Day: October 6, 2011

by

Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 116

Announcements

  • Although the Saturn image is fascinating, I need to return to deep space my header. A warm welcome to this image of the Orion Nebula and read about it here.
  • I will be posting this weekend.

On Politics
Republicans are trying to do everything possible to squelch Mitt Romney. Although he far exceeds John Kerry in flip-flops and waffles, the odds for getting the nomination are still in his favor.

For those using generalized rhetoric to criticize President Obama for not keeping his promises, PolitiFact has been tracking the promises since Inauguration Day. See for yourself.

The highest court in the land will say something about the Affordable Care Act. In advance, here are two questions I ponder: Should Justice Thomas recuse himself from the decision because of his wife’s association in the health care lobby? Should Justice Kagan recuse herself because she served as White House legal counsel at the time of the legislation?

Some are complaining that the Congressional Committee is meeting in private. Although the need to have public meetings and they need a way to have constituents submit ideas electronically, I have no problem with also private meetings. Otherwise, they would never get anything done. However, they should disclose any-and-all connections they have with lobbyists on a weekly basis.

The following quote and this link to the full article is from Bruce Bartlett, who served presidents Reagan and Bush (GHW). In my opinion, regulatory uncertainty is a canard invented by Republicans that allows them to use current economic problems to pursue an agenda supported by the business community year in and year out. In other words, it is a simple case of political opportunism, not a serious effort to deal with high unemployment.

I remind Speaker Boehner that it is Week 39 of the Boehner-led House without a jobs bill. To quote Speaker Boehner, “Where are the jobs?”

Interesting Reads

Given Sarah Palin’s recent announcement, this past short post from Don in Massachusetts is a hoot. Long live the Nincompoop!

On Headlines from The Onion

  • New Low-Calorie Sheep Bred to Combat Wolf Obesity
  • Dog Humiliated in Front of Whole Dog Park
  • New Anger-Powered Cars may Revolutionize the way We Drive
  • Boardwalk Con Men Hit hard by Decrease in Chumps
  • 30 Years of Man’s Life Disappear in Mysterious Kansas Rectangle

On Potpourri
I salute Steve Jobs as my first exposure to a computer was on an Apple.

The nation lost a civil rights icon this week. Interestingly, one can see a statue and a street named for Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth in both Cincinnati and Birmingham. Here’s a Cincinnati article on his life.

This week I returned to Bill’s Faith Matters Blog by Bill Tammeus. He wrote this about English reformer William Tyndall. He was a true martyr, in that he was murdered for his views and his actions. This is different from suicide bombers who take their own life. Such people are not martyrs but murderous fools.

Anyone interested in the US Supreme Court should bookmark SCOTUS Blog.

Cheers for me as I played my first golf of the year this past Tuesday … And the shoulder survived!

Texas Ranger outfielder Josh Hamilton’s baseball career and life has had many ups and downs. The Tampa Bay Rays drafted him and put a lot of time, money, and effort into him. Drugs brought him down and took him out of baseball. He successfully came back, yet he recently took the time to apologize to members of the Rays staff.

This week I have had the chance to revisit bloggers, only to discover that many are not posting as often. Oh crap, back to building readers. Any suggestions? Please send people and ideas. Meanwhile, here’s a movie script about my candidacy for president.

In the words of Garrison Keillor: Be well, do good works, and stay in touch.