Ms. Rice’s announcement of $30 billion in weapons aid (spread over a few year I presume) to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and with, according to the BBC news item, “the approval of Israel”.  Let’s pretend for a moment that this weapons buildup in the Middle East is totally meant as a message to Iran, but even with such an assumption  I cant figure out the idiocy of such arms expansion in the Middle East and Israel’s alleged backing of this step. 

I guess this is not the forum on which to express such consternation, yet I cannot help but expect that some day such foolish military steps are going to have a bearing on the value of gold worldwide, regardless of the currency in which the gold price is expressed in the future.  As I start to take heed of my limited remaining years in these markets influenced by global events, I stand in total bafflement about the purpose and desired objectives of the weird Rice announcement today.  I am not asking for any explanations or justifications, for I fear I will not understand those either.