Where's the Outrage?

I find it interesting that the hyper-macho Republicans can cry but Democrats can’t. When Hillary Clinton choked up she got criticism. John Boehner seems to cry every week, yet there is little or nothing about it from the mainstream media. Newt teared up and everyone is talking about the terrible pressure that the candidates are under. Whatever. All I know is that if Barack Obama would have broken down in Iowa, it would have been open season on Obama. The amount of non-stop criticism about how unfit he was to lead the country would have been unprecedented. Fox News would have played the loop non-stop for a week. There would have been a Fox News special on how emotionally unstable he was.

As Newt began to tear up there was someone in the audience (several people, I think) who said, “Awww.” Now contrast this reaction to the Republican debate in which people cheered Perry for executing more than 200 Americans …

Or what about when Ron Paul was asked about the patient without insurance and Wolf asked whether society should let him die? There was applause from the audience.

I guess you could argue that we are looking at two different groups of Republicans. Or you could argue that the Republican party is really schizophrenic.

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson md
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When the GOP took the House, they promised to focus on jobs and the American economy. Over the last year, they’ve taken a hard line on multiple issues. None of these issues were going to help the job market or the average American worker. Back in April the GOP was going to shut down the government by slashing hundreds of billions of dollars for domestic programs. That didn’t work so well. Then, in August, we had the debt ceiling debate where, once again, the GOP was prepared to shut down the government if they didn’t get what they wanted. There is no compromise. It was their way or shut down the government. Next, the issue became disaster relief. Eric Cantor and the rest of the GOP hardliners insisted on having offsets in order to release disaster funds. Of course, they only wanted to cut domestic programs and wouldn’t agree to (or even talk about) cutting military programs or about raising money by taxing the wealthy. That also did not work out for the GOP. Then, just last month, the super committee was supposed to come up with super tax cuts and Republicans on the committee stood resolutely by their opposition to raise any revenue. Basically, the committee did nothing. Finally, the GOP decided that they were going to stand up against renewing the payroll tax cut. This is a tax cut which has helped average Americans. This is $1000 directly into the pocket of everyday working Americans and for some inexplicable reason the GOP opposed it.

I shudder to think what the Republican-led House is planning for 2012.

Tags: Economy, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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Well, this is a surprise. With the Iowa caucuses just four days away, Rick Santorum has solidly moved into third place. Nevermind the fact that Rick Santorum has proved multiple times (here, here and here) over the last decade that he would be a disaster as a president, I believe the new polling shows how desperate Republicans are to find somebody, anybody who can do something, even if that something is clearly the wrong thing for the country.

Tags: Elections by ecthompson md
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Lee Evans, along with John Carlos Rogers and Tommie Smith, made a political statement against racism in the 1968 Olympics. Now Lee Evans has brain cancer. I don’t point this out so we can all go to the Internet and click on a button in order to raise money on his behalf. Instead, I point this out because by the year 2011, everyone should have healthcare. Whether it is a famous Olympic athlete or the average American worker, we shouldn’t have to worry about bankrupting our families simply because we have a bad disease.

The Nation has more:

Lee Evans needs our help. The Olympic Gold Medalist and political activist, who exploded all records in the 400 meters at the 1968 Olympics, has been hospitalized with an aggressive brain tumor. The prognosis for the 63-year-old Evans is not good. As his fellow 1968 Olympic activist John Carlos said in an e-mail, “All of our teammates want to go out and say some prayers. All there is left to do is pray.”

But the situation is made far worse by the fact that Lee Evans, after four decades teaching and coaching at schools ranging from the University of South Alabama to Nigeria, doesn’t have health insurance. This has meant, according to Lee’s sister, Rosemary, that he has been terribly mistreated during his hospitalization. Rosemary said to me, “I heard his doctor in the hall and I heard him say he wished [Lee] had been transferred somewhere else because he didn’t have insurance…. Lee is in intense pain. Not even morphine is helping. He hasn’t eaten in several days, yet there was no IV in his arm when I first went into his room. He’s lying in his filth and nothing is happening. If family members aren’t vigilant… If we aren’t vigilant, I don’t know what would happen.”

More here.

Tags: Healthcare by ecthompson md
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I wrote this several years ago. The funny thing is that it is still relevant. Ron Paul walked out of an interview where he was asked once again about this newsletter which bears his name. He has stuck to the story that he didn’t write the racist comments. He has never answered several basic questions. Who wrote the comments? If the newsletter bore his name, and it did, why didn’t he edit it for content? Wasn’t that his personal responsibility to his readers?

When pressed by Gloria Berger, Ron Paul stated, “I’ve never read that stuff. I’ve never read – I came – I was probably aware of it 10 years after it was written and it’s been going on 20 years that people have pestered me about this and CNN does it every single time.”

Here’s the problem as I see it in 2011. Ron Paul is all about personal responsibility. He needed to own this mistake. He needed to say that he didn’t read his own newsletter and that he should have told his readers that he didn’t write or read it. He needed to offer to refund the readers’ money, since the vast majority of his readers didn’t know that these weren’t his words or thoughts. But, no. He has not admitted, nor will he admit to his mistake. He continues to be plagued by this issue because he has yet to do the right thing.

I wrote the following back in 2008:

From the Ron Paul Newsletter

So, I got raked over the coals by a commenter for “not doing my homework” with regard to a post stating that Ron Paul’s newsletter included racist writings. First, the facts. There are things that have been written in the Ron Paul Newsletter that are clearly offensive. The newsletter stereotypes Blacks and homosexuals. Over the years, Ron Paul has had varying explanations about his newsletter. In 1996, the Houston Chronicle asked him about the newsletter. “Paul said allegations about his writings amounted to name-calling by the Democrats and that his opponents should focus instead on how to shrink government spending and reform welfare.” Please note that in that Houston Chronicle article Ron Paul never mentions that he didn’t write the article. He doesn’t mention that someone else wrote the article.

Now, fast forward to 2008. The same articles are being called into question. Ron Paul states flatly that he is for the individual, no matter what color. He states that he didn’t write the article and, here’s the best part, he doesn’t know who did. The editor of the New York Times has to take responsibility for everything that hundreds of writers contribute. Ron Paul, Dr. Personal Responsibility (one of the core beliefs of Libertarians), will not take responsibility for his own newsletter. As a matter of fact, he admits that he doesn’t even read the newsletter that bears his name. Come on, at least man up and take some responsibility for something that has your name plastered on its front! I would have more respect for the man if he said, “Look, Wolf, it was a long time ago. I was approached by what I thought were like-minded individuals to publish a newsletter. I really wasn’t a part of the operation but the newsletter had my name on it. I accept full responsibility. After these articles were published, it became clear to me that I had to part ways with the guy who actually published the newsletter in my name. I apologize to anyone who was hurt by this newsletter. This doesn’t reflect me or my values.” Is this answer a cop out? Sure, but it is better than the Schultz defense – “I know nothing.”

———–

From CNN.com:

A series of newsletters in the name of GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul contain several racist remarks — including one that says order was restored to Los Angeles after the 1992 riots when blacks went “to pick up their welfare checks.”

CNN recently obtained the newsletters — written in the 1990s and one from the late 1980s — after a report was published about their existence in The New Republic. (more…)

Ron Paul denies being a racist (from 2008) [ 7:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Update: Well, it is interesting what a little time and Google can produce. It appears that in 1996 Ron Paul was asked about the newsletters. He did not deny he wrote them back then. He embraced the racist comments. He has only recently started denying that he wrote them. I find this interesting. This puts Paul in a new light for me. I thought that he had bad ideas but that he was at least an honest man. Now, it looks as if he is lying to make himself look like a legitimate politician. Either he wrote the articles and was honest back in 1996 when he defended the articles or he is lying now when he states that he didn’t write them and doesn’t support what they said. Which is it??

You can read more here and here.

Tags: Election 2008, Elections, Race by ecthompson md
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I was out and about in Houston today.

The picture above was taken today and conveys the fact it was quite sunny.

I was thinking as I walked and drove around about the need to take everybody as individual, while at the same time not forgetting that everyone is connected.

These two imperatives can draw upon different internal resources, and can highlight competing strains of thought about how to view the world.

Also, it was so bright and sunny as I traveled  around Houston today. Individual things stand in such clear relief when so clearly lit.

Still–I was not swayed from my thoughts. Being under the light of the sun was a unifying aspect of the things I saw.

In the year ahead please consider finding the internal resources and flexibility of mind to accept the people you encounter as individuals and without preconceived notions, while at the same time grasping that what happens to one person happens to all people.

Tags: General by Neil Aquino
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One of the great lines that the GOP has been feeding us over the last three years is that we have too much debt. According to the GOP, we need to do everything that we can, including killing Social Security and Medicare, to decrease our debt. If we, as the GOP claims, really had too much debt, then no one would want to buy our debt, right? Had we too much, investors would be increasing their risk if they were to buy our debt and should, therefore, want to stay away from US debt. Right? Then why are investors buying up US debt at record numbers? Maybe, just maybe, the GOP is 100% on this.

From Bloomberg:

The U.S. government received record demand for its bonds in 2011, pushing longer-maturity Treasuries to their best performance since 1995 in a sign that President Barack Obama may have little difficulty financing a fourth consecutive year of $1 trillion budget deficits.

The Treasury Department attracted $3.04 for each dollar of the $2.135 trillion in notes and bonds sold, the most since the government began releasing the data in 1992 during the George H. W. Bush administration. The U.S. drew an all-time high bid-to- cover ratio of 9.07 for $30 billion of four-week bills it auctioned on Dec. 20 even though they pay zero percent interest.

While Standard & Poor’s stripped the U.S. of its AAA credit rating on Aug. 5, Treasuries due in 10 years or more returned 25.6 percent this year. The spreading sovereign debt crisis in Europe and slower global growth are driving investors to the safety of U.S. assets, helping to contain borrowing costs and making it cheaper as a percentage of gross domestic product to finance deficits than when the nation last had budget surpluses.

“If the last two weeks are any indication of how next year will start, there’s near-insatiable demand,” Ira Jersey, an interest-rate strategist at Credit Suisse Group AG in New York, one of 21 primary dealers that are required to bid at the auctions, said in a Dec. 21 telephone interview. “We have a significantly shrinking supply of risk-free assets in the world and U.S. Treasuries are one of the few left.”

Tags: Economy by ecthompson md
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Senator Ben Nelson

I wanted to post this again. I think that it is important for us to understand that Obama has made some mistakes but isn’t the wimp that some Dems are saying that he is.

Because Matt Damon is a star who continues to turn out hits and he is a progressive, when he criticizes the president everyone seems to take notice. In a recent interview he said, “You know, a one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done would’ve been, in the long run of the country, much better.” So, in a nutshell, the problem with Obama’s presidency is he simply caved on every major issue. This is the sentiment that many progressives bring to the table. The progressives who voice the sentiment state that Obama clearly had a mandate from the people. The Democrats saw a majority in both the House and the Senate in 2008. Therefore, the Democrats should’ve been able to run the table on a whole host of progressive issues.

Although it is nice to say that all President Obama had to do was “lead” and all the Democrats would simply fall in line, in reality, this simply isn’t true on multiple levels. First of all, if you’ve ever been to any democratic meeting, there are a whole host of opinions and agendas. If you have twenty Democrats in a room and you try to decide the pass a resolution stating that clean streets are good, this is a difficult thing to achieve. It isn’t that all Democrats wouldn’t support the idea; they do. The problem is achieving the idea. Some would argue that we need to say something about environmentally friendly street sweepers. Others would bring up the fact that city workers who clean the streets don’t have adequate benefits. Another group would argue that the money being spent on clean streets should be spent on something else that would benefit more people. I’m not making fun of Democrats. I’m pointing out the reality of the situation. Just a few years ago, I was asked to moderate a discussion on some topic (I can’t remember what the topic was). I thought the discussion went rather well. Almost everybody seemed to participate. Almost everybody who wanted to talk seemed to get their two cents in. Afterwards, I had several people come up to me with criticisms – the chairs should’ve been arranged in a circle, everyone should have a microphone, why did we have a moderator at all? There were several more.

Finally, the reality of these massive majorities was that they really weren’t massive at all. There were a significant number of blue dog Democrats who voted with Republicans on financial issues (which severely limited the size and scope of the stimulus package) and military issues. For example, closing Guantánamo Bay. This issue seem to be pretty clear-cut. Almost all progressives agreed that Guantánamo Bay needed to be closed because it no longer served any useful purpose. The Obama administration wanted to avoid having any facilities that were designed to circumvent American law. Yet the Republicans, along with blue dog Democrats, vigorously opposed closing this facility. Somehow, these terrorists had superhuman powers and could not be controlled or housed in any of our maximum facility prisons. Our court system, according to conservative thought, was simply too inadequate to convict these hardened terrorists. (This line of thinking ignores the fact that our courts have tried and convicted many terrorists already.) Remember the healthcare debate? Several conservative Democrats in the Senate single-handedly prevented any serious consideration of the public option. (Max Baucus, Mary Landrieu, Evan Bayh and Ben Nelson come to mind.) Now, tell me how “leadership” was going to fix these problems. What exactly was Barack Obama going to do to make the Senators change their minds? Bribe them? Oh, and remember President Obama was doing this in the face of fierce opposition from conservatives, the Tea Party and the mainstream media. I think, for the most part, he did the best job he could given the adverse circumstances.

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson md
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I had never heard of Tintin, a comic book which is extremely popular in Europe. Basically, the tale surrounds Tintin, a newspaperman who seems to have unlimited resources. He sees mystery and adventure everywhere. He is accompanied by his dog, Snowy, who seems to be more insightful than any human in the movie. There is a drunken sea captain and a suave but evil villain. The comic relief is provided by two characters named Thompson that reminded me of Laurel and Hardy.

The plot is enjoyable if not somewhat over-the-top. What makes this film so enjoyable is the outstanding animation. This may be the first time that I truly enjoyed 3-D. 3-D was not used as a gimmick, but was instead used to enhance outstanding action. If you remember Raiders of the Lost Ark – Temple of Doom, there were several scenes where the action was… let’s just say, a little intense. There was the roller coaster scene and there was the poison bottle scene. Tintin has several scenes which suffer from this hyper-action, but somehow it seems to work in this movie where it failed in Temple of Doom. There is a scene where Tintin and drunky Captain are trying to get several pieces of paper which have a secret code inscribed on them away from a beautifully drawn hawk. There are zip lines. There are tanks running through buildings. There is water rushing down a canal. There are good guys chasing bad guys and bad guys also trying to get the pieces of paper from the flying hawk. Somehow, this chaotic scene is all tied together. I enjoyed this movie immensely. This movie is clearly worth the price of admission plus popcorn and a drink. I grade this movie an A-. Have fun.

Tags: Movies by ecthompson md
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Merry Christmas! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season.

There are two songs that really reflect Christmas for me. First is Nat King Cole with, in my opinion, the best version of the “Christmas Song.” Secondly, Bing Crosby’s version of “White Christmas.” What song or songs really mean Christmas to you?

Tags: General by ecthompson md
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For the last 20 years, the NFL has worked as hard as they possibly could to make sure that it would be difficult for you to turn off your television set. If you like football, this is going to be a great football weekend. I can’t remember whether 15 or 16 teams are still in the playoff hunt. Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles all have an opportunity to make the postseason. At some point during the season, every single one of these teams has been written off. Although parity has brought us this very highly competitive football, it has, in my opinion, also elevated the importance of the quarterback. Now, more than ever, you need a quarterback who can make plays from the pocket.

Reggie Wayne

Congratulations to Indianapolis for winning their second game and probably saving their head coach’s job at least for another season. The Houston Texans proved, once again, that you need a competent quarterback to take you down the stretch.

Cleveland Browns versus Baltimore Ravens – if Baltimore really is serious about winning the AFC, they have to take care of business against the Cleveland Browns. I look for Baltimore to win this one handily.

Denver Broncos versus Buffalo Bills – Buffalo has been decimated by injuries. Buffalo also needs one or two more surehanded receivers. They desperately need their All-Pro running back, who is hurt. A little bit of air has been taken out of the Tim Tebow balloon after their loss to the New England Patriots. As I was looking at a lot of passing stats, one thing jumped out at me – Tim Tebow’s completion percentage. 48.6%, the worst in the league. He has a quarterback rating of 83.6, which isn’t bad. He needs to be more accurate if he wants to keep that starting quarterback position. The Buffalo Bills are not that good against the run. The Denver Broncos are not that good against the pass. I’m going to lean slightly towards the Buffalo Bills.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Carolina Panthers – Carolina

Oakland Raiders versus Kansas City Chiefs – Kansas City’s defense has been playing much better the last two weeks. The Oakland Raiders have been floundering. I guess if you lose your starting running back and your starting quarterback, you’re in trouble (ask the Chicago Bears). I’m leaning towards Kansas City.

Arizona Cardinals versus Cincinnati Bengals – Where is all the hype that should be surrounding John Skelton? If Tim Tebow gets hype for fourth-quarter comebacks, how come Jon Skelton isn’t getting his due? He has won five of the last six games he has played with huge comebacks. Both of these teams have an opportunity to go to the playoffs. I look for the Cincinnati Bengals to pound Arizona Cardinals into submission. (Larry Fitzgerald proves week after week that he is still one of the best receivers in the NFL.)

Miami Dolphins versus New England Patriots – I know that Reggie Bush has started running the ball like we thought he would five years ago when he came into the league. He is running hard. Matt Morris is playing fairly well as a starting quarterback for the Dolphins. It is December, though, and Tom Brady will find a way to win.

New York Giants versus New York Jets – This is clearly the game of the week. It may be the game of the month or the game of the year. The loser of this game is out of the playoffs. The winner of this game is still alive. Eli Manning has been playing extremely well. The rest of the New York Giants have not been playing all that well. This includes his wide receivers. Even in that fourth-quarter comeback against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago, these receivers were dropping perfectly thrown passes. In my mind, this game comes down to Mark Sanchez versus a highly suspect New York Giants’ secondary. Can Sanchez make the throws? The answer is – maybe. When Sanchez was a rookie, the New York Jets depended on him to make long deep throws. For some reason, probably interceptions, they have gotten away from that. I think they need to go back to that today. I think the Jets have an uphill battle. I think Eli Manning gives the Giants the upper hand in this game. Yet, for some irrational reason, I think that Mark Sanchez will make enough plays for the Jets to win.

St. Louis Rams versus the Pittsburgh Steelers – Pittsburgh. This will be a pretty ugly game.

Jacksonville Jaguars versus Tennessee Titans – It is hard to win consistently in the NFL if your quarterback is continually turning the ball over and missing open receivers. I’m not sure how much money they’re paying Blaine Gabbert, but Jack Del Rio (who’s been fired) and the Jacksonville fans need their money back. Blaine has been really awful. Tennessee should win this one easily.

Minnesota Vikings versus Washington Redskins – Washington has been playing much better over the last couple of weeks. Their defense is very stout. It’ll be interesting see if Leslie Frazier (head coach of the Vikings) keeps his job. I look for the Redskins to win this one.

Afternoon games

Drew Brees

San Diego Chargers versus Detroit Lions – The Detroit Lions need this game in a big way. If they win, their playoff hopes are still alive. Unfortunately for the Detroit Lions, the San Diego Chargers have finally gotten healthy and have fixed their woes on the offensive line. Philip Rivers has found his Pro Bowl form. Ryan Matthews is finally running like the running back San Diego was hoping for when he was drafted. I think that San Diego will take this one, even though Matthew Stafford will once again try to pull off his fourth-quarter heroics. (Look for San Diego to began covering Calvin Johnson from the moment he steps off the bus. They will make Matthew Stafford find somebody else to beat them.) This should be a great game.

Philadelphia Eagles versus Dallas Cowboys – It is pretty amazing that the Philadelphia Eagles are still in the playoff hunt. Michael Vick is back. The Dallas secondary is simply awful. If Dallas can pull out a win, they will have eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs. As an added bonus, if they win and the Giants lose, they have basically wrapped up the NFC East. In recent years, the Dallas Cowboys have found a way to lose important games. Felix Jones is hurt. DeMarcus Ware is hurt. Jay Ratliff is hurt. If the Cowboys can force a couple of turnovers they have an opportunity to win this game. If you remember Philadelphia’s complete drubbing of the Cowboys earlier this year, the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line was plagued by penalties and gave Tony Romo no protection. Tony Romo and the gang have let me down in too many of these situations. I’m leaning towards the Philadelphia Eagles. This is a must-watch game.

San Francisco 49ers versus Seattle Seahawks – If you watched the Monday night game, you saw that San Francisco looked very good. San Francisco’s defense was tremendous. I don’t see how Seattle can overcome that. San Francisco should win this one in spite of the fact that Seattle has resurrected their season.

Christmas Night
Chicago Bears versus Green Bay Packers – Last week, we found out a couple of things about the Green Bay Packers. First, the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers can be overwhelmed. Secondly, Jordy Nelson has trouble beating double coverage. Thirdly, Jermichael Finley dropped a few passes that were right in his hands. One of the things that many NFL fans take for granted is the front office. These are the guys who are making player personnel decisions behind the scenes. Somebody, buried deep in the Chicago Bears organization, someone decided that Caleb Hanie was good enough to carry the team while Jay Cutler was hurt. Wow, were they wrong. Caleb Hanie (50% completion percentage, next to last in the league and quarterback rating of 41.9) has been an epic failure. Donovan McNabb was available. Sure, Donovan McNabb is not the Pro Bowl quarterback he used to be, but he has proven to be better than Caleb Hanie and Christian Ponder. The poor decision by the front office has cost the Chicago Bears their season. Green Bay will figure out a way to win this game.

Monday Night Football
Atlanta Falcons versus New Orleans Saints – Now, everybody is looking at Drew Brees. He had some trouble early in the year with turnovers. He fixed that. He is currently playing some absolutely fabulous football. If Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons were in the NFC East, they would’ve clinched home field and the division by now. Unfortunately, they’re not. I just don’t think that the Atlanta Falcons are ready. I’m taking the New Orleans Saints.

Game probabilities from the New York Times:

Tags: NFL by ecthompson md
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My grandson has been in town the last several days; therefore, it is time for me to catch up on movies. Of course, he’s eight and I’m catching up on the cartoons. A couple of days ago, I posted a review on Puss in Boots. Today, I’m sorry to say that I’m going to spend a little time talking about Alvin and the Chipmunks. Alvin and the Chipmunks was a somewhat tired franchise when I was young. It was dreamed up by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. It was kind of a cool novelty record but, in Showbiz, you can never leave well enough alone. Basically, there are three Chipmunks. There’s Theodore, the fat one, Simon, the smart one and Alvin, the mischievous one. Dave is the human who looks after the crew. Over the last 50 years, there have been numerous cartoons, records and movies which have all chronicled Alvin messing up in some way, shape or form. This new series started back in 2007. I missed that movie. I did see the sequel in 2009. It was funny. The formula was the same. They added the girls. The animation was off the hook.

Now, we have Alvin and the Chipmunks, Chipwrecked. (It’s a joke and we are supposed to laugh, I think.) If you’ve never seen Alvin and the Chipmunks, go take a look. If you have seen any of the modern reincarnations, don’t bother. There’s nothing new to see here. The jokes are the same. The dance sequences are the same. (BTW, how many squeaky dance numbers should we be forced to listen to? I think there are six or seven songs in this movie. I lost count.) The characters are the same, and even the bad guy Ian Hawke is back. One would figure that they could’ve bought a decent script with all the money they made off of the sequel ($443 million worldwide). I guess not. This movie gets a C- for using the same old tired formula. I was looking for something, anything else.

Tags: Movies by ecthompson md
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How do you tie up your one- year-old with duct tape? Why? Then, how do you figure that it is a good idea to post the picture on Facebook? Lock him up and don’t let him out until he gets some sense.

Tags: Domestic Issues by ecthompson md
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I haven’t posted that much on the payroll tax cut. Why, you ask? ‘Cuz it was a no brainer. Everybody knew it was a no brainer. Everyone also knew that members of the GOP were going to try to extact as much as they could for this tax cut. The political calculus was clear to everyone for months. My only question was why did the Dems get so little? They, the Dems, should have pushed for a 12-month extension (not 2 month) of this tax cut.

From WaPo:

Facing withering criticism from across the political spectrum and abandoned by Senate allies, House Republicans bowed to political reality Thursday and agreed to a two-month extension of a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans.

The agreement represented a remarkable capitulation on the part of House Republicans, who had two days earlier rejected such a deal with Democrats as the kind of half-measure that their new majority was elected to thwart.

And it amounts to a Christmas gift for President Obama, who attempted to paint his Republican opponents as willing to raise taxes for millions of Americans. Such an image could have cost the party politically just as it is gearing up to try to take back the White House and the Senate in 2012.

Tags: Congress, Economy, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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Puss in Boots

I’m not sure who thought of the idea of taking a character from Shrek and making a movie around him. The guy (or gal) deserves a medal. You would figure if you’re taking a character out of Shrek that the movie would be something akin to Shrek or Shrek Junior. Nope. Puss in Boots is what happens when you take multiple fairytales and jumble them all up together. You have Humpty Dumpty, the goose that laid the golden egg, Jack and Jill and Mother Goose. They’re probably a few others that I missed. The story is pretty good. There is actually a plot. Animation is outstanding. I’m sorry, I did not see it in 3-D so I can’t talk about the use of 3-D. I can say that this is an extremely enjoyable movie which can entertain the very young (I took my eight-year-old grandson), pre-teenagers and adults alike (teenagers are hard to please, enough said). This movie is well worth the money (if you don’t buy popcorn and a drink). I give the movie a solid B. (Oh, watch for the Jedi mind trick. It is hilarious.)

Tags: Movies by ecthompson md
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Here's a picture of Gary Johnson so you know what he looks like.

Did you know Gary Johnson is running for the Republican nomination for president? Neither did I. Now, he has decided to run as an Independent. Let me see if I’ve gotten this straight. In possibly the weakest Republican field in four decades, Gary Johnson can’t get any traction. Therefore, he has decided to run as an Independent because Independent bids are so likely to get traction. I wish them luck with that political maneuver. To make matters worse, he’s running as a Libertarian. I might be wrong, but I think Ron Paul has all of the Libertarians who are not jumping on the Republican bandwagon. Maybe Ron Paul wants to share?

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson md
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Kevin Harpham has been sentenced to 32 years in the attempted bombing of the MLK parade. The bomb was filled with lead fishing weights which were covered in rat poison in order to prevent clotting. This gentleman had extensive ties to white supremacist groups.

Tags: Terrorism by ecthompson md
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I understand how difficult it is to try to figure out fact from fiction in our world of political hyperbole. Almost nobody plays it straight anymore. Almost everybody is trying to twist the facts to their own advantage. Then, in order to get the “appropriate” media exposure you really need to say something outrageous. Michele Bachmann is/was the queen of outrageous. She has made a career out of saying the most outlandish and fact-challenging statements and has lived in the land of confusion and lies for most of her political career. Rick Perry, Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter are just a few of the politicians/commentators who stretch the truth so far that it is unrecognizable. So, multiple websites have cropped up whose sole purpose is to correct the facts. PolitiFact is one such website. In order to get publicity and drive traffic to their website, they’ve come up with the “Lie of the Year.” This year, they’ve decided that the lie of the year was that Paul Ryan’s budget plan was going to end Medicare.

As I see it, Medicare is about seniors getting healthcare. Basically, once you become a senior you qualify for Medicare and you can therefore get healthcare. It is that simple. This plan, under Paul Ryan, would have been changed to a voucher system in which seniors would be given vouchers to use to pay for their healthcare. Once they spent a voucher, seniors were out of luck. To me, this is a fundamental change in Medicare and how the system works. Now, no longer would seniors have the security of knowing that all of their bills would be paid. In my mind, this would be fundamentally changing Medicare so that it looks nothing like the Medicare that we know today. You can call it Obama Care. You can call it an elephant or you can call it Medicare but it is not the Medicare that we know today. For some reason, PolitiFact misses this fundamental distinction. Paul Krugman and Steve Benen have more.

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson md
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The strange leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, has died. Everyone is worried about what’s going to happen. Hell, we couldn’t figure out North Korea before. North Korea has never been predictable. As a country, they have decided that it is better to let their people starve than accept foreign aid. So now I suspect that the situation will continue to be a head scratcher. Personally, I think that it is a great opportunity for South Korea to reach out to North Korea. Once again, to extend the hand of friendship. Try to open up the North Korea border with food aid and energy assistance. All you can do is try.

Tags: North Korea by ecthompson md
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Is it wrong that I watched most of the Denver Broncos versus New England Patriots football game? I watched it mainly to see how Tom Brady and Bill Belichick would manage to slow down and derail the Tim Tebow train. The game opened with a long Denver Broncos drive. In typical Denver Broncos fashion, they ran the ball more than they threw it. They ran the ball extremely effectively. The final play of the drive was Tim Tebow shrugging off a defender in the backfield and then serpentining his way into the end zone. For some reason, the Denver Broncos decided to go for a two-point conversion and failed.

The New England Patriots came back and scored in five plays. The Denver Broncos drove the length of the field in only four plays and scored another touchdown. The New England Patriots defense look like it was about to roll over. Then the second quarter happened. After the Broncos kicked a field goal, Tom Brady drove the length of the field in 12 plays and scored a touchdown. On the very first play, the Denver Broncos fumbled the ball. The New England Patriots moved the ball down to the 3-yard line and had to settle for a field goal. For the first time in the ball game, the Patriots were ahead. They led 17-16. The momentum was turning. Denver got the ball back in three plays. Later, Tim Tebow himself fumbled the ball. Six plays later, Tom Brady sneaked into the end zone from the one-yard line. Momentum was clearly sitting on the New England Patriots’ sideline. Denver got the ball back and had gained zero yards after three plays. They punted the ball back to New England with just 40 seconds left on the clock. New England ran five plays and then had to punt with 14 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter. Denver muffed the punt. With three seconds on the clock, the Patriots could once again put up a field goal. Denver had three turnovers in the quarter. Three!!??

I can describe how Tom Brady, in spite of having been sacked twice, stood in the pocket and surgically dissected the Denver defense. We’ve seen it many times before over the last decade and this was no different. When Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos made their move in the fourth quarter, scoring a quick touchdown with eight minutes and 41 seconds left on the clock, Tom Brady did exactly what you would’ve expected him to do. He responded with a nine-play drive which ate up 4:31 off the clock and ended with a touchdown. The score was 41-23 with four minutes and 10 seconds left in the game. The game was over. Probably the signature play which revealed the futility of the Denver Broncos’ efforts in the last four minutes of the game was Tim Tebow scrambling around and getting sacked for a 28 yard loss. He probably ran more than 100 yards as he desperately tried to find an open receiver. He ran back and forth. He pumped, then dodged, then ran back and across before he was sacked. 28-yard loss. It looked similar to that Bob Griese play where he scrambled and got sacked from many Super Bowls ago. Anyway, this game was done. No Tebow Time.

It is clear that Tim Tebow is a gifted athlete. There are many gifted athletes in the NFL. It is clear that he and John Fox came up with a new way to run the football that most NFL teams have not seen. I look at it as Denver’s version of the wildcat. Remember when the wildcat was new? The Miami Dolphins would take their quarterback and flank the quarterback out as a wide receiver. The ball would be snapped to Ronnie Brown, who could run the ball, or handed to Ricky Williams. In later variations of this offense, he would even throw the ball. The wildcat was extremely successful for several weeks, about half a season. The Miami Dolphins racked up multiple wins using a strong defense and this ball control offense. Sound familiar? Unfortunately for the Miami Dolphins and the Denver Broncos, this is a gimmick. The league will figure out how to defend the triple option. Then what? Look at what happened to the Miami Dolphins. Tony Sparano came up with an innovative offense but never had a durable and viable NFL quarterback. Two years after he made something out of nothing with the wildcat and had some significant success with a team that was mediocre at best, he was fired. To win the NFL and to win consistently, you must have a quarterback that makes plays throwing the football. (The exception to this rule would be having one of the great defenses of all time, like the Baltimore Ravens or the 1985 Chicago Bears.)

I heard during today’s telecast that Tim Tebow said that winning at the end of the game is about character. Horse hockey!! The reason that the Denver Broncos are successful at the end of the game is because Tim Tebow, somehow, almost miraculously, becomes an accurate passer. He begins to make plays from the pocket and he makes plays with his feet. Winning consistently, at the end of the game, is about execution. If Tim Tebow learns how to throw the ball accurately for all four quarters of the game, the Denver Broncos will go deep into the playoffs year after year. (With this defense, which is really good, they could even make it to the Super Bowl.)

Tags: NFL by ecthompson md
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