From: Greg Broiles "We don't insist on all-or-nothing accuracy in other forms of warfare, why expect it here?" Because you want to succeed? "Psychological warfare is about manipulation and FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt)." All's fair in love and war. What makes it psychological is the faculty & type of effect aimed for, and FUD isn't the only thing possible, or desireable. "... we don't need to demonstrate good behavior to convince it/them that we deserve or can be trusted......" ". . . to bolster their flagging confidence, they need a good kick in the teeth." "There is no rational argument that can force the non-trusting to trust." ". . . the point may be to create a state of irrationality, not a particular rational conclusion." . What you would be aiming for here, apparently, is neither their psychology nor their intellect. But actually if you are not intending to communicate at all, then all of things which I mentioned are irrelevant. I would leave you to your own devices. "Perhaps this discourse about "images" isn't useful, and it's time to talk about capabilities." . What image do you get of the engagement of your capabilities under normal circumstances vs under a totalitarian regime? What sort of picture is created in your mind by the statements about human nature, "endowed ...with inalienable rights", among which are included "Life, liberty, Pursuit of Happiness", and what do you suppose George thought about that? Some questions I would ask in regard to this warfare business: What sort of a win would you be aiming for, which served the purposes of rational discussion poorly? For how long would you be expecting to live in the company of those whom you drove to irrationality? And how would you go about the business of returning everything back to a viable, liveable state, supposing you achieved victory? Blanc