As for attempting to drive up the price of oil, that sounds good on the surface until you realize that Iraq was OPEC's bitch. OPEC is a cartel that artificially controls the price of oil by imposing limits on what countries can export. Iraq's limits were set absurdly low, which kept the price high enough for all the other countries to make a pretty good penny. I think its more likely that the plan was to secure the dollar's supremacy (Iraq had decided to sell their oil on the Euro standard and not the dollar - that was one of the first thins that got changed under the CPA) and to attempt to break OPEC's control of the oil market by allowing Iraq to freely export, a plan that went hellishly awry when a combination of factors ended up doing the exact opposite: oil is about 120/barrel today, and OPEC nations couldn't be happier. And they didn't have to lift a finger.
Ted: Assuming that the gvt did allow or stage 9/11 to propel us into war with Iraq, allowing us to drive up the price of oil (which I take some issue with), not finding WMD is exactly what needs to happen to allow for a long and costly occupation. If Saddam is dead, the WMD are found and destroyed, and we were right the whole time, then its time to come home. No more permanent bases or no-bid contracts.
I have things I enjoy having and using, mostly for entertainment (music, video games) but for a couple of years I lived with no tv, no computer, etc. and I must say despite being quite poor, I did enjoy the time. I feel like I was able to separate myself from the life I led and concentrate on being me. It sounds like crap, but there is a certain satisfaction that can be had by removing yourself from the things that you think you can't live without.
Toxoplasmosis is an odd one. It will makes women collect cats, and is most likely the cause of the "crazy cat lady" phenomenon, but also affects rodents, making them unafraid of cats and sometimes even attracted to the smell of cat urine.
You can kick them out, take their car, get out, kill them and take their money. That's as close to robbing them as it gets.
Also, I've seen studies that show that violence goes down on nights that violent movies do well in theaters. Many of the people who are likely to commit violent acts would rather watch someone else do it. Ergo, people are lazy and anything that puts them on their asses for a few minutes will probably reduce violence in some small way.
I can imagine him driving next to someone and being totally invisible. Its neat to look at, but I'd never drive it for fear of being merged into. That being said, the ladder is a nice touch.
JC: You're thinking of Cheney.
Also, I've seen studies that show that violence goes down on nights that violent movies do well in theaters. Many of the people who are likely to commit violent acts would rather watch someone else do it. Ergo, people are lazy and anything that puts them on their asses for a few minutes will probably reduce violence in some small way.