A Recession Fallout (Nuclear Winter?)

Credit Card Fallout?

If you really want to think about how scary this recession will be, consider this: Everything individuals and families were doing with their credit cards and homes, businesses were doing on a much larger level. Cheap credit pervaded every facet of the economy. From Construction to the Federal Government, expansion was fuelled by credit. Credit through low interest bonds, finance companies, and government debt selling. So how much of this credit-fuelled bubble is going to be around after this is all over? After this heavy recession and possible depression, how many companies will be left?

Why an Afghan Surge Won’t Work

As I watched Daily Show yesterday, Dana Perrino pointed out an important statistic in gauging the success of Iraq and Afghanistan. According to UNICEF, the adult literacy rate in Iraq is around 74% for the years 2000-2005. In other words, 3 out of every 4 Iraqis have basic reading skills. In contrast, consider Afghanistan who has a literacy rate of 28%. This is nearly the polar opposite of Iraq; it appears about only 1 out of every 4 Afghans have basic reading skills.

You may say so what? What does reading ability have to do with recovery? As a former soldier in the US Army, I’m not sure how much I could have learned if I couldn’t read. With these two statistics, one can see the uphill battle the United States and NATO will have with restoring peace to Afghanistan.

Cost of War

“War is the reciprocal and violent application of force between hostile political entities aimed at bringing about a desired political end-state via armed conflict.” – Wikipedia

What is it about America that sets this country apart? We’ve never warmed to metric systems or soccer. There is a real sense of American Exceptionalism. We are different, we like different things than everyone else. So what it is it? Why are we so different from the rest of the world?

Perhaps it is because we have not had a major national conflict occur in the continental United States since 1865. We have not suffered the destruction of war as Europe and Asia has.

Bush says Goodbye…

"I want you all to myself, you big bunny!"

Oh, you disappoint me President Bush. After all the shenanigans with starting a war, raising terror alerts, huntin’ down evil-doers dead or alive, you would think he would have one more trick up his sleeve. I truly thought that there would be some major terrorist attack before the election and President Bush would declare himself President for a “little longer.” I dreaded the election because I really thought something tragic was going to happen. Fortunately it turned out okay (so far), we just have a bit of an economic crisis. George gave up so easily, he is just coasting out of power with all the cares of a rich, retired ranch man. Why is this President unlike so many others?

Why hasn’t George Bush done what Robert Mugabe has done in Zimbabwe?

Rant: The Bush Wars

The reason we failed so badly in Iraq, and to a lesser extent Afghanistan, is because our war-fighting techniques were antiquated. The army model that was pre-9/11/2001 was grossly unprepared for the challenges that faced us in the Middle East. As a soldier and NCO in the Army pre-2001 I can vouch for the inadequacy of our army before we started fighting in the Middle East. It was like Desert Storm taught us nothing. Even though we were in a post-Gulf War world, our toughest divisions in 18th Airborne Corp were still training in a European climate in decidous forests. We were frightenly unprepared for the war that knocked on our door on September 11, 2001. The ones who would be doing most of the infantry work were training in a temperature and in a climate inappropriate for what was coming. Not to say that is the army’s fault because two Balkan engagements were dictating the war-fighting style of the late 90′s.