This Can't Be Good

From the link:

Numerous economists have expressed optimism about Iran's ambitions, saying that the impact of the Iran oil bourse on the American dollar-and U.S. economy could be worse than Iran launching a "direct nuclear attack."

While the article is somewhat dated and keeping in mind the need to consider the source, aljazeera.com, it still speaks to the implications of their effort.

And this (also dated) article:

The Bush administration will never allow the Iranian government to open an oil exchange (bourse) that trades petroleum in euros. If that were to happen, hundreds of billions of dollars would come flooding back to the United States crushing the greenback and destroying the economy. This is why Bush and Co. is planning to lead the nation to war against Iran. It is straightforward defense of the current global system and the continuing dominance of the reserve currency, the dollar.

...

With economies so interdependent and interwoven, a global, not just American Depression would occur with a domino effect throwing the rest of world economies into poverty. Markets for acutely less expensive US exports would never materialize.

The result, some SME's estimate, might be as many as 200 million Americans out of work and starving on the streets with nobody and nothing able to rescue or aid them, contrary to the 1920/30 Great Depression through soup kitchens and charitable support efforts.

Can You Live With That?

Tens of thousands of antiwar protestors marched in New York yesterday.

"We are here today because the war is illegal, immoral and unethical," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is certainly an expert in such things. If the Reverend Sharpton needed proof of his claims, this sign-holder had it ready to hand:

The claim asserted by this sign is so bizarre, so stupid, that it immediately discredits whatever arguments the sign-holder might otherwise make.

We also note that not everyone marching against the war is opposed to war itself. They're just opposed to this war.

There are politically correct wars and politically incorrect wars. The way to tell the difference is that the latter is any war Bush happens to have initiated. The former is, inter alia, a war that we are not currently fighting.

Here are two questions every protestor should be required to answer before they get their official protestor certificate: "What do you think will happen in, and to, Iraq once American forces are withdrawn?" And secondly, "Can you live with that?"

I have no way of knowing, of course, but I wonder how many in yesterday's crowd would have answered the first question by saying "I don't care." I wonder, too, how many would have answered the second question by saying "Damn right I can."

Thanks to Michelle Malkin for the photos.

Iran Oil Exchange

According to this article it looks like Iran is moving foward with its oil exchange.

Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh said on Wednesday that the establishment of Oil Stock Exchange is in its final stage and the bourse will be launched in Iran in the next week.

I guess it will soon be time to start prepping those B1 bombers.