Annotated Almanacs, Well-Armed Air Marshals, and Saving Munitions with Mother Nature

12/31/2003 Last Call

Chicken or Egg Touché’! Or was it first the egg, and then came the chicken? French-fries or potatoes, without ketchup and tomatoes! I don’t think so. Wars or Reason: Do wars come first, or does reason? Ahoy there! I believe the ships of WAR have been spotted, and they all appear to be devoid of REASON!

What do you think will happen first: armed “air marshals” accidentally downing planes full of passengers, crushing pedestrians and passerbys below, or…
SUPER AIR MARSHALS “here to save the day” with German-made pistols and submachine guns! Plugging round after round in to all would-be Al Qaeda Phi Beta Kappa affiliates (not on the passenger dossier, by the way) armed with plastic Tupperware, 20,000 feet above the Empire State?

We can speculate and debate this ‘till our lips turn blue and brains become putty, but either way, it’s hard to refute that guns aboard planes make flying more perilous, as opposed to the snugness and safeness George feels while lounging on Air Crusade One. Remember, this is not a debate, but rather a year-end review and bit of surmising about some of the things we can learn from, other things to do better, and for few to do something about.

On to the part about saving America’s “smart” munitions and precious $401 Billion Dollar Mass Destruction Wherewithal. Year 2004’s “defense” and military fund is hardly excessive, especially when considered many perceive America to be modern day’s conqueror and barbarian nation. However, it is much-to-much money spent on bludgeoning others if America truly wants to be what it considers itself: A “civilized” nation and society. Tolerant folks do not put time or thought into manufacturing machine guns, upgrading missile satellites, reading tutorials about tanks on the front page, and “how-to” manuals about bombs. This type of stuff is more devilish than devils food, and for fools to follow.

The American “defense” expenditure is so astronomically high, it doesn't’t seem real, which is possibly why not a soul in the media or System of Checks and Balances has said a “peep” about it. At least nothing or not enough to stir Halliburton’s honey pot

It’s true, some of capital-401 will be divvied between “good-guy” agencies and other “desirable” bureaus. And let’s not forget about the old-wise adages “all-in-all it’s ‘good’ for the health of the economy, and keeping the market churning” Yeah sure right, capital-401 is about as “good” for us as the School of the Americas is for poor people abroad. Corralling foreigners to learn to help, assist, and improve relations (The American Way) between each and every marvelously diverse neighbor of ours. What a laugh

Happy New Year!