The Commander in Chief/Chief Executive of these United States claims that he has discerned that Social Security is proceeding to a state he calls “flat bust.” If he were talking about female physiognomy, that would be one thing. But Mr. Chief of Everything is saying that the Social Security Trust Fund will be bankrupt in a short period of time. Impartial observers such as the Congressional Budget Office say that Social Security will be able to pay the same benefits through the year 2042, or another 37 years even without help. So a monstrous lie is being told here just as the American public was told about WMD’s and “Mushroom Clouds” coming from Iraq.
Gene Lyons, who writes a column for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette offered this observation about Bush’s Social Security crusade:

“…When Bush ran for Congress in Midland, Texas, in 1978, he predicted Social Security’s immediate bankruptcy and advocated privatization. He was 32. Of course, he was still drinking in those days so maybe he forgot.”

A month ago, Bush appeared in Tampa on what Gene Lyons calls his “Magical Mystery Tour”. According to transcripts offered by the White House, here is how Bush explained his proposal on Social Security. The first paragraph is by Gene Lyons.

“The more the administration says about its preposterous Social Security “reforms,” the less sense they make. Even in “red” states like Montana and Alabama, suspicion is growing that Bush’s own arrogance makes him think he can sell any brand of snake oil he chooses. Here’s the White House transcript of Bush explaining his plan in Tampa during last week’s Magical Mystery Tour:”
“Because the – all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculated, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There’s a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those – changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be – or closer delivered to what has been promised.
“Does that make any sense to you? It’s kind of muddled. Look, there’s a series of things that cause the — like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate – the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those — if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.”

For all that we know, Bush may have been explaining the benefits of Islamic Sharia Law or he could have been telling Tony Blair how to be a better poodle or he could have been referring to the designated hitter rule. Your guess is as good as mine.
The tragedy is that unthinking Americans will support Bush as he conducts the American economy into bankruptcy. And remember, Iraq is now a wonderful safe democracy. If you have any questions, the Tampa explanation will have to do.
Now on the subject of Iraq, there is some unfinished business that needs explaining. And Italian journalist, Guiliana Sgrena, who writes for
Il Manifesto, was kidnapped for a month in Iraq. On Friday, March 4, she was released and was headed for the Baghdad Airport where a plane awaited to take her to Rome. After passing through the United States Army’s checkpoints on the Baghdad Airport Road, apparently Signorina Guiliana’s car came to an informal or transitional checkpoint. Our story has it that Ambassador Negroponte was to use the road on this same night, so the hastily constructed transitional check point was set up.
Accompanying Signorina Sgrena was Nicola Calipari, a senior Italian intelligence official, and a driver. Calipari is the man who negotiated her release.
According to the Americans, the car approached the checkpoint at a high rate of speed. The Americans said they used hand signals to slow the Italian car down. Failing that, the Americans shot at the engine block.
The Italians said they approached the hastily set up checkpoint at a speed of less than 25 mph with the inside lights on. While the Americans say they shot at the engine block, bullets entered the car killing Nicola Calipari and wounding Guilana Sgrena.
The question remains that if the Americans were shooting at the engine block, why were Nicola Calipari killed and Guiliana Sgrena wounded? They were aft of the engine block and what of the report that spent bullets were found in the passenger compartment of the car? The Italians say the Americans were notified of the passage of the former hostage’s car. Obviously, the word never got to the checkpoint soldiers. After some reluctance to come forward, the Americans finally said a full investigation would occur. If a full investigation ever takes place, it will be interesting to see how the Americans will explain all of this. So far, the Americans place the blame squarely on the Italians. The Italians say the American version is completely wrong.
In the cause of writing about this tragic encounter at a U.S. Army checkpoint, reporters asked the Department of Defense for its rules of engagement when people approach U.S. checkpoints in Iraq. You may be surprised to know that the DOD officials told reporters those rules were classified and could not be disclosed. The question that follows is, if an American journalist cannot find out the rules of engagement at checkpoints, how in the world would an Iraqi be able to follow them? No wonder that so many innocent Iraqi civilians, including children, have lost their lives at our checkpoints. And finally, if the rules of engagement are classified, could they be known to U.S. and other coalition soldiers?
Nicola Calipari has been given a hero’s burial by the Italian government. And now it is hoped that the inquiry will begin. But don’t count on it.
When Baghdad was conquered, a U.S. Army tank parked outside the Palestine Hotel used by journalists, fired a round into the hotel. It killed two journalists. Oh, there were promises of a complete inquiry. Now, nearly two years later, it appears no inquiry has ever taken place. If an inquiry has taken place, its findings must have been suppressed as no one knows about the U.S. tank that put a round into the Palestine Hotel.
For the uninitiated, please let me explain what happened to such things as the Palestine Hotel incident and which may happen to the Italian car being shot up on its way to the Baghdad airport. The Army uses a technical term for this procedure. It is called “Cover your ass.”
The culture in the U.S. Army never, never permits a soldier to say, “Maybe we made a mistake.” Nor does it permit a soldier to say, “I did it.” Quite to the contrary – and particularly in an all volunteer force – soldiers will say they knew nothing about the case or they will attempt to protect themselves, also known as covering your ass.
In the all volunteer force, an unseemly act is marked on the soldier’s record. Promotions will be held up. In severe cases, a soldier will be shown the door. In a force that is intent upon looking for demerits, an entry which says the soldier failed, is cause for some disciplinary reprisal. So it is obvious that every soldier in today’s Army will be intent on covering his backside at every opportunity.
Reprisals vary. You may have read of the poor soldiers at the end of the chain of command who tortured prisoners at Abu Graib prison. Some of them have been sentenced to jail terms. But the man in charge of the Iraqi operation, Lt. General Sanchez, who issued the orders to torture prisoners, has been moved back to Germany and it appears, his fourth star making him a full General, may never occur. And who ever heard of court marshaling a Lt. General?
Donald Rumsfeld, our peerless President, and Attorney General Gonzales, who authorized Sanchez to issue the torture orders, will never face justice. The permission for the torture to take place, came from Washington. But those who issued the orders have their backsides well covered.
In World War II, very few of us ever intended to make the Army a career. Quite to the contrary, we were intent to get the war completed and to go home as quickly as possible. The Army dragged its feet as long as it could so that Colonels and Generals could claim domination over vast numbers of troops. Those Colonels and Generals were usually full time soldiers; the rest of us wanted no part of the sweet smelling United States Army. We wanted out.
If there is a complete investigation of the killing of Nicola Calipari and the wounding of Guiliana Sgrena on the Baghdad Airport Road, it will be a cataclysmic reversal of everything the U.S. Army has ever stood for. The Army is not into such things as Iraqi body counts or of finding fault with its operations, no matter how lethal.
These observations come from an old soldier who served when only a handful had plans to make the Army their full time occupation. Those of us who served only when fighting was taking place viewed the regular full time soldiers as losers. Even then, from 1941-1945, CYA applied. Today with an all volunteer force, it has to be several times worse.
No one has ever successfully accused me of being a shill for the U.S. Army. Serving is often a dehumanizing experience. There are five grandsons in this family. If one of them ever flirts with the Army, he will have to overcome a formidable roadblock in the form of his grandfather.
It should always be remembered that military music is to music as military justice is to justice. Military music and military justice are often abominable. Take if from an old soldier.
E. E. CARR
March 10, 2005
~~~
Holy crap, I didn’t realize that the Bush plan was Bush himself speaking at first, so here’s a rough transcript of my thoughts as I came across those two paragraphs:
I’m an economics major, why can’t I follow this? Am I missing something? I’ll read it again.
Okay, I get that that wages are sticky and don’t necessarily rise when prices go up. So sure, we could try to tie benefits to inflation so that they don’t devalue over time. Great…
…but that would make them more expensive…
so what the hell does it mean that it’ll ‘solve the red’? Who even says things like “solve the red” or for that matter, “the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be – or closer delivered to what has been promised.” Let me read it one more…
oh god dammit this is just Bush babble. I’m pretty sure I just spent more time thinking about this than he did. 
I think eight years of Obama made me forget what it was like to have a president who was fundamentally incapable of assembling a sentence. Trump solves the problem by sticking to the same 50 words over and over. You never have to use scary words like “inflation” if you commit to only rambling about how the press is unfair but you’re tremendous.
The US refused to extradite the soldier who killed Nicola Calipari, incidentally. He seems to have been reassigned to the national guard in New York.