Inspired by the Morning Paper

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone along the gulf coast. I'm hoping for the best and fearing the worst.


There was an interesting editorial in the pages of the Star Tribune (by far the best paper in the Twin Cities) today. It was written by Paul Mulshine, and argued that a trifecta of issues would further weaken President Bush's very weak approval ratings.

The big three:

(1) Iraq (increasingly like a quagmire - apparently Bush himself said that three things are needed when America uses force in the world: a just cause, clear goals and overwhelming victory. Only the most zealous advocate for Bush would argue that he is clicking on all three, and few of my readers will be surprised to read that I feel all three are missing. Mulshine says only beltway neocons and heartland dittoheads are still on board. I would add big oil.).

(2) Valerie Plame indictments (yes, remember Valerie? Coming soon to a newspaper near you, a couple of indictments for violating oaths regarding the treatment of classified information.).

(3) Oil and gas prices (if current prices persist through winter, it will be a tough time for those who use oil to heat their homes. It is already a tough time at the pump. For personal safety reasons, I won't go into my speech about how I think gas prices should be even higher.).

All three at the same time. Ouch. Well, at least "the gays" can't marry*.


Last, I liked this letter in our Op/Ed section so much, that I have to share it:

As a U.S. Marine currently deployed to Iraq, would like to respectfully disagree with a fellow Minnesotan who stated that people who protest the war hurt troops' morale.

Public debate and discussion are vital to the health of a democracy. It is a good thing when I see Americans exercising their right of freedom of speech.

Seeing people exercise freedoms that many in other countries don't have is something that we should all be thankful for - whether you agree with what is being said or not. Semper Fidelis!

James Haugerud
Camp Blue Diamond
Ar Ramadi, Iraq


Semper Fidelis, indeed!


*For any new readers, the author, a notorious supporter of same sex marriage, here makes an attempt at humor. The author intends to suggest that those who lined up to re-elect incompetence (on moral grounds) are getting exactly what they deserve: dishonest, treasonous, money-grubbing incompetence.