I think you’re as ignorant and naive as ever. Anyone that has educated themselves on this current recession knows that the reason we are where we are has everything to do with corrupt banking and bad mortgagaes and next to nothing to do with the war on terror.

I’ll tell you what. I’ll entertain discussing the economy with you after you read about which politicians passed the Community Reinvestment Act in 1977, which administration reformed and reinforced the CRA in the 90s, and which politicians tried to fix good ole’ Freddie and Fannie in 2003 and 2005.

So funny story. All the old military folks that used to linger around here might remember a little something called General Order 1. It forbids beer while you’re working in Iraq.

The current incarnation of Commanding General, 4ID decided that we should be allowed to have beer this year; you might remember the discussion here on the O-nerd. Well, its actually coming to fruition, and my only comment is: “only the Army could make 2 beers this painful.” I’d rather have them turned sideways and shoved up my … mailbox.

Its indicative of American culture as a whole.

Can’t win at basketball? Its because the other team is too good, fire their coach.
Can’t lose the weight? Its because your stomach is to big, get staples.
Can’t sit still in class and learn? Chemical imbalance, have some Ritalin.
Can’t be happy in life? Chemical imbalance, have some Prozac.
Can’t afford healthcare? You’re underprivileged, somebody else will pay for it for you.
Can’t figure out how to manage your bank? The taxpayer will fund your stupidity.

I have neither the right nor the desire to judge you, nor will I, but I will say there were some times during my childhood when my parents were working on a tight budget and there was one car in the garage, not two.

I have a friend, a very intelligent young lady, that makes an obnoxious amount of money, and yet she never seems to be able to get ahead of her credit cards. It might have something to do with a house payment that is 70% higher than mine, even though she lives alone, and new car payments, and other bricks that contribute the walls of her middle class prison.

I enjoy the comments from the combat arms soldiers that are actually contributing something to the fight and cannot let their guard down, which pose a stark contrast to the MP that contributed. There are few parts of the Army that contribute less to the fight than the MPs, and I thank that young man for making it clear.

As to drinking in Iraq, listen kids, if I can make it a year without drinking, anybody can. This will lead to nothing but trouble, as the two beer limit generally means your first and your last, as anyone that passed through Kosovo and Macedonia in 2001 knows.

I think looking at it strictly at a dollar-per-dollar basis would show that its cheaper to have the Army do it. However, if you look at the intangible negative effects of having the Army do it – not truly dedicated to this task, not specifically trained for this task, detracting from their wartime mission – versus the exact opposite intangible positive effects, whatever it would cost would be an insignificant drop in the federal budget.

The Deparment of Defense recently assigned a full mechanized combat brigade from the Third Infantry Division to be an on-call reaction force for natural or man made disaster on American soil. On initial consideration its a cool idea, having a 5,000 man element at a heightened state of readiness to handle anything that may arise. Defending America is the whole point of the military after all.

Ok … what would the punishment for throwing a shoe at a guy in America? In this case, time served should cover it.

More importantly though, what are we paying those clowns in the Secret Service for?

Its been beyond a pain in the rear to use Gmail lately. Not sending messages, sending messages but saying that it didn’t send them, not loading things that I click on…quite frustrating. And there I thought it was because I’m on 3rd world satellite internet. I’m sure they’ll fix it…they’re google!

"Now for the entrapment, we’re going to have to ask you for four big ones, four-thousand dollars for that, but we are having a special this week on proton charging and storage of the beast, and that’s only going to come to one-thousand dollars fortunately ."

"Five-thousand dollars? I had no idea it’d be so much, I won’t pay it."

"Oh, that’s okay. We can just put it right back in there."

It seems that his thesis is based on the fact that you have to have Earth-like conditions to grow life, and it has to last long enough to achieve the series of unfortunate coincides that leads to intelligent life.

Earth-like conditions are incredibly diverse, though. What about these guys? I’d say that the conditions that they live in are nothing like the conditions that these guys live in. Stretch the mind, professor, stretch the mind. Life can develop lots of places, and where there can be life, there can be intelligent life. With an infinite universe and an infinite timeline…

Global warming is a controversial subject that on one hand is causing problems for polar bears, and on the other giving Austin, Texas 59 consecutive hours below the freezing mark—for the first time since 1983. The low in Manhattan yesterday was Seven degrees Fahrenheit below the average low. Despite these conditions, Congress is considering drastic changes to legislation concerning corporate tax breaks and incentives for oil companies. Considering that the price of gasoline has finally dropped to a reasonable level, would taking $15 billion worth of tax breaks from the oil companies be a popular move in America? Is this controversial subject truly backed by science? If global warming is a true crisis, is slapping more tax on "Big Oil" going to help?

Yesterday, British Army General Sir Richard Dannatt called for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq "sometime soon," stating that the British presence in Iraq "exacerbates the security problems" Britain is facing worldwide. 24 hours later, the General has clarified his comments, saying that British troops should be withdrawn "over the course of the next year or two or three."

Jack Straw, a politician with the Labor Party in Britain, is demanding Muslim women remove their veils. He asserts that the veil makes face-to-face relations more difficult and that his motive is a "profound commitment to equal rights for Muslim communities."

Is this a violation of the civil rights of these women, or is the removal of the veil a worthy sacrifice to improve immigrant relations?

With the recent earthquake in Iran and the near simultaneous Iranian ballistic missile test, the US and the West in general is faced with a possible dilemma.

Could this be a great chance for the US to show the Iranians that, despite their differences, they’re not bad people? Would Iran just decline the olive branch of peace if its perceived enemy were to extend it? Does the West have an obligation to help the villagers of Iran who really have very little to do with ballistic missile testing?

Terrorists recently attempted to blow up the Abqaiq oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. If you are wondering about the significance of such an action, a successful attack on this refinery could send oil prices to $100 a barrel and would take months to return to a nominal operating capacity.

So why on earth would a Muslim terrorist attack the House of Saud? Some feel that the corruption within the rulers of Saudi Arabia and their disregard for Islam are at the root of such attacks. Despite varying opinions, some things are indisputable: US dependence on Saudi oil, and the entanglement of US politicians and Saudi royals.