The pen is mighter than the sword

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

This borders on a posting for the Friday files, but when you're self- 
employed, every day can be Friday. <g> Two recent installments in the  
ongoing saga of "the pen is mightier than the sword":

First, an article on the potential military uses of irony appeared in  
the recent issue of Harper's magazine:
http://www.turnmaineblue.com/diary/2929/irony-watch
Having read the full article and some of the literature on rhetoric,  
I'm honestly not at all sure whether the researchers are serious or  
just having a little ironic fun at the expense of the defence  
establishment. I assume the latter, and on that basis, it's a  
wonderfully entertaining read. Worth hitting the newstand or library.

I confess that I'm left with this giggleworthy image of Lockheed  
Martin exhuming Oscar Wilde, Ambrose Bierce, and Dorothy Parker, and  
somehow weaponizing them. Or possibly even the infamous Monty Python  
skit about the world's most lethal joke. <g>

Second, a more serious article on how words can be used to disarm even  
seemingly intractable foes:
http://community.livejournal.com/debunkingwhite/818135.html
Sometimes the best cure for violent idjits is a good dose of public  
humiliation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoff Hart (www.geoff-hart.com)
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
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Effective Onscreen Editing:
http://www.geoff-hart.com/books/eoe/onscreen-book.htm
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