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SetonnoteS  

Redeemable?  (12/31/09)
I have been opposed to capital punishment since I can remember, though there have been instances when my resolve has been tested. Mostly reason wins out, especially when the circumstances indicate that the perpetrator was a badly damaged individual.

Heroes of Our Own Time  (12/30/09)
If you meet a guy at the supermarket offering a 40-day cruise with abominable accommodations, maybe you should sign up. Then again, it?s tough to know if he isn?t just one of the usual collection of fruit loops who shows up when times get tough.

The, Um, Truth  (12/29/09)
The head of our Homeland security claimed that when she said our air safety system passed the test she, um, meant that there were problems with the system, on account of it hadn?t actually worked.

Fly Naked and Shackled  (12/28/09)
There aren?t a lot of ways to make sure that people who are determined to wreak havoc are prevented. Maybe if everyone had to travel naked and handcuffed to a railing, after being x-ray?d to make sure they hadn?t swallowed a time bomb.

Christmas in America  (12/25/09)
A Christmas eve poem.

Angels and Stars  (12/24-25/09)    -- REVISED --
Let us all open our hearts, if not our wallets, to the needy. Let us strip churches of their tax exemptions. Let us watch "A Christmas Carol" with Alastair Sim (1951). And let us pray, each in our own way, for peace and harmony in the new year.

The Tipping Point  (12/23/09) 
It?s happened a number of time over the past thirty years, but more frequently during the past decade. It was like the Doomsday Clock which got to within two minutes of its midnight horror story but backed off and then moved forward again. It stands at 11:55.

Irresponsible Risk  (12/22/09) 
I?m reminded of de Tocqueville?s observation about Americans being perhaps a tad obsessed with their notion of individualism. That was nearly two centuries ago, and it obtains today. It often trumps responsibility.

Money Flops  (12/21/09) 
Unfortunately, re-election and pulling in the special interest campaign investments is all Obama and the Capitol Hillers are focused on. I suppose we brought it on ourselves by voting these people in, but that certainly doesn?t provide much solace.

Coffee, Juice or Sanity  (12/18/09) 
Watching the tape of the report, which featured the alleged perp and the passenger who sat behind him, there ain?t no doubt in no one?s mind that they guy hadn?t done anything. That it was the stew who had a whacked-out moment.

Lofty Goals  (12/17/09) 
My pal Steve Pizzo is a highly-respected journalist and is now taking up flying. The other day he suggested that we not bother any more about politics since the Congress was a quagmire of corruption and stupidity, and instead focus on aviation.

Skin in the Game  (12/16/09) 
He was in the thick of things in Iraq and now Afghanistan. The other day he did a Q&A and judging from his responses, he is one tired war correspondent. He insists on being nonpartisan because otherwise, he says, he would lose his credibility as a reporter.

A Peek at the Crime Wire  (12/15/09) 
The Senate is further lining the pockets of the insurance industry. Their plan is to make Medicare available to Americans over 55, instead of waiting until they?re 65, but they?re gonna charge us $7,600 a year for coverage.

Cram Your Reform  (12/14/09) 
While ballyhooing legislation that would significantly curtail banking and investment practices that got us into the mess we?re in today, House leaders did not speak of the defeat of a mortgage cramdown amendment.

Items in the News  (12/11/09) 
What with all the coverage of Tiger Woods, his accident, wife, girlfriends and mother-in-law, you would be excused if you missed some of the real news, so here are some stories that might not have made it off the tee, so to speak.

The Fourth Stage of an Empire  (12/10/09) 
One idea that stuck was about the four stages of an empire, with the United States being boomingly in the third. The fourth stage was disintegration. The then-obvious example was the British.

Bits & Pieces  (12/09/09) 
Shame on David Broder for being so incredibly wrong for the umpteenth tome. The so-called dean of the Washington press corps declared that it was more important for Obama to tell us his plans about Afghanistan than to have a good plan.

Quantity of Life  (12/08/09) 
I wouldn?t argue that some people will say that the extra time is worth the cost, with the white coats nodding their heads thoughtfully in the background, but I would be adamant in saying no public or even insurance money should be spent on such folly.

Obama in Camou  (12/07/09) 
There are land mines still in 70 countries around the world, and last year, they killed at least 1,200 people and wounded 4,000 more. The vast majority of them were civilians, of course, and many of them farmers and children.

Another Mad King  (12/04/09) 
The King?s main argument was that the colonists were a threat to the British Empire and had to be stopped before their ideas about freedom and democracy spread like a cancer throughout the world, infecting other British interests.

Boxing Shadows  (12/03/09) 
Barbara Boxer continues to live a charmed political life. The junior Senator from California has a record stretching back three decades, also in the House and in Bay Area politics. It is a remarkably thin record.

Our House in Order  (12/02/09) 
Did you hear the story when you were a child about the mama crab telling the baby crab to walk straight? Which is something crabs can?t do, of course. The moral of the story being "Do as I say, not as I do" dudn?t work.

And Justice for All  (12/01/09) 
America is the land of opportunity. Anyone can grow up to be president, for example. But while that may be true, there is another rule that tends to constipate reality, and that is that the rich and famous get treated differently, and better.
 

Thirteen Years Old  (11/30/09) 
Look around at the children...your own, extended family, your neighbors and your friends. According to President Obama?s plans, the war in Afghanistan will last until 2018 or so, and that?s when the last American will lose his life for this tragic mistake.

Thanksgiving 2009  (11/26-27/09) 
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, perhaps because I grew up in Massachusetts. We were always shooting turkeys, fighting off Indians, and helping the pilgrims learn how to plant corn in the frozen ground.

The Good Warrior  (11/25/09) 
 I asked him about what it meant to be a warrior, and if he thought of our president as one. He thought long and hard, and said that while he liked Obama and thought very highly of him he didn?t think of him as a warrior.

Responsibility  (11/24/09) 
Unfortunately, in our money-riddled political system, elected office seems to attract mostly rich people with big egos and/or stalking horses for deep pockets interested in controlling government policies and expenditures from behind the curtain.

The Idiot Box  (11/23/09) 
And CBS, once the gold standard of broadcast journalism, digs for new lows on a daily basis, continuing to air Charles Osgood, even though it appears the once-thoughtful reporter is now suffering Lou Dobbs disease.

Too Many Tests  (11/20/09) 
For the second time in a dozen years, a panel of highly-credentialed scientists and doctors have declared that mammograms are being over-done ? hugely over-done ? but our Health Secretary tells us their findings don?t mean anything.

Come Home, Barack  (11/19/09) 
So with such a string of extraordinary failures, my suggestion is that the State Department be converted into a veterans? convalescence center which would provide some actual benefits for our country.

Capturing the Glory  (11/18/09) 
I just returned from my first shoot on my daily constitutional by the Pacific and downloaded 20 or so pix in a trice. I didn?t have to wait until I finished a roll of film. I like that.

Democrats...Donkey...Not a Coincidence  (11/17/09) 
The man is to leadership what a broken clock is to the time...right only two minutes a day. Indeed, the whole Democratic party is to leadership what Israel is to peace, the Taliban to women?s rights, and Somalia is to sanity.

Stories You Might Have Missed  (11/16/09) 
The chief teabagger in the House is such a whack-job, explained one conservative colleague anonymously, that it makes it impossible for her to retain staff. Said the lawmaker, "When your captain's crazy, it's time to find a new ship."

Incidental Truth  (11/13/09) 
Excuse me, are there a lot of American Muslims in uniform who are corresponding with a terrorist preacher? Especially those who were clearly exhibiting emotional problems for months?

Enormity of Delusion  (11/12/09) 
Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Poor minority women are most likely to be too heavy, and in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia more than 30% of adults are obese.

Blue Stew  (11/11/09) 
There could well be mitigating circumstances, as yet unreported, in both the California and the Ohio cases. Some cops get it right, maybe most of them, but I get the feeling that most of us are just very lucky not to be the victims of luckier criminals.

Real Courage, Barack  (11/10/09) 
As the world waits to see what President Obama decides to do about American involvement in Afghanistan, a heavy pall blankets his pondering. As with most everything in Washington, the options lie not between right and wrong but worse and disastrous.

Fourth Estate in Foreclosure  (11/09/09) 
Maybe I?m becoming more curmudgeonly but I?m noticing a decreasing level of competence when it comes to professional news organizations. All too many of them have become more casual about their journalism.

Bits & Pieces  (11/06/09) 
After months of twaddling about the health care crisis, California?s senior senator put her finger on the problem when she issued as statement that said, "Private, for-profit insurance companies have no moral compass."

The Aught Nine Vote  (11/05/09) 
These races had less than nothing to do with the president or federal policies. They were local races, and the people made their choices based on home state issues. The only race with national political implications was in the New York 23rd.

Neolith Radio Nutwork  (11/04/09) 
It doesn?t happen often that SetonnoteS becomes the drop site for an informational bombshell. But occasionally something comes over the electronic transom that is bound to garner significant interest. I can only suspect that it was sent to me in error.

Junking Up Space  (11/03/09) 
There are zillions of them, especially, of course, free accounts that people sign up for and never use and forget. Also, folks leave companies or organizations and the IT people are too busy with other matters to bother cancelling their email accounts.

Progressive Conservatives  (11/02/09) 
The mainstream Dems and the Reps are a one-voice chorus drowning in their own meaningless rhetoric. They are all only about getting power and keeping it without the vaguest notion of what to do with it.
 

Darling Denise  (10/30/09) 
I used to think I knew what love is. Maybe I did, for what a youth knows. But it wasn?t until many relationships, and decades of life replete with learning and unlearning, that I came to know myself deeply enough to gain a glimpse of what love really is.

Bits & Pieces  (10/29/09) 
California?s Treasurer, an oft-entertaining and almost always direct fellow, spoke of The Golden State?s fiscal conundrum. Bill Lockyer said, "It's impossible for this Legislature to reform the pension system, and if we don't it will bankrupt the state."

The Quality of Life  (10/28/09) 
This isn?t a screed against wealth. I?m look forward to having some myself down the road, but there is this codicil, and it is that there are limits past which we must call it greed. And greed, according to our ethical foundations, is a sin.

Local National Security  (10/27/09) 
This response isn?t by any means unique to Seaside. Across the county the police have given up on certain parts of their jurisdiction. Saying it out loud, however, underscores the degree of their acceptance of their failure.

Yo, Wake Up In There  (10/26/09) 
Their explanation is that they were distracted by a heated conversation over company work rules. That?s so far beyond plausible that you wonder how they managed to tell the story without laughing.

The Silver Rule  (10/23/09) 
You know that the golden rule says Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. A corollary of that fundamental tenet of civilized society might be the silver rule, which recognizes the obligation to say No, thank you.

Bits & Pieces  (10/22/09) 
The Rolling Stone writer described the company as a "great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money."

Tax the Faux Holy  (10/21/09) 
There?s no one atoning for their sins; they?re not even admitting them. People could get at least as much from talking with their god at the beach or in the woods. Churches should no more have exemptions than bowling alleys.

The Mayor of the Beach  (10/20/09) 
I?m kinda the self-anointed mayor of the stretch of beach and boardwalk that I ply every day. I don?t make rules nor is there any council with whom to argue. Perhaps because I haven?t shared the news of my title.

Who Represents Us?  (10/19/09) 
The White House has gotten into the ring with Fox, accusing them of being a propaganda tool of the Republicans. It?s difficult to discern who is leading whom with that pair. but it?s always dicey to pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.

Glorious Inclemency  (10/16/09) 
The rain came down in sheets. We got almost three inches in 24 hours; a record for a single day in October. A lot of it came down sideways, but because it was driven by winds from the south, it was warm, and quite delicious.

Facing the Facts  (10/15/09) 
A person with a healthy mind and who isn?t bound by the truth but to it is someone far more likely to produce a healthy and productive future than the self-aggrandizing narcissists who hold onto power as though they are addicted.

Authority in the Wrong Hands  (10/14/09) 
They call it zero-tolerance but it should be zero-sentience. Any zero-tolerance policy that doesn?t take circumstances into account ? that doesn?t allow for reason to mitigate fear-driven regulations ? is inevitably going to run into trouble.

The Descent of Winter  (10/13/09) 
Has anyone else noticed how quickly it?s getting dark lately? And how late the sun is in rising? Surely this activity is being carried on much earlier and later, as it were, than in previous years. What happened to fall?

The Nobel Peace Prize  (10/12/09) 
Perhaps the Nobel folks are smarter, having the benefit of distance from the day-to-day we witness here at home. Maybe they are right about Obama and what he is doing, and particularly what he might do.

Tendentiously Specious Aggravation  (10/09/09) 
At risk of being placed on the "no fly" list, I owe it to you-all to launch into a tirade against the Transportation Security Administration or TSA. This is the agency that is supposed to provide security for travelers. Instead they provide annoyance.

Bits & Pieces  (10/08/09) 
The Detroit Tigers blew their off-season hopes, and at least some of the responsibility sits on the shoulders of Miguel Cabrera who apologized to his teammates before their final defeat...for having been drunk during the last weekend of critical games.

The Placeholder  (10/07/09) 
Back in 2007, then candidate Obama told a colleague of mine that he was a placeholder. It was not clear at the time what he meant. Now one is forced to wonder if he meant that he is holding a place for a real leader. 

Riding a Dead Horse  (10/06/09) 
Now the Taliban want their country back. They say they will fight with the same ferocity as the colonists did when we repelled the British foreign occupiers. That?s not very encouraging, for our side. It?s very much like Vietnam was.

Non-Voting Pols  (10/05/09) 
When asked about her voter registration history, she told the reporter to go find it? When pushed about why she hadn?t cast a ballot in a whole slew of important elections, she said she was busy taking care of her children.

Cable Shame  (10/02/09) 
It?s not clear that anyone at CNN or the other cable "news" operations has a clue about what is journalism since clearly they don?t practice it. Indeed, they are far more comparable to the National Enquirer than the New York Times.

Employees of the Public  (10/01/09) 
Yes, there is considerable room for combining and streamlining operations through upgraded technology, but the over-riding issue is putting in place brighter, more committed employees.
 

Survivors and Recovery  (09/30/09) 
We all know women who are breast cancer survivors. There?s no question we?re delighted that the disease was fought and stemmed. We all pray that it should never come back, and after all, why should it?

Spies and Wars  (09/29/09) 
re we supposed to just sit back and trust these clowns? I don?t think so. It was that kind of submission that got us into Vietnam and Iraq and dozens of wars in between. Our own government is not to be trusted.

Bits & Pieces  (09/28/09) 
A former American Airlines CEO favors the proposal that no one should have to be stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours, although Robert Crandall says such a rule will cause more problems. Horse-hockey.

The Right Coast  (09/25/09) 
The food and wine were delicious. The sailing of a 36-footer ? an able captain at my elbow ? was a stellar experience; tacking this way and that, avoiding rocks and myriad lobster buoys was a thrill.

Father and Son  (09/24/09) 
My father didn?t like his father. I don?t think my father ever really liked me. Nor did he get along very well with my sisters, though he liked their children. And this man was a psychoanalyst, if that means anything.

Good News-Bad News  (09/23/09) 
It?s not the oldest good news-bad news jokes, but it is one of the classics, at least in my time, and I remember it because it was told by my sister, Julia, who was then a student at Bryn Mawr.

Signs of a Waist  (09/22/09) 
When I had my biannual pilot?s physical, the kindly grey-haired physician said I might lower my blood pressure. He thought I might take drugs. He?s old-school. So I checked with another doctor pal and he said I might drop 15 pounds.

Show Gates the Gate  (09/21/09) 
Now Gates is throwing his lot in with the general in charge of Afghanistan and America?s military commander-in-chief in support of boosting the war there. More troops, more money, more Americans dying.

The Fall of Autumn  (09/18/09) 
Even here on the Central Coast, where the range of highs and the range lows each year are usually within twenty degrees, there is a declarative moment when summer is gone and fall has suddenly taken its place. 

Kill...Kill...Kill...  (09/17/09) 
The notion of killing one?s enemies might have some attraction in the moment, but if you?re dealing with a generic opposition, like Taliban or Republicans or liberals, you face the problem of there being too many of them to eradicate.

A Home Run  (09/10a/09) 
Last night I watched the finest speech he has ever delivered, I?m sure, and probably one of the finest delivered ? on Capitol Hill or anywhere in American politics ? in the past many decades.

Geldings of Governance  (09/15/09) 
A true leader could turn it all around. Someone of integrity, courage and vision who would stand up to the bullies, tell the truth to the American people, and unite our nation behind what is honest and just.

Righteous Anger  (09/14/09) 
Certainly we might acknowledge that someone had a right to get angry, but a more evolved consciousness would point out that getting angry isn?t usually an effective response, as reasonable as it might seem.

R.I.P. Texting While Driving  (09/11/09) 
Why haven?t the president and Congress simply slammed through a measure that would ban all texting while driving, and add mandatory sentences of, say, five years for anyone convicted of texting that occurred during an accident and ten years for a fatality?

Flotilla of Anchors  (09/10/09) 
They found not only the anchors wanting, but the newscasts. Serious journalism was increasingly replaced with poignant if irrelevant feature stories, leaving the country less informed every year.

BHO, Remember LBJ  (09/09/09) 
For goodness sakes, Afghanistan is half-way around the world. There are plenty of other nations more in harm?s way; let them deal with the primitive religious fanatics who are playing the West like a badly-tuned fiddle.

Mental Muscle Spasms  (09/08/09) 
I think most sentient beings have had days ? and longer periods ? when they have felt torn apart between thoughts and emotions. Times when you were feeling like the dog?s dinner, even though your rational mind told that everything was all right.

Bits & Pieces  (09/07/09) 
A report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers says a forest of 100,000 "artificial trees" could be deployed in the next ten to 20 years which would help to soak up the world?s carbon emissions.

Screwing for Two Hours  (09/04/09) 
The inspection didn?t turn up anything that needed major work. Some lights were changed, we got a new front tire, and the cargo latch was re-secured. The plane passed the annual, dare I say, with flying colors.

Ted Kennedy?s Legacy  (09/03/09) 
He made himself the perfect target for the right-wing and every late night talk show host. He was the symbol of liberalism, easily scorned, and therein his just causes were also smeared.

Sink the Murdoch  (09/02/09) 
There are a handful of individuals who actually put Bush-Cheney in control, who watered down our civil rights with the Patriot Act and wiretapping, and who made the invasion of Iraq happen. Murdoch is one of those.

Embarrassing the Empire State  (09/01/09) 
He was lieutenant governor until he was suddenly plopped into the shoes of Eliot Spitzer last year. He might have been all right in the ceremonial second slot, but he was clearly elevated beyond his abilities.
 

Of Course, Investigate  (08/31/09) 
 If anyone under the American flag tortured anyone they should be punished. After being convicted in a court of law. Promptly. Unlike most of the detainees in Guantanamo and in rendition centers around the world.

Morning Squawks  (08/28/09) 
He must get bonuses from needlessly interrupting his guests and mindlessly repeating himself. To his credit in this case, Scarborough told Weiner that the Congressman?s statements made his speechless.

Judging without Judgment  (08/27/09) 
The purpose of the courts is to interpret the laws in a Constitutional context. It is also to provide balance against the machinations of the executive and legislature which all too often fall prey to political pressures that affect their job security, and better judgment.

Miscellany  (08/26/09) 
Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in prison for gun violations. He put a pistol in waistband of his sweat pants. It slipped, duh, he grabbed for it, it went off, shooting him in the leg and nearly hitting someone else.

Bits & Pieces  (08/25/09) 
An article in the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a tug boat that had been decommissioned in 1974 ? that?s right, 35 years ago ? and had belonged to some sort of historical group, had sunk off Treasure Island in The Bay across from The City.

Oh, Oh Obama  (08/24/09) 
He has to use his office as a bully pulpit and do his damned job. He has to champion the interests of the American people, and lead them as a force against the entrenched corruption and venality of Capitol Hill.

Ads Up the Lies  (08/21/09) 
I seem to recall that at some point in the not too distant past, what was said in a broadcast commercial or a print ad had to be truthful, which meant within reasonable limits of hyperbole.

Happy Tenth  (08/20/09) 
While I appreciate that people appreciate that I write, I?m relieved that no one feels a duty to keep up. Especially since the writing is never a chore but almost always a form of therapy.

The Idiot Box  (08/19/09) 
Of course not all of the programming is stupid, though much of it is mindless distraction designed for a 12-year-old mind. And don?t flatter yourself; a twelve-year old mind ain?t what it used to be.

Rats...Box..Then What?  (08/18/09) 
I think we may have entered a new stage in our evolution, in which intellect and sanity are being eclipsed by a dis-ease of sorts. A rabid disregard -- indeed disdain -- for facts and truth.

Bits & Pieces  (08/17/09) 
A Redwood City, California man is being held on $60,000 bail after pleading not guilty to charges relating to nude doorbell ringing. The fellow didn?t hurt anyone though at 6'7" and 250 pounds he scared some people.

Puff on This  (08/14/09) 
France, the British Isles, and now Turkey have banned smoking in most public places nationwide. Iraq is next. But not in the good ole U-S-of-A. Smoking is a god-given here in Marlboro country. Or at least in much of it.

Calling for Help  (08/13/09) 
I was perambulating down by the water?s edge as is my preference when the tide is low and the season has moved sand over the rocks, when suddenly I saw a movement to my left, landward, on the ground. I stopped and looked. There was a seal.

Tarnished Elite  (08/12/09) 
John McCain called it just "free money," and worried that by the time the Senate comes back from its summer recess, the money will be gone and they?ll vote billions more be showered upon the clunker owners.

The Lies Have It  (08/11/09) 
I?ve been suggesting with increasing ardor recently that perhaps our species has not yet evolved to a point where self-governance is a viable option. Perhaps we need to take a baby step toward that issue with a question about the limits of free speech.

Errant Wanderers  (08/10/09) 
Since we don?t have normal or even reasonable relationships with these countries, it raises serious questions about the intelligence of both the hikers and the journalists for their even approaching the borders, let alone crossing them.

Flying Too High  (08/07/09) 
When I was in college I took Econ 101 from the department chairman. It was a night course, which suggests that either he couldn?t find enough teachers or he really loved The Dismal Science. My guess was the latter, for I enjoyed the class.

Time to Go, Senator  (08/06/09) 
Three terms in the House and five in the Senate, he?s been supporting a mostly progressive agenda. He?s been known as a hard-worker. And now he?s struggling with the health care issue, not with great success, it seems.

What Ain?t News  (08/05/09) 
I suppose in the name of freedom of speech we should refrain from fire-bombing the cable "news" networks, but certainly those companies that put their advertising bucks behind this rabble-rousing horse-hockey should be drummed out of business.

Return to 1962  (08/04/09) 
There is a simple way to fix all this, but with what we?ve seen from our government, the chances that they would do the right thing are less than the sun rising in the west tomorrow. It is to reduce the amount of greed by eliminating its reward.

Unhealthy Debate  (08/03/09) 
Why aren?t those 70+% of the populace over-running their legislators with fire-in-their-eyes rhetoric, petitions, phone calls that would push true reform through? The generous answer is, of course, is because they are confused.
 

Flack Juice  (07/31/09) 
Most of you are too young to remember the days when a company was more about manufacturing than spin control. Not the focus is not on how to prevent screw-ups so much as to be prepared with tons of horse-feathers to cover up the mistakes.

Post-Thinking Morality  (07/30/09) 
It?s most unfortunate, and eventually it will disappear, but it won?t go away as quickly until the racialists ? those who scream racism every time there are two different races involved in anything ? crawl back under their rocks.

Stop the Greedy  (07/29/09) 
It kinda takes your breath away, looking at how screwed up the economy is when you realize how much of it is the fault of the already-rich and greedy who apparently own our government. This is not hyperbole.

Self-Representation  (07/28/09) 
Everyone in Congress should be looking after their constituents, of course, but their over-riding obligation is not to the people in their district, nor to their special interest campaign investors.

Bits & Pieces  (07/27/09) 
Henry Gates? account of his arrest just doesn?t quite ring true. It?s hard to imagine that he would have been arrested if he?d told the cop, after showing him his identification, Thank you for keeping a sharp eye on my house.

Saving the Children  (07/24/09) 
...the incredible success of Greg Mortenson and the hundreds of schools he?s built and is building in Afghanistan and Pakistan. These schools are truly liberating a new generation of children to better alternatives than terrorism.

Time to Act  (07/23/09) 
I had hoped that he would be a proper surprise, that he would tell Americans the truth about what was broken and how to fix it, but instead he?s acting a lot, as a number of columnists have recently noted, like Herbert Hoover when he took office and the economy tanked.

Bits & Pieces  (07/22/09) 
The Israeli government is defying American pressure and going ahead with building more housing in east Jerusalem. Prime Minister Netanyahu declared Sunday that Jews can live anywhere they want in Jerusalem.

The Most Trusted Man in America  (07/21/09) 
There has been no one since Cronkite departed who has held a candle to him, at any of the networks. He set the standard for the evening news. He wasn?t over-run by the promotion department try to glitz up his broadcast or his persona.

Love in Flight  (07/20/09) 
I?m in love. Don?t go reaching for the gossip phone. Denise already knows. She gives me that arched-brow look that is more endearing than intimidating because she know she can?t compete with my new love. Well, not directly.

Bits & Pieces  (07/17/09) 
An invasion of jumbo squid near San Diego has driven divers from the water. Thousands of the five-foot-long, 100-pound carnivorous cephalopods have razor-sharp teeth and powerful tentacles. Experienced divers don?t go near them.

A New Supreme  (07/16/09) 
Of course we would want a wise Latina over any stupid, bigoted old white guy. Color, age, and ethnicity don?t hold a candle to intellect, compassion and vision. Sotomajor may not make a brilliant justice but she?s likely to be an improvement.

Avoidable Fatal Synapses  (07/15/09) 
The cop had a brain-o. Some synapse misfired and the gun went off. Certainly he is responsible for the action, but it should be understood that this wasn?t a deliberate act of murder.

Hip, Hip, um, Hoorah  (07/14/09) 
Similarly, our past ? and present ? have been animatedly garnished with ditzes or every variety, from Yogi Berra to Britney Spears, though it should be noted that the former, unlike the latter, had some talent.

Competition Can Be Good  (07/13/09) 
The only people who don?t like the idea of competition are those who work for insurance companies and the scoundrels they?ve bought on Capitol Hill. Competition can improve productivity and quality.

Upper Chamber Pot  (07/10/09) 
The United States Senate is a joke, and not a funny one. And it?s not because Al Franken has finally arrived. It?s because they are playing for votes with the future of our nation and the planet.

Bad, Bad Biden  (07/09/09) 
He doesn?t know when to shut up ? although he did fairly well in the veep debates ? and this means that the odds of his sticking his foot in his mouth are ever greater. He doesn?t disappoint the odds makers.

Observations on the News  (07/08/09) 
Minnesota finally got their second Senator. It took eight months for the November election to be ratified by the courts. There were only a thousand disputed ballots. It should only have taken a week.

American Political Idol  (07/07/09) 
It?s a ridiculous idea, certainly, only made even marginally plausible by the failure of our current system of choosing the proper people for our national legislature. And after all, the program would only make them visible.

Alaskan Swan Dive  (07/06/09) 
There was immediate presumption that she was stepping down so as to be able to focus on her presumptive presidential bid. Though it seemed like a dumb move since as governor, she would have had a forum for proving her actual leadership skills.

Stories You Might Have Missed  (07/03/09) 
The FDA is requiring the makers of two anti-smoking drugs to put a warning on their boxes saying taking the stuff can produce serious mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts, depression, hostility and other behavioral changes.

Unmasking the CIA  (07/02/09) 
Panetta is doing his best to protect The Agency when he should be clear out the rotten pilings and other dead wood that have produced myriad disasters for our nation over the past five decades.

California Ain?t Dreamin?  (07/01/09) 
California?s coming apart at the seams governmentally. We will somehow get through it all. But it?s kinda embarrassing that we have elected such a crop of yahoos that they lack the intellect, dignity and responsibility to figure out a solution.
 

Guns in Church  (06/30/09) 
The fact that they are cheering for a massively armed citizenry instead of trying to keep guns out of the hands of crazies and criminals underscores the flaws in their own identity. They are the people who probably shouldn’t have any weapons.

Whacko Media Shame  (06/29/09) 
Jesse Jackson is representing the family in calling for a second autopsy, maybe, and the late singer’s doctor has hired a major law firm to represent him; you know, maybe Jackson shouldn’t have been taking so many drugs. Are you watching, Elvis?

The Low Road  (06/26/09) 
It’s not really a surprise that the Republicans have yet another sex scandal to deal with. They of the moral high road, of family values. Just in the past coupla years, the loudest trumpeters of moral superiority have dived into the cesspool of shame.

News of A Nutty World  (06/25/09) 
...in Los Angeles, 15 eighth-graders were denied their diplomas for turning their back on their graduation speaker, the school board president, as a protest against teacher lay-offs. They’ll get their diplomas anyway.

Help Beyond Value  (06/24/09) 
Justice Souter expressed concern about costs for special education students amounting to 20% of a state’s school budget, and billions of dollars every year. It is a legitimate concern, but it doesn’t seem likely society is ready to deal with the issue in practical terms.

Credible Opprobrium  (06/23/09) 
The Sunday talk shows are what we have today instead of real journalism. The networks give the prominent voices in and around government the opportunity to spout off about this and that. The chance to voice support or opposition, or to run a different position up the proverbial flag pole and see who might salute it.

Audacious Hope  (06/22/09) 
There are days when reading the news can be a real downer. When to hope seems like a specious act of denial. In particular, I’m having trouble defending the administration. Yes, they’re new, and sure, the scope of the repairs needed in the wake of Bush-Cheney is vast.

Where Are the People?  (06/19/09) 
I'm talking about the basics of personal interaction. If you tell a traumatic story and you get no sympathy. If you offer a reasonable explanation and you can see in their eyes that it doesn't get traction. If you use humor, and nary a smile creases their expression.

Viral Perversion  (06/18/09) 
It was like a terrible smell was coming from the computer. A virus had gotten into Denise’s laptop that tried to get her to buy an anti-virus program. Two different pop-ups kept appearing on the screen every twenty seconds or so, asking if she wanted to be protected.

News Isn’t Sports  (06/17/09) 
The mainstream media needs a serious dredging. There are few true journalists practicing anymore, and much of the reportage reeks of the winner-loser type of sports coverage that rarely gets down to the issues themselves.

Also on Sunday  (06/16/09) 
Iran moved closer to, well, we’re not sure. Their top dog has ordered an investigation into the election results. Appropriate, considering that every objective observer was calling the record turnout a landslide against Ahmadinejad.

Bits & Pieces  (06/15/09) 
Considering the myriad announcements on every channel, and the fact that the boxes were virtually free, ya gotta wonder how long it will take these people to notice...and then how they will deal with it.

Cops and Vision  (06/12/09) 
Their opposition to Olson being reunited with her family and being allowed to serve her parole time underscores a narrow-mindedness and vindictiveness that can cripple their ability to see the broader picture in many law enforcement situations.

Graduation Day  (06/11/09) 
Hearing only the cheers and applause, certainly appropriate to the occasion, one wonders if they heard any useful truth from whoever spoke at their ceremony. Likely it was something very boilerplate about opportunity and opportunity to serve.

Medical Bankruptcy  (06/10/09) 
We've all heard about some 50 million Americans being without health insurance. That's at any one time. When you consider how many are without coverage at some point during the year, the figure is around 80 million.

The Post-Arms Era  (06/09/09) 
There's an analogous problem on the international scene, with North Korea racing forward with their nuclear plans. The Obama administration apparently is not interested in appeasing Pyongyang anymore, and is trying to persuade China to join them in hardball.

Death in the Air  (06/08/09) 
We have also learned that automatic transmissions from the aircraft, during the last few minutes before whatever happened happened, included 24 error alerts. This might indicate a massive failure of all systems on the plane, such as it broke apart.

Bits & Pieces  (06/05/09) 
Kim Jong Il may be relinquishing control of North Korea. His chosen successor is his youngest son, Kim Jong Un. He's described by former students as a shy, "chubby-cheeked boy with an impish grin" who liked basketball and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

The Thrill Ain't Gone  (06/04/09) 
I haven't just been flying in my own mind incessantly during the past 23-plus months that I've been grounded for lack of funds, but I sure have thought about it. Especially about my landings. And Tuesday, when I flew for the first time in two years....

Bumps in the Road  (06/03/09) 
It seems obvious there was something wrong with the test, but there's something painfully wrong also with penalizing those who studied for it according to the way it was set up and then were denied promotions solely on the basis of their skin color.

Preachers of Hate  (06/02/09) 
The hate-mongers have also attacked Obama for taking his wife to dinner and the theater in New York, claiming it was an enormous waste of security funds. First of all, it's grand to have a classy president; it's been a while. Second, the event has got to boost sagging revenues on the Great White Way.

Rebirth of Wonder  (06/01/09) 
I walked back and forth in front of the pool to see if it had responded to my footsteps, but the crab didn't move, and so I walked away. I stopped fifteen feet beyond and looked back. The crab hadn't moved.

Observations on the News  (05/28/09)  A new study says that the average family is spending an extra $1,000 a year in health insurance premiums that go to pay for those who don't pay their hospital bills. The munificence is neither voluntary nor proclaimed. You're just being dinged by the medical-insurance industry.

Bad News  (05/28/09) 
The mainstream media is drowning in its own incompetence, and during an era when there are some many perceived alternatives in the blogosphere and cesspools like Fox, this is leading to a dangerously ill-informed electorate. Let's just look at three headline stories over the past couple of days.

Cuckoo's Nest  (05/27/09) 
President Obama says they are "recklessly challenging" the world and he is urging the rest of the planet to "stand up" to Pyongyang and insist that they honor an earlier promise not to pursue their nuclear weapons program. He and they could practice talking with my father.

Memorial Day 2009  (05/26/09) 
They are following a tradition that goes back ? not since the beginning of time, as some would say, but only some 13,000 years, from when our species came up with the idea of war. What a stupid concept.

Bits & Pieces  (05/25/09) 
Ask the wizard for a brain: "We're gonna consider how to manage the public's expectation desiring the lawmakers and the public acknowledge these are short-term temporary funds that should not lead to government growth two years from now when the dollars are gone."

The Gitmo Solution  (05/22/09) 
We should never have brought foreign prisoners to our hemisphere. They should have been held in Afghanistan, where they were arrested and lived. That not only would have made sense in terms of our own security, not to mention expense, but it would have been the moral thing to do.

Family Intervention  (05/21/09) 
Children, especially those under the emotional spell of lunatic parents, are usually incapable of thinking clearly for themselves. Certainly their views should be heard, but it's not likely they are going to break from their closest human relations, even if it's in their own best interests.

I'm, Uh, Sorry  (05/20/09) 
Republican Kim Hendren was telling fellow elephants about her traditional values which she contrasted with those of ?that Jew.? She was referring to New York's senior Senator, Charles Schumer. And of course, now she's apologizing.

Torturing the Speaker  (05/19/09) 
Pelosi may be telling the truth, but she hasn't convinced anyone of that fact. She said the CIA has lied, which is hardly a surprise, but she also provoked her erstwhile political ally, Leon Panetta, to stand up for The Agency against her.

Bits & Pieces  (05/18/09) 
Pharma giant Pfizer is going to give out some drugs free to people who have lost their jobs and health insurance. Among them is Viagra. It's a publicity stunt, of course, and an effort to keep people, um, hooked.

Pizzled  (05/15/09) 
I ran into one of my perambulation regulars the other day. Murph is a former physician who spends most of her waking hours reading philosophers and various other deep thinkers.

Prosecutorial Diddle  (05/14/09) 
No doubt America is breathing a collective sigh of relief that one of the greatest threats to our national security has finally been thwarted. I say finally because it took three trials, and this last jury took six days to come to a conclusion that the defendants -- well, some of 'em -- were in fact guilty.

Post This!  (05/13/09) 
Ben Franklin would be spinning in his grave if he saw what has happened to the Post Office he birthed more than two centuries ago. Before trains and planes and trucks, stamp machines and supermarket circulars. The U.S. postal system has slipped into the hands of mindless incompetents.

Crazy Broken  (05/12/09) 
It is ironic that if these evil-doers, as we would call them, had a brain tumor, we'd be sympathetic, but as it is they are instead emotionally broken, and we fail or refuse to understand. We don't have to forgive, but we can release our anger.

Just and Unjust Desserts  (05/11/09) 
Louis Caldera resigned his position as director of the White House Military Office. It was he who sent up two Air Force jet fighters to take photos of Air Force One over the Statue of Liberty, scaring thousands of people in southern Manhattan.

Bits & Pieces  (05/08/09) 
The director says the Vatican tried to stop his filming of "Angels and Demons" in Rome. The story is another religious thriller from the author of "The Da Vinci Code," another Howard-Hanks film the religionists didn't like. The Vatican says Howard's claim is just a publicity stunt. 

Justice Agonistes  (05/07/09) 
Now we all believe that people who commit offenses should have to make reparations to their victims and cover the costs of their adjudication, but how much sense does it make to send a single mother of four to jail for failing to pay $240 in leftover court fees from a 1996 crime?  

E-Scalping  (05/06/09) 
Foisted on us mostly out of liberal guilt and Congressional incompetence, abetted by the Black-Robed Nine, casinos are payback to the earliest human Americans for later human Americans stealing their land, and otherwise treating them atrociously.  

Observations on the News  (05/05/09) 
After a gracious greeting by President Obama, the Venezuela president is warning that the U.S. needs to follow up with more than a handshake. Hey, crude dictator, he gave you the best you've seen from the U.S. in years. 

Bits & Pieces  (05/04/09) 
Speaking of Senate Democrats, another should join the ranks at the end of June. That's when, speculation has it, Al Franken will finally be seated, seven months after his election. Which proves two things: Norm Coleman was a poor loser, and the elections process is a mess.

What Were they Thinking  (05/01/09) 
Its absolutely true that not only New Yorkers but the whole country is still antsy about the possibility or even likelihood of terrorist attacks, and flying a 747 lower over the city triggered understandable fears. Especially since it was accompanied by two fighter jets.


The Street  (04/30/09) 
The Dow is going to come down from its new heights, and probably head toward six thousand, a figure more reflective of where the nations economy will be. Perhaps the despair over The Street then will make everyone somewhat more aware of the need for fiscal integrity and effective regulation.

Outrageous Fortune  (04/29/09) 
Why is Wall Street back to paying the mega salaries they were doling out in 2007? For the same reason that oil companies are raising prices on gasoline. Because they can.

Hungry for Justice  (04/28/09) 
Indeed, we owe the truth to every American, from our forebears to forever generations. And I know where to start. Take away the Medal of Freedom awarded to then-CIA director George Tenet. Put him before a judge instead.

California Scheming  (04/27/09) 
Most people, even Californians, didn't pay attention to the details of the gridlock that kept the legislature from acting on our financial difficulties, and with good reason. The solution they finally arrived at wasn't gonna work.

The unSupreme Court  (04/24/09) 
Unless people at school or at work behave in a manner that indicates they are actually using or selling drugs, they should be presumed innocent and protected from unwarranted search.

Bits & Pieces  (04/23/09) 
America would like to put that scandalous chapter of our history behind us, but the Senate Minority leader says he's concerned about where the inmates most never having been even charged with a crime would wind up. There's plenty of space in Kentucky.

Excommunicate This  (04/22/09) 
Brazilian legislators are pushing for even stronger laws against abortion, which procedures are allowed only in cases of rape or a threat to the mothers health. They want to be as rigid as Chile, El Salvador and Nicaragua which allow no exceptions.

Just Following Orders  (04/21/09) 
Obama may not like the idea, but we need to find out everyone who was responsible for this deplorable conduct, from the policy makers in the White House down to the individuals who simulated the drowning.

Accidents Cant Happen  (04/20/09) 
At some point there will be a sea change of consciousness, and instead of holding out the possibility of using them, we will all excitedly agree to doing away with them, as quickly and as safely as possible.

Say Goodnight, SuperMom  (04/17/09) 
She claims she was discriminated against, she didn't get the job, because she was pregnant, and that she was intending to be a "working mom." The company said they thought she wouldn't be able to put in the hours, and that she probably wouldn't want to once she gave birth.

Justice Or Not  (04/16/09) 
Laws vary from nation to nation, and in individual cultures, but one over-riding tenet seems to remain throughout. Those in power will enforce or bend the laws to strengthen their position or advance their agenda. No wonder so many people insist that life isn't fair.

Clubbed News Network  (04/15/09) 
It happens so often. The brilliance and vision of the founder winds up gathering dust when handed off the managers who lack both. Oh sure, they can imitate; keep things running the way they were set up. But these people lack imagination and innovation, and therein the once gleaming edge is dulled.

Republican Shame  (04/14/09) 
The dogmatists in the once-Grand Old Party have been trying to dig us into a deeper grave. Not only failing to support the Obama administrations efforts, but publicly hoping for their failure. Whatever happened to their notion of family values? Whatever happened to the concept of loyal opposition?

Easter SEALs  (04/13/09) 
I felt great pride in the rescue. Part of it was that American military forces were successful. Part of it was that the white hats beat the black hats. Its important that good triumph over evil, regardless of who performs the act.

Employee Free Choice  (04/10/09) 
Eventually, we will decide we don't need unions. That will be when people refuse to work for companies who don't treat employees properly and when Americans refuse to buy from companies to aren't fair to their workers.

Three Men and the Law  (04/09/09) 
Churchill sued the university, claiming he was fired for his intemperate remarks after Nine-Eleven. He sought money for lost wages and damage to his reputation, and reinstatement. A jury found that Churchill was improperly fired, but they awarded him only one dollar.

Miscellany  (04/08/09) 
Credit goes to Congressman Don Young who referred to Palin's resignation call as a lot of noise. Senator Begich, in all due respect, won the race....He has taken office, he is now the new Senator." Young wants Stevens to run against Palin in the primary next year.

Cap the Feds  (04/07/09) 
It turns out that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are also paying out huge retention bonuses. Over $210 million has been or will be paid to keep key staff without rewarding poor performance. That's how the guy overseeing Fannie and Freddie explain it.

Complicity of Silence  (04/06/09) 
There had to have been signs that these individuals were coming apart at the seams and about to blow. Every one of these murderers had family, friends and/or co-workers, and some of them must have seen or heard something that indicated a problem.

Bits & Pieces  (04/03/09) 
The University of Kentucky hired a new coach for their basketball team. John Calipari will be paid $31.65 million for eight seasons. That could pay the salaries of full-time 65 professors every year for eight seasons with that money.

The White Coats  (04/02/09) 
One of the researchers on one of the prostate studies says the same issues apply to mammography...that they may be impractical as they would detect lethal cancers too late and induce destructive treatments when they weren't necessary.

Bits & Pieces  (04/01/09) 
An ex-U.N. official in Afghanistan allegedly spent a half-million dollars in development aid on a lavish lifestyle for four years. His lawyer said the Beluga caviar, Norwegian salmon and foie gras he served was part of an effort to boost morale for his staff operating in a dangerous country.


Gravy and Grace  (03/31/09) 
He also ripped into the Capitol Hill skunks who had jumped on the outrage bandwagon and called for the heads of the bonus recipients, lumping in the white hats with the black.

Notre Dame Invitation  (03/30/09) 
Over a hundred thousand doctrinaire sheep have signed an online petition, though in practical terms that's like online polling; its relatively meaningless. Also adding their plaints are three bishops and a cardinal. Their issue is that Mr. Obama is pro-choice.

Bits & Pieces  (03/27/09) 
Stark lives in Maryland, and has saved nearly $4,000 in state and county taxes because he says his six-acre waterfront estate is his principal residence. But Stark represents the 13th district in California. Claims Stark, "Insofar as I know, I'm obeying the law."

Tragedy in Oakland  (03/26/09) 
If the city of Oakland is to find some sense of closure, the cops will have to find whoever supplied this killer with guns. Then they need to wreak their vengeance on the rest of the gun traders in that violence-torn community who have pushed Oakland to the brink.

The Toothless Henhouse Fox  (03/25/09) 
The inspectors shouldn't be paid by those whom they inspect. That makes as little sense as if attorneys were allowed to pay juries. What makes it more egregious in this case is that it wasn't' just a question of people losing money because they invested in a failing company, but losing their lives because they ate a toxic food product.

Modest Communications  (03/24/09) 
As the technology has expanded, people are also sending audio pieces and photographs. This can be quite practical, of course, and fun that ubiquitous euphemism for diversion but it can also take the wrong path. And here is a new term, sexting, which means sending nude photos to others via their cellphones.

Biz-Econ Notes  (03/23/09) 
The USPS operates more than 200,000 vehicles and have three-quarters of a million employees. The obvious solution is to reduce the vehicle operating costs and the payroll by reducing the number of delivery days from six to three, or even two who needs bills and junk so many times a week.

Too Many Births  (03/20/09) 
Well over half of the pregnancies in our country are unplanned or unwanted, which leads to a desperately high number of new human beings coming into this world without the proper love and respect. That's not a good way to run a planet.

Filthy Lucre  (03/19/09) 
The head of AIG says he feels our pain and says some of the bonus recipients are giving back half of their filthy lucre. So, like, um, they still get to keep two or three mil? Horse-hockey. That would sustain 60 American households for an entire year.

Comedian as Journalist  (03/18/09) 
These arrogant prattlers abetted the biggest frauds in the history of our species, and it took a comedian to point it out. Stewart showed himself in this instance to be a better journalist than anyone anchoring at ABC, CBS, NBC, or PBS...and by a long shot.

Get a Rope  (03/17/09) 
The announcement that $165 million more is due to be paid out this week has people screaming with outrage. AIG says that the money is incentive pay to keep 4,600 employees. That's an average of $36,000. That's just a bonus. That's also about what the median income of American taxpayers will be this year.

Fixing Education  (03/16/09) 
The president has announced that he believes in the notion of merit pay for teachers. Well yeah, of course. And of course, that will shake up the status quo, so the naysayers are screeching outta the woodwork like the fundies who oppose stem cell research.

Bits & Pieces  (03/13/09) 
A new poll of Californians says the vast majority doesn't want to split up The Golden State. The issue arouse after the November elections when a majority said animals should be treated fairly. The inland folks are at odds with the coastal crowd on the matter, and many others.

Too Many Rats in a Box  (03/12/09) 
As much faith as one might have in our system of government, in our American can-do attitude, in manifest destiny, and in our new president, the fact is that we may have let go the reins for too long, and the wholesale destruction we've allowed to occur may be more than we are capable of fixing ourselves.

Biz-Econ Reporting  (03/11/09) 
The biggest problem with the new media is that they are unable to parse the facts, to separate the corrupt from the merely incompetent, the greedy from the conned. These are important issues, if the public seething over the corporate self-indulgence is any indication.

Lethal Religion  (03/10/09) 
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said: "As a Christian and a Catholic I deeply regret that a bishop of the Catholic Church has such a conservative attitude. The doctors did what had to be done: save the life of a girl nine years old.

When Silence Is Golden  (03/09/09) 
Back in the early Seventies, a consumer-oriented group did a survey and determined that William Scott, the junior senator from Virginia, was the dumbest congressman. How dumb was he? Scott called a news conference to refute the title.

The News Digestion Cycle  (03/06/09) 
We are overloaded beyond our capacity to assimilate what we really need to know. Our world is in crisis; our country at a new beginning. We will need to focus. We should probably limit our intake and spend more time quietly reflecting.

GOP Shame  (03/05/09) 
The only reason why Limbaugh has the power that he does is that he speaks to a large audience of shameless sheep. In fact, they proudly wear the label of ditto-heads, stating that they don't think for themselves. They merely supplicate before El Rushbo.

Troops to Protect America  (03/04/09) 
They tossed a live grenade into a bar in Texas. In Phoenix, dressed as a SWAT team, they broke into a home an executed a man. They abducted a woman and her daughter off the street in San Diego and held them for ransom. The Mexican drug lords are no longer restricting themselves to their home turf.

Bits & Pieces  (03/03/09) 
The bishop who doesn't still believe in the Holocaust has apologized for hurting the feelings of people who do. But he still hasn't recanted his remarks, even after losing his post and being thrown out of Argentina. The Vatican is not satisfied with just his apology.

Politc$  (03/02/09) 
The main reason why we don't have campaign finance reform is because so many people get rich from the game. More to the point is that incumbents have an easier time raising money called the mothers milk of politics and refuse to change the rules.


Let Us Inhale  (02/27/09) 
So much of government is about jaw-boning and compromise that the final results are often a far cry from the original intent. Over the years, the original measure will be tweaked this way and that in new legislation, but rarely is a full panacea created, with incremental successes trailing true needs.

The Awful Truth  (02/26/09) 
Jindal, who is often described as a rising star of the GOP and a likely presidential candidate for 2012, might eschew the spotlight for a while, first because he has nothing to offer but partisan rhetoric, and second, because he has his own record to write in The Pelican State.

Tarnished Brass  (02/25/09) 
But particularly since the end of World War II, the military has associated formally with the industry that makes their tools. The two have set up house with war-mongering politicians or those who could be bought through campaign contributions and now they control our economy.

Starry-Eyed Perspective  (02/24/09) 
What prompts this latest lament is an article on the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Astrophysicists addressing their colleagues declared that Earth-like planets, with life-sustaining conditions, are almost surely within ten to 30 light years from our sun, we just haven't found them yet.

A Good Flood  (02/23/09) 
I despair the inhumanity that so dominates the headlines and controls so many countries when so many good people would be content working hard and living a decent life. Why is it that the depraved, the greedy and the vicious hold such sway?

Buy American?  (02/20/09) 
The United States should definitely protect its own, but carefully. American labor will never lower its compensation to the level of India, China or Malaysia. And keep your eye on Africa, cause they'll underprice everyone.

New Set of Wheels  (02/19/09) 
For way too long, the looks and speeds of cars have dominated large segments of the American male consciousness, creating vast intellectual wastelands where useful thoughts might have been cultivated.

Shameless Obsequiousness  (02/18/09) 
If it hadn't been for Blair, America would be a coupla trillion dollars richer, there would have been no Abu Ghraib, our military wouldn't be in shambles, and hundreds of thousands of people wouldn't have been murdered in a senseless war.

Bits & Pieces  (02/17/09) 
With myriad suggestions that American troops may be kept in Iraq beyond 2010 the withdrawal date promised by candidate Obama there has been an upsurge in domestic violence. Suicide bombers have killed scores of religious pilgrims and injured hundreds more.

Changing the Dirty Diapers  (02/16/09) 
As challenging as both the American people and our purported leaders are going to find the coming years of decline, the truth is that we have the opportunity to make some extraordinary changes in our society. Such opportunities rarely surface except at times of crisis.

Miscellany  (02/13/09) 
The judges said the evidence against the claims of the parents was overwhelming. Leaving little room for argument, the court said, It was abundantly clear that petitioners' theories of causation were speculative and unpersuasive.

Empowerment  (02/12/09) 
I was glad to hear the then-incoming president finally talk about an Apollo program to develop alternate energy. It's stunning that the Congress didn't insist on this years ago, but of course, as with the medical industry, they are in the pockets of big oil.

Bits & Pieces  (02/11/09) 
Alex Rodriguez admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs during an early part of his career. Now probably the best player in baseball perhaps in the history of the sport A-Rod, as he is called, will have to add more punctuation to his moniker.

No Excuse for Denial  (02/10/09) 
The pope should give Williamson maybe a couple of days. Anyone who denies the Holocaust isn't fit to hold any kind of leadership position, even or especially in a church. Yesterday, the Argentine seminary where Williamson held sway sacked him.

Smart Investments  (02/09/09) 
For those of you who think watching the stock market will give you a good indication of the economy, let me recount that old saw that the reason why they have to cancel the Wall Street Christmas pageant every year is that they cant find three wise men and a virgin.

Monuments to Community  (02/06/09) 
The people putting up their monuments came in all shapes and sizes, too. People from across the country and around the world. Some went horizontal with their designs but most were vertical. The majority were about six to ten stones, but some were larger. Some featured twin spires. Each, by definition, was unique.

Barack's Augean Stables  (02/05/09) 
I confess to feeling a twinge whenever I find myself agreeing with Congressional Republicans. Perhaps because it happens so infrequently. But I am a journalist and an honest one. My proclivity against the Republicans is not partisan; its based on their record. But I'm certainly not a Democrat.

Converting the Taliban  (02/04/09) 
The only way the Taliban can be defeated is culturally. Those people who would support them have to be persuaded to follow a different course. The United States cant do it. Our society is too different.

Greed Is Not Good  (02/03/09) 
You might remember the line from the movie Network when anchorman Peter Finch encouraged viewers to throw open their windows and yell, I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.

Too Many Children  (02/02/09) 
Of course its not against the law for women to have as many children as they want, but just because something is legal doesn't mean that it is right. This woman isn't married and lives in a small house with her parents. But Ill address the issue in generalities.


Bits & Pieces  (01/30/09) 
The postal service is asking Congress to release it from a requirement to deliver the mail six days a week. About dang time. They are talking about cutting back to five days so that they can reduce operating costs. They should cut back to three days and save some real money.

Mindless Opinion  (01/29/09) 
Should we stop teaching some of the greatest literature in the English language some of the finest work by American writers because people are so sensitive that they cant read about our past? These books demonstrate how far we've come in a century or so.

Axe of Incompetence  (01/28/09) 
Most of corporate America could use a management enema, and the proof is in their complete lack of preparedness for the global economic crisis. Good managers would have seen what's here coming a long time ago.

Political Hubris  (01/27/09) 
Who in their right mind Chicago Mayor Richard Daley called the governor a cuckoo would have the kind of telephone conversations Blagojevich did with the slightest possibility let alone likelihood that his phones were tapped.

More Rain, Please  (01/26/09) 
The over-building has also meant a lowering of the water table. That's not something money can fix. Because we are on the coast, there are issues of salt water seeping into the ground water. A desalination plant might help, but it comes with its own environmental problems.

Overcoming Disability  (01/23/09) 
 I wonder if our society doesn't focus too much on the physical side of life, especially when it comes to not giving up. It seems that we are all about conquering and endurance when we might think of transferring our dedication and energy to other types of enterprise.

The Times Must Be A-Changing  (01/22/09) 
The paper has some of the finest writers and the best coverage of any news organization in the world. Their stable of first-rate reporters and OpEd columnists is unmatched. And therein lies a clue to one of the Times problems.

Inaugural  (01/21/09) 
Watching the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama on television was a grand treat, for the ceremony and the content. Here are some observations...

King Day  (01/20/09) 
He was actually born on January 15th 1929. But our Congress has such a deeply imbedded capitalist spirit that they have taken the important dates in our nations historic calendar and slid them around to Mondays, mostly, so people can go out and buy mattresses.

Cease-Fire  (01/19/09) 
The crusaders insist that Israel can do no wrong, and even questioning events like the bombing of buildings where reporters are stationed, is met with cross-eyed insinuations of anti-Semitism, and the superior declaration that No one knows the truth; only the Israeli military.

Pilot Heroics  (01/17/09) 
Probably other pilots and other planes could have been similarly successful, though its not something easy to imagine. Putting any plane down without engines especially a jet is a stunning achievement. To do it on water is breath-taking.

The Month of Janus  (01/16/09) 
New England is also marvelous in the fall, of course. That's why so many people who live there are willing to put up with the winter. Meanwhile on the Central California Coast, our plum trees are getting ready to bud. No, its not because of global warming.

Group Think  (01/15/09) 
The tipping point for such feelings all too often occurs in individuals, but far more frequently they are brought to the boiling point in groups. I'm thinking now not of the terrorist groups, but of a woman I knew rather well who joined a different social circle and became something of a religious fanatic.

...And Clean, Too  (01/14/09) 
One wonders how many people did not get nominated because their problems were too serious to make them viable prospects for confirmation. The bottom line is that either the rules are too tough or the pool of candidates is inordinately polluted.

American Citizenship  (01/13/09) 
We need to discuss what it means to be an American. Its not about race, its about culture. Our culture. We can and should be inclusive of the legal immigrants from many lands, but this should always be our country, the United States of America.

Seven Steps to Fix the Economy  (01/12/09) 
There are seven simple steps to fixing the economy, and you can be sure they wont be taken because Obama is young and fresh and the Congress is old and bought. But here they are anyway.

Two Young Men  (01/09/09) 
I've been rather depressed about my gender. Their primitive adherence to the monosyllabic, brush-cutting, knuckle-dragging bellicosity of the past eight years had seemed like an evolutionary step backwards.

Senate Stumbling  (01/08/09) 
Of course it could have been SetonnoteS from Tuesday chastising the Senate for not seating Illinois Roland Burris that moved them toward an impending reversal. After a media mangle over his attempt to take his duly-appointed seat that afternoon, the Senate leadership is apparently seeing the light and Burris will get his seat.

A Picture Is Worth...  (01/07/09) 
Wouldn't it have been interesting if the photo got worldwide attention, and then it was revealed that the photo editor had made a mistake and that the child was actual Israeli, mourning the loss of a victim of a rocket attack?

Politics as Usual  (01/06/09) 
Those expecting major change in the federal government better be wearing their prayer shawls if they expect it to come from inside. The same drudges and corrupt politicos who have been mucking things up for decades are still in place, and their stripes ain't a-changing.

Samaritan For Good or Ill  (01/05/09) 
By a four-to-three vote, the California Supreme Court ruled that suit could be reinstated. Before you holler that this will discourage passers-by from aiding people in need and surely it will consider some of the issues.

It's Carrot Time  (01/02/09) 
A scorpion asks the camel if it can ride across on his back. The camel refuses saying the scorpion might bite him. The scorpion says he wouldn't bite the camel since that would kill the camel and the scorpion would drown. Acknowledging the logic, the camel allowed the scorpion to get on his back and he started swimming.

Welcome Aught-Nine  (01/01/09) 
But I have never been so happy as I was to say good-bye to a year as I was to 2008. Whadda hump! Professionally and emotionally, I would have rather climbed Everest barefoot than have a repeat of what was required to make it through the previous 52 weeks and an extra day.

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