Word: dumbing
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...pendulum between questions and answers swung the other way when President George W. Bush took office. This was not an intellectually curious man (though not dumb), and consequently it was not surprising that when a small circle of advisors advocated a certain course of action, Bush did not seek opposing viewpoints or consider all of the questions necessary to arrive at the right answer. When he felt he had an answer, however, Bush defended that answer with great conviction. He was “the decider,” and while you might not have agreed with where he stood...
...seem rude," Sindell acknowledges. "Unfortunately, if we allow ourselves to be forever polite, we will never get into the habit of good thinking. We will get so used to accepting every inanity uttered near us that we will completely lose our critical faculties ... The word why is a wonderful dumb-conversation stopper." Your next brilliant brainchild may not survive Sindell's 11 steps to become viable, let alone profitable, but if his method truly does lead to fewer dumb conversations, let's hope it catches...
...Torture and Intelligence Re "Dumb Intelligence," [May 4]: Robert Baer thinks "persuasion" is far more effective than torture. I don't pretend to understand the merits of techniques for extracting intelligence from prisoners. But as a veteran, I believe that al-Qaeda operatives are not garden-variety prisoners who would respond to persuasion; they have proved to be hate-filled extremists who place no value on human life, including the lives of their own people. Baer suggests they would give false information under torture to "stop the pain" whereas persuasive techniques would encourage them to tell the truth. That doesn...
Torture and Intelligence Re "Dumb Intelligence," [May 4]: Robert Baer thinks "persuasion" is more effective than torture. I don't pretend to understand the merits of techniques for extracting intelligence. But as a veteran, I believe that al-Qaeda operatives are not garden-variety prisoners who would respond to persuasion; they have proved to be hate-filled extremists who place no value on human life. I don't like torture either, but if it obtains information that puts a stop to future bloodshed - as it has, according to experts - then I say please resume. John Stern, GRAND HAVEN, MICH...
...Dumb Intelligence," [May 4]: Robert Baer thinks "persuasion" is far more effective than torture. I don't pretend to understand the merits of techniques for extracting intelligence from prisoners. But as a veteran, I believe that al-Qaeda operatives are not garden-variety prisoners who would respond to persuasion; they have proved to be hate-filled extremists who place no value on human life. I don't like torture either, but if it proves to obtain information that puts a stop to future bloodshed--as it has, according to experts--then I say please resume. John Stern, GRAND HAVEN, MICH...