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One more thing ....  Okay, the day's not over yet, so just for the fun of it:

Read about the Bush-Lennon musical collaboration brought to you by Australia's Wax Audio or go directly to the mp3 download page.

And if that's not funny enough for you, go over to Otis Productions and watch their short film entitled Harlan McCraney, Presidential Speechalist. [Warning: don't drink anything while watching this QuickTime movie—it will go right out your nose!]

Does that still qualify as one more thing—or two? This also happens to me at express checkouts.

No more ranting from me.  I have to stop grumbling about our president. He really isn't worth it anymore. But before I cease and desist, I have to make a parting remark—this time about the real cost of the Iraq/Afghanistan ventures. Because of these wars, and rumors of wars, we are spending about $7 billion per month, and a report by the Congressional Research Service estimates that the cost could rise to $570 billion by the end of 2010.[1] And that's assuming our soldiers will be coming home at about that time. This leaves us no financial resources to pay or help pay for catastrophes both within the US and without.

We've seen what our lack of preparedness has done to New Orleans and the Gulf region after Hurricane Katrina, and the reparation costs for that windy disaster may well top $200 billion—and the hurricane season isn't over yet. We have the frightening Bird Flu pandemic looming a few months away and we're presently so unprepared for that.[2] And we should be expected to send some aid to the Indians and Pakistanis after yesterday's earthquake on their border killed 18,000 people in the tremors, landslides, and destruction of entire villages. We had to borrow money to help the victims of last year's deadly tsunami. Now food aid is running out for the tsunami survivors in Indonesia, threatening to create still another humanitarian crisis if not averted by the continuation of aid.[3] And let us not forget the sad aftermath of Wednesday's mudslides in Guatemala, one of our CAFTA partners, and the ongoing famine and fighting in Africa.

Our federal government squandered what was once a surplus and now must borrow from the international community to pay our bills. Our children will have to pay those debts. As a nation, we no longer are in any position of strength to meet our moral obligations to either citizens or neighbors. Shame.

1.  AP, Mercury News, October 6, 2005.
2.  This is so incredibly stupid. After several years of planning, the US is totally unprepared for the expected avian flu pandemic, perhaps greater in mortality than the 1918 outbreak, "according to a draft of a federal report, which predicts a worst-case scenario that could lead to the deaths of 1.9 million Americans and the hospitalization of 8.5 million more people with costs exceeding $450 billion." Forbes, October 8, 2005. And the 381-page report is still just a freaking "draft." The deadly flu strain is expected to show up in this country as early as a few weeks from now.
3.  Reuters, October 7, 2005.