My New Candidate

Barack Obama has been twisting in the wind in recent weeks over his initial justification of Reverend Wright's pulpited positions, and then his quick about face when those justifications did not fly too well with his media patsies. What this incident reveals is that Obama is just another ambitious politician, albeit one without any significant positions or plans for their implementation should he charm his way to the White House.

What most exposes Obama's shallowness is the richness of Reverend Wright's public defense of his positions and his ministry. His recent interviews on TV and appearances before the National Press Club and NAACP show him to be a man of intelligence, humor, strong, and mostly liberal positions, and rich charisma. These appearances are all well presented on You Tube and other sites, but for a quick taste, The Daily Show supplies a good appetizer.

I suggest that Hillary name him her Vice President. They would make a truly formidable duo on the campaign trail and in recovering the White House from mindless conservatism.

I doubt it

According to reliable statistics (duh!) and the EPA, "Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 46,000 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year.4"

Having just entered my 88th year, 75 of which I smoked one form of tobacco or another; and all of which I lived in the homes of others who smoked even more than I did, I seriously question those death figures. I have known and helped bury many smokers who succumbed to emphysema, lung cancer, strokes and heart failures. I have yet to know one person, of any age, whose death was certified as due to the effects of second hand smoke.

What I have noticed in this modern era of PCitis is a desire by persons who don't like the smell of burning tobacco or stale smoke to try to legislate their prissiness by overstating the almost miniscule harmful effects of second hand smoke. There are worse pollutants the EPA should spend their energies, and our tax dollars on.

And most of the PC people I know could use a good smoke, for their health. They are usually overweight and over-coffeed, which is not good for fetuses either.

Voodoonomics

I readily admit I know nothing about money and how it works. But the current economics in America is a real puzzlement. The dollar is way down around the world. Oil prices are way up. Housing values and mortgage lending are way down. Unemployment is way up. Indicators are we are either already in a recession or it is due in the next quarter. Yet, despite all these negative indices, the stock market is having its best gains in years. Just what does Wall Street represent? I am currently making money, or rather regaining money with my investments, but I am losing money with every purchase I make, trip I take and mile I drive.

What's it all about, Bennie?