Recall the economy of Japan over the past fifteen or twenty years, please...

Japanese interest rates went down to around zero, and real estate prices plummeted, and everthing stayed quiet and scary for over a decade.... Sound vaguely familiar?

During that period, American guys in suits guffawed, and gave patronizing smiles, but here we are, America!

We are just at the start. Our Geniuses have managed our economy down to Mitsubishi Zero. Only consolation: Those of us who refinanced in Japan ten years ago or so, and borrowed money in Japan at 0%, and then reloaned that money in the USA... We are rich now!

Did you do it? Neither did I. Next time around, if we live that long.

1. Vietnam is pretty much okay now, because we got out. If we leave Iraq, Iraq probably will be okay after a while. Let's pull back to Afghanistan.

2. I agree, though, with this talk of bombing ME! Those lily-livered-lobster-lubbers, those potato-fascists! They have defied us too long. Bomb Maine back into the Stone Age!

Last night, Detroit's Justin Verlander had a bad outing, gave up homers, and took a loss in a crucial game. That knocks him out of Cy Young consideration.

Who will win the Cy Young in the American League?

Will rents go up, because people will compete for rentals, rather than buying? or,

Will rents go down to compete with home prices?

?Maybe I should buy a low-priced house now, and rent it out to get the higher rent???? Somebody help me decide, please!

We do not know how far-out of a christianist crazy-pants G.W. Bush is. We do not know, and he never has said whether he believes the end of the world is at hand, and that that end will involve a gigantic battle in the Middle East soon, as the kookiest of the kooky believe.

If Bush leans this way, then cynical, not-Christian Cheney and other neo-cons will use this belief to push Bush toward hitting Iran. Hey, what the heck? The end is here anyway... I might as well help it along... I will further the Lord's great plan!

Ask Bush about that, sometime. He will not answer. I agree with the previous poster who said to impeach now, and not to take chances, not wait to find out how crazy these guys really are.

We have grounds to impeach. Please do it. Even if we do not convict, it will use up their attention, and maybe distract them from crazy Armageddon plans.

I believe Cheney or somebody has dug up something blackmailable on Republican Senator Warner. Note that Warner just annouced he will not run again. And now he does not join the right side on this vote. And, please look at the story just above this story. He does the dishonorable fig-leaf thing at the last minute.

Cheney may have compromising photos or some such.

Nunc Putes Anum Rogatione Jurum

You guys! The USA never, ever renounced the "first strike" option. We always have said we might strike first, just to keep the option open, just to keep potential enemies thinking.

Where did this idea come from, that "first strike" is some W. Bush invention? The only difference is that, in the past fifty years, W. Bush is the only guy who actually might do it without full justification.

Please recall that the USA is the only country ever to use "first strike" (Hiroshima). And we used "second first strike" as well (Nagasaki).

AND! My friends, these are the only "strikes" that ever have happened, ever, in world history, first, second first, and that's the total. We did them.

So, please cool it with your uninformed silliness about "first strike." I barely trust W. Bush not to strike first. But if he does, he will not be the first.

We have tolerated nuclear weapons in (old, evil) South Africa, (shakey, debatable) Pakistan, (unproven) India, and (warlike) Israel. None of these places has set off a nuke.

If Iran eventually gets nukes, it will make Iran into a more responsible nation. Iran probably will be LESS dangerous if they get nukes. (Disclaimer: This may not be true everywhere, but Iran already is on the cusp of responsibility.)

Please stop the www equivalent of chanting mindless, boring, untrue slogans about Iran and nukes. Please give this situation actual thought.

Make up your own minds, Americans. Please do not just pick a side and fall in line. Holy crap, Batman! This is the 21st Century! Everybody can learn, and everybody can come to a reasonable, moral conclusion.

Andrew Leonard, this lovely naked lady does not seem to have boosted your responses to this topic. Not that there is anything wrong with your usual number of responses!

So.... Please think about including a lovely naked lady in EVERY topic! I wouldn't mind, as long as it isn't pandering or pornography. But then, who really can define pandering, or define pornography?

Naked is easy to define. And Lovely is pretty easy to define. Serious Ideas + Boobs might be a great marketing angle. You are a genius.

I stuck the previous post into the wrong part of "How the World Works!" I am sorry! And I thought I was so incredibly clever. I am not clever. Sorry.

Thst post was supposed to go into the Naked Lady thread. Sorry, but I notice now that the Naked Lady thread has 34 posts, which is a very high number for "How the Worls Works."

Could I be wrong? Maybe Naked Ladies ALWAYS get responses, even here.

Anyway, I am sorry. Editors, please take my two current Naked Lady posts off Salon.