I encourage you to watch the video attached to this post. It is the full 60 Minutes piece which ran Sunday, March 19 on global warming.

It is sobering look at how the views of scientists genuinely concerned for the survival of this planet are passed through a prism that is highly partisan and driven by special interest. The report makes a strong and compelling case, and it is frightening to think that the the words of warning by scientists are edited by lawyers and lobbyists before they are passed on to the public. Coupled with the recent resignation of a Bush appointed NASA spokesperson who not only lied on his resume but often censored statements coming out of NASA with regards to global warming, it is clear that this adminstration does not take the potential threat of global warning seriously.

Before the story aired its credibility was attacked by Kenneth Boehm, Chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center. Keep in mind this a highly conservative think tank that often aligns itself with the current administration’s policies, and hardly objective in these matters.

Ignoring the potential of global warming could be dangerous. Allowing polticians to rewrite science… doubly so.

Oh and Phil Cooney, the fella who was Chief of Staff on President Bush’s Council on Environmental Quality, he went on to work at ExxonMobile.

Yesterday I would have said Osama Bin Laden, maybe even Zarqawi… but not today. Not even close. Today I find myself in a country led by a man, by an administration, drunk with power. In a country I have loved my entire life I am no longer proud, and sometimes ashamed to call my own. I am sure I’ll be quickly admonished that there is no better place in the world than the United States of America, with rights and freedom to which all other countries do, or should, aspire. That I should kiss the ground and be thankful for every breath I take in this free land. But such a statement lacks legitimacy, unless every nation has been visited, every right examined, every freedom exposed.

Sure there is a sliding scale; I’d rather not be in Burma (Myanmar), or North Korea. But it is a slippery slope we are now own, and I am sure the world now watches to see if we will shine like that beacon on that treasured hill, or follow all the great civilizations that came before us, and allow that light to go out.

Simply put, if we allow ANY of our ports to be operated by a state-run company based in a country that has a history of ties to terrorists, then we deserve whatever we get. We are ultimately responsible as “we the people” put those who are undeserving and unqualified, into positions of power. And now they are making decisions in secret that compromise our safety. And the nation should not stand for it… and hope they are tiring of those who put us on this path, as am I.

I’m tired of an irresponsible government. I am tired of a government that won’t armor its soldiers. I am tired of a government that fails to prepare for a disaster and then dishonors its survivors by throwing them out on the street. I’m tired of a government that censors its best minds to perpetuate an agenda. I’m tired of a government that treats their veterans like second-class citizens. I’m tired of a government that fails to abide by the standards it proclaimed as their own when elected to office. I am tired of a government breaking laws as it suits them, and wielding fear as weapon to maintain power.

Like the lovely Madeline Kahn sang in Blazing Saddles, “I am sick… and tired…”

Seems Bill’s kilt is all ablaze over a Lowes in Texas which posted a sign selling Holiday trees instead of Christmas trees, and views that and similar efforts as a sinister and highly organized attack on Christmas and all its symbols.

Sorry, but it sounds a little conspiratorial to me. For the record, bringing a tree into the home and decorating it around Christmas is a German tradition that hardly dates back to the time of Christ. It’s also a tremendous symbol of commercialism, and therein lies my argument. Isn’t it more likely that calling it a Holiday tree is an attempt to be more inclusive, considering the diversity of peoples and faiths of this country, and to appeal to a larger audience? Perhaps, to sell more trees?

What about greeting cards? Retailers also recognize the convenience and the need to sell “Happy Holidays” cards. For instance, if one has Jewish and Christian friends, it makes more sense to buy a box of Happy Holiday cards instead of spending twice as much on Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah cards

The irony here is the loudest voices opposed to this generalized holiday message tend to be pro-business, and pro profit. And that’s exactly what the retailers are up to, and not laying siege to a holiday the symbolic importance of which diminishes every year beneath the weight of the almighty dollar.

Don’t get me wrong. I prefer Christmas trees to Holiday trees, and Merry Christmas cards to Happy Holiday cards (unless I am short on cash). That’s how I was brought up. That’s how we celebrated. But I am not offended that some choose to generalize the message. There’s plenty else to be concerned about. I am more offended by obscene greed. And by obscene profit. Both of which go on during the holidays and year round.

Perhaps if we were placing presents at the foot of a crucifix and laying out cookies for the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost there’d be good reason for this row. While admittedly an extreme example, Christmas would likely have a lot more meaning than it does now.

Despite the title, no.. this is not my swan song. Far from it. Instead it refers to a wonderful film of the same name that chronicles the conflict between Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 1950s. It’s both absorbing and amazing, and is startling relevant in the times we now live. I quote now from a speech Murrow made in 1958 which is also in the film:

“Our history will be what we make it. And if there are any historians about fifty or a hundred years from now, and there should be preserved the kinescopes for one week of all three networks, they will there find recorded in black and white, or color, evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation from the realities of the world in which we live. I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger. There are, it is true, occasional informative programs presented in that intellectual ghetto on Sunday afternoons. But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live. If this state of affairs continues, we may alter an advertising slogan to read: LOOK NOW, PAY LATER.

For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive. I mean the word survive literally.”

I strongly urge you take time out and see it, and hope to read your reactions to the film here.