0709 - Insolubles

Readers, Readers, has the thought come to you these troubled days that several of the problems we face are insoluble? Take the bloody mess in Iraq. Yes, smart people, including the OO Staff and Barack Obama, said it was a big mistake to invade. Now, the fine old Republican party is facing what looks like near obliteration in 2008, which is what they deserve, some say righteously. But then, what is the correct move now? We have no convenient time machine to go back and not invade. Yet, Iraq is already this swamp of sectarian hatreds, and if the U.S. troops leave, won't the Iraqis massacre each other? Already, there are two million escaped from Iraq, and another two million displaced, and some number in the several hundred thousand killed – and more blown up every day – so if the U.S. leaves won't the blood really flow? Probably, and the Dem candidates are frightened of the political blow-back of this, so most don't want to depart suddenly. But what benefit to depart slowly? We seem to have lost all the good chances to leave, or divide Iraq into warring semi-states. What to do? We have heard no good ideas, and little from the military except warnings that getting all the beat-up equipment and their pinball machines out will take another two years.

Nor is Iraq the only insoluble. How about the threatened end of endless oil for endless gas guzzlers in the U.S. and now everywhere? The idea of ethanol from corn is foolish, say the scientists; though ethanol from cellulosic waste would be fine, no one yet can work the trick. And then, there is the creeping and evident pollution of the air, the waters (oceans, rivers and lakes), not to mention political discourse. Even the bright clean air of Anguilla is frequently laden with Sahara dust. If that is not depressing enough, there is evident global warming, and there go the icebergs and the polar bears. Again it is not just that the problems are grave, it is that there are no solutions in sight, short or long-term.

We do not want to cast you into yet greater gloom, Readers, but we feel we must say that the evident cause of many of the tough problems
is the constantly increasing over-population of the entire world. We saw several TV clips this last week of the woman who proudly just had her seventeenth kid. That's some sort of effort, of course, but the world's overpopulation is already denuding Africa and creating starvation anywhere. We can't solve problems by giving away food to the miserable sufferers in Gaza, because their numbers increase alarmingly, and if the U.S. exports sufficient corn flakes, what's left for ethanol? Long term, we believe there should be – no, there must be – fewer people living better. Short term, we have no ideas, since the merest mention of birth control gives the current U.S. Administration the cold shakes.

We note another dangerous cloud – some in Washington are saying that U.S. troops in Iraq are being attacked with Iranian munitions. Quite possibly true, and they are also being attacked with U.S. munitions, lots of which were shipped over and are now missing, not to mention the huge Saddam ammo supplies in dumps left unguarded after the invasion. So, not to evade the most current issue, what about Iraq? Do not laugh, but we suggest a huge Public Relations program by TV, Radio, and newspapers, telling all Iraqis that we are going, definitely, and that if any one group starts behaving better, we will leave money and supplies to them, all others being ignored. You have heard all the warnings that if the U.S. says it is going it will cause chaos. What have you now? Mass murders, little water, little electricity, no functioning Government. Iraqis are not stupid – though they are neither kind nor moral – and they know, as you know, we are on the way out.

Sorry to depress you Readers, but at least now you know not to have 17 children.

Next time: MoralTruth [OO #710]

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