If not now, when?

Until recently, I argued that Final Days were not a propitious time to make discretionary purchases; now I ask myself: "What better time?"

I seek not your agreement or approval, just your acceptance.

Burn, baby, burn!

I wonder how many of those asserting a free-speech right to burn the Quran are as vociferous in defending the right of dissenters to burn the American flag.

The Messenger Is Not The Message

The crazed gunman's actions were irrational and reprehensible; still, I find his premise--the parasitic infestation of Earth by Man--difficult to refute.

Can you think of a single positive contribution from our species to the welfare of the planet? (Half-hearted attempts to remedy the ravages that we, ourselves, have wrought don't count.)

Most creatures great and small coexist in symbiotic give-and-take relationships, to their mutual benefits; only from the beast at the very apex of the food chain is there all-take-no-give.

Suicide: I've been thinking...

Having witnessed my parents' protracted and bitter deaths of attrition--ignoble ends to noble lives--I conclude that life devoid of pleasure, purpose, or prospects is a life not worth living.

Even as I am busily killing time, Time is busy killing me.

I wonder how much longer I will be able to live independently, and I assert my choice not to live dependently.

An indistinct boundary often distinguishes extending life from prolonging death; best not to stray too close to the line.

If my baseline health were robust, I might be more interested in life extension; with my baseline compromised, I am less enthused.

Even as I begin to consider planning a Final Exit, I continue to take my daily multivitamin and to limit my sodium intake!

How dare the state usurp my most fundamental right--my Right to Self-determination--by interfering with the timing and mode of my own departure!

Even in hospitable jurisdictions, euthanasia is usually limited to severely-suffering terminally ill patients. Such strictures reflect archaic moral (religious) values, a pervasive societal fear of death, and a narcissistic over-valuation of human life (especially one's own). For a competent adult, the only criterion that should matter is: When enough is enough. And in that decision, for me, I am sole arbiter.

Though my impairment is substantial and distressing, I cannot vouch with any certainty that my underlying condition is "terminal" (I know only that following a recent exacerbation, there seems not much left to lose). More important in my calculus than the aggressivity of my disease are the intensity of my will to live and the extent of my endurance.

I hear every day of young people dying--young people with potential forever lost. I have no Bucket List (that matters), and scant cause for complaint.

Am I depressed? Sure, a bit. (Wouldn't you be?) But my convictions re: death and dying are well-reasoned and long-held, and I argue that my current emotions and attitudes are rational and appropriate to my circumstance.

Several dear old friends are devoutly religious--if they insist on trying to elicit a "death-bed conversion," I will have to exorcise them!

Self-deliverence is not an act but a process, the first step in which is to acknowledge and accept that you are (one way or another) going to die. All the rest is choreography.

Mens rea: intent matters

If you do good because of a promise or threat from god, are you a do-gooder or a pretender?

Like a fine wine? Not necessarily.

At 100, he's the oldest practicing physician in the U.S. He seems like a lovely gentleman, caring and compasssionate. But who's reviewing the quality of his work? (You might ask the same question of your own doctor, regardless of age.)

Caveat Emptor

For the most part, the government's role in influencing consumer choices should be to educate and inform, not to prescribe or proscribe.

Gimme That Ol'-time Religion!

On this day in 1692, five citizens of Salem, Massachusetts were hanged for witchcraft.

Life Extension

Public health advocates are alarmed that today's children may be the first generation to experience shorter life spans than their parents. So what?

Before I agree to that treatment intended to extend my longevity, I want assurance that my extended life will be worth living.

Pick Your Poison

In the wake of the banking crisis and Gulf oil spill, obstinate Republican advocacy of deregulation defies credulity. No less incredulous, starry-eyed Democratic insistence that they will craft effective and efficient regulations.

To the Editor

"Doctor shortage"? What doctor shortage? New Jersey has a nonfederal physician density of 332 per 100,000 population, ranking eighth among the fifty states, well above the national average of 283. By way of contrast, Idaho has 171, Mississippi 181, Nevada 189, Wyoming 190. I suggest that New Jersey may suffer not from a shortage of Supply but from an excess of Demand.

Chill out!

Continual sensory overload can raise the threshold necessary for subsequent stimuli to elicit a response.

Racial Profiling?

If the U.S. were being surreptitiously invaded by Swedes, would it be discriminatory (or common-sensical) to pay particular attention to blue-eyed blondes?

Trivial Pursuit

Am I the only person on the planet who doesn't give a tinker's dam where (or whether) LaBron James plays basketball?!

Re: "The Secret"--PHOOEY!

Strive to achieve your potential--you can never exceed it.

You are limited not by your dreams but by your abilities.

Much unhappiness is due to unrealistic expectations and a baseless sense of entitlement.

Universal Law of BIG

Even bright individuals, when aggregated in large groups, often collectively act stupid.*

*Note: Applies equally to Big Government and Big Business.

Let the cutting begin!

I applaud Congress' newfound and overdue insistence on Pay-as-you-go. No more deficit spending, they say; new expenditures must be funded by cuts to existing programs. Trouble is, the budget hawks can't seem to find anything to cut. Here's a thought:
Annual U.S. military spending exceeds $650 billion--Number One among the international Top Ten Big Spenders (U.S., China, France, UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Brazil); nearly five times the second-highest, nearly ten times the third, and billions more than Numbers Two through Ten combined! The U.S. operates 700-1000 foreign military bases (depending on how/what you count) in about 150 countries, plus another 6000 domestic facilities. Stimulating local civilian or host nation economies is not a legitimate military objective--let's close all military installations, foreign and domestic, that are not essential to (our) homeland security, and downsize the rest. Let's eliminate all those wasteful weapons systems that the military doesn't need and that even the president and the pentagon don't want but which stay budgeted to appease certain powerful legislators who can claim the bacon for their home districts. Let's expedite disentanglement from our futile and enervating incursions in Iraq and Afghanistan. And let's demand that henceforth our allies do more of the heavy lifting.
Guardians of the public purse, lay down your scalpels and grab a chainsaw!

Multitasker-in-Chief

The trouble with Obama is that he needs to focus--like a laser--on
the BP cleanup...climate change...renewable energy...Iraq...
Afghanistan...Iran...North Korea...Yemen...Somalia...Israel...
Gaza...Pakistan...Al-Qaeda...domestic terrorism...illegal
immigration...crumbling infrastructure...failed public education...
health care costs...financial reform...budget deficit...
national debt...governmental corruption/waste/fraud/abuse...
unemployment...

If the BP CEO kept giving the same answers (and he did), it may have been because his congressional inquisitors, preening for the cameras, kept asking the same questions.

Promises, Promises

President Obama promises new regulations to ensure that a disaster like the Gulf oil spill will never happen again. "Never" is a long time. The president also promises that the Gulf coast will be restored even beyond its pre-spill condition. Unlikely in this lifetime. Mr. Obama is a smart, capable leader--the only promise I expect from him is a promise that he will do his best.

If I were King,

I would ban all advertizing of prescription medicines. Drug ads serve no useful societal purpose. Doctors should be relying on data from impartial, peer-reviewed scientific studies. Patients can access numerous independent websites that provide objective summary reviews designed specifically for the laity. The least-credible sources of information about their own products are the drug makers, themselves.

About 27,000 Americans die annually from prostate cancer. About 35,000 from motor vehicle accidents. About 40,000 from breast cancer. And about 180,000 from medication errors and adverse reactions. I suggest TV viewers fast-forward through the morass of mind-numbing pharmaceutical commercials--if you don't need that prescription drug, don't ask for it and don't take it.

Most-annoying TV Personalities

Pat Sajak, Regis Philbin, Glen Beck, Chris Matthews, Martin Bashir, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Kathie Lee Gifford.

Who are your (Least) Favorites?

Amazing Grace

The governor of Mississippi avowed that "by god's grace" no oil has yet breached the shores of his state. So does he assume that all those pelicans and turtles in Louisiana--not to mention the eleven workers from the stricken oil rig--died because of god's grace withheld? Does he seriously believe that god favors Mississippi over Louisiana? When the spill finally reaches Biloxi, I'm guessing--just a guess, mind you--that the governor will remain silent regarding the role of his god.

Zeitgeist

President Obama wasn't angry enough, now he's too angry. Already the mood is shifting from outrage over the assault unleashed by BP on our Gulf coast, to concern for the livelihoods of Louisiana oil-rig workers and British pensioners. Some are even demanding repeal of the newly-imposed moratorium on further offshore drilling. Self-interest rules!

High Stakes

We were assured that offshore drilling is safe. Now we're witnessing the cost of being wrong. Do we really want to risk also being wrong about nuclear power?

I now pronounce you...

If the defining purpose of "marriage" is procreation, then marriage (given the critical state of global overpopulation) must be considered anathema; if primarily a loving expression of commitment between consenting adults, then marriage per se, straight or gay, should be embraced as a societal value worth promoting and perpetuating.

Random Reflections

My friend is buoyed through her travails by the belief that her god walks at her side. Good. But I wish he would do a bit more of the heavy lifting.


PLEASE--stop bombarding us with all those horrific images of moribund seabirds mired in toxic petro-muck!


If Darwin was right, how come there are still so many stupid ugly people?

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Graves,

I recently watched "Anyone and Everyone" on PBS. I was extremely impressed by the depth of your humanity and the intensity of your unwavering love, respect and support for your gay child--even more admirable in the context of your own conservative religious and political backgrounds. The eloquence and passion of your advocacy must be compelling to any rational person willing and able to listen with an open mind. Your son is fortunate indeed to have such parents, and I feel fortunate to have met you both through this remarkable documentary.

The Numbers Game

If balancing state budgets means simply shifting the burden to the county/municipal level, little will have been gained. True fiscal responsibility requires that we taxpayers learn to distinguish wants from needs, and downsize our desiderata.

Home Invasion

The president of Mexico called the Arizona law "discriminatory." True enough--the law discriminates against criminals who enter our country illegally.

Drill, Baby, Drill?

The ongoing spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its potential calamitous environmental consequences have caused some, for the moment, including the President of the United States, to reexamine the advisability of lifting the prohibition on expanded offshore drilling. But this current disaster will soon fade from our collective consciouness, as did the Exxon Valdez, from which we are still cleaning up 21 years later. Then the clarion call will again resound from sea to shining sea: "Drill, Baby, drill!" We Americans have miopic worldviews, short attention spans, rapacious appetites, and are hellbent on immediate gratification: we want what we want when we want it, and damn the longterm consequences (not least of which are the lethal and prohibitively expensive military misadventures increasingly required to ensure our own oil supplies). No matter that fossil fuels befoul the biosphere--and no matter that reserves are finite and exhaustible (remember that Pennsylvania once, before it was pumped dry, was America's primary source of oil)--we love our internal combustion engines and we demand cheap gasoline!
Guardians of the public welfare also seem to have forgotten, or choose to ignore, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, and are now proposing an increased reliance on nuclear energy. The U.S. already has 104 functioning nuclear power plants. None has been commissioned since the 1970s. Now President Obama, in search of cleaner and more sustainable energy sources, plans to dramatically increase our nuclear capability. The gorilla in the room, however, that receives scant attention in the political spin, is the conundrum of radioactive waste disposal. Nuclear waste deteriorates over time--a lot of time! Plutonium-239, for example, has a half-life of 24,000 years-- that means that only half of its original radioactivity will have dissipated after two-dozen millennia; to ensure the survivability of future generations, experts caution that nuclear waste must be contained in leakproof vessels for up to 100,000 years! By way of contrast, the earliest Egyption pyramid was built less than 5000 years ago. The "General Sherman," a Sequoya thought to be the oldest living thing on Earth, is about 2000 years old. And the crumbling containment vessel at Chernobyl, which must already be replaced, is 24 years old. The Yucca Mountain waste repository in Nevada is optimistically expected to remain sound for 10,000 years; by then, planners are assuming future advanced technologies will provide a permanent solution. So, we are being asked, depending on one's predilection, to bet on the beneficence of god or the cleverness of the alchemists to save us from ourselves. Either way, I say that's a foolhardy (and dangerous) wager!
We developed the atomic bomb (and landed men on the moon)--quickly, once our national resolve had been steeled. We now need a new Manhattan Project to develop safe, practical, renewable alternative energy sources. But even a concerted global energy initiative would not address other man-made doomsday threats: deforestation, pollution of our waterways and depletion of fisheries, desertification with disappearance of arable farmlands, etc. Ten thousand years ago, there were fewer than five million human beings inhabiting/plundering Planet Earth; a hundred years ago there were 1.75 billion (a 350-fold population increase); today, we are about seven billion; and, unchecked, by 2050 we are projected to number ten billion--each occupying a parcel of precious land, each consuming a portion of dwindling natural resources, each generating tons of noxious refuse. We must, before it is too late, confront the disquieting fact that the pervasive problem underlying all others is us--too many of us!

Illegals

For critics to characterize Arizona's attempt to seal its porous border with Mexico as an "anti- immigration law" is unfair and inaccurate. The U.S. cannot indiscriminately accept and absorb all those "yearning to breathe free."

Earthquakes and volcanoes and tsunamis...Oh my!

If the recent spate of natural disasters were truly "acts of god," expressions of divine disapproval for our perfidy, his scattergun reproofs were disproportionate and often misdirected.

A-hunting we will go...

Hunters like to portray themselves as the true conservationists, doing their part by culling the herds. I say the herd that most needs culling is the human herd--quit the NRA, join Planned Parenthood!

To the Editor

Today's editorial missed the mark by tacitly endorsing a supposed correlation between education expenditures and student academic achievement. Great Britain and several other nations whose students consistently (and considerably) out-perform ours in reading proficiency, math, and science spend far less than we. NJEA protests and propoganda notwithstanding, taxpayers are receiving an unacceptable return on our investment. Quality and allocation of resources seem to have a greater impact on educational outcomes than dollars allocated. Salary freezes and staff/service reductions--in education as elsewhere throughout our fragile economy--are not mutually-exclusive, either/or options; they both are painful and essential (but still insufficient) measures to help right our foundering ship of state. I did not support candidate Christie, but I applaud the governor's political courage in confronting powerful special interests and proponents of business as usual.

Defending Sarah Palin (!?)

When I protest that Governor Palin's battle cry to rally the troops was not a literal call to arms, I am employing metaphor; when the governor urged her supporters to "reload" and "target" Democrats, so was she.

The Loyal Opposition?

Republicans are appearing increasingly petty, mean-spirited, obstructionist, and tiresome.

For the most part, Americans are a compassionate and generous people, willing to open their wallets to help those less fortunate. Cynical politicians should stop trying to woo us with promises of a Free Lunch.

Kudos and Caveats

Congratulations to President Obama and Speaker Pilosi: their historic achievement has irrevocably advanced the national conversation from "If" to "How." I wish them wisdom tempered by humility as they now confront the daunting challenges of implementation.

"Pass it, then fix it"?

We may be embarking on another deeply flawed, budget-busting entitlement program--another political "third-rail," like Medicare and Social Security, that would-be reformers for decades to come will consider too hot to handle.

Johnny One-note

Whether for good or ill, the most remarkable aspect of the entire ugly, protracted spectacle was the unwavering mantra and impenetrable solidarity of the Republican opposition.

On the Fence

After many months of intense debate, all the arguments have been exhausted, pro and con. I can understand how some thoughtful legislators enthusiastically support the bill, while others sincerely oppose it; but I have difficulty attributing pure motives to elected representatives who still, on the eve of the final vote, have not made up their minds.

I suspect that the deciding votes may be based not on reasoned conviction but on intellectual sloth and/or political expediency.

A Matter of Perspective

Some say each of us was put here for a purpose; I say we arrived serendipitously and determine our own purposes.

Risky Business

Heath insurance premiums are reflective of, not responsible for, most medical costs; we should not expect to control premium inflation while mandating expanded benefits (and carrier risks).

Presto chango!

I believe that people can change; I also believe that they rarely do.

Advocacy or Appeasement?

A key battle was lost when President Obama backpedaled from urging health care reform to pleading for health insurance reform.

AMA Part of the Problem

The American Medical Association complains that physicians and patients are drowning in paperwork that increases overhead and drives up costs. True enough. Administrative requirements should be streamlined. But unnecessary paperwork doesn't drive overall health care costs nearly as much as physicians performing unnecessary procedures, ordering unnecessary tests, prescribing unnecessary drugs.

A Modest Proposal

Democrats and Republicans seem rightly to agree that the top priority for health care reform is cost reduction. They disagree primarily over universal coverage. The nature and extent of the latter depend largely on the magnitude of the former. So, Mr. President, why not accept Republican incrementalism for now and force them to put up or shut up by concentrating, first, exclusively on cost containment--if successful, you become a hero, able to advocate more convincingly for the rest of your agenda; if unsuccessful, the rest of your agenda is moot, as it should be.

Abracadabra!

Speaker Pilosi boasted that the Democrats' version of health care reform eliminates a half-trillion dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse. If only saying it could make it so!

Off with their heads! (?)

Congress was in a snit over a Blue Cross subsidiary that announced a 39% rate hike. Rather than focusing (like a laser!) on the magnitude of the increase out of context, the irate regulators should have been more concerned about the company's medical loss ratio, the percentage of each premium dollar spent on paying claims (as opposed to administrative expenses and profit), in order to ensure some reasonable relationship between premium revenues and actuarial risks.

Unintended Consequences?

Central to the Republicans' counterproposal for health care cost-containment is tort reform--making malpractice suits more difficult to initiate and limiting punitive-damages awards. I agree that in our litigious society tort reform is needed, but who, besides the physicians, would benefit economically? In places where tort reform has been successfully implemented (California, Texas), have the physicians reduced their fees to reflect their reduced costs or simply used the savings from lower malpractice insurance premiums to augment their own incomes?

Mr. Fix-it

If a political candidate promises comprehensive solutions to any complex problem, vote for the other guy!

If a political candidate promises that he will pay for his programs by wringing the waste, fraud, and abuse from the system, vote for the other guy!

The president's marathon Health Care Reform Summit agreed in rare bipartisan fashion on the urgent need for cost-containment; but throughout the filibustering and puffery, I heard no mention whatsoever, from either side, of the single most impactful factor--physician practice behavior.

Unconstitutional?

If the United States Constitution is the definitive blueprint for democracy, how can it be, after more than 200 years, that preeminent American jurists still so often disagree on what it says?

Agitators Apply Here

I am hopeful that the Tea Party and other radicals like them from both extremes of the political spectrum may help to energize the electorate and provide the impetus and opportunity for calmer, more thoughtful activists to revivify our moribund democracy.

Bellicose Nation

War on Poverty...War on Illiteracy...War on Hunger...War on Drugs...War on Terrorism...Do you suppose such martial metaphors are as commonplace in Luxembourg or Lichtenstein?

"Dedicated to..."

The Olympian was killed during a practice run. His teammates elected to remain and compete "in his honor." What does that mean? How does it assuage the loss?

Single Payor No Panacea

The physician-activist advocated passionately for a single-payor system, citing the discomfiting reality of Americans dying for lack of medical care. But she neglected to mention that many more Americans die because of their medical care. Credible studies report 225,000 preventable iatrogenic deaths (deaths directly attributable to treatment) annually from misdiagnoses, unnecessary surgeries, hospital-acquired infections, medication errors, adverse drug reactions, et al--making medical care the third-ranking cause of death in the United States, ahead of highway accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS. I, too, espouse the single-payor concept, but unless the scourge of Iatrogenic Disease is aggressively addressed, no amount of "reform" is going to cure what ails us.

To the Editor

Typical of much mindless partisan rhetoric, generating more heat than light, today's Voice of the People contributor insists "We don't want what Obama's selling." Firstly, he means "I," not "We"--this naysayer certainly does not speak for me! Secondly, what is it, exactly, that he does not want? Does he not want health care made available to the 40 million Americans who currently have no insurance coverage and often go without? Does he not want to reduce skyrocketing medical costs and make health care more affordable for all Americans, so no one is driven into bankruptcy because of unexpected illness, and so American employers can compete on a level playing field in the global marketplace? Does he not want the degraded American public education system to once again excel among industrialized nations? Does he not want gay Americans to be regarded as equal and dignified human beings? Does he not want rational regulation of America's financial institutions to forestall a cataclysmic economic collapse? Does he not want to restore America's reputation as a nation of Laws that once was the envy of the civilized world?
The writer employs distraction as a debating technique, by criticizing "bobblehead" Biden's and "pop-up" Pelosi's behavior at the State of the Union address; yes, their antics were annoying, but totally irrelevant to President Obama's agenda or the letter writer's critique. I remind him that trying to be clever is like trying to look beautiful--a failed attempt can render one less attractive.

Pots and Kettles

Equally blameworthy--Republicans who uniformly and mindlessly oppose the president's initiatives, and Democrats who uniformly and mindlessly endorse them.

To the highest bidder...

By equating "money" with "speech" and "corporations" with "persons," the Supreme Court permanently affixed a For Sale sign to the U.S. Capitol.

R.I.P. Delayed

Another celebrity funeral: transformed by the ghoulish craft of the mortician to appear more vivacious in death than in life, it (no longer "he") lay exposed for hours to the probing gaze of gawking strangers.

Pants on Fire

After vigorous denials ad nauseum, John Edwards has finally admitted paternity. His "love child" is now two years old! I'm reminded of attorney Joseph Welch's stinging rebuke of disgraced Senator Joe McCarthy in 1954: "Have you no shame, sir?"

Dems Disarmed

Take a deep breath, Chicken Little--the sky is not going to fall just because the Democrats lost their supermajority in the Senate. In fact, in today's political milieu, pervaded by partisanship and dominated by powerful (sometimes nefarious) Special Interests, either party with a supermajority in Congress, especially if they also control the White House, should be considered armed and dangerous!

Texas Doc Admonishes President To Fix Culture of Irresponsibility and Dependency

Dear Dr. Jones:
I completely agree with you that individuals on the public dole ought not to be spending their limited resources (our tax dollars) on "luxuries and vices." If you can come up with humane, cost-effective measures to monitor and control each individual's spending habits, I feel certain that President Obama will seriously consider your suggestions. Your contention, however, that eliminating the profligacy of a few Medicaid recipients will cure our nation's health care "difficulties" is naive at best, disingenuous and self-serving at worst.
No rational analyst would suggest, contrary to your implication, that our health care "crisis" is due to a shortage of providers. In fact, the opposite may be true--too many providers creating a perceived "need" for their own services. Let me remind you, Dr. Jones, that physicians, and only physicians, are responsible for the flagrant over-prescribing of drugs, the rampant over-utilization of diagnostic tests and prodedures, the too-frequent unnecessary hospitalizations and surgical operations--and for the myriad resultant untoward effects, including hundreds of thousands of deaths and the squandering of billions of dollars. Yes, there is waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid, but that amount is a pittance compared to the waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system, itself. We must focus at least as much attention on the behaviors of practitioners as you would have us focus on the behaviors of the indigent and uninsured.

What do you think?

The advantage to being an ideologue is that one is spared the inconvenience of having to think for oneself.

Thank you--whoever you are.

In the early hours of the morning, an anonymous Good Samaritan patrols my street, performing random acts of kindness. A newspaper tossed astray may be moved to a more accessible spot nearer the resident's front door. Today, my own emptied trash barrel was returned from curbside to the end of my driveway. I am moved by this individual's selfless goodwill and wowed by his/her quiet generosity of spirit.

Worth the millions?

Top bankers insist that lavish bonuses are necessary to retain talented employees. Nonsense. Where would all those pricey employees go?

The Book of Records

"Hold the presses and call Mr. Guiness" (I wrote in 1988) "health care costs are shattering all records!" In the crisis of that day, annual U.S. health care expenditures had reached a staggering $544 billion, an onerous 11.4% of GDP. Despite perennial hand-wringing and sporadic half-measures by would-be reformers, health care costs have continued unabated to shatter records ever since. In 2008, our annual expenditure was $2.3 TRILLION, a whopping (and unsustainable) 16.2% of GDP! Will the proposed Bill currently before Congress finally stem the tide? I am convinced it will not, and may actually exacerbate the problem, unless employed as a wedge to introduce further, more meaningful and fundamental reforms. I am not optimistic--I see little evidence of strong, principled leadership that would be required to make the tough (and perhaps unpopular) decisions necessary to finally get the job done.

Clones Among Us

John Malkovich, Terry Bradshaw, Tommy Smothers--separated at birth??!!!

PC Update

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, Nevada) is at the center of a political firestorm. It has been revealed that during the last presidential campaign, he commented that the country was ready for a "light-skinned African-American" who spoke without a "negro dialect." Reid was an ardent Obama supporter, so he obviously had no malicious intent. Whether or not his opinion was factually/historically accurate (judging by the results of the 2008 election, it apparently was), what makes his statement so egregious--so offensive--that he was required to apologize to Mr. Obama? Get a grip, people!

Senator Reid's controversial remarks were not about candidate Obama's race, they were about the American electorate's preferences and prejudices.

"Not Only Is Profiling for Terrorism Racist..."

Is profiling for abortion-clinic bombers racist? (They're always white Christian males!)

If a succession of Black churches (or mosques) were vandalized in Mississippi, would it be "racial profiling" to suspect that the perps would likely be White (and to tailor one's initial investigation accordingly)?

Ditto THIS!

When Rush Limbaugh pontificated that he had received the best medical care in the world and that the American health care system was fine as is, not in need of reform, his remark was so stunningly mistaken that it seemed explainable not by naivete, not by ignorance, not even by brash stupidity, but only by willful deceit.

K.I.S.S.

Creationists often cite Complexity as irrefutable evidence of Intelligent Design. Simplicity would have been more convincing.

Buy-it-or-blow-it-up Diplomacy

In yet another example of reactive foreign policy, the U.S. will now pour $140,000,000 down a Yemini rathole. Predictably, further aid will continue indefinitely, and American taxpayers will never receive a full accounting of how the money is spent.

Coulda, Woulda...Shoulda

Do you glorify a god who could but won't or a god who would but can't?