Tom Time Traveler

Everyone kept waiting for him to do the el-foldo. And he finally did, on the last hole in regulation over a ten foot potential winning putt. It was there he lost the British Open and golf lost the chance for history. The four hole playoff was really an afterthought--who would take odds on a 59 geezer beating a 36 year old in the prime of his career? Now THAT would have been miraculous.

But it's doubtful Watson would claim his day as verification of Twain's lament. He'll take some ribbing from his Senior Tour buddies but then again, they don't have five Claret Jugs. So congrats to Stewart Cink for a clutch first major victory, and to Mr. Watson, "better than most".

Walter Cronkite

It's not nice to speak ill of the dead but this quote from Obama...

"But Walter was always more than just an anchor," Mr. Obama said. "He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down. This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed."

Doesn't really go with this one from Cronkite in 2004:

In fact, I'm a little inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing. The advantage to the Republican side is to get rid of, as a principal subject of the campaigns right now, get rid of the whole problem of the al Qaqaa explosive dump. Right now, that, the last couple of days, has, I think, upset the Republican campaign.

He was essentially saying Karl Rove was in charge of the bin Laden tapes, or in other words apart from his news job he was a typical far lefty. Did any of that bleed through to his news copy over the years, even if only in a subtle manner?

At any rate, RIP Mr. Cronkite, you did the news very well in your day. But that's no longer the way it is. The way it is now is that citizens have multiple sources of news information and can make up their own minds in a manner of their choosing based on their own perceptions and filters.

By the way, it's hard to find any comment from Obama on this years' passing of another broadcast legend--Paul Harvey. Not hard to find something from Bush, though.

Side Tracks

"Stevie" Winwood made a big comeback in the early 80s with a string of hits. Here's one of them..



And some Petty..



Never lose hope for a better tomorrow....

13 Years Ago This Evening

It was thirteen years ago this evening, a warm July night off the coast of Long Island, when a Boeing 747 broke up and tragically plunged into the ocean. After years of inquiry the NTSB and FBI now seem satisfied with their findings that TWA 800 for some reason spontaneously combusted during climb-out, probably due to a frayed wire in the center fuel tank.

Some are still not convinced. Various descriptions have been applied--kooks and charlatans looking for a quick buck; political operatives determined to smear Bill Clinton; military haters going after the Navy. Or is it something more? Judge for yourself. My thoughts over the years are contained on the tag below.

But with all the talk these days of the CIA being a pack of liars one has to wonder what Nancy Pelosi might have said had the Bush administration elicited the assistance of the CIA to help explain a domestic aviation accident. Will any sort of Congressional investigation explore this?

The Right on Health Care

The time is now for Republican leaders, whomever they are, to make a stand and force more debate on this insane health care bill:

Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal.

Obama has repeatedly said that if people like their current coverage they can keep it, but he's also on record with other Dems of wanting to do away with private insurance altogether. This bill sounds like the on-ramp to that highway, meaning there's a giant flim-flam taking place.

While conservatives stand along the wall liberal proponents are putting on a tug at the heart strings campaign by bringing people to Washington who've apparently been on the receiving end of Mr. Potter-like treatment from faceless private insurance monoliths:

"And this is my message to everyone: The insurance companies are not going to decide who is going to live and who is going to die," Sarkisyan said

Most Americans (except Dick Cheney, who is the source of all evil in the universe) can generate empathy for such predicaments based on their own experiences or those of family/friends but the alternative is to let the government decide who lives or dies. Why is the left, who railed on Cheney's dangerous power for eight years, not deathly afraid of such a scenario? Make no mistake the government, which will depend on tax increases to fund such a system, will at some point use a faceless bureaucrat to decide who is 'viable' based on costs. Fail the viable test and it's Soylent Green time.

If Republicans can't make at least a similar coherent vocal stand to this IBD reporter...

Washington does not have the constitutional or moral authority to outlaw private markets in which parties voluntarily participate. It shouldn't be killing business opportunities, or limiting choices, or legislating major changes in Americans' lives.

...then they deserve little support going forward, especially when the Blue Dogs are already out there barking. Most people simply want reform, not a takeover, but if the right doesn't speak out it'll be the moderate Dems who end up saving the day. Who knows, maybe that's part of Axelrod's master plan here, along with shaking the trees enough to get the insurance companies to bend. But whatever the case, the GOP needs to position itself properly on this issue based on core values or risk a rocky road ahead.

How Much for a Carton?

I know the Dems are trying to tax smokers to pay for childrens health care, but this is ridiculous..



This wasn't just happening in Memphis. From the main story, perhaps the funniest thing was the 15 dollar fee for having a 'negative balance'. A balance exceeding the GDP of the entire world. Hopefully that was done by a computer.