Mission Accomplished

A single death is a tragedy. 4,300 deaths is a statistic

Birthday Celebration or Reunion: Today is March first. This is the fifth anniversary of “Mission Accomplished.” Exactly five years ago today our president dressed up like a fighter pilot – ironic since he dodged his chance to be a real fighter pilot – and had the military let him land on a ship that had been draped with a huge “Mission Accomplished” banner. Oh, that wasn’t the first April Fool joke he’d pulled. Uncle Dick, and Cousins Rummy and Wolfowitz had him tell the people that Iraq had WMDs and they posed a threat to us. Oh yes, and Iraq somehow had something to do with the 9/11 tragedy of the Twin Towers. And when we invade, our troops will be treated like heroes and don’t worry about the cost because the entire war will be paid for by Iraq as they sell their oil. Today 81% of Americans believe we should not be there – that the war was a mistake. It is bankrupting our country while some $ 70 billion in oil profits sit in the bank for the warlords, who are waiting until we leave. Happy Anniversary.

High oil prices are a bunch of crap: The price of a barrel of oil continues to set records daily. The price at the pump continues to soar. Soon it will take the entire tax rebate to fill up your car. Want to double the value of your gas hog? Fill the tank. However, the biggest impact of rising petroleum prices will come not on the highway. Cars can run on alternative fuel. Solar power from the Mojave desert alone could produce up to half the electrical power that America demands. The problem is fertilizer. Petrochemical-based fertilizer has become a worldwide necessity that has increased crop yields and quality. Fertilizer prices have as much as tripled in the past year, threatening to send tens of millions worldwide into malnutrition. Food riots have occurred in Haiti and the Philippines and even Costco and Sams Club have begun to ration rice. Bush blames Congress for the shortage. Another gasoline company this week announced record profits. Mission Accomplished.

We’re #1 in Housing Decline: The housing crisis is the worst since the Great Depression. Admittedly more people lost their homes during the Depression 75 or so years ago, but today’s foreclosure rate is nothing to celebrate. Many homeowners are taking desperate measures to keep the wolf away from the door. Some are paying mortgages with credit cards, which has caused credit card debt to spiral. Jobs continue to be shipped overseas, the stock market continues to slip. Airlines, banks, as well as other market sectors increasingly lay off workers in their rush toward bankruptcy. CEOs of the bankrupt corporations are rewarded with obscenely huge severance packages. The Administration decides to send the American public $ 600 tax rebate checks to stimulate the economy. The money will pay for 6 tanks of gas, paid to the record-profit oil companies. Mission Accomplished.

A little blogging music Maestro... From the Beatles, “Money Can’t Buy Me Love.”
Dr. Forgot