Playing Catch-up

I returned yesterday from my trip on the east coast and am lagging hard. Doesn't help that three hours after returning, I hopped in my car and drove to Fresno to see the Black Crowes last night. And then drive back. And then get up four hours later with my two year old. Man, I'm not made for this, anymore!

What's gone on in just one week?

Kim Jong Il set off a nuke.

Mark Foley set off a bigger nuke.

George Bush is thankful that the first bomb is distracting the press from the second.

The Republican Party, in case you didn't know, is the Party of Hyprocisy as leaders who knew of Rep. Foley's behavior and actions buried them in order to remain strong in the polls and against their opponents. One of these leading this cover-up happens to be Speaker of the House. Whose fault? The Democrats? Gays? Not me? I hope people leave their stupidity at home when voting in less than a month on this one.

Stalin was right: one death is a tragedy; a million, just a statistic. Just how many people have died in Iraq? A new survey places the number at more than a half-million. If that is correct, that equals the number of Americans killed in the Civil War, nearly twice the number of Filipinos butchered by U.S. marines at the turn of last century or roughly the number of people killed in bombing Japan. And yet, to even ask questions regarding this administration's failure in Iraq is to support the terrorists.

Bob Woodward, where were you five years ago? And why, in your second book on Bush's war, did you not raise the issue further when, on 9/12/01, Bush and Rumsfeld drafted the plan to attack Iraq and link Saddam with NYC?

Victor David Hanson, historian at Stanford: your op-ed columns are beginning to read like diatribes against common sense and national strength and less like your condescending and irrelevant diatribes on current political affairs. Whining that Woodward cited many "anonymous" sources in his latest book on Bush now? You didn't seem to have a problem about that in his first two books. Actually, you didn't seem to even have a problem with it thirty years ago. Why now? Don't like what you hear? Maybe you should apply for a position in the Bush White House. I hear they often rail against information that is factually correct that they don't like to hear, either. By the way, the answer to every frigging modern social issue is NOT to ask, "WWTD?". For those not familiar with Hanson from Fresno State's history department where he taught the classics and ancient history, is "What Would Theucidies Do?" Sorry, but maybe the only relevance to the classics and today is that both leaders of the world's largest empires are quite good fiddle players, I hear.

Don't restrict gun usage and availability for fear of keeping gun-related deaths down. Pennsylvania seems to be roiled in gun-related issues: the attention-grabbing tragedy in Amish country was terrible. So is the ignored fact that over 320 people have been murdered just in the City of Brotherly Love this year alone. This on top of my own colleague being gunned down two weeks ago.

My father participated in a mayoral candidate debate last week with his two opponents. Word (albeit from family sources) state that my old man did quite well. I don't know whether this will help or hurt my dad but he continues to gain public endorsement and support from civic leaders and popular organizations in town. Apparently Pops did so well that one of his opponents is going to begin smearing him on his personal life. Gee, I didn't know my dad was running against another Republican...Actually, I am (and always have been) extremely proud of my old man. Do I think he'll win? Of course, I want him to and don't want to see him come in third place. Will he or won't he? I sure don't know but I feel very confident that, if nothing else, the election will show that my dad has quite a lot of support as a politician of my little city. We'll see; less than a month away.