SAR #9070

Will the Afghan war be subject to cap and trade?

Noteworthy: US intelligence now says Iran has no weapons-grade uranium, has not yet made a decision on whether to produce any, and that recent Iranian missile tests were not related to nuclear activities. The right's headline? "US says 'difficult' to halt Iran nuclear drive."

Systemic Risk: The Treasury has funneled nearly $50 billion through AIG to foreign banks. Citibank is on schedule to receive its fourth multi-billion handout. One of every 50 American children experiences homelessness before they're 10; that's 1.5 million this year.

Black Jack: The US military has briefed the president on the US military capability to influence or intervene, presumably on the side of the government, in the growing civil war between the Mexican government and the drug cartels that control large portions of the country.

Zombie Bank! Late at night, in a large building in lower New York.

Planning Ahead: Every environmental problem is ultimately a population problem. The depletion of fossil fuels is ultimately a population problem. Feeding the world is ultimately a population problem. Sustainability of civilization is ultimately a population problem.

Algaebra: Dispassionate research suggests that photobioreactors (algae) can’t produce biofuels competitively today and are unlikely to do so in the future.

Bold but Easy: President Obama had the political courage to toss out the Bush era prohibitions on stem cell research, but cannot muster sufficient popular support to undertake the tough CO2 curbs that are required if we are to survive global warming. Stem cell research is seen as a moral issue, but CO2 regulation is, alas, a pocketbook issue.

Thought Experiment: The current economic crisis seems intractable, with no easy solution in view. Think how much harder solving the economic crisis will be after the global food system collapses; for food is but petroleum converted to carbohydrates, protein and fat through the catalytic application of credit.

Spades: Turkey is all upset that President Obama may "recognize" the slaughter of Armenians a century ago as genocide - which it was. But who do they think they are, telling the US not to recognize things for what they are? Israel?

Here To Help... Just as Congress gutted the organic foods movement and handed it over to the big corporations through safety regulations, mountains of paperwork and mandated inspections, your local Farmers' Market is about to be steamrolled by safety regulations, mountains of paperwork and mandated inspections.

The Trouble I've Seen: It is impossible today to predict how this all plays out, other than badly. My guess is for continued massive fiscal deficits, a long world recession, the collapse of the dollar, revulsion then rebellion against the inequities of society, and a search for security through strong central leadership. Very strong central leadership.