A Trillion Hammers

Economists are starting to come forward and detail the link between the cost of the Iraq war and the engulfing recession we are entering.

In the common sense world, anyone paying attention saw that one a mile away.

Regardless, the professionals are speaking out right when we are in the recession, somebody somewhere will pay attention. Will America ever make the same mistake again? Yes, and it will be sooner than later.

The Australian: Iraq war 'caused slowdown in the US'

THE Iraq war has cost the US 50-60 times more than the Bush administration predicted and was a central cause of the sub-prime banking crisis threatening the world economy, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

The former World Bank vice-president yesterday said the war had, so far, cost the US something like $US3trillion ($3.3 trillion) compared with the $US50-$US60-billion predicted in 2003.

Stiglitz and Harvard economist Linda Bilmes were on Democracy Now last Friday explaining this connection.

The Three Trillion Dollar War

One week after President Bush rejected charges the war in Iraq has hurt the US economy, a new book puts a conservative estimate of the war’s cost at $3 trillion so far...say the Bush administration has repeatedly low-balled the cost of the war—and even kept a second set of records hidden from the American public.

Since when would disclosure affect the trajectory of the American people who suffer with some form of mass comprehension syndrome.

Hoedown

The big Texas hoedown is coming.

Who cares. According to Rasmussen, McCain is leading Obama by 4 points or so in a national election. Rasmussen has McCain beating Clinton by a wider margin.

The term, 'dumber than a bag of hammers' comes to mind when reflecting on the American electorate.

Even though you voted for Bush and recognize that he has harmed all aspects of the country, and to a certain extent you regret voting for him, you decided to vote for someone who will continue with his legacy.

Anthrax Attacks - Ricin

Whatever happened to the investigation into the anthrax attacks that occurred right after 9-11.

Dropped from the media's attention like a lead balloon, and we wonder why. The whole matter seemed highly suspicious. We heard that the anthrax came from an American laboratory. Now one would think that identification would be the deal maker, the culprit gets apprehended.

We got a blank screen.

Now we have ricin in Vegas. Didn't the 9-11 hijackers have a last hurrah in Vegas. Vegas is in some respects the vortex for the American terrorist. Why is that?

CNN: Anarchist manual, firearms found in motel room with ricin

Officers who found the deadly poison ricin in a Las Vegas, Nevada... also discovered firearms and an "anarchist-type textbook" with an entry about ricin bookmarked...

Ricin is a toxin extracted from castor beans. Several of the beans were also found in the room...

...ricin is not illegal to own, but is illegal if processed to be used for poisoning.

Mentioned at the end of the article we read that ricin is perfectly legal to own. Apparently anybody can own ricin as long as you are not using it to poison people. Exactly how many common household items fit that definition.

AP: Cousin Identifies Man in Ricin Case

Popeye

I hope there's enough violence - try making sense of the screwy patriotic subtext.