The Weekly Rewind

Well folks, while my esteemed colleague is on a long weekend retreat with the family, I will be your guide on a review of some of the more positive and not so positive news / political items that occurred this past week.

So let’s take a look at the week behind in a little piece we like to call The Weekly Rewind.

Applaud: to throwing it in Tony Blair’s face. Former President Jimmy Carter called Tony Blair “compliant and subservient” to President Bush. “I think that more than any other person in the world,” Carter said, “the prime minister could have had a moderating influence on Washington. He has not.”

Heckle: to the continued screwing of the average American. The inflation-adjusted median hourly wage for American workers has declined 2 percent since 2003, the NYT reports, while “wages and salaries now make up the lowest share of the nation’s gross domestic product since the government began recording the data in 1947.”

Heckle: The new Census figures show that “the gap between the richest and poorest Americans widened last year.” “What have been missing,” the New York Times explains, are policies “like strong support for public education, a progressive income tax, affordable health care, a higher minimum wage and other labor protections.” Ok, with the average hourly wage reducing and the economic gap widening this next Heckle is no surprise…

Heckle: to a ridiculous and unnecessary amount of income. $32.7 million: the average compensation in 2005 of the CEOs of the largest 15 oil companies, according to a new study. Yeah you read that right, the average Americans hourly wage has reduced, but the oil company CEO’s are making tens of millions. Remember that next time you fill up at the pump.

Heckle: to not in my house! Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev — “an autocrat who runs a nation that is anything but free” and is accused in U.S. court of pocketing some $75 million in bribes — will be hosted next month at the White House and the Bush family compound in Maine. If you want to make nice with another deceitful politician do it in your own place, not in the “peoples house”.

Applaud: to something that just had to happen. Fox News ratings have plummeted, down 28 percent since Aug. 2005. If you have ever tried to watch any of their programming this is no surprise.

Heckle: to Israel starting something that we would get pulled into. Israel has appointed a top general to oversee a war against Iran, prompting speculation that it is preparing for possible military action against Tehran’s nuclear program. Maj. Gen. Elyezer Shkedy, Israel’s air force chief, will be overall commander for the ‘Iran front. Just what our ‘cowboy’ President needs, a posse for riding with into a fight.

Applaud: to diplomatic endeavors. Former President Jimmy Carter has expressed his willingness to meet with former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami after Iranians indicated their desire for such a meeting. Carter’s spokesman said, “He believes that it is much better to be talking to people who you have problems with than not to, and that’s the approach he takes now.” I doubt that President Carter will be able to resolve this issue with discussions alone, however I applaud him for making the effort.

Heckle: to when being Frist means coming in last. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) “will probably be fined” and face other penalties for falsely telling the Tennessee Department of Health he had fulfilled all the requirements that doctors with active licenses must maintain in the state. Just another spike in the nail of the coffin of conservative deceit.

Applaud: to making the attempt no matter how much the administration tries to minimize it. A crowd of thousands cheered Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson at a protest of President Bush’s appearance in town yesterday, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Anderson called Bush a “dishonest, war-mongering, human-rights violating president.” I think that he just about covered it all with that statement.

Heckle: to preying on our servicemen and servicewomen. As many as one in five members of the armed services are being preyed on by loan centers set up near military bases that can charge cash-strapped military families interest of 400% or more, a new Pentagon report has found. The people running these loan companies should be tar & feathered…better yet, pushed out of the back of a truck into the streets of Iraq. Let’s see how quick they are to want to take advantage of our troops then.

Applaud: to a study that says what we have all been thinking. Sixty percent of Americans think there will be more terrorism in the U.S. because of the Iraq war. Not only that, but any future President is going to have a difficult time pulling troops out of Iraq without a strategy to win. And winning includes the overwhelming support of the various ethnic factions so that they can work together to avoid the widening insurgency (ok, can we call this a civil war yet?)

Heckle: to a book that will quickly be on the discount/closeout shelf. “No Retreat, No Surrender: The American Passion of Tom DeLay.” DeLay announced that he has a deal to publish a book that will explain how “everything I’ve done in my career furthered the conservative cause.” Based on what Tom plans to put into the book, it should be about 2 pages thick…

Applaud: to taking a step in the right direction. I will give a cautious applaud to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) and Democratic leaders who agreed this week on the “most sweeping controls on carbon dioxide emissions in the nation,” which call for a 25 percent reduction in emissions by 2020, “and could establish controls on the largest industrial sectors, including utilities, oil refineries and cement plants.” Like I said, it appears to be a step in the right direction, but I want more details.

Well there it is, nothing fancy, nothing flashy, just a quick look at the week in review.

You know the rest of the year will prove to be interesting what with the mid-term elections, the continuing mess in Iraq, the developing messes in the rest of the middle east and Arab regions.

Do yourself, your family, friends and especially your children a favor, stay in touch and aware of what is happening. You will be amazed at the things that can affect your life.

Be good, stay informed….later.