Shrapnel’s Persons of the Year

In mid December every year TIME magazine traditionally and unabashedly publishes its "Person of the Year". Over the years, as political correctness seized our nation, the title has navigated from "Man of the Year" to "Person of the Year". More importantly it has changed from individuals to groups or even themes. All this is pure hubris, for no one with any sense would trust the judgement of a pack of New York City scribblers whose editors demand no news, and reformat stories to increase circulation to capitalize on the holiday season – it is at best, old wine in a new bottle. Using the same lack of scruples, I have decided to publish my own list; however, if political correctness is found in the presentation, it is inadvertent and I apologize now. Since I do not have TIME's minions at my disposal, I have decided to lump personalities and themes into group packets, each with a title.

IRAN – GW Bush's stupid invasion of Iraq unquestionably enhanced Iranian hegemony over large parts of Iraq along with its oil riches. Our President is now entertaining pro Iranian ayatollahs like Hakim, and civilian leaders like Maliki at the White House. Latest rumors are that Bush will tilt to Shiites and Kurds – the so-called 80% solution – good bye Sunnis? Iran's Hetzbollah clients in Lebanon rode out Israeli/American bombardments and are now threatening the pro Western Christian government in Beirut. Despite much huff and puff in the UN, Iran proceeds merrily on the nuclear path... Bush is the best thing that has happened to Iran in several centuries – no more Saddam or Babylonian Kings, compliments of GWB. Iranians recently fought 8 years of a very bloody war and still could not defeat Saddam, but the US did it in two weeks or did it? Expect large tile pictures to go up in Tehran slums honoring GW Bush inscribed in Farsi: US PRESIDENT GW BUSH; OUR FAVORITE GREAT SATAN. This is unlike his father's mosaic portrait embedded by Saddam on the Rashid Hotel in Baghdad floor for patrons to walk over.

KOREA – in the past year the North Korean Government has tested nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems. GW Bush’s response is to cut off the country's French cognac supply and, much to dismay of General MacArthur's ghost, threaten to remilitarize Japan. Bushido warriors on the march again? BANZAI! Better to recommend to send more cognac as it might make the dictator more mellow – include some Sinatra records with the tune MY WAY.

LATIN AMERICA – Venezuelan “El Presidente” Hugo Chavez was just reelected in landslide. With Cuban Castro showing his mortality, Chavez is the standard bearer for left wing Latino regimes; and they are developing faster than GW Bush can count. Nicaragua-Sandinista Ortega is back, by election. Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Brazil have initiated crushing, share the wealth, Socialist governments. Pinochet of Chile died with his boots off much to the distress of human rights groups and leftists. A benign Socialist government rules, but with Pinochet finally gone, it will now turn its full attention to financially milking the producing elements of Chile. Chavez passed a law that in Venezuela a citizen can own only one piece of property, so it is a panicky buyers market there. Chavez is a nuisance for the US as he makes pals with GW Bush's axis of evil and Russia. Chavez even upstages the US government on fuel aid to poor people in the US. Mexico is a political basket case with at least one province in full revolt, and others struggling with narco rule; the government has a strong leftist minority that has even opened its own consulate in Chicago. These political shifts happened under GW Bush’s nose whose main response has been to open sweet trade deals that crush US production, and eliminate US labor participation.

ISRAEL – Still the apple of America's eye as we blindly supply its aggressive war machine and die in Iraq for the Jewish state foreign policy goals. The US still has not realized that the Israeli and US goals in the Middle East are not the same. Right now some American Jews are going berserk over President Jimmy Carter’s recent book, PALESTINE: PEACE NOT APARTHEID..... and the success of Mel Gibson’s recent film Apocalyptco. On top of that there is a Holocaust bashing contest in Tehran and Christmas trees at the Seattle airport are attacking the Jewish faith. So many targets, so little time. After Israel bombed Lebanon, allegedly to release the prisoners taken by Hamas and Hezbollah, the POWs still have not been released. I asked a Israeli about this and she replied that Hetzbollah and Hamas want high powered Islamic POWs to trade for low ranking soldiers, and Israel will not do the trade under those circumstances! GW Bush bought into some casus belli...

RED CHINA – During the midterm election at an international monetary conference, Red China hinted that it would exchange one trillion in dollars for other currencies... the US stopped it. How is unknown, but let's hope it did not promise the Chinese the Hawaiian Islands... maybe Taiwan. This threat is a real sword of Damocles over the US and it was strung up by Bush's trade policies.

TEAM BUSH – There are many more on the team than President Bush, VEEP Cheney, SECSTATE Condoleezza, and late SECDEF Rumsfeld, but too many targets, too little space... With the midterm defeat, Bush has lost his groove. Cheer leading has been curtailed and he has been chastised by Daddy Bush. Given Condoleezza's failures in foreign policy, she had to be absent for the last year. Maybe like the famous Italian of yore, Orlando Furioso, she went to the moon to look for her brain. Sure Shot Veep Cheney is still hunting for Bin Laden in all the wrong places. Do you think Rumsfeld will do a FOG OF WAR mea culpa like McNamera? I do not. What a gang! They should all march under the banner, BORN TO LOSE. The cake walking, deceitful Neocons, to the music of a klezmer band, have the privilege to carry and wave the flag to lead the parade.

POLONIUM 210 poisoning of Russian spy Litvinenko in London is the crime of the year. Little did the Polish Madam Curie know in the late 19th century that her discovery would be used eventually to kill a Russian, from a country at the time occupying Poland. My sense is that Putin is not guilty of ordering the assassination. KGB hits usually employ more complicated cut outs as in the attempt to kill on Pope John Paul; from Moscow to Bulgaria to a Turk who pulled the trigger. Comrade Litvinenko was involved in a large web of dark activities; the scary thing is that polonium 210 is an alpha emitter that is complicated to detect and apparently very dirty.

THE ILLEGAL ALIEN is like sin: everyone deplores it, but loves it. How uneducated Mexican peasants can successfully beat and game the system in the US is bewildering. The American people understand the fiasco, but the politicians and corporations defend the lawlessness. WORK WILL MAKE YOU FREE has an updated application of the old slogan in the year 2006...

OCCUPATION OF IRAQ is GW Bush's Great Moronic American Tragedy. Get out now; let the Iraqi people and oil go. Set the date. If CENTCOM cannot handle a quick redeployment, suggest the operations be turned over to the Logistics Department at Wal Mart – this organization showed its stuff during Katrina while FEMA is still stumbling. The US military forces are not designed to retreat; all gears mesh on only forward...

Merry Christmas – Peace on Earth – Good Will Toward Men

Colonel Robert E Bartos USA RET