Just exactly what backroom deals are being made regarding health care reform?

I'm glad that there is bipartisan support and pressure for President Obama to, as he has promised, "increase transparency" in government. This story lists some specific things that Congress wants President Obama to disclose regarding any discussions on health care reform, and I think they're all reasonable. The American people have a right to know who the president or his designates are meeting with, and at a minimum, the general purpose of the meeting. We also have the right to know the details of any compromises or "deals" that have been made. It's only fair, and it will (hopefully) help to ensure that the public's collective voice is as important as the voices of lobbyists for health insurance companies or medical unions or the like. Given that the story to which I link gives some evidence of "deals" being made, it's all the more important that the public is kept in the loop on this. Plus, as stated before, it will help to ensure that President Obama's promise of a more "transparent" government is kept...and that's a good promise. 

Haikus

Question for the day:
Where will the train take me now?
I cannot return

What gives you the right
To stir the sauce in the pan?
It's me, but no more

Be careful with this!
Love disguised as religion
It is a false god

Why do we suffer?
Is it for a higher cause
Or just a sick joke?

Quick! Go find the keys
And try each one till you're in
Keep the cell handy 

Keith Olbermann: irrelevant, pompous, hypocritical, mean-spirited jackass

One of the funniest things I've ever seen! Jon Stewart is spot on with his impression of Keith Olbermann here! This clip is on liberal and conservative blogs alike. I'm posting the clip in its entirety here, because it illustrates so well how irrelevant, pompous, hypocritical, and mean-spirited Olbermann has become. Bravo to Jon Stewart for calling out this jackass!

Note: I could not find a way to embed the video here. Sorry about that. Click on the link and watch it, though. It is hilarious and so worth it!

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/01/21/jon_stewart_mocks_keith_olbermann_over_scott_brown_attacks.html

Apologies

"I'm sorry."

Ever wonder why those words are so hard to say sometimes? Maybe it's because pride gets in the way. Maybe it's because we really want the best for someone no matter what, but we go about expressing concerns or reservations the wrong way. Or perhaps it's because we genuinely feel that we've done nothing wrong, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Earlier this week, I had to tell my best friend, Maryann, that I was (and still am) sorry for being an asshole. She's thinking about moving to another part of the country to see if her relationship with her boyfriend really "has legs" and can stand up to everyday encounters, and also to see if the relationship could even be strong enough for marriage. While I've had some concerns that I think are (or at least were) legitimate, I often expressed those concerns in a way that made Maryann feel bad about herself and in a way that didn't show my support for her. Regardless of how I feel about the situation, I need to do some things: make sure that any concerns I might have are expressed (if at all) in a way that lets Maryann know that I'm on her side and that I'm not antagonistic; and most importantly, make sure she feels validated as a person and woman, as well as supported by me. I wasn't doing or showing any of these things very well.

It took me a long time to realize this, but the major reason why I was an asshole had absolutely nothing to do with her and everything to do with me. I was afraid of losing Maryann and her friendship, even though there is not and never has been any indication that this would happen (I thought there was in a roundabout way, but thankfully I was mistaken). That fear of mine, coupled with some other things, made me act like anything but a friend in many cases. Once I realized the things I was doing and why I was doing them, it was an easy decision to apologize. What I was doing was not fair to her or our friendship, and I had to own up to that. Plus, I take friendship in general, and Maryann's friendship in particular, very seriously. I didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize things between us (ironic that I was doing things that could have done just that). While I can't undo being an asshole, I can act to make things right from now on. That starts with those two words..."I'm sorry."

Thankfully, Maryann has accepted my apology and forgiven me for what I've done. This is a testament to her loyalty and to her character. I truly couldn't ask for a better friend, and I'm very happy that our friendship seems to be fine. Perhaps I will have to do some things to ensure that she still trusts me enough to confide in me about anything, and without fear of reprisal, in whatever form, from me. If I need to, I will do whatever I have to do as atonement.

Maryann, if you read this, please know that I mean all of what I've said here. Thanks for accepting my apology, forgiving me, and giving me a chance to make things right (even if it means that I need to do more than just apologize). I promise that I won't let you down. 

So can we give the record back to Roger Maris now?

This should surprise absolutely no one...Mark McGwire has finally admitted that he was a roid monkey for at least part of his career. While I'm glad he finally came clean, I still feel cheated. Like many people, I was captivated by the 1998 battle for the single season home run record that took place between McGwire and Sammy Sosa. I think it's one of the things that saved baseball from at least temporary irrelevancy following the strike that cancelled the World Series back in 1994. Having an official word that it was all a sham really makes me frustrated with McGwire and with MLB, who I believe did nothing to stop this because of ratings.

Sosa and Barry Bonds did steroids, too. Mark my words. Given these things, I hope that MLB does the right thing and gives the single season home run record back to Roger Maris, who, as far as we know, broke the record while taking nothing but vitamins. If MLB won't give the record back to Maris, then there needs to be an asterisk next to McGwire's and Bonds' names, at a minimum.

It's sad that there are no real heroes in the sports world for kids to look up to any more. But all is not lost. Just look at the men and women in our armed forces to find heroes every day.

Global warming is NOT going to kill us all!

Does global warming occur? Yes. Are fossil fuels to blame for some of it? Yes. Do we have an environmental catastrophe on our hands because of this? NO. Below is a link to a very enlightening video from the founder of the Weather Channel, and it explains how peaks and valleys in temperature have occurred since long before humans ever got here, and how the sun is actually responsible for temperature rises. One more thing...the earth is COOLING at the moment.

I'm not one who believes that we can do whatever we want to the earth and its inhabitants (both human and non-human) without consequences. However, the extreme environmentalist agenda is spreading flat out lies about what the real state of our planet is. Like most everything, I think a balance is needed. And while maintaining that balance, we can be assured that we are most certainly NOT going to destroy the planet!

John Coleman, Founder of the Weather Channel, on the Real Science of Global Warming