US will have world's strongest military despite cutbacks

According to the fine documentary Why We Fight, the United States spends more on defense than on all other areas of the line-item budget combined. I doubt that trend will continue as boomers continue to become eligible for entitlements, but I was happy to see that we'll see some decreases in spending in the near future. I've been a little disappointed in Obama's ability to follow through on his campaign promises in this first term. While he's not the author of the coming decrease in military spending, I do see it at least as a partial delivery on yet another of the things he promised back in 2008. Panetta is correct. We'll still have the world's finest military, with some outstanding men and women representing our country with great distinction. But as we see the long-awaited conclusion of one of our foreign military adventures, and the other is just over the horizon, I hope that whichever candidate wins this year will keep the focus on domestic defense, homeland security and intelligence. We need to focus on deficit reduction, following through on the promises made to millions of Americans (education, health care, social security), and shifting our priorities to focus on life here in America.

Why Are Smart People Usually Ugly?

I notice these stories a little more since I looked at the fine movie Contagion. It doesn't mean anything other than I never paid much attention before to these pandemics, but still, it's scary stuff...

Admit it--there's a heck of a yarn in this one. Maybe my "Oily Man" will lurch out of the Gulf of Mexico, hunting BP executives and snacking on their jowly facial fat...