While on WXUT with Matt Duss...

Today I was on Nookular Option (Toledo's only liberal talk radio show) which is on WXUT every Saturday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. The show is hosted by Don and Chris, Don was unable to be on today so Chris asked me if I'd be a guest co-host. Matt Duss was a guest on the program to talk about the latest information on the torture memos that have been released from the CIA.

One thing I mentioned was my belief that I personally thought a Commission would create a better outcome than the current investigation that is being done by a special prosecutor requested by Attorney General Eric Holder. I referenced a Washington Post article on this, by Fred Hiatt, Time for a Souter-O'Connor Commission.

I'm also of the belief that the only way there will be no torture or war crimes is when there is no war. That through the history of man what we are doing now may still be considered to be abusive practices but is really mild in comparison to what has happened in the history of man. While that does not make what has happened today authorized and/or unauthorized by our nation, it is completely impossible to eliminate actions by those exceeding their authority no matter their justification whether it is legitimate or just sadistic. While we decry torture and demand other nations to also refrain from torture, we also have to admit that our nation has tortured, killed and maimed many in our history of a nation. We can never pretend we don't have blood on our hands nor can we forget how many of our citizens have been tortured by other nations all we can do is to strive to do better and to concentrate on peace. Peace is realistically the only true solution.

Ramadan begins in the US...and my house...

No, I have not converted, I am still a Roman Catholic but one of my daughters is more interested in Islam and my youngest, never being one to be left out of anything is also practicing Ramadan this year which in the US began today. I have to admit the first day of Ramadan was profitable for me, because to take her mind off of not being able to eat or drink anything until sunset (8:24 pm - yes they knew on the dot) she decided to clean. My kitchen is now spotless and totally re-organized.

Ramadan also takes the topic of diets and diet pills one that's not discussed at all. What's being discussed is will the youngest make it, how many days before she breaks and decides that type of fasting is not for her. She kept opening the fridge and looking today, considering it's only day one? I'm not sure she'll make it until September 19th...

Fire the dogs...

Every day there is mail and UPS delivery, like clockwork as soon as the mail person approaches the door, my two little dogs go crazy. As soon as they hear the UPS truck even begin to come down the street, whether it stops at our house or not, they start barking like crazy. The neighbors come home? Barking...Someone walks down our sidewalk, with or without a dog? Barking...When we come home from anywhere? Barking...Yet last night when my one daughter came home I wasn't even aware she was home because neither dog barked. This made me wonder if their purpose as home alarm systems was a complete failure. So, I tested them out today...I discovered that for some reason when they hear the sound of the key in the lock they don't bark.

Now if I could only break them of barking at the mail person...

My immediate reaction is to wonder why people can't spend a few years in jail rather than counting on us to rescue them

When I read that quote from Ambassador James Dobbins, a former senior State Department official in this week's Newsweek I paused for a moment to think about it. Full quote in context:

Why were three idiots worth rescue missions by a former U.S. president and a serving U.S. senator? They weren't kidnapped; they weren't hostages. All three knowingly broke the laws of the countries they were in, and, in the process, brought harm to innocents. The pair caught inside North Korea put at risk members of the human-rights network that was helping them with their story. (The two have still to give their version of events; Brent Marcus, spokesman for their employer, Current TV, says the network is respecting their request to have time to reunite with their families.) Yettaw's adventure led to a further 18 months of house arrest for the iconic opposition leader, 64-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi, who has already been confined for 14 of the past 20 years.

"I'm not particularly sympathetic," says Ambassador James Dobbins, a former senior State Department official and now director of RAND's international-security programs. "My immediate reaction is to wonder why people can't spend a few years in jail rather than counting on us to rescue them when they do things that are obviously stupid as well as illegal—things for which we would put them in jail in many cases. I can imagine the State Department grinds its teeth in frustration every time they find a new American who's done something stupid and now requires a former president of the United States go rescue them." Not many get such VIP treatment, of course. There are, according to the State Department, 2,652 Americans in jails around the world. (Many doing time for drug offenses.) Why were these three singled out for heavyweight intervention?

It's interesting that we do leave that many Americans behind and that very few seem to realize that the Logan Act still exists which makes it a felony to US citizen to conduct foreign relations without authority. Which when you consider since it was first passed in 1799, and it has never been enforced, makes one wonder why it hasn't just been repealed...

She's not a swinger...

Last weekend my husband and I took my oldest granddaughter to the park, she's not quite two years old yet. We had previously thought about swing sets when we get finished with the renovation at the other house, because my children always enjoyed swings from the time they were very young until...well some of them still enjoy swing sets, especially if it is a porch swing. However, at least at this point my granddaughter hates swings. At least swing sets, though I'm told that she does like porch swings. That written, she may out grow the swingset fear and there is another granddaughter who in a year or so may have a different attitude towards swings...

Terrestrial radio?

As I was reading an article about the problems with advertising radio stations were having and how one of the advantages of satellite radios is that it is commercial free, I came across traditional radio being called "terrestrial radio" -- it shows you how little I've paid attention to the discussion concerning satellite radio, since I'd never heard that term used before. It's used to denote radio broadcasted from towers on the surface of the planet as opposed to satellite radio which I guess we could call, "extraterrestrial" -- I'm not even going to hazard a guess as to what we should then call internet streamed radio...

Digging into 990's reveals...furniture

I've been doing a research project into local non-profits in our area to be able to do a comparison on how much the top executives/board of directors make. What's been interesting on top of the difference in the salary numbers is one thing that seems to be a constant in almost all of them, large and small, every year purchases of office furniture, which could make one wonder why so many furniture items are being bought when the employee numbers don't increase, in some cases decrease. I've had the same computer desk for ten years, I've had the same computer chair for three, so it's been kind of surprising to see how much is spent on office furniture that in some cases seems like with what it cost, it should last longer than my originally priced $80.00 computer desk...

We should not have a government plan that will pull the plug on grandma.

Hard to believe but that's exactly the type of statement as written in the title that is being put out there by elected officials. When I first read Chucking Grassley I hoped that this sentence was taken out of some type of context that would make it not be so outrageously stupid. So I set out to find more context...

One that is the main one everyone seems to be quoting:

“In the House bill, there is counseling for end of life,” Grassley said. “You have every right to fear. You shouldn’t have counseling at the end of life, you should have done that 20 years before. Should not have a government run plan to decide when to pull the plug on grandma”

That's the quote that is making the rounds - but is that what Grassley really said?

For that we turn to....YouTube...Here's what he really said with what he's quoted as saying in bold:

There's some people that think it's a terrible problem that grandma is laying in the hospital bed with tubes in her and think there oughta be some government policy that enters in to that. I'm just on the opposite, I think that's a family and a religious and/or ethical thing that needs to be dealt with and there is some fear because in the House bill there's counseling for end of life and from that standpoint you have every right to fear, you shouldn't have counseling at the end of life you ought to have counseling twenty years before you die. You oughta plan these things out and you know I don't have any problem with things like living wills but they oughta be done within the family, we should not have a government program that determines your gonna pull the plug on grandma.



Makes a difference? You decide, but it does drive home how the media can give you the impression that they are including a full direct quote and it's not being reported the way it was stated, at least this time...It should also be pointed out that it didn't look like anyone has pointed out that what is being reported as being said was not what was really said in full. I was taught that when you take words out of a quote you are suppose to indicate that.

From mobile homes to manufactured homes

Ask most people why mobile homes are now called manufactured homes and they might tell you that it was created by the industry to try to make it sound more appealing since some have placed a negative connotation on mobile homes and the accompanying trailer park.

Yet the history of the mobile home is one that started after World War II when housing was needed. In the late 70's the government stepped in to make sure that certain standards existed in building mobile homes and then in the early 80's after the industry and the government started using the term "manufactured" home things went from there. Now, most parks call themselves "manufactured home communities" instead of trailer park. The actual construction features have changed where the image of a metal roofed narrow home is now one that can be set on a foundation or even with a basement with a traditional shingle style roof when the home is placed on it's own lot.

This also impacts the prices but in many cases a manufactured home is less expensive than a home built on site.

The continuing health care battle..

While the President takes to the airways and in print to point out what he feels are phony health care claims it was interesting to note that there are also those claiming that the President himself is guilty of telling whoppers related to health care.

What many do seem to agree with is that there will be no death panels, at least beyond what already exists because the real truth of the matter is people every day are turned down by insurance companies procedures that are considered experimental or when they cap their lifetime amount. That is in essence a death panel, just the same as those who don't have health insurance who require expensive surgery or treatment don't receive it.

At the very essence of this discussion is should the government demand you have health insurance and if so, how can it be made affordable, because if it was affordable now, some of those who don't have it? Would already have it. It also makes me wonder about things like life insurance, there are many people who don't have it no matter how often the year about term life insurance at wholesale insurance prices. I also wondered about vision and dental insurance, those are optional for many people and dental care can be just as expensive and a risk to your well being. Can the government just stop with making sure basic health care is available at an affordable rate for all US citizens, or if this does happen will it just be the beginning is impossible to know...

Artichokes are they worth it?

"Artichokes ... are just plain annoying ... After all the trouble you go to, you get about as much actual 'food' out of eating an artichoke as you would rom licking thirty or forty postage stamps. Have the shrimp cocktail instead." -- Miss Piggy

That is actually true, you do have to go through quite a bit of effort to be able to eat an artichoke, especially if you are trying to cook a recipe that only requires artichoke hearts and you want to go for fresh rather than canned or jars. One of my daughters wanted to try to make a Lebanese artichoke stew, she thought ten artichokes was quite a bit until she realized how small actual hearts are. This led some family members to wonder about the history of the artichoke, how anyone discovered what was the edible parts...

It doesn't appear anyone knows that part of the history though I have to personally say while I enjoy the leaves with butter or hollandaise, the heart of the artichoke goes well with alfredo, pizza, veggie subs and sauteed with a touch of lemon and garlic. It is more economical to buy the hearts in cans or jars unless you find a great sale, such as yesterday when my daughter found artichokes ten for one dollar.

Why is it that products I like disappear?

I don't know what it is but every time I find some type of a product that I like, it ends up being discontinued either by the business making it or being carried by my closest stores. Take Iams Natural cat food as an example, it is the only cat food that doesn't make one of my cats get sick. I don't understand why, I've tried other similar formulations of cat food but for some reason only that particular kind of cat food works for him. It was the same thing with my older cat Axle who recently passed away at age 18, he could only eat that brand as well. Now, the local grocery store that I shop at quit carrying it. Which means I have to either drive quite a few miles to the nearest pet food store or plan my pet food purchases better to be able to order the food online from a pet supplies store.

My husband's solution being the non-cat lover of the family is to get rid of that particular cat - which is not a possibility since I've had him for 8 years.

:-)

My last child entering high school is not starting out well...

I've had problems before with Toledo Public Schools, but this time around I'm getting so tired of the disorganization, the miscommunication and the downright stupidity. I received a phone call this morning that one of my youngest daughter's classes was not going to be taught this year. The fact that I had to actually go through hell to get her into the class before school was let out and the fact that had they not known they were going to offer it now should have been known a heck of a lot sooner is a huge frustration.

Since this is my last child to enter high school there have been times when classes were not offered but the school district my other four attended never handled it in such a late, slipshod manner.

Secondly, she's supposed to get her schedule this week, and the counselor won't have time to discuss this news that she dropped on me this morning via a phone call until Friday. Which really makes going through the whole schedule pick up this week stupid and pointless.

She received her schedule by mail just a few weeks ago - so if there were going to be changes made? It should have been done before now and there should not be any additional last minute changes like this. While I do appreciate being told before we go pick up her schedule, it demonstrates to me that customer service is not even remotely happening...

Small businesses in US versus elsewhere

A recent study released by Center for Economic and Policy Research has been creating some discussion because with the way the statistics were studied and reported, the United States is not ranked in the top ten when it comes to the percentage of small businesses, we rank 7.2% on the self-employment rate compared to countries like Greece, with the highest self-employment rate of 35.9 percent. Some of the discussion surrounding this is on the lack of a universal or public health insurance option since some of the countries with higher self-employment rates do have health insurance available through the government.

What I also wondered but the research did not go into was are there higher costs here in the US for small businesses for business insurance as well? We have the reputation of being a nation with more litigations filed than other nations as well.

Beach imaginations...

This past Saturday my husband and I went to an event called "Barefoot at the Beach" that was held at Maumee Bay State Park, yet if you look at the picture, you can imagine it taking place on any beach, from the banks of the Maumee Bay to the beaches of the Outer Banks or even farther away beaches than that. There's just something about the sounds of the water coming into to shore on a beach, especially as we moved a bit away from the throngs of people and watched the sun set...

It's the price of democracy to suffer fools.

Gregory Rodriguez re-reads Alexis de Tocqueville and then pens, Democracy in action and the obnoxious. I recommend his column. I also recommend reading Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" -- which thanks to the wonders of the internets, you can read that online several places,including here.

We need more protests...

Not the way some of you are thinking, but read Drier's piece in The Nation. Especially this part:

Public opinion polls reveal that Americans are angry about the current economic, healthcare, housing and environmental crises. Polls also document that a significant majority of Americans want the federal government to do something to fix these problems. But history shows that public opinion, on its own, isn't enough to change public policy.

People have to believe not only that things should be different but also that they can be different. Anger has to be mixed with hope. And to be effective politically, that hope has to be mobilized through collective action--in elections, meetings with elected officials, petitions, e-mail campaigns, rallies, demonstrations and even, at times, civil disobedience.

Protest--including civil disobedience, demonstrations and large-scale marches--is not the same as mindless militance. It is not riots and rock-throwing. To be effective, protest must be strategic and disciplined, and it must capture the public's imagination and conscience. People must view the cause as just and empathize with the protesters. As Martin Luther King Jr. explained in his famous "Letter From Birmingham Jail," civil disobedience makes sense only when all other means of reaching decision-makers have been exhausted and people's frustrations have boiled over.

Since Obama took office, there have been very few public expressions of discontent. We've heard very little about everyday Americans--workers facing layoffs and the loss of health insurance, jobless Americans exhausting their unemployment insurance, renters facing eviction, homeowners facing foreclosures, farmers losing their farms, high school students facing cuts in school programs and college students facing rising tuition--mobilizing to demand immediate action to end their hardship and suffering.

I think he's right...

Perhaps he's trying for the pond look...

I happened to notice that the small swimming pool we have in our back yard that some of those in my house use to cool off with on hot days was starting to look a bit greenish...Which this is the first time this year it's happened because until recently the proper chemicals had been added to the pool on a regular basis to try to avoid the pond look. This led me to wonder if it was a lack of attention or perhaps instead of pool supplies it might be time to start looking at pond supplies...

After then noticing a back area of the yard that appears it hasn't seen the lawnmower in a while, I decided it was a lack of attention. I made the silly mistake of asking if we still had a weed whacker, and when that response was "yes" when I asked why then was that one part of the yard higher than the rest, the answer was "I don't know" -- I've decided I am just not going to pay attention either...or buy fish for the "pond."

:-)

Why the Democrats need to fight back against right-wing mob tactics.

Another article about what's taking place at some of the town hall meetings, where those who disagree are automatically being labled "right wing mobs" -- this time from Newsweek. While I completely agree that both political parties purposely place people at events and in the media to present their particular message (anyone remember when CNN claimed it was using "undecided voters" but they were really people who had openly joined presidential campaigns?). The problem isn't the "right wing mobs" the problem is that the people who are protesting don't believe what the Obama administration and others are telling them when it comes to health care.

They believe what the message they are getting, and using language such as "fighting back" or having messages come from the Whitehouse that Democrats need to "punch back twice as hard" don't help diffuse the situation. They only succeed in ramping up the rhetoric and the anger.

Clift writes:

And this time there are no responsible Republican voices calling for a halt to the mob tactics disrupting Democratic town meetings around the country.

There's plenty of evidence that the seemingly spontaneous eruptions are orchestrated by conservative interest groups in Washington, in the same way that the antitax tea parties were made to seem like a grassroots uprising earlier this year. The public relations and lobbying firms that specialize in generating the kind of public outcry we're seeing have a name for it; they call it AstroTurf. And it works, attracting media coverage disproportionate to the minority of a minority it represents and fooling Americans into thinking there's a full-scale revolt underway.

This contradicts what Krugman stated below:

I haven’t seen any evidence that the people disrupting those town halls are Florida-style rent-a-mobs. For the most part, the protesters appear to be genuinely angry. The question is, what are they angry about?

It's this whole blame mentality created by the partisan games that created this environment - it's ludicrous to expect Republicans to be the ones to fix this when they are not the only ones who have done this. If people want the disruptions to end - then it has to come from both parties. Which then makes reality come in, the Democrats have just as little control over those who protest and disrupt Republican events as the Republicans have over what's happening at the health care town halls. I don't recall Democrats telling Code Pink and others to please stop disrupting Republican events, to stop using the giant inflatable rats and other creative protest methods. Violence is wrong, those who are caught doing something illegal at a town hall should be arrested and convicted, but neither side should be advocating language that inspires violence and both sides should look within their own parties first before finger pointing as well as accepting the fact that we do have free speech in this country and rather than advising people to email the White House if they see a blog where "misinformation" is taking place, they should be concentrating on doing a more open and honest discussion of what is really involved with the health care plan. Convincing people of the truth is the only way to end this, and given the lack of trust and faith, that's going to be much harder than squashing dissent...

Simple or ornate?

When I look at Christmas Party invitations like the one below, it's a very simple design, that could be enhanced by turning it into one of the Photo Christmas Invitations or it could be used as is. The invitations Christmas season is typically a good time to use pictures of children or pets and Christmas Party Photo invites have become more popular. When you order from a site like Invitations Shoppe (www.invitations-shoppe.com) you can add a Photo, Picture or Logo to Any Card they have and if you don't find exactly what you are looking for? They'll design one for you...

"Breastfeeding doll" creates outrage - seriously people...

I read about this story on one of our local news stations, NBC24 where people are outraged here in the US about a doll that is currently only sold in Spain that supposedly doesn't drink from a bottle but the doll comes with a "feeding vest" and the doll nurses from a flower on the vest.

First of all, almost any mother who has breastfed a child that had other young children has probably experienced the same thing I did when I breastfed my five children, your child has taken a baby doll and mimicked what you are doing...It's natural...It's not as if the "feeding vest" has fake boobs with a nipple attached to it...

Yet, considering the lack of support there is in this nation for breastfeeding mothers, I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that people would be outraged about a doll that isn't even for sale in this country...

Violence and rebellion in townhalls

It's interesting the way the violence at some of the townhalls on health care reform have been reported. There are those that blame the unions and the democrats and those that blame those who are protesting. Take Krugman's opinion piece as an example:

But while the organizers are as crass as they come, I haven’t seen any evidence that the people disrupting those town halls are Florida-style rent-a-mobs. For the most part, the protesters appear to be genuinely angry. The question is, what are they angry about?

There was a telling incident at a town hall held by Representative Gene Green, D-Tex. An activist turned to his fellow attendees and asked if they “oppose any form of socialized or government-run health care.” Nearly all did. Then Representative Green asked how many of those present were on Medicare. Almost half raised their hands.

Now, people who don’t know that Medicare is a government program probably aren’t reacting to what President Obama is actually proposing. They may believe some of the disinformation opponents of health care reform are spreading, like the claim that the Obama plan will lead to euthanasia for the elderly. (That particular claim is coming straight from House Republican leaders.) But they’re probably reacting less to what Mr. Obama is doing, or even to what they’ve heard about what he’s doing, than to who he is.

That is, the driving force behind the town hall mobs is probably the same cultural and racial anxiety that’s behind the “birther” movement, which denies Mr. Obama’s citizenship. Senator Dick Durbin has suggested that the birthers and the health care protesters are one and the same; we don’t know how many of the protesters are birthers, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a substantial fraction.

And cynical political operators are exploiting that anxiety to further the economic interests of their backers.

To sum that up he's basically saying those who oppose the President's health care plan are racists...

Then read Hewitt
who makes a totally different suggestion:

All the hit pieces and all the supporting fire from a still cheering MSM (there are credible exceptions like ABC's Jake Tapper and Politico's Mike Allen) are not going to turn the debate on Obamacare because it sets up a "government plan/private option" that will attract thousands of employers to dump millions of employees into it. That's the hard reality, the granite fact, at the heart of this debate. Tens of millions of Americans don't want to go into the post office or DMV equivalent of health care, and they will continue to say no --at various volumes-- and to learn every day that Team Obama just doesn't care what they think. The concerned citizens should sit down and shut up according to all the president's men and women. And those men and women are taking names.

He's basically stating that the Democrats in power and the President are the ones to fear.

And then there is Maher who basically thinks most Americans are stupid...

The health care debate is confusing and the lack of real answers is what is scaring people, part of it is the misinformation being spread by those who oppose it but those who support it are not winning any prizes with their behavior....

What does your car say about you?

Can the type of car or the type of car accessories say anything about what type of a person you are? Sometimes I wonder...I've seen people with cars that were really expensive have no accessories and I've seen cars that were really not that expensive at all decked out with the latest in spinners and ground effects and other decorative items. Our car we have right now has one decoration I wish my husband would get rid of that came with the car, it's one of those fake decorator license plates in the back window with a hand with it's middle finger extended...However he won't remove it...

It's Saturday already...

Where has the week gone, I've been busy, two things that I really enjoyed this week, doing a Rant & Rave on Fox Toledo:



And having the opportunity to interview Jeff Pilson from Foreigner for the Toledo Free Press.

America turns red, white and green

Interview that caught my attention that I wanted to point out in a recent New Scientist article done by Graham Lawton with President Barack Obama's science adviser John Holdren. Part of that recommended piece:

On a global level, what needs to happen as we approach the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen in December?

The industrialised nations need to get their acts together before they can expect the developing countries to come on board. We have historically produced a large part of the problem, although the numbers are shifting. Two things are obvious: the industrialised nations have an obligation to lead, and the developing countries have to join pretty soon, or we're going to be cooked.

I believe that if the US can go to Copenhagen with a specific policy in place, the chances are very good that we can get an agreement in which major developing countries make commitments that will move them onto a declining emissions trajectory. They are still waiting for concrete evidence that the US is going to move, but I think if the US does move, we will see a degree of progress at Copenhagen that will surprise people.

8 years after Ayman al Zawahiri prediction...

Recommended article in this week's Newsweek, The Islamists' rebellion in Nigeria isn't the latest front in the global war on terror. It refreshes some history from 2001 where Ayman al Zawahiri predicted that Nigeria would be at the front of the global war on terror. A few paragraphs of the recommended piece:

In the eight years since Zawahiri made his claim, his vision of a grand west African front hasn't panned out. Islamists haven't attacked any foreign targets in Nigeria. There are no Nigerians in Guantánamo. Allegations about small cells surface now and again, but nothing has been proven yet. There's no strong anti-American sentiment in Nigeria, and there aren't any U.S. troops nearby to attack. "West Africa just has not been a fertile ground for jihadism," says Peter Lewis, director of the Africa program at the School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. "This doesn't translate into a regional Islamist network." The death-to-the-Westerners mantra just has no constituency there.

What Nigeria does have—and what the Boko Haram attacks actually reflect—is an immensely complicated (and often very nasty) local politics. Nigeria's mean poverty rate, the number of people living below $1.25 a day, soars above 70 percent, even as a tiny minority of wealthy, and often very corrupt, officials live decadently. Nowhere is the discrepancy between the haves and the have-nots more pronounced than in Nigeria's fertile northern regions, where the Boko Haram attacks are occurring. Unemployment is rife, even among college-educated youth. That's partly why northerners opted for alternate political systems, and Sharia law in particular—hoping that bypassing the existing system would guarantee them a bigger piece of the pie.

Some of the previous warnings that Nigeria could be a troublespot that are a bit more recent are still online, one example from 2007. There have also been recent articles about how some of the acts of terrorism there directed at oil production has a larger global economy impact far beyond Nigeria.

Not all Christmas's are snowy...

I'm not talking about global warming or winters that just don't end up with a white Christmas but more tropical regions who might not want to send out wintery theme Christmas Invitations. When I came across this tropical invitation Christmas theme, it seemed like the perfect example for party Christmas invitations for those in a warmer climate. No matter which climate you live in you can view your Christmas Party Invitations before you buy with Holiday-Invitations patented instant preview feature. You'll also find some unique and exclusive designs at www.holiday-invitations.com.

Obama senior aides "self-hating jews"

First the controversy is is that really what was said, as reported by Haaretz on 7/9/2009:

Netanyahu appears to be suffering from confusion and paranoia. He is convinced that the media are after him, that his aides are leaking information against him and that the American administration wants him out of office. Two months after his visit to Washington, he is still finding it difficult to communication normally with the White House. To appreciate the depth of his paranoia, it is enough to hear how he refers to Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, Obama's senior aides: as "self-hating Jews."

Now it's being denied but almost too late because whether it's true or not true? It's making the rounds of the media, including this New York Times piece by Thomas Friedman and this story in today's Haaretz that makes it appear it is more than just "Bibi" who thinks that way:

While associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are convinced that Emanuel is inciting the U.S. president against Israel behind the scenes - and providing the amateurish psychological explanation that he is "a Jew consumed by self-hatred" - people in Washington who disapprove of his conduct don't look for profound psychological motives. Indeed, some sum up their viewpoint simply by saying: "He's a jerk."

With his coarse short-temperedness, Emanuel stands out even in a city like Washington, D.C, about which Obama himself once said, quoting president Harry S. Truman: "They say if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." Emanuel can begin a conversation with the threat that if any of its contents are leaked to the media, none of those involved will ever see him or anyone else in the White House again, and finish it with an impolite hint that he needs to send an e-mail.

Those who are familiar with his almost obsessive preoccupation with order, his self-discipline and his determination, believe that his behavior is a tactical choice. He has a tendency to be insufferable, but he can cover for that with captivating humor at his own expense. He has a hot temper, but he also has healthy political instincts and an impressive record of successes. This despicable/charming duality was probably best summed up by Emanuel himself when he once said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune: "I wake up some mornings hating me too."

I recommend reading both Friedman's and the Haartez article...

Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher's body finally identified

I've been following the story of Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher for quite a few years, occasionally mentioning that he was still missing and that his family really did not know for certain if he was dead or alive.

That has finally ended, as I read in my local paper, the Blade, this Associated Press piece, Remains of pilot missing 18 years in Iraq found.

WASHINGTON — The remains of the first American lost in the Gulf War have been found in Iraq, the military said Sunday, a sorrowful resolution of a nearly two-decade old question about the fate of Navy Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher.

The Pentagon said the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology on Saturday positively identified the remains, buried in the desert and located after officials received new information from an Iraqi citizen about a crash.

Speicher's disappearance has bedeviled investigators since his fighter was shot down over the Iraq desert on the first night of the 1991 war.