instead of "witchcraft" being the cry that ends any idea of an honest enquiry into guilt or innocence, now it is "paedophilia"
Wow - ain't that the truth!
I've just seen exactly that springing up on the newsgroups concerning past allegations (that were firmly disproved and retracted at the time) about the late Arthur C.Clarke.

Back on topic though - my hasty reply to Skarpi's question was a bit incomplete. The war played its part, started to protect America's control of oil prices and in turn contributing to triggering the burst of the bubble, but in the background the global economic conspiracy *is* to blame, as had been admirably explained by many others above.

Anahata
"neither a borrower nor a lender be"