If I Were A Republican

In the aftermath of the Florida primary, if I were a Republican I would be rejoicing that Giuliani bit the dust but I would be frustrated that the eventual candidate of my party might be McCain or even Romney. Neither of these gentlemen are class acts. McCain would preserve the militaristic legacy of Bush and Romney would preserve the economic legacy of Bush. As a Republican , I would swallow hard, forget about Roe v. Wade, forget about gay marriage, forget about the precepts of evangelism and forget about getting rich at the expense of others. Once I cleansed my mind I would embrace one of the Democratic candidates (preferably Obama). Of course , if I were a Republican I would do none of the above, I would merely realize that I'm critically ill and hope that Dr. Ron Paul had a cure in his bag. A Republican Party in disarray is just what the doctor ordered.

Democrats And Jackasses

I was drawn to a Reuter’s report that proclaimed “ A jackass will play a prominent role when Democrats meet in August to nominate their presidential candidate.” My first reaction was , Holy Monica, Bill hasn’t learned his lesson yet! My fears were allayed when I read further into the news release and realized that the jackass was Mordecai, a real live donkey. I’m sure that Bill’s reaction was that Hillary does not need a jackass to be elected, or does she?

Now Its Really Getting Messy

Just about a year ago I posted some comments relative to the Iraq War under the title " Another Nice Mess" . It seems that Bush and Cheney are still at it. The Iraq War, the Pakistan crisis, the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the credit crunch, the falling dollar, the loss of jobs, $100 per barrel oil, and waning consumer confidence are all feeding on one another to create yet another nice mess. We are either in a recession or about to enter one. Some legacy for the Bush administration! My early years were spent in the Depression era and its beginning to look like my golden years are going to get a bit tarnished.

Paradise Can Be Hell

Florida officials are pressing for a national insurance backup fund that would help cut insurance rates in Florida for hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters. What is mind boggling is that the people seeking this welfare assistance are staunch Reagan Republicans devoted to cutting taxes for the wealthy and burying the middle class. Ask Floridians why they live on barrier islands and their response is that its like living in Paradise. Perhaps they should consider putting money aside for a rainy day before they go on the dole. Paradise can be hell!

President Bush Outlines Iran Threat

On Sunday January 13, 2008 President George W. Bush speaking in Abu Dhabi said "Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere. So the United States is strengthening our longstanding security commitments with our friends in the Gulf and rallying friends around the world to confront this danger before it is too late".

There is something familiar about President George W. Bush’s Abu Dhabi remarks. On October 7, 2002 speaking in Cincinnati, President George W. Bush outlined the Iraqi threat and warned about a grave threat to peace , and America‘s determination to lead the world in confronting that threat. “ The threat comes from Iraq. It arises directly from the Iraqi regime’s own actions -- its history of aggression, and its drive toward an arsenal of terror.”

On March 20, 2003 the Iraq War started. Almost five years later the Iraq debacle continues. Is there any reason to believe that President George W. Bush has got it got it right this time?

About Small Talk

Small talk is defined as idle banter typically on innocuous or unimportant subjects. People engage in small talk to open conversations usually out of politeness. The problem with small talk is that it is rarely innocuous. Small talk can be irritating and offensive. Besides when is it polite to interrupt someone’s solitude with an attempt to start a boring conversation. Take the elderly gentleman who plops himself beside you on a shopping mall bench and announces that it’s a beautiful day. How are you supposed to respond? As far as he is concerned it is a beautiful day but you just dropped and damaged your cell phone and your wife maxed out her credit card. The best diplomatic answer you can give him is that the day sucks. End of small talk! Beware of whom you are trying to engage in conversation. An innocuous ( I love the word, it implies absolutely nothing) subject may be someone else’s flash point. So why do we have small talk? To be polite? Perhaps a little big talk would be more appropriate. A little big talk sounds like small talk. And that's what this musing is - small talk!

As the supreme court ponders whether or not lethal injection is cruel and inhuman punishment the court should seriously consider asking Justice Scalia to offer himself as a guinea pig for a lethal cocktail so that they may gain some first hand knowledge of the degree of pain suffered.

About New Years Day

Today’s paper is full of articles about making New Year resolutions and with predictions about what the New Year will bring. I have never succumbed to the practice of making resolutions so adhering to them is a burden I have conveniently avoided. I have been guilty however of wondering what a New Year might hold in store for me. Dallying with what might or might not happen was over within twenty-four hours. Wondering is not very productive but musing can have positive results. Musing about New Years Day led me to the conclusion that there is a time in life when every day is actually a “New Years Day”. Waking up in the morning and making the most of each day is resolve enough. Realizing that each day is not only a beginning but possibly an end is sobering and calls for celebrating each day. So Happy New Year today, tomorrow and the day after. Happy New Year all year long!