I've been told that by the end of this year the total number of American military veterans of the Iraq war will exceed 1.5 million. I haven't been able to confirm this number. If it is true, then no wonder the President's popularity has dropped below 30% -- that's just too many people reporting on the truth about this conflict.
Because if it is, I vote for DeLong as opposed to the Fauvian vision of an international conspiracy of capital. The world is growing richer at a faster rate than ever before, because of capitalism's post-Soviet dominion over the world coupled with the ever-increasing availability of technology. It is the externalities that should give us pause, not the alleged power of government or money centers: I mean particularly the unsolved problems of wealth allocation (as opposed to creation) and the environmental impact of production.
We all know about the destruction that the global carbon-based economy is wreaking -- there's an Oscar-winning movie about that. The creative part is what's missing: the proliferation of hundreds and thousands of start-ups that with huge funding and explosive entrepreneurship will wean the world off carbon-emitting energy generation and distribution.
Generally, the energy sector's entrepreneurship is underfunded by a 10x factor relative to, for instance, the communications and technology sector.
For many years the mindset of government has been that public money should be spent to fuel the R&D of energy, and that horizontally and...
I don't know much I but I think I do know that Michael Porter was correct in "Competitive Advantage of Nations" when he said the only suitable economic policy for a nation is to seek a high and rising standard of living for its own citizens. Americans have a high standard of living because with five percent of the world's workforce we make 20% of the world's goods and services. I can't imagine any leader of our nation -- individuals can act differently with their own time and money -- believing that their duty would be to seek a purposeful reduction of American productivity and competitiveness, which the 5:20 ratio reflects. Other nations' leaders of course can and should seek the same goal. That would be called competition among workforces, and is as good a thing globally as it is domestically.
From the news desk: "I don't know whether we'll find him," said Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff. "I don't know that it's all that important, frankly."
Trying to give the general the benefit of the doubt, perhaps he meant that in some military sense finding, capturing, trying, convicting, and punishing Osama for masterminding the vicious, murderous attacks of September 11 wouldn't necessarily alter the battle of Iraq. That's probably the case, since the general isn't the only one who doubts the influence of Osama over that conflict. But I hope the President agrees and I'm sure the next President will agree that we should still attach the highest priority to bringing Osama to justice.
I would have seen all the nominees for Best Picture if they had nominated the other Iwo Jima Eastwood movie but still I'm sufficiently well versed in the selections to opine with confidence that only The Departed is a big enough movie to contend for that statuette. Has to win, given cast and scope. Marty S is the go to guy tonight except for...the really big prize and enormous standing ovation will go to Al Gore (and his producer etc.) when the abnormally non-obscure docu Oscar is awarded. (By the way, numerous Beltway types told me 'AIT' would not have impact on the culture; "oh yeah" is what I now say to them.) I expect something special in connection with this perception-altering prize. I asked the uncounted President (okay, I can't get past Bush v. Gore, the banana republic case where justice slipped on appeal) to arrange for me to work with Reese W'spoon, who according to Legally Blonde, second only to Caddyshack in the rewatchable canon IMO, is an HLS grad, on the forthcoming incandescent light bulb ban. Looking forward to that lunch.
Behind the NYT firewall, Frank Rich warns today that Osama's Al Qaeda, the real gang, is in Pakistan and is gearing up for a serious attack on the United States. Al Qaeda cannot itself change the geopolitical alignment of power and wealth -- however horrible its acts, it is still a terrorist organization and not a cultural movement -- but if the United States continues to react mistakenly to the threat of Al Qaeda there's no end of trouble that can befall us.
Our blunders are manifold.
