Tap Dancing for Re-Election
Ah yes, once again we have members
of Congress who will do anything (except their jobs) to avoid confronting the
real issues in this country, little things like unemployment, illegal
immigration sapping this nation' financial strength, pending national
bankruptcy and the environment.
Then there are other minor
issues, like skyrocketing senior healthcare costs because Americans don't get
preventative health care when they're young.
Oh, and let's not forget one
of my favorites: an education system
that ranks low among industrialized nations despite this country already
spending far more per student than comparable nations.
Instead, let's have politics
as usual, a Mosque more than 1,000 miles from Texas becomes a campaign issue. Oh yeah, just for the record. Mosques come under the same freedom of
religion protections that Catholics, Jews, Baptists and other faiths all enjoy
under the U.S. Constitution.
Congratulations Congress on
doing your typically lackluster job.
With such a track record, I hope your constituents’ re-elect no
one.
Novices couldn't do a worse
job than the entrenched members of Congress.
Salute
to a departing journalist
EDITOR’S NOTE: Yesterday the world learned of the
approaching departure from life of a fine newspaper and broadcast journalist—Mike
Celizic.
Fittingly, the news came via the online Health on Today section of the
MSNBC website. The story was
titled: “Cancer journal: A happy
birthday despite grim news. Several hundred readers, myself included, commented
on the story. The announcement was
particularly fitting because Mike has been a contributing editor at NBC for
many years. He’s provided news and
sports commentary, including Olympics coverage and comment on untold thousands
of major league sporting events. For
this editor, it’s also a personal loss.
Mike and I worked together for years as newspaper editors. Below are my comments as posted at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38771115/
and I urge anyone reading this to read about Mike’s heroic decision to remain
in control of his own life to the very end.
He will be deeply missed.
Mike,
It is with deep sadness that I learned today
of your terminal illness. I'm not only thinking of you but remembering
some of the fun (?) times we shared trying to meet deadlines. I'm also
remembering the lunches we shared - eaten at our desks - because there was
never enough time. You're the only journalist I've ever known who
slept overnight on his desk in order to ensure that a deadline was met.
Without you, our chosen career field will be significantly diminished -- unless
the're right and heaven does
exist. In which case, I'm sure you'll simply be filing stories with a
different dateline.
Larry Moniz
