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The Military's Secret Weapon: Magic

Writer Jon Ronson, previously known to me for his segments on This American Life, has made a documentary series based on his book The Men Who Stare at Goats for the BBC called Crazy Rulers of the World. This story of the devotion of U.S. military resources to psychics, mentalists and other bullshittery is hilarious when it isn't downright terrifying.

A retired general - and former head of military intelligence - straight-facedly explains how he remains disappointed that he was unable to will himself to walk through walls. A guy who teaches ballet at a strip mall discusses his role in a project conducted by the PsyOps unit at Ft. Bragg to kill a goat with his mind. Of course, you stop laughing when you see how what began with the new age ideas of Jim Channon and the First Earth Battalion manual slowly devolved into the psychological torture techniques used in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.

As I watched one serious (but clearly batshit-crazy) military man after another discuss "chakra points" and "remote viewing" I couldn't help but think that I liked it better when I thought our military was full of End Times Christians.

Google Video has all three parts: 1 2 3. It is so compelling that Carrie and I watched the whole thing while on vacation in Paris. Which we concede is pretty fucked up.

Via bOINGbOING, image from PsiOp Radio