Last week's news was dominated by the
assassination of opposition leader Benizir Bhutto in Pakistan. Truly disgusting
was the way all candidates immediately used her death as a way to burnish their
foreign policy credentials. Hillary waxed poetic about her good friend, Huckabee's
response highlighted his lack of knowledge about Pakistan and
Ron Paul immediately blamed the U.S. RIP Bhutto.
The flood of good news out of Iraq continued to be a non-story in the old media
last week. Deafening silence in the face of some truly miraculous news:
Thousands of Christians
celebrated Christmas Mass in Baghdad. Unthinkable, only one short year ago.
Former Sunni insurgents are
signing up to fight al Qaeda, Shiite militias have toned down attacks, commerce
is reviving and monthly casualty rates continue to plummet. Iraq's interior ministry
spokesman declared that
75% of al Qaeda in Iraq were destroyed this year. Translation: We're winning!
Meanwhile, across the pond, Britain's chief prosecutor announced that the words
'war on terror' will no longer be used by the British government. In Vermont,
the
town of
Brattleboro is busy petitioning to place an item on the town meeting agenda
that would make Bush and Cheney subject to arrest and indictment if they visit.
Can you spell treason?
Despite the progress in Iraq, several news items last week remind us that the world
remains a dangerous place. Russia successfully
tested an ICBM capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads. Japan successfully
shot down a medium-range ballistic missile more than 60 miles above
the Pacific Ocean. A member of Iran's parliament
was quoted as saying Tehran planned 19 nuclear-power plants. Finally, Israel
has
gotten the green light to start manufacturing a missile defense system to
intercept those short-range rockets the Gaza militants keep lobbing their way.
Update On The Culture War:
The 'gender optional' crowd continues to make strides.
AFA highlighted the fact that Ford Motor Co. pays the whole ball of wax
for any employee that decides to change his or her sex. Lovely.
The good news is: A Gallup poll verified that
82% of Americans identify with a Christian religion. This news doesn't faze
a group of atheists in Minnesota. They're taking their message to the air waves
with a
new radio program
that will debut in January on the talk station Air America
Minnesota.
New research claims to prove that
adultery is less common among Gen X (people born between 1965 and 1985).
Could it be because fewer people are getting married? Inquiring minds want to know.
Our Government at Work:
The Senate was gavelled into session for 9 seconds over the Xmas holidays, for the
sole purpose of keeping Bush from making any recess appointments. The Democrats
seem to be getting desperate.
Come Jan. 1, Massachusetts residents who haven't signed up for (mandatory) health
insurance will start
racking up fines. Also in Massachusetts, as of today,
new Medicaid requirements mandate questionnaires to detect signs of
mental health problems. My question is: will 'homophobia' be considered a sign of
a mental health problem. Or denying 'global warming'??
In a bid to keep us
all safe from fires, the Transportation Department has advised air travellers
that loose lithium batteries are no longer allowed on planes. I wish the bureaucrats
would come up with a policy for loose screws. Or get a life...or something.
House members spent
$20.3 million of our tax dollars on mailings, reminding us all of how relevant
they still are. And finally, for your reading pleasure, Judicial Watch released
their list of the
most corrupt politicians for 2007.
In Other News:
President
Bush and Hillary Clinton were Gallup's winners of the most admired man and
woman in America. I don't know which is more shocking.
Speaking of shocking - Loius Farrakhan, the spiritual leader of the Nation of Islam,
has been ordered to
appear in federal court next month. This comes on the heels of a crackdown
on Al Sharpton last month. Could it be that a person's color no longer automatically
exempts them from the rule of law? Here's hoping.
Google got caught
censoring conservative news sites again. Newsbusters revealed that when
googling one of America's premier conservative magazines, American Spectator, users
get the message, "This site may harm your computer." Be warned.
I don't have any funny tidbits to leave you smiling this week. Maybe reflecting
on how lucky we all are to be alive and well and living in the greatest country
the world has ever seen will bring a smile to your face. I hope so. I also hope
you all have a great New Year.
And that was the week that was.