SAR #10095

Gun ownership trumps all other rights.

Ambiguity:  "In the nine-plus months I've been here, not a single case where we have engaged in an escalation of force incident and hurt someone has it turned out that the vehicle had a suicide bomb or weapons in it and, in many cases, had families in it."  General McChrystal, US commander in Afghanistan, who went on: “ "That doesn't mean I'm criticizing the people who are executing. I'm just giving you perspective.  We've shot an amazing number of people and killed a number and, to my knowledge, none has proven to have been a real threat to the force."

Fair's Fair:  The FAA has ruled that pilots on anti-depressants can fly commercial aircraft.  It might be a good idea to tranquilize the passengers, too.

Same Old Same Old: Recovery!  Just when did we fix problems that caused the Great Recession?  The overpriced houses, a customer economy hopelessly in debt, the unemployed whose jobs got shipped overseas, expensive oil, crooks on Wall Street looting the government, massive gambling on CDS, ever expanding government debt…  Did I nod off while these were kissed and made better?  Didn't think so.  Debt crises have sadly similar conclusions: they end in pain and tears.

Facts Not In Evidence:  The question was  “Can capitalism save the planet?”  No.  There is little evidence that capitalism can even save itself, and most of the planet's problems derive from capitalism's dependence on growth.

Oh, Canada!  The province of Ontario, with only 11 million citizens, has run up a $21 billion deficit, a billion more than California – which has a population three times the size. But not to worry, Ontario has come up with a budget that will cut their deficit to only $15 billion.  It's all Greek to me.

Petraeus's Peace:  In General David I'm-not-running-for-President Pretaeus's pacified Iraq, 3 car bombs exploded near embassies and diplomatic missions in Baghdad, killing 42 and wounding more than 200, as partisans continued to 'discuss' the recent presidential elections.

Silver Lining:  Proving once again that bargain discounts can sell cars, the vultures feeding off Toyota's problems have increased sales by nearly 14% over February.

Healthy Insurance:  Pfizer Inc. owns Pharmacia Corp., which owns this, which owns that, which owns something else, which in turn owns Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. Inc., which Pfizer used to illegally sell the banned drug Bextra.  When caught, Pfizer pled (a) it knew nothing  (b) it was too big to prosecute and  (c) got got the Feds to charge the empty shell of Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. Inc. which Pfizer had already looted of all it's capital.

If / Then:  If you drink booze at the office, it's an office supply and the RNC will pay for it.

Even So:  Despite the draconian conditions imposed 2005's bankruptcy 'reform' law, which complicated the process and more than doubled the cost of filing, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of peasants pleading for mercy filing for bankruptcy – even though many of the poor must save for months before they can afford to go broke. If the bankers don't get you, the lawyers will.

Embarrassed Silence:  "The bottom line is that we will not prevail in Afghanistan," says Robert Fowler, foreign policy adviser to three Canadian prime ministers, deputy minister of national defense and Canada's longest serving UN ambassador.  "Once we understand and accept that reality it is time to leave, not a moment, not a life and not a dollar later."

Gaming The Future:  Repetitive computer simulations run in an attempt to understand a future dominated by competition for declining resources, “always come out with the same result: civil war in America in 25 years.”  Given our dysfunctional political system – which makes saying 'No' far easier than getting to 'Yes' – this seems conservative.

Porn O'Graph:  Change you can believe in.