Assorted Comments for a Rainy Tuesday

There are too many things going on in the world for me to concentrate on just one at the moment, so why don't I just take a few random shots at some of the things that have caught my attention in the last few days?

1. President Obama today will sign into law a bill that "fixes" the health care reform legislation he just signed last week. Hmmm... if it only took a week for that law to need repair, what does that say about the process by which our elected reprehensives crafted it in the first place? I refer you back to the question I've asked often enough: does anybody really know what's in those 2000-plus pages of small print? It must be nice to be able to do a poor job, then get paid extra for fixing the lousy job you did in the first place.

2. Two female suicide bombers killed almost 40 people and wounded scores of others in attacks on the Moscow subway system. Although no one has "claimed responsibility" for the murderous attacks, suspicion is falling on Chechen separatists known as "Black Widows" who have carried out similar mass murders in the past. Hmmm... if a male suicide bomber is promised the services of 72 virgins in paradise, what are the women promised?

3. Nine members of a "Christian warrior" militia have been arrested as part of an investigation into a plot to murder a police officer in Michigan, and then murder still more police by attacking the funeral. Hmmm... there seems to be an odd interpretation in some quarters of what it means to be a "Christian." I have the odd idea that Jesus wouldn't approve of a great many things done in his name.

4. Anger is swirling around the Catholic Church hierarchy as more details arise over its response to the growing sexual abuse scandals in Ireland, Germany, and other places. Among the voices raised on the issue is that of Irish singer Sinead O'Connor...whether you agree with her or not, her opinion piece on the subject is a powerful one. You can read it here.

5. 153 men are trapped deep underground in the latest disaster to strike in the notoriously deadly Chinese coal mines. Although safety measures have greatly reduced the number of such accidents each year, statistics show that, on average, seven men die in Chinese mines every day. I guess that's what happens when you have a huge surplus of cheap labor that makes it easier to bury men than pay them a good wage and provide safe working conditions.

That's enough for now. I can only take so much of a dose of current events at one time.

Have a good day. Be glad you're not a Chinese miner. Or a Michigan police officer.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo