"Mitt Romney Haunted By Past Of Trying To Help Uninsured Sick People."---The Onion
- Christopher Hitchens, perhaps one of the greatest writers of this generation, died yesterday. He was 62. Many people might find it interesting that I'm memorializing him in this manner since his overall politics where way left of mine. He described himself once as a Marxist. He was a staunch Atheist. Someone once described him as both "brilliant and infuriating." That may have been an understatement. He could piss off folks on both sides of the political isle (for example, although a fiery progressive, his defense of the War in Iraq was the most intellectually honest of any other pundit on his side of the political isle. In fact, he defended our involvement better than those who decided to embark on the operation. On the other hand, he was no big fan of Pres. Bush). In fact, when it came to hammering the right; he could do it with such savage grace and ease, one couldn't help but smile. He did the same when he savaged the Clintons. The bottom line is Hitchens was everything many pundits are not today---honest, brilliant, thought provoking and, yes, even infuriating. To use an overused phrase, he was the bull in the china closet. Although he will be missed by many, it's good to know he left enough outstanding work to last a reader a lifetime to read (however, make sure you have your dictionary at hand. it's undeniable: The man could write).
- And while I'm on the arts, it's being reported that Howard Stern will be a judge on "America's Got Talent." To be honest, I could give a crap about this show, but I already like Stern's attitude. He also a genius. And he's already trying to stir up controversy which, in turn, will ensure huge numbers. One example, "And this nonsense of Howie and Sharon putting through less-than-talented people has got to stop...under my administration (notice, he's already taking over), there will be no Frank Sinatra impersonators winning." Like I said, the guy is a genius.
- Am I the only person in America who hears a stone-cold silence about our winning in Iraq? What the f--k is going on? I've not even heard of any victorious parades or plans for such. We win and war that went on almost 8 years with over 4,000 dead and stone-cold silence. I don't know about you---makes me sick.
- Newt is not the only politicians whose taken big bucks from the private sector (he received $1.6 million from Freddie Mac). But when will all admit it: lobbying is just legalized bribery.
- The National Review, the conservative bible founded by William F. Buckley, Jr., wrote this about Gingrich: "His character flaws---his impulsiveness, his grandiosity, his weakness for half-baked (and not especially conservative) ideas---made him a poor Speaker of the House. Again and again he combined incendiary rhetoric with irresolute action...Again and again he put his own interests above those of the causes he championed in public."---ouch!!!
- By the way, December 3, 2001, jobless claims that came in at 385,000 initially? Well, they were revised UP.
- So Eric Holder's Department of Justice is now going after Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio again. They are accusing the sheriff's office of profiling illegal immigrants. Keep in mind: this is the same Justice Department who allowed over 2000 guns to fall into the hands of drug cartels in the last several years and they lost track of them (one gun was used to kill a Border Patrol Agent).
- Golden Globe nominations are out. You can read about them, but not here.
