiveness, the range, and the safety (he zapps himself so many times you start to wonder if he actually gets off on it), he never mentions the idea that this technology might be used against anyone except really “bad” guys. The idea that non-lethal weapons will likely lead to widespread use against anyone the police, the military, or private security organizations, might find unacceptable. The fact that these weapons are non-lethal makes the user more likely to use it on someone, since the consequences are lower.

From a PR perspective, because the range is so long (over 1/2 mile) and the weapon does not produce any visible gory effects, this kind of deterrent will be a great tool for anyone who wants to keep folks away from themselves, without looking brutal themselves. And with the invisible ray beams, just imagine the religious claims you could make (“The heathens were deterred by the power of GOD!”)

Good luck at the next protest or food/water riot!

LINKS:
60 Min ADS Segment on Yahoo (Be sure to check out the “Out Takes”)

Wikipedia on ADS

[Edit – appended by Steve]
Hey, I’m sure that domestic military/law enforcement personnel would never use one of these “less-lethal” weapons against peaceful, law-abiding American citizens who are simply exercising their Constitutionally-protected rights to peaceably assemble and to speak freely…

Above: Andrew Meyer is attacked with a Taser by University of Florida Law Enforcement at a campus forum where he persistently questioned U.S. Senator John Kerry. Meyer famously shouted, “Don’t tase me, bro!”

Um… never mind.

We’ve all heard of “evidence based medicine”. Well, the field of urban design is working to develop approaches to their work that use the same concepts: design spaces using an evidence based understanding of the environment and needs (as opposed to unfounded assumptions or purely political pressures).

Space Syntax is one of the world leaders in urban planning. Space Syntax takes an evidence-based approach to the planning and design of buildings and cities, using advanced computer modeling technologies.

Our good friend, world-class genius, and US Director of Space Syntax, Noah Raford, recently spoke to RUDI (the Resource for Urban Design Information) on the “real time data collection methods, parametric modelling at the urban scale, and future possibilities of ‘remote control urbanism’”. Noah predicts both the cool and creepy possibilities that are developing as a result of emerging technologies.

Find out what “spime” is HERE (20 Min Video Lecture)