Needed to take a rest from this stuff for a while - 3 days ain't much of a hiatus, I know - but I was starting to feel the overture of despair whittling at my soul. Take a walk down right wing blog avenue and see for yourself how many of these people genuinely believe that the state of the nation has never been better (or turn on the radio, except for NPR and AirAmerica, there's nothing but brownshirt talk radio fouling the ionosphere), that under the "leadership" of the greatest bunch of brigands in our 200+ year history, America will shine the light that illuminates the world. Bankrupt. Absolutely bankrupt, people. So I was in a tenuous state to begin with. Then I read Paul Krugman's recent column, "The Way It Is":
"Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. He sold all his stock in HCA, which his father helped found, just days before the stock plunged. Two years ago, Mr. Frist claimed that he did not even know if he owned HCA stock.
"According to a new U.S. government index, the effect of greenhouse gases is up 20 percent since 1990.
"Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a 33-year-old Wall Street insider with little experience in regulation but close ties to drug firms, was made a deputy commissioner at the F.D.A. in July. (This story, picked up by Time magazine, was originally reported by Alicia Mundy of The Seattle Times).
"The Artic ice cap is shrinking at an alarming rate.
"Two of the three senior positions at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are vacant. The third is held by Jonathan Snare, a former lobbyist. Texans for Public Justice, a watchdog group, reports that he worked on efforts to keep ephedra, a dietary supplement that was banned by the F.D.A., legal.
"According to France's finance minister, Alan Greenspan told him that the United States had ''lost control''of its budget deficit.
"David Safavian is a former associate of Jack Abramoff, the recently indicted lobbyist. Mr. Safavian oversaw U.S. government procurement policy at the White House Office of Management and Budget until his recent arrest.
"When Senator James Inhofe, who has called scientific research on global warming 'a gigantic hoax,' called a hearing to attack that research, his star witness was Michael Crichton, the novelist.
"Mr. Safavian is charged with misrepresenting his connections with lobbyists -- specifically, Mr. Abramoff -- while working at the General Services Administration. A key event was a lavish golfing trip to Scotland in 2002, mostly paid for by a charity Mr.Abramoff controlled. Among those who went on the trip was Representative Bob Ney of Ohio.
"It's not possible to attribute any one weather event to global warming. But climate models show that global warming will lead to increased hurricane intensity,and some research indicates that this is already occurring.
"Tyco paid $2 million, most going to firms controlled by Mr. Abramoff, as part of its successful effort to preserve tax advantages it got from shifting its legal home to Bermuda. Timothy Flanigan, a general counsel at Tyco, has been nominated for the second-ranking Justice Department post.
"In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is awash in soldiers and police. Nonetheless, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has hired Blackwater USA, a private security firm with strong political connections, to provide armed guards.
"Mr. Abramoff was indicted last month on charges of fraud relating to his purchase of SunCruz, a casino boat operation. Mr. Ney inserted comments in the Congressional Record attacking SunCruz's original owner, Konstantinos 'Gus' Boulis, placing pressure on him to sell to Mr. Abramoff and his partner, Adam Kidan, and praised Mr. Kidan's character.
"James Schmitz, who resigned as the Pentagon's inspector general amid questions about his performance, has been hired as Blackwater's chief operating officer.
"Last week three men were arrested in connection withthe gangland-style murder of Mr. Boulis. SunCruz, after it was controlled by Mr. Kidan and Mr. Abramoff, paid a company controlled by one of the men arrested, Anthony 'Big Tony' Moscatiello, and his daughter $145,000 for catering and other work. In court documents, questions are raised about whether food and drink were ever provided. SunCruz paid $95,000 to a company in which one of the other men arrested, Anthony 'Little Tony' Ferrari, is a principal.
"Iraq's oil production remains below prewar levels. The Los Angeles Times reports that mistakes by U.S. officials and a Halliburton subsidiary, which was given large no-bid reconstruction contracts, may have permanently damaged Iraq's oilfields.
"Tom DeLay, who stepped down as House majority leader after his indictment, once called Mr. Abramoff 'one of my closest and dearest friends.' Mr. Abramoff funneled funds from clients to conservative institutions and causes. The Washington Post reported that associates of Mr. DeLay claim that he severed the relationship after Mr. Boulis's murder.
"Public health experts warn that the U.S. would be dangerously unprepared for an avian flu pandemic.
As Walter Cronkite used to say, That's the way it is."
We have gleefully accepted a culture of greed in this country that has destroyed our sense of community. Americans by and large will tolerate anything as long their acquisitiveness and material avarice can continue to be fed by a consumption driven economy that is ever ready to provide newer, flashier toys and the credit to purchase them. This, coupled with a preternatural ability to delude ourselves (with the complicit cooperation of our corporate media) will sadly lead to the unravelling of the nation. I fear that it is already happening.
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