Tom Watson wrote:
March 17, 2008: 7:11 AM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Today's economic condition could likely be
seen as "the most wrenching since the end of the second world war,"
wrote former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan in the Financial
Times on Monday.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/17/news...ion=2008031707


And the very next paragraph

"The U.S. financial crisis won't end until housing prices stabilize, but
that won't happen for months, wrote Greenspan."

Maybe context is required here to fully understand Greenspan's
comments.......I would suggest that "most wrenching" is not at all that
wrenching when it will work its way out in a few months. Possibly one may
surmise his comments were specific to the self inflicted meltdown of the
lending and borrowing sub prime crisis....I'd even suggest much of the sub
prime disaster hype was merely intended for the little guy to once again
bail out big business folly.

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | September 27, 2007

WASHINGTON - The Army's top officer, General George Casey, told
Congress yesterday that his branch of the military has been stretched
so thin by the war in Iraq that it can not adequately respond to
another conflict - one of the strongest warnings yet from a military
leader that repeated deployments to war zones in the Middle East have
hamstrung the military's ability to deter future aggression.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/wa..._says_general/


Food for thought and I would suspect quite true......With the current size
of the military plopping 150,000 troops anywhere in a long term policing
action is going to strain resources of both manpower and machine. But one
might readily surmise neither military size nor budget is absolutely fixed
and under a grave threat could be subject to change or even shock..... Iraq
assets could be deployed elsewhere if the need arose.

A more cynical view might even entertain a connection between the budget
request and the Generals suggested views
"Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asked Congress for a
record-setting $190 billion to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for
the next year - nearly $50 billion more than anticipated. Most of the money
would go to Iraq. If the request is approved, the cost of the 2003 invasion
will top $600 billion."



Nonetheless most any anticipated world wide emergency or security response
including Taiwan does not include the assets (boots on the ground) primarily
used in Iraq's police action. In fact with such a large military presence in
the Middle-East, logistically some actions would be considerably
easier...i.e. bombers would not have to fly as far, ships already stationed
etc...... I would even surmise that after the Bush military build-up that
certain hard assets including cruise missiles greatly exceed the Clinton
years (he used them up) and that with the missile defense fast track under
Bush we have a level of safety from rogue missiles never before
achieved......


Tuesday 29th April 2008 12:13 GMT

A leading Scottish churchman and bioethics thinktank operator has
warned again of the dangers attendant on genetic research, and
recommended that there should be a law against men having children
with female chimpanzees.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04...strikes_again/
Tom Watson
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet
www.home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1

Tis a sad day if a law is actually needed.......In spite of popular wisdom
my kids have humans on both sides....Rod