You DON’T Understand I recieved this email today from a dear family member. It makes me sad that these things are being passed around as some warped kind of truth. Let me see if I understand all this. IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY ... ( added 13 days 9 hours ago.)

Is It Politically Correct to Ignore the Enemy Within? Islamic Army psychiatrists who argue with their patients about the war on religious grounds are not fit to serve in the military or provide psychiatric counseling to US soldiers. (just my humble opinion) Islam is a world view as much as a... ( added 13 days 9 hours ago.)

Healthcare Debate: A Schoolyard Brawl It is an interesting feature of the current health care debate that what we are actually debating is so ill-defined by both sides. Oh, both Democrats and Republicans both agree that health care needs a makeover, but that's about all they seem to... ( added 102 days 19 hours ago.)

We Sent Bill, Now Send Lisa Ling and Euna Lee a bill OK, so it was a touching moment when the journalists returned from North Korea and the Lee woman got to hug her husband and her little girl. Yes, yes, yes all very heart warming. Where in all this hand-wringing and nose wiping is recognition of... ( added 106 days 22 hours ago.)

Freedom of Speech Beware the dim-witted false patriots who ignorantly declare unpatriotic anyone who should dare to question critically any aspect of our country. It is a narrow, limited mind whose best argument is "Love it, or leave it". Our country was founded... ( added 108 days 20 hours ago.)

The Fallacy of More It is an odd twist of capitalism that it breeds the idea that more is better. More money, more possessions, more of everything, but is this fundamental theory holding up in practice over time? Has the more mentality of capitalism and the push... ( added 112 days 19 hours ago.)

Greener Than Thou In walking around the neighborhood, I don't see much evidence that anyone is particularly concerned about global warming, drought conditions, or living green. I see the same lawns being sprinkled by the same sprinklers in the middle of the day. I... ( added 115 days 20 hours ago.)

Stupid Is As Stupid Does Now what about Obama's comment about the way the police acted in Cambridge with that Harvard Professor? Well I am of two minds about this and it's partly out of my experience and partly out of my prejudices. First I must say that his comment about... ( added 119 days 20 hours ago.)

Public Health Care: The Time is NOW! So the national debate goes on about health care and in my opinion there are NO DEBATABLE POINTS. Should there be a public option that drives prices down to a level that people can afford so they don't die without treatment or should we continue... ( added 125 days ago.)

Michael Jackson Forever in Neverland The first thing that came to my mind when I heard that Michael Jackson had died was, is this for real or a just a publicity stunt? I thought that perhaps he was finally tired of the spotlight and maybe he'd had more plastic surgery so he could go... ( added 141 days 20 hours ago.)

California Government: Recall Them All! Oh California's government is so inept it ought to be run out of town and new elections held immediately. We Californians are observing this mess with a grim cynicism that may never be wiped off our sun-damaged mugs. Each year the Democrats and... ( added 141 days 20 hours ago.)

North Korea = Weak Smack North Korea is posing some interesting questions. 1. Democracy is fine and even benevolent dictatorship might work but shouldn't the world - being all connected and stuff now - have veto power over some crazy little MF running a country and... ( added 148 days 19 hours ago.)

Supreme Court Says Boarding School is a Parental Right Regulareducation in the US took another direct hit from the Supreme Court today. The Supreme Court ruled that a school district would have to reimburse the parents of a high school student who the parents placed in a boarding school to the tune... ( added 150 days 21 hours ago.)

What if a Bear Swats a Fly? President Obama is sitting in an interview with a reporter when he is harassed by a fly. The fly has a purpose for seeking to alight on the President. Perhaps it is bite him, or to eat microscopic crumbs of chicken on his upper lip from his lunch... ( added 154 days 19 hours ago.)

Swat! S wift W allet A gainst T rouble SWAT THEM! Perhaps the thing people like most about President Obama isn't his policies or his youth or his race or his wife, kids and dog, perhaps it is that he's decisive. Like his fly swatting yesterday, he sees... ( added 156 days 8 hours ago.)

Beyond Reasonableness Ok, so I am confused...yeah, yeah, well get used to it. Chrysler is being allowed to go into bankruptcy. Does that mean that "we the people" have lost our right to collect the bailout money already given to these clods? We bailed them out in... ( added 161 days 19 hours ago.)

Barber Tourism in Sacramento Ruben cut my hair today in the barber shop next to the corner bar where a sandwich sign sat open on wooden legs proclaiming "Kitchen Open". I've meant to go to this particular barber shop for almost a year since the first time I pumped my bicycle... ( added 161 days 19 hours ago.)

Another Adventure in Barbering Have you ever gone to a barber you happen to see along the way, just on a impulse because you were in desperate need of a haircut? I did today and halfway into the operation I was getting worried about the skills of the person wielding scissors... ( added 161 days 19 hours ago.)

Then, Depression Trickled Down I overheard an interesting conversation the other day between some co-workers who were talking about feeling tired all the time. They were describing physical symptoms of depression, going to bed early and waking up tired anyway. They talked about... ( added 161 days 19 hours ago.)

Economic Recovery-Spinning a Mirage For all the talk of economic recovery in the news, the facts seem to belie the hype. Take this sampling I got in one web search. April Retail Sales dropped 0.4% (AHN.com) ( added 167 days 20 hours ago.)

A View from the Trenches in an Economic Siege It isn't hard to describe the scene on the ground here in California. There are countless empty store fronts, empty houses, more people roaming the street than I've ever noticed before. The news programs seem to be trying to make reality change... ( added 167 days 20 hours ago.)

Is Michael Steele Leading Republicans to Waterloo? Republicans just do not seem to get the fact that they are viewed as out of touch with reality. The way the Republican party is acting is like watching a clumsy fat guy trying to dance, it isn't pretty. Putting forward young guys who look like... ( added 171 days 1 hour ago.)

The Dread Order "...And, if each system in gradation roll Alike essential to th' amazing whole, The least confusion but in one, not all That system only, but the whole must fall. Let earth unbalanc'd from her orbit fly, Planets and suns run... ( added 171 days 1 hour ago.)

Can California Be Allowed to Fail? So the fallout of Wall Street is hitting Capitol Avenue and the budgetary hole is growing by the week. Just before the recent election the deficit was estimated to be between 15 and 21 billion dollars. My big question is will Obama let California... ( added 171 days 1 hour ago.)

So What Are We Learning and What Are the Signs of Rebound? The stock market is heading up again but nobody really knows why. We're told the whole crisis is about confidence in lending. We're told that the problem started because a bunch of people took loans that they knew they couldn't pay in the hopes... ( added 246 days 19 hours ago.)