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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> extropy-chat [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>John Clark<br><b>…</b></span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>>…And Spike, I just don't believe you would torture somebody for information if you knew they didn't have any information, but Trump would. I don't get it. John K Clark<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>John much of this subject matter I wrote up a few minutes ago and sent before I read your commentary, but I will add a comment on this last part.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>A few weeks ago, Trump made a comment on torture. He was asked what would happen if his top generals just said no. He went on a fantasy about how his top generals would do as he ordered because of the compelling magnetism of his charming personality, I forgot the exact absurd reasoning.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>When I heard that, I thought back on every high-ish military guy I have known, and knew Trump was wrong, completely wrong on that. I have worked with enough of those guys to confidently generalization about top military brass and the military in general. If you describe the military and the top brass, it would be that it is a law and order world run with law and order leaders. When we hear of crazy exceptions, like the Tailhook scandal and General Petraeus’ appalling treachery, it is a real shock. Military brass seldom do things like this. Picture Colin Powell as an example: highly disciplined, straight up guy. He would make a fine president. All the military brass I have personally known are like this.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>When Trump made his comments, I immediately knew he was wrong. If he issued illegal orders as president, his top commanders would refuse and surrender their swords. None of those I know would carry out illegal orders, none. Torture is an illegal order. Trump will not serially fire the top management of the military: he would need real leadership to run that show and handle all those fireworks, the kind the other military men respect and follow. He has not the option to YOU’RE FIRED more than three or four. Otherwise he has even bigger problems on his hands.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>I now ask myself: did Trump learn from that? I hope he did. The office of president is not a dictator, not a king, not a lawmaker. Policy maker. Influential of course. But carefully and intentionally bounded. I don’t trust either of the current leaders with that much power, and not grabbing up as much power as legally possible, which is way too much.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>spike<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>