Friday, September 12, 2014

SAR #14253



The failed Bush war of aggression in Iraq continues to pay dividends, as Obama feeds the US lust for violence with promises of more armchair assault on anonymous people far away, with hundreds of pin-point attacks like the one in Afghanistan yesterday that killed 14 civilians, mostly women and children. Obama says, as did Bush before him, that we have to act now, before ISIS becomes a threat to the US. 
 
That this will only fuel the growth of ISIS and others who – quite reasonably – hate us. In the end it will require boots on the ground – and if someone doesn't volunteer pretty soon it will have to be US boots. And that will fit ISIS plans. The Iraqi army is not capable, Turkey is on ISIS side, not ours, and we're not desperate enough to accept an alliance with Iran. Yet. Russia makes the entirely reasonable observation that unprovoked air strikes in Syria will be “a gross violation” of international law. 
 
It is not clear exactly what US national interest is at stake that can justify killing thousands or tens of thousand of mostly innocent bystanders with bombs and missiles. Another humanitarian war. 
 
Good thing the terrorists aren't winning.


Several Days Late, Several Dollars Short: Radio Shack is too broke to go bankrupt. 
 
Drumbeat: Unemployment claims, at 315,000, were up 11,000 from last week. This makes seven consecutive weeks where the initial claims were higher than the same week last year.

Holy O.J.! Oscar Pistorious was found not guilty of premeditated murder for the premeditated murder death of his girl friend. 
 
Worry: Those anxiety and sleeping pills you've been taking, the ones with benzodiazepine in them, you might want to stop taking them before you forget that you shouldn't be taking them.

Well, Then: North Korea says it 'backs Scottish independence'.

Showing Us: Missouri has lowered the minimum age at which one can carry a concealed weapon to 19, mandated that women seeking an abortion wait 72 hours after finding one of the few doctors who would perform it, and permitted school teachers to be armed and dangerous.

No Comment: Apparently the NFL sat on the elevator video of Ray Rice for five months, which takes some of the air out of their sanctimony. 
 
Truth Inconsequences: Just because 90% of hedge fund managers are not worth what they're paid doesn't mean they won't be getting raises.

Goes Around, Comes Around: Russia, in the face of new US/EU sanctions has cut natural gas supplies to Poland by 45%. Talk about a new cold war...

Capital Idea: Retrophin, which specializes in generic drugs, bought the rights to tiopronin, an inexpensive treatment for a rare kidney disorder. And promptly hiked by price 20x.

Spoils Of War: Zalmay Khalilzad - US ambassador to the UN, to Iraq, and to Afghanistan under George Bush - is the subject of a money-laundering and tax evasion investigation. Seems that crimes concerning money are more serious than crimes against humanity.

1 comment:

Derek said...

"Good thing the terrorists aren't winning."
Loving your sarcasm, as ever!