at both ends of the spectrum, as Ted (Jedburgh) and Watcher predicted a few posts ago.

Since I don't think JG is a "clear and present danger", or that she will be running DHS any time soon, I wasn't specially concerned with her scientific analysis. But, I thought it illustrated two larger problems.

One is broad-brushing - tossing your perceived opponents into one disparaged basket. E.g., all Sunnis (or all Shia) are bad folks because ____________. From thence, sectarian violence becomes justified.

The other is that broad-brushing becomes even more effective when it can be supported by science (or theology). So, eugenics and phrenology became accepted by many in the US as tools to shape society, etc. - which illustrate that even a center-oriented nation can go off half-cocked.