Random Musings About Nothing In Particular

So this weekend I have been wondering a few things...

1. Is "Grey's Anatomy" titled after the anatomy book or after it's particularly annoying lead intern, Meredith Grey? She annoys me more than Ally McBeal, a feat I thought nearly impossible.
2. Why does Bode Miller keep screwing up? He seemed cool in his "60 Minutes" interview, but at the Games he just keeps choking. Why? Is it the worst week of his life? Has he been partying Turino style? Did all the publicity give him nerves?
3. Since when has speed skating been so full of drama? Watching the US men's team is like watching a reenactment of "Mean Girls" minus the pretty people.
4. In this post-9/11 world and given our war on terror, why on earth are we letting the U.A.E manage our ports? How can it be in our national security to let an Arab nation that produced terrorists control entrance into our country. Republicans and Democrats both think Bush, Chertoff, and Cheney are on crack. Credit my intelligence that I realized this much earlier.
5. How to male athletes in the Winter Olympics feel about their all spandex get-ups?
6. Is there something in the water in Iowa? or is Alford feeding his team 'roids? When did Iowa get good? I wonder if Alford will guest on Knight's reality show. That would be awesome. Maybe they could have a chair throwing competition.
7. Are Unions good or bad? Tough one. Wal-mart says no. Democrats say yes.
8. How funny is it that Nick Lachey is suing Jessica Simpson for spousal support? Talk about a wuss... although he probably deserves it for putting up with her for so long. Nancy Sinatra should sue her for slander - way to bastardize "These Boots Were Made For Walking".
9. Did Alexander Hamilton have the right idea?
10. Why are Muslims still rioting about the cartoons? Perhaps they should riot over the fact that many of their countries are corrupt (Pakistan, Bangladesh), engaged in mass genocide (Sudan), lack a truly free press (Iran, Egypt), etc.

Cheney's Got A Gun

There are far more important stories out there than that of Veep shooting a Republican donor. For example, did Tom and Katie really break up? How did all the medalled pairs teams suffered from major injuries this year? and what does that say about the competition? Is Billy Zane really that hard up that he has to act as an American thug in xenophobic Turkish movies? What are those conversation hearts really made out of? Seriously, there are real pressing issues facing this country.

But still I can't resist. During the 2004 election, the Democrats hammered Cheney on the five deferments he received during the Vietnam War. At the time, it seemed odd that a man who had never seen combat had no qualms about sending our troops into battle. But now, I wonder if it was for the best. Given his shooting abilities and abundant lack of aim. It is unclear that he could have hit any Commies. And God only knows how many of our own troops would have been hit by Cheney (friendly) fire.

Insanity Runs in the White House

I always thought George W. was a bit crazy, perhaps even nuts (on the order of Tom Cruise)? And now it appears that there is evidence suggesting that it may be true.

According to a study by Duke Medical School, almost half the presidents from 1789-1974 suffered from some form of mental illness at some point of their life. (side note: They only looked at dead presidents... I wonder why.) Depression was the most common affliction. Although I recall from history class that Lincoln, and more particularly his wife Mary Todd, suffered from depression (understandable given the situation of the country and the death of their son), I did not realize how widespread the problem was. It is suspected that Teddy Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson suffered from a bipolar disorder. The case of Teddy Roosevelt is especially surprising given that history has always portrayed him as vigorous and energetic. It is hard to reconcile that with today's Prozac addicted bipolar patient. Other presidents thought to have suffered from mental illness include Calvin Coolidge (depression), Ulysses Grant, and Tricky Dick.

I would be curious to see a similar study run for First Ladies. Many of them suffered as well. Which leads to the question of whether the symptoms researchers found are related to genetics or environment and stress induced.

So does this prove that George W is insane? Perhaps that is wishful thinking. But the results to seem to suggest that there is a propensity for American Presidents to become mentally ill. And in the interim, we can certainly agree that while not mentally ill, George W is mentally challenged.

The Music Genome

My friend introduced me to Pandora (http://www.pandora.com) today. Provide it with the name of your favorite song/artist, and it will return a radio station that will play all your favorite songs.

The creators of this website have broken music down to its fundamental components or "genes" based on melody, harmony, rhythm, lyrics, arrangement, etc. and grouped similar sounding songs together.

I tested the system with "Gwen Stefani" and received mixed results. I do like Depeche Mode and Garbage. However, I was a bit surprised when Lindsay Lohan's "To Know Your Name" came up. I'll have to test the system out a bit more.

Who Gave Dick A Gun?

Talk about absurd. Dick Cheney shot is friend in the face while hunting. Remember Dick (if I was his friend I would really be calling him Dick). Guns don't kill people, people kill people. And being friends with Dick Cheney is apparently hazardous to your health.

Slip of the Tongue

Normally network news tries to be unbiased (obviously, Fox News is not "normal") to the point where they almost withhold the facts, but today Bob Schieffer slipped. He was questioning a correspondent about the role of the administration's secret wiretap - spy program in averting a potential terrorist attack in LA. When the correspondent replied that he believed the intelligence was gathered through "vigorous questioning", Schieffer queried, "Torture?". The silence was audible. He did try to dig himself out, by saying something to the extent of "not in this country". But the exchange was clearly odd, and the correspondent seemed rather surprised. Still while the right may decry Schieffer's comment as part of the liberal bias of main stream media, I say, slip of the tongue or not, at least someone spoke the truth.

Privacy on the Net

Apparently, Yahoo! has been providing information to Chinese law enforcement that has enabled the government to jail political dissidents. Google and Microsoft have been engaging in similar behavior as well. Google made adjustments to their search algorithm to comply with China's restrictions on free speech. Microsoft shut down a popular blog at the request of the Chinese government. Not only are these companies enabling the Chinese government's policies of censorship, but they are also earning a hefty profit. At the very least, they should be punished in the court of public opinion.

In the US, the government is threatening to sue Google to get records of search queries. Ostensibly, this is to find and prosecute pornographists, which seems like a noble enough cause. But when does it become more than that? What if the data is stored and mined? What if the data is used to track down those less than thrilled with the government for monitoring people? I have conducted key word searches with strange combinations like "bomb" and "Al Qaeda", does that mean I would be watched?

Much Ado About... Cartoons?

Is it just me or are Muslims at times over sensitive? It seems that the Palestinian Street and the masses of the Arab world more broadly are always ready to explode. Strangely, rather than the War in Iraq, it was cartoons (depicting Mohammed) that led Muslims across the world (through predominantly in the East) to take to the street. Is all this furor over "lack of sensitivity" in a drawing really justified? How is it that a cartoon showing Mohammed with a missile in his turban is more offensive than Saddam Hussein building mosques with minarets that look like Scud missiles?

True. Islam prohibits all images of Mohammed. But in America you are not allowed to burn flag, yet it happens time and again in the Middle East. Americans do not take to the streets in response to flag burnings. We do not start riots, foment violence, or attack foreign embassies. So when Arab leaders claim we, Americans, need to more sensitive to local cultures, I say, should you not too.

In the West, we constantly push the envelope and subject different groups of people to mockery. Rolling Stone latest cover features Kanye West with a crown of thorns on his head and the title 'The Passion of Kanye West'. Yet Christian Conservatives are not up in arms. In fact, American Muslims while perhaps upset by the cartoons have not been enraged enough to protest. Why is that?

If the Arab Street wants respect then they should protest respectfully. Their current behavior does nothing to help their cause in the eyes of those in the West who would speak for them. Attempts by the Iranians to further trivialize the Holocaust with their own malicious version of a cartoon contest is nothing short of heinous and points to their hypocrisy.

Anti-War Idol or Anti-American Icon

Like most people, I was more than sympathetic to Cindy Sheehan. I was cheering her on. Her protest at President Bush's ranch last year raised awareness about the cost of the Iraq War. Through her personal tragedy, she highlighted the failings of the administration in a way that Democrats could not, after all how can anyone attack a mother who lost her son. However, some where along the line, Cindy Sheehhan went from a mother mourning her son to a woman with a dangerous agenda.

Although not a fan of President Bush, his administration, his war, his policies, or anything even remotely related to him, I am a great believer in the strength and fundamental goodness of America and its citizens. There is no other country in the world that affords the opportunity and freedom that American does. So while people have the right to whole heartedly bash the administration and their decisions, I question whether people living in this country have the right to bash America. Unfortunately, as of late, Cindy Sheehan has started doing just that.

• Just this week, Sheehan stood side-by-side with President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who is no friend of America, as he said, "Enough of imperial aggression. We must tell the world, down with the US empire."

In addition, Sheehan has made a number of statements meant to equate Bush's mistakes (which were many and in some cases deliberate) to the crimes of Osama bin Laden. As much as I dislike Bush, I find Sheehan's statements to be ignorant and offensive. Agreeing that Bush is "the greatest terrorist in the world" in a worldwide forum in a country hostile to the US is in poor taste. As is her suggestion that Bush is ten times worse than Osama. Sheehan has become not a symbol of the anti-war movement, but rather a symbol of the anti-America movement. She represents something far more insidious in the left. Hatred of Bush and the war cannot become hatred of America and what we stand for (freedom, peace, and justice).

Democrats must avoid association with Sheehan. Her attempt to run in the Democratic primary against Senator Feinstein will damage the party even further beyond belief and create more fodder for the Rove machine. In addition, Nancy Pelosi should rebuke her colleague from California for even inviting Sheehan to the State of the Union. Sheehan's arrest for wearing an anti-war t-shirt to the speech, as trivial as it may seem, shows just how far from the center Democrats are. I am very sad for my party.