Get Your Feet Off The Furniture!

There was a time when parents admonished children to do just that. I can't imagine that George W. Bush didn't hear it. I don't know about Obama. He's of a different generation. If he didn't however, it's his loss. We already know he's lax when it comes to proper protocol.

Perhaps this small issue is part of a larger one. A certain arrogance. Disdain. Lack of respect where it is due. You see, this desk is not just any desk. It's our desk. The people's desk.

It is also much, much more.

It was a gift to the United States as a token of friendship and goodwill from Queen Victoria.

While on an Arctic expedition the HMS Resolute got stuck in ice and was abandoned by its crew. Nearly a year later an American whaler found it adrift, caught it, repaired it and returned it to England as a gesture of good will. When the Resolute was retired in 1880, Queen Victoria commissioned a desk to be made from the ship's timbers.

She then presented it to President Rutherford B. Hayes as a memorial to the courtesy and kindness of America in returning the ship to England.

The desk, known as the Resolute Desk, has been used by Presidents ever since.

Both Hub and I came from families in which our parents were avid collectors of antiques. We were instilled not only with the value of them but also their historical significance and taught to respect both. Had we a piece with the history of the Resolute Desk, we would have used it because it was meant to be used. We would also have respected it for what it was and how it was meant. That precludes propping one's feet on it!

It's a generational thing, perhaps. If true, it's a shame for we are losing touch with who and what we are. You see it daily in disdain for simple good manners. Sloppy clothes where dress is required. Hat's worn everywhere, often backwards,including restaurants. Often filthy.

I can't help but think as we grow more sloppy in our daily lives, the more acceptable it becomes, it's no wonder that even those who we choose to govern us are very much the same.

It's an indicator of what we are becoming. Self-absorbed narcissists with little consideration for others. We were angry with George Bush for side stepping the Constitution in the name of security. We're angry now with Obama and Congress for ignoring the wishes of the people.

It's really understandable when you look back at history and see how we're turning our backs on the very foundation that made us great.

Does anybody want to reset the direction? Does anyone care?

The Evolution Of Sarah Palin

Having watched Sarah Palin's speech to the Tea Party gathering in Nashville and some of the follow up interviews, I thought I'd stick my neck out and report my take on it. It will be interesting, if only to myself, to see how often I change my tune over the months preceding the 2012 election cycle!

I'm beginning to understand Palin's immense popularity. I see a woman who is just enough politician to be canny. I see a woman who has taken her lumps and has come to realize she isn't quite where she needs to be to have the credibility to run for the highest of offices. She certainly is smart enough to be in the House or Senate when compared to many already there. I see a woman enjoying her fame and new found stature. I see a woman still determining where she wants it to take her.

Back to her popularity. She speaks in sharp, witty sound bites. She stumbles over her notes. She speaks the language, by golly, of everyman. I do believe that's why the average man and woman on the street love her. There was a lot she said with which I disagree and just as much that I agreed with whole heartedly. For instance, why preach non-partisanism if you really don't intend to practice it!

I don't quite agree with her idea of what the Tea Party movement is all about. I think she thinks it will be folded into the Republicanism of old. If she means that which became before the Christian right movement took over, she could be right. If she means a return to the narrow vision of anti-gay, anti-abortion litmus test I think she's wrong. The Republicans should know that they cannot win on those issues but I've yet to see evidence that they do.

This is where I see the Tea Party movement differently. It may lean heavily Republican but I think it's more inclusive than that. I think it embraces a good many centrist Democrats and lot of Independents that aren't quite ready to join the Republican fold. It's ability to be a force depends on those Independents.

Ms. Palin has plenty of time to study the tea leaves and see what they tell her. I expect to see her testing the waters in many ways. She'll endorse candidates to determine if her endorsements are effective or detrimental. I expect to see her on air performances become more polished and substantive.

At this point in time I don't expect her to announce a candidacy for President. I would expect her name to placed in nomination with or without her blessing and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see an attempt to draft her.

In the meantime she is probably the most intriguing political personality of the times. She needs to grow. She has the time. For now, she provides a rallying point for every disillusioned, frustrated voter out there because of her ability to connect with them.

She has a "gift" much as Obama had. He rallied the people with his eloquence, well rehearsed and in front of him on teleprompters. Palin's gift is her very ordinariness. Agree with her or not, she speaks from the heart. That resonates!

Lucky Dog!

Most all of us who have dogs love them with all our hearts. There are times, however, when love is not enough.

Since the end of November there has been an ad running in the local paper asking for information about, or the return of, Remington, a three year old black lab.

It has appeared so often the paper did a story on the owner. In it he waxed nostalgic about how he missed his buddy, how they had bonded, how empty his bed was without him pressing his legs against his back. He went on to remember their hunting trips and how he hopped into the back of his pick up, how he'd go out at night and always came back.

Whoa. Let's back up here. One, it's against the law for a dog to run loose in this county. For many good reasons including the heartache of his not returning. What grabbed my attention, however, was the comment about the pick up.

Having seen a dog in the middle of a Los Angeles freeway one time, I've never been able to shed the image. Fortunately cars behind me saw cars swerving to miss it and were able to slow traffic enough to rescue the pooch. My guess is he fell out of a pick up.

You see it all the time. Some states have tethering laws, others do not. Even that isn't fool proof for a dog could actually hang himself.

This morning's paper told the story of a woman and her kids who witnessed a dog being dragged behind a truck. The driver had no idea. Even though in pursuit, the woman didn't catch the truck before the dog slipped his collar and they finally corralled him in a parking lot. We was alive, running on adrenalin, but his nails were gone and his feet worn down. The woman and her kids rushed him to the vet emergency clinic where he was successfully treated.

In a conversation with the owner, it was learned he "lost track" of the dog in Interstate 90 before exiting into city traffic. The woman didn't see him until they were several miles from that particular exit. One lucky dog. Maybe. He's home now and will recover. Hopefully never again to be allowed in the back of a an open pick up. Or be "lost track" of!!

Bacchus was truly spoiled. When he grew too tall for our Expedition, we got him a van. The picture shows how he travelled. Even at that we weren't totally conscientious because we did not secure him to his 'chaise'. Most of the time he slept on his blankets and didn't wander but if he wanted to stretch his legs he could.

I cringe every time I see a dog in a pick up. There are so many things that can cause a tumble. You see them in beating hot sun and pouring rain and snow. When we had occasion we had to take Bacchus in the pick up he had the entire back seat. He was cramped compared to the van but he was safe.

It's a practice that will probably never change but I sure wish it would. Dogs should be banned from the back of open pick ups. Full stop.

The next dog that suffers the fate of the golden retriever of which I write may not be so lucky. I would not like that on my conscience!

Anchor Away?

I don't think there is a news anchor on television today that will ever have the gravitas of Walter Cronkite, or the long gone Chet Huntley/David Brinkley team or many of the others who pioneered the roll of news anchor as I was growing up.

The only one we have now that was ever actually a newsman is Brian Williams and he's been reduced to little more than a news reader. As for the women? How can you consider someone who graduated from the ranks of Today or Good Morning America a news man? Oops - news woman. To me they come across as news 'light'. When in serious mode they tend to strike me as maudlin.

I could never understand CBS paying Ms. Couric $15 ,000, 000. She has never generated the ratings to justify that amount and apparently has not moved up in the ratings even with Diane Sawyer replacing Charlie Gibson. I must admit that surprises me a bit.

What it comes down to, Ms. Couric is just out of her element. It's not that she doesn't have ability. I thought her interview with Sarah Palin was one of the best I've seen. She was properly tenacious without being abrasive. That takes skill.

Now, according to the New York Post she is nearing the end of her three year contract and facing a salary cut. If they even want to retain her. She was a grand experiment that failed.

It is suggested she may be in the running to become the next daytime diva, replacing Oprah or even taking over Larry King's slot on CNN. She might not have quite the presence to replace Oprah but neither is she as benign as King. I could see her making that show more substantial.

I hope she does move on and that Sawyer is close behind her. Their strengths are not in the anchor's chair. Really wishful thinking is that the evening newscasts would become just that again - news, rather than a recap of the day's sound bites.

My fear is that Ann Curry will replace Williams and our choice will be one of the three. I'm all for women breaking the glass ceiling but to break it just for the sake of breaking it is a waste of ability if it could be better used elsewhere.

Bow Wow!

Bowing. Is it a sign of respect or a sign of deference? Either way, I don't like it in our President except where it is customary in the country being visited. Like Great Britain and Japan. Even then it requires no more than a slight bow, not a deep one. Part of who we are is that we bow to no one!

Here, however, we have him bowing not only to the Saudi King but the Premier of China, the Mayor of Tampa and Nancy Pelosi. Please! If bowing to Pelosi doesn't look like deference what does?

It may be a natural habit with Obama but it's one he ought to curb. It's all about image and we know that's what he's all about!

If he's going to bow to anyone, it should be to the will of the American people.

Short post today. We're off to Olympia for a funeral. Perhaps that explains my mood.

No Clydesdales?

The Super Bowl without the Clydesdales would be like...like...well, Budweiser without beer!

It was but a blip on the news yesterday but I did catch the part where you had to let Anheuser-Busch know if you objected. So ever diligent sleuth about all things important I cozied up with Google this morning to see what I could find.

Sure enough. The plan had been to scrap the Clydesdale ads in favor of edgier stuff. This is one instance media reporting did some good. The response from the announcement drew so many negative responses they've put up a Facebook page where you can vote for the spot they eliminated or two competing spots.

I would usually not join a 'fan' page for a one time participation but I really felt strongly about this!

I'm pretty ambivalent about the game itself this year. I'd like to see the Saints win because of their story, yet I really like Peyton Manning. It's a push. Maybe I'm leaning toward the Saints because the NFL is being stupid by making a fuss about the Who Dat slogan being their property. It shouldn't be nor should vendors trying to make a buck be intimidated by the NFL lawyers with cease and desist orders for making garments in the Saint's black and gold sporting the slogan. Sheesh. Get a life guys!

When I heard about the now foreign owned Anheuser Busch folks being just as stupid, I had to act. I joined. I voted. I expect "Fenced" will win.

The Clydesdale ad came in second last year. So what? Some things should just not be changed. The Clydesdale Super Bowl ads being one. If you feel as I do click the Facebook link and vote. There's enough edgy stuff out there already. Leave good old Americana tradition alone. It's bad enough Anheuser-Busch is no longer a part of it.

The Joy Of Reading Is Changing

It probably started with the ancients drawing a line in the sand to warn against crossing some unwritten admonishment. It then advanced to petroglyphs telling of how lives were lived, legends, histories. Then came variations on paper and pen. Books. Newspapers. Now the Kindle and most recently the iPad.

Actually, a version of the iPad has been around in the imaginations of science fiction writers for some time. just watch old episodes of Deep Space Nine and others of it's ilk. From what do they read? A version of a hand held computer.

This morphing into the age of technology isn't comfortable for this old creature of habit. Just in the past few years, as newspapers have taken their hits, my reading habits have changed and not for the better. It's becoming another thing on my 'to do' list rather than a few moments of wonderful down time.

Not so long ago we had a full pot of coffee every morning, settled into our respective arm chairs, propped our feet up on our foot stools to provide ample lap space for papers and dug in. No more. Full pots are now reserved for week ends. Judging from this morning it won't be long until it becomes Sunday only. Monday is barely worth dirtying the pot unless we decide to read page after page of AP wire stories and the legal notices. What a sorry state for the once noble pursuit of keeping informed!

The hype tells us the iPad is the future of how we're going to get our news. Well, the computer, because that's what it is. Paying for content is controversial at the moment but no matter where we go to read, we have to pay. Whether it's a purchased book, newspaper or magazine subscription, or the electric bill for running your computer. My objection is having to pay for content on line for a paper to which I also subscribe, especially if the on line content is free but you have to pay to access it's archives. I'm sure there will be legislation dealing with this on down the line. There is legislation pending on nearly everything these days and little to our advantage. Especially in Obamaworld where the government wants to stick it's financial finger into everything.

There is a downside to all of this. I foresee a downward spiral of those who actually enjoy reading, not to mention those who write. Books. Curling up with your Kindle or iPad just isn't like curling up with a good book. Period. So, there go book sales and publishing houses and paper manufacturers and printers, etc. You get the idea. Consider the decrease in coffee sales for those newspaper readers. Okay. The price of coffee is out of sight anyway, but a paper without coffee? Nah.

Maybe even wine sales? How many sip a glass of wine while they savor the story of the latest best seller?

Ah, times, they are a changing! Pretty soon the only thing tangible left to read will be 5000 page bills coming out of Congress. The irony is it's because they aren't savvy enough to get said bills online in a timely manner. Personally I think that's more by design than lack of technical skill, but if it is the latter, what does it say about them?

Will I invest in an iPad or some similar device? Maybe. But not for awhile yet. I still enjoy that morning pot of coffee even if I do no more than stare out the window at the approaching morning.

Some things cannot be taken away by technology. Mornings are one of them. For that I am grateful.

Through A Looking Glass, Darkly

I have often lamented that one reason we don't get better people running for public office is because of the invasive scrutiny to which candidates and their families are subject. Granted, more who hold high office are not tainted by scandal than those who are (I think), but those who are tend to be doozies!

A headline on Drudge pointed to the efforts by John Edwards former(?) mistress's attempts to quash the release of a 'personal video', ie:, sex tape. It goes to show all that intense scrutiny isn't enough or is it we usually don't pay enough attention?

When compared to sex scandals among the privileged and ruling classes of other countries, our randy politicians look like pikers. Liaisons with ladies of the night or 'soul mates' in Argentina or educating interns. Eh. It's happened so many times before. It will happen again. We have such a huge capacity for forgiveness.

Then there is John Edwards. The gift that keeps on giving. Hub and I have been contemplating whether he was driven to his indiscretion by a domineering wife using her illness as a foil. That's how cynics think. Not that we are in any way giving him a pass!

Yet here is a man who could have been President! He was a Vice Presidential nominee then a candidate with a wife knowing of his dalliances. We know that with political egos these are not uncommon happenings but had he been elected what kind of leader would he have been? What would his mistress have decided to do and what would his wife have done? I'd say there are some character issues with the lot of them. Sure, the same goes for Bill and Hillary and so many others on the state level it's enough to boggle your prurient sensitivities!

Yet I look at President Obama. Right now he is being pilloried for not keeping campaign promises as if he had committed the most egregious of mortal sins. Okay. He's hasn't proven to have the leadership capabilities I had hoped for or expected. To date, however, he is still a decent man who is a good father and husband. I think. With his ethereal 'big picture' persona he might be better off in a think tank than as President, but job capabilities aside, he is still a decent man. As was his predecessor.

Now I may be dead wrong about all of this. Just because headlines haven't been made doesn't mean there isn't smoke soldering somewhere. Let's say there isn't for the sake of the point. I'd rather live with his protocol faux pas than suffer seeing Presidential indiscriminate behavior all over the tabloids one more time.

Sex tape? Please! While running for President? We dodged the 'good judgement' bullet with this guy. Maybe instead of toning down that scrutiny we ought to ratchet it up and include the enablers! The spouses who know. The lovers. And those loyalists who turn a blind eye.

State Of The Union - Did You Hear What I Heard?

I didn't hear much. I heard absolutely nothing about the actual state of the union. I did hear a lot of 'I's and 'me's and condescension toward those of us who just don't get it.

Actually, I think I do get it. This next year is to be business as usual. The main topic may be jobs rather than health care reform but the tactics look like they'll continue unchanged. Ho hum.

The Democrats, especially the far left in the persona of Pelosi, have apparently not heard the people! What haven't they heard? We are not in favor of health care reform as it stands. Doing an end around will not change that. We're not in favor of cap and trade. We're skeptical about the facts behind and therefore the need for radical climate change as proposed. To simplify it, the American public does not like the direction nor the rate of change the administration and Democratic Congress are trying to take the country.

Much has been made of Scott Brown's election to the Senate. When you look at him along with the governors of Virginia and New Jersey it's hard to miss that they ran against the administration's policies. And won. Why does Congress and the President not understand this? Deep down I think they they do. But the current mind set is they know best, they've got the power and that's the way it is.

The Republicans aren't helping matters any. Those of the tea bag mind set that are threatening to run their own candidate if the Republican is too moderate will defeat their own purpose. We moderates, though having made some inroads, are the ones being squeezed out. Where does one go? There is inter party warfare on both sides of the aisle and the fall out from last night's speech indicates there is little chance of change.

What I'd really like to see happen is what each claim they want. Talk to each other. Compromise. Neither ideology will ever be totally satisfied; a middle ground must be found or we'll be doomed with ineffectual government and and an increasingly bitter and frustrated population.

When I see that some Mayo Clinics are turning out their medicare patients because medicare reimbursements no longer cover the cost of care, it scares me. Where are those people to go. Will I be next? Yet cutting medicare reimbursements is still on the table. Is anyone paying attention?

The President, with all his eloquence, gave a speech filled with contradictions. Cut spending here; raise spending there. I wondered at times if he even reviewed it before giving it.

One thing is blatantly obvious. We have a dysfunctional administration and Congress. No one escapes blame for the mess we're in; not even us. We put them in office. We're doing better at holding their feet to the fire but for the moment we're the ones getting burned!

Whistling Past The Graveyard

What else is the administration to do? Let's see now. Ben Bernanke's once sound renomination to head the Fed is on shaky ground. Treasury Secretary Geitner's enabling activity with AIG when he was head of the New York Fed is coming to light. Beau Biden is not going to run for Senate seat his father had held. Health care is all but dead in its present form. The Democrats are deserting the sinking ship of state in uncomfortable numbers. They've just lost a crucial Senate seat in a state so blue it's almost black!

Yet...yet. The assessment coming out of the Sunday talk shows was pure defiance. Even while the surrogates were making the rounds, they couldn't even come up with the same, or even similar, numbers when talking about jobs saved or created by the stimulus yet they charged ahead. This is fascinating to watch. To hear it said they haven't talked to us enough to make us understand was laughable. All they've done is talk!

What they didn't count on is the fact we listened. I don't think they understand the concept. You talk, we listen. That's pretty elementary. The next step apparently isn't. We don't like what we hear, we tell you!

Nothing at the moment is looking rosy. Lieberman and Snowe now want Gitmo kept open. We have 18,000 Marines now in Haiti. That's half the number needed for the surge in Afghanistan. Where is the difference going to be made up? Or are we going to let those still in Afghanistan hang out to dry?

Foreign countries and aid groups are criticizing how we're handling the relief effort. Well, let them step up to the plate! They won't fight with us so let them do the heavy lifting in Haiti.

Times are really tough because everything is interconnected. Just like with our intelligence community, the dots have to be connected yet there are huge gaps.

Nope. No one in the administration is whistling a happy tune at the moment. I just hope this verse from The King and I is an unintentional anthem!

The result of this deception

Is very strange to tell

For when I fool the people

I fear I fool myself as well!

Plural Progress

I don't get sick often, but whatever I have now has really knocked the pegs out from under me. Hub knew I was in trouble when he came home from running errands last Tuesday to find me sound asleep on the couch instead of on my computer. It went downhill from there to two solid days in bed. I never knew I could sleep so soundly for so long.

It would seem to be not quite the flu, not quite a bad cold and not quite whooping cough which is making the rounds locally, but rather a sampler. I'm upright today and even have clothes on. If it weren't for football I'd probably head back to bed, though I am slept out. Also wiped out. So. We'll see how it goes.

One thing, I've listened to a lot of news. When I feel too sick to make my way to the computer to comment on the events of the week just past, trust me, I'm sick.

Of many stand out subjects, one thing struck me as extremely important. I think Americans, as a whole, are coming of age. No longer are we a complacent bunch content to let those in Washington have their way with us. We elected Obama because we were tired of it. We've also sent him a message. Don't fall into the same pattern of patronizing and/or bullying us or we'll turn you and yours out too.

I listen with interest while the few hard core ideologues stick to the same mode of bullying even as their world is collapsing around them. I guess there are those who will never get it. Not to worry. The people do.

It's one reason not to be overly concerned about the Supreme Court's decision on campaign finance allowing corporations to have a say. We do. Unions do. Special interests do. Why shouldn't corporations?

I'd be a lot more concerned if the people weren't showing that we are now capable of seeing through the spin. This is a huge step forward when it comes to taking the country back from those who would force upon us their own ways.

The time since 9/11 is often referred to as the new normal. I hope that's what we are now seeing, this coming of age of the citizenry. That old style politics becomes the anomaly.

I hope too, as I head back to the couch, that whatever it is I have soon becomes the anomaly, not the new norm!

Bad Taste In Politics!

There's a lot of this going around these days. Everything from how the Democrats are trying to force legislation to how the campaign in Massachusetts is being carried out.

Never-the-less, it's still my country and I consider such problems our own to solve. I'm still proud of who we are as a nation with a few exceptions. Rush Limbaugh is on my list again. I'm never quite sure when he's serious or trying to be funny and falling flat. His comment about the Obama administration politicizing the earthquake in Haiti to enhance him image among the black community in this country is beyond the pale even for Limbaugh. Even Bush called him on it.

Unfortunately Limbaugh doesn't seem to have a monopoly on inane views. A French minister added voice to it by suggesting the U.S. was more interested in occupying Haiti than helping.

Venezuela's Chavez suggested much the same by questioning the number of troops we've sent and that we're occupying Haiti undercover.

Well, let's just have a look at this. Who has the manpower and the equipment most needed? The U.S. How about the ability to get it there and organize distribution? The U.S. Who's citizenry is raising millions of dollars via every means possible from Facebook to Twitter to texting? The U.S.

Who else has a neurosurgeon who makes his living as a CNN contributor stepping in to do surgery where medical personnel are in short supply? The U.S.

Which country has two former President's working along side the current administration to facilitate needs? The U.S.

And yes, I might as well ask it. Who would be among the first into France (didn't we do this once before a few wars ago?) and even Venezuela should a similar fate befall them? Yep. The U.S.

Trust me. We'd have no interest in 'occupying' either of you. We'd just want to help your people. Some things you really can't politicize without looking mean spirited or just plain foolish.

The Trouble With Agenda Driven Politics

One need look no farther than the race for Massachusetts's vacant Senate seat between state senator Scott Brown and AG Martha Coakley.

According to the press Ms. Coakley has been less than a stellar candidate. She is, however, a Democrat. It's a sad state of affairs when the concern is more about a bad piece of legislation being passed against the will of the people rather than who is really the better person to represent the people of the state.

It is perhaps one of the best arguments for Presidents, past and present, to stay out of the fray. Obama is to appear today on Ms. Coakley's behalf. Wrong. He's making an appearance in an attempt to save his health reform legislation. Nothing more. Nothing less. Former President Clinton appeared for no better reason than to promote a candidate he probably knows little about other than that she is a Democrat. Plus a more few brief moments in the limelight. If she wins, the Democrats will save a seat and gain one more rubber stamp.

Frankly, I'd like to see the split between parties more on an even keel. It's the only way to get these yahoos to work for good legislation rather than political agendas.

Will a Brown win do much for the Republicans? Yes and no. It may throw a good scare into the Democrats regarding the 2010 mid-terms but it might also drive them to even more despicable actions to get their agenda through while they still can.

The down side is should the Republicans, by some remote chance, gain the majority they will be no different. It always seems to be pay back time when the power shifts. Of course, that supposition is moot since the Republicans don't have a leader ready to step up to the plate anyway!

I don't agree with RNC chair Michael Steele about much, but he's right on when he says the Republicans aren't ready.

Economic Indicators Western Style

If you spend much time driving around Montana one of the first things you notice is that the highways, for the most part, follow the rivers as do the railroads. Because of this it is difficult to miss when freight traffic is down. The first indicator is when you just don't see trains. The next is when empty, out of use cars are mothballed on siding after siding.

We were over there yesterday and on our way home we passed a coal train - full. Car after car. What a joy to behold!

The fact that Warren Buffet recently spent a tidy $34 billion for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe might also be considered a hint things are looking up.

I wonder if there is a little Ayn Rand at play here. In 1957 she published Atlas Shrugged, her longest and last novel. It has an eerily familiar ring to it. A kind of deja vu in reverse. It tells the story of the collapse of our society as our government asserts more and more control over industry. The auto industry? The greening of America? The banking industry? Cap and trade? Health care "reform"?

Soon the minds that drive society and productivity begin to mysteriously disappear. It is hero John Galt's theory that without the rational and creative minds that drive productivity the country would be lead to total collapse. So, ever so slowly and ever so surely they simply (or not so) disappear!

The railroads reigned supreme in the days of the story. See what I mean about eerie? The ambition of the current administration is becoming more and more apparent. It is parallelling Atlas Shrugged.

This is not a situation where life imitates art, but where life is mirroring art. The prospect is frightening. What is even more so, to me, is that we have no John Galt!

We Can Learn A Lot From Mother Nature

The photographs and video finding their way out of Haiti are devastating. One earthquake has nearly wiped an entire country off the face of the earth. We've seen it before - fire, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, quakes. All compliments of Mother Nature.

There are those who profess to believe that such occurrences are God's way of punishing us for some specious deed. Like being gay or having AIDs. That, of course, is nonsense. God should not be equated with nature, yet in some respects nature, in it's deadliest form, is God-like.

Think about it. What else brings the world together regardless of race or creed than a natural disaster? Haiti is but the latest example. It matters not at all that it is the poorest nation in the world. It matters not that the people are predominantly black nor that their government is more corrupt than many. It matters not that the country will never, ever be able to repay the dollar amounts in aid that are pouring in. People are suffering and the world responds.

So what is it? What is it that makes one people hate another to the point of wanting to kill? What is it that makes one people turn a blind eye to the suffering ~ be it torture or starvation or slavery ~ of others? It would seem to be one of two things. Religion and/or politics. The divide is in evidence everywhere! Even in our own country!

Mother Nature is not selective. When conditions we cannot control come together in certain ways, disasters happen. What can be controlled is the response. She brings out the best in us. Differences are put aside for the good of those suffering. If that isn't God-like I don't know what is. Yet in the name of God, tomorrow we will again hate and kill or slander or denigrate. To me Mother Nature is less a mystery than God and more a mirror of who we can be rather than what we are!

Our reaction to each is what puzzles me most. Maybe it's because one can be manipulated and the other can't. Whatever the answer, I wish we'd pay more attention to the lessons Mother Nature teaches us about ourselves. We're a far more attractive entity when we do.

I'm Shocked, Shocked That Steroids Have Been Used!

It's a who's who of major league baseball. The list of stars who turned super after tasting the fruits of steroids. Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez and now (gasp) Mark McQuire! How many others I can't recall?

Strange. I thought the swarthy tell all Conseco was the most vile of the lot because he ratted on the others. Now it would seem he's the only one who told the truth!

Strange. All these healthy, talented young men putting their health, reputations and yes, actually, their lives at risk just for a line in the record books. What terribly flawed thinking.

Strange. That they'd believe we'd buy their innocent denials when they'd bulked up beyond reason and began preforming beyond reason.

I had to laugh at the "news" about Mark McQuire as he bared his soul to Bob Costas last night. The angst. The teary eyes. The difficulty of having to tell his wife and family and former teammates that he had, indeed, lied. Gosh. Who knew?

Of all the nonsense that is presented to us as news this was possibly the least newsworthy ever to have come out of the world of sports.

I'm beyond being shocked or even disappointed by these stories anymore. It's the youngsters I worry about. One more fallen "hero". The victims that loom largest, however, aren't the fans or the owners or the men who play by the rules.

It's the children of those who do not. Be they girls or boys, how shattering must it be to learn your Dad isn't the man he said he was? That Dad was not a man to be looked up to. That when asked who was the greatest influence in their lives it won't be Dad.

Beyond strange. Sad.

One Last Desparate Grasp For Glory

Back when I was supporting Obama for President I felt strongly it was time for new and younger blood to assume responsibility. I also believed that he was among the best and the brightest. Partially because he was black and had to work harder for all that he had achieved. I admit now my vision was skewed. He really hadn't achieved much of anything beyond his education and without knowing what sort of academic record he had I don't know whether he was truly one of our brightest or one more beneficiary of affirmative action.

That being said, let's look at the other choice. John McCain. I saw in Obama everything McCain was not. Young, energetic, technologically savvy. I don't have a clue where to look next. Maybe comfortable middle age!

I've been watching the descent of Harry Reid toward oblivion. I cannot think of one majority leader of either party that has inspired me less than Mr. Reid. If it weren't for the importance of his work taking precedence, I'd find him totally ignorable. What makes these old war horses hang on so long? Reid is so out of touch that during the campaign he referred to Obama as having no "Negro" dialect. I understand the verbage but how long has it been since it has been used?

And now, in one last valiant effort to be elected one more time he has been reduced to bribing for votes for a piece of bad and maybe even unconstitutional legislation. It will probably be for naught for he is led by all of his opponents of which there are three. Dead last.

What price glory? One has to suppose John McCain chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate for two reasons. One, even though they were supposedly friends, to stick it to Hillary Clinton and two, to bring the essence of youth to a campaign of grumpy old men. When Palin's foreign policy tutors were told by aide Steve Schmidt, "You guys have a lot of work to do. She doesn't know anything," I can no longer give McCain a pass on not knowing what he was getting.

Well, McCain lost, and say what you will, Palin's lack of knowledge was a large part of it.

Reid will probably lose too. Those opposing him are young, energetic and technologically savvy. All the pork in the world cannot negate that fact. One wonders if all the other aging Senators, like Nebraska's Ben Nelson, also floundering in the polls, will find out the same.

In the sense of what's good in the way of legislation for the country, I hope so. On the other hand, I can only "hope" the challengers have a leg up on substance.

Loveability And Ability Do Not Equate

Christmas is over. Just like that. After months and months of build up, the day arrives and passes and it's done. People are now out in droves returning unwanted gifts. So much for peace and love. Merry Christmas.

And so too, life goes on. The good and the bad. My cynical self is back. The sleigh bell (note Polar Express) Hub gave me is perched on my computer where I can jingle it in time of need. It will be often used and I will always hear it.

My cynical side surfaced when I read Peggy Noonan's column in this morning's Wall Street Journal. He Just Does What He Thinks Is Right. Had Obama himself written it I'd have thought it the height of ego. What he thinks is right. No matter what part wisdom and the advice emanating from it might be. But it came from a headline writer about the saccharine blathering of Ms. Noonan.

She speaks of the 'love' some still hold for him and how importantly embracing it is when so many are turning against him. I have a feeling that need for 'love' and those who give it blindly will be his downfall. I have a feeling it is part of the reason why he is slow to make decisions and when he does they are not as well studied as he'd like us to believe. One cannot risk the 'love'.

Personally, I don't care to 'love' my President. I want to believe in his abilities. I want to respect him. He has to earn it. It is more than being able to deliver a good speech that is set before him on teleprompters.

That he may be a great guy, is personable and warmer in person than his image indicates is great. So are a lot of people. That does not earn my love. I loved my dog. I love my husband. I love my family. I feel warm and happy and safe and loved in return when in their company. You see there has to be that personal connection. Without this it is not 'love'; it's an illusion. People who crave love tend to surround themselves with those who offer it willingly. That contrivance makes it meaningless except for the ego.

Where has he let me down? Other than the long, agonizing time it took for him to decide to send too few troops to Afghanistan, the most obvious shortfall is his blanket approval of health care which leads me to believe he knows not what all is in the two bills. The importance being that they exist. Not their content.

As importantly is what he said to the world in his Peace Prize speech.

So even as we respect the unique culture and traditions of different countries, America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal. We will bear witness to the quiet dignity of reformers like Aung Sang Suu Kyi; to the bravery of Zimbabweans who cast their ballots in the face of beatings; to the hundreds of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran. It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and history are on their side.

To date America has been a voice for absolutely nothing. Most vividly the deafening silence supporting the protesters of Iran's oppressive regime. Rhetoric. Actually, as Hillary said during the campaign, "words, nothing but words." Where ever the heck she is!

Without the backing up of words they are meaningless. They seem contrived. Everything is beginning to look like little more than slick orchestrations. Right down to the idea that the Lincoln Bedroom is no longer used for White House guests because the Emancipation Proclamation was signed there.

That is cynicism at it's height. If there is a bright side, I would suppose it's that there is no 'love' lost.

Why Have A Senate When A "Piggy" Bank Will Do?

If I hadn't heard it with my own ears I'd not have believed it.

“There are 100 senators here and I don’t know that there’s a senator that doesn’t have something in this bill that isn’t important to them,” Reid said. “If they don’t have something in it important to them then it doesn’t speak well of them.”

Here we are belly aching about all the pork or ear marks in legislation like the $400 billion in the recently passed Defense bill yet we have the Senate majority leader chiding those who have neglected their "duty" to their states! This in an administration who's President campaigned on curbing the practice.

I know, I know, when the Republicans are in power they do the same thing. However, considering the economic health of the nation you'd like to think Congress would exercise some prudence. Especially when our chief financier, China, is warning that the world is running out of money to buy U.S. debt.

You'd never know it from the way Democrats are spreading money around among themselves! I've come to the conclusion I have no business commenting on politics. I can muster no respect for anyone involved. The Senate is no more than a piggy bank for those who stand the most firm when it comes to casting a vote for what is mostly bad legislation in the first place.

It is said the Senate is the greatest deliberative body in the world. Right. They deliberate who should get how much of our hard earned money for pet projects. They, like Unions, have outgrown their usefulness.

We have a President who has gone from the campaign rhetoric of "we" to the Presidential rhetoric of "I". We have a Congress who has been told by 60 to 70% of the people that they do not want health care reform as it stands yet they are prancing around congratulating themselves for having bribed their way to the necessary votes. What has this country come to? What depths has this Congress and Administration sunk to?

Government has gotten way to big. They've become so sodden with power they ignore why they exist in the first place. We accuse so many countries of corrupt government. Afghanistan where our soldiers are dying for that corrupt government. Iraq, Iran plus so many others. What about our own?

One can't help but notice the increase of activity among militias and neo Nazi groups. Do you suppose our own government is bringing this upon us? I certainly can't say they are blameless.

The Trouble With Congress...

Boy, I've got to say the The Wall Street Journal opinion page in today's paper should be required reading for everyone. There is a piece by Dan Henninger on the Liberal obsession with health care. Karl Rove tells why Obama's rating of his own performance as a B+ is dead wrong and a whole lot more.

The piece on climate change by Howard Bloom was of special interest to me. He explains, in very understandable terms, just how we came to be and how our little piece of the universe works in conjunction with the sun. Actually, anyone who took science courses in school should know all of this, but...

I got to thinking about all the world leaders about to converge in Copenhagen to make decisions based on inaccurate information at best. Our health care debate is about the same. We have all these Congressmen writing legislation, debating it, and voting on it without truly understanding the subject nor it's implications on the rest of us.

They are not unintelligent, they just aren't sufficiently knowledgeable about the subject about which they speak. They are pursuing an agenda rather than fixing the problem of health care costs. The agenda, with the Democrats in power, is to take as much away from we individuals as possible and put it under governmental control.

Hub spent his career designing pension and benefit plans for both domestic and foreign corporations. He has worked on all sides of the spectrum. The insurance side, the corporate side and the government side. I can't think of anyone that has a more well rounded view of the issue than he does. To listen to him break it down into fixes that are cost and coverage effective for everyone and simple to incorporate is mind boggling when you consider what Congress is trying to shove down our throats. But then, they don't really have you and me or our doctors in mind.

The same goes with climate change. No attention is being paid to the real problems being faced by the people of emerging nations. Simple things like food, clothing and shelter. Not unlike here, a way to make a decent living!

What is it about human nature that we always pursue overkill? That's what this health care monstrosity is. That's what climate change is. There is nothing we can do to change what Mother Nature has been doing for millions of years.

Funny, we people as a whole have managed to muddle our way through some 120,000 years since we first became homo sapiens without the help of government dictates on how we live our lives other than for law and order. We're a creative bunch as a whole and those who stray from the path of good usually meet up with the folly of their ways.

Harry Reid needs to let the Senate adjourn and go home. Begin again in the new year. Obama needs to understand that health care reform is more likely to break his Presidency rather than make it.

The rest of us need to broaden our horizons and realize the likes of Al Gore are not all knowing when it comes to trying to outsmart Mother Nature.

Whether or not their is a God I do not know. I do know ole Ma Nature has a long and traceable history of change and adaptation. I'll willingly bow to her whims. I will not to man's manipulation.