Saddam Swings

Saddam Hussein, brutal ex-dictator of Iraq, was hanged this morning for his part in the deaths of 148 Shiites in Dujail in response to a failed assasination attempt against him. The 69-year-old despot was executed within the 30-day window prescribed by the trial judge and before he reached the age of 70. (Iraqi law does not allow executions of people 70 or older.) Further, he received the ultimate temporal punishment before hadjis trek to Mecca. Bush issued a low-key statement but did not comment before the cameras to underscore that the execution was an Iraqi carriage of justice not an American imposition thereof.

Cf. execution video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7532034279766935521 and FNC.

President Ford Dies

President Gerald R. Ford, the nation's only President unelected as either President or Vice President, died last night at his home in Rancho Mirage, CA, at the age of 93. The former University of Michigan football star, distinguished WWII veteran, and 13-term U.S. House Rep assumed the vice presidency after the resignation of Nixon's Veep, Spiro T. Agnew, amidst corruption charges and ascended to the presidency upon the resignation of Nixon under threat of impeachment over the Watergate scandal. Ford was well received by the American public with a high approval rating: however, when the Nebraskan native pardoned President Nixon to "bind up the nation's wounds," his ratings tanked. In his bid for election in his own right in 1976, the moderate Republican barely survived a spirited challenge in the 1976 Republican primaries from Ronald Reagan and narrowly lost his election bid to the Plains peanut farmer who asked people to trust him. Ford was the nation's longest lived president (over a month more than Reagan); the first adopted president (born Leslie King); and the only President to testify in front of a Congressional committee while President. Ford will be remembered as a decent man who helped the nation heal in the painful aftermath of Watergate and Vietnam.

Cf. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061227/D8M9601G0.html and FNC's Special Report with Britt Hume.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! May we remember today that God sent His Son not only to be born in a manger but also to die on a tree for our sins. Let us be thankful for His most precious Gift: may we also love Him and, in doing so, love one another. Happy New Year!

Nordic America?

Dems and the GOP don't seem to offer any real leadership now. Bush got spanked by the voters, and he seems to be gun shy: the Dem have no agenda that they'll endorse now other than one that passes minor ad hoc laws. Perhaps, a triangulation of a strong military, flat taxes, and pro-life libertarian agenda coupled with universal health care, affordable education, and a safety net would properly carry the day in the governance of the nation: such a program would arguably glean the best of both camps and jettison the worst.

Trump: Miss USA Not Fired

Donald Trump announced today that Miss USA Tara Conner was not fired. The small-town KY beauty had reportedly been drinking underage and canoodling with Miss Teen USA. (Allegedly, she also failed a cocaine test.) Reportedly, Trump banned Tara from Trump properties and met today with Miss USA officials to determine the fate of the pageant queen. This morning Trump announced that Tara would go to rehab and would be given a second chance. In this holiday season, the master promoter decided not to play Grinch and to come off as a compassionate and caring tycoon and father figure. Tara keeps her tiara, and Trump barnishes his image.

Cf. FNC Fox News Live (12/19/06 - 10:00 a.m. CST).

Rummy Saluted

Donald Rumsfeld, the youngest (under Ford) and oldest (under Bush 43) Secretary of Defense was feted today by the Veep and the Prez as the nation said goodbye to the longest serving Secretary of Defense ever. Vice President Cheney, a Secretary of Defense himself under Bush 41, said, "I believe the record speaks for itself: Don Rumsfeld is the finest secretary of defense this nation has ever had. The Commander in Chief added, "Because of Don Rumsfeld's determination and leadership, America has the best-equipped, the best-trained, and most-experienced armed forces in the history of the world." It appeared that the executive dyad wanted to give the distinguished warrior his due after summarily giving him the door after the Dems' rout of the Republicans in the midterm elections. The erstwhile senior stud saw his star dim as the the Iraq war turned from a military triumph to a nation-building tribulation.

Cf. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121501195_pf.html.

Oslo Rapes Mount

This year Oslo's clinic at Legevakt, the emergency hospital, has served nearly 300 alleged rape victims higher than the Big Apple's per capita rate. It's head Endre Sandvik, said, "Our resources have been the same for the past 10 years, while the number of our patients has doubled, and continues to increase this year." Oslo City Council health issue chief Sylvi Listhaug, said, "The growth in the number of rapes is dramatic: It makes me angry, and worried about the young women of our city."

Cf. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1567514.ece.

McCurry: Clinton's Legacy Is "Stain"

In a lecture to Princeton students and visitors, Mike McCurry, Bill Clinton's 1995-1998 press secretary, said, "The record and legacy of the Clinton presidency is, dare I use the word, 'stain.'" He added, "In some ways, he had enormous potential and political gifts: But, they didn't arise because of his lack of discipline." McCurry elaborated that even though it was not Clinton's time as to the creation of a legacy, maybe, it would be time for another Clinton. Or another Bush.

Cf. http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2006/12/12/news/16969.shtml.

Richie's "Simple Life" Complex

Nicole Richie, adopted daughter of Lionel, was stopped at 4:50 a.m. this morning for a DUI. According to police, the eighty-five pound starlet admitted to having smoked marijuana and taken Vicodin: however, she tested negative for alcohol. Like her long-time friend and FOX's Simple Life co-star, Paris Hilton, in a similar event earlier this year, she was very cooperative according to CHP officers. Reportedly, Richie had an earlier brush with the law in 2003 when she pled guilty to heroin possession: nevertheless, those charges were dismissed after she satisfied the stipulations of her probation. She is apparently being represented by Hollywood attorney Howard Weitzman in the current affair. Hopefully, this troubled young celeb will find needed help so that she will not endanger her life and the lives of others in the future.

http://www.tmz.com/2006/12/11/nicole-richie-popped-for-dui.

The Importance of Ice Cold Beer

According to St. Louis police, last Sunday night a woman was not overly appreciative of the warm beer that her approximately 70-year-old hubby served her. No fan of the British-style brew, she allegedly shot her mate four to five times in the chest when he brought her a tepid Stag. With the electricity out, the foolish fellow had forgotten to cool her robust libation in the freezing al fresco air.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/laworder/story/21A0F729496ED22D8625723A0015A7EB?OpenDocument.

Preserve Para

As of yesterday, the State of Para became a majority preserve of the biota of Brazil as the federal government placed an area the size of Alabama under its ecological egis. This northeastern state, twice the area of France, has been known as an area where ranchers and timbermen are at loggerheads with green activists. E.g., this impoverished, rural state garnered international attention last year with the slaying of Sister Dorothy Stang, an American who sought to establish a preserve on property that ranchers wanted to clear for pastureland. With Brazilia's declaration, 55.4% of Para is under the control of the feds or indigenous Indians. A spokesperson for Conservation International stated, "Together, the protected areas and indigenous lands of northern Para form one of the greatest biodiversity corridors of tropical forests in the planet." According to the organization, the home of 54.1% of native Amazonian fauna and flora are now under the program's protection.

Cf. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=2699418&page=2.