<HTML><BODY STYLE="font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV>Dan writes:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"well, we shouldn't have to worry about them using said explosives to<BR>detonate nuclear weapons, because there aren't any there . . . right?"</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Perhaps not, but then, there are plenty of nuclear materials floating around the former Soviet Union, materials that the Bush administration has done bupkes to secure. How many of those are available out on the black market? No one knows, not even Mr. Bush's friend and supporter, the man he calls "Put-Put." Good nickname, eh? Mr. Bush came up with that all by himself, but that was back before kindly little Vladimir began to morph into a shorter, balder version of scary old Uncle Joe. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now, let's put this missing explosives business into perspective, shall we? 380 tons is 760,000 pounds. It takes only one pound of the kind of explosive now missing from Iraq to blow up a jet liner like Pan Am 103, which Libya (our newly reconstituted bosom buddy) exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland back in 1988. So, that's potentially 760,000 Lockerbies. Welcome, Dan, to the friendly skies. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Or, consider for a moment that 90% of the cargo that comes into U. S. ports every day is <STRONG>still</STRONG> not inspected. How about a pound of this junk in a cargo container arriving in Seattle, or New York, or Portland, or Los Angeles? </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Or how about 760,000 pounds distributed to random sites, like Kansas City or Provo or Butte? That would have the advantage of being unexpected, and thus the potential to create even greater fear and chaos, which is after all the goal of terrorism. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Or here's another possible scenario: a pound of explosive used to explode a dirty bomb full of chemical or radioactive waste in Washington, DC. Remember, Dan, that according to our government's own accounting, U. S. chemical and nuclear sites are not yet being adequately protected. If Washington were to go radioactive, Dick Cheney might be safely ensconced in his undisclosed location, but unless we want to preserve the use of the word "fuck" for future generations, that's not much consolation.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The Bush Terrorism Scorecard as I see it:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><U>PRO</U></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Saddam Hussein is in jail, where he thankfully has access to a safety razor, soap, and a pair of nail clippers.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Elections in Afghanistan seemed to have gone off with no more fraud than we saw in Florida in 2000.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><U>CON</U></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>U. S. ports are not adequately secured.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>U. S. nuclear and chemical sites are not adequately secured.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>U. S. borders are shockingly porous. (4000 illegal crossings a day, as Mr. Kerry pointed out in that third debate.)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The U. S. electrical grid is still very vulnerable.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Osama bin Laden is still on the loose.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Mullah Mohammed Omar is still on the loose.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Abu Musab Zarqawi is roaming around Iraq, blowing up soldiers and civilians.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>U. S. Soldiers are undersupplied, understaffed, backdoor drafted, tours extended, and falling back into ever shrinking "Green Zones" as the rest of the country slips into civil war.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I would advise Bush supporters (and those tiresome undecideds -- what the hell are you waiting for, George W. to pull Osama out of his butt on November 1st?) to consider the Laws of Thermodynamics, particularly as they played out in this inept, incompetent, boob-a-thon of an administration:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1) You can't win</DIV> <DIV>2) You can't break even.</DIV> <DIV>3) You can't get out of the game.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Or, as my late grandfather used to say, everything turns from sugar to shit.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <BR></DIV></BODY></HTML><br clear=all><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href='http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>