So, Did W Ever Do Anything Right?

Amazingly, King George the Bush II did get the food stamp program right, of all things. Back in the 1990s, conservatives did their best to destroy the program, but under Bush II, the program was renamed as "nutritional aid." Today, about 1 out of every 4 children in America is benefiting from the program, as is 1 out of 8 adults. (See The New York Times story.)

"Mommy, where do corn and soybeans come from?" Monsanto, honey, see the big chemical plant over there?

"Ninety-three percent of soybeans. Eighty percent of corn." According to a report in today's Washington Post, these are the figures provided by Monsanto. Genetically altered crops to increase yields and resist pests is the name of the game. Next question: how much water does it take to produce a bushel of corn?

Food—The New Global Crisis:

While many countries face food riots and shortages, in the U. S. the problem shaping up is "price volatility." Today's New York Times tries to address the complicated issue. Most Americans take food for granted. We've always had so much food that our primary issues with it have focused on our over eating issues. For the most part, we've left the management of production up to the whimsical forces of the market place. Can we afford to continue this practice in the face of global warming issues that challenge the continued existence of civilization within the lifetimes of our children?

War of Words:

The Bush administration is complaining that Jimmy Carter is interfering with their last minute peace process thing, as the administration takes a stab at bringing stability to an area of the Middle-East they have mostly ignored for the past seven years, Israel and its most immediate neighbors. Former President Carter, it should be remembered, famously ignored the Clinton administration's wishes and negotiated with North Korea, stopping what possibly could have esculated into a nuclear war. (See today's New York Times' story.)

About China:

China's one-child policy created a generation of only children that numbers 90 million. (Source ngm.com)

The Dude: "My job is to, like, think beyond the immediate." — George W. Bush, Washington, D. C., April 21, 2004.

On Education:

Every 26 seconds a student drops out of high school in America, more than a million each year.

A recent survey by Common Core revealed that 1 out of 4 teenagers do not know who Adolf Hitler was, 1 out of 3 do not know what the Bill of Rights is, 1 out of 2 do not know the Civil War took place sometime between 1850 and 1900. No knowledge. No perspective. No future. A life of addiction, crime and incarceration. And watching American Idol on TV.

Is this the America you want to leave to your children?

The Washington Post reports on the use of drugs by interrogators at Guantanamo. The story begins with a tale told by Adel al-Nusairi, " former Saudi policeman captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2002." Nusairi is now free in Saudi Arabia, but he recalls that when he was first questioned while in prison he was first given a shot, against his will. To this day, he has not been told what drugs he was given. Although he has been released because he had no connection with al-Qaeda and should not have been arrested in the first place, he has never been told what was forcefully placed into his body and what the long term effects might be.

You will recall that the American forces were paying Afghanis to deliver prisoners to them, with little if any evidence that the prisoners were in fact al-Qaeda. This is equivalent to paying for scalps.

Interestingly enough, the persons responsible for directing this behavior were draft dodgers.

More on Naomi Klein:

Ms Klein's interview with "Big Think":

Food Wars:

While in the U. S. we worry about the high cost of energy, around much of the world the cost of food has doubled in the past three months. The New York Times reports that "Rising prices and a growing fear of scarcity have prompted some of the world's largest rice producers to announce drastic limits on the amount of rice they export." Nearly half the world relies on rice as its food staple. The Times further reports that "Food riots have erupted in recent months in Guinea, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Yemen."

The Green Revolution that took place during the second half of the twentieth century, which staved off this situation as the world's human population continued to burgeon appears to have met its limits. Many rice exporting nations, such as Vietnam and Cambodia, are beginning to ban or severely limit exports.

Meantime back in America:

Major League baseball tickets are going up in price, on average about 10.9 percent. The average ticket price is now $25.40; if you want a box seat close to the infield in Yankee Stadium, that'll run you $250 per game. So far there is no word of riots by American fun seekers. (See the Salon.com story.)

And just to make things perfectly clear:

Only a fool or a fraud sentimentalizes the merciless reality of war.

— Sen. John McCain, March 26, 2008

I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed.

It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks.

— President George W. Bush, March 13, 2008

Special thanks to Alex Koppelman at Salon.com for bringing those quotes to our attention.