At one point in my life I spent a couple of years in Spain. One thing I noticed was that lottery sales were done by old men. They walked the urban streets with their tickets and called out to potential buyers.

I was struck then and now that this provided money and worth to people well past normal work force ages.

Not everyone is born with the ability to keep up with computer age job requirements and I guess it's safe to say that simple manual labor jobs continue to decrease in number.

Ergo, why not, as a social policy, cut out a number of employment designations that could, yes, be done more efficiently by machines or alternate methods, and fill them with people who are only by the very nature of man and today's workplace not receiving of or contributing to America's bounty.

If I perchance to talk with a grocery store bagger or cart collection superintendant and realize that this employee is a "challenged" person, I smile.

This is what it is or should be all about.

"Hat tip", as the bloggers say, to John Edwards for mainstreaming this important topic.

70,000 Dead In Mid-East Augers Glad Tidings in the War on Terrorism

Professor Adolph Von Euclid revealed today new math formulations which indicate that continuing massive deaths in the Middle East herald increasing success in the war on terror.

The newly revealed postulates show that at present for each thousand miscarnaged civilians nine point seven terrorists are killed. An ancillary formulation to the miscarnaged postulates shows that in near simultanity seventeen new terrorists are created per thousand miscarnagees resulting in a dead/arisen terrorist ratio of negative fifty seven per cent, plus or minus an Arab or two either way.

Using Third Reichian formulae, adjusted for lack of Jews in the study, genocidal statistics show that the number of new terrorists arising per thousand expunged civilians will eventually peak at thirty one point eight while the the number of terrorists killed per thousand collateral accidentists will increase non linearly due to the massive influx of new terrorists and the time honored normal war time change in methods of recording so many damn dead, dead, dead people.

The so postulated formulaic conclusion is that at one hundred twelve thousand innocents slaughtered the terrorist dead to terrorists arisen ratio should geometrically swoop into the positive range heralding a pleasant advance in the war on terror:

All going well, that is.

(Note: This was written some time ago when 70,000 dead in Iraq seemed a significant number.)

70,000 Dead In Iraq Augers Glad Tidings in War on Terror

Professor Adolph Von Euclid revealed today new math formulations which indicate that continuing massive deaths in the Middle East herald increasing success in the war on terror.

The newly revealed postulates show that at present for each thousand miscarnaged civilians, nine point seven terrorists are killed. An ancillary formulation to the miscarnaged postulates shows that in near simultanity seventeen new terrorists are created per such thousand miscarnagees, resulting in a dead/arisen terrorist ratio of negative fifty seven per cent, plus or minus a dead Iraqi or two either way.

Using Third Reichian formulae, adjusted for lack of Jews in the study, genocidal statistics show that the number of new terrorists arising per thousand expunged civilians will eventually peak at thirty one point eight while the the number of terrorists killed per thousand collateral accidentists will increase non linearly due to the massive influx of new terrorists and the time honored normal war time change in methods of recording so many damn dead, dead, dead people.

The so postulated formulaic conclusion is that at one hundred twelve thousand innocents slaughtered the terrorist dead to terrorists arisen ratio should geometrically swoop into the positive range heralding a pleasant advance in the war on terror:

All going well, that is.

(Authors Note: This was written some time ago when 70,000 dead in Iraq seemed a significant number.)

It seemed odd that the three month extension was announced prior to briefing the troops. It also seemed odd that it had no political content attached to it. It made me wonder if Gates had his own agenda and was walking outside the politically lockstep Bush administration.

Now I learn that the extension, which highlights a broken military and more Bush/Cheney incompetence, was leaked before it could be tuned up in the GOP propaganda shop.

I absolutely love it. It makes me laugh.

The briefing to the troops should be,"Sorry guys that we have to increase the chance of your tired asses' dying by 25% on this rotation but we've screwed this occupation thing up from the beginning and well, we're sorry."

The result of the leak appears to be the odd victory for truth over the Soviet style propaganda apparatus pronouncement we have come to expect from 'reality central', i.e. the White House.

"It's all the fault of the people that are trying to bring you back home," they could have said.

In the name of Allah: What's the Plan?

(2.13.07 post by cognitorex)

Tribes, religious fanatics, elites, sectarian differences, oil based economies, authoritarian rule, conflict resolution by guns and suicide are hallmarks of the Middle East.

I assume that most Middle East' citizens' primary desire is to arise each morning, safely see their children off to school and safely pursue a job that provides the daily bread. However, the short term political and economic outlook seems one of despair.

I am curious what a fifty or hundred year plan for the region might look like.

Individuals, businesses and nations need mission statements to direct future actions to a desired goal.

Just over a half century ago Europe last used guns to resolve conflicts and they now have their 'Union.'

Surely the world of Islam has a desire to be safe, prosperous and unified.

So, what would this vision entail?

How can we help?