The Cost of our Wars and the Bailout; Angry Muslims

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

Value of 2008 Bailouts Exceeds Combined Costs of All Major U.S. Wars - that's ALL major U.S. Wars. This is a December 18th report. A google search shows other bloggers were talking about it, but not much if anything in the MSM.

The $296 billion spent on World War II, America’s most expensive war, would be $4.1 trillion adjusted to today’s dollars, according to the CRS report from June.

The adjusted cost of the Civil War would be $60.4 billion for both the Union and the Confederacy combined. The inflation-adjusted cost of the Vietnam War would be $686 billion. The cost of the current Iraq war up to last June was $648 billion, while the adjusted cost for Afghanistan to that point was $171 billion.

The total cost of the American Revolution was a relatively inexpensive $1.8 billion.

World War II was financed by savings, the American people’s savings, when Americans bought war bonds,” said Olivier Garret, CEO of Casey Research, who analyzed the value of the bailout compared to the major U.S. wars and other major historical government expenses. “Today, families are in debt and government is in debt.

According to Bloomberg, the federal government has made commitments worth a total of $8.5 trillion in the bailouts of 2008. That includes actual expenditures as well as loan and asset guarantees.

My Senator, Jim Inhofe was on Cavuto yesterday. He said that Secretary Paulson lied to the people. After a quick recover, Cavuto queried: are you saying that Paulson to the country. Inhofe said "yes, he lied." In a speech on the Senate floor this week, Inhofe had this to say:

If you were a reasonable person and were to assume that a major event in the financial world has prompted the negotiations the led to the decision on releasing the second $350 billion, you would be wrong. The true reason Congress may be asked to release the second $350 billion is politics.

Again, no event in the financial world has prompted this request for $350 billion.

Read more from Inhofe, including his statement on the "letters of assurances" the government received from bailout-ees - "a bunch of promises on paper..." I don't know about you, but it is about time we call a lie a lie. It's not the politically correct thing to do, but it is the honest thing to do.

UK: Officials fear Gaza will "radicalise" British Muslims at Jihad Watch

Apparently the same way Iraq, dogs, and underwear ads tend to radicalize Muslims. If the latter are constantly crying "wolf" -- that is, if everything "offends," "enrages," and "radicalizes" them, if "cartoons" lead to riots and deaths -- exactly when should the world take Muslim complaints seriously?

"Ministers voice fears Gaza will radicalise British Muslims," from AFP, January 12:

LONDON (AFP) — Government ministers expressed concern Monday that Israel's military campaign in Gaza was radicalising Muslims in Britain.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said she was "very concerned" that the conflict could help extremists, and justice minister Shahid Malik warned it was having a "profoundly acute and unhealthy" effect on Muslim communities here. Read more at Jihad Watch, including a statements sent to PM Gordon Brown by members of a moderate Muslim organization.

Muslims in Britain are definitely angry, and aren't they always? In fact, they are angry enough to threaten high profile Brits with beheading, including Madonna and Amy Winehouse's producer as well as others. Online Islamic forums are heated, and are the vehicle for the violent threats (beheading)..and guess what, some British taxpayer pounds support these al-Qaeda organized forums, all in the name of tolerance.

Simply Jews has up two videos. The second has been around the web for a few days. It's excellent, but the first video is sobering. Watch a Palestinian wedding celebration in the streets of Gaza. The music is playing, the men are dancing, an Arab is narrating in perfect English. More music, and now here comes Hamas in their trucks. They charge down the street and they begin the murders. They beat the head of the groom and kill him...shooting their own people yelling allah akhbar!

The narrator asks: if Hamas are Palestinians, why are they killing Palestinians? Why are Muslims not saying death to Hamas?

The narrator asks: Why did Palestinians dance in street to celebrate 9/11/2001 (there's footage of the 9/11 celebrations in this video), but they kill their own people for dancing and celebrating a wedding? The answer, the narrator says: Palestinian leaders want their people to be sorry, to cry. The question again: Why would the Palestinians not rise up against Hamas? I hope you will take a few minutes to watch this video at Simply Jews.

I caught a few minutes of the new Hannity show tonight. 24 was on so I was checking in during 24 commercials. Monica Crowley was a guest. Hannity was reporting on Prince Harry's latest scandal: a video showing the Prince talking with a military mate before deploying to Afghanistan. The friend had a cloth over his head and horror of horrors, Harry told the friend he looked like a "raghead," and worse, he referred to someone as a "Paki." I've been hearing about this all day, it's the top story in London - "massive outrage" is being reported - nevermind that Islamic forums are threatening to behead some of their fellow Brits.

Anyway, Monica Crowley was expected to be offended by Harry's comments. She usually does not disappoint, and she didn't this time. I will have to paraphrase, but she said something like:

"hey, he's young, he was preparing for war, this what warriors do. I've had enough of the feminization of males."

Oorah, Monica.

IsraPundit reports on a conference call, One Jerusalem, for bloggers with Benjamin Netanyahu: Gaza is a frontline battle between Militant Islam and the rest of the world. With elections in Israel scheduled for early February, and Netanyahu, the Likud party leader hoping to be Israel's next Prime Minister, a Washington Times columnist asked this question:

Is this battle a local affair or a battle on behalf of the West?”

IsraPundit writer, Jerry Gordon (The Iconoclast):

I asked Netanyahu whether the conflict in Gaza has finally ended the peace process begun with Oslo for a Two State solution leading to a Palestinian state. He replied that Israel must first re-establish security in the area. It might assist in shoring up moderates among West Bank Palestinians with economic enterprises and programs. However, he was convinced that any final peace settlement was not realistic. As he put it, “you cannot build on the apex of a pyramid; rather you must build a firm base.

Read the full article, including Netanyahu's comments on unilateral withdrawal from Gaza at IsraPundit.

If you haven't heard the story of the Norwegian doctor who was complicit in faking the death of a boy in Gaza, while the camera rolled, Confederate Yankee has some excellent commentary, along with the video showing someone performing CPR, badly, on the young "Israeli victim." CNN bought it hook, line and sinker. It was all a lie and a sham. Note: The "brother" was filming. Said he received "a call" saying that his brother had been killed when their house was born. How are cell phones working amid the destruction in and around Gaza City?

Amerisrael says that diplomats are attempting to put Fatah back into power in the Gaza Strip. "Swapping out one terror group for another." After the Hamas grab of the Gaza Strip, Fatah has been seen as more "moderate" toward Israel, but make no mistake, what they say about Israel, they do mean. Their constitution still calls for death to Israel. Amerisrael.

John Kerry's debacle: He finally made Senate Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee:

Now Mr. Kerry’s first hearing as chairman on Tuesday will be to consider the nomination of Mrs. Clinton, the woman he did not endorse for president, to the premier cabinet position in the administration of the man he did back. It cannot be the outcome he had in mind.

In case you missed them: How the Gaza Tunnels into Egypt Work
and The Flight from Fact: Maddening Realities