G20, Obama arrives and how you sleep at night

No, it's ok, I'm not going to harp on ceaselessly about global economic crisis, how we're all going to hell in a handcart (except Goldman Sachs*), how the dollar will plunge to being worth one Matabele Jumbo bead or two bananas, whichever is the less, in three month's time and how no-one in Britain will have a job in six months........ except the politicians but I couldn't post around April Fool's Day without at least making a reference to G20. I mean, what damn fool thought it was a good idea to start everyone off on 1 April? I spent most of yesterday intermittently listening to Auntie Beeb's website and in all honesty, it is an April Fool! It has to be!

And why is Obama so well protected? Any 'ful no' that the Chinese have paid the terrorists to stay at home so that they can dump US securities on the market any time they like and take over the world!

An interesting factoid. There is a market that trades in the likelihood that the US will default on its promises to holders of securities and not pay out. (Yes, there's a market for everything) If you held a position in that market six months ago, you'll have seen its value increase seventeenfold now.

Nice to know everyone's so optimistic! Although how else do you acquire personal fortunes running into billions? Money makes money and let's not be sentimental about it. The poor? Who cares? The workers? Who cares? The starving millions? Who cares? What matters here is my private island. A private yacht so I can sail to it. My private Learjet so I can get there quicker. Who cares who I trample on in my quest for wealth?

Me, that's who, mate! And you'll be first against the wall when the revolution comes! **

If only. :(

And today? More of the same. More of using OUR money to prop up ailing financial institutions who were reckless and stupid enough to get us into this mess in the first place. Why don't they just say: "Tell us how much you've got in the Bank of Hell and High Water and we'll give that to you and you can go and put it in a bank which has acted quite responsibly and in our view isn't going to be disappearing down the Swanee any time soon." And then just let the irresponsible banks fold. Just like any bad business! Why do WE have to pay for this toxic debt? At least Sarkozy (not my favourite person) and Merkel got the banker run US and UK administrations to agree to go for more stringent regulation. Not that I think it will do much good in the long term. Bankers are very good at finding new ways to make money for themselves by shuffling non existent things around and using non existent money to buy and sell the non existent things. Ah well, we live in a material world!

Watching 'Memphis Belle' the other day made me think, as I usually do after watching such movies. What makes you treat people as though they have no value? I'm not talking about the officers flying the planes and nominally 'in command' of the crew. I'm not talking about Squadron Leaders in command of a base of maybe thirty planes and crews. I'm not even talking about Group Captains with maybe twenty or thirty squadrons under their command. What makes some military bureaucrat decide that 400 crews, up to 4,000 men, will go to Wilhelmshaven tomorrow, knowing that 25% will die? Of course, you don't know them nor which ones will die but how do you sleep at night knowing that's what you've done?

Of course the refinery must be destroyed. For the war effort! But how do you sleep at night? Do they? Unfortunately I think they do!

It gets worse when you're Eisenhower in 1944. What's the likely casualty rate on day one of the Normandy landings? I mean the Germans have got every beach covered, they won't give ground easily. So what do you reckon, Colonel? 10%? 20%? 50%? But you go anyway. The German occupation has to be ended. How do you sleep at night? Just believe in 'your cause' and convince yourself there was no other way? That men (and now women) always have to die in pursuit of the cause?

How about if every senior officer in the armies, navies, air forces of the world took an oath?

"I will not take aggressive action. Even if ordered to by the supreme commander of my forces, I will not attack anyone! I will only defend."

Yes, I know, it's never going to happen but wouldn't it be nice if it did? Everyone could carry on playing 'soldiers' but without real soldiers getting killed.

In many ways, the bankers are the 'Generals', they CAN sleep at night, knowing that they have 'killed', ie blighted the lives of millions. (Not me......yet! Thanks be to the non existent entity we call 'God')

* Goldman Sachs are very proud of the fact that they have received no 'dole' from the US government - they are squeeky clean. Except........AIG recently got billions from the US government to settle its 'inter bank' debts. Among the recipients of IAG's settlements? Goldman Sachs! Spin? Dontcha just luv it!

** Thanks to Douglas Adams - I told you it was the most quotable book in the universe!

I cannot sleep on my back. I wish I could! So it's foetal position for me!