President Obama released a statement last night pledging support (if asked) to the Haiti government after the massive earthquake (7.0 reading) a few miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince. Mr. President, you have my full, unconditional support to use whatever resources America can provide, as quickly as possible, to rescue buried and/or injured victims and to address emergency food, shelter, utility, security and health needs of those affected. My prayers and good wishes to the victims of this horrific tragedy and their families.
For fellow Catholics (and other people of good will), I recommend a charity to which I have personally donated on multiple occasions, Catholic Relief Services. For those looking for alternative charities, a good list of links can be found here.
"Call Me Senator" Boxer and Climategate
"This is a crime. You call it 'Climate-gate.' I call it 'e-mail-theft-gate'." So IBD last month quotes a senator, whom had previously introduced, with John Kerry, climate change legislation. Now you might expect someone, who found privacy or secrecy concerns didn't apply, say, in the context of the Pentagon Papers or the Watergate tapes, might be leading the cheers for those whistle-blowing scientific fraud swirling around Motley CRU propping up the politically correct "global warming" hypothesis. I don't recall Barbara Boxer leading the charge, demanding prosecution when former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's Yahoo account was hacked; however, when scientists, who by their very ideals should be transparent in any relevant discussions of scientific studies and publications, are caught in what appears to be a conspiracy to manipulate data and to control scientific journals to suppress opposing perspectives, well, Boxer finds email privacy to be the compelling, overriding principle. (I'm sure that if the guy who murdered abortionist Paul Tiller admitted to the act in an email, Barbara Boxer would be the first in line to have the evidence thrown out of court due to a violation of his right to privacy...)
But never underestimate a progressive politician's willingness to use any excuse, even if it's fundamentally based on scientific fraud, to tax, spend and regulate, regardless of its devastating effect on American economic growth and relevant good-paying jobs. And heaven help the watchdog which pulls back the curtain, exposing the Wizard of Climate Change for what he really is (not to mention the gullibility of those true believers in the Wizard...)
Just a reminder: this fall, California voters, you have the right to vote for change, for a legitimate Senator you can believe in, and then you can just "call [her] former Senator" Boxer.
Political Cartoon
Pavel Constantin points out how our national debt, particularly driven up by the Dems, whom have roughly equaled the cumulative second-term Bush deficit in just one year, has implications, with servicing the cost of debt to major international holders, including China, an increasing portion of our national budget, potentially crowding out intrinsic expenses.
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Carrie Underwood Hit
"Jesus, Take the Wheel"
Did everyone watch the AI-Boston auditions last night? A few memorable moments: I liked Portuguese-American Katie Stevens, whom wants to win the contest while her grandmother (with Alzheimer's) still knows her. Very sweet, lovely young lady, and I give credit to any young person with the taste in music, confidence and pipes to handle the Etta James' classic, "At Last". Ditto for Leah Laurenti, from a strict religious family with little exposure to secular pop music, but you wouldn't know that from her solid performance, a jazzy rendition of "Blue Skies", another American songbook standard which I love.
Did everyone watch the AI-Boston auditions last night? A few memorable moments: I liked Portuguese-American Katie Stevens, whom wants to win the contest while her grandmother (with Alzheimer's) still knows her. Very sweet, lovely young lady, and I give credit to any young person with the taste in music, confidence and pipes to handle the Etta James' classic, "At Last". Ditto for Leah Laurenti, from a strict religious family with little exposure to secular pop music, but you wouldn't know that from her solid performance, a jazzy rendition of "Blue Skies", another American songbook standard which I love.
As I continue this week to celebrate the return of American Idol this week on Fox TV, this selection is from AI winner turned country superstar Carrie Underwood. The song reaffirms the importance of faith in coping with everyday life.
