Military

Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood. ~John Adams

Statement on the Hoffman report

by Bryce Lefever, Ph.D.   August 22, 2015


Because the Sidley Austin attorneys involved with this investigation had access to a collection of documents that no individual task force member had, it is understandable that some of their conclusions would be given credence. Nevertheless, the attorneys themselves acknowledge “the substantial limitations” in their inquiry, and there is plenty of room for criticism of their report, including conclusions based on speculation, a lack of understanding a variety of points and issues, and flawed logic (in addition to significant editorializing). A few examples from the Hoffman Report’s Executive Summary:

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Special forces selection

by Bryce Lefever, Ph.D. © 2009


Let’s be clear.  First and foremost, we must discriminate between those who choose to fight, and those who are afraid.  We hold nothing against those who give in to their fears—for we do not want them with us when the circumstances are truly terrifying.  In the selection process we will, in fact, treat them well, and even pay them to go home.  It is not that any of us is immune to fear.  It is simply that some men have the capacity to act boldly despite the fact that they are afraid, that they face grave danger,  and that they will be hurt, bleed and die.  These men have heart.  It is these men we seek for our Special Forces…

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archives


In order to understand how fundamentally dishonest some media outlets and so-called “peace psychologists” are in their discussion of America’s military in general, and military psychology in particular, one need look no further than NPR’s May 2009 “report” about the role of psychologists in the interrogation of terrorists. The pieces I include here–some necessarily lengthy–discuss Alix Spiegel’s dishonest editing, NPR’s editors’ deliberate misrepresentations on their website, and the absurd conclusions drawn by the braying Stephen Soldz (who is representative of much of their illogical thinking). Although I am loath to give them attention, people do have a right to know just how agenda-driven they are….

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