Some Saturday Morning Random

Over the top---------was sent this video of a politician's speech---

The comment was that the sender wasn't paying attention to how over the top some politics had gotten.  My suggestion is to read Gail Collins in the NY Times---this is a link to today's post: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/11/opinion/11collins.html?hp

I would recommend regular reading of her column because Gail has pretty consistently pointed out many of the absurdities and gaffes in this year's election campaigns.  It's done with some humor and both sides have been the subject of her barbs.

As for the economy,  one word----STIMULUS.  More is needed.  Don't just take the word of Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics.  Read this leader from The Economist magazine dated Sept. 2, 2010:
http://www.economist.com/node/16943653?story_id=16943653

Interest rates are at or near zero.  There's precious little that the central bank can do to get unemployment down and the economy rolling again. Real growth needs directional change from policy---it has to come from the politicians!!!  You know, those people with no cajones because it's an election year-----god forbid we'd do anything constructive that might help THE PEOPLE..............so if you're a Democrat just try to be pandering and ingratiating so you can keep your seat; if you're a Republican just say NO.  And please don't worry---the middle class won't come out to vote because they get the shaft either way.

As John Mellenkamp says---"Ain't that America, land of the free....little pink houses for you and me."  Except we ain't got that guarantee no more thanks to the economic downturn and the lack of intestinal fortitude among our elected representatives.

Guns and Children

Once again certain of our fellow citizens want it both ways.

As discussed previously in this blog, people who support the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution interpret it as meaning that the right to own a firearm, even an automatic weapon, cannot be regulated by the government.

Now some of these same supporters of the Constitution are attacking the 14th Amendment, which is a lot less open to interpretation than the 2nd: "1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." (source:U S Constitution).

Pretty clear, I'd say---if you are born here, you become a citizen. There are a few exceptions about diplomats and other foreign peoples but pretty much this is universally applicable. Now Senator Graham of SC says this opens the door to illegals rushing in, having a kid, and staying for the good of the family. He wants to amend the Constitution again to correct this "mistake." The father of AZ SB1070--"show your papers"--is also fired up about this issue.

So when this is all over and the smoke has cleared, will the two amendments be combined to make the killing of immigrant babies legal if it's done with a firearm?? It's unfortunate that the immigrant community doesn't have the money or the clout in D.C. of the National Rifle Association........And equally unfortunate that state and federal officials, our representatives, seem to think they are above the law and can pick and choose which elements of the Constitution to respect and enforce.........

Lack of Money

Lots of buzz about the deficit. There's a good editorial in today's N Y Times about it. And there's an advertisement to sign a petition to renew the Bush tax cuts. Former senator turned actor Fred Thompson invites you to sign on to one of the very policies that resulted in the recession from which we might only be now emerging . Fred, stick to your acting!!!!

I think I'd put more faith in the opinion of the NY Times or the reigning nobel-laureate in economics, Paul Krugman, than in some washed up former senator and actor whose 2008 presidential campaign was a farce marked by mumbling and ineptitude...........

Memorial Day 2010

Been quite the week leading up to this Memorial Day.

First we learned that the companies who plunder the oceans in search of petroleum are clueless if there's an accident or leak a mile under the sea. According to the latest estimates, the Deepwater Horizon is sending oil into the Gulf of Mexico at the rate of an Exxon Valdez spill every four days. It's been 21 years since that "accident" and the damage is still injuring habitats. This spill is far worse. Imagine the repercussions from this tragedy---it might be generations before the damage is remediated.

Then there's the indomitable Craig Venter. In 2001, he led the team that first sequenced the human genome. In 2010, he and his associates have made a "synthetic cell"---the first man-made, self replicating organism. The ethics questions are only beginning-----the possibilities and repercussions could be momentous.

Finally, there is today's holiday---Memorial Day. The big story is that Barack Obama will break with tradition and NOT lay a wreath in the Arlington National cemetery but rather delegate this to the vice-president. Obama will attend a Memorial Day observance in Springfield Illinois, his home state. Does it matter how the president celebrates this day? And is it really a day to celebrate? This holiday, which marks the start of summer for most Americans, is intended for us to take pause and remember those people who have fallen in war. Perhaps a better celebration of the day would be a discussion about how useless and fraudulent some of those wars were. Perhaps a better use of a national leader's time would be to devise a strategy to remove the spectre of war rather than laying wreaths on the graves of the departed. So enjoy your hot dogs and barbecues and beaches this start of the summer holiday. But also resolve to seek peace in our time---the best Memorial Day will come when we no longer need to dig graves for those who have fallen in battle.

Theater of the Absurd

Enough already!!!! Arizona SB1070 is the law in that state. It's pathetic, racist, and divisive. Just look at some of the reactions to it. Boston is part of the boycott---like, why??? The only thing they got from AZ that's significant is Dustin Pedroia (Arizona State) and that's debatable because he went to college there but grew up in Woodland CA. LA wants to boycott and AZ is threatening them with cutting off the power los angelenos get from AZ. And in Texas, people from the more conservative north want to boycott the capitol Austin for joining the AZ boycott.

This is ridiculous, perhaps even more ridiculous than the misbegotten law that spawned these absurdities. But it's also a wake-up call. Immigration reform at the federal level needs to become a priority. I realize our representatives are so overworked----how many of you get a week off for the 4th of July as well as the entire month of August???? That's a six week period when the denizens of DC could debate and solve the immigration problem---except they haven't got the guts. McCain (R-AZ) once supported reform back in the Bush days. And for all his failures, W was right, oops, should say, correct on this issue. Our economy has taken a big enough hit from the bankers. Imagine if we deported every illegal---who'd pick Obama's arugula, clean the houses of the wealthy, pluck them chickens for Perdue and Colonel Sanders???

And lest we forget---if you aren't a "Native American" (descended from one of those intrepid souls who crossed the Bering land bridge thousands of years ago), YOU ARE FROM IMMIGRANT STOCK. So please stop flooding my inbox with those forwards about Mexicans and "Ay-rabs" and all the other racist clap-trap that's out there. America was built by English people fleeing religious persecution, Irish and Italians seeking better opportunities, and all those other ethnicities seeking freedom and a chance for a better life. These are facts, I'm not just waving "the" flag here. Let's take away summer vacation in WAWA DC and get our representatives to put an end to this national disgrace before any more states follow the lead of the sun-addled.

News Items

Watching those little snippets that scroll across the bottom of the tv screen on news channels. Every so often a few beg for more information.

Item----study shows that women with younger partners are more prone to heart disease. Does this mean that ABC's CougarTown will soon join Law and Order on the cancellation list???

Item----Army proposing recall of 44,000 helmets for failing to meet specifications. How long have men been at war, using head gear, and we still can't make them right??

Item---BP hopes latest efforts might stop oil leak in Gulf of Mexico. Should we expand drilling offshore when the best we can get for containment of a spill that's dumping the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez tragedy every week into the water from those responsible is HOPE??????

Times like these make being a pirate dog preferable to being a human.......

Back to the Future????

We've long thought that it takes extremes to move the mass. In the 60's the tension between groups like the John Birch Society and the Students for a Democratic Society polarized debate about the war in Viet Nam and some social issues. This dichotomy of ideas influenced the end of the war and the domestic policies of LBJ--the Great Society which incorporated civil rights and Medicare into our society. The mass in the middle needs the radical fringes to motivate it.

But what happens when those radicals become the voice of the people in a republic like ours?? What outcomes can be expected when the radical fringe assumes control?? We poked a little fun at the Hutaree Militia but the underlying threats posed by religious cults and right wing domestic terrorists is palpable. Remember Jonestown and Timothy McVeigh. A conservative group called Guardians of the Free Republics is under investigation for sending threatening letters to governors.

Most of these groups, and others in the conservative movement, rail against the growth of so-called big government. The latest documents from the Guardians talks about returning to the pre-1933 form of government. Let's see, wouldn't that be a return to the Great Depression??? Wonder if they'd provide dime a gallon gas and $.07 loaves of bread as well. Somehow we believe the circumstances of the world economy wouldn't permit that, nor would people work for the same wages. The poverty threshold in 2008 was higher than the average wage in 1932!!

The federal government grew with jobs programs, Social Security, and other innovations to get the country out of an economic meltdown in the period from 1932-1934. (In truth, full recovery and full employment came about because of World War II.) But the government interventions in the '30s moved the economy in the correct direction. The recent economic slowdown was exacerbated by the shrinking of government regulation since the 1990s. Wasn't the Republican Party, the conservatives led by Newt Gingrich and George W Bush in charge of the economy and government then? Isn't the lesson of history that less government intervention in the economy a recipe for disaster---see the history for 1929 and 2007 for examples.

So let the tea-partiers continue their tea-bagging and let Rush bombast to his heart's content. But don't for a minute believe them----we would NOT be better of if we revisited 1932!!!!!

Dead Horses

There's nothing to be gained in beating a dead horse, goes the old saw. So why do the conservatives continue to do so?? Their present dead horse is the growth of government as exemplified by "Obamacare." Funny, when Medicare/Medicaid was enacted I don't remember cries of foreboding about "Johnsoncare." Was it because we were not as clever then? Doubtful. Most likely it was because we were more civil then, at least in our domestic policy discussions. But I digress....

This morning I happened to catch Congressman Mike Pence (R-Ind,) on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. Mr Pence is a conservative Republican and a winner of Conservative Man of the Year from the organization Human Rights. After the usual frothing about how health care reform as presently constituted will be a crushing blow to our economic recovery, Mt. Pence would NOT name any other government program than "Obamacare" that he would cut to help reduce spending at the federal level and the trillion-dollar deficit. This despite several instances of encouragement by the show' s panelist Mike Barnicle. Mr. Pence's stand is so typical of the conservative Republicans who got us into this mess in the first place---the Iraq War, the debacle named Afghanistan, the collapse of the financial system in 2007------the legacy of George W Bush and the Republican controlled congress (until 2006). And now it's Barack Obama's health care reform that is plunging us into the abyss???? I think not. I agree with David Frum---time for the conservatives to work within the system rather than merely being perceived as obstructionist if they want to make any headway in the November mid-term elections.

So go to the tea parties, continue the "I'm NRA and I vote", and the "NObama" bumper sticker tirades. On with the racial epithets and gender preference slurs, on Rush, on Sean, on Glenn, on over the top screaming, and on to defeat with your beaten dead horse in November.

"...with a whimper"

So the Christians and tea-baggers go from the capitol. Health reform, or at least, health insurance reform, was passed by the House of Representatives late Sunday evening. And the debate was at such a level that all Amerikans should be proud----cries of "baby-killer", "nigger", etc. raining down on our elected representatives. Stand tall, Amerika. From water-boarding to torture to the total dissolution of any modicum of civility, your partisanship rises triumphant. I am as disgusted with the inexcusable performance of supposed "leaders" over the health care debate as I was over the Vietnam war. What a pathetic excuse for a civilized country. So shall we go to our just desserts, not with a bang but with a whimper.........or in a hale of racist or hateful epithets.

The Revolution Circa 2010

Tonight's the night-----TEA PARTY!!!!!!!!

The first convention for this new party is being held in Nashville TN. At more than $500 a ticket it costs a lot more than those other revolutionary venues like Woodstock in 1969, Chicago's Grant Park in 1968, or John Lennon's Toronto or Paris hotel rooms. And the list of speakers and topics, and the workshops!!!!

But the keynote speaker---former Alaska governor, wolf slaughterer, and moose cleaner Sarah Palin. This time without a lead-in from Tina Fey. I'm sure her performance will be more than worth the price of admission. Or not.

Isn't it amazing how John Lennon foretold this movement in his song Revolution---"you tell me it's the institution/ well you know/ you better free your mind instead." The tea-partiers are so full of original, thoughtful slogans--Obama care is socialized medicine; If you think health care is expensive now, wait until it's free; Let's take back America for Americans. But my personal favorite is when those choruses of retirees all chant for the government to keep its hands off their Medicare.

Maybe John was wrong----he assumed they had minds that they could free.

Happy New Year 2010

The blue moon rose large over the Organs on New Year's eve. Fireworks graced the skies at midnight ushering in the first year of the second decade of the 21st Century. Just a couple hundred more years until NCC-1701 leaves its moorings for its maiden voyage.

The biggest concern is that we make it that long. Some kind of health insurance reform will get through Congress in 2010. It will be largely influenced by lobbyists since despite all of Barry Obama's post-partisan change beliefs, the District of Columbia is still a place where money talks and everything else (like ethics, representing the voters who sent you, honesty) walks.

Should we even discuss the latest foiled terrorist attempt? Does the end justify the means or lack thereof?? The guy got caught, the bomb did not go off. It wasn't 9/11 all over again. So all the recommendations by all the investigative committees in the world can't defeat the fact that human beings are not infallible. It is the nature of the species to err in order to evolve.

Speaking of errors, what exactly is the problem with those whole body screen machines?? Being an individual with a knee implant, I can attest that the machines (Albuquerque has them) are far less intrusive than some bozo using wands and "patting" me down. They are also much faster, making the lines at airport security check points flow much more smoothly. If the concern is privacy, as I've heard voiced by opponents and talking heads on t.v., then we need to eliminate Facebook, Google, credit cards, credit bureaus, government, and probably most other human institutions because we cede a little of our precious privacy every time we interact with one of them.

Just a few thoughts--

"...and Happy New Year. Let's hope it's a good one, without any fear. War is over if you want it, war is over now." -- John Lennon

Unreformed

This morning the Senate passed the health care reform bill. 60-39. Who was missing?? Was this 40 Dems and 20 Repubs in favor?? As Aerosmith says, DREAM ON.

Now that the bills are through the nonsense of quorum calls and cloture resolutions and all the other b.s. that our representatives use to avoid governing and making hard choices, what did we get?? A political deal where any Dem senator who wanted could get some pork or special consideration for his/her state!! Abortion reform? Insurance pools? Less responsibility for the state and more for the Fed on Medicaid?

What about all the millions of baby boomers who would like to retire but can't get reasonable cost health insurance? What is so bad about a Medicare buy-in at 55? That's what all federal employees basically get for their health insurance. If it's good enough for Senators Liebermann, McCain, and Nelson it should be good for the rest of us!!!!

Now there will be a conference committee to blend the House and Senate versions into a bill that can become law after Barack Obama signs it. So to Nancy Pelosi, John McCain, John Boehner, Joe Liebermann, Barry Obama----before you go any further, please, over the Christmas recess, read Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy and learn how a LEADER acts.

The American people want HEALTH CARE REFORM not political hash. Early buy-in to Medicare, a public option for health insurance, reform in how medical professionals are compensated (pay for results, not number of procedures). This is not too much to ask and we, the people, deserve better than what we've gotten to this point!!!!

Book Comment

I recently read Myths, Illusions, & Peace by Dennis Ross and David Makovsky. It's a fascinating study of the relationship between the US and the Middle East, especially Israel and Iran. Some parts seem to be self-serving, almost as if Mr. Ross is polishing his resume. He was a negotiator for Palestinian-Israeli peace talks under H W Bush and Clinton and while an adviser to Obama, might he wish for a more active role? Anyway, the book is illuminating and well worth the read if one is interested in the Middle East. One of the final paragraphs pretty well sums up the pathetic incompetence of the last eight years:

"Truth be told, credibility is a function of many facets of our behavior. Are we effective? Do we tend to preserve the moral high ground? Do we frame issues or objectives in a way that others internationally or regionally accept? Do we shape policies in which our objectives and our means are in sync, or is there always a wide gap between them? Do others believe that we will do what we say we will do, or are we likely to put those who join with us in an exposed position? Do we avoid surprises that raise questions about our purposes or judgment, or both? Ultimately, credibility boils down to reliability and effectiveness. After the ineffective policies of the Bush Administration, its successor must recognize the importance of being able to produce on the objectives it proclaims. "

~Dennis Ross, David Makovsky: Myths, Illusion, & Peace, p. 319

So if there is a lesson to be drawn from this book and the experiences of the past few years it is in our national interest to regain our credibility in the world and re-establish our claim to the higher moral ground we have ceded by our actions in the "war" on terror. The actions recommended by Messrs. Ross & Makovsky might not be out of place in our domestic discussions on health care, Afghanistan, and firearms as well.

Short Week

Last week marked the traditional end of summer--Labor Day. This week usually seems very packed with events for such a short-work week. It's the traditional back-to-school week; the time to prepare for the harvest and start the process of stocking up for winter; car sales; and that last summer week-end of irresponsibility.

This year the week seemed even more densely populated with events.

Tuesday had the presidential brainwashing of America's youth with socialist clap-trap. Horror must abide at the very thought of encouraging these impressionable minds to endeavor to fulfill their potential. Far better for our democracy that the next generation be dull and easily swayed by the demagoguery coming from the speakers of their radios and televisions. Just imagine what, say, Rush Limbaugh's or Fox News channel's ratings would be if their listeners or viewers were capable of critical thinking or schooled in the intricacies of logical debate. No wonder the hue and cry to prevent the president from addressing the nation's students about their opportunities if they stay in school, eschew gangs and drugs, and learn to think and evaluate issues and arguments.

This week, the Economist had two articles of note. First is the Lexington column that basically called health care reform a non-starter because American are afraid of rational public discussions about death. Second was an article titled "The nanny state" that addresses the issue of public spending on child well-being and how it misses the mark more often than not. The US is pretty much in the bottom half of OECD countries when it comes to effective use of public spending on childhood well being. It's tragic that we rank 24th of 30 countries in the health and safety of our children.

Wednesday brought the much awaited address to Congress on health care reform. Except that wasn't the topic. Health insurance reform was and it really looks like that's all we'll get. And I feel betrayed. I have very good health insurance through my employer. But if I retire before Medicare kicks in, which I hope to do, I need to feel anxious about the cost of any coverage. Basic health insurance will cost me about 5X what I presently pay per month!!! And like many retirees, my income will be less than it is at present. Doesn't take a genius to see this is not a good outcome. So while I appreciate the efforts of congress and the administration to attempt insurance reform, that's sort of like the cart before the horse. What is needed is health CARE reform. Health care providers should be paid for results, not number of tests prescribed. Certain screenings like HPV, mammograms, colonoscopies, cholesterol screening, prostate screens, should be, if not free, than at least at a minimal cost. Prevention and wellness are the keys to cutting medical costs and there is little beyond platitudes coming from congress to address these issues.

Last time I looked, the candidate who got the majority in the electoral college becomes president. Of all of the United States. So whether one might consider him a liar, a socialist, a reactionary, etc, he is still the president. Nixon was---lots of truth there, right?? LBJ was, another paragon of virtue. Bill Clinton---what can I say, Monica?? "W"--as in "Weapons of mass destruction"---even more truth telling. So I guess my comment to all those who say the current person residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is "not my president" is to go where your type president lives---maybe Russia, with Medvedev and Putin; or France with Sarkozy; or Zimbabwe with Mugabe?? I was prepared to go to Canada rather than serve under Johnson in Viet-Nam. I guess I'd say to you the same thing I heard back then---America, love it or leave it.

Lastly, Bertequila spent Tuesday night thru Thursday morning at the vet. Time to get him neutered. But even though he now has no balls, he's still got more cojones than the screamers and bloviators.

Frustrated

Well, I almost managed to blow a long weekend. Finally got to The Owl on Tuesday for a couple green chile cheeseburgers. Also got hold of a realtor in central NM where we have been looking on our own to set up a tour of some properties.

I have followed the political doings in our capitol over the past couple of weeks. The elected representatives in Congress have basically tabled environmental legislation. Cap and trade only works if there's some payment and the special interests have convinced our representatives to represent them, not the people. So a lot of the caps are not traded but given away. Maybe, hoping against hope, the Congress will realize over recess that this idea stinks worse than a coal fired power plant and change the bill to allow and enforce a carbon tax with the proceeds going to provide affordable renewable clean energy.

Next is the Sonia Sotomayor hearings in which a bunch of old white men proved that a "wise Latina" is, in fact, smarter and wiser than them. Of course, some senators absolutely have to play politics so they will oppose the nomination not because of anything the nominee said or did during the hearings; nor are they in total disagreement with her record as a jurist. They even admit she'll be confirmed. So why are Cornyn and Hatch voting no if not for purely partisan reasons??

Finally there's health care. What the hell is Barack Obama thinking leaving the shepherding of this most important of all reforms in the hands of Pelosi and Reid!!!! At best these two are political hacks. At worst they are absolute proof that absolute power corrupts absolutely. They go out of their way to antagonize the minority---I would hope after their years of being out of power they might realize that allowing the opposition to inject a few ideas might make the bipartisanship that Obama seeks possible. But, oh no, these two dunderheads just keep ramming through their agendas and the poor citizens,as well as the G O P, be damned. I guess I'll be spending a lot of time watching "West Wing" dvds---at least when Jeb, Toby, Leo, CJ, Sam, and Josh screw up I don't pay for it.

"Quo Vadis?"

On my "Igoogle" page this morning there was a quote attributed to Muhammed Ali to the effect that if you are 50 and view life the same way as when you were 20, you have wasted 30 years.

When I was 20, big issues were ending the Vietnam war, considered by many as unnecessary and unjust; protecting the environment and reducing waste; and making politics more representative and less about special interests.

Now, 40 years later, 10 more than in Ali's nugget of wisdom, the big issues are ending a war that is both unnecessary and unjust; protecting the planet from global warming; making politics more transparent and representative; and we can add, restoring America's moral leadership in the world.

So is what we have a generation that has learned nothing and wasted 30 or 40 years????

Candidate for 2012??

Auntie Bucksnort's comment is responsible for this post. In a previous entry on this blog, she commented about Bertie possibly being a Republican candidate in 2012. I pretty much dismissed this idea in favor of a run by the Captain, given her much greater experience and demonstrated leadership skills. Bertie is after all a midshipman. But after celebrating the 4th of July with several Coronas, barbecued ribs, ears of corn-on-the-cob, and glasses of wine, I rethought my position.

Bertie certainly has more charisma than Romney or Palin:

The small dog has the tenacity and fighting mien of Giuliani or Cheney:

Bertie also gets on well with the ladies, like Ensign or Sanford:

Finally, and this might be the most compelling of his qualifications, if you invert the first letter of his rank, Midshipman, you get

W

And that's that...............

Strategy??

Doesn't the resignation of Sarah Palin as Governor of Alaska remind us of that famous statement by Richard M Nixon after losing an election in CA---"You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore"? Is the 'Cuda attempting the same strategy? After all, Nixon went on to win the presidency a few years later. He spent the intervening years as a grand old strategist for the G O P. That sounds like what Sarah plans to do.

But the soon-to-be-former governor needs to rethink this strategy. Nixon was coming off eight years as vice president to Eisenhower and a failed, but close, run for president against JFK. Palin comes off a trouncing as the vice-presidential candidate in a somewhat more decisive victory for the Democratic opponent. The current Republican party is more about vice than presidents. The ethical issues of the Palin regime may be somewhat resolved but many feel there is a smoking gun which really prompted this incredible move by Sarah Palin. Only time will tell but it would come as no surprise that the Pride of Wasilla wasn't responsible for a bigger turn-over than the assist she is claiming.

In Passing

We take note of the passing of Karl Malden. I always thought he was a talented and versatile performer, playing priest (On the Waterfront as counselor to Marlon Brando, The West Wing-- confessor to President Bartlet), policeman (LT Mike Stone in The Streets of San Francisco, mentor to the young Michael Douglas pre-Catherine Zeta-Jones) and soldier (General Omar Bradley in Patton). Malden's career spanned almost 70 years. Long live Mladen Sekulovich!!!!!

Noted on BBC, Fox News, the N Y Times, as well as other web sites----

Palin to Resign as Governor of Alaska

The Times states that Palin would be free to travel more and that she believes she can "effect positive change outside of government." It notes that the governor of Minnesota will not seek re-election so he might pursue other opportunities, including a possible run for the presidency in 2012.

But Sarah is resigning effective the end of July 2009. Her term ends in 2010. Ever since her performance as John McCain's running mate in the failed campaign for president in 2008, Palin has been dogged by allegations of ethics questions and the resignations of key state officials. Given the recent less than stellar performances of other Republican presidential front running possibilities like Senator Ensign and Governor Sanford, don't be too surprised if there's a little more to this story than is being bandied about this Independence Day weekend. And MSNBC has a Lock-Up marathon scheduled---they did break in for this so maybe they are a news channel.......

Fictions

So the governor of SC, Mark Sanford, a front runner for the dubious distinction of carrying the Republican banner in the 2012 presidential election, allowed the fiction to be disseminated that he was hiking on the Appalachian trail to clear his head after some bitter fights over budgets and money with the SC legislature. This is a fiction. He admitted today he was involved in an affair.

Now, this man is alleged to be a paragon of conservative virtues like the sanctity of the family, the sanctity of "one man one woman" marriage, and all the other virtues that secular liberal intellectuals lack. So how badly have the mouthpieces of the G O P castigated this sinner over his fall from the Sinai of their proclivities? Well, Ayatollah Rush Limbaugh has taken comfort in the fact that Republicans are capable of sex and lust. So much for the Commandments about not committing adultery and not coveting another man's wife. Does this mean that henceforth the religious wing of the G O P will only be touting 8 commandments for public display, not the original 10 given us by GOD?? As for the next-in-line prophet, Hannity, his website has a non-clickable line about the incident. And these two purport to be the consciences of the nation??

A final fiction---Suppose Argentina was just to throw us off the scent and Gov. S. really went to another state that starts with "A" and his real paramour is the governor there. This torrid affair began about a year ago (he said this), maybe at a Republican governors conference?? And an affair with the fair governor of that northernmost clime might eliminate a front-running and highly respected rival for the 2012 nomination....

Honestly, between multiple nuptial Newt, Ensign lover, now Sanford the fallen, shouldn't the question be whether any of the "serious" Republican possible presidential candidates for 2012 have more sense than Midshipman Bertie, the humpy little chihuahua? Bert has an excuse---he's a 4-month old male puppy. What excuse can Rush and Sean offer for the uncontrollable urges of men aspiring to leadership who act like 4-month old male puppies???