Barak Hussein Obama, U.S. President?

Though it's now 6+ years ago since 9/11, our nation is still recovering from that event, and perhaps the largest wound yet to heal is our suspicion of all things Muslim...even things Muslim-like. At this point, Barak Hussein Obama has a real shot at garnering the Democratic nomination for president, if not the Oval Office itself. Mr. Obama professes to be Christian, and I have no reason to doubt his claim, yet his Muslim-like name remains, and surely there will be some who prefer to doubt his affiliation.

So, what would happen if the U.S. were to elect as president, in these suspicious-of-all-things-Muslim times, a man who bears such a Muslim-like name? (If our suspicion doesn't make that an impossibility in the first place.) And let's say that he follows through with his promises to get us out of Iraq in the first days of his presidency. How would xenophobic ultra-cons deal with that? Might one of the more extreme among them decide that it's time to complete the image of Obama being the next JFK?

Or, what if in taking office Mr. Obama realizes that such a withdrawal really isn't the right thing to do after all? How would the Islamic world take to the idea of a "Muslim-like" guy being our new commander-in chief, and he's choosing to continue the war against their people rather than end it? Could that turn even more of them against us?

The rising cost of...TV

People might tell you how technology has simplified -and even reduced the cost of- living. While that might bear true in many instances, it surely isn't holding true for our TV lives. ...Not our lives on TV, but our lives with TV. Have you shopped for a TV lately?! For many years, TV set prices have been steadily falling, if not in actual ticket prices, then at least in terms of bang-for-the-buck. But now, any serious shopper is foregoing the tube-TV units and is choosing among the various LCD and Plasma flat-panel units, which tend to start at twice the price of an equivalent old-school set. And bigger units (i.e., 42"+) tend to be the more popular choices. And if you do the right thing, and hold out for a full-HD unit (i.e., 1080P), then you're looking at an $1800 pill, likely more. Now, since you went top-drawer on the set, you can't then just settle for the integral speakers that it comes with, and you surely can't waste your time watching broadcast signals on it. You've got to pony up for a worthy home entertainment system, including high-end speakers and an HD DVD player. But do you go with BlueRay, or HD? And of course your analog cable subscription won't do either. You'll need to upgrade to digital service, at greater monthly cost. Or perhaps even switch over to satellite. And don't forget costs that you might incur in getting rid of those perfectly functional analog sets you probably have, as nobody will likely be interested in taking those off your hands, given the analog-to-digital change-over that's coming in '09...just to further frustrate the situation. After all is said and done, you could easily be looking at a $3K investment for your new TV outfit...per room, with monthly fees higher than what you're dealing with now! Do any of your believe that these system costs will ever come down to the sub-$750 range. ...Fuhgetaboutit.

Hmm...giving it all up and going back to radio is looking pretty good. ...But then there's XM vs. Sirius subscriptions, and HD-Radio units. Arg!

Books!...yeah, books...good ol' cheap, paper-back books. That's the way to go!

Be thankful for Paper Tigers

Is anyone else out there frightened by the unlimited willingness on the part of the presidential candidates to take on any and every cause from the Oval Office? I can't believe the degree of power that these candidates, and their followers, expect to exert once taking the helm. Mitt agrees to address our nation's pet population. Richardson will replace all of our incandescent light bulbs. Obama will bring the entire nation together in one accord, on everything. Perhaps the most confused one is Hillary, who promises as President to implement things that only Congress has direct decision over; things which she has not been successful in achieving as a Senator. ??!

I can't help wonder if these people haven't gotten confused with the holiday season, thinking that they're actually running for the job of Santa Claus, rather than President! "And what would you like for Election Day, little Johnny? ...Well sure, I can give you that!!"

The only thing more frightening than what these people expect to do from the White House would be someone who actually did have that much consolidated power.

Putting Some Skin in the Game

News from the science desk tells us that some intrepid researchers have developed a method of converting average skins cells into stem cells, which then have the potential benefits that have been argued possible only with human embryo cells. ...This is HUGE, if it proves out.

Evaporate would the debate about destroying humans to harvest their stem cells. Poof!

But perhaps the best part about the news, aside from the potential life-saving possibilities, is the fact that this research was, in some part, motivated by the insistence of our president not to invest federal funds to provide more lines of human embryo stem-cells. In other words, researches had to work the contingencies. And they came up with a process that is actually more simple and accessible than the one the president denied them.

So will Bush ever get an iota of credit for sticking to his principles, which contributed to this most amazing work? Will outspoken critics like Micheal J. Fox thank the president for causing scientists to pursue other avenues, which led to this incredible new future? Don't bet your skin on it.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is coming to town

Being an open and hospitable country can sometimes be a gut-wrenching thing. Case in point: the president of Iran is coming to visit. What's the right way to handle this situation? Some would argue that he should be turned back at his port of entry. However, his status as country VIP grants him undeniable access to the U.N., which is here in the U.S. And the rules also allow him access to anything else within a 25 mile radius, which includes Ground Zero.

What irony, that this man, one of the three legs of the "Axis Of Evil," will be able to stand on the edge of that sacred site, and feign his condolences to it victims, with cameras clicking and the images spread world wide. For the enemies of this country, those images will be grand trophies, and a great inspiration in their causes.

What's more, Columbia Univ has extended an invitation for M.A. to speak, risking even further the inflation of his status, and risking the outward appearance that anyone in the U.S. cares one wit what this fool has to say. ...C.U. also risks the reducing of their own status by this invitation.

But on further reflection, I've come to see C.U.'s way of thinking. Not that M.A. deserves any more microphone than he'll already have at the U.N., mind you. But if he is going to speak, why not give him all the rope he wants. Has this man ever said anything that can be rationalized or justified? Does he not always put his bloody foot in his mouth, without hesitation? Does he not always say things that are simply outrageous and undeniably mad?

So, let him come. Let him speak of the annihilation of Israel. Let him deny the Holocaust. Let him deny having any hand in Iraq. Let him deny any pursuit of nuclear weapons. Let the fool open his mouth and remove all doubt. ...But only if he must come anyway.

Abortion is "Safe"

The FDA today released details of a study that concludes the "Abortion Pill" (mifepristone) is "safe". ...In other words, the pill safely kills. Let us all rejoice in this astounding oxymoron.

Evolved from Africa

An article published at Nature.com settles a long-standing debate, concluding that the entire human race comes from a single, common ancestral home: Sub-Saharan Africa.

...I wonder how the NAACP will take this news --that all Americans are conclusively of African descent, and thereby qualify for recognition and representation by that organization.