Hope everyone had a great day yesterday...even with the holiday, certainly a lot has been happening around the world. We wake this morning to an unfolding disaster in the Pacific Rim, caused by a large magnitude offshore earthquake and subsequent tidal wave. Update, 12/27/04: Joe Gandelman @ Moderate Voice has a stellar roundup of Asian (and other) blogs who are directly following this disaster.
I'm not sure what BushCo could have had to do with this, but one of our valued readers proposed the scenario posed at this link as a possibility (me, I'm more of a 'mother nature acting up' kind of guy). Here's another link for discussion and breaking news regarding this crisis. The death toll is currently pegged at 7,000, rising by the hour, and is expected to increase dramatically in the coming hours and days.
Domestically, George and Laura had a peachy Christmas at Camp David; they're heading out to clear some brush in Tejas today. Did you forget to send a card to Maximum Leader? Tsk, tsk. Anyway, ML called for "compassion toward the sick and suffering" in his annual Christmas address, urging Americans to volunteer to help the neediest among their fellow citizens. Hey, George, did you forget that more than 45 million uninsured are relying on faith-based healthcare? They're praying they or their families don't get sick, because they can't afford it. I hope a midwife or two heeds his call.
Meanwhile, the replay of the disputed election in the Ukraine is taking place today. Interesting how a bit of civil unrest can throw the results of a fradulent election into doubt. Also interesting is the fact that Bush's good friend Vlad Putin has backed away from his homeboy, and is now vowing to work with whoever is selected. In the rerun of the Ukraine election, the winner seems pretty much predetermined - all reports point to opposition leader Viktor Yushchenkol as the probable winner - but the Ukraine will be left with its own version of red state / blue state.
And finally, no Sunday would be complete without a bit of kibbutzing from my favorite citizen of the world and progressive pundit, Naomi Klein. Today, Naomi posits that the U.S. government is now deploying the "Pottery Barn Defense" in its failure to acknowledge failure, and throwing good money (and lives) after bad in Iraq.
Have a cup of coffee on me, and enjoy your re-entry to the real world. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts and crappy planning on our part, a parachute to ease your re-entry is strictly optional and at your own expense. Kind of like personnel and military vehicle armor in Iraq, if you think about it.
(P.S. - Haloscan is being a cranky bitch today...just keep after it...if you're moved to comment, it will work eventually. Try reloading if the comment window doesn't open properly the first time.)
