Your tax dollars at work

Somehow, I have come to be on the National Academies Press mailing list. Every once in a long while, I come across a topic interesting enough to download the report, and sometimes even to read bits of it.

But usually, I am merely entertained by the topics of research for which our tax dollars pay.

And here is one worth remarking upon:

Communications and Technology for Violence Prevention: Workshop Summary

The authors are Rapporteurs; Forum on Global Violence Prevention; Board on Global Health; Institute of Medicine

Why is it globalists are so enamoured of French terms? Why does the U.S. Government Institute of Medicine have a Board of Global Health?
But wait a minute! the IOM web site says that it is "an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public."

Sure. Well, sorta. But not really. The IOM is part of the National Academies, whose 2011 Annual Report to Congress reported $ 280,156,384 in grants and contracts from U.S. Government agencies and $ 49,692,077 from non-federal sources. 85% of the NAS total revenues came from the Federal government.

So, now that you know where a small sliver of your tax (and federal debt) dollars go, that is to Rapporteurs; Forum on Global Violence Prevention; Board on Global Health, what have they discovered?

I admit, I haven't read the article. But the synopsis on the web page gives a clue:

"On December 8-9, 2011, the IOM's Forum on Global Violence Prevention held a workshop to explore the intersection of violence prevention and information and communications technology. The workshop - called "mPreventViolence" - provided an opportunity for practitioners to engage in new and innovative thinking concerning these two fields with the goal of bridging gaps in language, processes, and mechanisms. The workshop focused on exploring the potential applications of technology to violence prevention, drawing on experience in development, health, and the social sector as well as from industry and the private sector."

I suppose I should read more deeply to discover what sort of violence they are intent on preventing with technology. I have a sinking feeling they intend to stop genocide with Twitter.

However, the use of technology to prevent violence isn't really a new subject. It has been extensively studied and there are some proven technologies available to address the full spectrum of threats:



Colt M-1911 A1 .45 cal

The semi-automatic handgun technology has been preventing violence against persons for over 100 years.




Many rungs up the ladder, the U.S. Marines continue to prevent violence against U.S. National interests, allies and the powerless for over 200 years.


USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)

 "Peace Through Strength" is the motto of the USS Ronald Reagan. A carrier strike group parked off your shore is a strong influence in favor of peaceful conflict resolution.


The U.S. Army's Warrior Ethos is more than skin deep. It goes all the way to the core, and has deterred violence or brought an end to perpetrators of violence on every continent.



LGM-118A "Peacekeeper" ICBM

Kept the USSR and PRC among other relatively peaceful for 50 years.