The State of the Mess Address

The image at right should not be interpreted as meaning I think the president is just a lot of hot air. To the contrary I think he is an intelligent, well-meaning man with some very good ideas and the determination to work at making them a reality. The problem is all the determination in the world isn't going to get it done. Here's how I've analyzed it:
Fact: While there are signs that we're pulling out of this thing, we continue to remain in a very deep recession.
Fact: Obama's inauguration speech made the recession, the impending collapse of the financial system and its corollary, unemployment, the primary focus of his administration.
Fact: He proceeds to spend the next year focusing on necessary but costly health-care reform-the flaw being poor timing, not the issue.
Fact: As a result of the above forces, the republicans do what they do best. They are the masters at this. They pledge total resistance and embark on a blitzkrieg-type campaign that undermines the entire process, arouses public sentiment (partly justified thus making it even more effective) and vows to bring about total and utter stagnation.

And so here we are. No where. Massachusetts sealed our fate. What about Obama's goals for the coming year? Forget it. Most of it's not going to happen. This will be especially evident after the November elections. The nay-sayers are back! I wish I could promise that from this day forward I will focus on the things in my life that make me happy but I know as soon as I do that someone like gas bag Sarah, The Moron, Palin will come along and inspire me to be at it again. Thus endth my rant for the day.

The United States Supreme Court Is At It Again

Tomorrow night is the president's State of the Union address. This is an event required by the Constitution of the United States. It's one of the few mandated duties of the president. A quick reading of the Constitution will quickly reveal that a president's duties are rather vague. As head of the executive branch of government, it is his duty to enforce legislation passed by the Congress. His other two duties are, in my view, more important. One is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the other is to appoint Supreme Court justices. If a president is to have any lasting impact at all, it is in the last duty. President George W. Bush, aka 43, appointed two. They are both very conservative. Their influence is already being felt-most recently in a ruling that has far-reaching consequences. The ruling overturns a previous ruling that put a lid on corporate campaign contributions. So much for the concept of Stari Decisis (precedent-the whole concept of precedent is a joke anyway. For more on that, see an earlier post). With this last ruling it is now OK for corporations to contribute as much as they want to a person's campaign. Basically, it was the majority argument that no one has the right to tell another person or entity what they can do with their money. Those opposing this concept argue that because corporations have so MUCH money they could influence the outcome of an election. Through TV and other media ads they could get a person elected who represents the best interests of the corporation as opposed to those of the general public. Therefore their influence should be limited. Where ever you may stand on this issue is presently irrelevant-at least until the balance of power on the court has shifted (again, so much for the importance of precedent). Obama may well have an opportunity to add at least two more justices to the one he's already appointed thus bringing about that shift. Still, it will be close. The four conservatives there now-Roberts, Scalia, Thomas and Alito-have a long, long way to go. If you're a conservative, you're in pretty good shape. If you're not, well, all you can do is hope Obama gets to appoint enough justices to make it a 5 person majority. It's in this area that Obama will have more influence than anything else he does.

I Have A Nice Piece of Property for You in Florida

Connecticut Republican and Senate hopeful Linda McMahon was on a show recently where she was being interviewed by the station's head political correspondent. She was expending a great deal of time and energy attempting to convince the viewers that every single wrestler in the WWE of which she is CEO adheres to a strict rule of no steroid use. The really good part of all of this is she was doing this with a straight face. Not a single smirk, wink wink, nothing! Just imagine her as a Senator ostensibly looking out for our best interests. Yeah, right! And I've got a great piece of property for you in Florida.

Four Sure Ways to Bring A Smile

Today I went to an assisted living facility to present a slide show to the residents. About 25 or 30 people showed up. The slide show was fairly easy to do. I simply downloaded a bunch of pictures of the natural wonders of the world along with some slides on different moon shots I found. There were about 80 slides in all. But the interesting thing about all of this is that as people filed into the room where I gave the show, I had my laptop on and the picture of my grand children that you see at right was the desktop picture. It's amazing how much interest it drew. I was asked a million questions about them. How old are they? What are their names? Is that little blond in the lower left corner as mischievous as she looks? Where do they live? What are some things I do with them? And that's just a few. I could have scrapped the original slide show and spent the next 45 minutes talking about these four little gems and showing more pictures (I have a few more). It's just one more example of how easy it is to make elderly people happy. And there's nothing that makes them happier than children. Once I brought my oldest grand child, Brooke, to this facility to visit her great grand mother. So many people made a fuss over her. That's why I like volunteer work. It takes so little effort to make people happy. All they really want is to know that someone is interested in them. I guess that's all anyone really wants. Unfortunately for many of these folks, families place them in an otherwise fine location and then forget about them. That's why they need people (usually once they've retired) to take an interest in them. It's a great way to spend time. Right now Brooke, Courtney, Cole and Nicholas don't know how happy they made people today but I'll be sure to tell them some day when they come with their parents to visit me!

Massachusetts Sends A Message

Yesterday the voters of the most liberal state in the country sent the president, the congress and the rest of the nation a very clear message: STOP! Slow down. Let's take a better look at this thing. And the 'thing' they're talking about is the issue of health care reform. Now the democrats no longer have the 60 vote majority they need to stop filibusters. Granted, Brown won by only 5% of the vote but when one considers the fact that it was Sen. Kennedy's seat in the Senate that was up for grabs and in Massachusetts of all places, then Brown's victory becomes even more meaningful. There's no question that Martha Coakley ran a terrible campaign by being too casual, over confident and just plain unprepared. But that's not the chief reason why she lost. The people of Massachusetts and indeed the nation are not prepared to accept the current rendition of what is being passed off as health care reform. In spite of what we're being told, it is very likely going to be an extremely expensive piece of legislation at what is currently the worst possible time. On top of that, there are precious few people who actually know what the bill says. People want the president and congress to slow down and exercise a little more care getting this done. The interesting part of all of this is going to be how the president handles it. He can do one of two things. The first thing he could do is become strident and petulant and insist things get done his way come hell or high water. Or, second, he could withdraw, regroup, concede he under estimated public sentiment on this issue and start over. What ever you may think of Barack Obama, you have to admit he is not stupid. He will no doubt take the second route and by doing so ultimately salvage his plan-although slightly different than he first envisioned. But that's what the system of checks and balances is all about. Point, counter point and eventually compromise. The next few weeks in American politics will be quite interesting (well, to me anyway). Let's see what happens.

Time Passages

Six years ago today our first grand child Brooke was born. The picture you see is one of many I had stapled all over my office walls. I'm sure students and staff who came in to see me about something were somewhat overwhelmed at first but that's what being a grand parent is all about. Now Brooke is in kindergarten, reading, playing sports and other activities and growing and learning more every day. She has a sister and two cousins who are starting to do the same things she and our children have been through. As expected they're taking slightly different routes and at different speeds but we're blessed in that they're all bright, healthy kids with unique personalities. It seems every time one of my children or grand children has a birthday I find myself reflecting on the passage of time and the various events and milestones along the way. It's been an interesting journey to say the least. There have been more than a few times when I've been tempted to sit down and say 'woe is me' and lapse into self pity. But fortunately it doesn't take long for me to realize how stupid that is because as I consider things right this minute, I know I've been extraordinarily lucky. This is especially true when we take the time to reflect on the problems other people we know have had. The key is to stop whining, put your head up and keep going. So on that cheerful note, happy birthday, Brooke. You've made your grand mother and me extremely happy. You've got many, many great years in front of you. Buckle your seatbelt. It's going to be a great trip.

The 'Other' Religious Extremism

In this time of terrorism with attacks and numerous threats of attacks coming out of places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen we often forget that religious extremism is not unique to the Muslim community. Take for example the recent remarks of evangelist Pat Robertson. It is his contention that the tragic earthquake in Haiti was the fault of the Haitian people because some time ago they made a pact with the devil. This is a guy who boasts of millions of 'followers'. There have been other examples of this kind of thing right here in the good old USA, i.e. Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell. These men and their followers are dangerous people. They are ignorant and hateful people and while I'm all for freedom of speech I also believe we have the right to contradict or at the very least ignore their views. I suspect the numbers of followers they keep telling us they have is highly inflated but even just a few is a sad commentary. Fortunately, the Obama administration handled it well by giving it as little attention as possible and simply stating it was stupid. I'm reminded of the previous administration who had a similar mind-set as that of Robertson and others of his ilk. Let's hope the upcoming round of Congressional elections doesn't result in more of those kinds of people in office. Cast your vote carefully.

Bits & Pieces

1. Yesterday my grand daughters (ages 6 & 3) proudly showed me a recent gift from their uncle (which probably included some stuff from their father): IV bags, tubes, connectors, bandages, medical charts, sugical gloves, assorted paraphernalia & a doll called Igi IV. They then proceeded to explain the purpose of all of this stuff-accurately! To think, when I was 6 I was pushing dump trucks and bulldozers around in a sand box. But then I never pretended to be a genius.

2. Here's an excellent example of a knee-jerk reaction: Recently there was a tragic accident in CT where a school bus and a car collided resulting in the death of a student. The driver of the bus was not licensed to drive a vehicle of that weight. It was the first school-bus related fatality ever recorded in the state of Connecticut. Immediately a state representative called for legislation mandating seat belts on buses. Bad idea. Accidents are terrible but you have to back away from the emotion of it and look at it statistically. First, the cost is prohibitive. But if that seems callous to you, consider the actual consequences of seat belts on a bus-especially one transporting small children. Can you imagine the chaos, delays and numerous incidents of tripping kids they would cause? It would take forever for a bus to get to school-or home-because the diver is busy buckling or unbuckling every kid. Factor in the high probability of kids tripping on belts hanging all over and you have a mess. All this because out of all the kids who ride buses over millions of miles, ONE was killed. Knee-jerk.

3. Dontcha just love republican Senators right now? While privately being absolutely giddy with delight over Harry Reid's stupid remarks, publicly they're screaming & foaming at the mouths with righteous indignation for Reid's resignation. What a bunch!

4. So Sarah Palin has signed on with Fox. Gosh, what a surprise! Nevertheless, that's great news for normal people. She's exactly where she belongs. Out of the public's eye where she was making a pain in the ass out of herself (not to mention a complete fool) & into her own little corner with the rest of her gas bag colleagues where we can ignore her.

5. Would you like a lesson in self destruction? Consider NBC's handling of Leno, O'Brien & Fallon and the Late-Night slot. Whose head is going to roll over this one?

6. Mark McGwire finally admits to using steroids. What a pathetic loser. He must never be allowed in the baseball hall of fame.

7. And finally, Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol. I have a three part question: Who's Simon Cowell & what's an American idol & who cares?

In A Child's Mind

My grand daughters have extraordinary imaginations. I'm sure the boys will too but the oldest is only two so their stories are yet to come. To continue, my 6 year old grand daughter and I were playing doctor this afternoon. I was a 4 yr old named Keila and my sister, Mary, was 2. My grand daughter was the doctor and her immediate concern was with Mary. It seems my grand daughter couldn't get enough blood from her so she had to start an IV. She would then spend the night in the doctor's office. If her condition worsened, she'd be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. During the night there would be people sitting by her bed watching her sleep. If she didn't get better she'd 'pass away'. When and if that happened she'd go to a cemetery. That's were dead people go. She told me God is in the clouds but dead people are in cemeteries. She asked me if I believed in God and I said I wasn't certain but I hoped there was one. She seemed to accept this but I could tell the wheels were turning. Soon it was my turn to be examined. I got my shots and was told to return to the waiting room where Mary was asleep on the little sofa. I could play with her if I wanted but not for long. Not long after that, Grandma came home and that was the official end of the game but we sure covered a lot of territory during the time we were playing that game. I wonder what's next.

Another Christmas Story and the Perils of Parenting

I know the holidays have come and gone but this is more a story about parenting than Christmas. Just recently I had a conversation with a lady who has an 8 year old son. She told me how her son has been struggling with the idea of Santa Claus. He's getting to the age where he's putting things together but he's not completely there yet. It seems that he didn't get a particular book he wanted for Christmas so he logged on to Amazon.com, navigated to the account history page and there before him was a list of almost every single thing he had received for Christmas. Very puzzled, he approached his mother and asked her if Santa used Amazon.com. She said, "well, it certainly looks like it, doesn't it? Maybe he was just too busy this year to get everything done". She left it at that but it was clear the kid wasn't completely buying it. The mother is sure that very soon her son will get it sorted out. This is a great example of how childhood myths clash with the digital age. Here's a kid who has enough technical savvy to make his way around the internet yet can't quite connect the dots where it comes to Santa Claus. I see a similar scenario shaping up with my grand daughters. The older one will soon be 6 and her younger sister is 3. Their comfort level and expertise with computers is amazing-and scary. Children who know their way around the internet are at 'digital' risk. There's a LOT of trouble waiting for them. Parents need to watch what their kids are doing more than ever. This is just one more thing for parents to worry about. My parents don't know how easy they had it. I could ride my bike all over town, all day long without anything to worry about except the occasional German Shepard trying to make a meal of me. Unfortunately there's now a whole lot more for kids (and parents) to worry about than dogs. I thought I'd be glad when my kids were grown up and I didn't have to worry about those things any more. Now I worry about their kids. No justice.

Let's Network!

Until recently I thought I was pretty much with it in terms of social networking. I've created and maintain my own website; I write a blog on a pretty regular basis; I'm on Facebook and I even Twitter from time to time. However, after reading an article recently in The Wall Street Journal, I realized I'm still living in the dark ages where it comes to 'networking'. It seems there's a whole other, well, 'network' out there.
Here are a few things I've been missing out on:

-You think your life is average? Join the crowd. There's a website where you can post your 'average' daily experiences. Fittingly it's called MyLifeIsAverage. http://mylifeisaverage.com/

-You mean your life is actually better than average. Well then, you need MyLifeIsG (for 'good'). You can find this at http://www.mylifeisg.com/

-The first two don't get it done? Need another forum to post those inner-most feelings? If so, this is for you.
FMyLife (I don't know what the 'F' means and I don't really want to know): http://www.fmylife.com

-Here's one that's sure to get you. A site that let's you post your text messages-honest! http://textsfromlastnight.com/

The WSJ article went on to mention a couple of others but we already know about them, i.e. FB, Twitter, MySpace, etc. So if you're sitting there on these cold winter days, wondering what kind of mischief you can get into, here you go. That's of course you don't have anything better to do than, say, a job, family obligations, various duties you've committed to, etc. Have fun and be sure to let me know how it works out.

New Year's Resolutions: Bah Humbug!

I'm in trouble now. My wife's made her one and only New Year's resolution. We (read 'me') are going to start using grocery coupons. It seems there's a great deal of money to be saved by taking the time to cut out all these pieces of paper, checking the expiration dates, looking at the fine print to make sure they don't require the purchase of a calf's brain with the item in question, etc. I'm the one who does most of the grocery shopping in our family. I often see (mostly) women standing in the aisles going through stacks of little pieces of paper to save 10¢ on a 60 lb. purchase of Crisco. Here's how I shop: I (we) make out a list. I stick to it religiously with the lone exception being if I see something one or more of the grand children would like, I buy it. Other than that, if it's not on the list, it doesn't get bought. When I see the item I want on the shelf, I toss it in the basket. Sometimes I'll check to see if buying a larger quantity will yield significant savings but that's it. I simply can't be bothered with coupons-up to now, that is. Besides, half the time I walk off leaving them on the counter. (I wonder what Freud would say about that?) Another thing I usually do is get name brand items. Contrary to what a lot of people say, buying the store brand often results in an inferior product, i.e. Stop & Shop 'Oat O's' vs. General Mills 'Cheerios'. No comparison. Cheerios are much better. But all this whining is academic because there behind me, on the family room coffee table is a pile of graffiti. And not far away is our little wood-burning stove, perking away. My wife just left to get her nails done. Hmmmmm.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Happy New Year. And now the 2nd decade of the 21st century has begun. The last 10 years were nothing less than extraordinary. The highlight of course was 9/11 but there was plenty of other note worthy stuff: A prolonged war-in the wrong place; eight years of a presidential team that proved to be more damaging than any other pair of elected officials-ever; one of the worse recessions in history; and finally, the election of a president who promised hope, change and cooperation. President Obama has completed one year of his term. For reasons partly not his own, it has been generally disappointing. His call for cooperation in tackling the tough issues and cleaning up the historic mess handed him was laughed at by his opponents. Republican members of congress have demonstrated clearly that their agenda is to object and oppose. Unfortunately, they have no interest whatever in the good of the country.

On a personal level this past decade has been equally eventful. Sandi and I welcomed into our family a son-in-law and daughter-in-law and four beautiful grand children. While Sandi's career continues to roll on, my life changed a great deal with retirement and some now resolved health issues. While the years 2000-2009 were very difficult in many ways, I can look back and see much to be thankful for.

And now on to 2010. Here are my predictions:
1. The economy will continue to improve. With the exception of occasional adjustments the stock market will continue to recover. Unemployment will go down, confidence will return and we will slowly work our way out of this very destructive recession. By the way, this is precisely what President Obama predicted.
2. The war in Afghanistan will continue to grind on. The US and its allies are facing an enemy who has been deeply entrenched for thousands of years but we have no choice. As long as they continue to commit atrocious acts of terror against the rest of us, we must resist.
3. The US political climate will change. The mainstream electorate is fed up. I predict the elections later this year will result in many incumbents losing their reelection bids. This in turn will result in a shift in power in congress. We may very well end up with a republican controlled house and/or senate. I don't think it will be a huge majority but enough to make Obama's second two years very difficult. All of this will result in continued bickering, posturing and general political stagnation. In other words not a whole hell of a lot is going to get done. There are those who would consider this a good thing.

On a personal level I predict a great 2010. More time with family & continued good health. I hope you, dear reader, have a good 2010 too.

Random Thoughts

Regarding the terrorist attempt to bring down that Delta jet:
A) Does anyone still doubt the need to root out Al Qaeda-where ever they are?
B) It should be noted that this guy boarded the plane in Nigeria. While US and European airports are reasonably secure, it is clear that the airports in third world countries are seriously lax. The U.S. should insist on immediate measures to ensure that this does not happen again. We should also insist on the right to inspect such measures. Failing that, all incoming flights from those areas need to be stopped.
C) Think profiling is discriminatory? Worried about hurting someone's 'feelings'. Concerned that you might offend a particular group of people? Tough! Get over it. These are difficult times and require harsh measures.

Message to the media concerning the custody battle raging between Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston: I don't care what you may think of Sarah Palin. Leave her and her family alone. It's a private matter and a very unhappy time for all of them. The public does NOT have the right to know every sordid detail of this thing.

Message to Charlie Sheen: Get a grip. Maybe jail time is what you need to straighten yourself out. Two and A Half Men may be a funny TV show but the real life thing is not so funny. Grow up.

Thus endth my rant for the day. But not to worry. There will be more.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Merry Christmas to one and all.

Review Time

Let's review what we've observed over the past several weeks that the Senate has been dealing with the issue of health care reform. On one hand you have 59 democrats who have been trying mightily to correct a shameful problem in this nation, i.e. millions of Americans who have been denied quality health care because they couldn't afford it or because insurance companies simply would not cover preexisting conditions. On the other hand you have 1 chairman of the Republican National Committee, 40 republicans and one insurance company spokesman-oops, sorry-make that an independent who have resorted to distortion, outright lying, name calling, threats and so-called 'public service' messages (costing millions of dollars) warning of dire consequences to health care reform. These jerks have the audacity to say they're looking out for our best interests. That's the GOP (Grand Opposition party) for you (plus Lieberman, of course). What a miserable pack of pathetic losers.

Two Suggestions, Joe!

Here are two important things you need to do, Senator Lieberman. First, call your fat cat insurance company buddies and tell them they can pull their multimillion dollar ads because health care reform is looking more and more like a lock. Second, as soon as the Senate convenes after the holidays, make it official & join the Republican party. This way your hypocrisy will be in the right place along with all the other republican hypocrisies, i.e. privatization of Social Security, deregulation of Wall Street, too much government, blah, blah. Then when your term is up, we'll be rid of you once and for all. Can't take another chance on you splitting the democratic and republican votes and sneaking in for another 6 years. Totally unacceptable.

What A Difference A Day Makes

What a difference a day makes! Just twenty four hours ago, Obama was probably ready to throw himself in front of an Amtrak north-bound clipper (see yesterday's blog). But as of today it appears-although details are still lacking- several nations, including China, have agreed to major climate control initiatives; and the Senate has agreed to some sort of health care reform measure leaving Joe Lieberman no reason to hold the nation hostage any longer. Details about this are also absent-at least as of this writing. So the president must be feeling better about things. All he has to do now is get the House of Representatives-a much more liberal body than the Senate-to agree to the Senate's version of the bill and his wish to have it done by Christmas will be granted. Merry Christmas, Mr. President.

Give the Poor Guy A Break!

Poor Barack. He just can't seem to get a break. Republicans were never on board with his attempt to reform health care legislation and now liberal Democrats are jumping ship. On top of that he can't count on the support of dirt bag Joe Lieberman. Add to that the Copenhagen debacle. You couldn't get them to agree on the salad dressing never mind climate control initiatives! The war in Afghanistan becoming more and more controversial, persistently high unemployment figures and now the news that Iranian forces have surrounded an Iraqi oil field threatening the precariously fragile stability of the region! What's this guy gotta do??? I think he should pull a Sarah Palin, i.e. quit, write a book and make tons of money! Problem solved (his anyway).

Another Story from a WWII Vet

On previous occasions I've written about my friend Vern who was a prisoner of war in a German prison during World War II. On Tuesday morning he told us another story. It seems that at one of the Stalags where he was being kept some of the prisoners decided to attempt an escape. They began digging a tunnel next to Vern's bunk. As this plan proceeded Vern was not aware of it because due to his physical condition he had not been asked to participate. One afternoon German guards came through the barracks. They had crowbars and they were tapping the floor. When they came to the spot where the tunnel was being dug, the tapping of the crowbar produced a distinctly different noise. The first thing I thought of was knocking on a wall to try to find a stud. It's similar to that. Anyway, when the Germans heard the sound they ripped up the floor boards and discovered the tunnel. Because the closest bunk was Vern's, they took him to the commandant's office. Vern was extremely frightened. He thought he was going to be shot. When he was seated, the commandant poured him a glass of schnapps, sat down and asked him if he knew anything about the escape plan. Vern was able to truthfully answer that he knew nothing. The commandant poured him another schnapps, let him drink it and then returned him to his quarters. Vern is still not sure how he got out of that jam. It didn't square with all the stories he'd heard. He went on to tell us how the prisoners managed to dispose of the dirt they removed from the tunnel. It was done in exactly the same way as depicted in the Steve McQueen movie, The Great Escape. They filled their pockets and slowly released it in the prison yard. Obviously the producers of the movie did their research. A short time after all of this happened, Patton's 3rd Army rescued Vern and the rest of the prisoners. We speculated that the German commandant knew the end was near and he was hoping for consideration for his kindness. Vern considers himself lucky! Stories like this make me realize how lucky WE are.

The Gospel: According to Everyone

When in the company of about 30 adults who have had a few drinks, it's only natural that a rather diverse array of interesting 'information' would be overheard. Thus I present the following list of overheard and discussed items for your consideration:
-Sarah Palin is an extremely bright woman & breath of fresh air for the nation.
-Sarah Palin is an idiot and utterly devoid of an original thought. She would be a disaster if elected to ANYTHING.
-Global warming is a huge hoax. There is no evidence what-so-ever for it.
-Global warming is a fact and we better take control of the situation before it's too late.
-Obama is a raving socialist who is ruining the country.
-Obama is a highly intelligent, progressive leader who is doing a great job.
-Health care reform is the ruination of this country. It won't be long before anyone over the age of 72 will not be covered by Medicare because statistically they'd be on borrowed time anyway so why spend money on them.
-Health reform is absolutely necessary and it's a crime that a nation like this can't provide basic quality health care to every single person.
-Stop going to doctors. They don't know what the hell they're doing and they're in league with insurance companies and big pharma.
-Great idea. Stop going to doctors-and die!
-Voters should vote against every single politician coming up for reelection in 2010 no matter who's running against him/her.
-Voters should carefully consider all candidates and if worthy reelect an incumbent.
-Senators Dodd & Lieberman are history. No argument there at all.
-The Saab & the Saturn (old news) are history.
-Volvo is being sold to China (new news).
-A former resident of South Africa told us to stop whining. SA has the highest income tax in the world and it's tough-really tough-to be a woman there.
-Tiger Woods has a lot of explaining to do. He needs to go on national television, confess all and ask for forgiveness.
-Tiger Woods should do exactly what he's doing. Say nothing publicly and deal with the situation privately. It's no one's business and no one really cares anyway.
-PGA revenue is going to take a huge hit next season.
-The minute Woods returns to the golf course, PGA revenue will sky rocket.
-Chinese made products are junk.

Those are just a few of the juicy nuggets that were thrown around all of which generated a great deal of heated discussion. Talk about global warming! And on that cheerful note we all wished each other a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Note from China: Some Assembly Required

You know the three great lies, don't you? 1) The check's in the mail. 2) Of course I'll respect you in the morning & 3) I'm from the government and I'm here to help. Well they ought to add a fourth to that list: 'some assembly required'. Last night I put together a Thomas the Engine toy box for my grand son. By now I've gotten really good at putting stuff together. I've been doing it for so long that it's gotten easy to remember common patterns and engineering tricks. But there's absolutely no doubt that in recent years, things have gotten more difficult. Why? Made in China, that's why. It's not uncommon for parts to be missing, mismatched or of poor quality. For example, last night's particular item required a large number of different sized screws and an allen wrench. After using the allen wrench just once, the edges got so rounded that it was worthless. Off to the garage to get one of my own. As for the screws. I needed 8 of a large size and 22 smaller ones. What I got were 5 large ones and 35 smaller ones. Off to the garage to get screws of my own. This is not the first time something like this has happened. In fact it's more the rule than the exception. And it doesn't matter who the company is that sells the stuff. It's all made in China and any pretense to quality control is a bunch of bull. Once I wrote the company that makes those Radio Flyer wagons (genuine American made, right? BULL!)and complained about misaligned holes. They wrote back a long letter about their strict quality control standards. What a bunch of baloney! The thing looked like it was shipped directly from China. The box wasn't opened at all. For all the company knew it could have contained rice. Who's to fault for all this? Remember that blog I wrote a couple of weeks ago quoting Pogo? "We have met the enemy and they is US". It's our (yours actually) own fault. We (you) are not willing to pay a little more for quality. Instead, it's off to Walmart where virtually everything in the store is made in China. I'm not going to stop complaining because I gladly pay more for a quality product-when I can find one, that is.

He Must Go!

Confirmation that Joe Lieberman has lost his way appeared in the Wall Street Journal this weekend. He was the subject of their weekly interview. Among other things, Lieberman stated that 'no how, no way' was there going to be a health care reform bill that included the so-called 'public option'. It doesn't matter that the concept of 'public option' has yet to be clearly defined. It doesn't matter that some kind of 'public option' is the only real way previously uninsurable people will get health insurance. It doesn't matter that HMOs and insurance companies are the ones with the strangle-hold on many people. Just exactly who is Lieberman protecting? How is it possible for one person, no matter what committee he may chair, to be able to block further action by the entire senate? It looks like Palin isn't the only one who's gone rogue! I hope the voters are reminded of all of this when Lieberman's term is up.

Who's Responsible!

Have you seen the series of commercials lately that urge viewers to oppose health care reform? One is delivered by a doctor who criticizes the current rendition and the other is a long, sad narrative of a family who is facing financial ruin because of rising health care costs suggesting whatever comes out of Congress is going to be bad. I did a little research and discovered one of those commercials is sponsored by an anti union lobbying group. The other is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Both groups represent the insurance industry and they're obviously using scare tactics to further their cause. Nevertheless, I got to thinking about health care costs as it relates to me personally and I think one area of responsibility has to fall on our very own doctors. For example here's a list of all doctors I've been told I have to visit by my primary care MD:

Urologist
Radiologist
Nephrologists
Dermatologist
Pulmonary
Gastroenterologist
Orthopedist
Neurologist
Hematologist
Plastic surgeon

Some of these I've ignored. Others I have not and as such a visit usually resulted in one or more expensive tests. Granted I've had some unusual health issues over the past year and in many cases it was a good thing that I went but in at least 4 instances the visit was not necessary. The reason for this is because primary care doctors do not possess the diagnostic skills people once expected from their doctor. So referrals to specialists is a constant on-going thing. The other reason is because people today are so quick to sue that every doctor has to play the game of CYA. So what we're talking about here is better training and tort reform. These are areas that need to be addressed before there's any hope of meaningful reform.

Life Between A Rock and A Hard Place

How would you like to be the president right now? On one side he's got the hard right hammering him for setting a time table for withdrawal from Afghanistan. On the other side he's getting hammered just as hard from the far left for being there in the first place. I have taken the liberty of classifying both of these groups as simply the lunatic fringe. Between these two loud, generally obnoxious groups there's you and me-well me anyway. I don't know about you whoever you are! Obama of course did exactly the right thing. He acknowledged that it's in the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan that we can find the charming people who brought us 9/11. They need to be destroyed or they'll attempt to hurt us again. He also recognized that this can not and should not be an open-ended commitment. He's taking the huge gamble that 18 months from now, US and the few allied forces that are there will have largely destroyed Al Qaeda. His presidency is riding on this, the issue of health care reform and the state of the economy on election day in 2012. No, I sure as hell wouldn't want to be the president!!

More Hot Air

Obnoxious gas bag (henceforth referred to as OGB), Karl Rove was on the Today show this morning picking apart the president's forthcoming speech. No matter that Rove hasn't heard it yet. But why should little things like the facts stop him and others of his ilk, i.e. Cheney, Palin, Limbaugh, etc, from spreading their venom all over the air waves? It's such a pity there always seems to be a microphone around to accommodate their quest for the limelight. They're the very reason I keep my remote close at hand. Click, click. They're gone! Great invention, the remote.

We Have Met the Enemy & They is US!

The big news in the sports world (and pretty much everywhere else) is Tiger Woods's accident which by the way has been termed 'minor' in spite of initial incorrect reports that Tiger was seriously hurt. Tiger has yet to meet with police to discuss the causes of his 2:30 A.M. adventure and he's certainly not discussing it with the press. If it were anyone else, the matter would be quickly forgotten. Yet, the rumor mill has been churning furiously-powered by the media's lust for more juicy information. There's this general belief that in all cases the public's right to know supersedes all other individual rights-especially the right to privacy. So the rumors abound, i.e. Tiger's wife hit him with a golf club, Tiger was fleeing a violent domestic dispute, Tiger was under the influence of pain medication, etc. The list goes on. How ridiculous! Why don't people just leave him alone? It's no one's business-not yours, not mine, not the nation's. This right to public knowledge thing is way out of hand and it's not the media that's at fault. If there were no people buying all those trashy magazines you see at the check out counter of grocery store in the nation, how long do you think they'd be publishing? Remember the immortal words of comic strip writer Walt Kelly's character, Pogo who was the wise little opossum living in Okefenokee Swamp: We have met the enemy and they is us!

Happy Thanksgiving To One and All

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
I have many, many reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving 2009. Pictured above are 4 of them.

Questions, Questions, Questions

I have a few questions:
Why did every single republican senator vote to cut off debate on health care reform?
Aren't they interested in the good of the country?
Don't they have legitimate ideas they could offer during the course of the debate?
Are they afraid of actually doing something positive?
Are they that committed to being obstructionists that they can't be rational about this?
Do they hate President Obama and the democrats that much?
Don't they have anything at all to offer this country besides the constant mantra of NO, NO, NO, NO?
Just asking.

Common Criminals or Prisoners of War??

Throughout the course of this past week sharing the headlines with health care reform was Attorney General Eric Holder's announcement that the 4 masterminds of 911 will be tried in NYC. Much of what I've heard and read is the usual oppositional hot air being blown around by those mostly republicans who would attack absolutely anything coming from the Obama administration. It doesn't matter if the idea is good for the country or not. If it's Obama's idea, fight it! On one hand, I find it interesting that those opposed to having the trial in NYC are the very people who beat their chests around the world, extolling the virtues of the 'American Way', i.e. due process, liberty and justice for all, and a right to a fair trial. Then in pretty much the same breath they seek to ignore those very ideals for the 4 defendants. On the other hand, I do have to wonder how much thought went into the decision to do this. There is absolutely no doubt that these four individuals are self-confessed terrorists. Technically, aren't we at war with terrorist groups? As such shouldn't we have a military tribunal overseeing the whole thing? Why would the Obama administration want to risk a painful, prolonged trial where defense attorneys use all their tricks to lengthen the process and turn it into a mockery? Putting the matter before a military tribunal still gives the defendants the trial they seek but it also prevents a lot of the stuff their lawyers are going to pull. I think in this particular situation, the Obama administration erred. I find it difficult to side with critics of this move because so many of them are such obnoxious jerks, but if nothing else, for the sake of the families of 911 victims, perhaps Holder should back track and think it through a little better. Just a thought.