SAR #11041

Emotion is proof only of emotion, it does not refute science.

Not Necessarily the News:  Today's big buzz from WikiLeaks is that the Saudis have probably been leading us on for years, exaggerating their recoverable oil reserves by at least 40%. If you've been paying attention, this – like many of the WikiLeaks cables - is not a big revelation.

Precisely:  Italy's Berlusconi says that the probe into his sexual activities is “disgusting”.

Job Security:  Investigations show that making mistakes, committing homicide, imprisoning and torturing the innocent and general incompetence are punished by promotions at the CIA. Why not, isn't the CIA's mission to make serious mistakes, one after the other?

Inquiring Minds:  A UK court has barred a man with a low IQ from having sex. Is there a sliding scale?

Hail Mary:  President Obama wants to give the states two additional years before they will have to start paying interest on the funds they've borrowed to make unemployment payments and to begin paying back these loans. The proposal is unlikely to garner GOP support since they think letting states go bankrupt will destroy public unions.

Getting back to the real world...  More than 140 million people and over $1 trillion in infrastructure is less than 1 meter above high tide levels around the world. In 40 or 50 years, they won't be.

Damned Speculators:  The UN is warning that the worst drought in 200 years is threatening the Chinese wheat crop – the largest in the world. At the same time the US is reporting that corn reserves are at their lowest level in 15 years. 'Perfect Storm' is an overused term, about to become more overused.

Plotline:  A jet linked to a Texas philanthropist, loaded with millions in gold and cash, has been seized by Congolese Authorities. Assignment: Define 'philanthropist'.

More, After This:  Another two million houses will be foreclosed on this year, adding to the 7 million already foreclosed. Things continue to deteriorate, as US houses lost $798 billion in value in the last quarter, bringing the total value lost to about $10 trillion.

People/Profits:  India says that banning the widespread use of Endosulfan – which disrupts human endocrine systems – would jeopardize the country's food security and leave millions of farmers without an affordable alternative. On the other hand, continued use may deprive the farmers of customers.

Call Me In The Morning:  Republicans keep urging medical malpractice tort reform as a quick solution to healthcare cost control, even though their Texas experiment hasn't worked out that way. The promised decline in medical costs and decrease defensive testing has not occurred. But the insurance companies seem to be the main benefactors – which may explain why the GOP so avidly seeks tort reform.

Daily Meditation:  “Colorado provides less than 1% of the food consumed in the Denver metro area.” What's in your backyard?

One More Time:  Polls of what the American voter wants tell us more about what the people paying for the poll want than about the dreams and desires of the public. The budget (and overall government) is not a rational issue for most Americans. Contradictory beliefs and hopes are rampant. The only thing that seems certain is that, once explained, there is but a limited demand for limited government.

Onward:  A complete lack of evidence appears not to be slowing the rush to throw WikiLeaks' Julian Assange into the Empire's gulag for conspiring to tell the truth.