From: Alex F. Bokov (alexboko@umich.edu)
Date: Fri Sep 28 2001 - 09:49:45 MDT
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On Thu, 27 Sep 2001, Michael Wiik wrote:
> Oh I dunno. I've been reading stuff like:
>
> The Clash of Civilizations, by Samuel P. Huntington
> http://www.alamut.com/subj/economics/misc/clash.html
>
> and
>
> The Roots of Muslim Rage
> http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/90sep/rage.htm
Thanks for the refs, I'll have a look.
> > The Porkrinds, Porn, and Pilsner Campaign
>
> I agree that memetic warfare can be very much a useful potential
> strategy, but I would hope extropians can come up with something better
> than dropping pork rinds on muslims. While some starving Afghanis,
> perhaps especially women begging in the streets to secure food for their
> children, might appreciate crunchy pork snacks, the price of getting
> caught doing so might well be immediate execution.
Causing the locals to hate the Towelban even more. Or confiscation of
said 3P's by the Towelban, causing the locals to hate the Towelban
even more AND tempting the holy warriors themselves. At any rate, I'm
pretty sure the US of all countries can crank out junkfood and smut
faster than they can track it all down (I bet it's cheaper than our
high-tech munitions).
Methinks I'd even volunteer to pose for the Porn component of the 3Ps.
Maybe bring a smile of appreciation (or mirth, I don't care) to the
lips of their ladies and any closeted gay Towelbaners out there. I've
been working out, you know, so I've been defining them abs.
> Here are some possible strategies:
>
> 1) Convert to Islam. Why not? I've been arguing anyway that a
...
> get Bill Gates to explain that nothing works right till version 3.0 with
> Old Testament = v. 1, New = v. 2, Koran = v. 3. At least american office
> workers can appreciate that logic. Once we get off-planet we can start
> reasonably discussing atheist societies.
And to use another M$ metaphor, embrace and extend. I can see it now--
new-agey, watered-down, PC, and 'inclusive'. Now THAT will get to
them big time. And once they start drawing lines between who is a real
Muslim and who isn't, it's a slippery slope from there to schism and
reformation.
> 2) Move all Israelis to New York, make NY state the new Israel, then
...
Nah. While this proposal is as outlandish as my own, and hats off to
you on that, it is vastly more expensive and politically impossible
(as opposed to merely politically embarassing if caught in the case of
my own).
> 3) Think a generation ahead. Offer muslim women free immigration to the
> US, along with young kids, but no males older than maybe 10. And of
Maybe not de jure, but de facto might work. Something like 'if you're
not eligible for military service for reason of age or gender' or 'if
you're denied education, property, or voting rights in your home
country' Of course, it would be leaky like all systems are, and we'd
inevitably get infiltrated by thousands of moles.
Perhaps if we staked out a limited territory we were capable of
defending within the theater of operations and designated it a refugee
zone open to anybody who managed to escape from Towelban-controlled
areas. Feed them, pump money into education and economic development,
and do everything possible to inspire a culture of democracy,
individual liberty, and secularism in that area.
Any spooks lurking on the list? I hope to god there are! Maybe not
necesserily listening to my half-baked ideas, but at least thinking
along the lines of meme-war and economic/cultural subversion rather
than the bone-headed Vietnam tactics that appear to be holding sway in
public pronouncements.
- --
Park on Meter milgov George Bush
Why are the above words in my signature? Check out:
http://www.echelon.wiretapped.net
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