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And now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall
by anna at 06:55 PM on February 07, 2006
I'm listening to Bill O'Reilly prattle on. He muses that mostly Muslims are decent, non-violent people. But he estimates that 20% are "Islamofascists" intent on snatching your babies from their cribs and using them as firewood. As a trained statistican, I am thinking, man that is a lot of baby-snatchers. There are 1 billion Muslims. That comes to 200,000,000 baby-snatchers, 2/3 the entire U.S. population. We don't stand a chance!
This blowhard has an MBA from Harvard, so he couldn't possibly be that stupid. And yet he repeats this "statistic" as if a wedding vow.
200,000,000 is a stupendous number. It's so mind-boggling you can't even really consider it compared to, say, 80,000,000. They are both more than we care to count.
The next radio commentator was raging about the "budget cuts." Turns out the government, once again, is increasing defense spending and decreasing "domestic programs" by a whopping .5% or something. A welfare mom might have to skip seconds on the mashed potatoes, as we have 2 wars to fund. The bill for those is..... $277 billion and counting! The human mind isn't really configured to conceive of billions of anything (see above.)
It's the same way with abortions. Anti-abortionists (I refuse to use the deceptive "pro-life" as I am pro-death) estimate that 46 million (or billion) fetuses have been capped since 1973 in the U.S. alone---one for each two live births. You'd think abortionists were on a rampage, kicking down doors and forcibly sucking fetuses from wombs with a vacuum-like device. And that doesn't count Russia, where the average woman has 11 in her lifetime. Make your to-do list: 1 Stand in bread line. 2 Get mugged. 3 Swill vodka. 4 Abortion. Bring a friend, get 2 for 1 deal.
There's also that pesky "budget deficit." It's $427 billion for 2005, up from a mere $412 billion in '04. But this is akin to getting your bank statement and noting that you spent $4,300 and only deposited $3,600. Troubling, but no big deal. Or at least not at as big a deal as your $19000 credit card balance, growing by the moment like a cancer. Check this out.
Speaking of big numbers, how 'bout these? 30 wars going on. 21.3 armed soldiers. 150 million people dead in wars, 108 million in the 20th century.
You call this progress?
comments (10)
How many people died on 9/11? It was over a thousand wasn't it? According to that website war is defined by an active conflict that has claimed more than 1,000 lives. So, would America have been on its list of warzones, back then?
I love the stats for your country's military. It is a gargantuan you poeple can't afford. Heh heh. Just... gotta... hold... on... to the... super... power... title... can't... be seen... to be.... anything... less... than super. *strrraaaaiiinnn* *pockets emptying* *need a war to fund the war* *poor people dying in massive floods* *ignoooore it, it helps* *strrraaaaiiiinnnnn* *sucking oil... need more* *must have giant engines in our cars* *can't have anything less than super* *can't afford... to continue* *pray the Middle East doesn't start trading in Euros* *ach! the expense*
The laa-ha-ha-und of the freeee... and ... super! Doncha forget it! I lurv you guys. :)
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 7, 2006 8:40 PM
Wait, what? Sorry, I lapse into a coma whenever I hear about or from Bill O'Reilly. Check out this super snarky reaming of O'Reilly by Keith Olbermann.
But as for numbers on military spending ECGNCO, the U.S. military expenditures of ~400 billion seems like a lot (and it is), but it is pretty much equivalent to the world average military expenditure vs GDP. For example, if Tom Cruise were to spend 1.2 million (US$) a year on gay prostitues you'd think that was too much. But he makes 50 million a year, so it'd really only be like you spending 1000 a year on gay prostitues. That really isn't a lot to spend.
by mg at February 7, 2006 11:20 PM
Yeah it's all relative. I'm going to trade in my Geo Metro for a Cadillac Escalade because I am rich and I can. So there!
by anna at February 8, 2006 7:53 AM
I read too much into a conspiracy me thinks. Something about Middle Eastern countries. If they began tradig in Euros instead of US dollars... oil trades, - Saddam initiated some kind of switch in 2000 - the US could no longer afford to fund its military. Maybe if they could, they'd have to apply the same kind o' taxes to your gasoline purchases that our government does with us. That way you wouldn't be so keen to drive a five litre monster... and be happy in something that ain't Super Size Me. Everything seemes to be Super Size Me your end.
S'like, your Navy. I don't know if it's still true but your navy had to have foreign mine sweepers go ahead of it because it just didn't have any. Meh. Too busyy building giant aircraft carriers, and immense destroyers, you forget the little things. "Mines!? Fuck mines... let's go! Full steam ahead... go Joe!"
Heh.
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 8, 2006 1:05 PM
I kind of wonder why we even have a navy. Who is it going to fight? Will there ever be some big naval battle with battleships hurling stuff at each other and torpedoes and such?
by anna at February 9, 2006 7:37 AM
I love how you brought in the yellow submarine.
by Clonereject1138 at February 9, 2006 10:36 AM
It was your Navy that won you the Pacific. Heh. Nothing comes close to your navy... it is an absolute mammoth. But stick a couple of WWIII mines in front of it and its all screwed, lol.
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 9, 2006 2:11 PM
Hmm WWIII? One I too many in there. :/
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 9, 2006 2:11 PM
Yellow submarine? WWIII? WTF? O'Reilly insists that were in the midst of WWWIII right now! I han't noticed.
by anna at February 10, 2006 7:55 AM
Unless the terrorists constitute germans.......And poor Israel, they, and us perverted westerners, are the targets. The Holocaust will be difficult to recreate, but I have faith in humanity. Well, every world war has to be bigger than the last. Instead of Nukes, we should build the Death Star.
by Clonereject1138 at February 10, 2006 4:06 PM